Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball franchise remains one of the most iconic properties of its generation. Debuting back in the 1980s, Dragon Ball’s reputation is just as intense today and it’s incredible to watch the property continue to grow and evolve. Similarly, the wide roster of characters from the Dragon Ball universe also develops and changes over time. This is true for many individuals, but it’s especially relevant to Vegeta, who gradually develops a heart of gold.
Vegeta originates as one of Dragon Ball’s most ruthless villains, which makes his status as a trusted defender of Earth and ally to Goku and friends even more satisfying. Vegeta remains full of depth and there are some special moments where it’s hard to not be a fan of the Prince of Saiyans.
10 He Declares “That’s My Bulma” & Rampages Against Beerus
Vegeta first appears in Dragon Ball Z, which is full of iconic moments for the character, so it’s a little surprising that one of the best and most heartfelt Vegeta moments doesn’t happen until Dragon Ball Super. Beerus’ arrival is incredibly tense and individuals like Vegeta are well aware of his strength even before Beerus shows off his powers. A misunderstanding between Beerus and Bulma results in him striking Vegeta’s wife, which throws him into one of his biggest rages. At that moment Vegeta doesn’t care that Beerus can erase entire planets. Nothing is more important than justice for Bulma.
9 He Discards Of Nappa & Suffers No Fools
Raditz helps set the tone for Dragon Ball Z, but he’s nothing compared to Vegeta and Nappa. The arrival of these Saiyans totally dismantles the previously established status quo. Nappa runs the gamut on the heroes until Goku shows up and immediately disarms him. In a very jarring moment that becomes a beautiful distillation of his character, Vegeta is the one to eliminate Nappa once he becomes irrelevant. It’s a major shock to see an enemy take out his own like this and it quickly shows that Vegeta is different and plays by his own rules.
8 He Chooses To Take A Different Training Path Than Goku
Dragon Ball Super’s anime has currently concluded, but the series’ manga continues to turn out new content that places Vegeta and Goku in very interesting places. The two get pulled in slightly different directions by both Beerus and Whis, but Vegeta is determined to forge his own way and not just copy Goku’s successes.
It’s a strategy that seems to be working for him and further speaks to how Vegeta doesn’t want to feel like he’s following in anyone else’s footsteps, even if that means achieving the impossible. He’s well on his way to God of Destruction status.
7 His Sweet Vacation With His Family
Dragon Ball Super eventually covers bigger threats than ever before, but there’s a surprising amount of downtime during the earlier episodes, many of which highlight some lighter moments from Vegeta and his family. Vegeta may prefer training or a challenging battle more than anything else, but he still is able to wind down and go on a fun trip to an amusement park with his family. Dragon Ball Super actually brings out Vegeta’s sillier and more manic side, and plenty of his anxious antics around Beerus bring out a new side to the character that’s highly endearing.
6 His Freakout After Future Trunks' Death
One of the highlights from Dragon Ball Z’s Cell Saga is the unlikely relationship that forms between Vegeta and Future Trunks, an adult version of his young son. Vegeta understands that Future Trunks’ time in their world is limited, but it comes as a major surprise when a regenerated Cell takes out Future Trunks to prove that he’s not messing around. This unleashes unexpected emotion in Vegeta, which at this point is a very rare experience for the character. Vegeta proves that he truly loves his son, even after only getting to know him for a brief time.
5 His First Super Saiyan Transformation Against Android 19
Dragon Ball Z’s Cell Saga begins in such an exciting way since there’s been some distance from the events of the Frieza Saga and the development of many characters remains a mystery. Vegeta has been working hard to catch up with Goku and the first time that he turns Super Saiyan is arguably just as triumphant as Goku’s first transformation.
Vegeta’s fight with Android 19 signals the audience’s first look at Vegeta’s new strength, which completely obliterates Android 19. It’s an incredibly triumphant moment that’s pure Vegeta and creates so much excitement around what’s to come for him.
4 His Constant Digs At Yamcha
The reveal that Vegeta and Bulma have started a family together is one of Dragon Ball Z’s biggest shocks. It feels like a wild change of pace for Bulma’s interests to shift from Yamcha to Vegeta, but it turns into brilliant character development for them both. Not much of a rivalry exists between Vegeta and Yamcha afterward, but Vegeta can’t help but periodically insult the guy, whether directly or to Bulma behind his back. This is even more pronounced in the anime’s dub. With so much of Dragon Ball’s audience in on this joke, it strangely makes Vegeta more affable.
3 His Goodbye To Trunks & Subsequent Destruction
Dragon Ball Z’s Buu Saga attempts to recapture some of the Saiyan Saga’s magic with the evil Majin Vegeta. This malevolent side of Vegeta is genuinely scary, but he eventually gets control of himself and is able to use this new strength against Buu rather than Goku. Vegeta selflessly decides to sacrifice himself in an effort to take out Buu. Before Vegeta commits to this he says a touching goodbye to his son and then knocks him out to spare him the pain of the moment. It’s a dark moment, but also a strangely sweet instance of parenting from Vegeta.
2 He Refuses To Participate In The Tournament Of Power While Bulma Is Pregnant
Dragon Ball Super expands the scope of the franchise in major ways with the addition of multiple universes, Gods of Destruction, and even more. The anime culminates with The Tournament of Power, a multiversal competition where universes fight to avoid erasure. Each universe has to assemble its best fighters, but Vegeta initially refuses Goku’s request to help. Bulma is pregnant with Bulla at the time and he doesn’t want to abandon his wife while she’s still pregnant. It’s a simple yet deeply sweet gesture. Vegeta does ultimately participate, but it’s nice to see where his priorities lie.
1 Frieza Defeats Him & Makes Him Admit His Weaknesses
Vegeta operates through much of the Frieza Saga under the delusion that he’s the Legendary Super Saiyan, only to receive a brutal reality check courtesy of Frieza and Goku. It’s hard enough for Vegeta to accept that he’s inferior to Goku, but Frieza hammers in this fact and makes Vegeta accept his futility before he ends his life. Up until this point, Vegeta is a symbol of unbreakable pride. Frieza shatters that and deeply hurts him before he finishes him off. Vegeta is still a villain on Namek, but it’s hard to not care about him when this happens.
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