Vegeta is one half of the most iconic rivalry in anime history. As Dragon Ball Z’s token deuteragonist, Vegeta is an integral part of the series’ formula and the franchise just wouldn’t be the same without him. He not only has a look and personality that has influenced countless other shonen heroes after him, he’s one of the strongest heroes in Dragon Ball, constantly neck-in-neck with Goku himself. Despite all that’s great about Vegeta, he rarely ever gets to deal the final blow against the villains: that honor is always reserved for the main character, Goku.
As great a protagonist as Goku is, he’s not much stronger than Vegeta, nor is he more dedicated or skilled as a fighter. That being the case, there’s simply no reason Vegeta couldn’t do what Goku could, perhaps even better than he has. If Vegeta were the main character, it’s arguable he not only would have won a number of fights that he lost throughout DBZ, but he would likely have been the hero of some of Goku’s own more iconic battles, as well. Chances are Vegeta would do even better than his rival.
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Recoome Would’ve Been Killed Much Sooner By Vegeta
It Took Goku to Beat Recoome, But the Fight Wouldn’t Have Lasted That Long if Vegeta Were the Main Hero
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Recoome infamously gave Vegeta and Gohan some of the worst beatdowns in anime history. There was little Vegeta could do to fight back, especially given how much Recoome seemed to revel in the art of combat. Recoome even nearly killed Gohan, with Vegeta being completely powerless to stop him.
In the end, Vegeta was forced to rely on the real hero, Goku, to swoop in and save the day. If the roles were reversed, Vegeta would never allow his fate to be in Kakarrot’s hands. Vegeta had a real score to settle with the Frieza Force after everything he went through with them, so seeing Vegeta defeat Recoome and the Ginyu Force as the hero would have been a cathartic moment.
Android 18 Wouldn’t Have Beaten Vegeta
Android 18’s Fight With Vegeta Would Be Just as Epic, But Would End Very Differently if Vegeta Had Plot Armor
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Even though Vegeta was weaker than Android 18, his fight against her was still one of the best fights in DBZ. The newly transformed Super Saiyan truly gave his all to defeat her, but he was just not powerful enough. Android 18’s power would be overwhelming whether Vegeta was the main hero or not, but there’s no denying Vegeta would have had a better chance at victory if he were the lead protagonist.
Even when Goku isn’t strong enough to win, he often finds a way to either gain a surprising power-up at just the right moment, or get back-up from his friends to take the villain down. Given Vegeta’s personality, he isn’t the type to get any help from his “friends”, so the only option would be for him to somehow get a Zenkai Boost in the middle of the battle.
Frieza Would’ve Been Fodder to Super Saiyan Vegeta
Vegeta Should Have Been the Legendary Super Saiyan Instead of Goku
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If there’s one villain Vegeta deserved to defeat even if he wasn’t the main character, it’s Frieza. Vegeta has a storied history with Frieza that goes back far before the Dragon Ball series even began, making Frieza Vegeta’s one true enemy throughout the entire franchise. While it’s possible that Goku wouldn’t be Vegeta’s rival if Vegeta were the main character of Dragon Ball, there’s no question that Frieza would still be Vegeta’s ultimate foe.
There were multiple times during the Frieza Saga where it seemed that Vegeta may actually become the Legendary Super Saiyan, but having never seen it before, he had no way of knowing what that actually entailed. At the time, it was believed that Goku’s “pure heart” was what allowed him to ascend to the Super Saiyan form, but that was soon disproved when Vegeta achieved the form in the next arc. Vegeta went through a lot on Namek to try to bring the Frieza Force down, fighting far harder and longer than Goku ever did throughout the entire saga.
Cell Never Would Have Transformed if The World Was in Vegeta’s Hands
Vegeta Wouldn’t Have Let Cell Become Perfected if He Was the Hero During the Cell Saga
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Vegeta made a lot of mistakes in DBZ, but one of his absolute worst was letting Cell absorb Android 18 to become Perfect. Vegeta knew he was far more powerful than Imperfect Cell, but his curiosity and pride caused him to allow the villain to transform in hopes of giving him a greater challenge. The resulting battle ended with Vegeta being easily defeated by Cell.
If Vegeta had main character plot armor, it’s likely he would have found a way to defeat Cell. In fact, he may even have felt more obligated to defeat Cell sooner, knowing that the weight of the Earth was on his shoulders. This could’ve prevented Cell from ever reaching his Perfect form to begin with.
Goku Would Be the Villain if Majiin Vegeta Was the Hero
Goku Would Lose to Majin Vegeta Fair and Square if Vegeta Were the MC
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Vegeta’s descent into Majin-hood was the final straw for his series-long internal conflict. Vegeta gave everything to defeat Goku, even his own autonomy, but that also allowed him to reach Super Saiyan 2 for the first time. If Vegeta were Dragon Ball’s main hero, it’s hard to say how his personality might be different, but he may never have wanted to become a Majin in the first place. He could very well have become a SSJ2 through his own hard work, or perhaps even stronger.
Vegeta always worked just as hard as Goku did, his power-ups just came less often due to plot reasons. While Majin Vegeta did technically win the fight against Goku in the canonical series, it’s only because he tricked Goku into letting his guard down. If Vegeta were the main character of Dragon Ball, he would have beaten Goku fair and square, and then went on to defeat Majin Buu too for good measure.
Cell Wouldn’t Have Beaten Vegeta During the Cell Games
Vegeta Would Never Leave the Fate of the World in the Hands of a Mere Child
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The moment Vegeta’s pride was definitively broken was during the Cell Games. While he had already lost to Cell once before, he became even stronger by training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with Trunks before the Tournament. Even with that training, Vegeta still wasn’t strong enough to take Cell down. The worst of it came when Cell killed Trunks, causing Vegeta to step in to try to stop him.
Vegeta was easily disposed of in a manner that was embarrassing for him, and that humiliation was only doubled when Gohan was forced to risk his own life to protect Vegeta. Vegeta even went so far as to apologize to Gohan for his weakness: a truly disheartening moment for a saiyan so confident in his own power. If Vegeta were the main character, he would never have let his own son fight against Cell in the way that Goku did, both because he would want to protect his child, and because he would have far too much pride to let a young boy defeat a villain he could have fought himself.
Majin Buu Should’ve Never Survived Vegeta’s Final Explosion
Majin Vegeta’s Redemption Would’ve Been More Powerful if it Resulted in Buu’s Destruction
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One of Vegeta’s most iconic moments in DBZ was his sacrifice against Majin Buu. It was a great redemption moment for Vegeta that was one of the highlights of his character arc. However, if Vegeta were the MC, things would have went very differently against Majin Buu.
Giving Vegeta the same plot armor that Goku has would have almost definitely allowed him to reach Super Saiyan 3 himself, making him more than strong enough to defeat Majin Buu without having to sacrifice his life with the Final Explosion technique. SSJ3 is the one Super Saiyan form that Goku has reached which Vegeta still hasn’t, so it would be interesting to see how he looks in the transformation. Being that Vegeta was a Majin at that time, he would definitely have been able to handle the power of SSJ3 better than Goku was, and he wouldn’t have had a time limit on his power like Goku did either.
Goku Shouldn’t Have Beaten Vegeta During the Saiyan Saga
Goku Only Beat Vegeta Thanks to His Main Character Plot Armor
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Goku’s fight against Vegeta is a legendary moment in shonen anime history, but it doesn’t always get framed the right way in the eyes of fans. Many tend to view the fight as a definitive victory for Goku, being that he gave Vegeta mercy at the end of the fight, but that’s not quite the full story.
While Goku put up a good fight, he would certainly have been killed by Vegeta had it not been for Gohan turning into an Oozaru. That kind of victory is one that’s only ever afforded to the main character, making Goku’s win over Vegeta more of a technicality than a decisive victory. In a universe where Vegeta was the MC, he likely wouldn’t have even allowed Gohan to survive for long enough to become a Great Ape, and he certainly wouldn’t have found himself at the mercy of a weakling like Krillin.
The Androids in Future Trunks’ Timeline Wouldn’t Have Gotten Past Vegeta
Future Trunks Would Never Have Had to Travel Through Time if Vegeta Was the MC
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The Android Saga was a big moment to shine for Vegeta. It was the first time he became a Super Saiyan, and his fight against Android 19 is easily one of his best showings in DBZ. However, the entire Android Saga may have very well never happened if Goku and Vegeta’s roles were reversed. If Vegeta were the main hero, there’s no way Androids 17 & 18 would have ever taken over Future Trunks’ timeline to begin with.
Future Vegeta would never allow himself to succumb to something like the Heart Virus, unlike Goku. With Vegeta alive and well, he would swiftly wipe out the puny androids before they ever got a chance to rise to prominence and destroy the earth. Therefore, Trunks would never have to go to the past to warn the Z Fighters, and it’s likely that Cell would never find his way to the present time period either.
Raditz Wouldn’t Stand A Chance Against Vegeta
Vegeta Would Have Easily Defeated a Lower Class Saiyan Like Raditz
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Raditz was DBZ’s first major villain, and the source of Goku’s first ever death in the franchise. Vegeta wasn’t even on Earth when Raditz attacked, so the two never actually met in battle. If Vegeta were the hero at that time, the fight with Raditz would have gone very differently.
For one, he would never have fought alongside Piccolo, as a Namekian is simply below the Saiyan Prince. Besides, Vegeta was far more powerful than Raditz at that point in the series, so he wouldn’t need any help anyway. Vegeta would easily eradicate Raditz just as he did his own partner Nappa, and the entire story of DBZ would have been completely different from that point on.
Goku, Picollo, Krilin, and Vegeta Dragon Ball Z TV Show Poster
Dragon Ball Z (1989)
With the help of the powerful Dragonballs, a team of fighters led by the saiyan warrior Goku defend the planet earth from extraterrestrial enemies.
Release DateSeptember 30, 1996CastBrian Drummond, Scott McNeil, Christopher Sabat, Sean SchemmelMain GenreAnimeGenresAction, Adventure, AnimeRatingTV-PGSeasons9StudioToei AnimationCreatorAkira ToriyamaNumber of Episodes291
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