Times Vegeta Should Have Beaten The Villain Instead of Goku

Despite how much he has grown and evolved as a person, Vegeta still has never gotten the respect he deserves in Dragon Ball. Vegeta has always been neck-and-neck with Goku in terms of power, only ever being surpassed by Gohan or Goku himself. That’s what makes it all the more egregious that Vegeta still has never beaten a main villain in the series so far. Vegeta almost always has a big part in fighting the villain, but he usually ends up being used as a means of showing how powerful the villain is, rather than actually being a threat.

It was understandable that Vegeta didn’t play a major role in the earlier arcs of Dragon Ball Z when he was still learning to become a hero, but that time has long since passed. Not only is it time that Vegeta finally beat a main villain in Dragon Ball Super, but there have been a number of situations in the past where Vegeta really deserved to defeat the villain, but Goku ended up stealing the spot-light, as usual.

10 Android 13 Couldn’t Have Predicted Vegeta’s Moves

Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!

While none of them were canonical to the manga, Dragon Ball Z‘s films introduced a number of great villain characters for the Z Fighters to fight. One such villain was Android 13, who was an earlier prototype of the Androids created by the AI in Dr Gero’s supercomputer. Along with Androids 14 and 15, Android 13 was created for the singular reason of defeating Goku, and thus studied and memorized his every move. As a result, their operating systems were so finely calibrated to Goku’s martial arts that they were able to perfectly predict his every move.

Having Vegeta be the one calculation that Red Ribbon’s computers didn’t account for would have been an interesting way to highlight Vegeta’s importance to the group. Vegeta was still only just emerging as a hero during the Android Saga, and he was still struggling with reconciling his past of evil with his present heroics. Having him defeat Android 13 would have been in-line with how he was developing in the Android and Cell Sagas anyway, even if the Super Android 13 film wasn’t technically a part of the main series’ canon.

9 Moro’s Defeat at Vegeta’s Hands Would Have Been More Powerful

Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga (Dragon Ball Super)

Moro is a fan favorite villain of Dragon Ball Super, with his arc being a standout moment in the manga which still has yet to be adapted in the anime. Part of what made the Moro arc so interesting was its focus on Vegeta’s redemption more directly than any other point since the Buu Saga of Dragon Ball Z. While Goku’s mastery of Ultra Instinct played an important role in the fight against Moro, Goku didn’t need to grow as much as Vegeta did throughout the Galactic Patrol Prisoner arc.

Vegeta’s willingness to train on Yardrat was powerful, because it showed the Saiyan Prince learning a skill that was more than just raw power: itself an important moment for his character growth. What’s more, Vegeta was fighting the entire time just to protect the Namekians, showing how he was actively seeking to make up for his past mistakes.

8 Golden Frieza Was Very Nearly Defeated By Vegeta

Golden Frieza Saga (Dragon Ball Super)

The fight with Golden Frieza was the ultimate betrayal for Vegeta fans. Despite Vegeta being perfectly set up to finally be the one to defeat Frieza once and for all, Goku was still given all the glory in the end. It’s not even that Goku was stronger or more skilled either: it took actual time travel shenanigans to allow Goku to win in the end.

Vegeta is undeniably the one character who deserves to beat Frieza more than any other in Dragon Ball, because he has a long history with Frieza that dates back to his early childhood. The fact that he lost his best chance to do so yet just goes to show that Toriyama and Toyotarou still have no love for the Prince of all Saiyans.

7 Majin Buu’s Death Would Have Made Vegeta’s Redemption More Impactful

Buu Saga (Dragon Ball Z)

As great as Goku’s final fight against Kid Buu was, it’s arguable that things never should have gotten that far. Long before Goku and Vegeta fought Kid Buu in the Other World, Majin Vegeta was one of the first fighters on Earth to confront Majin Buu upon the monster’s reawakening.

While it’s entirely plausible that Vegeta should have been weaker than Buu at that point, his decision to use Final Explosion to bring Buu down with him should have worked. Vegeta’s resolve to give his own life to save the world was still an important moment for his character, regardless of the outcome, but it was somewhat undermined by the fact that Buu walked away from the explosion unscathed, rendering Vegeta’s choice all-but worthless.

6 Hit Only Lost to Goku Instead of Vegeta Beause He’s the Main Character

Universe 6 Saga (Dragon Ball Super)

Before Goku’s epic match against Hit during the Universe 6 and 7 Tournament in Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta faced off against Hit first. Despite having reached the same level of Super Saiyan as Goku at that time, Vegeta was easily defeated by Hit. In the manga, this was explained away as Vegeta having used a lot of his energy, despite being in SSJ Blue.

Unfortunately, it didn’t make much sense considering Goku then went on to fight on par with Hit before even using his SSJ God form. Goku is undeniably a skilled fighter, but his combat IQ is often portrayed as being less than Vegeta’s, so the fact he appeared to be far superior to Vegeta against Hit just didn’t fit either character at that point in Dragon Ball Super.

5 Frieza Deserves to Lose to Vegeta More Than Anyone Else

Frieze Saga (Dragon Ball Z)

As important as Goku’s first Super Saiyan transformation was for the Dragon Ball franchise, having Vegeta defeat Frieza would have made narrative sense. Even if Vegeta had simply dealt the finishing blow to gain his revenge, it would have been a cathartic moment for his character that may have made an emotional impact on him going forward.

Goku’s fight with Frieza is arguably the greatest anime fight of all time, but Vegeta could potentially have made it just as great by giving it an added layer of historical significance for the saiyan race. Ultimately, Goku had his own part to play at that time in saiyan history, but that’s really only because he was the main character. There’s no denying that Vegeta deserved to kill Frieza more than anyone else, and he has still never gotten the opportunity to get his revenge even after becoming stronger than Goku in Dragon Ball Super.

4 Cooler’s Family Did Irreconcilable Damage to Vegeta

Dragon Ball Z: Cooler’s Revenge

Cooler is a fan favorite villain who surprisingly has still not made his way into Dragon Ball‘s canon — even as alternate universe versions of Frieza like Frost are introduced. Cooler was a powerful villain at first, but he was completely undermined by the fact that Goku didn’t turn Super Saiyan into the majority of the fight. What made this ridiculous is the fact that Cooler even had his own additional Fifth Form which Frieza didn’t have, potentially making him far stronger than his brother was.

However, Goku was still the one to come out on top, while Vegeta wasn’t even anywhere to be found. What makes Vegeta’s utter absence in the first fight against Cooler strange is the fact that the film is said to take place before Future Trunks comes back to the present for the second time. Even after the rematch against Cooler in The Return of Cooler, Vegeta seems to be the one dealing with the final blow, only for Cooler to come back and be killed by Goku in the end.

3 The Ginyu Force Had a Score to Settle With Vegeta

Captain Ginyu Saga (Dragon Ball Z)

Vegeta’s initial fight against the Ginyu Force alongside Gohan and Krillin was a turning point for his character. At that point, he had officially teamed up with the heroes, but even that reluctant alliance wouldn’t be enough to beat Recoome, let alone Captain Ginyu himself.

As a lower ranking member of the Frieza Force, Vegeta was one of the Ginyu Force’s subordinates. This made Vegeta’s grudge against the Ginyu’s far more personal than Goku’s was. In this context, Gohan’s being beaten to a near-death state by Recoome seems like nothing more than a justifiable excuse for Goku to arrive to save the day in Vegeta’s stead.

2 Dragon Ball Z Broly Could Have Learned a Lesson From Vegeta

Dragon Ball Z: Broly, The Legendary Super Saiyan

In Broly, The Legendary Super Saiyan, Vegeta was the main subject of Paragus’ plans from the very beginning. Goku was never part of the picture: Paragus always planned on having Broly get revenge on King Vegeta for banishing him and his son from their home world. After Broly met Goku, it triggered memories of Goku crying next to him as a newborn baby, making Goku his main enemy from then on.

In a way, this was a way of giving Broly autonomy over his own destiny and breaking him away from his father’s control over him. However, it also cane off as a contrived way of making Goku the main character despite Vegeta clearly being the most important part of Broly’s arc. Vegeta defeating Broly along with the help of the other Z Fighters could have been a way of showing that Vegeta has become one of the heroes, with people other than saiyans willing to stand by his side.

1 Baby’s Disrespect Toward Vegeta Should Not Have Gone Unpunished

Baby Saga (Dragon Ball GT)

As a member of the Tuffle Race, Baby sought to avenge the death of his people by eradicating the remaining saiyans on earth. Chief among those he sought to destroy was Vegeta, who, as the Prince of all Saiyans, was the biggest remaining symbol of the Tuffles’ pain. Once he took control over Vegeta turning him only Baby Vegeta, Baby had the best chance yet of enacting his plan and forcing Vegeta to destroy everything he held dear.

Baby even took control over Bulma, and every Dragon Ball fan knows how unforgivable hurting Vegeta’s wife is for the Saiyan Prince. In the end, it was Goku who dealt the finishing blow on Baby as he tried to escape, but having Vegeta do that exact same thing would have taken little away from the scene while also giving Vegeta his much-deserved moment of vengeance over Baby.