Karin (Dragon Ball)

Gokū enters the Land of Karin searching for his grandfather's Sì Xīng Qiú (Sūshinchū / Four-Star Ball), which he soon discovers is held by the inhabitants; after fending off an attack by the Red Ribbon Army, they gratefully give the ball to him, telling him about the legend of the colossal tower, so high that not even airplanes can reach the top; if a person manages to climb to the top and drink the Super Holy Water held by Karin, the Master of Combat, their strength and speed will be tremendously increased.

Learning of their defeat, the Red Ribbon sends the hired assassin T'ao Pai-pai, who easily overpowers the boy and nearly kills him, if not for the Dragon Ball hidden in his clothing. After coming to, Gokū realizes his need to become stronger and begins the ascent, climbing throughout the day and into the night, sleeping with his tail clinging tightly to the handholds. After three days of straight climbing, an exausted Gokū reaches the top and encounters the white Neko-Sen'nin, Karin, who is insulted at the boy's disbelief that he is the legendary Master. After reading Gokū's mind and finding his intentions pure, Karin tells the boy that he can have the Holy Water. Gokū leaps to grab it, but the cat immediately snatches it away, hooking it to his tail and declaring that the boy can indeed have it �" if he can take it.

Even Gokū's superhuman agility is no match for the cat, as he leads Gokū on a chase around and around the tower, matching Gokū's zanzōken technique with his own, eventually becoming bored with the "workout" and calling an end for the day. An exausted, yet curious Gokū asks if anyone has managed to reach the water; the cat responds that the only one who did was Gokū's old teacher, Muten-Rōshi, which shocks the boy. He is further shocked when, asking how long it took, Karin responds with three years. The next day, Gokū awakes to find Karin dumping "garbage" over the side of the tower--including his grandfather's Si Xing Qui! Furious, he immediately runs down the tower to retrieve it and climbs it again, while the old cat looks on with satisfaction; what took three days previously has now only taken one, a sign of the boy's growing strength. After 3 days of chasing and climbing, a determined Gokū finally manages to outmaneuver Karin and take the bottle of Holy Water from him; after drinking it, however, he doesn't notice any strength increase at all. Karin informs him that it is just ordinary water; it was Gokū's intense exertion that made him much stronger and faster than before. A grateful Gokū thanks Karin for the training, and climbs down the tower to face T'ao Pai-pai again, easily defeating him.

However, Karin does in fact have special water that unleashes the drinker's inner power �" the Super Kami Water; however, the water itself is so dangerous that he refuses to let Gokū journey to retrieve it until learning that the legendary Piccolo Daimaō had been released �" tasting a single drop of the Super Kami Water nearly kills Yajirobe, sending him into spasms of agony. After a grueling trek and overcoming numerous obstacles (in anime only), Gokū reaches the Super God Water and drinks deeply, sending him into agony as well, but also giving him the power needed to defeat Piccolo Daimaō.

In addition to this, Karin is the only one who grows the Senzu (Holy Beans) which heal wounds and are equivalent to eating 10 days worth of food. Karin's Tower is the only place in the world (and perhaps the universe) they are grown, and so these magic beans are quite valuable. The senzu are used frequently in Dragon Ball Z to restore energy in battle, and many a time they save the lives of the Z Fighters. The beans are limited in number and are difficult to grow, and so Karin only gives them to the Z Fighters in time of need or before a battle. Usually no more than 5 are carried at a time.

In Dragon Ball Z he shows up from time to time, giving Senzu to Gokū when he is revived, and training the Z Warriors. Yajirobe eventually ends up living with him in the tower. Karin makes a Cameo appearance in Dragon Ball GT, in episode 40, "The Earth Explodes