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The themes of loyalty and friendship run deeply through Dragon Ball. It puts a strong emphasis on the bonds between fathers and sons, camaraderie, and the passing of the torch from the older generation to the next.
This particular relationship has a lot to do with the aforementioned themes and can certainly be seen as another father/son bond from both manga and anime canon. However, there are elements to the relationship between Tenshinhan and Chaozu that set it apart from all the rest in Dragon  Ball - the Goku and Gohan’s; the Gohan and Piccolo’s; and the Vegeta and Trunks’s.
The elements of which I speak are the actual dynamics between Tenshinhan and Chaozu - that of two best friends, of mentor and student, of brothers, of father and child. And it’s this combination of different yet interconnected types of relationships that draws me to them both.
「餃子との友情が一番の宝」
The statement above is from the second Daizenshuu, The Story Guide. It reads, “His friendship with Chaozu is his number one treasure.” And there is no better way to summarize their relationship.
To Tenshinhan, Chaozu truly is number one. This guy who we all know lives to train, willingly chooses to remain dead for the sake of always being there for Chaozu. It’s much more than reassurance for the boy; it’s a long-standing promise. It’s devotion and pure unconditional love that isn’t really seen anywhere else in Dragon Ball.
Theirs is one of the closest friendships in all of Dragon Ball but probably the most obscure in terms of how the bond formed. We do know that Tenshinhan and Chaozu trained together under Tsuru-sennin; however, we don’t know exactly how they became best friends. I like to believe that Tsuru-sennin, who couldn’t be bothered looking after Chaozu, instructed Tenshinhan to look after him and basically teach him the ropes... of becoming an evil guy. After that, it probably wasn’t difficult for the two to bond. Chaozu won over Tenshinhan’s heart (I imagine it being quite like Piccolo and Gohan’s situation during the Saiya-jin Arc.)
 Last words/my thoughts
Clearly I hate their relationship... ‘cuz it’s too friggin’ cute.
I find it amazing and touching how much Tenshinhan and Chaozu love one another. It’s a bit like Tenshinhan’s saving grace (er, in a nice way), the thing that makes him human. I remember reading on the Ultimate DBZ Info Site, one of the interviews Mr. Greg Werner translated from a Daizenshuu. It was the interview with the main seiyuu, and Hirotaka Suzuoki responded to one of the questions that his character’s relationship with Chaozu is something to which people can relate. I think it prevents Tenshinhan from being characterized as a fighting-drone; rather, it gives him another layer, a sensitive, paternal side. ...A side that makes me squee over the cute and officially and affectionately call him an oya baka (“stupid parent” or “doting parent”.) *^_^*
That said, I do thoroughly enjoy the fact that Chaozu pretty much has Tenshinhan wrapped around his finger, and yet that Tenshinhan is the one and only person whom Chaozu obeys (even over Tsuru-sennin, which causes me to theorize many a thing). The trust between them is undeniably strong. And I’ll cease my rambling for now, because I could go on and on..
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