Introduced as the main antagonist of Dragon Ball Z’s first story arc, Vegeta was an immediate game changer for the franchise. Instead of getting killed off as was originally intended, Vegeta survived his bout with Goku and was shipped off to Namek where he would actually hold onto the main character spot for a good chunk of the saga. It’s his story we follow until Goku shows up on Namek, and it’s his fights we watch with glee. When Goku wasn’t around, Vegeta drove the story.
Drove it right into the ground.
In a good way, though! Without Vegeta, we wouldn’t have Perfect Cell of Majin Buu. Vegeta is such a great character precisely because he screws up so much. If there’s a problem in Z, you can guarantee Vegeta’s going to somehow show up and make it infinitely worse. Fan response is often cited as the reason Toriyama kept Vegeta around past his due date, but considering how useful he is as a character it’s likely Toriyama saw all the potential for chaos the Prince of All Two Saiyans could bring.
20 He Underestimated The Earthlings
Vegeta could have made quick and easy work of Earth if he actually applied himself. If he just showed up and killed everyone before Goku could show up, he never would have lost. Vegeta wouldn’t be himself if he wasn’t making mistakes, however, so it’s only natural he messes up what should have been the easiest villain victory in the entire series.
The whole reason he loses is because Gohan, Krillin, and Yajirobe ran back to save a dying Goku. It’s natural to assume that Vegeta’s mistake was keeping the secondary character alive, in this case, but that’s not quite right. It’s keeping Goku alive that ended up hurting him. Because Goku was alive, he was able to charge up a Spirit Bomb that he traded off to Krillin who traded it off to Gohan. No Goku means no Spirit Bomb. Vegeta’s real opposition in the Saiyan saga was himself.
19 He Killed Nappa
Saiyans are a race of people who get stronger every time they almost die so it makes sense Vegeta would keep Nappa alive so he can continue being a valuable asset. That’s what he should have done, at least. No matter how you look at it, killing Nappa is one of the pettiest things Vegeta has ever done.
By killing Nappa, Vegeta deprived himself of a useful partner during Namek. Nappa is naturally stronger than Goku. His Zenkai would have been incredible! Vegeta and Nappa could have seeped the Ginyu Force together, they wouldn’t have had to wait for Goku. Plus, they could have reformed together and we’d get even more Super Saiyans to face off against Cell and Buu.
18 He Underestimated Frieza’s Forces
Just because you can defeat one strong guy doesn’t mean you can defeat all the strong guys. You’d think Vegeta would have learned that lesson on Earth. Instead, he kills one fodder Frieza force member and then decides he can take on Frieza’s two most trusted henchmen: Dodoria and Zarbon. While Vegeta manages to handle Dodoria, Zarbon completely decimates the Prince of all Saiyans, and it’s all because he let a little ego boost get to his head.
Keep in mind that this is also a Vegeta who’s been living amongst Frieza’s army for his entire adult life. He knows how strong they are. There is no reason whatsoever he should underestimate them. It’s all just thickheaded, misplaced pride.
17 He Didn’t Kill Dr. Gero When He Had The Chance
Vegeta really has no reason to be so egotistical in the Android saga. Frieza killed him and Goku ended up being the legendary Super Saiyan all along. What’s there to be proud about? For whatever reason, though, he decides he’d rather wait for Gero to build the Androids because he thinks he can handle. Remember that Vegeta literally came back to life one year ago when he makes this decision.
To be fair to Vegeta, this was a unanimous decision. Krillin and Bulma were the only ones who really objected to the idea, but it’s still something Vegeta pushed for. You’d think death would have humbled the old prince, but it really just made him even more insufferably stubborn.
16 He Thought He Was A Super Saiyan
Oh, Vegeta. You wanted to be a Super Saiyan so bad. He does eventually become one to his credit, but his constant exclamations that he’s the legendary Super Saiyan during the Frieza saga are pathetic at best. He’s the Prince of all Saiyans, he should understand that he’s just getting some random Zenkais from getting beat the crap out of by Frieza’s forces.
Honestly, it’s likely he knew he wasn’t a Super Saiyan and it was all just wishful thinking. It’s supposed to be a ritualistic transformation and he keeps thinking he’s become one thanks to random moments. No, Zarbon beating you up did not make you a Super Saiyan. Krillin shooting you through the chest didn’t either, (but we’ll talk about why that one was especially stupid later.)
15 He Let Himself Get Taken Over By Babidi
Vegeta’s insecurities regarding his rivalry with Goku stem so deep that he’s still not over it seven years after his rival dies. When Goku comes back to life for one day, Vegeta becomes obsessed with fighting Goku. Once the tournament is interrupted, though, Vegeta feels like his chance has slipped him by and he won’t get a chance to fight Goku anymore. That’s when Babidi contacts him and takes control of his mind. Taking advantage of his newfound power, Vegeta causes so much havoc that Goku has no choice but to fight him. The sad thing is, Vegeta never stood a chance no matter what.
By becoming Majin, Vegeta inadvertently leads to Majin Buu’s revival without even getting a fair fight with Goku. Goku was holding back the entire time and it’s likely that, if Vegeta just asked, Goku would have fought him anyways. Letting himself get taken over by Babidi was all over for nothing.
14 He Didn’t Train Until the Android Saga
Out of all of Vegeta’s problems, this is by far his biggest. It took him getting killed by Frieza to actually start training his body. When you think about it, it makes sense how easily Frieza was able to enslave the Saiyans: they do not train. Vegeta, who was the strongest natural Saiyan to ever live, did not train until he was in his 30s. No wonder Goku’s always ahead even though he’s lower class; Goku actually works hard! The first real evidence of Vegeta training is after Trunks arrives and tells everyone they need to train for three years to stand a chance. Amazingly enough, Vegeta actually ends up stronger than Goku after the three year gap. Now imagine how much stronger he would have been had he actually, y’know, tried.
13 He Made Krillin Mortally Wound Him
“Hey Earthling who was going to decapitate me with a katana, I think you should blast me through the chest and tell a Namekian who hates me to heal me so that I’m stronger than all of you and can fight Frieza.” - Vegeta, probably.
Yeah, this was stupid. It was even more stupid because, after actually doing it once, Vegeta didn’t decide to do it again. Seriously, the guy managed to get a solid Zenkai even though Krillin and Dende both wanted him dead. There was no reason for him to get so cocky and fight Frieza right away. If he’s willing to give himself a Zenkai, then he should be willing to give himself a few more! Frieza was busy fighting Piccolo, it would have been the perfect way to get a quick boost. Maybe if he did that instead of crying about how Krillin should mortally wound him, he wouldn’t have been killed.
12 He Didn’t Force Guru To Power Him Up
Vegeta is face to face with Guru after realizing Gohan and Krillin were just magically powered up when he notices the Ginyu Force are landing on Namek. While right in front of a mystical man who can literally unlock someone’s latent potential, Vegeta decides that the smartest thing to do is rush to the Dragon Balls with Gohan and Krillin instead of getting powered up by Guru and then tracking down the Ginyu Force.
Had Vegeta taken the power-up, he would have been able to handle most of the Ginyu Force. Recoome wouldn’t have given him any trouble. More importantly, Guru’s power-up is a gradual boost and Vegeta would have been getting stronger over time. There’s a good chance they wouldn’t have even needed Goku to take out the Ginyu Force by the time Vegeta’s power up capped out.
11 He Thought Making Himself Immortal Would Solve Anything
Vegeta’s main driving force in the Frieza saga is attaining the Dragon Balls so he can wish for immortality and finally stand a chance against the galactic emperor. It’s a simple motivation that’s consistent with his portrayal in the Saiyan saga and it gives him a reason to work against Frieza instead of just being another face in a gallery of villains. Vegeta’s goal is flawed from conception, through. Saiyans are a race that rely on Zenkais to get stronger and, since Vegeta doesn’t train, becoming immortal would mean he wouldn’t be able to gain any newfound power. The worst part is, Zenkais are pretty crucial in the step to Super Saiyan so becoming immortal would also lock him out of an incredibly useful transformation. Oops.
10 He Sacrificed Himself To Try To Kill Buu
Instead of blowing himself up to kill Buu, Vegeta really should have blown himself up to kill Babidi. Or not blown himself up at all, honestly. While emotional and the culmination of Vegeta’s character arc, Vegeta’s final atonement accomplishes absolutely nothing in a narrative sense. All it does is knock him out of commission until the end of the arc.
Vegeta goes into his match with Buu believing that he can take both of them out, but really he should have tried to at least kill Babidi first. By killing Babidi, Buu is no longer under anyone’s control and can be properly studied in combat. Vegeta has no real risk fighting him here, now. At the very least, Vegeta should have tried to keep Babidi in his blast radius so that all three of them could die together.
9 He Let Cell Absorb Android 18
The one time Vegeta is actually stronger than the main villain of a story arc he messed it up by making said villain even stronger. Letting Cell absorbs Android 18 is one of the downright dumbest things Vegeta has ever done. If Vegeta killed Cell in his semi-perfect, Goku never would have died, Gohan would have kept training throughout the seven-year gap between the Cell and Buu sagas, and Trunks never would have had to die. Sure, Goku wouldn’t have learned Super Saiyan 3 or fusion but there’s also a good chance Buu never would have revived. Vegeta is Vegeta, though, and wasting perfect opportunities is his life’s mission.
8 He Refused To Switch Up His Training Routine Until Super
After recognizing Goku’s sheer strength in the face of common birth, Vegeta decides he needs to pull a Goku and start training. Except he’s not going to train the way Goku does, oh no, he’s going to train his own way. For over a decade. Even though it’s obvious Goku gets stronger from training with people and not hanging out in a gravity room for hours on end.
It really is sad how much Vegeta holds himself back. He is naturally stronger than Goku, after all. If he just applied himself and trained with other people like Goku does then he’d be able to surpass Kakarot in no time at all. By the time he changes up his training regime in Super, Goku’s already widened the gap so much that the best Vegeta can do is almost catch up.
7 He Awakened Majin Buu
You can blame a lot of people for the Buu saga: Goku, Gohan, Babidi, Toriyama’s end of series fatigue, but the person who deserves the most blame is Vegeta. In forcing Goku to fight him, Vegeta puts a petty grudge above the livelihood of a planet he’s lived on for over a decade. It’s their battle that directly leads to Buu’s revival which directly leads to the Earth’s destruction. You could say Goku’s also to blame considering he gave in to Vegeta’s request, but it’s not like he had a choice considering Vegeta was happy slaughtering innocent civilians until Goku agreed. The worst part of it all is that Goku was holding back Super Saiyan 3 the whole time. Vegeta in the Buu saga is basically a ticking time bomb, waiting to screw everyone over at the last minute.
6 He Trained In The Hyperbolic Time Chamber Alone
You’ll always train better if you train with someone. It’s a recurring element throughout Dragon Ball. Goku trains alone with Kami and gets reasonably strong. Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu train together with Kami and they all surprises Goku’s original training. Goku trains together with Gohan in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and they’ve now fully mastered Super Saiyan. Vegeta trains alone in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and he’s barely any stronger than before.
The big problem here is that Vegeta should know better. He just finished training with Trunks in the chamber for a year when he decides to go back in alone. He knows just how powerful you can get when you train with someone, but Vegeta chose to be petty and train alone because, if he somehow succeeded, it would look more impressive.
5 He Refused To Show Trunks Affection
Worse than training alone is the harsh reality that he didn’t show Trunks any affection for an entire year. They were trapped together for an entire year in a small room and Vegeta apparently never tried to bond with Trunks. All these pent up feelings lead to his incapability to process Trunks’ death, causing him to recklessly charge at Cell and get Gohan severely damaged, but we’ll cover that mistake in a bit. By neglecting his son, Vegeta got Gohan injured and most likely held their training back. We know how Vegeta can be, there’s a good chance they didn’t actually do that much training together s
4 He Didn’t Want To Master Full Power Super Saiyan
Always the Super Saiyan, never the Full Power Super Saiyan. So the saying goes. There’s no reason outside of pettiness for Vegeta not to try and achieve Full Power Super Saiyan. The only reason he doesn’t is because Goku figured out how to master it first and that makes Vegeta feel embarrassed. Never mind the fact he went into the Time Chamber alone, he still could have mastered the form and at least gotten his stamina drain under control. Instead, he presumably punches the air saltily for a year before realizing his life has little to no meaning outside of his self-imposed rivalry with a Goku. Speaking of…
3 He Kept Thinking He Stood A Chance Against Goku
There are a lot of sad aspects about Vegeta’s life. He was Frieza’s slave for most of his formative years, he watched his entire race die before his eyes, and he dedicated his life to surpassing one random guy who had no real interest in a rivalry. Goku and Vegeta is constantly considered one of the greatest anime rivalries of all time, and it is, but it’s also entirely one sided.
What makes this rivalry so great is how forced it is in-universe. Goku does not care. He loves a good fight and he respects Vegeta’s Saiyan pride, but he’s never been as intense about squaring off as Vegeta has. Vegeta spends so much of Z desperately trying to catch up to Goku and he never can. It’s a unique take on the rival dynamic. They’re not equals and Vegeta is trying to create this narrative where they are. All the time he spends failing to one up Goku, he could have dedicated to some actual training and soul searching.
2 He Compromised Gohan’s Chance To Defeat Cell
I’m gonna be fair to Vegeta here, he actually does end up helping Gohan beat Cell, but the whole reason he has to help at all is because he put Gohan in a situation where he couldn’t reasonably defeat Cell on his own. After Cell comes back from near death, he kills Trunks, and Vegeta flies at Cell in a rage and Gohan has to jump in and protect Vegeta from a blast that would otherwise kill him.
It’s an emotional reaction and one that makes perfect sense considering his troubled relationship with his son. The issue is, and it’s actually addressed by Krillin in-universe, Trunks hadn’t died before so he could have been revived with the Dragon Balls. If Vegeta had just taken a moment to compose himself, Gohan could have killed Cell with relative ease.
1 He Let Frieza Blow Up The Earth
Resurrection F is a film all about flaws. Goku fails because he lets his guard down too often, Gohan fails because he doesn’t take his training seriously, Frieza fails because he’s too impatient, and Vegeta fails because he thinks too much and acts too little. Out of all these flaws and failures, however, Vegeta’s is, by far, the most disastrous.
After beating delivering the most humiliating beatdown Frieza has ever experienced, Vegeta… stops. He doesn’t kill Frieza, he doesn’t hit him anymore, but he just looks at him. He stops to think about what he should do next and, because of this, Frieza takes advantage of the respite to blow up the entire planet. Everyone save for the Z-fighters who were with Whis die and it’s only because Whis rewinds time that Frieza gets defeated. Vegeta had his chance to actually defeat and kill an arc villain, but he threw it away for a quick think.
