Vegeta spent the majority of Dragon Ball Z wanting to defeat Goku once and for all—but did he ever actually lose in the first place?
Rivalry is a cornerstone of shōnen anime. The clash of characters in both power and personality helps to create a natural sense of tension in relationships as they build throughout a series. Some of the most beloved characters in anime tend to be the rivals of the protagonist after all. My Hero Academia‘s Katsuki Bakugo has managed to secure the number one spot in the popularity polls for almost as long as the manga has been going. One Piece uses friendly rivalry as a way to keep the entire crew motivated to get better and better. Sasuke Uchiha basically became the secondary protagonist in Naruto despite being the rival that ended up defining the character trope for much of the early 2000s.
While rivalries have always been there in many different genres of anime, the most famous shōnen anime rival of all time is almost definitely Vegeta. His dogged pursuit of improvement over Goku is one of the biggest drivers of his character for an extremely long time. Even well into Dragon Ball Super, his need to be the best and come out on top remains even if it grows to be far less malicious. But does Vegeta actually have anything to prove? After all, Goku has never actually beaten Vegeta in a one-on-one fight.
Goku Didn’t Beat Vegeta In Their First Fight, And It Sets The Tone Going Forward
Vegeta first arrived on Earth after Radditz’s death alerted him to the existence of the Dragon Balls. Seeing the opportunity to claim immortality, the thing that all Dragon Ball villains worth their salt always end up wanting, Vegeta makes sure to start his pursuit of that goal as soon as he possibly can. This, of course, leads to conflict with Goku’s friends and family while they wait for Goku’s arrival back in the land of the living.
The first fight between Goku and Vegeta quickly became the fight that defined Dragon Ball Z, setting it more firmly apart from what came before. Goku and Vegeta spend the majority of the fight trading blows and damage, the famous beam sending Vegeta flying but not killing him. This continues until Vegeta takes on the Great Ape form and completely crushes Goku’s limbs. Without any outside interference, this would have been the end of the fight.
It’s really only through the intervention of Krillin, Gohan, and Yajirobe that Vegeta is ultimately defeated. By the time the Spirit Bomb is being called upon, Goku cannot fight for himself anymore. The Spirit Bomb manages to damage Vegeta to the point where he retreats, but there is no way to say that Goku straight-up won the fight. This is officially the start of their rivalry, but Vegeta is still on top. What makes this interesting is that this is where Vegeta’s hunger for greater achievement begins as, before this, he sees himself as being the most powerful Saiyan out there. Vegeta considers this first fight as a loss against Goku, even though it was a loss against multiple fighters whom Vegeta outclassed one-on-one.
The Namek and Cell sagas show how Vegeta’s focus on gaining power can often lead him to defeat and being short-sighted, power levels quickly becoming meaningless. Saying Vegeta is cocky is not exactly the hottest take in anime, but it is paired with a shocking inferiority complex when he compares himself to Goku. Vegeta doesn’t have to physically lose to Goku to lose to Goku in his mind; just the idea that someone could be better than him is enough. It’s this fact that leads to his next real fight against Goku in the Buu Saga, allowing Babidi to unlock his power in the hope of defeating Goku. While Goku does have Super Saiyan 3 in his back pocket, he never busts it out during his fight with Vegeta, and they are shown to be on the same playing field throughout. Vegeta actually wins this fight as well, sucker-punching Goku and knocking him out—but a win is still a win. Expecting it to be a fair win is someone else’s problem.
The final time that Vegeta and Goku fight in the series is in the B-plot of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. This is a sparring match done without any transformations or ki attacks. The two of them spend the whole movie sparring and fighting until they are worn down to the point of exhaustion, Goku falling first and leaving Vegeta to declare his victory after all these years. So why is this the real victory? Why does Vegeta not count the previous times they’ve fought and see them as defining for their relationship? Why does Goku live in his brain rent-free despite not having defeated him one-on-one ever? It all goes back to the very core of who Vegeta is and what a victory means for the Prince of All Saiyans.
Vegeta Cannot Accept Anything Less Than Complete Victory
Goku and Vegeta have had three major fights in the franchise, not counting Dragon Ball GT and the Vegeta clone that Goku fought. As it stands, Goku has never actually defeated Vegeta in a one-on-one fight. Even though there have been some underhanded tactics on Vegeta’s part in the Buu Saga, there really aren’t any other instances of that.
Vegeta always fights Goku head-on and holds nothing back. It can be confusing to think that the ever-proud Prince of All Saiyans won’t hold his victories close and laud them over Goku when he can. Instead, he stews in his own inferiority complex and lets it influence his poor decisions throughout the franchise. The conflict ultimately comes down to how Vegeta sees his victories.
In the case of the Saiyan Saga, Vegeta was humiliated by Goku’s wider circle. Once he loses his tail at the end of the fight, Vegeta is absolutely devastated—and Goku is the catalyst for that since he got Vegeta into this position. Goku is also a lower caste warrior from Vegeta, so even being able to stand up to him would be painful for Vegeta’s ego. Almost being killed by Krillin and only being allowed to live on Goku’s word would definitely be more embarrassing than simply being killed in battle, especially considering his position. In the Buu Saga, Vegeta needs to rely on Babidi and only secures the win after cold-clocking Goku at the end. The reveal of Super Saiyan 3 would also be enough for Vegeta to understand that his victory was pure luck, and it’s almost insulting that Goku wouldn’t pull it out, as though Vegeta didn’t register as a threat. Neither of these victories would count in Vegeta’s mind because they weren’t total victories at all; they relied on outside interference, and he ended up losing in the long run anyway.
The fight in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is the stand-out because it is just Goku and Vegeta. No tricks, no interference, no world-ending danger (as far as they know). It’s just one-on-one, fist-to-fist, and using their abilities to see who is just the better fighter. It makes total sense that Vegeta would treasure this particular victory as the true one. Goku has never actually beaten Vegeta in a one-on-one fight before, and it has become less and less relevant as time has gone on. Vegeta has finally settled into being a member of the team and a “good guy” for the foreseeable future, so his rivalry with Goku is more friendly—but the Prince of All Saiyans remains undefeated by Goku.
