Vegeta may be one of the most popular characters inDragon Ball Z, but he’s always been limited by his desire to grow stronger than Goku. There’s a clear reason that never happened, however, and it has to do with the way that Vegeta thinks, not only of himself, but of Goku as well.
Vegeta has long been plagued by the fact that Goku remains stronger than him. As the Prince of All Saiyans, Vegeta feels that power is his birthright, and every time that Goku manages to surpass him, that damages his pride. After all, from his perspective (at least initially), Goku is but a low-born Saiyan who has no right to the power that he wields, and Goku constantly manifesting insane new levels of power seems to flaunt this fact in Vegeta’s face. But this plays intowhy Vegeta will never top Goku, and it may be the most heartbreaking aspect of his character.
Vegeta Just Doesn’t Have The Right Mindset To Become Stronger Than Goku (At Least In Dragon Ball Z)
There’s a big difference between Goku and Vegeta that goes right down to the way that they approach growing stronger. Goku has never been motivated by the desire to be stronger than someone else; his goal is, and has always been, to grow stronger for his own sake.Vegeta, on the other hand, has been driven almost exclusively by his desire to surpass Goku. He obsesses over this, and every step forward that Goku takes is a massive blow to his ego.
That’s not to say that Goku never compares himself to others, particularly the villains he has to defeat, but Goku doesn’t measure himself and his progress exclusively by comparison. ForGoku, the goal is always to be strongerthan he was the day before, to the extent that battling against powerful foes is more of a means to an end than an end in and of itself. Goku has basically never concerned himself with being stronger than Vegeta the way Vegeta does about Goku. Instead, Goku’s goal is one of self-improvement, as is aligned with martial arts wisdom.
ThroughoutDragon Ball Z, Vegeta is rarely concerned with self-improvement for the sake of self-improvement. It’s always to best Goku, to feed his own ego with his superiority. It’s not enough for Vegeta to be stronger than he was yesterday, so long as he’s still weaker than Goku. This mindset of his holds him back and prevents him from growing in an organic manner. If Vegeta were able to set aside his obsession and grow for the sake of self-improvement, he might discover levels of power that even he never considered possible.
Vegeta’s Jealousy & Ego Have Always Been His Biggest Obstacle, Not Goku
The best example of the difference in their mindsets is easilythe beginning of the Majin Buu Saga. Vegeta cares so much about surpassing Goku that he’s willing to make a metaphorical deal with the devil for power, just to have a shot at defeating Goku. Even with the life he’s built on Earth, and the family that he has now,Vegeta was willing to throw it all away for the chance to be stronger than Goku for even a moment. Vegeta soon comes to regret this decision, but the damage is done, and it’s all due to his inflated ego.
Goku, on the other hand, returns from Other World on his day pass with the tremendous new power of Super Saiyan 3, something which he obtained while continuing to train in the afterlife.Goku had no reason to do this other than simply to see if he could, a perfect example of how Goku trains for the sake of self-improvement. No doubt Vegeta was the furthest thing from his mind while training in Other World, while Vegeta was surely still obsessed with surpassing Goku even knowing that Goku was dead.
Secretly, Vegeta doesn’t just want to surpass Goku; he’s envious of Goku’s ability to always break new ground, and he resents this fact. Vegeta wants to be the one pushing the boundaries of what’s possible more than anything, and it ultimately all ties back to his identity as the Prince of All Saiyans. Can Vegeta really lay claim to that title if he’s not the strongest out there? It’s a question that’s always in the back of Vegeta’s head, and it annoys him to no end.
Does Vegeta Ever Get Over His Jealousy Of Goku In Super & GT?
Of course, that does begin to change inDragon Ball Super. Vegeta, having learned from his terrible mistake with Babidi, begins to appreciate what he has built on Earth.InBattle of Gods, Vegeta comes to his family’s defense, and, for once, is fighting for something other than his own ego, bringing him newfound power. From training with Whis, Vegeta has learned that his mindset really does have an impact on his ability to grow, and while he still obsesses with Goku to some extent, there’s more to his quest for power than just surpassing Goku now.
Vegeta inGTregresses on some of these points relative toSuper, which is unfortunate, and more a consequence ofSuperbeing made afterGTthan anything else.Baby regards Vegeta’s body as the superior onein the universe, suggesting that Vegeta does have within him the potential to surpass Goku, and further emphasizing that it’s Vegeta’s mindset which holds him back.
Supermakes for a better continuation of Vegeta’s character arc, and emphasizes his growth in moments like his teaching of Cabba from Universe 6. This is exactly the sort of thing thatDragon Ball Z’s version of Vegeta could never do, and it shows that Vegeta really is learning to get past his jealousy in some ways. Perhaps now that Vegeta is on a different track from Goku,mastering Ultra Egorather than Ultra Instinct, Vegeta won’t feel so compelled to compare himself with Goku.
Vegeta still has a lot of growth ahead of him, and hopefully he’ll be able to overcome the most tragic aspect of his character sinceDragon Ball Zat long last.
Dragon Ball Z
Cast
Dragon Ball Z follows Goku, who lives a peaceful life with his family until the arrival of Raditz, a mysterious warrior claiming to be Goku’s brother. This revelation unveils their true heritage as Saiyans, a formidable warrior race known for conquering planets.
