Dragon Ball: Vegeta's Powers Explained

In the age-old tradition of villains who eventually become good guys, few characters are as beloved as Vegeta (Ryo Horikawa/Christopher Sabat) from "Dragon Ball Z." Though the show laid the groundwork for his character arc early on by reforming Piccolo (Toshio Furakawa/Christopher Sabat), who was the central villain of the original series, it was still one of the most fascinating aspects of the sequel.

Naturally, Vegeta only begins to side with Goku (Masako Nozawa/Sean Schemmel) and company after Frieza (Ryuseo Nakao/Christoper Ayres) arrives on Namek. Though the prideful Saiyan prince ultimately loses his life to Frieza during the conflict, this arc goes a long way toward redeeming Vegeta and sets the stage for his eventual role as an anti-hero throughout the series.

However, one of the most notable aspects of Vegeta in "Dragon Ball Z" is his longstanding rivalry with Goku. In fact, much of Vegeta's intense training regimen and his progress in terms of power can be traced directly to his attempts to surpass Goku. In that regard, at least, he has succeeded more than once, even if his time in the No. 1 slot is ultimately temporary.

Still, his rivalry with Goku has led to the improvement of signature abilities like the Galick Gun he once used to try and destroy Earth and the development of even more powerful moves like Final Flash and Final Explosion. In fact, the latter of the two is so powerful that it once claimed Vegeta's own life.

Of course, longtime fans will recall that Vegeta could once transform into a great ape as well before his tail was cut off. This is a natural Saiyan ability but one that's seen less and less as the series goes on. Either way, the rivalry between a hero and a villain or rival where the two inevitably become allies or even friends is a staple of anime and manga. But "Dragon Ball Z" might have featured one of the earliest examples of the trope. As such, both Piccolo and Vegeta remain fan favorites even three decades later. Naturally, Vegeta's drive for power is less about saving people and more about simply being the best, however.

Still, this selfish goal drives Vegeta to push himself to the limit and beyond repeatedly throughout the series. Though the "Dragon Ball" franchise eventually moved past trying to give numbered assessments of how strong each character is, Vegeta has been as close to matching Goku's power as anyone.

To that point, even Goku admitted that Vegeta may have finally surpassed him in "Dragon Ball Super" after he spent six months training with Whis (Masakazu Morita/Ian Sinclair). Since then, the Saiyan prince has managed to even surpass his Super Saiyan Blue state, and he remains a constant force in the series' universe, where his pride and ambition push him to grow stronger and stronger with each passing challenge, even when he's defeated.