Movie
Description
Dr. Korchin is a secondary antagonist and the devoted assistant to the brilliant but villainous Dr. Wheelo in the 1990 film, serving as the primary agent who sets the story's events into motion. His background is largely tied to his master; fifty years before the main events of the film, after Dr. Wheelo's body was destroyed and his brain sealed within an icy mountain tomb following an avalanche, Korchin preserved his master's brain in a life-support system. He spent the following decades working to free Wheelo, eventually collecting the seven Dragon Balls and wishing for the ice imprisoning him to melt. Korchin is a self-professed expert in biotechnology, responsible for creating powerful bio-warriors to serve his master's goals.
Visually, Korchin appears as a very elderly, hunched man with a misshapen head, male-pattern baldness, and grayish, wrinkled skin. He typically wears a standard white lab coat over formal attire, including a brown shirt, red tie, and dark trousers, and carries a distinctive blue cane shaped like a drill with a headpiece resembling the Eternal Dragon Shenron.
In terms of personality, Dr. Korchin embodies the archetype of a fanatical and devoted mad scientist. He is cold, calculating, and utterly without moral restraint, viewing humans and other beings as little more than raw materials for his and Dr. Wheelo's scientific ambitions. His most defining trait is his absolute, unwavering loyalty to Dr. Wheelo, whom he considers a peerless genius. He becomes visibly irritated or angered by anyone who shows disrespect toward his master, as seen when Bulma mocks Wheelo's disembodied brain. Korchin shares Wheelo's disdain for humanity, believing that common people failed to appreciate his master's brilliance and deserve to be punished for their rejection.
Korchin's primary motivation is to secure a powerful, healthy body for Dr. Wheelo's brain to inhabit, restoring his master to a position of glory. He believes the world's strongest fighter is Master Roshi, as Roshi had been a renowned champion fifty years prior when Wheelo was last active. To this end, his role in the story is to act as the field commander and executive. He dispatches his bio-warriors to kidnap key figures: Piccolo is captured and subjected to mind-control technology, while Bulma and Master Roshi are abducted from Kame House to lure Roshi to the fortress. Once inside Dr. Wheelo's floating fortress, Korchin monitors the situation from the control room, directing the bio-warriors to test the captured fighters. He is the one who, upon learning of Goku's superior strength from Bulma, redirects his master's focus to the young Saiyan.
Korchin's most critical relationship is, of course, with Dr. Wheelo. He is the devoted servant, the caretaker, and the facilitator of Wheelo's revenge. Beyond this, he has no meaningful positive relationships; his other creations, such as the bio-warriors Kishime, Misokatsun, and Ebifurya, are treated as disposable tools.
A significant development regarding Korchin is the revelation of his true nature. Throughout most of the film, he appears to be a frail, elderly man. However, when Krillin attempts to rescue Bulma, Korchin reveals that his skin is a disguise. The flesh on his hand tears away to expose a metallic, robotic limb, which then transforms into a rotary machine gun. This act leads to his death; as he fires at his enemies, Master Roshi manages to knock his gun-arm off. Moments later, as a rampaging Dr. Wheelo rips himself free from the laboratory wall, his massive foot accidentally sends Korchin falling into a deep shaft. During his descent, his body passes too close to a powerful energy dais, and the electricity arcs out, burning away his remaining clothing and synthetic skin to reveal a simple, featureless metallic robot underneath. He mutters his master's name one last time before exploding in midair.
Despite his frail appearance, Dr. Korchin possesses several notable abilities and pieces of equipment. His most prominent weapon is the Vulcan Cannon, the machine gun concealed within his left hand. He also carries a Madness Wand, his drill-like cane, which can open to fire a powerful, gigantic blast of energy. He is a master of biotechnology, as demonstrated by his creation of the bio-warriors, and he also developed the mind-control technology used to enslave Piccolo. According to the film's official pamphlet, his overall power level is rated at 8, indicating he is not a direct physical combatant but relies on his intellect and technology. In video game appearances such as Dragon Ball Heroes, he is also shown to possess the ability to fly and use standard ki blasts.
Visually, Korchin appears as a very elderly, hunched man with a misshapen head, male-pattern baldness, and grayish, wrinkled skin. He typically wears a standard white lab coat over formal attire, including a brown shirt, red tie, and dark trousers, and carries a distinctive blue cane shaped like a drill with a headpiece resembling the Eternal Dragon Shenron.
In terms of personality, Dr. Korchin embodies the archetype of a fanatical and devoted mad scientist. He is cold, calculating, and utterly without moral restraint, viewing humans and other beings as little more than raw materials for his and Dr. Wheelo's scientific ambitions. His most defining trait is his absolute, unwavering loyalty to Dr. Wheelo, whom he considers a peerless genius. He becomes visibly irritated or angered by anyone who shows disrespect toward his master, as seen when Bulma mocks Wheelo's disembodied brain. Korchin shares Wheelo's disdain for humanity, believing that common people failed to appreciate his master's brilliance and deserve to be punished for their rejection.
Korchin's primary motivation is to secure a powerful, healthy body for Dr. Wheelo's brain to inhabit, restoring his master to a position of glory. He believes the world's strongest fighter is Master Roshi, as Roshi had been a renowned champion fifty years prior when Wheelo was last active. To this end, his role in the story is to act as the field commander and executive. He dispatches his bio-warriors to kidnap key figures: Piccolo is captured and subjected to mind-control technology, while Bulma and Master Roshi are abducted from Kame House to lure Roshi to the fortress. Once inside Dr. Wheelo's floating fortress, Korchin monitors the situation from the control room, directing the bio-warriors to test the captured fighters. He is the one who, upon learning of Goku's superior strength from Bulma, redirects his master's focus to the young Saiyan.
Korchin's most critical relationship is, of course, with Dr. Wheelo. He is the devoted servant, the caretaker, and the facilitator of Wheelo's revenge. Beyond this, he has no meaningful positive relationships; his other creations, such as the bio-warriors Kishime, Misokatsun, and Ebifurya, are treated as disposable tools.
A significant development regarding Korchin is the revelation of his true nature. Throughout most of the film, he appears to be a frail, elderly man. However, when Krillin attempts to rescue Bulma, Korchin reveals that his skin is a disguise. The flesh on his hand tears away to expose a metallic, robotic limb, which then transforms into a rotary machine gun. This act leads to his death; as he fires at his enemies, Master Roshi manages to knock his gun-arm off. Moments later, as a rampaging Dr. Wheelo rips himself free from the laboratory wall, his massive foot accidentally sends Korchin falling into a deep shaft. During his descent, his body passes too close to a powerful energy dais, and the electricity arcs out, burning away his remaining clothing and synthetic skin to reveal a simple, featureless metallic robot underneath. He mutters his master's name one last time before exploding in midair.
Despite his frail appearance, Dr. Korchin possesses several notable abilities and pieces of equipment. His most prominent weapon is the Vulcan Cannon, the machine gun concealed within his left hand. He also carries a Madness Wand, his drill-like cane, which can open to fire a powerful, gigantic blast of energy. He is a master of biotechnology, as demonstrated by his creation of the bio-warriors, and he also developed the mind-control technology used to enslave Piccolo. According to the film's official pamphlet, his overall power level is rated at 8, indicating he is not a direct physical combatant but relies on his intellect and technology. In video game appearances such as Dragon Ball Heroes, he is also shown to possess the ability to fly and use standard ki blasts.