Vegeta may have been introduced as a vicious villain, but he quickly became one of Dragon Ball’s most beloved characters and someone who experiences one of the series’ most extreme redemption arcs. Vegeta’s progress as a hero, Saiyan, and person is nothing short of remarkable, and it makes him an even more compelling character than Goku in many respects.
Despite the Prince of Saiyans’ complex character, Dragon Ball has never allowed Vegeta the luxury of taking down a central arc villain and being celebrated as the ultimate hero. He’s gotten close on several occasions and certainly been instrumental to other characters’ victories. However, it’s something that Vegeta hasn’t done himself. This may seem unfair to Vegeta and ridiculous on some level, but it’s a decision that makes more sense if this big victory is being saved for the Saiyan’s final act.
Vegeta Defeating A Major Villain Is Long Overdue
Vegeta punches Golden Frieza in the stomach in Dragon Ball Super.
Image via Toei Animation
Vegeta is unquestionably one of Dragon Ball’s strongest characters. Unfortunately, anime like Dragon Ball often distill the greatest accomplishments down to who delivers the final blow, not who’s improved the most or provided other essential aid in battle. Accordingly, Vegeta has taken on all of Dragon Ball’s strongest villains, and he never backs down from a fight. Vegeta is often in a stronger character’s shadow during these clashes, whether it’s Gohan with Cell and Goku with the majority of Dragon Ball’s villains.
Dragon Ball Super really teased a win for Vegeta during his fight against Golden Frieza. Vegeta did in fact defeat his opponent. It’s just that his hubris gets in the way, allows Frieza to destroy the Earth, and it’s later Goku who swoops in for the kill. Vegeta’s fight against Moro also feels like another epic situation that’s tailor-made for Vegeta’s victory after his control of Forced Spirit Fission. Vegeta makes serious headway against Moro, but his new power is meant to aid Goku’s Ultra Instinct assault.
Dragon Ball seems to repeatedly snatch victories away from Vegeta when major villains are involved. However, there is no shortage of scenarios in which Vegeta has thrown his weight around and wiped out some of Dragon Ball’s more ancillary threats, such as Dodoria, Zarbon, Guldo, Pui Pui, and Tagoma. Vegeta and Goku’s most recent canonical fight even presents Vegeta as the stronger of the two Saiyans. Vegeta has accomplished plenty of personal milestones that might have previously seemed impossible.
The one major hurdle that’s left for him to clear is victory against a central villain. Something like this may seem benign, but it’s important to a character like Vegeta. Dragon Ball’s decision to hold back on this front for so long also paints a clearer picture of a grand goal for the character that will provide such tremendous closure when it’s accomplished. At this point, such a victory for Vegeta needs to be his final act, otherwise it’s not going to live up to the expectations that have been in place for decades. The only logical reason that Dragon Ball has avoided such a thing is because it’s the last piece of the puzzle that’s necessary to make Vegeta “complete.”
A scenario in which Vegeta finally comes out triumphant against a major villain – especially if it’s Dragon Ball Super’s final antagonist – also allows him to receive satisfaction regarding his Saiyan heritage. Vegeta isn’t just a Saiyan, but a vital member of Saiyan royalty. His people’s home world was even named after him and his family. So many of Vegeta’s pursuits on the battlefield have been to make the Saiyans proud. Vegeta’s victory over Dragon Ball’s final villain, saving the day, and proving that he’s the strongest are remarkable milestones that would make King Vegeta proud. Vegeta could finally follow through on the weight of his birthright that’s hung over him for years. Vegeta had to survive and struggle under Goku for so long because he was always destined to save the day in the end and be the ultimate hero. Vegeta just wasn’t ready to realize this fate until it mattered the most. He’s been saved for this purpose.
Vegeta Taking Down Dragon Ball’s Final Villain Fits With Its New Agenda To Share The Power
Ultra Ego Vegeta headbutts Granolah in Dragon Ball Super manga.
Image via Shueisha
Dragon Ball, as adventurous and ambitious as it may be, certainly has developed a formula in which Goku is the one who rises to the occasion and defeats the ultimate evil. There’s nothing wrong with an anime that properly celebrates its protagonist. There are just certain stretches of Dragon Ball that lose dramatic weight and momentum because it’s obvious that any headway is playful padding until Goku saves the day. Modern Dragon Ball has worked hard to subvert these expectations and tell stories that do a better job at celebrating the rest of its diverse cast of characters.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, for instance, puts Gohan and Piccolo in the spotlight. The storyline’s High School Saga prelude even focuses on Goten and Trunks for a few chapters. Gohan and Piccolo take down the final villain, Cell Max, but they also leave with unprecedented power and new transformations – Gohan Beast and Orange Piccolo. Dragon Ball has become increasingly interested in character-specific transformations that celebrate what makes each individual special. It’s an approach that’s much more effective than everyone tapping into the same Super Saiyan transformation that was first achieved by Goku.
Accordingly, Dragon Ball Super has reached a point where it’s developed what appears to be a cast of equally-powerful heroes between True Ultra Instinct Goku, Gohan Beast, Orange Piccolo, Legendary Super Saiyan Broly, and Ultra Ego Vegeta. Dragon Ball has been generous enough to give Vegeta a powerful Ultra Instinct analogue that plays to his specific strengths, but he hasn’t been able to use it to success yet.
Vegeta deserves the opportunity to use Ultra Ego to its full potential and get his moment in the spotlight. Vegeta gets some rewarding showcases in Dragon Ball DAIMA, both of which revolve around his impressive use of Super Saiyan 3. These displays of strength have the audience more prepared than ever for a grand Vegeta victory. All the pieces are there and Dragon Ball has never been more conditioned to storylines that prioritize characters other than Goku.
Vegeta’s Victory Should Be The Result Of One Last Sacrifice
Black Frieza flies into Goku and Vegeta in Dragon Ball Super’s manga.
Image via Shueisha
Vegeta is a very dramatic character and someone who can’t just defeat a character under ordinary means. Everything needs to be as extreme as possible, so it’d be quite fitting to build to a finale in which Vegeta doesn’t just defeat the villain, but sacrifices himself in the process so that it’s the end of his story. It would definitely be difficult for Dragon Ball to say goodbye to Vegeta for good, but this is a fate that it won’t need to worry about if Dragon Ball Super is coming to a close anyway.
It’s an appropriate conclusion for the end of the series and one that operates as a nice reversal to previous endings, where Goku leaves the world behind and Vegeta remains to keep the peace. This scenario would feature the opposite and reflect just how much Vegeta has changed and grown in the process. He’s literally making decisions that Goku has made in the past.
It also wouldn’t be difficult for Dragon Ball Super to cheat its way out of Vegeta’s sacrifice. Vegeta could ascend into a God of Destruction and watch from afar, yet still be in play as a character if Dragon Ball were to continue in some capacity. Dragon Ball could even build to this fate by having Beerus sacrifice himself and become mortal so that Vegeta can replace him as a God of Destruction. This would provide substantial character development for Beerus, in addition to Vegeta, which is also rich in future story possibilities. Even a single story that features a humbled, mortal Beerus that’s submissive to God of Destruction Vegeta would be incredibly entertaining.
Vegeta has flirted with self-destructive sacrifices in the past, the likes of which have had mixed results. It would be very in character for Vegeta to pull off one epic self-destructive maneuver that accomplishes the impossible, does what nobody else can do, and isn’t triggered in vain. This final sacrifice would make perfect sense if it’s against Black Frieza and Dragon Ball decides to make this threat the last villain. A victory against not just any villain, but Frieza of all people, would give Vegeta closure regarding their fraught relationship.
This victory would hit even harder because Vegeta is taking out the tyrant who is responsible for his people – and father’s – destruction. It would be incredibly poetic to have one of the few Saiyans that Frieza didn’t kill decide to kill himself to take Frieza down. This would be a full-circle and true hero moment for Vegeta. Vegeta shouldn’t have to be put in a situation where his big win is connected to his own demise, but it’s the best scenario to push him to the most satisfying conclusion after decades of disappointment.