Post
by Demon Prince Piccolo » Mon Nov 22, 2021 12:58 pm
Either way you slice it, there are countless fictional characters people enjoy because they feel they're entertaining to watch onscreen, even if (or because) their actions are reprehensible. There's a reason so many people love villainous characters. However (and I'm not getting too deep into this, as I know there was recently a thread that got way out-of-control concerning Roshi) the way Roshi's pervertedness was depicted in Dragon Ball, especially with it being a children's manga/anime, does reflect a generally lax cultural attitude in Japan on things like sexual assault, which is an issue society in general doesn't take seriously enough. You don't have to hate Roshi to see that. Sure, the response to it by the characters doesn't condone it, but after he's reprimanded, it's usually forgotten and/or laughed at and treated as harmless. Whereas Lunch firing bullets into a crowd to get better seats at the Tenkaichi Budokai...obviously everyone knows that wouldn't fly in real life.
Depending on the degree of the joke, I occasionally find it funny, but usually only when Roshi gets whacked upside the head (which I guess is pretty often, but I find that itself more funny than the pervyness). If the pervertnedness was all there was to Roshi's character, it would be easy to write him off. But there is so, SO much more to him that is the beating heart of the series. He's the one who instills in Goku and Krillin the desire to be better people, and to continually better themselves as martial artists. He instills in them the mentality that there are always bigger fish, no matter how tough you are. His dynamic with Tenshinhan in the Tenshinhan and King Piccolo arcs is my favorite mentor/pupil relationship that Toriyama has ever written. His sacrifice using the Mafuba against King Piccolo.... At his best, he is one of Dragon Ball's greatest characters. The dialed-up pervy jokes are an unfortunate product of the time, but they overall don't diminish the character's enormous impact on the series.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.
I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.