Anyone who hears the name Goku will instantly associate him with Dragon Ball. The famed martial artist bested even the likes of gods, to protect planet Earth with his friends. And just like any hero who needs a rival, Goku has his perpetual rival in the form of Vegeta, Prince of All Saiyans. Although only appearing beginning in Dragon Ball Z, the sequel to the original Dragon Ball, Vegeta became one of the most iconic characters in the world of anime.
Compared to Goku, Vegeta is a fierce and proud fighter. However, as much as fans love the constant angst and pride on Vegeta’s part, there are some things his sheer persistence couldn’t do that Goku could easily accomplish. Just what sets Goku apart from his rival?
10 Consistent Instant Transmission
When Goku used the remainder of his strength as a Super Saiyan to fight a full-power Freeza, everyone initially thought he had died. As such, it was a surprise when he came back safe and sound just in time for Future Trunks’ arrival, and with a new technique at that. Somehow, Goku learned the ability to instantaneously teleport. Called Instant Transmission, Goku said he learned this in Planet Yardrat courtesy of its citizens, who saved him.
What’s impressive is that Goku can seemingly use Instant Transmission not just on himself, but others. Its range limits are also on the extreme. As long as Goku can focus on the target's ki, he can Instant Transmission them to a nearby city or even as far as the Other World. Interestingly, Vegeta does use Instant Transmission once in the Dragon Ball Super manga, but he said he probably wouldn’t be able to do it again.
9 Resistance To Manipulation Sorcery
In one of the most iconic moments in Dragon Ball Z, the wizard Babidi seemingly put Vegeta under his control. However, this wasn’t just a natural ability, but rather a spell courtesy of the Manipulation Sorcery. When cast to, it unleashes the Majin’s Awakening and taps into the innate darkness and evil in the victim’s heart.
While it’s possible to resist Manipulation Sorcery by clearing one’s thoughts, it’s interesting to note that Manipulation Sorcery only works on beings with evil in their hearts. In fact, due to his pure heart, Goku has a degree of resistance — perhaps even immunity — to Manipulation Sorcery. What's more, his resistance would be increased, as Flying Nimbus users are also resistant to this magic.
8 Kaio-Ken
Prior to the Super Saiyan, the Kaio-Ken was Goku's signature technique throughout his initial adventures. Although first invented by King Kai, Goku has been the only one to ever use it properly and survive in the process. Kaio-Ken multiplies the existing ki in the user’s body for a “heartbeat,” boosting their power and speed at the expense of taking more damage for its duration. Unfortunately, Goku almost always becomes exhausted after extended uses of the Kaio-Ken, which can prove fatal.
Vegeta doesn’t have an equivalent of the Kaio-Ken, and has suffered the consequences of fighting Goku in this form. It’s the Kaio-Ken that Goku used to push Vegeta to his limits.
7 Super Saiyan 3
In the Dragon Ball Z anime, Goku’s Super Saiyan 3 form becomes his trump card against the might of Majin Buu. Unfortunately, this extreme form of the Super Saiyan utilizes every drop of blood from its user, unleashing a ton of power while using huge amounts of energy. This form is prominently used by Gotenks and even Goku in Dragon Ball GT.
It’s possible for all Saiyans to tap into Super Saiyan 3. However, Vegeta never has tried doing so in the anime and films, despite his access to higher forms. Vegeta does have a Super Saiyan 3 form in the games, but they’re considered non-canon.
6 Natural Super Saiyan 4
When Goku started searching for the Black Star Dragon Balls, a Goku transformed into a child inexplicably tapped into a new Super Saiyan form called the Super Saiyan 4. It’s this form that he consistently uses in his Dragon Ball GT adventures, and is possibly the most powerful form prior to Dragon Ball Super. The Super Saiyan 4 is a state achieved when totally in control of the Golden Great Ape state.
When studying it, Bulma realizes that the Super Saiyan 4 is a form that cannot be attained at will. It requires constant exposure to Blutz Waves, a special kind of energy that celestial bodies emit. As such, while Vegeta can access this form through Bulma’s special machine, Goku can do so willingly.
5 Autonomous Ultra Instinct
In Dragon Ball Super, it’s revealed that even gods have access to special forms. In the case of the Autonomous Ultra Instinct, this is a special mental state that even the gods have a hard time tapping into. With Autonomous Ultra Instinct, martial artists can allow their body parts to act independently of one another. Users can thus react to any situation as it happens. Goku can dodge and return attacks as they come to him with minimal effort, shocking even the likes of Jigen.
Unfortunately for Vegeta, he isn’t able to tap into this form. This alone proves Goku has potential not just to be a god, but become a God of Destruction like Beerus. Vegeta eventually taps into a similar form called Ultra Ego, the polar opposite of the Ultra Instinct’s principles.
4 Kamehameha
It’s almost impossible to not think of the Kamehameha when thinking of Goku, as this is one of his signature techniques. This attack gathers ki at a single point between cupped hands and thrusts it forward in a powerful beam. Turtle School’s Master Yoshi created the technique, which Goku successfully replicated after seeing it for the first time. This has become Goku’s signature move ever since, with his descendants learning to use it in their battles. For instance, Gohan used this attack to finish off Cell.
Vegeta doesn’t show interest in learning Goku’s signature techniques. This is quite interesting, because unlike Goku’s other techniques, Kamehameha seems extremely doable for the likes of Vegeta, considering that folks such as Yamcha and Krillin can pull it off.
3 Spirit Bomb
When Goku is facing a ridiculously strong Big Bad, sometimes he has no choice but to rely on the energy of others to finish them off in a huge ball of fiery doom. Formally called the Spirit Bomb and invented by King Kai, Goku uses this attack by gathering energy from surrounding life forms and objects, and transforming it into a ball. Its power depends on the energy used, as Goku can make a colossal Spirit Bomb to finish off his enemies.
Despite the straightforward nature of the technique, only a being of pure heart can be able to gather and manipulate its energies. This explains why only someone like Goku can use it, instead of those like Vegeta. Goku also explains that another person with pure heart can theoretically deflect an activated Spirit Bomb.
2 Die Of Sickness
No one can deny that Goku could topple fighters from other anime, simply because Goku’s current opponents are god-like in power. As such, it’s surprising to see someone like him succumb to a heart disease. In the prelude to the Android Saga, Future Trunks warned Goku of an incurable heart disease that killed him in his reality. Thankfully, when Goku did contract the disease in this reality, Yamcha managed to find its cure.
This is quite unusual compared to Vegeta, who died twice over the course of a series — all during fights. His first death was at the hands of Frieza, who used a Death Beam on him. Secondly, Vegeta died by self-destructing against Majin Buu and unfortunately failing.
1 Win A Tournament
Despite Goku eventually dwarfing the rest of the Z-Fighters in terms of power, they all had humble beginnings as rivals in martial arts tournaments. In fact, despite Goku’s prowess, he only won one tournament, the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, by defeating Piccolo. In the two prior tournaments, Goku lost in the finals against Jackie-Chun (Master Roshi) and Tien.
While Vegeta technically participated in the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament, he resigned to fight the growing threat of Babidi. Meanwhile, his participation in the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament was moot, as the departure of Uub and Goku technically canceled the Tournament. This meant that Vegeta didn't win any tournament he joined.
Dragon Ball: The Breakers will be released in 2022 for the PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Steam, and the Nintendo Switch.