Master Roshi, known in Japan as Kame Sennin (the "Turtle Hermit") or Muten Rōshi, is the old martial arts master who invented the Kamehameha and taught Goku and Krillin how to fight. He appears in the manga's third chapter, released at the end of 1984. He looks like a dirty old man in sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt, but behind the act is the most respected warrior in the Dragon Ball world.
Who he is
Roshi lives in a small house on a remote island, Kame House, with his friend Turtle. As a young man he trained under the legendary Mutaito alongside another disciple, the Crane Hermit, who would become his great rival. His strength earned him the nickname "God of Martial Arts", and before Goku he had already raised two famous students: Son Gohan, the hero's adoptive grandfather, and the Ox-King, Chi-Chi's father.
His most famous creation is the Kamehameha, which the story says took him fifty years to perfect. What happens to it tells you plenty about the series: Goku copies it after seeing it once, and from there it becomes the signature move of the whole saga.
His story across the series
- Dragon Ball: to thank Goku for rescuing Turtle he gives him the Flying Nimbus, a cloud he himself cannot ride because his heart is far from pure. He puts out the fire on Mount Frypan in the most drastic way possible, with a Kamehameha that wipes out the whole mountain, then takes on Goku and Krillin as students. At the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament he enters disguised as Jackie Chun to stop his boys from winning too soon: he beats Krillin in the semifinal and Goku in the final, even destroying the Moon to stop Goku's Great Ape transformation. At the 22nd tournament, still in disguise, he persuades Tien to turn his back on his master's ways. Against King Piccolo he attempts the Mafuba, Mutaito's sealing technique, fails and dies; the Dragon Balls bring him back.
- Dragon Ball Z: he steps aside, aware that he has been surpassed, yet remains the sharpest reader of a fight: during the Cell Games he is the first to realize that Goku knows he is outmatched. Majin Buu turns him into chocolate and eats him; once again he is revived.
- Dragon Ball Super: Goku recruits him for the Tournament of Power for his experience, not his power. Roshi reveals he has been training in secret, eliminates several opponents and impresses even Beerus with his technique.
Powers and techniques
| Technique | What it does |
|---|---|
| Kamehameha | The energy wave he invented and everyone learns from him |
| Max Power | Massively boosts his muscle mass and height |
| Electric palm attack | A shock that paralyzes and lifts the opponent |
| Mafuba | Seals an enemy in a container, at the risk of the user's life |
Despite his age, his real strength is experience: he reads a match, anticipates moves and understands what the fighters are thinking.
Relationships
- Goku still considers him the best of all his teachers.
- Krillin is his most loyal student and, years later, lives at Kame House with his family.
- Yamcha is another disciple who wears the Turtle School symbol.
- The Crane Hermit is his old fellow student turned rival.
- Fortuneteller Baba, the seer who can locate the Dragon Balls, is his sister.
Why he matters: our take
Master Roshi is the comic engine of the original Dragon Ball, and some of his gags have aged badly. Reducing him to that would be a mistake, though. He is the one who teaches Goku that martial arts are about bettering yourself, not dominating others, and he is the one who, as Jackie Chun, understands that sometimes a teacher has to make his students lose so they can grow.
His arc is that of every great mentor: he grows weaker next to the kids he trained, but never loses their respect. Super hands him one last moment of glory, reminding everyone why they called him the God of Martial Arts.
Did you know? His look was inspired by Kami-sama, the goofy god from Dr. Slump, Toriyama's previous manga. Fittingly, in the original anime both were voiced by the same actor, Kōhei Miyauchi.
Trivia
- After Miyauchi, he was voiced in Japanese by Hiroshi Masuoka (late Z through GT) and Masaharu Satō (up to Super).
- In Funimation's English dub he is voiced by Mike McFarland.
- The name Rōshi echoes the old Chinese title for a Daoist sage, which suits a master who is both wise and ridiculous.