Dragon Ball is definitely a legendary series, with one of the most well-known characters around as the series lead. Goku is definitely the most well-known protagonist of any anime or manga series on a global level. But, the idea of a different character replacing him is one long tossed about by fans.
One of those characters in the conversation with just about as much popularity and impact as him, Vegeta. In fact, many believe he is much better for the role of the series protagonist than Goku. This list will be looking at the different reasons for this belief as well as the reasonings for Goku being the best fit.
10 VEGETA HAS SOME AMAZING DEVELOPMENT
While Goku is no slouch in the character development cycle, the series is more about him remaining the same while the world changes around him due to his influence. This makes his growing moments a bit less noticeable and less seen throughout the series.
Vegeta, on the other hand, is constantly shown to be growing as a person and is an all new man in the series. This growth makes him seem like the perfect person to lead the series.
9 GOKU CHANGES THE WORLD AROUND HIM
As said earlier, Goku is a character with constant influence on the world around him. The character was tailor made to be the biggest personality in the series which makes him the perfect man for this job.
It's impossible to miss each time this happens, even beginning with Goku's time as a child as he was falling towards Earth and away from his father Bardock. He's an amazing force to focus on and just works as a protagonist for the series due to this large feature of the character.
8 VEGETA WOULD BE A PERFECT ANTITHESIS TO THE USUAL PROTAGONIST
While it may not have originally worked in the series due to the shonen norms and standards not being set yet, nowadays Vegeta would actually be a great antithesis protagonist to break up the norms of the genre.
Whereas Goku is the quintessential shonen protagonist that set a lot in stone for the very popular genre, Vegeta is the opposite. He begins very selfishly and goes on his original adventures for vastly different reasons than Goku, which would make him a fun and different way to experience a shonen.
7 GOKU IS DRAGON BALL
Goku is a character that completely captures the essence of the series that he stars in. One look at him will tell anyone almost everything that they need to know about him, the world around him, and the series as a whole.
Dragon Ball is a series about adventure, both in the literal world-traveling sense and the meeting new friends and foes sense. This simple word, "adventure", literally describes this main character.
6 VEGETA IS A MUCH MORE CONSISTENT THAN GOKU
One thing that is a constant complaint of Dragon Ball fans is the fact that Goku is constantly going back and forth when it comes to character development.
On the other hand, Vegeta is always praised for being very consistent on this front. While there are sometimes retreads when it comes to his character growth he definitely hasn't really stepped back at all.
5 GOKU IS BUILT TO BE THE PROTAGONIST
While Vegeta has a lot of qualities of a being a good protagonist for the series, Goku is literally made for the role in the classic sense. He was seen as a weak warrior but is one of the greatest in the universe.
Vegeta is the opposite of this role and is more of a Light Yagami type character, which would work, but not in a series like Dragon Ball for the most part.
4 VEGETA IS VERY POPULAR
Vegeta is one of the most popular characters in the entirety of Dragon Ball. In fact, he might just be the most popular, even beating out Goku due to how edgy and different he is to the usual characters in the series.
This puts him in a position to actually be the leading character of the series. While Goku is constantly put down for being "basic" Vegeta is always praised for being so different.
3 GOKU IS FAULTED
Goku has the great aspect of being a perfectly faulty character. He is a pure man and his intentions are always positive but he has a selfish side that he doesn't even notice which leads him to put the Earth in danger just for a good challenge.
This is a huge part of his character and one of the reasons that he is such a great one to follow.
2 VEGETA BECOMES "PERFECT"
While Goku never really grows out of his faults, Vegeta actually does and ends up being a rather perfect character. He defeats his toxic pride, lets himself grow to love others, and becomes the perfect family man.
While he still isn't the perfect fighter due to his mind he becomes the perfect man and technically the purest character in the series, even defeating his evil nature head on.
1 GOKU IS THE REASON VEGETA IS WHO HE IS
While Vegeta is definitely a good character on his own, he wouldn't be the man he is today without the legendary force that changes everything he touches to push him to that.
Without Goku at the wheel who would have changed Vegeta? This is why Goku wouldn't work in the secondary seat. A focus on Vegeta just wouldn't work if fans are expected to believe that Goku changes his life.