Warning: SPOILERS for Dragon Ball SuperThe vast majority of fans might prefer Dragon Ball Z, including its depiction of Vegeta, over Dragon Ball Super, but the Saiyan Prince experiences much more growth as character in the franchise’s latest series after the defeat of Majin Buu.
Undoubtedly, what fans point to as definitive proof of Dragon Ball Z‘s superior portrayal of Vegeta is his overall shift from a villain to hero (although begrudgingly), a change that’s later underscored by his constant struggle with having to befriend Goku, always leaving Vegeta in second place. But as a hero, he demonstrates something equally shocking. He not only creates a family with a woman no one suspected at the time, but even sacrifices himself to protect them from Buu. Then after his death, Vegeta adopts a more laid-back approach towards his rivalry with Goku by not insisting on fighting Kid Buu first (instead deciding by chance through the game of rock, paper, scissors).
Although masterfully portrayed, Vegeta actually undergoes more existential crises in Dragon Ball Super. Despite the fact that Vegeta had already begun to relinquish his need to surpass Goku before Super, the franchise’s latest series sees him gain a new obsession – to get stronger his own way. When Goku achieves Super Saiyan God, Vegeta is able to obtain godly ki by skipping right to Super Saiyan Blue (which is essentially the super form of Super Saiyan God) and then sought to remedy the fact that he had copied Goku by unearthing something new, Perfected Super Saiyan Blue. Vegeta later continues this pattern by avoiding Goku’s Ultra Instinct altogether, as this was Goku’s technique, and invents Ultra Ego instead. But as Vegeta held onto these ideals, he sacrificed others that he had refused to give up on, including his obsession with training alone and not learning “parlor tricks” like Instant Transmission. In his pursuit of defeating Moro, Vegeta goes so far as to learn from the same species that taught Goku Instant Transmission to essentially master his own parlor trick. But he doesn’t stop there. Next, he not only adds Instant Transmission to his repertoire but even uses it.
Vegeta Throws Away Everything He Gained in DBZ
In addition to sacrificing these ideals, Vegeta actually resorts to more villainous methods of fighting and reignites his rivalry with Goku when battling Granolah on planet Cereal. Vegeta attributes these changes to the fact that the face-off is transpiring on another planet that he doesn’t care about destroying, but this is just another excuse. He fought on another planet earlier on in DBZ when he and Goku were teleported to the world of the Kais to destroy Kid Buu – and he didn’t espouse such negative outlooks then. Moreover, Vegeta loses sight of the family values he gained during DBZ when he prepares to sacrifice his life by fighting alone, even though he would likely survive by teaming up with Goku. But in yet another stunning twist, Vegeta later not only collaborates with Goku again on the battlefield against the villain Gas, but seemingly relinquishes his hatred for Goku by not taking offense from the revelation that Goku may only be strong because of his father Bardock’s wish.
Although DBZ undoubtedly saw the largest and most stunning changes, Super easily topped them with a higher number of subtler yet more highly nuanced moments that both accentuate and even contradict his other areas of growth. And with no end in sight for Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta could one day embrace Ultra Instinct and even fusions wholeheartedly.
