The Prince and the Pauper: Vegeta’s Secret Struggle

Something I think people often misunderstand about Vegeta is that he lives more in a state of perpetual frustration than he does anger. I would venture that no one has a work ethic like he does, and yet for all of his unwavering effort, he never seems to get rewarded – not in the way he’s looking for, anyway. He achieves things unfathomable to the average person, but he just can’t ever seem to get there first. He literally spends ALL of his free time working his body so relentlessly that he frequently injures himself, and yet he’s always, always, always a few steps behind Goku. It’s no wonder Vegeta’s rarely in a good mood; he puts in far more effort than anyone else, and yet Goku – who not only devotes less time and attention to his craft, but is also a good 5-10 years younger than him – just breezes right by like it’s no big deal. Because for Goku, it really isn’t, and no amount of Vegeta exhausting himself will ever change that.

Which necessarily begs the question, why does he keep doing it? Why does Vegeta need to be the absolute best? What makes him so willing to sink the vast majority of his life into chasing a goal he’ll seemingly never attain?

The answer may surprise you.

One of the most important things to keep in mind about Vegeta is that he was literally owned as property for decades. Freeza stole him from his father and destroyed his home planet when he was very young, and then more or less kept him as a pet. After all, Freeza personally and intentionally drove the saiyan race to near-extinction, so he wouldn’t have kept Vegeta around if he didn’t get some kind of amusement out of his presence. Vegeta was only allowed to live for novelty and entertainment, and Nappa and Raditz were only spared to look after him.

And what kind of entertainment did Vegeta provide? Essentially, he was a physical and mental punching bag. No one in Freeza’s army respected him, both because of his comparatively puny power level and his race. Freeza and his henchmen constantly reminded Vegeta that he was beneath them and happily addressed him with belittling and derogatory language. They mocked his heritage and his royal background while putting him firmly in his place, to concretely remind him that he does not have authority among them and he’d better take whatever they dish out. Although he had a mild degree of freedom to go where he wanted to and when, it was never because he was actually free; it was only because Freeza gave him a long leash, which could be tightened at any time.

This is the root of a lot of Vegeta’s motivations and behaviors. He became disgusted with weakness because he was too weak to stop the harassment from happening. He became obsessed with power because he wanted to gain even one iota of control over his existence. He became sensitive to his status and rank because Nappa and Raditz were the only people who so much as showed him respect as a person, let alone held his bloodline in high regard; anyone else just called him a stupid monkey and pounded him into the ground if they were in the mood. There’s no telling how many indignities Vegeta was forced to clench his jaw and endure over the years, but it’s obvious how much it affected him.

Getting stronger was the one thing that would’ve solved all of his problems. If he was strong enough, no one could push him around anymore. No one would degrade him or pick fights with him, because they’d know he would be the one sending them to the rejuvenation tank. With enough power at his disposal, he could regain control over his life and live the way he wanted to, regardless of what anyone else said. It’s the entire reason Vegeta was so excited to crack the code on making huge leaps forward with his power level by recovering from near-death. He wastes no time at all confronting those that abused him over the years, reveling in their shock over his progress and terror as they realize they can’t beat him. It’s payback that was long, long overdue.

So why, then, did he intend to use the dragon balls for immortality instead of even more power? Because a wish for more power is too abstract to be reliable in his situation. If he were to ask for a specific power level, there’s no way to ensure if it’d be enough to finally rid himself of Freeza, since Vegeta had never seen him at his max. It’s also risky to leave the request broad and assume the dragon will figure it out; Shen Lon and Porunga may be wish-granting deities, but they’re not all-knowing or all-powerful. How a wish is worded matters, and even if the phrasing is correct, there are still some things they just can’t do – and Vegeta, who at this time has no background with either of them, has no guarantee that they’d get it right. In his particular case, wishing for power directly is a gamble with very high stakes. It puts his fate in someone else’s hands, and that’s something he’s lived with for far too long already.

Wishing for immortality is less a desire for immortality itself and more a way to sidestep the unknown variable that is Freeza’s power level. We already established that Vegeta has the most obsessive and dedicated work ethic of anyone else in the series; he probably believed that he could eventually get to a point where he’d win his independence, if given enough time and a guarantee that Freeza couldn’t kill him first. And even if he never managed to defeat Freeza, immortality would allow Vegeta to at least outlive him. Either way, he’d finally be free of Freeza’s grasp, with infinite time ahead to live the way he wants.

The only problem with this plan is that it works both ways: If Freeza gets to the dragon balls first, then he’s the one that’s guaranteed to always win. It’s exactly the reason Vegeta goes into such a frenzy when he realizes that Freeza knows about the dragon balls. If Freeza becomes immortal, Vegeta will never be able to escape. It would never matter how strong he got because Freeza would always survive any attack, and he obviously could never outlive an immortal being. Vegeta’s entire goal on Namek was less about what he actively wanted and more about what he didn’t want.

It’s also important to keep in mind that once Vegeta tips his hand about overthrowing Freeza, there’s no going back. He HAS to succeed, or he’s going to die trying – which, unfortunately, is exactly what happened. It’s the reason why he actually breaks a couple of times during this arc, in a way that we would never see him break again. The moment he realizes there’s no way he can win, Vegeta weeps and loses the will to fight back – not because he regrets his actions or because he isn’t ready to go, but because he’s never, ever felt more powerless than at that moment. For the first time he really, truly gives everything he’s got to break free of the person that’s been holding the back of his neck since his childhood, but even after his gigantic power increases, it STILL isn’t enough. No matter how hard he tries, Vegeta just can’t overpower Freeza, and it makes him feel completely helpless.

That’s why he turns to Goku in his final moments and begs him to finish what he started. Even if he can’t see it himself, his dying wish is for Freeza to be stopped and finally face some consequences. And miraculously, Goku succeeds! And even more incredibly, Vegeta is brought back to life! It’s all over now! He’s free! He doesn’t have to worry about being controlled or demeaned anymore! At long last he finally gets to live his life however he wants to!

…Alongside a person even more powerful than Freeza.

With that in mind, is it really any surprise that Vegeta becomes so consumed with the idea of surpassing Goku? Sure, he’s relieved in the immediate aftermath of Freeza’s apparent death, but once that initial rush wears off, there’s lots of time to reflect on the situation. You know what’s more threatening than Freeza? Someone stronger than him. Someone strong enough to defeat him. Goku may not be a person who would ever use his power to hurt and control others, but he could. Goku probably won’t wake up tomorrow and decide to force Vegeta to do something against his will, but he could. It’s highly unlikely that Goku would ever want to break Vegeta’s spirit or take away his freedom, but he fucking COULD if he wanted to. And if he one day chose to do so, there’s literally nothing Vegeta could to do to stop him.

I firmly believe that, on some level, Vegeta was scared of Goku. It’s probably buried so deeply in his psyche that he wasn’t even aware of it, but it was clearly there, and it clearly influenced his behavior. It’s why he makes such an enormous show of any progress he makes, why he loudly gloats about his abilities, why he goes to such extreme lengths to become a super saiyan, why he finds so much pleasure in knowing that others are weaker than himself, why he refuses to drop his guard even when Goku obviously means him no harm, and most importantly, why he dedicates every free moment to the singular goal of surpassing him. It’s not a friendly rivalry, it’s a desperate attempt to protect himself. So long as there’s someone out there more powerful than he is, Vegeta can never really feel safe, and unfortunately there’s someone right in his own social circle that he knows could shitwhip him anytime the urge arises. He has an insatiable need to be the best fighter in the universe because it’s the only way he can truly guarantee that NO ONE will ever conquer him again.

This notion is reinforced by the fact that, following the Cell Games, Vegeta becomes significantly less standoffish. He’ll always be his cranky self to some degree, but with Goku dead (and Gohan’s skills deteriorating while he studies), Vegeta can finally exhale for a while. He still keeps himself busy with training, except now he doesn’t feel like his life depends on it. There’s now room for him to do other things, too – like, say, parenting his son. It’s not actively demonstrated on-screen, but Vegeta and Trunks clearly have a strong relationship because Trunks absolutely adores him and strives to be just like him. Having someone to look up to him while also not having someone (he believes is) looking down on him has a profound effect on Vegeta’s attitude.

Even when the Tenkaichi Budokai rolls around and everyone finds out that Goku can come back for a day to compete, Vegeta’s still pretty chill by his standards; in fact, he’s actually kind of glad to see him! After all, how much damage could Goku possibly do in a single day? Vegeta will have the opportunity to measure up against him, and even if it turns out Goku is still more powerful, who cares? He’ll be gone again soon, and Vegeta can get back to his life.

Or at least, that was the plan. Then Babidi happens. Then Buu happens. Then Goku starts showing new depths to his power that weren’t there before. And inevitably, Vegeta starts getting insecure again. Even though he’s more powerful than ever and can easily dispatch lower-level buffoons that would’ve been challenging years ago, he can already tell that he’s lagging behind the heavier hitters. Perhaps he got too comfortable over the last seven years. Maybe not having to worry about the monster next door means he wasn’t pushing himself hard enough to improve. He’s let himself become vulnerable again, and he’ll do anything to get back on top – even if it means making a deal with the enemy. Even if it means giving up everything else he’s gained. If he can just get a big enough power boost, then everything will be okay – and defeating Goku will prove it. After all, Goku can defeat anyone, so if Vegeta can beat him, then he’ll be able to take care of the rest of them too, right?

Nnnnot exactly, it turns out. Although he gets a ton of satisfaction out of finally toying with Goku the way his old demons once toyed with him, it soon becomes evident that there are much more pressing matters than Vegeta’s insecurity. Despite his efforts to convince himself otherwise, he must admit that he doesn’t care purely about his own safety; he also cares about protecting Bulma and Trunks – and, to his surprise, he cares about their safety more than his own.

It’s an utterly transformative epiphany. Even after all these years, Freeza’s shadow continued to hover over Vegeta’s life and held him back from truly moving on, because he was perpetually frightened of a new “Freeza” turning up and putting him right back where he started. This massive breakthrough finally frees him from the lingering shackles of his past. He’s spent years slapping Goku’s hand away to shield himself from reliving that vulnerability, but if he’s willing to do anything to protect his wife and son, that means exposing his weaknesses has to be on the table. Thankfully, he’s immediately rewarded for this bit of growth: As it turns out, the benefits of combining his skillset with a more powerful fighter far outweighs the risks, because now he and Goku can complement each other. Their combined power creates a force much stronger than either one of them as individuals (quite literally when it comes time for fusion). Letting go of the abuses of his past turns out to be the secret ingredient Vegeta’s been missing all along.

This is why he makes such rapid progress on an interpersonal level seemingly out of nowhere, which is a complaint I’ve heard about the tail end of the Buu saga multiple times. Choosing to work together with Goku is one thing, but some viewers are put off by the fact that Vegeta is more engaging in conversation, open to Goku’s ideas, and less inclined to bail on him when given the opportunity. He’s still irritable and annoyed at Goku’s doofiness, they argue, but he’s just simply too cooperative about the little things. I beg to differ, however; when I view Vegeta’s actions through the lens of shedding his fears, it makes perfect sense. His behavior isn’t out of character, it’s indicative of healing. He’s beginning his recovery from a wound he’s been carrying his entire life.

Does that mean an end to his feud with Goku? Only in a very narrow sense. The competitive spirit is still there, but where he was once driven by fear, he’s now motivated simply to keep bettering himself. He’s seen first-hand what happens when he doesn’t have Goku around to keep pushing him to improve, and there’s no way he’s going to let THAT happen again. Fostering a proper rivalry with Goku, ironically, now brings him a peace of mind unlike anything he’s ever known before. He knows he’ll probably never truly best him, but the more he tries, the more equipped Vegeta is to protect himself and the ones he loves – and after all these years, he finally trusts Goku enough to accept his help in doing so.

And also keeping Goku as a sparring partner means getting to regularly beat the shit out of him.

 

Obligatory Legal Crap

Dragon Ball Z and all related characters are the property of Akira Toriyama, who is someone who is not me. I’m just a fangirl on the internet that thinks WAY too much about her favorite characters and spends her free time writing multi-page essays instead of having a life with other human beings.