Tien Shinhan

Lore & Background

Tien is named after tenshindon, a crabmeat omelet dish over rice; Toriyama chose this silly name despite the character's cool demeanor. Loosely based on Erlang Shen from Journey to the West, Tien is a three-eyed Taoist deity figure who evolved from adversary to ally. He trained under Master Shen, gaining superhuman strength, speed, agility, and reflexes. His abilities include telepathy, telekinesis, generating ki from his being, absorbing energy blasts, and sensing energy. Unlike Saiyans relying on heritage, Tien's power stems from training with Master Shen and later Kami. He is recognized as one of the strongest humans on Earth, utilizing techniques like the Multi-Form to create clones and the life-draining Kikōhō (Tri-Beam) to sacrifice himself for others.

In Their Own Story

Tien debuted at the 22nd Tenkaichi Budōkai, ruthlessly breaking Yamcha's leg but refusing to kill Goku after realizing Chiaotzu cheated. He won by destroying the stage with the Kikōhō, then abandoned Master Shen. After King Piccolo killed Krillin and Chiaotzu, Tien learned the suicidal Mafūba technique. Despite knowing he could not be revived, he intercepted Piccolo, defeated his son Drum after being rescued by Goku, and used his final energy to save Goku from Piccolo's attack before being crippled. Revived later, he fought a cybernetic Tao Pai Pai in the 23rd Tenkaichi Budōkai, taking a scar on his chest that remained for the rest of the series. During the Saiyan invasion, Tien defeated a Saibaman but sacrificed himself trying to kill Nappa after Chiaotzu failed. He trained with King Kai in the afterlife before being revived to face Frieza's return and later Androids. In Dragon Ball Super, he joined Goku's Tournament of Power team after Yurin brainwashed his students, eventually eliminating himself alongside Universe 2's Harmira.

Reader's Guide

Tien's combat style combines traditional martial arts with supernatural abilities like flight and energy manipulation. His signature technique is the Kikōhō (Tri-Beam), a life-draining attack used to destroy opponents or save allies, notably against King Piccolo and Nappa. He utilizes the Multi-Form to split his power into four clones, though this divides his strength among them. The Taiyōken (Solar Flare) blinds enemies by generating intense light. In Dragon Ball Super, he joined a dojo with Chiaotzu before agreeing to fight in the Tournament of Power for promised Zeni to repair his village. He adheres to Gohan's plan during the tournament, fighting Harmira and using his clones to create openings until both are eliminated from the stage. His appearances extend to non-canon movies where he battles Turles' henchmen or assists Gohan against Bojack's minions.

Did You Know?

• Tien's name is derived from tenshindon, a crabmeat omelet dish over rice, which Akira Toriyama chose just to be silly.
• He was the first character in the series to demonstrate the ability to fly using Bukū-jutsu.
• During his fight with Tao Paipai in the 23rd Tenkaichi Budōkai, Tien received a scar across his chest that he retained for the rest of the series.
• In Dragon Ball Z episodes 82 and 84, Tien was voiced by Kōichi Yamadera instead of his usual voice actor Hirotaka Suzuoki.
• Tien joined the Tournament of Power team in Dragon Ball Super believing Goku's false promise of ten million Zeni would help repair his village.