Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero didn't feature nearly as much of Goku and Vegeta as fans expected. The movie was instead focused on the exploits of their friends and family, especially Piccolo and Gohan. However, that doesn't mean that they didn't get to do anything important in this movie.

When the movie found time to focus on two of the universe's greatest warriors, it actually had a lot to say about their rivalry. In fact, they both get this big moment that encapsulates their history together while also providing Vegeta's true perspective on it. While this movie didn't focus on them, it did add another key element to their story as it's been portrayed throughout Dragon Ball.

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Goku vs Vegeta Dragon Ball Super Super Hero

The moment between Goku and Vegeta comes about as the two of them are having a big match. This fight, free of transformations and energy blasts, saw the two of them in a complete, uninterrupted bout of hand-to-hand combat. This fight ended up taking up the rest of their time throughout the movie.

The end result of this fight was revealed in a post-credits scene. Goku and Vegeta, both completely exhausted from fighting, fell to the ground, but Goku was the first to go down. Vegeta was overjoyed at this outcome as, to him, it meant that he'd finally beaten Kakarot. As monumental as this achievement is for the Saiyan Prince, it's not the most important part of this fight.

Vegeta's assessment of the fight has a lot of meaning behind it. For one thing, it tells the audience about what Vegeta considers to be a win against Goku. It means beating him in combat and being the last man standing with as little room for debate as possible.

Vegeta's concept of winning implies that he never felt like he truly won against Goku, not even in their first fight. Technically, Vegeta overpowered and beat Goku in their first official fight, fair and square. After turning into a Great Ape, he'd crushed Goku's body and had him dead to rights. The only reason he can't count this as an absolute win is that Krillin, Gohan, and Yajirobe stepped in to help Goku finish the fight when he was too broken to do it himself. If it weren't for them, he would have killed Goku and possibly destroyed the Earth.

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Goku and Vegeta prepare for battle in Dragon Ball Z

In fairness, however, Vegeta was the one who said it would be fine for Goku and co. to join forces against him. He arrogantly believed that he could still finish all of them off even if they were to come at him all at once. To make that boast and still end up defeated would make it his loss overall.

Getting stronger than Goku doesn't count for anything, either. For all the times he's surpassed Goku in strength, be it through Zenkai boosts, training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, or some sort of new transformation, none of it would count for anything on its own. Unless he actually beat Goku with his newfound power, he couldn't truly say that he'd won.

Unfortunately, Vegeta really only had a couple more times to fight Goku in Dragon Ball Z. On Namek, he beat Captain Ginyu in Goku's body, but it was mainly because the latter was inexperienced with his new powers; it would be a much different story if Goku were fighting and he'd used his Kaio-ken technique. In the Buu Saga, Vegeta used a sneak attack to knock Goku out while he had his guard down; not only was this after their fight was called off, but if Goku had taken the fight seriously, he would have won. Vegeta technically took out Goku in both of these fights, but not in a way that could be called a genuine win.

Additionally, if Vegeta is saying he's finally beaten his rival in the movie, then that implies that he lost all of his off-screen battles with him, too. All of the time they spent sparring in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Goku won. In that closing scene from the Dragon Ball Super anime where they're reenacting their first battle but in Super Saiyan Blue, Goku must have won. Suddenly, every one of their fights where the result was never shown has all become a win for Goku.

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This might even mean that any fights they've had in promotional material or some other source all ended with Goku winning. For example, that shot of the two of them fighting from the Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout opening must have been a Goku win. Likewise, that final battle Goku and Vegeta were implied to have had in Dragon Ball Online might have also gone to Goku. If this weren't the case, then the meta significance of Vegeta "finally beating Kakarot" in Super Hero wouldn't carry nearly as much weight.

Of course, a lot of how Vegeta defines beating Goku has changed throughout their time together. Originally, all he needed to do was kill Goku and his friends and either conquer or destroy Earth: he had nothing to prove. As DBZ progressed, Vegeta's need to kill Goku faded, but he still wanted to defeat him and reaffirm that he was the Prince of the Saiyans. By the end of the series, he was fully willing to acknowledge Goku as better than him, though he had no intention of being left in the dust.

This is what led to Vegeta's view of their rivalry in DBS. He can accept that there's a power gap that's not always in his favor, but it's not something he's content with. Where he once mocked Goku for trying to use effort to beat superior opponents, now he's the one who has to work hard to surpass Goku. This back and forth to become the best is what's pushed both of these fighters to unimaginable new levels of power.

The movie really shows how Vegeta's rivalry with Goku has changed over the years. At first, beating Goku was expected of him to establish his dominance. Now that he's been humbled by the lower-class Saiyan, he'll find solace if he can beat such a worthy opponent just once. He's come to realize that there's always progress to be made, and if he wants to stay ahead, he'll have to train hard.