TV-Series
Description
Kame Sennin, also widely known as Muten Rōshi or Master Roshi, is a legendary martial artist and the founder of the Turtle School (Kame-Sen Style). He is an Earthling with an extraordinarily long lifespan, having been born in Age 430, which makes him over three hundred years old by the events of Dragon Ball Z. In his youth, he was a student of the master Mutaito, training alongside the man who would become his rival, Tsuru Sennin. He witnessed Mutaito use the Evil Containment Wave (Mafūba) to seal away the great demon Piccolo Daimaō. Some time later, Kame Sennin became the first person to climb Korin Tower, where he trained under the cat god Korin for three years. During his long life, he also invented his signature technique, the Kamehameha, a feat that reportedly took him fifty years to perfect. He is also the older brother of the fortune teller Uranai Baba. He resides in a small house on a remote island in the South Seas known as the Kame House, where he lives with his companion, a talking sea turtle named Umigame.
In terms of personality, Kame Sennin is a character of stark contrasts. On one hand, he embodies the archetype of the wise and powerful old master. He is deeply knowledgeable about martial arts, perceptive, and often offers profound guidance to his students. On the other hand, he is notoriously lecherous, earning him the not entirely flattering nickname of dirty old man. He is constantly seeking out beautiful women, reading magazines, and attempting to see Bulma, Android 18, and other female characters in revealing situations, which typically results in him being violently punished for his antics. Despite his perversions, he is not malicious and cares deeply for his students and the protection of Earth.
His primary motivation throughout the story is to nurture the next generation of martial artists and ensure that the Earth remains safe. He retired from active competition, feeling that his era had passed, but he enters the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament under the disguised alias Jackie Chun. His hidden goal is to defeat his own students, Goku and Krillin, to prevent them from becoming arrogant after a tournament victory, teaching them that there is always someone stronger. His role in the story is foundational, as he is the first true master to Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha, providing them with the rigorous training that builds their strength, discipline, and combat instincts. While the scale of battles eventually surpasses his own power, he continues to serve as a mentor and a source of wisdom for the younger fighters, sometimes proving that his experience and unique techniques remain valuable assets.
Kame Sennin has several key relationships that define his role. He is the teacher to many of Earth's mightiest warriors, including Son Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, and the Ox-King. His first student was actually Grandpa Son Gohan, Goku's adoptive grandfather. He shares a long-standing rivalry with Tsuru Sennin (Master Shen), the founder of the Crane School, which extends to their students, Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu. He has a great fondness for the shapeshifting pig Oolong and the young woman Launch, both of whom live with him at the Kame House for extended periods.
The character shows a degree of development over the course of the series. Initially presented as the strongest fighter on Earth, his power is quickly surpassed by his own students, and he willingly steps into a supporting role. He is proud of his students' growth and humbled by how far they have surpassed him. In the Dragon Ball Super series, he is given a new lease on the battlefield, particularly during the Tournament of Power. Here, he demonstrates that despite his advanced age and relatively low raw power compared to gods and aliens, his centuries of martial arts experience, unorthodox techniques, and a pure, focused state of mind allow him to compete effectively. He re-enters the fight not for glory, but to protect his universe and to pass on one final lesson about the essence of martial arts: mastery over the self.
Kame Sennin possesses a wide array of notable abilities. He created and is a master of the Kamehameha wave, a concentrated blast of ki that becomes the signature move of his students. He knows the forbidden Mafūba, a technique that creates a vortex to seal away evil beings, though using it can cost the user their life. Other techniques include the afterimage-creating Zanzōken, the Thunder Shock Surprise (Bankoku Bikkuri Shō) which paralyzes opponents, the Drunken Fist fighting style, and a hypnotic technique called the Hypnosis Sleep. He is also a master of the "buff form" or "Max Power," a state where he uses all his ki to massively inflate his muscles, granting him tremendous strength and destructive power (such as when he destroyed the Moon), though this form may sacrifice some speed. In later stories, his pure martial arts skill allows him to move instinctively to dodge attacks from foes far stronger than himself, a state that resembles the divine technique of Ultra Instinct.
In terms of personality, Kame Sennin is a character of stark contrasts. On one hand, he embodies the archetype of the wise and powerful old master. He is deeply knowledgeable about martial arts, perceptive, and often offers profound guidance to his students. On the other hand, he is notoriously lecherous, earning him the not entirely flattering nickname of dirty old man. He is constantly seeking out beautiful women, reading magazines, and attempting to see Bulma, Android 18, and other female characters in revealing situations, which typically results in him being violently punished for his antics. Despite his perversions, he is not malicious and cares deeply for his students and the protection of Earth.
His primary motivation throughout the story is to nurture the next generation of martial artists and ensure that the Earth remains safe. He retired from active competition, feeling that his era had passed, but he enters the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament under the disguised alias Jackie Chun. His hidden goal is to defeat his own students, Goku and Krillin, to prevent them from becoming arrogant after a tournament victory, teaching them that there is always someone stronger. His role in the story is foundational, as he is the first true master to Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha, providing them with the rigorous training that builds their strength, discipline, and combat instincts. While the scale of battles eventually surpasses his own power, he continues to serve as a mentor and a source of wisdom for the younger fighters, sometimes proving that his experience and unique techniques remain valuable assets.
Kame Sennin has several key relationships that define his role. He is the teacher to many of Earth's mightiest warriors, including Son Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, and the Ox-King. His first student was actually Grandpa Son Gohan, Goku's adoptive grandfather. He shares a long-standing rivalry with Tsuru Sennin (Master Shen), the founder of the Crane School, which extends to their students, Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu. He has a great fondness for the shapeshifting pig Oolong and the young woman Launch, both of whom live with him at the Kame House for extended periods.
The character shows a degree of development over the course of the series. Initially presented as the strongest fighter on Earth, his power is quickly surpassed by his own students, and he willingly steps into a supporting role. He is proud of his students' growth and humbled by how far they have surpassed him. In the Dragon Ball Super series, he is given a new lease on the battlefield, particularly during the Tournament of Power. Here, he demonstrates that despite his advanced age and relatively low raw power compared to gods and aliens, his centuries of martial arts experience, unorthodox techniques, and a pure, focused state of mind allow him to compete effectively. He re-enters the fight not for glory, but to protect his universe and to pass on one final lesson about the essence of martial arts: mastery over the self.
Kame Sennin possesses a wide array of notable abilities. He created and is a master of the Kamehameha wave, a concentrated blast of ki that becomes the signature move of his students. He knows the forbidden Mafūba, a technique that creates a vortex to seal away evil beings, though using it can cost the user their life. Other techniques include the afterimage-creating Zanzōken, the Thunder Shock Surprise (Bankoku Bikkuri Shō) which paralyzes opponents, the Drunken Fist fighting style, and a hypnotic technique called the Hypnosis Sleep. He is also a master of the "buff form" or "Max Power," a state where he uses all his ki to massively inflate his muscles, granting him tremendous strength and destructive power (such as when he destroyed the Moon), though this form may sacrifice some speed. In later stories, his pure martial arts skill allows him to move instinctively to dodge attacks from foes far stronger than himself, a state that resembles the divine technique of Ultra Instinct.