Turtle School Uniform

The Turtle School uniform is the signature red/orange Gi of the Turtle School, created by Master Roshi. The most prominent users of this uniform are Goku, Krillin and Yamcha, as well as occasionally Gohan and Goten (due to it being their father's signature outfit).

Overview

TurtleOutfit — Krillin and Goku wearing Turtle School outfits for the first time

The standard uniform consists of a red or orange tank top with matching baggy pants, blue wristbands, blue training shoes and a black or blue obi tied in a knot over the waist. On the back of the tank top, there is a large Turtle School kanji, and on the front-left side is a smaller version of the kanji. Later additions to the uniform include a black or dark blue short-sleeved undershirt and dark blue boots (with a yellow or red border) in place of the training shoes.

Variations

Turtle School Uniform (Kami) - The uniform worn by Goku's Doll during Goku's training under Kami, under the tutelage of Mr. Popo. This uniform differs in that it is a lighter shade of orange with red wristbands and features the Kanji of the Guardian of Earth, 神 (Kami, which means "God"), on the front and back; presumably added by Mr. Popo to represent its role as Goku's sparring partner during that part of his training with Kami. Interestingly enough, Goku himself never wears this symbol on his uniform even after training under Kami.
Turtle School Uniform (Weighted) - A weighted version of the uniform given to Goku by Kami as part of his training. Said weights are within the black/blue undershirt and boots (introduced in this variation of the uniform), as well as the wristbands. Goku often removed the weighted portions when fighting seriously, such as in his battles with Tien Shinhan and Piccolo at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament or his battle against Raditz. Retains the Turtle School's Kanji on the front and back. Was later worn by Krillin and Yamcha following their training with Kami (though not as often as Goku wore it).
Turtle School Uniform (Demon) - The uniform worn by Gohan during his training with Piccolo in the Break Wasteland that was given to him by Piccolo (along with a sword for defense in the wilderness) following his first Great Ape transformation. It features the same undershirt and boots as Goku's uniform, and the Kanji of King Piccolo's Demon Clan, 魔 (Demon), on the front and back; which was added by Piccolo to represent that Gohan was his student. Created by Piccolo via Magic Materialization.
Turtle School Uniform (Kaio) - The uniform Goku received from King Kai following his training during the Saiyan conflict. Features the Turtle School's Kanji on the front and King Kai's Kanji, 界王 (Kaio, meaning "world king"), on the back. It is more durable, yet also lighter due to the removal of the weights inside the undershirt, boots and wristbands. Created by King Kai via Magic Materialization. Yamcha would later also sport King Kai's symbol on his uniform, but on the front instead of the back.
Turtle School Uniform (Go) - The uniform worn by Goku during the Battle on Planet Namek that features his own Kanji, 悟 (Go, meaning "wisdom" or "enlightenment"), on both the front and back; representing Goku's rise above the training of all his martial arts teachers by that time. According to King Kai, it is made of the same lighter, yet more durable material as the previous uniform he made for Goku. Gohan later wears one in Dragon Ball GT, only with the boots and sash-style obi of Goku's uniform from the later half of Dragon Ball Z. Goku himself wears this variation of the uniform in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and throughout most of the Dragon Ball Super anime (though in the Super manga, he only wears it during the first arc and bonus chapter). King Kai humorously refers to the uniform as Goku's Butt-kicking Clothes in the Funimation dub of the Battle of Gods movie. In the upcoming Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Goku goes back to wearing a knot-style obi with this uniform.
Turtle School Uniform (No Symbol) - The more-plain uniform worn by Goku during both the Android conflict and the Majin Buu conflict (as well as in the Dragon Ball Super manga beginning with the "Future" Trunks Saga). It does not feature a Kanji on either the front or back, and sports a sash-style obi around the waist (though retains the same undershirt). Furthermore, the boots have a red border with tan laces, instead of a yellow border with red laces as Goku's previous boots had. Gohan wore this type of uniform as a teen in Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound, and as an adult after Old Kai had unlocked his potential. Adult Gohan's version was created by Kibito via Magic Materialization.
Turtle School Uniform (Han) - The uniform worn by the alternate Future Gohan from the apocalyptic world in Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks. It features Future Gohan's own Kanji, 飯 (Han, meaning "cooked rice"), mounted only on the back. Unlike Goku's, Future Gohan's blue undershirt has slightly longer sleeves, while his boots have a yellow border without the line running in the middle of them, from top to bottom. Future Gohan mentions being inspired to wear his deceased father's old colors, as he hopes of being as strong as he was.
Goten's Gi - Goku's second son Goten, as a child, wore a similar outfit to his father's Turtle School uniform. The gi is colored a more pale orange than the Turtle School version, comparable to the color seen while the wearer is a Super Saiyan. The most notable difference however is Goten's long-sleeved blue undershirt and black shoes with blue shin guards instead of boots (though in Dragon Ball Super, Goten wears a sleeveless blue undershirt with blue wristbands). It also does not sport any Kanji. He later wears a similar uniform as a teen at the 28th World Tournament that lacks any undershirt or shin guards. It was named in Dragon Ball Fusions where it appears as an obtainable outfit for Tekka which can be purchased from the Clothing Shop in Satan City. It is separated into a top and bottom halves which can be worn together or separately and its colors can be changed.
Pan's Gi - Goku's granddaughter Pan wore a uniform similar to the one her uncle Goten wore during the 28th World Tournament albeit in a slightly smaller size. Though she later outgrew it by the time of GT, it remained one of her most prized possessions as it was given to her by her Grandpa Goku.

Video Game Appearances

In Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, the Turtle School uniform is an item that increases defense for one minute.

Dragon-Ball-Xenoverse-0821-06 — Female Saiyan Future Warrior wearing the Ultimate Turtle Hermit Costume

In Dragon Ball: Xenoverse, the Future Warrior can wear various Turtle School uniforms worn by Goku and Yamcha. The are referred to as Turtle Hermit Gi. There is also a color customizable outfit called the Ultimate Turtle Hermit Costume which can be worn by the Future Warrior if they are a Saiyan or Earthling.^[3]

In Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, the Turtle Hermit Gi returns as clothing options for the Future Warrior as does the Ultimate Turtle Hermit Costume from Xenoverse. Additionally, there is also a battle damaged version of Goku's Turtle Hermit Gi from the fight with Raditz called Goku's Damaged Turtle Hermit Gi which is ripped and torn, as well as lacks hand or feet options (which in reference to Goku's removal of his wrist bands and boots during that fight). Furthermore, after the 1.09.00 Update, the color of Future Gohan's version can be customized through Partner Customization, as can Goku's, Krillin's, and Yamcha's Turtle Hermit Gi.^[4]

List of Turtle Hermit Gi

Goku's Turtle Hermit Gi: The Turtle Hermit Gi worn by Goku at the beginning of Dragon Ball Z which features the Kame symbol on back and front. Its description reads, "Basic Turtle Hermit Uniform with undershirt."^[3]^[4]
- Goku's Damaged Turtle Hermit Gi: The Turtle Hermit Gi damaged during Goku's fight with Raditz which lacks wrist bands and boots as Goku had removed them to fight unhindered. Appears only in Xenoverse 2 and the top features the addition of bra-like undergarment to cover the chest when worn by females (as the top portion normally exposes the chest when worn by Goku or male characters). Apparently some Time Patrollers find its distressed look fashionable as the Future Warrior in Xenoverse 2 explains to Goku its meant to look like that for fashion purposes.^[6] Its description reads, "Goku's Turtle Hermit Gi, which was damaged in the battle with Raditz."^[4]
Yamcha's Turtle Hermit Gi: The Turtle Hermit Gi worn by Yamcha which lacks an inner shirt. Due to the lack of an inner shirt, a bra-like undergarment covers the chest when worn by female characters. Its description reads, "The basic Turtle Hermit Gi. No Inner shirt and wide, loose neck."^[3]^[4] After the 1.09.00 Update in Xenoverse 2, the color of Yamcha's Turtle Hermit Gi can be customized for Yamcha's custom skillset through Partner Customization.
Goku's Turtle Hermit Gi (King Kai): The Turtle Hermit Gi worn by Goku after his training under King Kai which features the Turtle symbol on the front and King Kai's symbol on the back. Its description reads, "A Gi King Kai made, based on the Turtle Hermit Gi. The back "Turtle" symbol is now "King Kai"."^[3]^[4]
Goku's Turtle Hermit Gi (Go): The Turtle Hermit Gi worn by Goku during the Battle on Planet Namek and as well as his fight with Beerus which features the Go symbol on both the front and the back. In Xenoverse 2 after the 1.09.00 Update, it appears as Goku's default outfit in his custom skillset though its color can be can be customized though Partner Customization. Its description reads, "A Gi based on the Turtle Hermit Gi. Symbols on both sides are now the "Go" in "Goku"."^[3]^[4]
Goku's Turtle Hermit Gi (No Character): The Turtle Hermit Gi worn by Goku from the Androids to the Kid Buu saga which featured no symbols at all. Its description reads, "Goku's regular Gi. It's based on the Turtle Hermit Gi, with a different obi shape & details."^[3]^[4]
Ultimate Turtle Hermit Costume: A high quality Turtle School Uniform with a completely new design available to Saiyan and Earthling members of the Time Patrol. The outfit itself is completely color customizable and features a single Turtle mark on the front. Its description reads, "A luxurious Gi worn by high-ranking martial artists."^[3]^[4]
Gi (Turtle): A color customizable Gi featuring the Kame symbol on the front and back though it lacks an under shirt completely and features a loose obi similar to the Whis Symbol Gi and Kid Goku's original Turtle Hermit Gi. Though it is not called a Turtle Hermit Gi its design is partially based on it and it functions like a color customizable Turtle Hermit Gi for members of the Time Patrol in Xenoverse 2. Its description reads, "A Gi bearing the Turtle mark."^[4]
Golden Turtle Hermit Gi: A gilded Turtle Hermit Gi with a golden sheen. It is basically a metallic golden version of Goku's Turtle Hermit Gi (No Character) as it has no symbols in addition to being completely metallic gold much like the Gold Battle Suit. Unlike the Gold Battle Suit, this Turtle Hermit Gi is exclusive to Xenoverse 2 where it appears as a completion reward in Raid Quest: "Zero Mortal Plan" which requires 30000 Damage Point score to receive the whole set (15000 damage gets only the upper and lower body portions). Its description reads "A Turtle Hermit Gi that shines a beautiful gold."^[4]

Trivia

The exact color of Goku, Krillin and Yamcha's Turtle School uniforms varies between the manga and anime. In color chapters of the manga, their uniforms feature a yellow-orange & blue color scheme in full-color illustrations and a red & black color scheme in the more common limited-color illustrations; which use a predominantly red palette to save costs on ink during mass-production. In the anime, their uniforms are colored red & black in Dragon Ball, and red-orange & blue in Dragon Ball Z (as well as golden-orange & blue whenever Goku transforms into a Super Saiyan). Also, the circles surrounding the symbols on their tank tops are colored yellow in the Dragon Ball anime, and white in DBZ. In the Dragon Ball Super anime, Krillin's uniform is colored faded-orange compared to Goku and Gohan's uniforms, which is also the case for Yamcha's uniform in Dragon Ball FighterZ (though no reason is given for the open difference in color).

PPnCX — Toriyama's tribute to *Naruto* and Kishimoto's tribute to *Dragon Ball*

Naruto has Goku's Turtle School uniform as a bonus costume in the 2013 video game Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, similar to how Goku has a Naruto Sage Mode costume in the later game Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, with both costumes being based on an artwork featured in the Naruto 10th Anniversary Special Fanbook 2.
As part of the promotion for the release of Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods in Japan, starting on February 15, 2013, seven KFC locations around Japan had a statue of Colonel Sanders wearing the Turtle School uniform, with each of them holding a different Dragon Ball: Abeno Q's Mall in Osaka, Sapporo Esta in Hokkaido, THE MALL Sendai Nagamachi in Miyagi Prefecture, Ebisu Station in Tokyo, Sakae (Nagoya) in Aichi Prefecture, Canal City Hakata (Fukuoka) in Fukuoka Prefecture, and San-A Main Place in Okinawa.
In Xenoverse 2, the design of the Trendy Bikini and Swimsuit special costumes for Android 18 and Videl is partially based on the Turtle Hermit Gi as they feature a Kame symbol on the left breast of the bikini top. In fact one could describe them as Turtle Hermit Gi in bikini form. Given their appearance and the fact they have a Kame symbol implies the possibility that Master Roshi (and potentially the equally perverted Elder Kai) may have had some hand in their design which would fit his (and Elder Kai's) perverted personality. It should be noted that Goku mentions having heard about the Future Warrior from Master Roshi in addition to Chronoa indicating that Roshi has some connection with the Time Patrol (which implies the Kame House used by the Time Patrol is the original and not a replica).
- Interestingly, both Android 18 and Videl are in relationships with men associated the Turtle School, as Krillin is a student of the Turtle School before becoming master and founder of the New Turtle School, while Gohan is the son and maternal grandson of two students of the Turtle School, Goku and Ox-King (the latter of whom trained Chi-Chi thus she would technically be associated to the Turtle School through her father).