Dragon Ball: Vegeta’s Best Moments In The Series, Ranked

The concept of deuteragonists has seen a lot of success in anime, as fans tend to love the concept of there being more than one main character. Perhaps the best example of this is Vegeta from Dragon Ball, who started off his journey as one of the biggest threats to Earth but eventually joined the side of the heroes as one of the universe’s most important and powerful protectors.

Over the years, his significance has grown from being a central antagonist to one of the two main characters of the franchise, as of Dragon Ball Super. Because of this, he has had some of the most amazing and memorable moments in the entire franchise, so in this article, let’s go over the best of these to see how they have defined Vegeta’s entire character arc in the series.

Vegeta Was Able To Make A Machine Experience Fear After Going Super Saiyan

A Deadly Warrior

• Vegeta brought a different spin on the Super Saiyan form.

Back in the Namek Saga, Goku managed to unlock the secret power of the Saiyan race with his Super Saiyan form in order to defeat Frieza, which just so happened to be Vegeta’s ultimate goal. Because of this, everyone was under the impression that such a power can only be awakened by someone who is pure of heart and wants to devote their life to the protection of the innocent, just as Goku was shown to do.

However, the Android Saga brought with it the revelation that this wasn’t the only path to this elusive power, since Vegeta unlocked his own Super Saiyan form out of pride and rage. This took everyone off guard but perfectly exemplified why fans love this character so much, since he used his ruthless attitude to inflict fear into a machine before brutalizing it with his destructive powers. Vegeta’s Super Saiyan form was very different to Goku’s.

Vegeta’s Final Flash Almost Ended The Cell Saga Before It Even Began

The Power of Super Vegeta

• One of the strongest moves in the series.

Once Vegeta and Trunks emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, they had grown substantially in strength, to the point where they had pushed the limits of Super Saiyan to unlock transformations that were even stronger. With these forms, they were far stronger than Cell, even after he had absorbed Android 17, but due to Vegeta’s pride and Cell playing on his ego, he let the villain absorb Android 18 as well in order to birth his Perfect state.

In this form, Cell proved to be the greatest threat in the universe, far eclipsing Super Vegeta and Super Trunks. Despite this, Vegeta used his Final Flash and almost completely disintegrated Cell right there on the spot, even though the villain was leagues stronger than him at the time. This not only showed the Final Flash as one of the most destructive moves in the series, but also that Vegeta is able to get far stronger when he needs to.

Vegeta Shows Zamasu Why He Will Never Measure Up To Goku’s Greatness

Giving His Rival Respect

• Vegeta shows just how much he respects Goku.

The rivalry shared between Goku and Vegeta is perhaps the best in the entire anime industry. On the surface, Vegeta is very clearly annoyed at Goku’s personality and foolishness, but underneath it all, he respects his rival more than anyone else on the planet, stating that although he may be a fool in every regard, his sense of battle and his natural talent for it make him the greatest Saiyan that the Prince has ever known.

This was the main crux behind his passionate battle against Goku Black. Vegeta is defined by his pride in the Saiyan race, so when he saw Zamasu take over Goku’s body and use its strength for his own nefarious goals, Vegeta unleashed all hell on his opponent. He stated that no matter how strong Goku’s body may inherently be, the Kai will never understand its abilities because he didn’t build it, nor could he ever think like Goku, giving massive props and respect to his long-time rival and friend, though he would never admit to the latter.

Vegeta Unveils His Incredible Super Saiyan Blue Transformation To Frieza

Born From God Ki

• Vegeta showed Frieza that he also has the power of a God.

For everything that Vegeta has ever gone through in his life, the main perpetrator behind it has been Frieza. The Galactic Tyrant not only enslaved his people and made them do unspeakable things to random residents of the universe, but he also destroyed his home planet and the remaining members of his race. This outcome more or less dictated where the Saiyan Prince was going to go in his life.

Vegeta always sought revenge against the villain, but his power was always out of his grasp, until, of course, in the Golden Frieza arc. This film showed that during the time that Frieza was dead, Vegeta had not been sitting idly by; instead, he had grown in power exponentially, to the point where he now also had God Ki and the Super Saiyan Blue transformation. What followed was one of the most satisfying beat downs in the history of the franchise, and although the ending of the film was atrocious, seeing Vegeta give Frieza the justice he deserved was awesome.

Vegeta Recognizes Goku As The Best And Comes To Terms With This

An Eye-Opening Moment

• Vegeta admits that Goku is the best.

Goku and Vegeta’s rivalry is very tempestuous, with both of them always competing to see who will come out on top and who the stronger of the two is. Since it is so integral to both of their overall journeys, many have dubbed it the best rivalry or character dynamic in the entire anime industry. However, during the time of the Buu Saga, this rivalry was fairly one-sided, since Goku was always portrayed as being stronger.

In the final battle against Kid Buu, Goku gives it his all while Vegeta looks on from the sidelines. Here, it shows the growth Vegeta has had over the years that has led to most fans calling him Dragon Ball’s best character, since he admits that Goku’s kindness and love for the innocent will always be more meaningful than his own pride. By seeing his rival fight the universe’s strongest villain, Vegeta admits that Goku is the best of them all.

Vegeta’s Sacrifice Goes Down As The Most Important Moment In His Arc

The Ultimate Sacrifice

• Vegeta sacrifices himself.

In the Buu Saga, there was a massive twist which showed that Vegeta had allowed Babidi to control his mind so that he could reawaken the evil in his heart. He did this to rid himself of everything he had become, wanting to return to the callous and unfeeling man he used to be in order to finally defeat Goku, which eventually led to one of the best fights in the franchise. However, by the end of it, Vegeta began to see the error of his ways.

Upon coming across Majin Buu, Vegeta decided to unleash all of his power in an explosion so violent that it would kill both him and the villain. This scene showed exactly why Vegeta is the best character in the series, since his complicated personality and conflicting ideals came together to show that, despite being displaced and without a home for most of his life, he came to view the Earth as his new home and realized that his new life was far more important than the one he had before. In a final atonement for his crimes, Vegeta sacrifices himself to save Earth.

Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll.