Master Roshi

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Master Roshi
Alias(es)	Turtle Hermit; God of Martial Arts; Earth’s Guardian; Kami
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Turtle School; Kami’s Lookout
Occupation/Role	Founder and master of the Turtle School; martial-arts instructor; Earth’s Guardian
Status	Alive
First Appearance	10

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Suppressed martial-artist ki: 139	12	Reveals that the 139 battle power Chen Mo measured is a deliberately suppressed state.
Martial-artist power: at least 1,200	12	Briefly releases his true ki, reaching 1,200 before withdrawing it; he stresses that battle power alone does not determine a fight.
Earth’s Guardian / divine ki	46	Completes a fourteen-day succession ritual after Piccolo’s death, shattering and rebuilding over three centuries of martial cultivation into divine ki synchronized with Kami’s Lookout.
Divine power enhanced by Fruit of the Tree of Might	46	Absorbs a fruit completely as Kami, increasing his divine reserves beyond the previous Kami’s and gaining the capacity to restore damaged areas of Earth.

Background / History

Master Roshi is the founder of the Turtle School and the former teacher of Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, and basic techniques for Trunks. Following the deaths of his students during the android crisis, he withdrew to Kame House Island. He concealed his ki completely, causing the androids to dismiss the island as an uninhabited reef. The losses left him convinced that taking more disciples would only send them to their deaths. 10 11 12

Chen Mo sought Roshi out because he needed a systematic foundation in ki and martial arts. Roshi initially refused him, citing the deaths of Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha. He changed his decision after Chen Mo offered adult magazines, videotapes, and photographs, formally naming him the Turtle School’s final disciple. 10

For a full year, Roshi trained Chen Mo in weighted conditioning, ki control, combat fundamentals, Kamehameha, ki blasts, flight, and evasive techniques. Once Chen Mo had learned the school’s fundamentals, Roshi dismissed him to seek growth through genuine combat and directed him toward Korin Tower and the dangerous Ultra Divine Water. 10 11 12 13

Three months after Chen Mo left, Mr. Popo asked Roshi to succeed the deceased Piccolo as Earth’s Guardian. Roshi accepted after three days of consideration, believing that Earth and its surviving people needed someone to protect them. 46

Appearance

Master Roshi is a short, elderly bald man with a long white beard. He usually presents himself as a relaxed island recluse, though his appearance changes noticeably when he takes his duties as a teacher or Kami seriously.

• Wears dark sunglasses, which he keeps even while fishing or training disciples. 10 12
• Usually wears a floral Hawaiian shirt and beach shorts while living on Kame House Island. 10
• Changes into a dark-blue martial-arts uniform when conducting training. 11
• Later wears a white Kami robe while meditating as Earth’s Guardian. 79
• Often carries tea, uses a folding chair while fishing, and later relies on a cane or wooden staff at Kami’s Lookout. 10 12 59 62

Personality

Roshi combines shameless lechery with the discipline and judgment of a martial-arts grandmaster. He is easily distracted by adult material and accepts Chen Mo as a disciple immediately after being bribed with it, despite having refused moments earlier. His sea-turtle companion notes that he used similar conditions when Goku and Krillin came to train. 10

Beneath this behavior, Roshi is deeply affected by outliving his students and being unable to help them against the androids. His decision to stop accepting disciples came from guilt and fear rather than indifference. He nevertheless trains Chen Mo rigorously, emphasizes survival over pride, and teaches that fear of death can be a strength if it motivates someone to stay alive. 10 12 13

As Kami, Roshi becomes more openly responsible and resolute. He accepts the burden of guarding Earth, works to restore shelters for survivors, and remains a calm source of counsel even as threats escalate beyond his own direct combat power. 46 62 79

Abilities & Skills

Turtle School Martial Arts

Roshi is a martial-arts master with over three hundred years of cultivation and an exceptional grasp of timing, technique, and combat judgment.

• Possesses at least 1,200 battle power when he stops suppressing his martial ki. 12
• Can effortlessly stop Chen Mo’s Triple Kaio-ken-enhanced punch despite Chen Mo’s calculated battle power of 150. 12
• Teaches that combat depends on control, experience, judgment, timing, and reading an opponent—not merely numerical power. 12
• Can read an opponent’s stance, force direction, center-of-gravity shifts, and follow-up openings before an attack is completed. 12
• Identifies Chen Mo’s altered muscle density, bone hardness, meridians, and energy-channel structure even while Chen Mo suppresses his ki. 45

Ki Control and Suppression

Roshi can conceal his presence and precisely evaluate the condition of another fighter’s body and energy.

• Suppressed his ki to zero while living on Kame House Island, preventing the androids from regarding him as a meaningful target. 11
• Diagnosed the strain of Chen Mo’s Kaio-ken through his pulse rate and muscular damage. 10
• Taught Chen Mo to sense ki, guide it into individual limbs, and transition it between attacks. 10 12
• Explains that the Kaio-ken is an explosive technique, while ordinary ki application allows sustained combat output. 11 12

Turtle School Techniques

Roshi demonstrates and teaches several foundational techniques of the Turtle School.

• Kamehameha — A concentrated beam formed by gathering, compressing, and releasing ki. Roshi demonstrates a blast that skims the sea and produces a large water column. 13
• Ki Blasts — Rapid, lower-output projectiles that can be fired with minimal charging time. 13
• Flight — Ki propulsion from the feet, taught to Chen Mo after his basic energy control develops. 13
• Afterimage Fist and Solar Flare — Blinding, escape-oriented techniques that use a sudden burst of high-intensity ki light; Roshi emphasizes using them at the instant an opponent prepares to strike. 13

Divine Ki and Guardian Authority

After becoming Earth’s Kami, Roshi’s martial ki is transformed into divine ki, which ordinary ki sensing cannot detect. 46

• Climate control — Can disperse clouds and counter an energy-based darkness field such as Shigula’s Eternal Darkness on Earth. 46
  • His reserves can initially sustain up to three large-scale climate manipulations before requiring slow recovery. 46
• Restoration magic — Can repair buildings and basic infrastructure within an area roughly the size of a city block. 46
  • Cannot resurrect the dead or restore underground pipelines and power systems. 46
• Barrier and sealing arts — Reinforces the Hyperbolic Time Chamber’s entrance with divine power and an Evil Containment Wave talisman, sealing Android 18 inside. 59
• Purification — Cleanses residual resentment and mental contamination from Chen Mo. 82
• Energy refinement — Separates the violent outer energy of a Fruit of the Tree of Might from its purified vitality, using the result to extend Grand Elder Moori’s lifespan by decades. 47

Fruit of the Tree of Might Assimilation

As Kami, Roshi can fully absorb the god-level energy contained in a Fruit of the Tree of Might.

• Converts the fruit’s life energy into divine power with no stated waste, unlike ordinary humans. 46
• His divine power surpasses that of the previous Kami after consuming one fruit. 46
• Can theoretically consume more fruits, but requires about a month to digest each one. 46

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Turtle shells — Uses weighted shells for Turtle School physical training, beginning Chen Mo’s regimen at twenty kilograms and eventually raising the load to sixty-five kilograms. 10 11 12 13
• Wooden staff / cane — Channels divine power through it while reinforcing the Hyperbolic Time Chamber seal. 59 62
• Evil Containment Wave talisman — An item once used by his master Mutaito; Roshi activates it with divine power to strengthen a spatial seal. 59
• Folding chair and fishing rod — His customary equipment during his years of isolation on Kame House Island. 10 12
• Tea set — Frequently carries and drinks tea at Kami’s Lookout. 45 46 77

Relationships

• Chen Mo — His final Turtle School disciple. Roshi builds Chen Mo’s martial foundation, later supports his missions, and continues advising him as Kami. 10 13 45 59
• Mr. Popo — His attendant after Roshi becomes Earth’s Guardian; Popo considers Roshi the most suitable Guardian successor he has seen. 46
• Sea Turtle — His ancient companion at Kame House Island, who openly criticizes Roshi’s lecherous behavior. 10 11
• Goku — Former disciple whom Roshi considers his most talented student; Goku’s death is one reason Roshi originally refuses to train Chen Mo. 10 13
• Krillin — Former disciple whom Roshi considers his hardest-working student; Roshi is haunted by his death during the android crisis. 10 12 13
• Yamcha — Former disciple whom Roshi considers his smartest student. 10 13
• Grand Elder Moori — Fellow guardian figure whose life Roshi saves by refining the vitality from a Fruit of the Tree of Might. 47
• Android 18 — Roshi treats her cautiously due to her overwhelming power, particularly after she emerges from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with a power level of five billion. 59 74

Story Role / Major Arcs

Chen Mo’s Turtle School Training

Roshi gives Chen Mo the structured cultivation system he lacks: physical conditioning, ki control, combat awareness, and core Turtle School techniques. He repeatedly corrects Chen Mo’s fixation on battle-power numbers and prepares him to survive against stronger opponents. 10 11 12 13

Succession as Earth’s Guardian

After Piccolo’s death leaves Earth without a Kami for over four years, Roshi undergoes the Guardian succession ritual and becomes responsible for Kami’s Lookout, its barriers, the Dragon Balls’ stability, and Earth’s protection. 46

Restoration and Moori’s Treatment

With the Fruit of the Tree of Might, Roshi increases his divine reserves and begins restoring usable housing and infrastructure for Earth’s survivors. He later refines another fruit’s pure vitality to extend Moori’s life and prevent the Namekian Dragon Balls from turning to stone. 46 47

Hyperbolic Time Chamber Seals

Roshi helps contain Android 18 after her power exceeds five billion, using his divine power to sustain and reinforce the Hyperbolic Time Chamber’s seal. He later maintains Kami’s seals around the chamber entrance while awaiting Chen Mo’s return. 56 59 73

Earth’s Defensive Anchor

As cosmic threats including Shigula, King Cold, Cell, and the underworld’s resentment escalate, Roshi remains at Kami’s Lookout to protect Earth, counsel Chen Mo, monitor the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and use purification when Chen Mo returns contaminated by resentment. 62 77 79 82

Notable Quotes

“A higher battle power doesn't mean you'll win.” 12

“I'm teaching you to live. Only those who know how to run can survive long enough to become strong.” 13

“Being afraid of death is a good thing. Only those who fear death will do everything they can to stay alive.” 13

“Earth needs a Guardian. Popo needs a master. In these years, the people still alive need someone watching over them from above.” 46

Trivia

• Roshi calls Chen Mo his “final disciple of my Turtle School.” 10
• His first response to Chen Mo’s Kaio-ken was concern over the technique’s physical strain rather than admiration for its power. 10
• He trained continuously for more than twenty years despite remaining isolated on Kame House Island. 12
• Roshi dislikes being called “Kami,” telling Moori to continue calling him Master Roshi instead. 47