While Krillin may not have the best track record for fighting in the Dragon Ball franchise, he managed to find successful romance and a healthy family life that eluded several of his Z Fighter comrades. While Yamcha and Tien were still flying solo going into Dragon Ball Z, Krillin turned out to be a much better and more attentive husband/father than series protagonist Goku. At the same time, these matters of the heart were somewhat questionable given the name of Krillin and Android 18's daughter.
One of the more head-scratching elements of the former monk's family life in DBZ is that Krillin's daughter is seemingly named after an ex from earlier in the series. Given how seemingly minor said girlfriend was, it's incredibly perplexing and almost humorous. While this questionable choice may raise eyebrows among English-speaking audiences, the original Japanese suggests Krillin's daughter isn't named after the one that got away at all.
Updated by Timothy Blake Donohoo on October 20, 2023: With the continued popularity of the Dragon Ball franchise and the announcement of Dragon Ball Daima, more fans than ever are taking a look back at the series' history. This includes asking questions such as why Krillin seemingly named his daughter after his ex, making it more important than ever to clarify these queries.
Why Did Krillin Name His Daughter After His Ex?
Shortly after Frieza's first defeat, the Z Fighters enjoyed a period of peace as they waited several months for Goku to return to Earth. During this time, Krillin struck up a romance with a rather ditzy woman named Maron. Maron in Dragon Ball Z appeared to be a bit clueless about the world around her and not entirely devoted to Krillin, going as far as to flirt with Yamcha. After defeating an escaped Garlic, Jr. and thwarting his plans to control Earth's populace via the Black Water Mist, Krillin decided to break up with Maron, feeling she was too good for him. This only caused him to be heartbroken when she quickly moved on with another man.
After marrying Android 18 following the Cell Games, Krillin and his wife named their daughter Marron. This caused fans to ask why Krillin named his daughter after his ex. The important distinction between the names of Krillin's daughter "Marron" and his ex-girlfriend "Maron" are their spellings. While pronounced relatively the same in English, there is a marked difference between the two names' pronunciation in Japanese, namely when it comes to Krillin's daughter. The follow-up anime series Dragon Ball Super even winks at this naming confusion, with Android 18's brother Android 17 mispronouncing Marron's name to his sister's visible annoyance at the mention of her husband's ex.
Why Is Krillin's Daughter Named Marron?
Rather than being named after Krillin's ex-girlfriend, Krillin's daughter Marron is another example of franchise creator Akira Toriyama's noted penchant for using food-based puns in naming his characters. The Japanese pronunciation of Krillin's name, "Kuririn," contains the Japanese word for chestnut, in a comedic nod to Krillin's bald head resembling one. Similarly, Marron's name comes from the French word for chestnut to keep with that naming tradition, just as Trunks and his family are named after different undergarments while Saiyans are named after various types of vegetables. Likewise, the toddler version of Krillin's daughter Marron heavily resembles her father with his round head and beady eyes, though she has her mother's blonde hair.
Though it's now non-canon, the anime-exclusive sequel Dragon Ball GT evolved Marron's appearance. Now a young lady, she more heavily resembles her mother than ever before. This includes Android 18's blue eyes, with Krillin's daughter no longer having a face as round as her father's. She also develops a visible nose in this series, which is something that her father notably lacks. Her sharing her parents' physical features is the ultimate embodiment of Krillin and Android 18's love, and it also showcases the nature of the series' fairly infamous filler through Maron from Dragon Ball Z.
Krillin's Daughter Showcases How Irrelevant DBZ's Filler Was
Maron in Dragon Ball Z was created for the show, debuting in the anime-exclusive "Garlic, Jr. Saga." That saga as a whole was heavily disliked by fans, but the same can be said for almost all the franchise's filler. Filler episodes are a common practice in anime production, especially for popular battle shonen anime like Dragon Ball Z. These episodes are made in order to "space out" the story and provide a timing buffer, so to speak. This way, the anime's production doesn't catch up with the manga source material too soon. In Dragon Ball Z and similar series', these filler episodes are usually comedic romps that offer little in way of plot development or watch value. Examples of this include an infamous episode where Goku and Piccolo learn to drive.
Maron in DBZ is another example of this filler, which is why she was so quickly written out of the series. Since she had no place in the manga, it would have been hard to consolidate her presence (and potentially deepened relationship with Krillin) in further episodes. Conversely, it's unlikely she would have been a close love of his anyway, as even Korin noted how simple-minded the girl was. On the other hand, the fierce Android 18 was a much stronger personality, making her a more than worthy mate for Krillin. Likewise, Krillin's daughter is another sign that the couple love each other and a sign that Dragon Ball villains truly can change and evolve.
Krillin and his family are quietly one of the most heartwarming aspects of the Z Fighters' private lives, with both Android 18 and Krillin going through enormous lengths to take care of their daughter. While it meant that he wasn't an important fighter anymore, it did give Krillian an important new role. To be fair, Krillin didn't immediately forget about his ex-girlfriend Maron, as he was seen thinking about her in an interlude during the Z Fighters' battle against the Androids. Nevertheless, he quickly found love again with Android 18 and created a loving family in a way that he likely couldn't have with the vapid Maron. Thus, while his Krillin's daughter's name initially appears to suggest that he hasn't moved on from Maron, nothing could be further from the truth.
