various publications for manga, anime and other media have commented on krillin's character, adding praise and criticism to his development and traits in the series. anime news network writer carl kimlinger liked krillin and goku's childhood, noting it to be the warmth that the later "dragon ball z" anime does not have. also believing the first anime to have more development than the sequel, tim jones from them anime reviews cited how krillin was not a friend to goku when first introduced. david f. smith of ign comments that krillin and #18's relationship really help make the storyline more interesting. additionally, he liked krillin's appearances in the fight against cell as he has more screen time than the main character, goku. although chris beveridge from mania entertainment thought that krillin had a drastic change in "dragon ball gt", he mentioned that fans from the previous series would like some of its episodes due to the appearance of krillin and other older characters.