Master Roshi

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Master Roshi (original: 龟仙人) 6
Alias(es)	Master Mutten; Jackie Chun (tournament disguise) 11 24 27
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Turtle School; Kame House 21 46
Occupation/Role	Martial-arts master and mentor 18 21
First Appearance	Chapter 6

Combat Power

State	Combat Power	Notes
Normal state	139	Listed during the Fire Mountain events and again at the first World Martial Arts Tournament 11 26
Muscle form	180	Listed while confronting Goku's giant-ape form 19
Normal state	139	Listed during the battle at Fortuneteller Baba's palace 35
Muscle form	160	Later chapter listing; differs from the earlier muscle-form value 35

Background / History

Master Roshi arrives at the coast after Sea Turtle identifies Goku and Ziye as the boys who returned him to the sea. He rewards Goku with the Flying Nimbus and gives Ziye the Dragon Ball he had worn around his neck. Although he can summon the Nimbus, he cannot ride it because he lacks the required pure heart. 6

He is the Ox-King's master. When he learns that Ox-King had killed people while guarding his treasure, he sternly rebukes him and demands that he reform. Roshi then extinguishes Fire Mountain with a Kamehameha, accidentally destroying Ox-King's castle and leveling the mountain in the process. Goku and Ziye's immediate attempts to replicate the technique impress him enough to earn an invitation to train under him. 11 12

At Kame House, Roshi accepts Goku, Ziye, and Krillin as disciples after making them pass his inappropriate “pretty girl” test. His actual instruction focuses on endurance, labor, weighted training, speed tests, and building a physical foundation rather than teaching a catalogue of moves. He later explains that the Turtle School's martial arts were embedded in their daily training. 17 18 20 21

When Goku transforms into a giant ape, Roshi enters his muscle form to hold the creature off and directs Ziye and Krillin to remove Goku's tail or destroy the moon. Afterwards, he conceals the implication that Goku killed Son Gohan, allowing Ziye to keep the truth from Goku as well. 19 20

Roshi enters the first World Martial Arts Tournament as Jackie Chun to test his students and prevent them from becoming complacent. He defeats Nam, helps solve Nam's village water crisis, then faces Ziye in the semifinals. After Ziye withstands and copies Thunder Shock Surprise, Roshi deliberately exits the ring and concedes the match. 24 27 28

He later accompanies Goku's group to Fortuneteller Baba's palace, challenges Baba to a contest for free fortunes, and supervises the fights against her warriors. After the Dragon Ball search concludes, he advises Goku and Ziye to seek wider experience through independent training rather than remain in a routine at Kame House. 32 34 38

Appearance

Master Roshi is an aged, initially scrawny martial artist whose body can expand into a massive muscular form when he fights seriously. 12 19

• Uses the Jackie Chun disguise while competing in the World Martial Arts Tournament. 24 27
• Wears a wig as Jackie Chun; it is destroyed when Ziye reflects Thunder Shock Surprise. 28
• His muscle form greatly enlarges his otherwise thin frame. 12 19

Personality

Roshi is an experienced and demanding mentor who believes martial arts should be used for self-improvement rather than simply defeating others. He takes pride in Goku, Ziye, and Krillin's rapid growth, but pushes them through grueling, mundane work before recognizing their progress. 20 21 27

He is also highly lecherous: he watches aerobics programs and glamour magazines, flirts with Launch, and makes bringing him attractive women a condition of discipleship. Even so, he warns his students not to become consumed by beauty or indulgence. 16 17 18 32

Despite his eccentricity, Roshi can be stern and principled. He reprimands Ox-King for killing innocents, warns Ziye not to underestimate the Crane School, and steps in to stop private fighting during the tournament. 11 46 48

Abilities & Skills

Turtle School Martial Arts

Roshi is regarded as a martial-arts legend and bases his teaching on conditioning, practical experience, and surpassing one's own limits. 18 21

• Designs endurance training involving milk delivery, plowing fields, construction work, and continuous weighted exercise. 20 21
• Tests students' speed, awareness, strength, and persistence through timed runs, stone retrieval, and boulder-moving exercises. 18 20 21
• Uses a disguised tournament identity to challenge students who might otherwise grow complacent. 24 27

Kamehameha

Roshi generates and fires powerful white energy beams from his hands. His Kamehameha extinguishes Fire Mountain but also destroys Ox-King's castle and the surrounding mountain. 12

• Initially claims the technique requires fifty years of training. 12
• Can match Ziye's Kamehameha in a beam clash, though Ziye emerges in better condition. 27
• Uses the technique in muscle form against Goku's giant-ape transformation. 19

Thunder Shock Surprise

Roshi's ultimate electrical technique converts his body's energy into tens of thousands of volts and channels it through his palms. 28

• Temporarily immobilizes and inflicts severe pain on Ziye. 28
• Its energy-conversion principle can be understood and copied; Ziye reflects the technique back at Roshi. 28
• The counterattack destroys Roshi's Jackie Chun wig and forces him to retreat from the ring. 28

Afterimage and Drunken Fist

Roshi employs deceptive movement techniques during his match with Ziye. 27

• Uses the Afterimage Technique and Double Afterimage Fist to create false targets. 27
• Fights with irregular, drunken footwork that causes Ziye's initial attack to miss. 27
• His double-afterimage feint is ineffective against Ziye, who has already mastered more advanced afterimages. 27

Muscle Form

Roshi can transform his thin body into a heavily muscled combat form. 12 19

• Uses the form to engage Goku's giant-ape state and buy time for Ziye and Krillin. 19
• Has chapter-listed combat-power values of 180 and 160 in this form. 19 35

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Cane — Used while directing training and reprimanding Krillin. 20
• Weighted turtle shells — Roshi issues 20-kilogram and 40-kilogram shells for constant training, later doubling their weight before the tournament. 21
• Flying Nimbus — Summoned as a reward for Sea Turtle's rescue and given to Goku after Roshi fails to ride it himself. 6
• Dragon Ball — Previously worn around his neck after finding it in the sea; he gives it to Ziye. 6
• Jackie Chun disguise — Used to enter the World Martial Arts Tournament anonymously. 24 27

Relationships

• Goku / Sun Wukong — Disciple; Roshi gives him the Flying Nimbus, trains him at Kame House, protects him from the truth surrounding Son Gohan's death, and advises him to train by traveling the world. 6 20 38
• Ziye — Disciple; Roshi recognizes Ziye's extraordinary talent, fights him as Jackie Chun, and accepts defeat with pride after Ziye copies Thunder Shock Surprise. 12 27 28
• Krillin — Disciple; Roshi accepts him after receiving glamour magazines, then trains him alongside Goku and Ziye. 17 18 21
• Ox-King — Former disciple; Roshi reprimands him for his violent, greed-driven past and demands reform. 11
• Fortuneteller Baba — Familiar acquaintance with a hinted past conflict; Roshi challenges her to a contest for free fortunes. 33 34
• Crane Hermit — Longstanding rival; the two openly insult one another at the next World Martial Arts Tournament. 46 48
• Sea Turtle — His sea turtle companion; Sea Turtle's rescue leads Roshi to meet Goku, Ziye, and Bulma. 6

Notable Quotes

“The most important thing in martial arts is not defeating others, but surpassing yourself!” 21

“Martial arts require innovation; you shouldn't just blindly copy the moves of others.” 27

Trivia

• Roshi attempted to summon a Phoenix as a reward for Goku and Ziye, but Sea Turtle reminded him that it had died of poisoning the previous year. 6
• He calls Goku, Ziye, and Krillin his “younger brothers” when introducing them to Launch, then immediately claims it was a joke. 18
• He cannot ride the Flying Nimbus despite being the one who summons it. 6