( ), also referred as is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
in the ''
Dragon Ball
is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...
'' franchise created by
Akira Toriyama. Vegeta first appears in chapter #204 "Sayonara, Son Goku", published in ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...
'' magazine on November 7, 1988, seeking the wish-granting Dragon Balls to gain
immortality
Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some modern species may possess biological immortality.
Some scientists, futurists, and philosophers have theorized about the immortality of the human body, with some suggesting that human immorta ...
.
Vegeta is the prince of an extraterrestrial warrior race known as the Saiyans. He is extremely arrogant, proud and hardworking; he constantly refers to his heritage and royal status throughout the series.
He believed that he should be regarded as the strongest fighter in the Universe and becomes obsessed with surpassing
Goku
Son Goku is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is based on Sun Wukong (known as Son Goku in Japan and Monkey King in the West), a main character of the classic Ch ...
after losing his first battle with the Z fighters. However, after
Frieza
, also known and spelled as Freeza in Funimation's English subtitles and Viz Media's release of the manga, is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He makes his debut in Chapter #247: "Dark Clouds ...
's death, Vegeta unites with the heroes to thwart greater threats to the universe, most notably
Cell
Cell most often refers to:
* Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life
Cell may also refer to:
Locations
* Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...
,
Majin Buu
, generally spelled Majin Boo in subtitles of the Japanese anime, and rendered as Djinn-Boo in the Viz Media manga, is the final antagonist in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama, before the release of ''Dragon Ball Super' ...
,
Beerus
is a fictional character in the '' Dragon Ball'' franchise created by Akira Toriyama. Beerus made his first appearance in the 2013 feature film '' Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods'' as the main antagonist and returned as a supporting character in ' ...
,
Zamasu
, spelled Zamas in Viz Media's English localization of the ''Dragon Ball Super'' manga, is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' series. He is introduced as in the forty-seventh episode of Toei Animation's ''Dragon Ball Super'' anime s ...
and
Broly
is a fictional character in the '' Dragon Ball'' media franchise. Two different versions of the character exist: the original Broly, a major villain created by anime screenwriter Takao Koyama who appeared in a trilogy of 1990s '' Dragon Ball Z'' ...
. Throughout the series, Vegeta's role changes from villain to
antihero
An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...
and later as one of the heroes, while remaining a key rival to Goku.
Vegeta has been hailed as one of the most iconic characters not only in the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise, but also in
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
and
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
history as a whole. He is often cited as one of the most popular examples of rival characters in the industry, due to his character arc and narrative throughout ''
Dragon Ball Z'' and ''
Dragon Ball Super
is a Japanese manga series written by Akira Toriyama and illustrated by Toyotarou. A sequel to Toriyama's original ''Dragon Ball'' manga, it follows the adventures of Goku and friends during the ten-year timeskip after the defeat of Maj ...
''.
Development
When creating Vegeta, Toriyama originally intended for him to be a short-lived antagonist and second-tier character, with little influence to ''Dragon Ball's'' story, portraying him as such during his initial appearances, but the character became more popular than he had expected. Thus Toriyama decided to keep Vegeta in the story for longer. He explained his surprise at the character's popularity in an interview during the release of ''
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods'', "I had thought about bringing an end to
is storyas just a villain, but as I was writing, I felt that his villainous
..warped straightforwardness was unexpectedly interesting. I couldn't imagine that a guy with this kind of hairstyle would become popular, and yet he'd get more votes than
Goku
Son Goku is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is based on Sun Wukong (known as Son Goku in Japan and Monkey King in the West), a main character of the classic Ch ...
in favorite-character polls."
Toriyama initially harbored a dislike for Vegeta since he was created as a despicable character, but grew to like him as he considered the character's personality to be straightforward, therefore easier to write.
He also found the character "Extremely helpful to have around". He also stated that when he received a lot of
fan mail
Fan mail is mail sent to a public figure, especially a celebrity, by their admirers or " fans". In return for a fan's support and admiration, public figures may send an autographed poster, photo, reply letter or note thanking their fans for th ...
telling him not to kill Vegeta, he purposely did just that. After the release of ''Battle of Gods'', Toriyama expressed interest in having Vegeta be the lead in the event of another animated feature, though he insisted this was only his intent and no decision had been made.
Following the trend that names of members of the Saiyan race are puns on vegetables, Vegeta's name is a pun of the word ''vegetable'' itself.
Voice actors
![Ryo Horikawa (14947949559)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Ryo_Horikawa_%2814947949559%29.jpg)
In the original Japanese version of the anime and all other media, Vegeta is voiced by
Ryō Horikawa
is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Osaka. He is married to fellow Japanese voice actress Hitomi Oikawa since 1988, whose birth name is also . His former stage name is also , which uses the kanji of his given name, though pronounced "Ryō". ...
.
In the Ocean Productions English dub, Vegeta was voiced by
Brian Drummond
Brian Drummond (born August 10, 1969) is a Canadian voice actor. He formerly served on the board of directors for the New Westminster-based Urban Academy along with his wife, Laura Drummond, also a voice artist. Usually working in Vancouver, h ...
. Drummond returned in the Funimation dub of ''
Dragon Ball Super
is a Japanese manga series written by Akira Toriyama and illustrated by Toyotarou. A sequel to Toriyama's original ''Dragon Ball'' manga, it follows the adventures of Goku and friends during the ten-year timeskip after the defeat of Maj ...
'' to voice Vegeta's Duplicate.
In Funimation (now Crunchyroll)'s in house dub,
Christopher Sabat
Christopher Robin Sabat is an American voice actor, voice director, ADR engineer, and line producer working for Funimation, and OkraTron 5000. Some of his prominent roles in animations and anime include Vegeta and Piccolo in '' Dragon Ball'', R ...
has voiced Vegeta in all ''Dragon Ball'' media, including video games. While Sabat continued to dub Vegeta's adult incarnation in ''
Dragon Ball Z Kai
''Dragon Ball Z Kai'' (known in Japan as ) is a revised version of the anime series ''Dragon Ball Z'', produced in commemoration of its 20th anniversary. Produced by Toei Animation, the series was originally broadcast in Japan on Fuji TV from Ap ...
'',
Laura Bailey
Laura Bailey is an American voice actress. She made her anime debut as Kid Trunks in the Funimation dub of ''Dragon Ball Z''. Her other anime credits include Emily / Glitter Lucky in ''Glitter Force'', Tohru Honda in ''Fruits Basket'', Lust in ...
voiced Vegeta's child incarnation in ''Dragon Ball Z Kai'' and
Justin Briner
Justin Briner is an American voice actor. He has provided voices for English-language versions of Japanese anime films and television series with Funimation. He is best known for his roles as Izuku "Deku" Midoriya in ''My Hero Academia'', Mikae ...
voiced Vegeta's child incarnation in ''
Dragon Ball Super
is a Japanese manga series written by Akira Toriyama and illustrated by Toyotarou. A sequel to Toriyama's original ''Dragon Ball'' manga, it follows the adventures of Goku and friends during the ten-year timeskip after the defeat of Maj ...
''.
In Brazil, where ''Dragon Ball'' is a huge success, Vegeta has been voiced by Alfredo Rollo since his debut.
Appearances
''Dragon Ball Z''
Vegeta is introduced as a member of the race. He travels to Earth with his partner
Nappa
Nappa may refer to:
Places
* Nappa, Finland, a village in northern Kymenlaakso
*Nappa, North Yorkshire, a village in England
* Nappa Hall, North Yorkshire, England
People
* Mike Nappa (born 1963), American author
Other uses
* Nappa (chara ...
to use the Dragon Balls to wish for immortality. Nappa easily fights off Earth's heroes and kills
Tenshinhan
, known as Tenshinhan in Japanese media and Viz Media's release of the manga, is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is introduced in chapter #113 "The 22nd Tenka'ichi Budōkai", first published ...
,
Chaozu
''Dragon Ball'' is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The franchise features an ensemble cast of characters and takes place in the same fictional universe as Toriyama's other work, ''Dr. Slump''. While many of the cha ...
,
Yamcha
is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is first introduced as a desert bandit and an antagonist of Son Goku in chapter #7 "Yamcha and Pu'ar", published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine on ...
, and
Piccolo
The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...
in the process. Goku then arrives after completing his training with
Kaiō-sama
'' Dragon Ball'' is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The franchise features an ensemble cast of characters and takes place in the same fictional universe as Toriyama's other work, ''Dr. Slump''. While many of the c ...
. Goku easily defeats Nappa who is then killed by Vegeta, for the shame of being defeated by a low class Saiyan such as Goku. Vegeta fights Goku and is severely beaten by Goku's Kaioken technique, forcing him to resort to his
Ozaru form to overpower Goku. But he is unable to beat the rest of the heroes due to his sustained injuries from Goku,
Gohan
is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series, created by Akira Toriyama. Gohan is introduced as the first son of the protagonist Goku, and his wife Chi-Chi, in chapter #196 "Kakarrot", published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magaz ...
,
Krillin
(known as Kuririn in Funimation's English subtitles and Viz Media's release of the manga, and Kulilin in Japanese merchandise English translations) is a fictional character in the '' Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is in ...
and
Yajirobe
''Dragon Ball'' is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The franchise features an ensemble cast of characters and takes place in the same fictional universe as Toriyama's other work, '' Dr. Slump''. While many of the ch ...
. Exhausted and being consistently harassed, he barely escapes with his life and is humiliated by the fact that Goku pleaded with Krillin to spare his life.
Vegeta travels to planet Namek in an attempt to wish for immortality using that planet's Dragon Balls, cutting the tyrant
Frieza
, also known and spelled as Freeza in Funimation's English subtitles and Viz Media's release of the manga, is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He makes his debut in Chapter #247: "Dark Clouds ...
off from making the same wish in the process. Upon arrival, Vegeta manages to kill many of Frieza's henchmen and also mercilessly destroys a defenseless Namekian village for their Dragon Ball. Later on Vegeta is forced to team up with Gohan, Goku, Piccolo, and Krillin so they can fight off the
Ginyu Force and later Frieza. He also kills most members of the Ginyu Force after they are weakened by Goku. Ultimately, he is defeated and subsequently killed by Frieza while asking Goku to avenge him and all the other Saiyans whom he was their prince. Vegeta is unintentionally revived with a wish from the Dragon Balls from Earth.
After Frieza's final defeat, Vegeta chooses to stay on Earth and has a son named
Trunks with
Bulma
is a fictional character featured in the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise, first appearing in the manga series created by Akira Toriyama. She debuted in the first chapter "Bulma and Son Goku", published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine on June 19, 1 ...
.
Three years later, Vegeta finally becomes a Super Saiyan and easily destroys
Android 19
The is a fictional group of characters featured in Akira Toriyama's ''Dragon Ball'' anime and manga series. The many operatives of the Red Ribbon Army, led by , serve as opponents for series protagonist Goku during his second quest for the Drago ...
, sent by
Dr. Gero
The is a fictional group of characters featured in Akira Toriyama's ''Dragon Ball'' anime and manga series. The many operatives of the Red Ribbon Army, led by , serve as opponents for series protagonist Goku during his second quest for the Drago ...
to kill Goku. However, even as a Super Saiyan, he is easily defeated by
Android 18
is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. Android 18 makes her debut in Chapter #349 "The Androids Awake!", first published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' on November 12, 1991.
She and her twin brother, ...
. Afterwards, Vegeta ascends beyond the Super Saiyan level while training with Future Trunks, a version of his son from an alternate timeline, in the and pummels the artificial life form
Cell
Cell most often refers to:
* Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life
Cell may also refer to:
Locations
* Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...
after he has absorbed
Android 17
''Dragon Ball'' is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The franchise features an ensemble cast of characters and takes place in the same fictional universe as Toriyama's other work, ''Dr. Slump''. While many of the cha ...
. Vegeta's overconfidence leads him to allow Cell to absorb Android 18, upon which Cell achieves his third "perfect" form. After Vegeta fails to defeat Perfect Cell, he is forced to participate in Cell's martial arts tournament known as the Cell Games, in which he makes a crucial intervention so
Gohan
is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series, created by Akira Toriyama. Gohan is introduced as the first son of the protagonist Goku, and his wife Chi-Chi, in chapter #196 "Kakarrot", published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magaz ...
can overpower and defeat Cell in his Super Perfect form.
Seven years later, Vegeta allows himself to be consumed by
Babidi
'' Dragon Ball'' is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The franchise features an ensemble cast of characters and takes place in the same fictional universe as Toriyama's other work, ''Dr. Slump''. While many of the c ...
's evil power for his own desire to become powerful enough to fight and defeat Goku. He then goes on an indiscriminate killing spree to provoke Goku to fight him.
However, when the monster
Majin Buu
, generally spelled Majin Boo in subtitles of the Japanese anime, and rendered as Djinn-Boo in the Viz Media manga, is the final antagonist in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama, before the release of ''Dragon Ball Super' ...
is revived as a result of the energy released from their fight, Vegeta knocks out Goku from behind after deceiving Goku by feigning a truce. Vegeta then faces Majin Buu alone and ends up sacrificing himself in an attempt to defeat Buu, dedicating his sacrifice to Bulma, Trunks, and also Goku. With all other fighters dead or absorbed, Vegeta is allowed to recover his body and returns to Earth to help Goku, the last warrior remaining, against the threat of Buu. He reluctantly combines bodies with Goku using the ''Potara'' earrings, to create the fused warrior Vegito, who completely overwhelms Buu with his strength. Eventually, Vegito allows himself to be absorbed into Buu's body to free the other heroes absorbed by Buu, but this leads to the splitting of the fusion. Goku and Vegeta manage to free their allies who have been absorbed by Buu, causing him to undergo a final transformation, which results in his return to his original Kid Boo form. On the
Kaiō-shin
''Dragon Ball'' is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The franchise features an ensemble cast of characters and takes place in the same fictional universe as Toriyama's other work, ''Dr. Slump''. While many of the cha ...
's planet, after getting revived once more thanks to the Namekian Dragon Balls, Vegeta battles Buu again to buy time for Goku to gather energy for the ''Genki Dama'', which he uses to defeat Majin Buu once and for all. It is during this fight that Vegeta finally admits Goku as both his superior and friend.
''Dragon Ball Super''
In ''
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods'', Vegeta tries to appease Beerus so that he will not destroy the Earth and briefly surpasses Goku because of a power boost induced by rage by Beerus slapping Bulma; he then later participates in a ritual to transform Goku into a Super Saiyan god and watches him fight the god of destruction, and in ''
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F''', Vegeta trains off planet with Whis and returns to Earth to combat the resurrected Frieza, being killed by him when he destroys the Earth, which is reversed by Whis, allowing Goku in the nick of time to finish the tyrant off with a ''Kamehameha'' wave, in which Vegeta moves out of range.
After the latter two films and anime adaptation in ''Dragon Ball Super'', Vegeta participates in a tournament where he defeats Frost, Magetta, and Cabba, but is defeated by the assassin Hit. He travels to Planet Potaufeu to retrieve Goten and Trunks, where he fights a copy of himself created by Commeson. He is then reunited with Future Trunks and begins training to fight the evil Goku Black, also training Trunks for the fight. Vegeta travels to the future to counter Goku Black, but is defeated
and returns to the past. Vegeta heals and returns to the future for a rematch. Failing to defeat Goku Black before traveling to the present, where he trains, giving him enough strength to best Goku Black in their next encounter. Vegeta and Goku then meet their match against Zamasu's fused form, forcing them to once again fuse into Vegito, who defuses from overusing his energy. Vegeta later aids Trunks in defeating Zamasu. Vegeta loses a battle to
Arale
is a fictional character and the protagonist of the '' Dr. Slump'' manga series, created by Akira Toriyama. She is a robot built by Senbei Norimaki who looks like a young girl. She is known for her naïveté, energetic personality, lack of common ...
, and later declines training with Goku due to Bulma's pregnancy. When his daughter, Bulla, is born, Vegeta develops a strong attachment to her and becomes very protective over her wellbeing.
Vegeta decides to enter in the Tournament of Power in order to protect his family. During the tournament Vegeta is successful in knocking out numerous fighters. He knocks out Toppo, who achieved the power of a God of Destruction, and then aids Goku in fighting the last remaining member of Universe 11, Jiren. It is during his fight with Jiren and Toppo that Vegeta breaks his limits by his own accord. With two minutes remaining in the tournament, Jiren knocks Vegeta out, who then tearfully sends the last of his remaining power to Goku. In the film ''
Dragon Ball Super: Broly'', Vegeta and Goku battle Frieza's newest recruit, the Saiyan Broly, but he proves too powerful for either of them. Left with no other options, Vegeta learns the fusion dance and fuses with Goku, becoming Gogeta and stopping Broly's rampage. After these events, Vegeta and Goku had been recruited by the Galactic Patrol to stop the wicked warlock Moro, who escaped along with his comrades. They confront and fail to defeat him, suffering wounds from the battle. Vegeta resolves to go to Yardrat to train and obtain a means to stop Moro. Returning after having used ''Shunkan Ido'', Vegeta takes away Moro's stolen life energy and revives the victims of Namek in an act of redemption using a new technique. He maintains the upper-hand, savagely beating the warlock until the tide turns against his favour when Moro absorbs one of his comrades to bolster his power, beating Vegeta into unconsciousness. When Moro starts absorbing the Earth's energy after having merged with it, a healed up Vegeta arrives just in time to aid Goku by not only fissioning the energy out of him to prevent him from hiding his weakpoint, but also by personally gathering the necessary energy from the other Dragon Team members and Oob to send it to Goku for him to channel his Ultra Instinct form one more time and kill Moro (while saving the planet) for good. Later on, Vegeta and Goku were invited by the alien beings called the Heeters into defeating the powerful Cerealean sniper named Granolah. He engages Granolah in battle after he defeats Goku in his Ultra Instinct state, and gains the upper-hand using the power of Destroyer Gods in a new form he labels 'Ultra Ego', that he achieved during training with Beerus, but is beaten in turn after Granolah unleashes his true power. After the Namekian, Monaito, intervenes, he confirms to Goku about the identity of his father, Bardock. After the Heeter, Gas, shows up in order to settle a grudge on the Cerealean, Vegeta, in a show of stubborn pride, gives Granolah a senzu bean so he can fight Gas.
In other media
In filler episodes of ''Dragon Ball Z'', set during the Saiyan arc, Vegeta and Nappa travel to Arlia while in space, being hailed as a hero after saving the people there. After leaving, Vegeta destroys the planet from space. After the Namek arc, Vegeta travels across space in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt at finding Goku, defeating remnants of Frieza's army. After the Buu arc, Vegeta attends a gathering with the other heroes.
In addition, Vegeta appears in six of the non-canonical ''Dragon Ball Z'' movies; in the
sixth, Vegeta comes to Goku's aid against Metal Cooler, foiling his attempt at powering the Big Gete Star with their energy by overloading it; in the
seventh
Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven.
Seventh may refer to:
* Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution
* A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts
Film and television
*"The Seventh", a second-season e ...
, Vegeta appears to aid the others in combating a new wave of androids, destroying Android 15; in the
eighth, Vegeta shows hesitation in fighting Broly due to his immense strength in his true form, though he overcomes it in time to supply Goku with his energy, contributing to Broly's defeat; in the
ninth
In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second.
Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...
, Vegeta withdraws from attending a tournament, disillusioned by Goku's death, but comes to help Trunks when believing he is in danger; in the
twelfth, after having a difficult time with Janemba, Vegeta fuses with Goku to form Gogeta who destroys Janemba easily; in the
thirteenth
In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octa ...
, Vegeta fights Hirudegarn after he steps on his home;
In the anime sequel ''Dragon Ball GT'', Vegeta is confronted by a Baby-possessed Gohan. Baby possessed Vegeta during their battle despite strong resistance by Vegeta, and the resulting Baby/Vegeta fusion battles Goku. Vegeta is later split from Baby's body before Baby is destroyed. Later, he fights Super Android #17, but again, he is knocked out and nearly killed. When Omega Shenron wreaks havoc, he fights with Goku as a Super Saiyan 4 but the two eventually revert to normal. Afterwards, Vegeta says a farewell to Goku, who leaves the duty of protecting Earth in Vegeta's hands before he flies off into the sky on Shenron.
Vegeta has appeared in many video games related to the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise as both a
playable character
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not contr ...
and
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, ...
. In several games, Vegeta is capable of transforming into a Super Saiyan 3, first introduced in ''Dragon Ball Z: Raging Blast''. In the 2003 game ''Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2'', Vegeta can be absorbed by Boo as one of the alternate forms exclusive to the game. In the 2010 arcade game ''Dragon Ball: Heroes'', Vegeta bests Super 17 before and after he merges with Android 18. A Time Breaker-possessed version of Vegeta also appears in the game. In the 2015 game ''
Dragon Ball: Xenoverse'', Vegeta serves as a mentor to the player character, teaching ''Galic Gun'', ''Final Barrage'', ''Shine Shot'' and ''Final Flash''. He has also appeared in other non ''Dragon Ball''-related video games, such as ''
Jump Super Stars
''Jump Super Stars'' is a 2D crossover fighting game for the Nintendo DS, based on ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' characters. It was developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo. The game was released on August 8, 2005, in Japan and accompanied th ...
'', ''
Jump Ultimate Stars
Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory.
Jump or Jumping also may refer to:
Places
* Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...
'', and even in the ''Dragon Ball Z''/''
One Piece
''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chapte ...
''/''
Naruto
''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...
'' crossover game ''
Battle Stadium D.O.N''.
Vegeta has made several appearances in other manga, one of which is in Akira Toriyama's ''Dragon Ball'' self-parody ''
Neko Majin
is a Japanese one-shot manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. Spanning eight total installments published irregularly between 1999 and 2005 in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' and '' Monthly Shōnen Jump'', they were collected into ...
'', where he battles the titular character. In the ''Dragon Ball'' and ''
One Piece
''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chapte ...
'' crossover, ''Cross Epoch'', Vegeta is re-imagined as a captain of a crew of air pirates which includes Trunks,
Usopp
is a fictional character in the ''One Piece'' franchise created by Eiichiro Oda. He serves as the sniper of the Straw Hat Pirates.
He was the fourth member to join Luffy's crew and the third officially after the confrontation they had with Capt ...
, and
Nico Robin
is a fictional character in the ''One Piece'' franchise created by Eiichiro Oda. The character made her first appearance in the 114th chapter of the series, which was first published in Japan in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine on No ...
. On September 15, 2006, Vegeta made a guest appearance in a chapter of the ''
Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo
, often shortened to , and known in English as ''KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops'', is a Japanese comedy manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Akimoto. It takes place in the present day, in and around a neighborhood police station ( k ...
'' manga, ''Super Kochikame'', entitled . Vegeta appears in the ''Karate Shoukoushi Kohinata Minoru'' manga in Chapter 178. Two characters go to a restaurant that features live Muay Thai boxing and Vegeta is in the background cheering. He also makes a single panel appearance in Toriyama's 2014 ''
Dragon Ball Minus: The Departure of the Fated Child'' special. He is also had an appearance in the newest Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball Heroes.
Vegeta has also been the victim of parody: the ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' ''Gag Special 2005'' issue released on November 12, 2004, featured a ''
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
is a Japanese comedy manga series written and illustrated by Yoshio Sawai. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from February 2001 to November 2005, with its chapters collected in twenty-one ' ...
'' one-shot ''Dragon Ball'' parody manga. The manga was a humorous retelling of the battle between Goku and Vegeta initial battle;
Jelly Jiggler was Goku and
Don Patch
The universe of the manga and anime series ''Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo'' is a home to a wide array of fictional characters. This article will lay out all the characters contained in this universe, and categorize them into the type of character they are i ...
was Vegeta.
Vegeta has made two contributions to music: in the eighth installment of ''
Hit Song Collection series'' entitled ''
Character Special 2'', Vegeta sings the song "Vegeta-sama no Oryori Jigoku!!". The song focuses of Vegeta cooking a special
Okonomiyaki
is a Japanese savory pancake dish consisting of wheat flour batter and other ingredients (mixed, or as toppings) cooked on a '' teppan'' (flat griddle). Common additions include cabbage, meat, and seafood, and toppings include ''okonomiyaki' ...
, and in ''Dragon Ball Kai: Song Collection'' he sings the song "Saiyan Blood", which he brags about how great he is. Other ''Dragon Ball''-related songs that center around Vegeta are "Koi no Nazonazo" by Kuko and Tricky Shirai which focuses on his and Bulma's relationship and "Ai wa Ballad no Yō ni~Vegeta no Theme~" by Shin Oya which represents Vegeta's reflections on his life and then current family.
Abilities
Up until his tail was cut off, Vegeta could turn into a gigantic monkey-like creature called an by looking at a full moon, an ability common of all Saiyans with tails.
Vegeta has the ability to create and enhance attacks with the use of ''ki''. He also has the ability to use , which enables him to fly.
Constant training and his Saiyan heritage have given him vast superhuman strength, durability, speed, and reflexes.
Vegeta can increase his strength, speed, stamina, invulnerability, and flight speed many fold if he directs ki into them.
Vegeta is known to give names for his various energy attacks. In his early appearance, Vegeta is seen to use attacks similar to several of the protagonists of the series, such as a , a laser-like disk capable of cutting through solid objects, and a ki wave similar to Goku's ''Kamehameha''. One of his better known attacks is the , although he uses it only once in the ''Z'' series proper; during his battle against Goku in an attempt to destroy the Earth.
He later develops the
and the
techniques, which are much more powerful than his older energy attacks. One of Vegeta's most commonly used tactics in the series is when he bombards an opponent with an array of small ''ki'' blasts. He is not known to have an official name for this attack, but it is occasionally called . Later on in the franchise, he develops an even more powerful version of his ''Final Flash'' attack, called . In ''Dragon Ball GT'', Vegeta displays a powerful new attack, entitling it the , where he uses his left hand to fire off a massive beam of green ''ki'' that widens with distance.
Because of his immense strength and power, Vegeta, along with many other characters from the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise, can
destroy entire planets if not star systems, galaxies and even entire Universes with single attacks if he intends to.
Vegeta also possesses several transformations that greatly enhance his abilities to varying degrees. Though he lost his Great Ape form, he gains the ability to transform into a Super Saiyan and, through training, can further transform into advanced states of Super Saiyan as the series continues.
Vegeta later achieved the immensely powerful , "Super Saiyan Blue" for short, under Whis's tutelage.
During his fight with Jiren, a mortal stronger than a destroyer, Vegeta unlocks a more powerful version of the form, evolving his transformation by breaking his limits by his own accord.
During the "Granolah the Survivor" arc of the manga, Vegeta trains under Beerus to master the God of Destructions' power of ''Hakai''. This training eventually culminates in Vegeta acquiring a form that he labels ''Ultra Ego'', elevating him to be as powerful as Goku's ''Mastered Ultra Instinct'' . The Ultra Ego state allows Vegeta to become more powerful as he takes more damage. Vegeta can also fuse with Goku and create a warrior who has the combined power and skills of both. One method is by using the ''Potara'' earrings, presented to Goku by the
Old Kaiō-shin. This results in a 'potara fusion' creating , who, in his reappearance in ''Dragon Ball Super'', can also transform into a Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan. The other method is by performing the 'Metamorese Fusion Dance', which creates .
Reception
![NYCC 2016 - M (30113091402)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/NYCC_2016_-_M_%2830113091402%29.jpg)
Vegeta has generally received praise by various reviewers from manga, anime and other media. Theron Martin from
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
noted Vegeta's pride as being partially responsible for the success of the series. His fight against Goku during the final story arc was also commented to be very entertaining, despite its length as well as Goku and Vegeta's fighting styles, which Martin considered to have become stale. In another review, Theron noted Vegeta's overcoming his pride to help defeat Cell as the best scene from the fight against said antagonist due to how it creates the climax of the scene. Todd Douglass Jr. from
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman.
History
Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
commented on Vegeta's skills and anger, noting them to be a good combination for any fight even though it is a one-sided battle due to how powerful he is. Douglass called his reveal as a villain during the appearance of Babidi, "the real meat" of the story. Carlos Ross from Them Anime Reviews found Vegeta and Bulma's relationship to have too much comic potential and comments that such characterization was lost.
Vegeta is a popular character in the series, placing fourth in the 1993 ''Dragon Ball'' character popularity poll voted on by ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' readers, and moved up to second in the 1995 one.
In 2004, fans of the series voted him the second most popular character for a poll in the book ''Dragon Ball Forever''.
There has also been multiple criticism to his relationship with Bulma with writers finding it forced. In
About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
"Top 8 Anime Love Stories", Vegeta and Bulma's relationship ranked second with Katherine Luther commenting that such a relationship was unpredictable by fans. Japanese voice actor Toru Furuya expressed shock Trunks was Bulma's and Vegeta's child from the future despite the fact that Yamcha and Bulma were often in a relationship and Yamcha was turned into a cheater to cause such change. Hiromi Tsuru, Bulma's first Japanese actress, was also shocked by this change, believing her character would end with Yamcha. Bulma's voice actress joked that it was difficult for her to love Vegeta, having thought Bulma would end up with Yamcha.
Mania Entertainment writer Briana Lawerence listed Vegeta 9th in the article 10 Male Headaches of Anime, criticizing his personality and his repeated desire to surpass Goku's power.
Vegeta has appeared in the
Anime Grand Prix
The is an annual Japanese anime awards giving to recognize the best in anime of the previous year, decided by the votes of readers of entertainment magazine ''Animage'', published by Tokuma Shoten since July 1978. The Anime Grand Prix started i ...
poll taking high places in the category "best male character" in the 1991 poll and 1992 poll. Vegeta was placed twenty-first in
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's 2009 top anime character of all-time list, calling him "the original unmitigated bastard" that preceded
Light Yagami
is the main protagonist of the manga series ''Death Note'', created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. He is portrayed as a brilliant but bored genius who finds the Death Note, an otherworldly supernatural notebook that allows the user to kill ...
and
Lelouch Lamperouge
, whose alias is , is the main protagonist of the Sunrise (company), Sunrise anime series ''Code Geass, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion''. In the series, Lelouch is a former prince from the superpower Britannia who is given the power of the ...
, and in the tenth spot in 2014. Vegeta came third on IGN's 2014 Top 10 Anime Villains list, stating, "The most famous bad-guy-turned-not-so-bad in all of anime. Vegeta started out as an alien punk with a sadistic streak and an inferiority complex, but over time he became one of Goku's friends, and every now and then, if he was feeling nice that day, he'd help save the world." A Biglobe poll conducted in 2012 listed Vegeta at number 16 of Japanese fans' favorite ''
tsundere
is a Japanese term for a character development process that depicts a character with a personality who is initially very harsh before gradually showing a warmer, friendlier side over time.
The word is derived from the terms ('to turn away in ...
'' characters, the highest among male characters on that list, and a Thai magazine about anime characters also listed him among male tsunderes.
A poll by Viz Media, editor responsible for the publication of the series in North America and Europe, confirms that Vegeta is the most popular character in ''
Dragon Ball Super
is a Japanese manga series written by Akira Toriyama and illustrated by Toyotarou. A sequel to Toriyama's original ''Dragon Ball'' manga, it follows the adventures of Goku and friends during the ten-year timeskip after the defeat of Maj ...
''. Both Goku and Vegeta were criticized for being too overpowered in ''Super'' to the point they steal the series' spotlight to the supporting cast while their strategies either lack complexity or create a plothole such as the time limit to the fusion Vegetto.
Cultural impact
Vegeta's quote "
It's Over 9000!
"It's Over 9000!", also known as simply "Over 9000!", is an Internet meme that became popular in 2006, involving a change made for English localizations of an episode of the ''Dragon Ball Z'' anime television series titled "Dragon Ball Z (season ...
" has become an
internet meme
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
and a popular catchphrase referring to a large number or great quantity. The line originates from the 21st episode of the
Ocean Productions
Ocean Productions, Inc., is a Canadian media production and voice acting company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that is part of the Ocean Group of businesses. Ocean Group is involved in intellectual property acquisition and development, ...
English dub, "The Return of Goku", where Vegeta is voiced by Brian Drummond.
The costume worn by the antagonist
Killmonger
Erik Killmonger ( né N'Jadaka) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Don McGregor and Rich Buckler, he first appeared in ''Jungle Action'' #6 (September 1973). The character is commonly depict ...
in the 2018 film ''
Black Panther'' is strikingly similar to Vegeta's costume. Killmonger is portrayed by
Michael B. Jordan
Michael Bakari Jordan (; born February 9, 1987) is an American actor. He is known for his film roles as shooting victim Oscar Grant in the drama ''Fruitvale Station'' (2013), boxer Adonis Creed in ''Creed'' (2015), and Erik Killmonger in ''Bl ...
, who is known to be a fan of ''Dragon Ball''. Jordan said Killmonger's battle armor may have been inspired by Vegeta's battle armor.
Professional sports
American UFC fighter
Marcus Brimage
Marcus Clyde Brimage (born April 6, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, he has formerly competed for the UFC and was a competitor on The Ultimate Figh ...
is an avid fan of ''Dragon Ball Z'', even citing the series as one of his inspirations for taking up mixed-martial arts. He names the first fight between Goku and Vegeta as one of his favorite battles in the series. American athlete
Ronda Rousey
Ronda Jean Rousey (; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand and is the current SmackDown Women ...
wore a singlet referencing Vegeta and the '
It's Over 9000!
"It's Over 9000!", also known as simply "Over 9000!", is an Internet meme that became popular in 2006, involving a change made for English localizations of an episode of the ''Dragon Ball Z'' anime television series titled "Dragon Ball Z (season ...
' meme at
Wrestlemania 31
WrestleMania 31 was the 31st annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on March 29, 2015, at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area town of Santa Clara, California. Nine ...
.
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...
player
Eduardo Salvio
Eduardo Antonio Salvio (born 13 July 1990) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a winger for Liga MX club UNAM.
Salvio started his career with Lanús in 2008. After moving to Europe in 2010, he won two UEFA Europa League, wit ...
often celebrates his goals with a ''Dragon Ball Z'' reference, including Vegeta's ''Final Flash'' attack.
Music
American rapper
Soulja Boy has two songs, titled “Anime” and “Goku”, which reference Vegeta in the lyrics.
In the song entitled "Christ Conscious" by
Joey Badass
Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott (born January 20, 1995), known professionally as Joey Badass (stylized as Joey Bada$$), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A native of Brooklyn, New York City, he is a founding member of the hip-hop collective Pr ...
, the song's lyrics include the following line: ''Got dragon balls, like my name was Vegeta''.
The demo version of the song from "First Impressions" by
Thrice
Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and lead guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school.
Early in their career, the band was known ...
has a sample of Vegeta in the intro from the original Ocean dub: ''No way! How? It can't be! Kakkorot a Super Saiyan? But he's a low-class soldier, it doesn't make any sense!''.
The
third album
''Third Album'' is the third studio album released by the Jackson 5 on Motown Records, and the group's second LP released in 1970, on September 18.
''Third Album'' featured the group's fourth consecutive No. 1 single on the US pop charts, " I' ...
released by the
musical-comedy group
Starbomb
Starbomb was an American musical-comedy group composed of Dan Avidan and Brian Wecht of musical-comedy duo Ninja Sex Party together with Flash animator and Internet personality Arin Hanson and "space rock masters" TWRP, a Canadian music group ...
features a song titled "Vegeta's Serenade". The song centers around Vegeta trying to write a love song for
Bulma
is a fictional character featured in the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise, first appearing in the manga series created by Akira Toriyama. She debuted in the first chapter "Bulma and Son Goku", published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine on June 19, 1 ...
, but keeps getting distracted by his hatred for
Goku
Son Goku is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is based on Sun Wukong (known as Son Goku in Japan and Monkey King in the West), a main character of the classic Ch ...
.
See also
*
List of ''Dragon Ball'' characters
References
Further reading
*
External links
{{Authority control
Dragon Ball characters
Comics characters introduced in 1988
Anime and manga characters who can move at superhuman speeds
Anime and manga characters with superhuman strength
Martial artist characters in anime and manga
Extraterrestrials in anime and manga
Fictional characters who can change size
Fictional characters who have made pacts with devils
Fictional characters with fire or heat abilities
Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities
Fictional characters with extrasensory perception
Fictional characters with slowed ageing
Fictional characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
Fictional extraterrestrial characters
Fictional male martial artists
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Male characters in anime and manga
Orphan characters in anime and manga
Video game bosses
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