Vegeta

The proud Saiyan prince who goes from invader to Goku's lifelong rival.

Vegeta, in full Prince Vegeta IV, is the prince of the Saiyans and the first major villain of Dragon Ball Z. He first appeared in chapter 204, "Sayonara, Son Goku", printed in Weekly Shonen Jump on January 7, 1989, arriving on Earth to use the Dragon Balls to make himself immortal. Blunt, regal, hard-working and fiercely proud of his royal blood, he is also arrogant and quick to anger, and after his first defeat he becomes fixated on surpassing Goku.

Quick Facts

Franchise

Dragon Ball

Creator

Akira Toriyama

Species

Saiyan

First

Dragon Ball chapter #204 Sayonara
Son Goku
January 7
1989 (Weekly Shōnen Jump 1989)

Spouse

Bulma (wife)

Children

Trunks (son); Bulla (daughter)

From invader to ally

Vegeta lands on Earth with Nappa, who kills Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, Yamcha and Piccolo before Goku arrives and beats him; Vegeta then kills Nappa himself for losing to a low-class Saiyan. Goku's Kaio-ken forces Vegeta into his Great Ape form, and he only just escapes, injured by Goku, Gohan, Krillin and Yajirobe. On Namek he hunts the Dragon Balls to deny Frieza his own wish for immortality, wipes out Frieza's men and a Namekian village, then has to fight beside Goku, Gohan, Piccolo and Krillin against the Ginyu Force and Frieza. Frieza kills him, and as he dies he asks Goku to avenge the Saiyans.

After Namek

Revived by Earth's Dragon Balls, he stays on Earth to wait for Goku and has a son, Trunks, with Bulma. Three years later he becomes a Super Saiyan and destroys Android 19, though Android 18 still beats him. Across Z and Super he ends up fighting alongside the heroes against Cell, Majin Buu, Beerus, Zamasu, Hit, Jiren, Broly, Moro, Granolah, Gas and, in Daima, Gomah, while staying Goku's rival.

Creation

Akira Toriyama first meant Vegeta to be a short-lived, second-tier villain whom Goku would simply kill. Readers liked him far more than expected, so Toriyama kept him, using Frieza partly as a way to give him a death that could later be undone. Toriyama said he was surprised a character with that hairstyle could beat Goku in popularity polls, and later named Vegeta and Piccolo as his favourite fighters in the series. Like other Saiyan names, "Vegeta" is a pun on the word vegetable.