Master Roshi

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Master Roshi
Alias(es)	Master Mutian; Turtle Hermit
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Turtle Hermit School
Occupation/Role	Legendary martial artist; martial-arts master
First Appearance	5

Background / History

Master Roshi lives at the Turtle Hermit's House on a remote island and is a martial artist more than three hundred years old. Before accepting Zhou Zilong, he had taken only two disciples. 5 6

When Zhou Zilong sought instruction after reaching a training bottleneck, Roshi tested his resolve by demanding that he find a beautiful girl to keep him company. Zilong instead created the lifelike android Mei Hui; satisfied by the result, Roshi accepted him as his third disciple and warned him not to seek trouble after mastering martial arts. 5 6

Over eight months, Roshi trained Zilong through hard labor, endurance drills, study, rest, and combat-pressure exercises. He eventually sent Zilong out to gain experience, stating that he had taught him everything he could. 7 10 15

Appearance

Master Roshi is an elderly, bald man with a white beard, sunglasses, and a large turtle shell carried on his back. He commonly wears an orange casual shirt and carries a cloud-shaped staff or cane. 5 6 10

• Bald head and white beard. 6
• Dark sunglasses. 5 6
• Orange casual shirt. 5 6
• Large turtle shell on his back. 5
• Can dramatically bulk up his otherwise frail-looking body while using the Kamehameha. 11

Personality

Roshi combines eccentric, lecherous behavior with the discipline and judgment of a serious martial-arts master. His condition for taking Zilong as a disciple was companionship from a beautiful girl, and he later flirted openly with Bulma. 6 25

As a teacher, he values character as much as power. He insists that martial arts exist to cultivate a healthy body and mind, while also teaching that martial artists must stand against those who abuse their strength to bully ordinary people. 7

He is patient with committed students, proud of Zilong's growth, and attentive to the need for recovery; after five months of relentless training, he ordered Zilong to take time off and restore his mental and physical state. 8 10

Abilities & Skills

Martial Way Instruction

Roshi teaches martial arts as a path of physical health, mental discipline, conviction, and self-improvement rather than mere victory.

• Uses practical labor—vegetable harvesting, milk delivery, construction work, swimming, and weighted movement—to build strength and endurance. 7 9
• Integrates study and scheduled naps into training, emphasizing balance between exertion, learning, food, and rest. 8
• Trains calmness under threat, including having Zilong face a shark in the water and evade hornets while movement is restricted. 9
• Instructs disciples in aura control and maintaining composure in battle. 10

Kamehameha

Roshi created the Kamehameha, a ki technique that gathers blue-white energy between cupped hands before firing it as a powerful beam. 11

• Demonstrated the technique by blasting the sea hard enough to raise a massive wall of water. 11
• Personally taught Zhou Zilong its basic form after approving of his decision to protect innocents from the Predator Mercenary Group. 11
• States that its full power requires continual practice and comprehension. 11

Equipment / Items

• Turtle shell — Worn on his back; he later makes Zilong train while carrying a roughly 20-pound turtle shell. 5 9
• Cloud-shaped staff / cane — Carried during his travels and used while directing training. 5 7
• Capsule-stored Turtle Hermit's House — Roshi can store and deploy his home using a capsule. 8
• Flying Nimbus — Given to Young Goku as a reward for returning Roshi's Sea Turtle. 25
• Dragon Ball necklace — Roshi gives the Dragon Ball he wears to Bulma. 25

Relationships

• Zhou Zilong — Third disciple. Roshi accepts him after the Mei Hui test, trains him for eight months, teaches him the Kamehameha, and later sends him out to gain experience. 6 11 15
• Ox-King — Former disciple. Roshi reprimands him for his poor reputation, but accepts his promise to reform. 32
• Young Goku — Rewards Goku with the Flying Nimbus for returning the Sea Turtle; Zilong later directs Goku to seek Roshi as a master. 25 30 38
• Bulma — Roshi flirts with her upon meeting her, but she rejects his advance and identifies Zhou Zilong as her fiancé. 25
• Mei Hui — Lifelike android created by Zhou Zilong to satisfy Roshi's condition for accepting a new disciple; Roshi finds her interesting. 6
• Sea Turtle — His sea turtle companion, whom Goku and the group return to the sea. 24 25

Story Role / Major Arcs

Zhou Zilong's Apprenticeship

Roshi becomes Zilong's first structured martial-arts master after Zilong's self-training stalls at a combat power of 50. He teaches the Martial Way through rigorous everyday work, study, recovery, and controlled danger. 5 10

Predator Mercenary Group Conflict

After Zilong protects civilians from the Predator Mercenary Group, Roshi validates his actions and teaches him the Kamehameha so he can face future threats. 11

Fire Mountain Reunion

Roshi reunites with the Ox-King at Fire Mountain and proudly declares that Zilong has surpassed him in strength, leading Ox-King to ask Zilong to extinguish the mountain's flames. 32

Young Goku's Path to Training

Roshi rewards Goku for helping the Sea Turtle and later becomes the master Zilong recommends when Goku and Yamcha seek formal martial-arts instruction. 25 30 38

Notable Quotes

“The true purpose of learning martial arts is to achieve a healthy body and mind, and then to live a meaningful life with that healthy body and mind. That is the Martial Way!” 7

“If you see someone who studies martial arts bullying kind common folk, then that person is your enemy. You must teach them a good lesson!” 7

“The Martial Way is not just a contest of fists and feet, but a contest of the mind.” 8