Do you like the Dragon Ball universe? Do you like Ten Shin Han , the disciple of Tao Pai Pai? Do you want to know everything about this flagship manga character?
In this case, you will find all the necessary information in this article carefully produced by our team of enthusiasts!
Ten Shin Han is a disciplined, solitary and dedicated martial arts practitioner. He is without a doubt one of the strongest Earthlings. Due to his alien Triclopes origins, he has three eyes. He is the disciple of Tao Pai Pai, the master of the Crane School, as well as Chaozu's friend.
In this article you will discover:
- His appearance and personality
- The Complete Story of Ten Shin Han
- His power and his 5 best combat techniques
Ready to dive back into the exciting world of Dragon Ball? In that case, let’s get started right away!
APPEARANCE OF TEN SHIN HAN
Ten Shinhan is a tall, very muscular bald man. By far his most prominent feature is his third eye , which he inherited from his alien ancestors (although some sources state that the third eye was obtained through intense meditation). The Third Eye is very real, as he has proven multiple times that he can both move and close it, and even shoot laser ki beams from it. If you want more details, find out why Ten Shin Han has three eyes here. 👁️
Ten Shin Han would not be naturally bald, as claimed by his former mentor, Master Shen . The latter claims that he shaves his head like Krillin does, although unlike the latter, he has never been seen unshaven. Another notable feature is the large scar on the right side of his chest, which starts at his collarbone and extends down to his abdomen. Ten received this scar during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, during his fight against his former mentor, the mercenary Tao Pai Pai, who caught him off guard with his illegal hidden blade attack, scarring him for life . 🔪
Throughout the series, he has worn a large number of outfits, but arguably the most iconic is the Gi he wears during the Cyborg Saga; she depicts a one-shoulder baggy green tank top, baggy green pants, red and green bracelets, black boots with yellow covers and a red belt. Ten's battle outfit usually consists of a Hanfu-style dress with loose pants and boots, unlike the Manchu-style clothing worn by most Chinese characters in the series. 🕺
In "Battle of Gods" and in the manga version of the sagas Universe 6 and The Survival of the Universe, Ten wears ceremonial attire mainly green, black and red-brown . In The Resurrection of 'F' and the anime version of the Universe 6 and Survival of the Universe sagas, he wears a primarily black, pale yellow, and red-brown version of this outfit. 🧎
PERSONALITY OF TEN SHIN HAN.
Ten Shin Han was originally a cold and ruthless warrior, not caring about anyone's lives except his classmates and mentors. This brutality is clearly visible when he crushes the leg of Yamcha and another fighter during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament. However, he finds in Chaozu a best friend for life, whom he cares deeply about, and vice versa. He greatly idolized his mentor, the mercenary Tao Pai Pai , and wished to become a famous assassin like him. Thanks to the influence of Master Roshi and Goku , he changed his behavior and became one of the most respected warriors on the planet. Before switching to the good side, he planned to kill Goku during the World Martial Arts Tournament as he was considered a threat to himself and his cohorts. 👊
However, this mentality quickly changes when he realizes that he disagrees with the brutal methods employed by his masters, Shen and Tao Pai Pai . He leaves to train alone and soon becomes a powerful ally to Goku and the others. His personality changes from that of a brutal killer to that of an honorable warrior who cares deeply for those he strives to protect. He sometimes attempts to repent of his past brutality, but eventually rises above his horrible memories and looks to the future. He is very stern and serious , not making jokes or goofing up as often as most of the other Z-Fighters. 😠
During Dragon Ball Z , he is seen striving to become a powerful warrior and always hopes to surpass Goku one day. Ten hates standing on the sidelines while his more powerful friends and allies fight opponents far stronger than him and will always try to help him even if he knows it will most likely lead to his death. Although he has made new friends, Ten remains reclusive and is not very active socially, spending most of his time training to become a better fighter, although he still goes to Bulma 's parties and interacts well with others. Although he lets go of his grudge against Goku and the others , he is still able to retain animosity towards people he considers unrepentant. This is the case of Vegeta , whom Ten blames for almost destroying the Earth . He continues to consider him an enemy even when he joins the Z-Fighters, (although he later learns that the Saiyan prince himself was a slave of Frieza). However, he forgives Vegeta after he proves crucial in Little Buu's defeat. 👌
Ten fights valiantly and manages to defeat a Saibaman as the Saiyans arrive. He then fights with Nappa, during which Chaozu sacrifices himself in vain, causing Ten Shin Han to put all his efforts into one last attack, which fails. Ten Shin Han dies a hero , but is later resurrected by Porunga . When the conflict with the Cyborgs is in full swing, Ten puts his life on the line numerous times by helping his friends against the mechanical demons, including using his life force to keep Cell at bay, nearly sacrificing his own life to allow C -16 and C-18 to escape, thus saving Earth from certain destruction. When Super Buu threatens Earth's existence seven years later, Ten arrives just in time to save Gohan from certain death. 😮
In Dragon Ball Super , Ten's personality remains mostly the same, and he is brave enough to fight against the God of Destruction Beerus as well as Frieza's henchmen. Since he opened his own dojo in the Survival of the Universe Saga , he shows himself to be a serious and strict teacher, but at the same time, he patiently waits for the development of his students. During the Tournament of Power , Ten's courageous and noble actions saved his entire team from Universe 2's sniper duo. Impressed by his bravery and noble will, Beerus praises Ten's fighting spirit after eliminating him by telling him that he has nothing to be ashamed of, having earned the respect of the God of Destructions. 🙌
He is not very aware of technology or the times, so much so that he does not even have a cell phone . This detail posed an obstacle during the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, when the Z Fighters had no way of contacting Ten to inform him of the growing problems. It is later revealed in the aforementioned saga that Ten is not good at insulting people at all, as he had difficulty finding the words to hurt Bikkura Quoitur . 📞
BIOGRAPHY OF TEN SHIN HAN
BEFORE DBZ
His physique is unique and reminiscent of his ancestors, the Three Eyes clan . He has the ability to grow arms on his back and split into four people, as well as shoot laser beams from his third eye. Due to his education by Master Shen , Ten lost the ability to use his third eye's myriad powers for good purposes. During the first years of his life, Ten entered Master Shen's Crane School. There he learns powerful ki-based techniques, such as Solar Flare, Dodon Ray and Tri-Beam, and Master Shen's younger brother, the mercenary Tao , teaches him defense techniques. 🤼♀️
SAGA OF BABA THE SEER
In the anime, Ten and Chaozu first meet Goku when they pretend to save the villagers of InoShikaCho . When Goku discovers that they are really crooks, he attempts to unmask them by making the supposedly dead beast laugh, but Ten turns the people against Goku, saying that it is Goku who is associated with InoShikaCho instead. When the merciful Goku kills InoShikaCho, he is chased out of the village. 😯
Later, with their master, Ten and Chaozu travel by boat to Papaya Island for the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament . 🏁
THE SAGA OF TEN SHIN HAN
Ten's first major role in the series begins during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament . Introduced as the star student of the Crane School, Master Shen relies on Ten and Chaozu to defeat the students of his long-time rival, Master Awesome Turtle . During the elimination battles, Ten Shin Han leaves Nam unconscious and nearly dead after their match in order to send a clear message to Goku and his friends about what exactly they are facing. Ten faces few challenges in the playoffs and easily makes his way to the finals . 🤞
Using Chaozu's mental powers to set the order of the quarterfinal matches, Ten decides to first face Yamcha , a student of the Turtles, with whom he has been exchanging hostile remarks since the beginning of the tournament. Yamcha fights better than Ten expected, but he still poses no significant threat to Ten, who not only beats him, but goes one step further and ends the match by needlessly breaking Yamcha's leg while he is unconscious. Shortly after this fight, when Chaozu uses the Dodon Ray against Krillin during their fight, he learns of the death of his martial arts teacher Tao at the hands of Goku, a student of the Turtles. The tournament then becomes more about revenge than victory. 💪
Ten's next opponent is the winner of the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament , Jackie Chun , and he faces his first real challenge. Jackie Chun not only challenges Ten to physical combat, but also begins to warn him of following an evil path. With Master Shen's help, Ten learns that Jackie Chun is actually Master Roshi in disguise and uses Master Roshi's signature move, the Kamehameha , against him. After that, despite not showing his true power, Roshi concedes the match and jumps out of the ring. Ten begins looking for Master Roshi shortly after to find out why he withdrew. To which Master Roshi responds by telling Ten that it is time to make way for the younger fighters. 🏋️♀️
Ten then goes into battle against Goku himself. He is a powerful opponent and the fight seems to be relatively balanced until Goku suddenly becomes unable to throw a punch or dodge an attack without being frozen in place . Ten quickly learns that Chaozu is fixing the fight under Master Shen's orders and he demands that his friend stop because he wants a fair match. Master Shen takes this as a challenge and orders Ten to kill Goku . But Ten, thinking for the first time of his own desires, humbly refuses (Thus, Master Roshi's words proved true and Ten rejects the path of an assassin). Master Shen, now furious, orders Chaozu to kill both Ten and Goku . When Chaozu refuses, Shen then threatens to kill him instead. Master Roshi ends this situation by knocking Master Shen out of the stadium with a Kamehameha , allowing Ten and Goku to focus on their match. 🤼
Ten and Goku continue to fight and the Crane School Disciple grows two extra arms to fight Goku. He grabs Goku's arms and legs with all four arms, then proceeds to smash his stomach into his head, causing Goku a lot of pain. He does this several times, but Goku then breaks free by hitting Ten in the face with his tail. Goku grabs Ten's legs and holds on to them, causing him pain. Ten manages to push Goku away, and they continue the fight. 🤜
Ten then decides to end the match and use his ultimate attack, the Tri-Beam . He warns Goku to expect the explosion and dodge it (as there is no way to survive the shock) planning to force him off the field instead. Ten uses the attack and destroys the entire arena . Due to his warning, Goku dodges the explosion by jumping incredibly high into the air. Ten is convinced that he will win at this point, since he can fly and Goku can't, but Goku uses one last Kamehameha to propel himself at Ten Shin Han like a rocket. The two hunters then fall to the ground, Goku slightly forward. He is hit by a truck and lands first. Ten lands a moment later, winning the tournament. 🥇
After the match, Ten Shin Han receives 500,000 Zeni and offers Goku half the prize as he acknowledges that luckily he was the one who landed in second place, referring to the fact that Goku would have won otherwise. He also apologizes to Yamcha for using such excessive force during their fight and the two agree to meet at the next tournament. Master Roshi offers Ten to stay at the Kame House, but Ten refuses, stating that he cannot follow the teachings of another, even if he betrayed his master. 🗡
SAGA OF KING PICCOLO
The good mood is short-lived, however, as Krillin , a student of the Turtles, is unexpectedly killed while separated from the group. With his body, there was a mysterious note. Master Roshi tells everyone that he represents an incredibly powerful Demon King, King Piccolo . The latter was locked away centuries ago by Master Roshi's old master using the Mafuba technique, but is now apparently free again. Hearing this, Goku, who has not yet fully recovered from his fight with Ten, rushes off in anger to seek revenge. 😡
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Ten volunteers to help wherever possible. He is informed of the existence of the seven Dragon Balls which, once collected, summon Shenron who can grant any wish. With Chaozu and Master Roshi, he soon embarks on a quest to recover them. But after finding several, they notice that King Piccolo is also looking for them. 😱
Before King Piccolo can confront them, Master Roshi unexpectedly knocks Ten out and hides him in a cave. Master Roshi plans to use the Evil Containment Wave against King Piccolo and, as Goku is believed to have already been killed, Master Roshi considers Ten to be the planet's last line of defense in case he fails. Semi-conscious, Ten can do nothing but witness Master Roshi's final failure against the powerful Demon King , and watches him die. King Piccolo wastes no time gathering the Dragon Balls to summon the Dragon. Ten, in desperation, orders Chaozu to quickly make a wish to destroy King Piccolo before the Demon King can make one himself. Chaozu tries, but is quickly killed mid-sentence by King Piccolo, an act Ten can only watch in horror. King Piccolo continues to make his wish and then destroys the Dragon , knowing that it is the only thing that can stop him. 🐉
After regaining his mobility, Ten practices Mafuba , which he learned from watching Master Roshi. After numerous attempts, Ten mastered the Evil Containment Wave and went to King Piccolo in Central City to confront the demon. After his arrival and his challenge to King Piccolo, he is horrified to discover that the urn that was to serve as King Piccolo's prison is cracked and unusable. Knowing that he won't be able to use the Evil Containment Wave, Ten decides to confront King Piccolo anyway. 💪
King Piccolo , not seeing Ten as a worthy fight, breeds a new lackey, Drum, his most powerful son to date, to take care of him. Drum quickly dominates the battle, but Ten is able to knock him down, giving him the opportunity to use the Evil Containment Wave on King Piccolo. However, Drum gets in the way of the explosion and before Ten can seal the trap, King Piccolo destroys him. Drum is about to finish off Ten when Goku steps in and saves him, killing Drum with a single kick. Ten, amazed by Goku's new power, can only watch as Goku and King Piccolo face off. When the battle seems to turn against King Piccolo, the Demon King decides to take Ten hostage in order to force Goku to be paralyzed . Piccolo says that if Goku doesn't do as he orders, he will crush Tien's head. After King Piccolo severely damages Goku, Ten is pushed aside by King Piccolo, but Goku is tougher than King Piccolo thought and uses one last attack to kill the Demon King. 💀
With the battle over, Ten now returns to the Kame house with Goku's friends Launch, Yamcha and Bulma. Tien has all his wounds treated by Launch, whom he thanks. After hearing the news that Goku is going to be trained by God in the sky for three years, he promises to train harder than ever in order to bridge the gap between him and Goku. 💪
SAGA OF PICCOLO JR
Ten continues his training, increasing his efforts after learning that Goku is being trained by Kami, the Earth God . Once the dragon is restored, a wish is made to bring back to life all those who were killed by King Piccolo. Ten then trains with Yamcha, Krillin and Chaozu . They all head to Karin Tower and train with him before each going their own way. 😺
Three years after the defeat of King Piccolo, Ten, along with Yamcha, Chaozu and Krillin, return to participate in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament . He is somewhat surprised to see the now teenage Goku and hopes that he is even more powerful than before. His real shock, however, is seeing Piccolo Jr. and realizing that the Demon King's essence has survived. Goku asks him to keep quiet on the matter for now, not wanting to create panic. 😱
When the draw is made to determine the order of battles, Ten once again asks Chaozu to manipulate the cards so that none of the party members (Ten, Yamcha, Goku, Chaozu and Krillin) or Piccolo Jr. do not face each other during the preliminaries. The others are unaware of the number manipulation and simply think it is a coincidence . 🍀
The first matches seem to go as usual, the group quickly eliminates its opponents. Ten then feels like something horrible has happened to Chaozu , and he rushes to the scene and finds Chaozu badly injured and unconscious , which infuriates him. Chaozu's opponent turns out to be the mercenary Tao Pai Pai , now cybernetically repaired. This greatly surprises Ten, who thought Tao was dead. Tao explains that after his apparent death by Goku, he was rebuilt as half-man, half-machine and that he seeks revenge on both Goku, but also the "traitor" of the Crane School, Ten . Ten claims that he did not betray Shen, but that he realized that Shen's teachings were wrong. He willingly accepts his former mentor's challenge, wanting to avenge his best friend. 💪
Their wish is granted as Ten and Tao Pai Pai are the first of the eight finalists to fight. After a long silence, Tao lunges at Ten, but Ten quickly dodges and counters, knocking Tao to the ground. Ten forgives the mercenary Tao for what he did to Chaozu and tells him to forfeit. Tao refuses and continues his assault, although he is clearly outmatched by Ten. After Ten grabs one of Tao's wrists and attempts to escort him out of the ring, the cyborg makes a surprise move and detaches his mechanical hand, revealing a knife which he quickly uses to slash Ten, leaving him with a permanent scar . Although disqualified for using a weapon, Tao doesn't care, as he only entered the tournament to kill Ten Shin Han and Goku . Tao quickly lets go of his other hand to reveal a cannon and fires a wave of Super Dodon at Ten, claiming that Ten has no chance of survival. Ten, however, cancels the large explosion with his Kiai and then proceeds to defeat Tao with a single punch to the gut. He takes out Tao's unconscious body and presents it to Master Shen , who watches over him, telling him to take his brother and leave, and never bother him again. 🔪
Ten's next fight is the one he's been waiting for, a rematch against Goku . The fight begins with a lot of fast sparring and ends up being fairly balanced, but Ten has an advantage in raw speed . This changes after Goku takes off his weighted clothing, causing Goku to be fast enough to steal Ten's belt without the latter noticing. Realizing that he will not be able to defeat Goku physically, Ten uses a new technique he created, cloning , and splits himself into four identical copies of himself. The Tens scatter to the four corners of the ring, each then firing a Ki blast cannon into the center, where Goku is, which causes a large explosion that Goku must jump to avoid. The Ten quickly fire again, this time from their third eye , at Goku, sending him back into the ring. The Tens warn Goku to give up before he gets hurt. He refuses, of course. 😎
This time, Goku dodges the rays and uses Sun Bite against them, blinding the clones. He then quickly dispatches each of them, returning them to the state of being one. Goku states that Ten's new technique has a critical weakness , as Ten's power is divided between each duplicate. With the fight over, Ten looked forward to their next match, suspecting that Goku was still holding back a bit. ☀
Ten plays little role in the following fights, he can only watch as Goku fights against the seemingly all-powerful Piccolo Jr. He offers his help at several points. This is refused by Goku who wants to fight the demon alone. Ten also helps evacuate their friends, creating a pit in the earth so they can shelter from the Hyper-Explosive Demonic Wave , one of Piccolo Jr.'s most devastating attacks. ✨
When Goku appears beaten, most of his bones are broken. It is about to be completed. Ten Shin Han reluctantly accepts Kami's order to kill God, Piccolo's good double, as this would result in the demon's death. He is however stopped by Goku, who says that there will be no need for such extreme measures, so he escapes the demon's assault and eventually defeats it with a surprise attack. After Piccolo Jr.'s defeat, Ten joins the tournament victory celebration , and even shares some laughs with Goku and Roshi. Among the others, he is also very shocked by Goku's decision to give the demon a Senzu bean to heal his wounds. He then watches as Goku and Chi-Chi fly away from the World Tournament area on the flying cloud. 🙌
TEN SHIN HAN IN DRAGON BALL Z
THE SAGA OF THE SAIYANS
Five years after the tournament, Ten learns that Goku died in battle against an incredibly powerful warrior named Raditz , a Saiyan who was Goku's older brother. Even more worrying, two other Saiyans, both more powerful than Raditz, are on their way to Earth and will be there in about a year. 😱
Need a refresher on this character? Discover our article on Raditz !
At first, Launch develops a certain infatuation with Ten, and she continues to pursue him wherever he goes. Ten wastes no time and is invited, along with Yamcha, Chaozu, Yajirobe and Krillin, to train with God so that they can help Goku when he returns in a year from his training with Kaio . During this time, Ten and the other Z Fighters on Earth battle Shorty and Scarface , two Illusion Saiyans they encountered on Planet Vegeta while using Kami's Time Room to go back in time. Ten and his friends are largely dominated by the Saiyans. The experience scares Ten and the others, so they continue to train as hard as possible. 🤼
When the Saiyans finally arrive, the Z-Fighters decide to hold them off until Goku can arrive. Ten and Chaozu eventually find the location of the Saiyans, Piccolo, Gohan and Krillin, and join them, soon followed by Yamcha. Vegeta , decides to play with his opponents and asks Nappa to cultivate several Saibamen in the ground. Knowing they need to buy time, the Z-Fighters agree and Ten Shin Han volunteers to go first . He manages to quickly defeat the vicious creature (in two hits to be precise), leading Vegeta to destroy it for his gross incompetence. 💥
After all the Saibamen are dead, Nappa decides to enter the fray himself, choosing Ten as his first opponent. Ten is no match for the giant warrior and has his left arm torn off in a single blow. Ten immediately attempts to use levitation to escape, but is quickly knocked to the ground with the second hit. Seeing this, Chaozu sacrifices himself by launching a self-destruct attack against Nappa , but to no avail, as Nappa remains completely unharmed and begins to fight with Piccolo and Goku's son Gohan, although together they still do not succeed. the weight. 😨
Ten, enraged by Chaozu's death, puts all his remaining strength into a final Kikoho by his remaining right hand, killing himself from exhaustion in the process. The attack manages to seriously damage Nappa's armor , but does not cause significant damage to the Saiyan warrior. In the anime, Nappa even goes so far as to praise Ten's efforts, saying that if his aim had been better, it would have seriously injured him. The attempt also shocked Vegeta , as he was the one who warned Nappa of his power and stated that if he had not warned Nappa, it could have killed him. 😢
THE FREEZER SAGA
Through God's influence, Ten was allowed to train on Master Kaio 's small planet in the other world, just like Goku had done before. The other fighters who also fell in the battle against the Saiyans, Chaozu, Piccolo and Yamcha join him. On the planet, Master Kaio contacts Goku and tells him that his friends have all crossed the snake route in a much shorter time than him. All of them required more difficult training than Goku had received. Before beginning his training with King Kaio, Ten struggles to make him laugh during the preparatory prank test. 😅
Ten, along with Chaozu and Yamcha, stays on King Kaio's planet and learns that everyone (Goku, Vegeta, Krillin, Gohan, Dende, and Piccolo fused with Nail) is fighting against the evil tyrant Frieza on Namek. Ten is eventually brought back to life with Chaozu thanks to Porunga 's wish. They voluntarily agreed to be resuscitated 4 months after Yamcha, so as not to separate. Once back on Earth, Ten and Chaozu find themselves in solitude, training in the mountains. 🌄
OTHER SAGAS
During the saga of Cyborgs, Cell and Buu, Ten Shin Han rather plays a supporting role. Although he appears at one point when Goku faces Majin Buu , he is very quickly knocked out. All this seems logical because indeed, this great fighter is overwhelmed by the power of these adversaries. We will also remember a heroic act against Cell, which allows C18 to escape. 🏋
TEN SHIN HAN IN DRAGON BALL SUPER
Ten Shin Han faces Frieza's warriors in the film and manga "The Resurrection of F".
Later, he observed the tournaments between universes 6 and 7. 🏁
He then opened his own martial arts school, the Ten-Shin Dojo. He is a very strict teacher with his disciples.
Ten Shin Han will appear longer in the Universe Survival Saga. During this incredible tournament which takes place in the form of a battle royale, he will use the cloning technique to counter the sniper. Then, he will manage to drag her with him out of the arena. Although he is eliminated rather quickly, his heroic act is praised by Beerus . 👏
THE POWER OF TEN SHIN HAN
Ten Shin Han is one of the strongest humans on Earth . His power level is 180 during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament and it is implied that his strength surpasses even that of Awesome Turtle . In this tournament, he managed to defeat Yamcha after a good fight (although, according to Master Shen, he was far from reaching his full power). In the semi-finals, he is able to fight on par with a Master Roshi in an intense fight, although it is once again implied that he is holding back. In the finals, his power is equal to that of Goku , and after a long fight, Ten manages to win the tournament. Although he later admits that he won by pure luck, and that he felt Goku was stronger. 🥇
During the 23rd tournament, he lost to Goku. Later, he will fight against Nappa and Vegeta in an attempt to save Earth. He will lose his life there. 😥
THE 5 BEST FIGHTING TECHNIQUES OF TEN SHIN HAN
You have understood, Ten Shin Han is a great warrior. He has his own original techniques. Let's discover together his five most famous fighting techniques ! 😀
Machine Gun Punch : Ten swings his arms so fast they appear to be windmills on his shoulder and punches his opponent countless times.
Dodon Ray : The finger beam technique characteristic of the Crane School, invented by Master Shen.
Four Witches Technique : The user temporarily grows two extra arms from the back, seemingly under the shoulder blades. This allows the user to attack with twice the intensity of what they are normally capable of.
Multi-Form : Ten divides into four identical copies, all of which have the same power.
Solar Flare : The user places their hands near the center of their face with fingers spread toward the eyes. The user then shouts the name of the technique, causing a white light to go out and blind all but the user.
DRAGON BALL FAN? IT’S TIME TO COMPLETE YOUR COLLECTION!
You are now knowledgeable about Ten Shin Han, one of the legendary characters of Dragon Ball!
He is the second most powerful Earthling after Krillin. He is a disciplined and strong fighter, who has formed a strong friendship with Chaozu. 😎
If you also like Ten Shin Han , we invite you to discover our associated articles! A Ten figure is a great way to show off your DBZ collection! Nothing could be simpler, just click below!
