There are a lot of reasons that fans love the Dragon Ball series, but there’s nothing quite like a strong rivalry to bring in an audience. Dragon Ball has followed the adventures of Goku since he’s been a child and he’s faced progressively dangerous villains over the years.
Goku makes a true enemy towards the start of Dragon Ball Z with Vegeta, a fellow Saiyan. Ever since, Vegeta holds Goku’s strength as a benchmark for his own and he’s determined to become better than him. Dragon Ball Super’s latest developments feature some very curious changes for both Vegeta and Goku, some of which could even result in Vegeta finally becoming number one.
10 He Takes The God Of Destruction Route With His Training
There’s been a friendly rivalry that’s existed between Vegeta and Goku since their earliest days. Dragon Ball Z largely has Vegeta and Goku fighting over the same benchmark goals, but Dragon Ball Super allows the two Saiyans to slightly diverge into different schools of thought when it comes to their training.
Goku aligns with Whis, who teaches him more about the nature of Ultra Instinct, while Vegeta works with Beerus to master the “Hakai” destruction ability. It’s quite exciting to see Vegeta’s God of Destruction training intensify and it could be the key to how he overwhelms Goku.
9 Vegeta’s Forced Spirit Fission Is A New Maneuver Specific To Vegeta
Dragon Ball Super’s manga following the Tournament of Power arc introduces its next major villain, Moro, who pushes Vegeta and Goku to surpass their limits and master a bunch of new skills.
Vegeta’s major contribution during this period is Forced Spirit Fission, a highly powerful ability that allows him to transfer energy between entities, which has even been able to restore life in the past. There are more secrets to discover about Forced Spirit Fission, but it’s already been crucial for Goku’s victory. Vegeta holds a lot of power with it.
8 He Replaces Goku When He Leaves To Train Uub
Dragon Ball Super might be the follow-up to Dragon Ball Z, but it’s technically set within the final chunk of the previous series. Dragon Ball Z’s final time skip still takes place after the events of Dragon Ball Super and it hasn’t been reached yet in the timeline.
This means that Goku’s future is still building towards him leaving his friends and family to train Uub. This is the perfect opportunity for Vegeta to intensify his own training, fill Goku’s role, but do it so well that he won’t need to relinquish his power.
7 Vegeta Refines His Skills In Universe 6
One of the most enjoyable additions to Dragon Ball Super is the introduction of new alternate universes, one of which contains several new Saiyans. Universe 6’s Cabba immediately respects and admires Vegeta and the Saiyan Prince teases that he’ll come to Universe 6 to help him grow stronger.
There’s a ton of potential in the prospect of Vegeta helping not just Cabba, but also Kale and Caulifla with their burgeoning Saiyan power. This teamwork could build up Vegeta’s own strength, or maybe it gets the attention of a Universe 6 villain, which Vegeta conquers.
6 He Takes Advantage Of The Brewing Granolah & Frieza Feud
The latest story arc in Dragon Ball Super heads into uncharted territory for the series and at this point, it’s unclear if the newcomer, Granolah, will ultimately be a friend or foe to Goku and company.
All that’s currently clear is that Granolah harbors a tremendous grudge against Frieza. Vegeta knows how to properly manipulate others and build a good strategy and it’s not inconceivable that he uses this conflict as a way to either preoccupy Goku or improve himself.
5 He Embraces His Advanced Super Saiyan Blue Form
Dragon Ball Super hasn’t held back when it comes to new Super Saiyan transformations and the series features the most colorful upgrades yet with Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan Blue, and Ultra Instinct. The events of the Tournament of Power both push Vegeta and Goku past their limits in different ways.
Goku achieves Ultra Instinct and Vegeta instead taps into a new plateau of Super Saiyan Blue. The limits and abilities of this Advanced Super Saiyan Blue remain to be seen, but it’s one area where Vegeta has an edge over Goku, which could grow even larger.
4 He Experiments With A New Fusion
Fusion remains controversial territory in the Dragon Ball universe. On paper it sounds like a fun idea to combine two of the series’ strongest characters together, but it’s certainly an element that can be abused and become an easy solution to problems.
When it comes to fusion, Vegeta’s partner tends to be Goku, despite his disdain over this union. Vegeta remains reluctant to fusion, but if he attempted it with someone like Future Trunks, Cabba, or even Beerus, he’d be put in a situation where he’d be more powerful than ordinary Goku.
3 Goku Goes Too Far & Blows Out His Body
It’s possible that Vegeta could become stronger than Goku due to Goku’s own folly, rather than his own improvements. Goku is extremely passionate when it comes to new power and there are several opportunities where his enthusiasm leads to him surpassing his limits, whether it’s with Super Saiyan 3, Kaio-Ken Blue, or Ultra Instinct.
Goku has been out of commission in the past because he’s pushed himself too hard. It’s entirely possible that he eventually goes too far and destroys his body once he tries to surpass the limits of Ultra Instinct and go even further.
2 He Develops More Original Abilities
Dragon Ball has grown into a series where transformations are often viewed as more important than specific techniques and abilities. Vegeta heads to Yardrat to learn a bunch of new skills, which results in Forced Spirit Fission, but the race seems to know plenty of other secrets.
Vegeta could return and learn more abilities or even just refine the many that he already knows, yet through the filter of Super Saiyan Blue or beyond. Vegeta developed tons of techniques in the past and it’d be smart for him to evolve them to match his modern sensibilities.
1 He Uses The Dragon Balls
The Dragon Balls have been a target for many of Dragon Ball’s villains. However, Vegeta turns out to be a character that doesn’t really exploit them. The powers of the Dragon Balls have been revised over the years, but Dragon Ball Super’s manga introduces the concept that an individual can make a wish to increase their strength, but at the cost of it removing years from their life.
This whole approach may seem somewhat antithetical to Vegeta’s values, but it doesn’t change the fact that it still is a method that he could turn to, even if he won’t.