Goku and Vegeta are the greatest heroes throughout the Dragon Ball franchise. Goku, the wayward son of Planet Vegeta has dedicated one part of his life to getting stronger and the other to protect all those around him. The man, the myth, and the legend constantly surpassing his own limits and pulling out a new form exactly when we need him to. And when that fails, he always relies on some good old fashion grit and guts to pull him through.
On the other hand, Vegeta is constantly pushing himself forward. The diehard villain eventually having a change of heart and becoming Goku's most trusted ally and rival in a slow and steady heel-face turn. The Saiyan Prince earning his own share of heroic achievements that serve as a redemption for his previous bad guy ways. So with that in mind, let's see what makes both of these Saiyans heroes.
10 Goku: We Watched Him Grow Up
From pint-sized powerhouse to one of the strongest entities in not only his own universe but several others, we have watched Goku ever since he was a victim of Bulma's bad driving to his world-shaking battle with Broly in the latest movie. The young man growing steadily stronger under our watch.
From the Kamehameha Wave to the Kaoiken to becoming the first Super Saiyan after over a millennium, every personal failure and triumph happened right before our eyes. So we understand exactly how much the young man has earned his place as the hero of Dragon Ball.
9 Vegeta: He Grew Up
Goku became an adult but he didn't exactly mature. On the other hand, Vegeta always seemed more mature and that level of maturity eventually evolved to have a good moral center attached to it. Making him reliable, relatable, and rational in ways that Goku never could be to the audience that grew up with the show.
Sure, Goku's childlike persona and naivety can be his strengths, but Vegeta's maturity is something that makes him a bit more down to earth than Goku. The Prince of all Saiyans the most mature pure-blooded Saiyan left when compared to the others left in his universe.
8 Goku: Almost Always Proves To Be The Strongest
One of the surest talents of a hero in a battle manga is that they are almost always the strongest. They may encounter the odd villain or rival that becomes better than them for a time, but the hero is always able to push past them and overpower them by the end of their fight. And Goku has this in spades.
Ever since he was a wild child, Goku has always been the strongest thing out there, and when he wasn't, those people only proved to be a road bump on the way to his ever-increasing power. Namely, characters like Tien, Frieza, and Jiren prove that Goku almost always comes out on top by the fight's end or in the rematch.
7 Vegeta: First To The Fight
Goku has a problem. He almost always gets there late. Whether it be the fight with the Saiyans, the fight with Frieza, or several other predicaments that where the cast can use the monkey kid's help, he seems to be too far or too hurt to get there on time. Giving the character a sense of unreliability that Vegeta has to make up for.
Say what you will about Prince Vegeta, but even if he is constantly relegated to a second banana when compared to Goku, he is always the first one to the fight. Good or bad, he can almost always be counted on to be there when you need the cocky Saiyan.
6 Goku: Kind To All
Power may be one of the defining traits of a shonen hero but without some other redeeming traits they can easily be considered a villain. What makes Goku a hero is that he often shows kindness to all big and small, weak and powerful, deserving and undeserving.
Unlike most Saiyans (and thanks to being dropped on his head as a kid), Goku possessed the desire for power but none of the hostility that came with it. The kid, instead, developing a moral center that would find him offering his courage, determination, and most of all kindness to all those he ran into, even some people that were probably better off dead.
5 Vegeta: Great Redemption Arc
Vegeta went from trying to destroy Earth to being one of its greatest champions throughout Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super. It wasn't an easy road for Vegeta... or anybody that involved themself with him... but through several personal trials and tribulations, he became a trusted member of the crew and one of the greatest heroes throughout the universe.
Not as naturally good-natured as Goku, it's no secret that Vegeta is still rough around the edges, but he is still willing to reign in his more pointy personality traits to do some good. It, in a way, more worthy of praise that Goku's easy morality, since Vegeta has to constantly struggle with his evil intentions to do some good.
4 Goku: Always Surpasses His Limits
Goku is basically the poster boy for gains at the gym. The wayward Saiyan constantly not only fighting others but fighting his own limitations through the series. The little alien boy constantly surpassing those limitations to encounter the next stage of his power.
Though the act of pushing past his limits isn't the only thing that makes Goku a hero but the inspiration he instills in others when doing so. That same can-do attitude proving it can be contagious enough to inspire its fan to do the same. Because if Goku can do, maybe we can too.
3 Vegeta: Better Family Man
Outside of the year spent with Gohan inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber right before the Cell Games, Goku hasn't been around much for his family. He has either been dead, training, or enjoyed the special privilege of doing both at the same time. For goodness sake, he didn't know Goten existed until he was seven years old.
On the other hand, Vegeta has been shown to be a great husband and father. It started rocky at first, but eventually, Vegeta grew into the role of the family man and accepted the responsibilities that came with it. The man even skipped training to spend time with his pregnant wife and dedicated some time to take Bulma and Trunks to an amusement park.
2 Goku: Willing To Sacrifice Himself
One of the trademarks of a true hero is self-sacrifice. Thanks to the nutty world of Dragon Ball where death is always seven Dragon Balls away, Goku got the chance to do this not once but twice.
And both times he showed little hesitation in doing so. For his son, he was willing to take Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon right through the chest. For the world, he was willing to go out with Cell's explosion. Furthermore, he opted to stay dead after the Cell Games because he thought that his presence would only attract more villains to planet Earth. Goku has more than earned the spot of hero for his willingness to give himself fully to protect others.
1 Vegeta: Better Backstory
Tell me which sounds better to you?
A wayward Saiyan happens to run into the evil emperor that destroyed his home planet on planet Namek and now must fight him for the sake of the universe. The young warrior just recently discovering he was from that planet to begin with.
Or...
A Saiyan Prince witnesses the destruction of almost his entire race at the hands of an evil emperor. The disgraced royalty forced to join the emperor's ranks as one of his many elite warriors to do his bidding and conquer the universe. The young man choosing to bide his time among his ranks to search for enough power to eventually destroy the evil emperor and claim vengeance for his planet and race.
There is one good answer here and it is pretty obvious.