Chiaotzu: Tien Shinhan's Friend from the Crane School

He counts on his fingers, has a single hair under his hat and freezes his opponents with his mind: Chiaotzu is the best friend of Tien Shinhan. Here's the story of this little Crane School student, from the World Martial Arts Tournament to Dragon Ball Super.

A White-Faced, Red-Cheeked Crane School Student

Chiaotzu is Tien Shinhan's constant companion and a former student of Master Shen, the master of the Crane School. First a secondary opponent at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, he switches sides along with his friend and becomes an ally of Goku.

His name comes from the Chinese jiaozi, Chinese dumplings: the Japanese characters of his name, 餃子, are exactly those of the dish, which is called gyōza in Japan. In fact, during the draw at the 22nd tournament, the announcer reads his name as “Gyōza,” and Chiaotzu corrects him.

He has white skin and red cheeks; like Krillin, he has no visible nose, and he is very short. Under his small traditional Chinese hat, he has just one hair: in chapter 116, when Krillin calls him bald, Chiaotzu takes off his hat to prove him wrong and asks if he's jealous. He already looks like a child when he first appears, but his appearance never changes throughout the manga, so his age remains unclear.

His look recalls that of the jiangshi, the hopping undead of Chinese folklore: pale complexion, red cheeks. During the Buu Saga, like Tien, he wears a blue Chinese robe with a white cape and white pants; he wears a Mongolian-style hat in the manga, but keeps his usual little hat in the anime.

Master Shen taught him flight, or Bukū-jutsu, and the Dodon Ray, the Crane School's two specialties. In the Japanese versions, Chiaotzu calls his friend “Ten-san,” a mark of both familiarity and respect.

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Telekinesis and Cheating at the World Martial Arts Tournament

In the manga, Chiaotzu first appears in chapter 113, published in Weekly Shōnen Jump on February 24, 1987: Master Shen enters him in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament along with Tien Shinhan to beat the students of his rival, Master Roshi. In the anime, he makes his entrance before the tournament, as early as episode 82 of Dragon Ball, “The Rampage of InoShikaCho,” which aired in Japan on October 7, 1987: in this segment not found in the manga, he and Tien go from village to village with a monster to collect bounties.

Early on, Chiaotzu is cruel and amoral, because of Master Shen's teachings. In chapter 116, at Tien's request, he uses telekinesis to rig the draw for the eight finalists: he pits Tien against Yamcha and keeps Krillin for himself, the fighter he has been trading barbs with since the start of the tournament.

Against Krillin, Chiaotzu rises into the air and bombards him with Dodon Rays; on learning that Goku defeated Mercenary Tao, Master Shen orders him to kill his opponent with a single supercharged Dodon Ray (chapter 120). Chiaotzu struggles with simple concepts: at the start of the fight, before taking to the air, when Tien shouts at him to watch out on his left, he has to stop and think about which side that is, and Krillin takes the opportunity to hit him.

In chapter 121, Krillin dodges the Dodon Ray and hits Chiaotzu with a Kamehameha; knocked out of the ring, Chiaotzu catches himself in midair and flies back to the fighting stage. He then holds out his hands, and his psychic power pins Krillin in place, doubled over in pain; telepathically, Master Shen orders him to beat Krillin to a pulp rather than knock him out of the ring.

Krillin notices that Chiaotzu needs his hands to keep his hold: he fires math problems at him (“3 + 4!”), and Chiaotzu counts on his fingers, releasing his opponent, who ends up knocking him out of the ring. In the anime, the fight ends in episode 91, “Counting Controversy!!”; an added scene then shows Master Shen giving him arithmetic lessons at the hotel.

In the final, on Master Shen's orders, Chiaotzu points his finger at Goku and freezes him in place several times, allowing Tien to hit him (chapter 131). Tien sees through the cheating and orders him to stop, because he wants to win fair and square. When Master Shen demands that Chiaotzu start again, he refuses: he wants to watch the match that “Ten-san” is fighting on his own for the first time all the way to the end. This is his break with his master, whom Master Roshi blasts out of the stadium with a Kamehameha when he threatens Chiaotzu.

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Killed by King Piccolo, Sacrificed Against Nappa

Facing King Piccolo, Chiaotzu and Tien help Master Roshi gather the Dragon Balls. In chapter 147, when the demon summons Shenron to regain his youth, Chiaotzu, alerted by telepathy, bursts in to make a wish before him; King Piccolo kills him with a single blast before he can finish his sentence. In the anime, this is episode 112 of Dragon Ball, “King Piccolo's Wish,” which aired in Japan on May 18, 1988.

In chapter 165, Kami brings the dragon back to life, and the wish revives the victims of King Piccolo and his offspring: Krillin, Master Roshi and Chiaotzu wake up. Three years later, at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament (chapter 167), Chiaotzu uses his powers to place his friends in different qualifying groups, then he's eliminated off-panel by Mercenary Tao, back as a cyborg, who says he only let him live so as not to be disqualified.

To prepare for the Saiyans' arrival, Chiaotzu trains for months under Kami alongside Yamcha, Tien, Krillin and Yajirobe (chapter 209); at the end of this training, Kami declares that they have all surpassed him, Chiaotzu included.

Against Nappa, his psychic power has no effect (chapter 216). In chapter 217, after Nappa tears off one of Tien's arms, Chiaotzu clings to the Saiyan's back, says goodbye to his friend telepathically and self-destructs, pouring all his energy into the blast. The sacrifice is in vain: the explosion doesn't finish off Nappa, and Chiaotzu dies for the second time.

In the anime, this sacrifice is at the heart of episode 24 of Dragon Ball Z, “The Power of Nappa,” which aired in Japan on October 25, 1989. The episode extends the manga scene: Nappa slams himself against rock walls to make Chiaotzu let go, then shields himself at the last moment.

In the Other World, Kami gives him back his body and sends him to train with King Kai alongside Yamcha, Tien and Piccolo; in chapter 261, Yamcha tells Goku, who thought the fourth one was Kami, that it's Chiaotzu. In an anime-only segment, on King Kai's planet, Chiaotzu defeats Guldo of the Ginyu Force with a psychic attack. After the battle on Namek, he is revived by Porunga, Namek's dragon, along with Tien.

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From the Androids to Dragon Ball Super: A Role on the Sidelines

When the androids arrive, Tien explains that he left Chiaotzu behind: his friend has trained, but couldn't keep up in a fight like this one. From then on, Chiaotzu hardly fights anymore. In the anime, he stays at Kame House and does the cooking, which Master Roshi and Oolong find delicious.

In chapter 361, Chiaotzu senses Cell's energy along with Tien, but he doesn't come to the Cell Games. During the Buu Saga, the two friends dodge the attack that wipes out Earth's population (chapter 487), then die when Buu, in his original form, blows up the planet; brought back to life with everyone else, Chiaotzu gives his energy to Goku's Spirit Bomb.

According to a 2013 interview with Akira Toriyama, Chiaotzu later helps Tien in the fields: his telekinesis is said to be so effective that neighboring farmers pay him handsomely, and he has reportedly put aside a surprising amount of money.

In the Dragon Ball Super anime, at Bulma's birthday party, he entertains little Marron, Krillin and Android 18's daughter. Later, in episode 89, which aired in Japan on May 7, 2017, we learn that he and Tien have opened a dojo; Yurin, a former classmate from the Crane School, puts a spell on the students to get revenge on Tien, and Chiaotzu briefly subdues her while Goku restrains Master Roshi, who has been bewitched in turn.

In the Dragon Ball Super manga, Tien considers Yamcha or Chiaotzu to round out the Universe 7 team for the Tournament of Power (chapter 32). In the Galactic Patrol Prisoner arc (chapters 56 and 57), Chiaotzu, worried that he hasn't fought in a long time, takes on a Metalman from Moro's gang alongside Tien. Remembering that Metalmen can't stand being mocked, Chiaotzu suggests that Tien insult their opponent; his friend struggles to come up with an insult, and it's Chiaotzu who makes the Metalman collapse by hurting his feelings. In Dragon Ball GT, he only makes brief appearances. In the final episode, he trains with Tien under a waterfall; when Goku passes by with Shenron, Chiaotzu starts to cry.

The Emperor of Mifan, the Movies and Chiaotzu's Voices

In the movie Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure (1988), Chiaotzu is the Emperor of Mifan, surrounded by Minister Shen, General Tao and his bodyguard Tien, who plot to take his kingdom from him; he searches for his doll Ran Ran and finds her at the end. Tien ultimately refuses to kill him and fends off Shen. Neither the manga nor the series makes him an emperor.

In the movie Resurrection 'F', Tien doesn't take Chiaotzu along to fight the Frieza Force, which he considers too dangerous for him; Chiaotzu dies when Frieza blows up the Earth, a death undone when Whis turns back time.

In Japanese, Chiaotzu is voiced by Hiroko Emori, who still voices him in Dragon Ball Super. In English, Monika Antonelli voices him in Funimation's dubs of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and GT, then Brina Palencia takes over from Dragon Ball Z Kai onward, including Dragon Ball Super; Cathy Weseluck also voiced him in the Ocean dub of Dragon Ball Z. Fun fact: at Funimation, Chiaotzu and Puar share the same voice actress, first Antonelli, then Palencia.

Chiaotzu at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who is Chiaotzu?
  He's a former Crane School student with a white face and red cheeks, and Tien Shinhan's best friend. First an opponent of Goku and his friends, he becomes their ally.
• What are Chiaotzu's powers?
  He freezes his opponents with psychic power, communicates by telepathy, flies and fires the Dodon Ray. In the manga, counting on his fingers breaks his hold.
• How does Chiaotzu die?
  He dies twice in battle: killed by King Piccolo in chapter 147, then by self-destructing on Nappa's back in chapter 217. He also dies when Buu blows up the Earth, before being brought back to life.
• Why does Chiaotzu count on his fingers?
  He struggles with simple concepts: at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, Krillin throws math problems at him to make him loosen his hold, and wins the fight.
• Is Chiaotzu an emperor?
  Only in the movie Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure (1988), where he is the Emperor of Mifan; neither the manga nor the series makes him an emperor.
• Who voices Chiaotzu?
  In Japanese, Hiroko Emori. In English, Monika Antonelli in Funimation's dubs of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and GT, then Brina Palencia from Dragon Ball Z Kai onward, notably in Dragon Ball Super; at Funimation, both actresses also voice Puar.

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