Dragon Ball: 7 Strongest Versions of Master Roshi, Ranked

Master Roshi spends most of Dragon Ball pretending he’d rather ogle a magazine than throw a punch, and that’s exactly what makes him so fun to rank. Underneath the sunglasses and the perverted old-man act is a fighter who trained under a legend, invented the Kamehameha, and has outfought people decades younger than him.

Some of his versions became evil under the influence, while some became iconic as the stern and composed mentor. Here’s a look at seven versions of Roshi, from ones that barely scratch the surface of what he can do to the one that finally made everybody respect him again.

TITLE	Dragon Ball
CREATOR	Akira Toriyama
IMDb RATINGS (as of September 13, 2026)	8.5/10
WHERE TO WATCH	Crunchyroll

7 Dragon Ball GT Roshi: A Puppet Wearing Somebody Else’s Power

Poor Master Roshi never asked for this one. Early in Dragon Ball GT, the parasite Baby takes over nearly every human on Earth, and Roshi becomes a mindless enforcer with none of his usual wit or restraint. It isn’t power he built through decades of training; it’s power shoved into him against his will, and it disappears the moment Dende and Mr. Popo use the Sacred Water to cure him. It’s Roshi at his most dangerous on paper, but the least like himself. That’s exactly why it sits dead last here.

6 Jackie Chun: The Disguise That Ended Up Blowing Up the Moon

Before he became anyone’s grandfatherly mentor, Roshi disguised himself as a mysterious stranger named Jackie Chun just to enter the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament and keep his students humble. He fights Goku to a near standstill, then blasts the moon apart with a full-power Kamehameha, so Goku can’t turn into a Great Ape. It’s a flashy moment, sure, but he’s still holding plenty back, hiding behind a wig instead of fighting at his real ceiling. That’s why he only lands a modest spot here.

5 Dragon Ball Z-Era Master Roshi: Cursed, Corrupted, and Dangerous

During the Garlic Jr. Saga, Roshi gets caught in the Black Water Mist and turns into a Demon Clansman, a corrupted, fang-baring version of himself with a real jump in raw power and a devotion to Garlic Jr. It’s a genuinely unsettling stretch, one of the only times Roshi becomes a threat to his own friends instead of an ally. He hits harder here than in his base form, but it’s borrowed strength from dark magic, not something he trained for. That’s why he only edges past the bottom.

4 22nd Budokai Master Roshi: Bulking Up Just to Keep Pace With Tien

At the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, Roshi squares up against Tien Shinhan and realizes his usual approach won’t cut it, so he bulks up into a more muscular, half-serious form just to keep pace. It isn’t the full transformation he saves for real emergencies, just enough extra muscle to trade blows with a rising star. It shows he has another gear outside his signature power-up, and that he’ll use it the moment an opponent pushes him. That in-between strength is why he lands in the middle of the pack.

3 Resurrection F Master Roshi: One Old Man Against 170 Soldiers

By the time Frieza returns to Earth in Resurrection ‘F’, Roshi has clearly kept training in secret, because he holds his own against a full squad of Frieza’s soldiers almost single-handedly. He goes full-power, bulking up into his classic hulking form, but fights with far more control and mobility than the slow, clumsy version he used decades earlier. Taking on that many enemies at his age, without gassing out, says a lot about how far he’s actually come. That upgraded control pushes him into the top half.

2 Dragon Ball Super Master Roshi: Secret Training Nobody Saw Coming

Before the Tournament of Power even starts, Roshi gets cursed by the witch Yurin and ends up fighting Tien and Goku without holding anything back for the first time in years. Goku is stunned by how strong his old teacher has secretly become, and it’s this fight that convinces him to recruit Roshi for Universe 7’s team. That makes it more than a flashy scuffle; it’s proof that years of quiet, unseen training actually paid off. That direct proof of hidden growth is exactly why he ranks this high.

1 Tournament of Power Roshi: Old Age Finally Earns Some Respect

This is the version where everything pays off. Roshi fights with real strategy in the Tournament of Power, picking off tricky opponents like Dercori with the Evil Containment Wave before they can snowball into threats, and he even offers to burn away his own life force for one final Kamehameha rather than let Ganos keep growing stronger. Beerus, a literal God of Destruction, calls him “Master” afterward, and that’s not nothing. Between the tactics, the sacrifice, and the raw power on full display, this is the version that earns the top spot outright.

What are your thoughts on the seven strongest versions of Master Roshi in Dragon Ball? We’d love to know your opinions in the comments below.

All Episodes of Dragon Ball are available to watch on Crunchyroll.