Master Roshi: All You Need To Know About The Legendary Dragon Ball Sensei

This article has been coming for a long time. After all, I’ve named this site after this legendary old man who has captured the hearts of thousands of fans. Master Roshi is an interesting character from the Dragon Ball universe who has been a part of the story since season one of the series. It has been decades since he was first introduced in the series and he is still popular among fans.

What’s interesting about him is that despite his personality, which suggests that he is a good-for-nothing old man, he is actually quite successful in his life as a martial artist. In this article, we will be going over Master Roshi’s character, his role in the Dragon Ball series, and what fans think about him. Of course, we are also going to take a look at why certain people hate him.

So, without further ado, let’s jump into the listing.

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Who is Master Roshi?

For those who don’t know, Master Roshi is one of the first characters to be introduced in the Dragon Ball franchise. He is an important character who plays a vital role in the series. In fact, this legendary “Turtle Hermit” is the man who made the super popular shonen hero that everyone recognizes as Goku.

Just by looking at him, you can tell that he is old, but you would’ve never guessed that he is actually hundreds of years old. Yes, Master Roshi is an immortal and he does not age because of that. But do not mistake, he can still be killed by unnatural means.

But the best part about Master Roshi is that he is not your usual boring, wise old man character in most anime. He is quite the eccentric one. While there is no argument that he is old and probably wise, he is definitely far from boring.

This man is known for his perverted antics, which paint him as a fun character. Our Turtle Hermit is absolutely down bad when it comes to girls. He’ll take all his chances to harass him and pleasure himself. However, this behavior is probably because he did not have a chance with girls when he was younger. After all, from his backstory, we know that he dedicated his entire youth and middle age to martial arts.

Other than his quirky personality, what sets Master Roshi apart from other characters is his skill as a martial artist. Although he only started teaching Goku and Krill half-heartedly, he managed to create monsters out of them.

He is also the creator of the Kamehameha technique, which has become one of the most iconic moves in the Dragon Ball series.

Master Roshi’s role in Dragon Ball

As I mentioned before, Master Roshi’s role in the Dragon Ball series is one that literally shaped the entire series. He mentored Goku and Krillin when they were very young. He introduced Goku to the world of martial arts, made him participate in tournaments, and gave him a taste for fighting.

Despite his carefree personality, Master Roshi has always been a caring type when it comes to his two dear students. This is why he wanted to teach them “defeat”, and fought against them in a tournament while wearing disguise. This indicates that he took his role as their instructor seriously.

Any fan of the Dragon Ball series will never forget the moment when Master Roshi casually destroyed the moon in order to save Goku from transforming into his Great Ape form.

Other than offering training, he also helped Goku and Krillin with valuable advice that shaped them into the people they are today.

However, the duo soon surpassed Roshi and made him want to train and become stronger. This is a wonderful teacher-student relationship.

Master Roshi’s Popularity

While Master Roshi is not the most popular character in the Dragon Ball universe, he is at least somewhere in the top 15. Top 15 because it has been years since his debut, and of course, his role in the series has become increasingly low. But if we consider only the original Dragon Ball series, then he easily makes the top 5.

Fans love him because he is a comedy character in the show who sets the mood for fun. His antics whenever he meets girls are a treat to watch. Not only that, even when he is with his students, he tries to score himself some adult magazine or a girl all the time. As a matter of fact, he demanded them in order for him to train Goku and Krillin.

Another reason why fans love him is because he behaves like a weak character but is insanely strong. The first time he showed his true powers, it was such a thrilling moment for all Dragon Ball lovers. Who would’ve thought he could become such a hunky, muscular man? It was a pleasant surprise, in all honesty.

Because of all this, Master Roshi has become a fan favorite for Dragon Ball characters.

Controversies surrounding Master Roshi

Alright, time to talk about the trouble Master Roshi has stirred up in real life. Normally, old Japanese anime series do not hold back from “objectifying” women and using them in adult jokes. Clearly, this is exactly what was going on with our Turtle Hermit’s character.

This was normal back then because people were capable of taking a joke for what it was. Especially for the Japanese audience, it was no big deal. They were used to it.

However, as we all know, the western world is growing more and more sensitive to things that we were never aware of a few years ago. Thanks to such easily offended people, the Dragon Ball author was criticized for Master Roshi’s perverted antics.

He was accused of promoting sexism. People tried to cancel Master Roshi, despite the fact that he is just a fictional character. A classic example of people in first-world countries with extra time trying to create new problems.

However, many fans argue that Master Roshi’s behavior is a reflection of his flawed personality and is not meant to be taken seriously. The Dragon Ball creators have responded to the criticism, with some changes made to Master Roshi’s behavior in later episodes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Master Roshi is a truly legendary character. It isn’t far-fetched to say that he is one of the reasons for Dragon Ball’s success.

He is a wise man with a quirky character. He is also a powerful sensei who trained two of the most formidable Z-fighters, Goku and Krillin.

Despite his flaws, Master Roshi remains a beloved character among true fans. His impact on the Dragon Ball fandom is undeniable.