The Saiyan Prince Vegeta was one of the earliest Dragon Ball Z (DBZ) villains. Arrogant foes are a mainstay of the Dragon Ball franchise, but Vegeta clings to his contempt toward “lesser beings” for longer than most. Whenever the heroic Z Fighters defend the Earth against aliens, androids, and demonic Majin, Vegeta is close behind as he tries to prove how pitiful both his allies and enemies are in comparison to himself.
However, Vegeta’s haughty nature changes once he has a son, Trunks, with the adventurous scientist, Bulma. Vegeta’s relationship with Trunks grows across DBZ and Dragon Ball Super (DBS). At the same time, Vegeta’s own worldview shifts. He grows incapable of the many actions and beliefs that defined his early characterization.
10 Treat Super Saiyan as Legendary
In early DBZ, the concept of a Super Saiyan was one of mystical legend. When Goku achieves the level of Super Saiyan, he is said to be the first Saiyan in a thousand years to do so. Vegeta undertakes extreme training to reach Super Saiyan after Goku and is proud to achieve legendary status in reward for his efforts.
However, Trunks achieves Super Saiyan as a child and with little effort. Bemused, Vegeta soon realizes the Super Saiyan state is nowhere near as legendary as once assumed.
9 Treat Allies as Tools
The first villains of DBZ are the Saiyans Nappa, Raditz, and Vegeta. Despite Nappa and Raditz being loyal to him, Vegeta only sees his allies as tools for achieving his dream of immortality. When Nappa begs Vegeta to save him, the prince kills Nappa for showing weakness rather than aiding his long-time ally to become stronger in the future.
However, once Trunks is old enough to train, Vegeta’s character has grown to the point he happily trains his son. His brand of support is brutal and intense, but the Saiyan Prince has realized it's better to build up allies and rivals rather than only seeing them as tools.
8 Think Only of Training
Before Trunks is born, Vegeta only cares about training—usually to surpass Goku’s current power level. Vegeta’s dedication crosses the border into an obsession as he breaks his body down to grow ever stronger. However, at that point in his life, Vegeta has no friends or loved ones (barring his still-vicious rivalry with Goku).
In the years following Trunks’ birth, and later as Bulma becomes pregnant with her and Vegeta’s second child, the prince spends more time with his family. In DBS, Vegeta promises Trunks a trip to an amusement park if the boy lands a blow to Vegeta’s face. Although Trunks wounds his father’s pride by landing that blow, the prince keeps his word. A younger Vegeta would have never spent this time with his family.
7 Leave The Planet On A Whim
When Bulma tells him she is pregnant with Trunks, Vegeta leaves the planet to train alone in space, unwilling to take responsibility for Bulma or their child. Up until this point, Vegeta didn't see his relationship with Bulma as meaningful, which reveals how Saiyan culture excludes concepts of family, kinship, and romance.
However, as Vegeta spends time on Earth, he forms familial bonds with both Bulma and Trunks. By the Majin Buu Saga – following a seven-year time skip – Bulma refers to Vegeta as her husband. It seems the prince stayed on Earth to be with his family rather than fleeing alone to space as he once did.
6 Put His Arrogance First
Vegeta’s earliest defining character trait is arrogance. He believes he deserves to rule the universe and that those weaker than him deserve death. As the series progresses and warriors more powerful than himself defeat Vegeta, the prince learns humility. However, with being an elite warrior, this humility is rarely put to the test.
Vegeta’s greatest test of self-control comes in DBS when Beerus, God of Destruction, arrives at Bulma’s birthday party. Only Vegeta knows Beerus’ identity as a fickle god who destroys entire planets if they annoy him. Although people tease him for it, Vegeta bows and scrapes to Beerus in order to protect Earth. This is perhaps the single greatest test of Vegeta’s self-discipline in Dragon Ball history.
5 Despise the Concept of Loyalty
Even up to the early days of Trunks’ life, Vegeta rejected the concept that one owed loyalty to one’s allies. This was the time when Vegeta abandoned his son and the mother of his child and only fought for selfish reasons. During this time, an older version of Trunks arrives from the future to warn the Z Fighters of androids who would destroy the world. Future Trunks struggles to win Vegeta’s respect, but the Saiyan Prince refuses to acknowledge his worth.
This all changes when Perfect Cell kills Future Trunks, prompting a visceral reaction from Vegeta. For the first time in his life, the prince knows the pain and protective rage of losing a loved one. From this point on, Vegeta understands and values loyalty to one’s allies, even if he rarely expresses it.
4 Pretend Goku Is Not His Friend
In early DBZ, Goku represents everything Vegeta hates. The prince sees Goku as an insolent, low-class warrior – a weakling who died to someone as pathetic as Raditz and who stupidly fought to protect others instead of seeking power.
As Goku continues to surpass Vegeta during the Frieza Saga, the prince’s rage toward Goku burns even hotter. However, as the two train in parallel toward similar goals of becoming stronger, Vegeta grows to respect Goku as a rival and, later, an ally. Upon learning to value the relationships he shares with his wife and son, Vegeta synthesizes this with his respect for Goku and eventually treats him as a friend.
3 Rely on His Own Strength
Early Vegeta would rather die than let another save him. Even Goku sparing his life deals Vegeta's ego a sickening blow. Of course, the prince suffers little conflict between his philosophy and bullying others into giving him healing and other resources.
However, once Vegeta fights for his family, he teams up with Goku in a way he never would have as a younger Saiyan. This culminates in Vegeta’s willingness to perform fusion with Goku to achieve the Gogeta and Vegito forms – a sacrifice of the prince’s precious individuality.
2 Believe He Is the Strongest Saiyan
No matter how many times Goku surpasses Vegeta in DBZ, the Saiyan Prince clings to the idea that he is the mightiest Saiyan warrior. However, witnessing Super Saiyan 3 Goku fight Kid Buu brings Vegeta to the realization that Goku is a better warrior than himself. Vegeta contemplates how he once believed Goku’s love for his family gave him strength. However, upon gaining a family of his own, the prince admits this isn't the secret to Goku’s power.
Vegeta’s reaction to this realization is fascinating compared to his prior fits of rage at the very idea of someone being more powerful than himself. Instead, Vegeta watches with a proud smile as Goku fights the most powerful foe either of them has ever faced. Though prideful, Vegeta learns through fatherhood to invest that pride in his friends and family.
1 Leave Saving the World to Goku
Goku is usually the one to save the world. That changes when Majin Buu attacks Earth while Goku is dead. As Trunks and Goten plead with Vegeta to let them fight Buu, the prince realizes there is only one chance to save the world. Vegeta tells Trunks he is proud of him and loves him, knocks him and Goten out, and sends them away. Another character points out how Vegeta will not receive a hero’s reward in the next world, but the Saiyan Prince no longer cares.
Although the act proves insufficient to destroy Majin Buu, Vegeta’s Final Explosion is one of the most iconic moments in Dragon Ball history. The time arrogant Vegeta gives his own life so the rest of the world can live. The prince’s last words before this act reveal the truth: “Trunks... Bulma... I do this for you. And yes, even for you, Kakarot.”