Turtle

Template:Character

"Master! What are you doing? Have you forgotten your code master? Please, That's wrong, dead wrong... now I understand why you couldn't ride your cloud."
— "The Nimbus Cloud of Roshi"

Turtle (ウミガメ, Umigame, lit. "Sea Turtle") is Master Roshi's friend and long-time companion. The good-natured, lovable turtle lives in Kame House with the elderly hermit.

Personality

His personality is strict and virtuous, exactly the opposite of Master Roshi's, and so he often acts as Roshi's chaperon.^[1] As well as being kind-hearted, he also has a sense of gratitude as he brought Master Roshi to Goku and Bulma with intention in rewarding them (specifically and mainly Goku) as a thank you for returning him to the sea.

Biography

Background

He used to be just an ordinary loggerhead turtle, but became able to speak after living over many centuries with Master Roshi.

Dragon Ball

Emperor Pilaf Saga

Main article: Emperor Pilaf Saga

GokuAndTurtleDB — Turtle mistaken for a rock

After a year of being lost while picking mushrooms, Turtle ended up in Skull Valley one morning where he met Goku and was almost mistaken for a rock. After Bulma gave him some sea water, Goku decided to take Turtle 100 miles on his back to return him to the sea. On the way he was going to be eaten by a Bear Thief, but Goku defeated him very easily and continued on their way. When he got brought back, he went back to Kame House to get his owner, Master Roshi who rewarded Goku with the Flying Nimbus and Bulma with the three star Dragon Ball. Turtle saw Goku again when he came with Chi-Chi to retrieve the Bansho Fan from Roshi, but Turtle reminded Roshi that he accidentally threw it out and Roshi had to go and put the flames out himself. While Roshi trained Goku and Krillin, Turtle went on vacation.

Red Ribbon Army Saga

Main articles: General Blue Saga and Commander Red Saga When Turtle returned from his vacation, Goku and Bulma were at Kame House awaiting a submarine that Krillin and Launch were currently using. Turtle was reunited with his lost son when Goku was catching fish during his wait.

Shortly after Goku, Bulma and Krillin left, Captain Dark and his men arrived to try to take over the island. Turtle helps defeat them by making Launch sneeze and turn into her bad form, allowing her to defeat a muscular soldier who was going to shoot her. When Goku, Bulma and Krillin return, Launch's bad form steals the diamond they brought from the Pirate Cave and leaves the island. Soon, General Blue manages to make it on the island and ties everybody up, including Turtle, with magic ropes. Launch's good form comes back and saves the day when she releases Goku and he gets rid of the bomb. Turtle later joins everybody else when they attempt to help Goku fight off the Red Ribbon Army. When the gang gets to the Red Ribbon Army Headquarters, the army was already defeated by Goku.

Later, Turtle attends the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament with Launch, Puar, Oolong and Bulma.

Piccolo Jr. Saga

Main article: Piccolo Jr. Saga

Db150-03 — Turtle reads Roshi's fantasy book

When Goku and Chi-Chi visit Kame House to find info about the Bansho Fan, Turtle reads them how to make it in an old fantasy book written by Master Roshi. When reading, Turtle is seen wearing glasses.

Dragon Ball Z

Saiyan Saga

Main articles: Raditz Saga and Vegeta Saga

Goku,Roshi,KrillinAndGohanOnATurtle — Gohan riding Turtle

Turtle is seen at Kame House with Bulma, Krillin and Master Roshi when Goku arrives with Gohan. Little Gohan is seen riding on him happily, and witnesses Raditz inform Goku of his past and who he really is, and kidnaps Gohan, but is later defeated by Piccolo and Goku teaming up. A year later, he is seen with everybody else watching the fight against the Saiyans on television.

Garlic Jr. Saga

Main article: Garlic Jr. Saga

2867 — Turtle celebrates his 1,000th birthday

In the episode "Krillin's Proposal", Turtle celebrates his 1,000th birthday at Kame House with Roshi, Krillin, Maron, Gohan, Chi-Chi, Ox-King, Bulma, Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong.

Cell Saga

Main article: Androids Saga

TurtleFighter — Turtle takes a fighting stance against a pair attempting to take advantage of Maron

Turtle defends Maron from two males who arrived at Roshi's Island and tried to take advantage of her. Turtle beats both of them up using martial arts. Maron tries to thank him by kissing him but Turtle hides his head in his shell because he doesn't want to be distrusting to Krillin. However, this upsets Maron and she leaves the island, much to Turtle's shock.

Majin Buu Saga

Main articles: World Tournament Saga and Peaceful World Saga Turtle is seen at Kame House with Master Roshi when Gohan tells Krillin about the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament. It is likely that Turtle was killed when Kid Buu blew up the Earth, but was revived when Dende wished for everyone on Earth to be revived by Porunga. Near the end of the Buu Saga, Turtle appears at Bulma's party.

Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!

Turtle(Jmp) — Turtle in *Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!*

Main article: Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!! Two years after Kid Buu's defeat, Turtle is attending Mr. Satan's banquet at his newly made hotel for defeating Buu along Master Roshi and co. On the way to the banquet, Goku gets Turtle's name wrong, saying "Urigome" rather than "Umigame". At the banquet, the celebration is then crashed by a brother duo, Abo and Cado, whom are after Vegeta's brother, Tarble. The brothers are challenged by Goten and Trunks but they fail in defeating them. The brothers, merged as Aka, unleash a technique that destroyed the hotel. Aka is then defeated by Goku with a Kamehameha. After this encounter, they continue their feast.

Dragon Ball Super

God of Destruction Beerus Saga

Main article: God of Destruction Beerus Saga Turtle goes to Bulma's birthday which is on a huge cruise liner.

"Future" Trunks Saga

Main article: "Future" Trunks Saga When Master Roshi teaches Goku the Evil Containment Wave, the Saiyan practices the technique on Turtle, and uses it successfully after several tries.

Dragon Ball GT

Shadow Dragon Saga

Main article: Shadow Dragon Saga Turtle is one of the few characters that Goku bids farewell to after departing with Shenron.

Power

Turtle is just a giant turtle. He possesses no martial art skills, ki abilities or anything unnatural traits.

Turtle's power level is 0.001 early in Dragon Ball Z, as revealed when Bulma tests Raditz's scouter in the Vegeta Saga. This is most likely a joke, as in a later filler episode, Turtle easily fends off a pair of young men to protect Maron using Toshio's Turtle Style.

Appearances in other media

Live-action Movie

Koreanturtle — Turtle's Live-action appearance

Turtle appears in the 1990 Korean adaption, Dragon Ball: Ssawora Son Goku, Igyeora Son Goku. He is not played by an actor but instead a puppet with a voice actor.

Video games

Voice actors

Japanese: Daisuke Gōri (most media), Takahiro Fujimoto (Dragon Ball Kai, Super)
Harmony Gold dub: Dan Woren
Ocean dub: Doug Parker (DB), Scott McNeil (DBZ)
FUNimation dub: Christopher R. Sabat (most media), Chris Cason (Dragon Ball Z Kai)
Blue Water dub: Dave Pettitt
AB Group dub: Doug Rand
Latin American Spanish dub: Herman López
French dub: Georges Lycan
Brazilian Portuguese dub: Mario Jorge Montini, César Leitão (episode 139)
Catalan dub: Josep Maria Portillo
Tagalog Dub: Noel Magat

Trivia

Goku rescuing Turtle and returning him to the sea is clearly a reference to Urashima Tarō's story (Bulma even makes an in-joke about it).
In the Japanese dub he is called Umigame. An ongoing joke in early Dragon Ball sagas (and in Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!) is for Goku to call him Urigome (lit. "blockhead") by mistake.
At roughly 1000 years of age, Turtle is actually older than Master Roshi himself.
- In the episode "Krillin's Proposal" in Dragon Ball Z, Turtle celebrates his 1000th birthday. In the final episode of Dragon Ball GT, Turtle makes a comment that some members of his species can live to be 1000 years old and Krillin remarks "You're not even close to that old."
In the 10th anniversary special, Dragon Ball: The Path to Power, Turtle believes he is a tortoise instead of a sea turtle. He is mistaken since only turtles have flippers, a fact in the special which is pointed out by Bulma.