While Goku remains perhaps the most recognizable figure in Dragon Ball, fans couldn’t deny the sheer appeal of Vegeta, Prince of All Saiyans. First appearing in the Dragon Ball sequel, Dragon Ball Z, Vegeta first appeared as a prideful and arrogant Saiyan hell-bent on conquering Earth, retrieving the Dragon Balls, and achieving immortality for himself. However, trials against Frieza and facing future threats alongside Goku has formed somewhat of a rivalry between the two warriors. And now, Vegeta has dedicated himself to beating Goku while at the same time protecting the new planet where he permanently resides.
Updated on July 10, 2022, by Rhenn Taguiam: With Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero proving there’s more to Gohan and Piccolo than meets the eye, it makes sense for big Dragon Ball fans to look back and remember the feats their OG heroes have done throughout their adventures. While Goku already serves as the big hero of the franchise, his rival Vegeta remains as stalwart as ever with his new Ultra Ego transformation and persistence in outpacing Goku. However, fans might be surprised that things such as Vegeta’s pride, dedication to training, and penchant for evil are feats Goku could never hope to replicate.
13
12 Surpass Limits Through Training
It’s true that Goku is never a slouch in training. In fact, he’s probably obsessed about training more than anyone else. However, whereas Goku’s training only augments what seems to be his natural talent for unlocking something innate inside him that goes “beyond” expectations, Vegeta unlocks his new forms and the like through sheer training.
For instance, it’s through training and frustration that Vegeta accessed the Super Saiyan form, and not because of a prophecy. This also helped him “ascend” in the form via the Hyperbolic Time Chamver. Likewise, it’s his cooperation with Bulma that let him acquire the Super Saiyan 4 form.
11 Become Evil
One of the most notable traits of Vegeta as a rival of Goku and a hero in the series is how he didn’t necessarily start as a good person in the first place. Rather, the Prince of Saiyans was spectacularly evil, not hesitating to get brutal and kill if it meant attaining his goal of immortality. It’s only through Goku’s humbling and his time on Earth with his new family with Bulma and Trunks that Vegeta started to tap into his inner good.
However, Vegeta often became victim to ploys and plans that “transformed” and took advantage of his rather evil side. It’s his pride and overconfidence that allowed Cell to fully tap into his final form, the wizard Babidi used his magic to transform Vegeta into Majin Vegeta, while the villain Baby infected Vegeta into becoming his vessel.
Admittedly, Vegeta falls short when it comes to defeating Goku one-on-one. However, there are still things that Vegeta could accomplish that Goku couldn’t seem to get a grip on, proving that he’s more than capable of defeating Goku at least in certain areas. Just where does Vegeta excel that Goku can’t?
10 Royalty, Strategy, Tactics
Due to the proud nature of Saiyans, it’s not surprising for King Vegeta to name his son after the home planet. And given Prince Vegeta’s noble stature, he’s received formal training as a Saiyan elite. Unfortunately for Vegeta, he and Nappa and Raditz became warriors under the employ of Freeza after his destruction of their home planet. Regardless, Vegeta having to survive so close to Freeza meant he had to keep a close eye on his actions to survive.
These principles apply to Vegeta’s approach in combat. He’s as ruthless as he is an expert in battle strategy and tactics, as he often thinks of ways of one-upping his opponents instead of pure direct combat. This is quite unlike Goku who enjoys the thrill of combat and seemingly employs the philosophy of “just hit it harder” when facing a tougher opponent. And while Goku’s method seems to be working more, a more tactical Vegeta is a nice change of pace in Dragon Ball combat.
9 Withstand More Gravity Than Goku
During Goku’s journey to Namek, he uses the Gravity Machine in his ship to conduct daily training. Unfortunately, a mishap with the electronics forces him to train not under 50x but rather 100x Earth’s gravity, forcing him under extremely stressful conditions. However, he eventually masters training in this form and manages to be in tip-top shape, more than enough to battle the elite warriors of the Ginyu Force and even Freeza.
Vegeta, not to be one-upped by Goku and his new Super Saiyan form, tried achieving the same feat. In his eyes, he can also achieve Super Saiyan by pure training alone. As such, he uses the same Gravity Machine but pushes it to its limit, managing to train at a whopping 450x Earth’s normal gravity. While this didn’t help Vegeta become a Super Saiyan at all, it did prove that he withstood more gravity than Goku.
8 Convince Whis To Train Him
Given the increasingly-powerful threats to Universe 7, it made sense for its warriors to be adequately prepared to face them. And in a bid to finally be better than Goku, Vegeta sought the tutelage of Whis, the Guide Angel Attendant to Beerus, God of Destruction of Universe 7. In fact, it’s after hearing that Vegeta is training under Whis that Goku manages to slip his way into training with them as well.
However, what’s hilarious was how Vegeta got Whis to accept his offer. At its core, Vegeta took Whis to various places on Earth to try some of the most delicious food on Earth and relents when he gets satisfied. It’s thanks to Whis’s training that Vegeta got to be on par with stronger combatants, especially those from other universes in the Tournament of Power.
7 Control Over The Great Ape
When Vegeta first arrived on Earth, he couldn’t believe that it was being protected by a fellow Saiyan. And when Goku proved to be much stronger than him, Vegeta saw no choice but to use the Great Ape transformation himself. This proved to be almost catastrophic for Goku, as the Great Ape transformation was one that he wasn’t able to do anymore since his tail was cut by Master Roshi. And yet, Goku managed to outsmart Vegeta and defeat him in this form.
This was quite an interesting ability for Vegeta, especially in his first fight with Goku. To be able to recognize the need for the Great Ape and use it consciously proves that Vegeta has remarkable self-control, considering that both Goku and Gohan went haywire during their Great Ape transformations.
6 Final Flash
While Goku has signature moves like the Kamehameha, Vegeta has multiple attacks up his sleeve as well. One of the most commonly-used attacks in his arsenal is the Final Flash. Vegeta does this by spreading his arms and gathering ki before putting both hands in front of him to unleash a barrage of energy bolts. Its most extreme, superpowered state allows the Final Flash to be seen in outer space as well.
Theoretically, Goku may have been able to use the Final Flash if he wanted to train in its usage. However, it seems Final Flash fits Vegeta’s style much better, considering its wide area of effect and flashy appearance.
5 Galick Gun
Whereas Goku has the Kamehameha, Vegeta has his Galick Gun. Although not as powerful as the Big Bang Attack, Galick Gun remains one of Vegeta’s go-to attacks should he need something much more focused and devastating than the Final Flash. To use this, Vegeta puts one palm over the other facing outward and over his chest. Once he gathers enough ki, Vegeta thrusts his hands outward to release a huge beam of energy.
According to the anime, the Galick Gun is equal in terms of power with a Kamehameha enhanced with x3 Kaio-Ken, making the Galick Gun at base more powerful than Goku’s base Kamehameha.
4 Big Bang Attack
Perhaps considered as Vegeta’s signature technique, the Big Bang Attack is one of the most devastating attacks to exist in the series. To use this, Vegeta simply extends an arm and opens his palm, condensing ki and then unleashing it in an instantaneously huge explosion. He uses this attack first using Android 19, which completely annihilates it.
Similar to his other attacks, Vegeta manages to create many variations of the Big Bang Attack depending on his state and needs. The vicious and instantaneous nature of the Big Bang Attack suits Vegeta’s personality, which tends to become sporadic.
3 Super Saiyan Blue Evolved
It’s quite frustrating for Vegeta to see that Goku always tries the flashy forms first, which may make the sight of Goku perfecting the Super Saiyan Blue infuriating for him. And while Goku does manage to use the Perfected Super Saiyan Blue, Vegeta decides to spice things up by completely “evolving” the form.
Called Super Saiyan Blue Evolved, Vegeta achieves this transformation by removing the restraints posed by the Super Saiyan Blue transformation. As a result, the form gives Vegeta a total power boost that seemingly complements his rage. This form proved more than enough to damage the then-invincible Jiren, who was by then starting to reveal portions of his power.
2 Ultra Ego
Fans of the series were quite stunned to see Goku achieve Autonomous Ultra Instinct, especially since this form essentially allowed his body to move freely and without restraints. As such, he’s able to dodge and react to attacks instantaneously, without a need to think - truly the ultimate warrior. Goku spent a good fraction of Dragon Ball Super dominating enemies in this regard until Vegeta achieved a similar form.
By tapping into the Power of Destruction, Vegeta manages to call forth the Ultra Ego. This transformation is the opposite of the Ultra Instinct as it gives the user total control over their body. Others say this form gives Vegeta power akin to that of a God of Destruction, making him one of the most powerful beings in the universe. In fact, this mode is extremely powerful as Vegeta can destroy attacks by simply touching them. However, this transformation does feed into the user’s lust for destruction and mayhem.
1 Be A Better Father
It’s become a running gag throughout the franchise that Goku may not be as good of a father as people claim him to be, and Vegeta manages to prove just that. While he’s ever-so-ready to train to ensure he matches Goku’s strength, Vegeta lets his responsibilities as a father go first should they come up. This is quite unlike Goku, who continuously lets training get in the way of family duties.
For instance, even Majin Vegeta knocked out a young Trunks to spare the child from seeing his father in his worst state.
In Super, Vegeta refused to leave Bulma until after she gave birth to Bulla and was even willing to stay in a ruined timeline to ensure Future Trunks can survive. Most importantly, while Vegeta frequently trains Trunks, he does spend time with him and Bulla whenever possible - taking his daughter shopping and even fulfilling his promise to take Trunks and Bulma to the mall.
Dragon Ball: The Breakers will be released in 2022 for the PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Steam, and the Nintendo Switch.