Movie
Description
Eremita della Gru, known in Japanese as Tsuru-sennin and in English as the Crane Hermit, is the primary antagonist in the 1988 film Dragon Ball Movie 3: Mystical Adventure. In this alternate continuity, he serves as a significant martial arts master and a cunning political schemer. Physically, he is an elderly man of advanced age, easily over three hundred years old, which makes him a contemporary of his longtime rival, the Turtle Hermit known as Kame-sennin. He has distinctive features, including a long goat-like beard, dark sunglasses that obscure his eyes, and a green martial arts uniform. His most recognizable accessory is the hat he wears, which is styled to resemble the head and beak of a crane, a symbol that represents his Crane School of martial arts.
In terms of personality, Eremita della Gru is depicted as a cruel, calculating, and unscrupulous individual. He contrasts sharply with his former fellow student, the jovial and wise Turtle Hermit. While both learned under the great martial arts master Mutaito, the Crane Hermit chose a darker path defined by ambition and a lust for power. He is highly manipulative, showing no hesitation in exploiting others, including his own students and a child emperor, to achieve his goals. When faced with disobedience or failure, he displays a ruthless willingness to kill, demonstrating a complete lack of empathy or loyalty.
Within the story of Mystical Adventure, Eremita della Gru has insinuated himself into a position of immense power in the kingdom of Mifan. He serves as the prime minister to the young and trusting Emperor Chaozu. Using this political role as a cover, he orchestrates a plot to gather the seven Dragon Balls and wish for world domination. He directs the kingdom's military forces, led by General Blue, and employs his powerful associates, including his brother, the deadly assassin Tao Pai Pai, to achieve his ends. His role is that of the puppet master, pulling the strings from within the palace while presenting a facade of loyalty to the emperor.
His key relationships are largely defined by manipulation and rivalry. His primary opposition is his old rival, the Turtle Hermit, and the Turtle Hermit's students, including Son Goku and Krillin. This rivalry is the foundation of his character, representing a philosophical and moral split in the martial arts world. His closest followers are his two principal students: Tenshinhan, a powerful and conflicted martial artist, and Chaozu. In this film, Chaozu is also the young emperor, making the relationship even more complex and tragic, as the Crane Hermit plans to dispose of him. The Crane Hermit treats Chaozu not as a ruler, but as a disposable tool and a puppet. For Tenshinhan, he shows a measure of expectation as his star pupil, but this is conditional on absolute obedience. His brother, Tao Pai Pai, acts as his primary enforcer, a brutal killer who carries out the Crane Hermit's most violent orders without question.
Eremita della Gru undergoes a clear character arc that results in his downfall. Initially presented as a powerful and untouchable mastermind, his control begins to slip as his plans are thwarted by the actions of Goku and the other heroes. His most significant development, however, comes from the betrayal of his own student. While he commands Tenshinhan to kill the emperor, Tenshinhan instead disobeys, having developed a genuine bond of friendship with Chaozu. Choosing loyalty to the emperor over loyalty to his master, Tenshinhan turns against him and defeats him with a powerful technique called the Kikoho. This act of defiance represents the complete failure of the Crane Hermit's ideology of power and cruelty, as the loyalty and compassion he scorned ultimately lead to his defeat.
Despite his defeat, Eremita della Gru is a highly formidable fighter with notable abilities. He is a master of several advanced techniques that define his Crane School. His signature attack is the Dodonpa, an energy wave fired from a single index finger. This technique is presented as a rival to the Turtle Hermit's Kamehameha wave, noted for being faster and more potent. He is also a practitioner of the Bukujutsu, or flight technique, which allows him to levitate and move freely through the air, a skill that grants him a significant tactical advantage over opponents who can only move on the ground. These abilities, combined with his political cunning, make him a multi-faceted threat, dangerous both in the shadows of the throne room and on the open battlefield.
In terms of personality, Eremita della Gru is depicted as a cruel, calculating, and unscrupulous individual. He contrasts sharply with his former fellow student, the jovial and wise Turtle Hermit. While both learned under the great martial arts master Mutaito, the Crane Hermit chose a darker path defined by ambition and a lust for power. He is highly manipulative, showing no hesitation in exploiting others, including his own students and a child emperor, to achieve his goals. When faced with disobedience or failure, he displays a ruthless willingness to kill, demonstrating a complete lack of empathy or loyalty.
Within the story of Mystical Adventure, Eremita della Gru has insinuated himself into a position of immense power in the kingdom of Mifan. He serves as the prime minister to the young and trusting Emperor Chaozu. Using this political role as a cover, he orchestrates a plot to gather the seven Dragon Balls and wish for world domination. He directs the kingdom's military forces, led by General Blue, and employs his powerful associates, including his brother, the deadly assassin Tao Pai Pai, to achieve his ends. His role is that of the puppet master, pulling the strings from within the palace while presenting a facade of loyalty to the emperor.
His key relationships are largely defined by manipulation and rivalry. His primary opposition is his old rival, the Turtle Hermit, and the Turtle Hermit's students, including Son Goku and Krillin. This rivalry is the foundation of his character, representing a philosophical and moral split in the martial arts world. His closest followers are his two principal students: Tenshinhan, a powerful and conflicted martial artist, and Chaozu. In this film, Chaozu is also the young emperor, making the relationship even more complex and tragic, as the Crane Hermit plans to dispose of him. The Crane Hermit treats Chaozu not as a ruler, but as a disposable tool and a puppet. For Tenshinhan, he shows a measure of expectation as his star pupil, but this is conditional on absolute obedience. His brother, Tao Pai Pai, acts as his primary enforcer, a brutal killer who carries out the Crane Hermit's most violent orders without question.
Eremita della Gru undergoes a clear character arc that results in his downfall. Initially presented as a powerful and untouchable mastermind, his control begins to slip as his plans are thwarted by the actions of Goku and the other heroes. His most significant development, however, comes from the betrayal of his own student. While he commands Tenshinhan to kill the emperor, Tenshinhan instead disobeys, having developed a genuine bond of friendship with Chaozu. Choosing loyalty to the emperor over loyalty to his master, Tenshinhan turns against him and defeats him with a powerful technique called the Kikoho. This act of defiance represents the complete failure of the Crane Hermit's ideology of power and cruelty, as the loyalty and compassion he scorned ultimately lead to his defeat.
Despite his defeat, Eremita della Gru is a highly formidable fighter with notable abilities. He is a master of several advanced techniques that define his Crane School. His signature attack is the Dodonpa, an energy wave fired from a single index finger. This technique is presented as a rival to the Turtle Hermit's Kamehameha wave, noted for being faster and more potent. He is also a practitioner of the Bukujutsu, or flight technique, which allows him to levitate and move freely through the air, a skill that grants him a significant tactical advantage over opponents who can only move on the ground. These abilities, combined with his political cunning, make him a multi-faceted threat, dangerous both in the shadows of the throne room and on the open battlefield.