Tien Shinhan

Template:Character

"I might just be a pothole in the road to you big guy, but it's going to be one heck of a deep pothole!" — "Say Goodbye, 17"

Tien Shinhan (天津飯, Tenshinhan) (typically just called Tien) is a human introduced near the end of the Fortuneteller Baba Saga in the anime. Because of his harsh upbringing, he is initially cold and heartless, thinking nothing of exploiting innocents and inflicting pain. However, Master Roshi and Goku eventually help him to see the folly of his master's teachings, and he becomes their trusted ally.

History

Tien Shinhan Saga

Main article: Tien Shinhan Saga

Tien in Dragon Ball

Tien's first major role in the series begins at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament during the Tien Shinhan Saga. He is a student of the Master Shen, who is entering Tien and Chiaotzu to defeat the students of his rival, the Turtle Hermit Master Roshi. Tien faces little in the way of challenge during the preliminaries and easily makes his way into the finals.

Using Chiaotzu's mental powers to fix the ordering of the matches in the quarter-finals, Tien decides to first face off against Turtle student Yamcha, whom he had been exchanging hostile words with since the start of the tournament. Yamcha puts up a better fight then Tien expected, but was still not a significant threat to Tien, who not only defeated him, but went further and ended the match by needlessly breaking Yamcha's leg. Soon after this fight, Tien learns of the death of his role-model Mercenary Tao by the hands of Turtle student Goku and the tournament becomes more about revenge then victory.

Tien's next opponent was the winner of the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, Jackie Chun. Jackie Chun challenged Tien not only in physical combat, but also began to warn him about following an evil path. With the help of the Master Shen, Tien learns that Jackie Chun is actually Master Roshi in a guise and proceeds to use Master Roshi's signature move, the Kamehameha (which he learned in the fight against Yamcha) against him. After this, Master Roshi concedes the match and hops out the ring. Tien proceeds to track down Master Roshi shortly afterwards to find out why he forfeited, to which Master Roshi responds by telling Tien that it's time for younger fighters, Tien included, to take his place.

Tien then proceeds to battle in the final round against Goku himself. Goku is a powerful opponent and the fight seems to be relatively even until Goku suddenly becomes unable to throw a punch or dodge an attack without becoming frozen in place. Tien quickly learns that Chiaotzu is rigging the fight under Master Shen's orders and he demands that Chiaotzu stop since he wants a fair match. Master Shen takes this as defiance and orders Tien to kill Goku, but Tien refuses; Master Roshi's words have proven true and Tien rejects the path of an assassin. The now infuriated Master Shen orders Chiaotzu to kill both Tien and Goku and when Chiaotzu refuses, Crane then threatens to kill him instead. Mastser Roshi puts an end to this by blasting Master Shen out of the stadium with a Kamahameha, allowing Tien and Goku to concentrate on their match.

Tien and Goku continue to battle until Tien eventually decides to put an end to it and use his ultimate attack, the Tri-beam. He warns Goku to dodge the blast, forcing him out of bounds, as there is no way to survive being hit by it. Tien proceeds to use the attack and destroys the entire arena; because of his warning Goku dodged by leaping incredibly high in the air. Tien is convinced he'll win at this point, as he can fly and Goku can't, but Goku uses one final Kamehameha to propel himself into Tien like a rocket. Both fighters then fall to the ground, Goku slightly ahead. Goku attempts to use another, smaller Kamehameha to slow himself down, but is hit by a truck and lands first. Tien lands an instant later, thus winning the tournament.

After the match, Tien offers Goku half of the prize money, as he recognizes that it was mere luck that he won. He also apologizes to Yamcha for using such excessive force during their fight. Master Roshi offers to let Tien stay at the Kame House, but Tien declines, stating that he cannot follow the teachings of another, even if he has betrayed his master.

King Piccolo Saga

Main article: King Piccolo Saga The good mood is short-lived however, as Turtle student Krillin is unexpectedly killed while separated momentarily from the group. Along with his body there was note with the character (demon) on it. Master Roshi tells everyone that it represents an incredibly powerful Demon King, King Piccolo, who was sealed away centuries ago by Master Roshi's old master using the suicidal Evil Containment Wave technique, but is now apparently free again. On hearing this, Goku, still not fully recovered from his battle with Tien, rushes off to seek revenge.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Tien volunteers to help in anyway he can. He is informed of the seven Dragon Balls, which when collected summon a Shenron that can grant any wish, and, along with Chiaotzu and Master Roshi, is soon on a quest to retrieve them in order to have the Dragon eradicate King Piccolo. After finding several of them though, their radar which tells them of the Dragon Balls locations shows them that the remaining ones are actually coming to them, meaning King Piccolo is also seeking the Dragon Balls and is coming for theirs.

Before King Piccolo can confront them, Master Roshi unexpectedly knocks Tien out and hides him in a cave. Master Roshi plans on using the Evil Containment Wave against King Piccolo and, since Goku is thought to have already been killed, Master Roshi considers Tien to be the last line of defense for the planet in case he fails. Semi-conscious, Tien can do nothing but witnesses Master Roshi's ultimately unsuccessful stand against the powerful Demon King. King Piccolo wastes no time joining the Dragon Balls together to summon the Dragon and Tien, in desperation, orders Chiaotzu to quickly make a wish to destroy King Piccolo before the Demon King can make one himself. Chiaotzu tries, but is quickly killed mid-sentence from a blast by King Piccolo, an act Tien can only watch. King Piccolo continues to make his wish and then destroys the Dragon, knowing it's the only thing that can stop him.

After regaining his mobility, and King Piccolo has long gone, Tien practices the Evil Containment Wave, having learned it from watching Master Roshi perform it. Once he has fully mastered it, Tien heads off to King Piccolo's location in the world capital to confront the demon. After he arrives and challenges King Piccolo, he is horrified on discovering that the vessel to be King Piccolo's prison is cracked and useless from his practicing. Knowing that he won't be able to use the Evil Containment Wave, Tien decides to confront King Piccolo regardless.

File:TienvsDrum.JPG

Tien faces mutated Namekian spawn Drum

King Piccolo, not seeing Tien as being worth fighting, spawns a new minion, Drum, to take care of him. Drum quickly beats Tien, and is about to finish him when Goku intervenes and saves Tien, killing Drum with a single kick. Tien can only watch as Goku and King Piccolo then battle it out, using the last of his strength part way through their match to quickly fly in and levitate Goku out of the path of a powerful attack by King Piccolo. When the battle seems to be turning against King Piccolo, the Demon King decides to take Tien hostage in order to force Goku to allow himself to be crippled. Tien is then discarded by King Piccolo, but Goku is more resilient then King Piccolo thought and uses one final attack to kill the Demon King.

With the battle over, Tien heads back to the Kame House with Goku's friends Launch, Yamcha and Bulma. He vows to train harder in order to bridge the now massive gap between himself and Goku.

Piccolo Jr. Saga

Main article: Piccolo Jr. Saga Tien keeps up his training, redoubling his efforts after learning that Goku is being trained by Kami, Guardian of the Earth. With the dragon restored, a wish is made to bring all those killed by King Piccolo back to life. Tien then trains with Yamcha and the newly resurrected Krillin and Chiaotzu until they are informed by Master Roshi that, to be able to compete with Goku, they are going to need to find better ways to train than are available at the Kame House. They all head to Korin's Tower and train with Korin before each going their own separate way.

Three years after King Piccolo's defeat, Tien, along with Yamcha, Chiaotzu and Krillin, return to compete in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. He is somewhat surprised to see the now teenaged Goku and hopeful that he's even more powerful than before. His real shock, however, is seeing Piccolo Jr., and realizing that something of the Demon King has survived. He remains silent about the matter for the time, not wishing to create a panic.

When the lots are drawn up to determine the order of the fights, Tien again has Chiaotzu manipulate the cards so that none of the group (Tien, Yamcha, Goku, Chiaotzu and Krillin) or Piccolo Jr. fight each other in the preliminaries.

The early matches seem to be going as usual, with the group quickly dispatching their foes. Tien then receives a horrible sense of something happening to Chiaotzu. He races to the scene and finds Chiaotzu heavily wounded and unconscious, his opponent turning out to be the now cybernetic Mercenary Tao. Mercenary Tao explains that after his seeming death by Goku, he was rebuilt into the half-man half-machine before them, and that he seeks revenge on both Goku and the "traitor" Tien. Tien gladly accepts his challenge, wanting to avenge Chiaotzu.

They get their wish as the Tien and Mercenary Tao are the first of the eight finalists to fight. Mercenary Tao lunges at Tien, but Tien sidesteps and counters, knocking Mercenary Tao to the ground. Tien then states that he forgives Mercenary Tao for what he did to Chiaotzu and tells him to forfeit. Mercenary Tao refuses this and presses on his assault, though he is clearly outclassed by Tien. After Tien grabs one of Mercenary Tao's wrists, Mercenary Tao pulls a surprise maneuver and detaches his mechanical hand, revealing a knife that he quickly uses to slash Tien, scarring him forever. Though disqualified for use of a weapon, Mercenary Tao doesn't care and quickly drops his other hand to reveal a cannon and fires a Super Dodon Ray at Tien. Tien nullifies the large blast with his Kiai and then proceeds to defeat Mercenary Tao with a single punch to the gut. He takes Mercenary Tao's unconscious body out of bounds and presents it to the watching Master Shen, telling him to take Mercenary Tao and leave, never bothering him again.

Tien's next fight is the one he's been waiting for, a rematch against Goku. The battle starts with numerous quick sparrings and shows to be fairly even, but with Tien having an edge in raw speed. This changes after Goku removes his weighted clothing though, making Goku fast enough to steal Tien's belt without Tien even noticing; resulting in Tien's boxers to be exposed to the audience. Realizing that he won't be able to defeat Goku physically, Tien uses a new technique he has created, the Multi-Form, and splits into four identical copies of himself. The Tien's disperse to the four corners of the ring, each one then firing a ki blast at the center, where Goku is, resulting in a large explosion which Goku has to leap to avoid.

The Tien's quickly fire again, this time from their third eyes, at Goku, sending him crashing back to the ring. The Tien's warn Goku to give up before he gets hurt, but he appears unfazed by their attacks, and states they won't be able to pull off that trick again, which they then promptly attempt. Goku dodges the beams this time though, and uses the Solar Flare against them, blinding the Tien's. He then quickly dispatches each of them, causing them to revert back to the single being. Goku states that the new technique Tien has a critical weakness, as Tien's power is divided amongst the duplicates. With the fight over, Tien looks forward to their next rematch, suspecting that Goku was still holding quite a bit back.

Tien plays little role in following battles, he can only watch as Goku fights the seemingly all-powerful Piccolo Jr. He offers his assistance at several points, but is denied by Goku who wants to fight the demon alone, though he does open the Sealed Flask, which Piccolo Jr. used to trap Kami, after Goku tosses it to him. Tien also helps to evacuate their friends, creating a pit in the earth for them take shelter from one of Piccolo Jr.'s more devastating attacks.

When it looks like Goku has been beaten, with Piccolo Jr. close to finishing him off, Tien reluctantly accepts the order from Kami to kill the elderly guardian, thus also killing Piccolo Jr. He is stopped by Goku though, who evades the demon's onslaught and ends up defeating him with a surprise attack.

Dragon Ball Z

Vegeta Saga

Five years after the tournament, Tien learns that Goku has died in battle against an amazingly powerful warrior called Raditz, a Saiyan and Goku's brother. Even more disturbing is that two more Saiyans, both more powerful than Raditz, are on their way to Earth and will be there in about a year.

In the early days, the wild Launch developed a bit of an infatuation with Tien, and she continues to chase him wherever he goes. This could be one reason he chooses to move from place to place so frequantly. Tien wastes no time, and is invited, along with Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Yajirobe and Krillin, to train at Kami's Lookout so they can aid Goku when he is wished back to life in a year, after he completes his training with King Kai.

When the saiyan's finally do arrive, the Z Fighters have to hold them off until Goku can arrive. Vegeta, deciding to toy with his opponents, has Nappa grow several Saibamen in the Earth's soil so he can hold a small game. Knowing that they have to buy time, the Z Fighters agree to this, and Tien volunteers to go first. He manages to quickly defeat the vicious creature, causing Vegeta to destroy it for incompetence.

After all the Saibamen are destroyed, Nappa decides to enter the fray himself, taking on Tien as his first opponent. Tien is no match for the giant warrior, and has his left arm ripped off in a single hit. Immediately, Tien tries to use Levitate to escape but is quickly smashed to the floor in the second hit. Seeing this, Chiaotzu sacrifices himself with a self destruction attack against Nappa, who remains unharmed and starts to fight with the now ally Piccolo and Goku's son Gohan. Tien, enraged by the death of Chiaotzu, puts all his remaining strength into one final Tri-beam through his remaining right hand, killing himself in the process. The attack manages to do serious damage to Nappa's armor, but does not hurt the saiyan himself. In the anime however, Nappa goes as far as to praise Tien's efforts, claiming that had his aim been better, it would have seriously injured him.

Namek Saga

File:ZFighters&Kai.jpg

Tien with Yamcha, Piccolo and Chiaotzu, shortly after arriving on King Kai's planet.

Because of the influence of Kami, after he perished, Tien was allowed to train on King Kai's Planet in the Other World as Goku did earlier. Joining him were the other warriors who also perished in the battle against the Saiyans: Chiaotzu, Piccolo and Yamcha. On King Kai's planet, King Kai tells Goku that they all crossed Snake Way in a far shorter time than he did, and that they all requested for tougher training than what Goku had recieved.

Frieza Saga

Tien, along with Chiaotzu and Yamcha, remains on King Kai's planet and learns of everyone's (Goku, Vegeta, Krillin, Gohan, Dende and Piccolo fused with Nail) mighty struggle with the evil tyrant Frieza on the Planet Namek. He is eventually wished back to life a second time along with Chaiotzu by a wish made to Porunga. After returning to Earth, Tien and Chiaotzu go into solitude, training in the mountains.

Garlic Jr. Saga

For reasons unexplained, both Tien and Chiaotzu do not make their appearences in this saga. It can be assumed however that they were both also possessed by the Black Water Mist, and also changed back to their normal states by the Sacred Water like almost everybody else on Earth.

Trunks Saga

A year later, while Tien and Chiaotzu are training in the mountains, they are interrupted when they sense two powerful evil chis heading towards Earth. They then fly to the location of where the chis are coming from. Both Tien and Chiaotzu are surprised to find Vegeta (who was somewhat reformed during the crisis on Namek and now resides on Earth with Bulma) and the other Z Fighters who inform them that the ki they are detecting is Frieza, who somehow survived. When Frieza does land, he is quickly dispatched by an unknown mysterious youth (Future Trunks). Piccolo, overhearing the youth’s private conversation with Goku, tells everyone the warning that two incredibly powerful Androids will attack in three years.

Android Saga

The three years soon pass and the Z Fighters head to the location where the androids soon appear. Tien tells the other Z-Fighters that he left Chiaotzu behind as he felt that even though they trained, he wouldn't have been about to keep up in the battle. Tien himself doesn't do any fighting until Android 16, Android 17, and Android 18 appear. He attacks Android 17, but is way overmatched, and ends up being choked until he is dropped.

Imperfect Cell Saga

When the Androids leave to continue their pursuit of Goku, who is recovering from a heart disease, Tien goes off with Chiaotzu to try and get powerful enough to help against this new threat. He is soon interrupted from this to lend his aid in hunting for the new menace called Cell.

Perfect Cell Saga

Eventually Tien catches up with Imperfect Cell, and witnesses his battle against the combined force of Piccolo and Android 17. Imperfect Cell defeats Piccolo though, and ends up absorbing Android 17 to become Semi-Perfect Cell. Semi-Perfect Cell then makes his move to absorb Android 18 as well, but is held off by Tien, who uses his new Neo Tri-beam to hold Semi-Perfect Cell in place until Goku arrives and relieves the thoroughly drained Tien.

Cell Games Saga

When Perfect Cell declares his Cell Games, Tien is on the sidelines. It isn't to be though, as Perfect Cell spawns seven Cell Jr.s to torment the Z Fighters in order to make Gohan angry. After a severe beating by the small creature, he is saved by Gohan, who then goes on to destroy Perfect Cell.

Majin Buu Saga

In the following Buu Saga, Tien makes an appearance with Chiaotzu as their traveling in the mountains is interrupted when they both sense Goku transforming into his Super Saiyan 3 form.

Fusion Saga

Tien later reappears alongside Chiaotzu whilst they're training in the mountains. Here, himself and Chiaotzu manage to evade being hit by Super Buu's Special Human Genocide Attack, which was used to exterminate the population of Earth. They then briefly examine the small craters left behind by Super Buu's attack. When Tien finally intervenes into the main battle, he saves Mr. Satan, Gohan, Dende and Bee from being killed by Super Buu, but is dispatched after a single kick from behind.

Kid Buu Saga

When the Earth is destroyed by Kid Buu, Tien and Chaioztu are also killed in the process. Once everyone is revived by the Namekian Dragon Balls, he and Chiaotzu later give their energy to Goku's Spirit Bomb so that he can destroy Kid Buu.

Dragon Ball GT

Baby Saga

He is seen in episode 40 "Piccolo's Decision" with Chiaotzu and among others.

Shadow Dragon Saga

He is finally seen in the last episode (#64, "Until We Meet Again...") when Goku passes by with Shenron, as he and Chiaotzu are training under a waterfall.

Anime filler

• Slightly younger versions of Tien and Chiaotzu are introduced a bit earlier at the end of the Fortuneteller Baba Saga. Here, they are young con-artists who utilize a wild boar-like creature, InoShikaCho, to destroy towns. They then show up at the place and offer their services to "kill" the creature. Goku learns of this scheme and puts an end to it.

• While searching for the Dragon Balls in the King Piccolo Saga, Tien, Chiaotzu and Master Roshi retrieve the first one from a greedy pirate bear. When getting the second ball, they arrive at a near-vacated town. When Tien enters the house where the Dragon Ball is indicated to be he finds himself face-to-face with a ex-fighter who he savagely beat at a tournament several years ago. At first the man's wife calls the police, believing Tien is responsible for the series of murders being committed by King Piccolo's son Tambourine. Master Roshi is able to prove Tien's innocence however and the police soon leave. Not trusting Tien, the man wearily predicts that Tien will proceed to tear his humble house apart in his search for the object. Instead, Tien grovels at the man's feet, begging him for forgiveness for his previous cruel actions and for the Dragon Ball which can help stop the current crisis. Surprised by Tien's humbleness, the man grants his forgiveness and gives Tien the Dragon Ball. They then locate the third ball in the Arctic from an icecap and the fourth ball from a mountainside.

• While fighting against Drum, Tien puts up a better fight against the demon. When King Piccolo starts to leave during their battle, Tien attempts to use the Evil Containment Wave on him, but ends up ensnaring Drum instead when he realizes what Tien is attempting to do. King Piccolo then uses a finger blast to destroy the jar Tien was going to use to seal Drum, allowing Drum to remain free.

• On his way to train with Korin, Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha and Krillin rescue a village from an active volcano.

• While training with Kami, Tien and the others enter the Pendulum Room, which allows them to virtually battle Saiyans from the past.

• In the Namek saga, on King Kai's planet, Tien along with Chiaotzu and Yamcha participate in a 3 versus 1 sparring match against Piccolo.

• In the Frieza Saga, while training with King Kai, the recently killed members of the Ginyu Force show up on the planet, battling against Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu. They eventually beat them and send them flying back down to the depths of Hell. Tien himself takes on both Burter and Jeice, at first splitting in two to fight them individually.

• In the Cell Games, after Perfect Cell returns as Super Perfect Cell, Tien, along with the other Z Fighters, blast Super Perfect Cell in the back to try and help Gohan.

• At the end of the Kid Buu Saga he goes to a party at Bulma's house.

Special techniques

Ki Blast

The most basic form of energy wave.

Flight

It is the capability to fly by using the Ki. At first this technique was used only by Tien and Chiaotzu, then it was learnt also by all the Z Warriors, but Yajirobe and Master Roshi.

Dodon Ray

One of the best techniques of Master Shen (master of Tien and Chiaotzu). It is an energy beam shot from a finger, more powerful than a normal Kamehameha, but it cannot be strengthened.

Kamehameha

Attack invented by Master Roshi. At first the user cups both of his hands to concentrate the energy; then, yelling Kamehameha in intervals as Ka - me - ha - me - ha!, he charges up, puts them on the side of his body and finally he unleashes a powerful chi blast.

Kiai

This is a technique used by Tien against Tao Pai Pai at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament: it consists in a yell that he uses to reject the less powerful attacks.

Tri-beam

Tien's special technique. He unites his hands at the tips of the fingers and aims at his target between his fingers and his thumbs. Then he shoots a powerful energy blast to hit it. This is a very dangerous attack, because it uses up most of user's health so this one has to control how much energy he's putting into the blast in order to not over use it. Later Tien makes this attack more powerful and calls it the "Neo Tri-beam". It is also called the Ki Blast Cannon in Budokai Tenkaichi video games.

Evil Containment Wave

Secret technique invented by Lord Mutaito (Master Roshi and Master Shen's teacher) to defeat King Piccolo. He manages to use a magic wind to propel the demon into a denshi jar, trapping him at the cost of the user's life.

Neo Tri-beam

This is an improved version of Tien's Tri-beam. He uses this self-killing energy attack against Cell right after he absorbed Android 17, in order to stop him from reaching and absorbing #18. It is called the Neo Tri-beam in the Budokai Tenkaichi video games. It is a very powerful technique though it draws upon a user's lifeforce which makes it extremely dangerous to use.

Multi-Form

This is the Four Bodies move (or Twelve Eyes). Using this ability, the fighter can create 3 exact clones of himself and each person is an actual creation who can fight and be attacked, not just an image like that created when you use After-Image technique. Tien performs Shishin No Ken and splits himself into four different parts during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament against Goku but fails due to the technique's one major flaw, the user's power is divided by the number of clones created. Later, during the Cell Games, Cell performs this attack when he's fighting Goku but, in this case, the attack is more effective because each of the four bodies has the same power and speed of the one that generated them.

Four Witches Technique

This is Tien's special technique: he uses this ability to sprout two extra arms from the back and shoulders so he obtains four arms to fight his opponent. Tien performs this attack at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament and it allows him to immobilize Goku's arms and legs.

Solar Flare

That's the technique used the first time by Tien during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament against Jackie Chun. He called it "Solar Flare of Crane School" because at that time he was Master Shen's pupil. The user of this technique puts his hands over the face and generates a powerful flash of light that temporarily blinds anyone whose eyes come in contact with it. Solar Flare is performed by other Z warriors and Cell as well.

After Image Technique

This is a technique that consists of disappearing from a place, leaving a shadow of oneself, for a short period of time in the original position and causing the shadow image effect. The enemy is deceived into thinking that his opponent is still there and this one can quickly move to another spot close by and attack him unexpectedly. Zanzoken was first used by Master Roshi but soon learned by most major characters in the Dragon Ball series. Most of them manage to leave more than one image; Goku is able to perform even 7/8 shadows.

Volleyball Attack

A tsuki technique used against Goku in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament.

Telepathy

Tien can speak with his targets mentally.

Trivia

• According to some fans Tien is capable of using Kaio-ken as well. In the filler fight between Jeice and Burter Tien is temporarily seen covered in a red energy similar to that of the Kaio-ken technique. He also seemingly received a short boost in power. He did train with King Kai so his knowledge of the technique is possible, but not plausible as the described scene was filler and according to some fans, not canon. Also in Daizenshuu volume 7, it's stated in the list of techniques that the only user of the Kaio-ken is Goku.

• Prior to beginning his training with King Kai, Tien has difficulty making King Kai laugh during the prerequisite joke-telling test. In order to finally deliver a successful joke, Tien must literally power up and use the Multi Form technique as he aggressively declares, "You can tune a piano but you can't tune a fish."

• Tien is one of the most notable characters who does not appear in Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!, although this can easily be explained by Tien and Chiaotzu's reclusive nature. He is briefly mentioned when Gotenks utilizes his Volleyball Attack technique in battle against Aka.

• There is some debate among some fans about whether Krillin or Tien is the superior warrior. Earlier in the series, Tien clearly was the stronger fighter (fighting evenly with Goku, who had surpassed Krillin), but their powers vary throughout the series, and at certain points, Krillin may have excelled beyond Tien's level of strength. Yamcha actually told Marron (Krillin's daughter) that her father was the strongest human. Krillin also had gained a boost in power during the Namek Saga from Guru, which may also be a reason why many fans believe he is above Tien. With that being said Tien was able to take out two members of the Ginyu force on his own (something that neither Gohan, Krillin, or Vegeta were able to do at the time). Although, this sequence is purely filler and should not necessarily be taken as fact. He also held back Semi-Perfect Cell using his Tri-Beam attack and avoided Super Buu's Human Extinction Attack, which even surprised Buu. Tien also seems like one of the few Z fighters who has never taken a break from training, meaning he has consistently become stronger whereas some of the other Z fighters may have to make up for lost time. However, after the Cell Games, Tien said he was retiring from any active combat, as he had hit his limit in power.

• The third eye is from becoming enlightened. When Toriyama began creating the Dragon Ball series, he used Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West as a prototype for his own work. Tien's three eyed physical characteristic resembles the story character Erlang Shen, and both are warriors who were originally adversaries of the main character. The Daizenshuu mentions that Tien Shinhan is an alien and belongs to the race of Three Eyes (Triclops).

• When he was a young man, Master Roshi strongly resembled Tien without a third eye.

• Tien has fought every major Dragon Ball Z villain except Frieza for the obvious reason that he was dead at the time.