TV-Series
Description
Fortuneteller Baba is an ancient witch who has been practicing her craft for over five hundred years, making her one of the oldest known human characters in her world. She is perhaps most notably the older sister of the renowned martial arts master, Master Roshi, a sibling relationship often marked by bickering and mutual impatience. Despite their advanced ages, their sibling rivalry remains a consistent and somewhat petty aspect of her character.
Her personality is notably blunt, rude, and arrogant, especially towards those who seek her services. She frequently underestimates challengers, firmly believing that her team of otherworldly fighters is unbeatable. Her primary motivation is financial gain, as she demands an exorbitant fee of ten million Zeni for a single fortune-telling session. However, she also possesses a genuine passion for martial arts competition and offers an alternative for those who cannot pay: the opportunity to earn her services by defeating her five hired warriors.
Fortuneteller Baba's first full appearance in the narrative occurs when the hero Goku and his friends desperately need to locate the last of the seven Dragon Balls. Unable to afford her price, they accept her challenge. It is during this tournament that her most significant role is revealed. She acts as a broker between the living world and the Other World, having made a special contract with King Yemma, the ruler of the afterlife. This arrangement allows her to grant a deceased individual a temporary revival, bringing them back to the world of the living for a single twenty-four hour period. She uses this ability to bring back Goku's adoptive grandfather, Grandpa Gohan, which provides an emotional climax to the challenge and a critical reunion for the young hero.
Her relationships are deeply tied to her supernatural duties. She maintains a professional working relationship with King Yemma, who can order her to facilitate temporary revivals when the situation is dire. This is demonstrated years later when she brings Goku back to Earth for a day to participate in a martial arts tournament and later when she escorts Vegeta from the afterlife to help fight the genocidal Majin Buu. Beyond her brother Roshi, she also interacts with characters like the Ox-King, whom she sometimes treats with familial-like impatience, though the exact nature of their broader family ties is not strictly defined.
While her physical abilities are minimal compared to the super-powered fighters of the series, her mystical powers are invaluable. Her primary ability is divination, which she performs by chanting a rhythmic phrase over her floating crystal ball. This allows her to see any location on Earth, locate lost objects, or peer into the future. She can also magically materialize objects from her sleeves and, in anime-exclusive scenes, demonstrates abilities like telepathy and hypnosis. Her most crucial power remains the ability to temporarily ferry souls back from the afterlife, a service that proves essential to the survival of the planet on multiple occasions.
Her personality is notably blunt, rude, and arrogant, especially towards those who seek her services. She frequently underestimates challengers, firmly believing that her team of otherworldly fighters is unbeatable. Her primary motivation is financial gain, as she demands an exorbitant fee of ten million Zeni for a single fortune-telling session. However, she also possesses a genuine passion for martial arts competition and offers an alternative for those who cannot pay: the opportunity to earn her services by defeating her five hired warriors.
Fortuneteller Baba's first full appearance in the narrative occurs when the hero Goku and his friends desperately need to locate the last of the seven Dragon Balls. Unable to afford her price, they accept her challenge. It is during this tournament that her most significant role is revealed. She acts as a broker between the living world and the Other World, having made a special contract with King Yemma, the ruler of the afterlife. This arrangement allows her to grant a deceased individual a temporary revival, bringing them back to the world of the living for a single twenty-four hour period. She uses this ability to bring back Goku's adoptive grandfather, Grandpa Gohan, which provides an emotional climax to the challenge and a critical reunion for the young hero.
Her relationships are deeply tied to her supernatural duties. She maintains a professional working relationship with King Yemma, who can order her to facilitate temporary revivals when the situation is dire. This is demonstrated years later when she brings Goku back to Earth for a day to participate in a martial arts tournament and later when she escorts Vegeta from the afterlife to help fight the genocidal Majin Buu. Beyond her brother Roshi, she also interacts with characters like the Ox-King, whom she sometimes treats with familial-like impatience, though the exact nature of their broader family ties is not strictly defined.
While her physical abilities are minimal compared to the super-powered fighters of the series, her mystical powers are invaluable. Her primary ability is divination, which she performs by chanting a rhythmic phrase over her floating crystal ball. This allows her to see any location on Earth, locate lost objects, or peer into the future. She can also magically materialize objects from her sleeves and, in anime-exclusive scenes, demonstrates abilities like telepathy and hypnosis. Her most crucial power remains the ability to temporarily ferry souls back from the afterlife, a service that proves essential to the survival of the planet on multiple occasions.