WARNING: The following contains spoilers for F9, now in theaters.
Most of the characters in F9, and the Fast & Furious franchise as a whole, are basically super-powered at this point, with Dominic (Vin Diesel), Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Tej (Ludacris) and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) all being unstoppable or brilliant in their own way.
But one character, Roman (Tyrese Gibson), is defined by his relative normalness compared to the others. This actually benefits the character in a similar way to Dragon Ball‘s Krillin. Like Roman, Krillin is underpowered compared to the world around him, which makes him one of the more compelling elements of the franchise.
Introduced in 2 Fast 2 Furious, Roman is nominally one of the more down-to-Earth characters in the Fast & Furious franchise. While other members of the group can be technical geniuses (like Tej and Ramsey) or have proven to be near indestructible in a fight (like Dominic and Letty), Roman remains the only member of the main group who is actually surprised by all the things he and his friends go through. This realization becomes a running gag in F9, with Roman expressing genuine shock at his survival throughout the opening action sequence. In it, Roman is almost killed by a small army of soldiers, drives through an active minefield and barely avoids being crushed by his car when it’s sent flying into the air after activating one of those mines.
However, Roman remains an emotional center and important figure in the group. Despite his relative lack of skills, he is a quick thinker who can hold his own in a fight, and the sheer amount of absurdity he’s survived gives him an experience and sense of clarity in times of crisis. This is most evident when he casually realizes in the climax of F9 that the satellite crucial to Jakob’s (John Cena) plans can still be destroyed if they crash their impromptu rocket car into it, possibly killing him and Tej but also saving the world. While Tej is initially unsure of the plan, Roman’s calm demeanor and determination allow him to make the move seconds before Aries is about to be activated. In this way, Roman has become the heart of the group, maintaining a human element in an increasingly absurd series.
Notably, this somewhat makes him the Fast & Furious equivalent of Krillin from Dragon Ball Z. Introduced in Dragon Ball, Krillin is one of the only humans in the chief cast of intergalactic warriors. Although he’s severely outclassed in terms of raw power, Krillin continues to join his friends in world-shattering adventures, all on the off chance that he may be able to help. He’s a clever, dependable and surprisingly quick-witted fighter, and he’s been crucial to the survival of the world — when he isn’t getting beaten down by their overpowered enemies or being saved by his friends. Like Roman, Krillin isn’t the chief member of his group and is often shocked or terrified by the new threats that come their way. Nevertheless, Krillin never backs down and has thrown himself into danger to save his friends and the world.
It’s an interesting way to look at these two, both of whom remain some of the only characters in their franchises who can actually earn some tension out of the question of their survival. Likewise, Krillin and Roman are, in many ways, the hearts of their respective teams. In the Dragon Ball franchise, Krillin’s death was enough to motivate Goku to reach his Super Saiyan form against Frieza. While Roman survives the events of F9, his possible demise in one of the two upcoming final films in the Fast & Furious franchise could end up having a similar motivating effect on his team. It gives the character genuine stakes in a way that other characters lack, and helps elevate Roman’s place in the franchise.
Directed by Justin Lin, F9 stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell and Charlize Theron. The film is now in theaters.
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