Character Profile: Master Roshi

A perennial presence in the world of Dragon Ball, certified Turtle Hermit Master Roshi normally lives in a cozy cottage on an isolated island in the middle of the ocean. Goku and Bulma first meet Master Roshi in their quest for the Dragon Balls. He first helps Goku in his quest by introducing him to Nimbus, the magical flying cloud that will become one of his best friends. Only those with pure hearts can stand atop the Nimbus, and Nimbus seems to enjoy the lighthearted innocence of Goku. He also helps later on by extinguishing the burning Fire Mountain, allowing Bulma to recover another Dragon Ball.

After the initial search for the Dragon Balls, Goku returns to the island to begin training under him, not realizing that someone else was looking for the same thing. After a little competition, Master Roshi decides to train both Goku and Krillin together. Though his regimen seems unorthodox, there is method behind everything he does, and just a month of training improves the both of them dramatically...to the point that he had to enter the martial arts tournament [butoden] himself (with a wig on and under the pseudonym Jacky Chon) to keep them from winning.

Despite his seeming frailty and desire to hit on and sneak risque peeks at pretty ladies, Master Roshi is a highly-accomplished martial arts master who can easily call forth his skill and techniques when necessary. He is also the inventor of the Kamehameha wave which Goku would later copy and adopt (with surprising ease).