Roshi is pretty much just not around a lot in the Z period in the manga and in the OG Dragonball it would usually be funny because he would either immediately recieve his comeuppance from it (for example, he uses the microband to spy on Bulma in the toilet and then falls in) or his attentions were the comeuppance for someone else, generally Bulma being an asshole in the first arc.
x4 Unless Roshi really was going to rape her, even if she had some reason to think he did that's still technically a misconception. This is being pedantic anyway; long and short of it is, what the fuck Toei.
Edited by Sigilbreaker26 on Sep 16th 2018 at 2:11:31 PM
"And when the last law was down and the Devil turned round on you, where would you hide, the laws all being flat?"It's been a while since I read the very first arc, but Bulma basically offers to show her chest to Roshi for some favour (I think it was a Dragonball), but reneges on the deal and forces Oolong to transform into her and show them to Roshi. Oolong then screws her over by basically letting Roshi motorboat... him.
Also, a reminder that this is the same Bulma who tried to use sexual manipulation on Kid Goku, who was not only 12 at the time but also didn't know what girls were.
"And when the last law was down and the Devil turned round on you, where would you hide, the laws all being flat?"All I know is that Handsome Rob is ready to answer the call.
Admit it. Y'all know you want it.
One Strip! One Strip!No wait, I reread the part in question, and yeah Roshi's being much more of a dick. He wants to touch her chest in return for putting out the fire, which is of the house of his own student, and Bulma goes through with the deal (which she later, more understandably reneges on) because there's a dragonball inside which she wants.
But then she forces Oolong to do it instead, and that's where... yeah. So I guess they all get what they deserve. Roshi gets to motorboat a Pigman's fake boobs for being an asshole, and Bulma gets humiliated for enslaving Oolong.
Gosh, Dragonball actually got less wierd as it went on.
Edited by Sigilbreaker26 on Sep 16th 2018 at 2:16:57 PM
"And when the last law was down and the Devil turned round on you, where would you hide, the laws all being flat?"Then again, they find it just as hilarious when the pervert in question gets the shit beaten out of them... even if they didn't mean it. (Check that; especially if they didn't mean it.)
Roshi himself has been on the receiving end of Pervert Revenge Mode a few times. Case in point...
Edited by TyeDyeWildebeest on Sep 16th 2018 at 10:15:18 AM
No beer?! But if there's no beer, then there's no beef or beans!To Dragonball's (Very slight, nearly non-existent) defense. Early Dragonball, besides being an obvious parody of Journey to the west, takes a lot of cues from 70s Kung Fu films. Especially a lot of the sort coming out of Hong Kong. And in such films, the "Wise Martial Arts Master who has some sort of crippling personality flaw" is a super common trope. Usually it's Alcoholism (Queue Overlap with Drunken Master). With Japan's love of "Perverts are Funny"note , Toriyama's decision to make Roshi a pervert makes sense.
If you're inspiring yourself from Kung Fu films, and targetting a Japanese Audience's sensibilities (Especially when it comes to humor) it's kinda genius? Clearly he's not the only one who liked it - see Ranma's Happosai.
Edited by Ghilz on Sep 16th 2018 at 10:26:33 AM

Roshi is one in a long line of anime Pervy Old Men who express their perviness via sexual harassment and/or assault. Japan really f*cking loves the archetype of horny old men who don't care about consent. They find it hilarious.
As with many things, the anime is worse than the manga. Though in this case, it's not because they added anything to Roshi's character, necessarily. It's more because the wealth of filler allows us to spend time with Roshi in contexts other than being a martial arts instructor or saving the world - the only contexts in which he is not a terrible person to be around.
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