Dragon Ball's Goku and Vegeta have one of the most complicated love-hate relationships in anime history.
Goku and Vegeta are arguably the most iconic rivals in anime history. However, it can often be confusing when watching their story to know whether the two are really friends or foes. After all, when they're not joining forces to eliminate the multiverse's most terrifying villains, they're locked in their own life-or-death struggle.
The fact is, Goku and Vegeta have spent time as both friend and foe throughout the Dragon Ball series. Their greatest period of ups and downs was definitely in Dragon Ball Z , as Vegeta was often a villain who changed throughout this period. In fact, the story of Goku and Vegeta's rivalry is really primarily a story of Vegeta's personal growth as a person. By the time Dragon Ball Super arrived, the two heroes had become virtually inseparable, even if Vegeta would never admit it.
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The evolution of Goku and Vegeta's rivalry in Dragon Ball
Saga Saiyan
Vegeta and Goku first met during the Saiyan saga, when Vegeta and Nappa arrived on planet Earth to wreak havoc on all mankind. At this point, the two were undeniably pure enemies, with Vegeta wanting nothing more than to kill Goku and destroy the entire planet Earth. However, as their battle drew to a close, Goku showed Vegeta mercy by allowing him to escape once the fight was over, and this singular act would have a profound impact on their relationship in the future.
Saga Freezer
With the Frieza saga, there was a pivotal period for Vegeta, not least because he began fighting alongside the Z Fighters, particularly Krillin and Gohan, and only out of necessity. The Frieza Force was a common enemy between the Z Fighters and Vegeta - and as the saying goes, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". As selfish as Vegeta's intentions were, it was important for him to gain respect for them as warriors, and for them to recognize the fact that they would both have been killed without Vegeta's support. Upon Vegeta's death at the hands of Freezer, Goku acknowledges Vegeta's help in protecting both his best friend and his son, and even expresses that he knows there is a certain amount of good inside Vegeta, even if Vegeta has yet to recognize this part of himself.
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The cellular saga
By the time Cell Saga begins, Vegeta has already secretly embarked on a romantic relationship with Bulma and is pretty much appropriate by default in the Z Fighters. He still has far too much pride and confidence in his own strength, which puts his comrades at risk, and it doesn't help that he considers himself above the others due also to his relative strength. Nevertheless, he is forced to recognize Goku and Gohan's strength during the Cell Games and even swallows his pride to help Gohan in the pivotal moment that leads to Cell's defeat.
Buu Saga
The Buu saga was pretty much the final proving ground for Goku and Vegeta's rivalry, as extremely important moments occur that would set the stage for their reluctant friendship in Super . In a tragic turn of events, Vegeta allows Babidi to place him under mind control in order to obtain a power boost that he believes will finally enable him to become stronger than Goku once and for all. It's clear at this point that his pride still prevents him from accepting Goku as his equal, and Vegeta will do whatever it takes to prevail, even if it means throwing away all the good he's done so far.
Eventually, however, Vegeta comes to recognize his mistake when Majin Buu is finally released, and he witnesses the terror of the monster's power. In a true moment of desperation, Vegeta makes the ultimate sacrifice, laying down his own life in an attempt to destroy Buu and protect his family and the land he has made his home. It was a true moment of growth for Vegeta, and paved the way for him to later agree to merge with Goku to create the all-powerful being Vegeto in the hope of bringing down Buu. As cool as a character like Vegeto is, his real significance is in demonstrating how the two Saiyans finally came to accept each other completely as equals, especially Vegeta.
Dragon Ball Super
In Dragon Ball Super , Goku and Vegeta began training together on Lord Beerus' planet and have become close allies and frequent training partners. Vegeta always hates having to merge with Goku because he much prefers to rely on his own strength, but when the situation calls for it, Goku and Vegeta are ready to put their trust and destiny in each other's hands out of mutual respect.
What Vegeta thinks of Goku
For a long time, Vegeta secretly envied and admired Goku's strength. It wasn't until the end of the Buu saga that Vegeta was finally ready to leave everything in Goku's hands and truly accept and appreciate Goku's strength. As Vegeta watches Goku fight Buu in SSJ3, he can't help but think: "Perhaps it was my anger that blinded me to the truth for so long. I see it now, this day has made it abundantly clear. You're better than me, Kakarot. You're the best. Yet he admits, "After living every moment of every day with the sole purpose of surpassing you, I finally became a Super Saiyan." This shows the power of Goku's influence on Vegeta, the respect he gained for him and what their rivalry meant for his growth as a person and fighter.
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At the time of the Super Tournament of Power, Vegeta was ready to actively root for Goku; and defended his friend's honor against the god of destruction from universe 11, Belmod. Vegeta shouted to his friend from the sidelines "Go Kakarot! Find a way! I've entrusted you with everything: my pride, my promise, everything!" This moment is extremely important for Vegeta as it shows his true feelings towards Goku, perhaps more than any previous moment. Even though they train together and rely on each other's strength time and again, Vegeta is usually far too proud to give Goku any verbal acknowledgement, especially in the presence of others. After all, Vegeta isn't the kind of person willing to show respect to just anyone, so the fact that he does so for Goku demonstrates the strong sense of camaraderie and admiration he has for him.
What Goku thinks of Vegeta
After their first fight, Goku spared Vegeta's life, even though Krillin thought it best to kill the Prince of the Saiyans to prevent him from causing more problems for the people of Earth. This was not out of benevolence or even kindness from Goku's heart. Instead, it was because Goku respected Vegeta's strength, even though he knew he was a bad person. The warrior in Goku made him want to let Vegeta live to fight him another day, begging Krillin "I know it's not the right thing to do, but please grant my selfish request. Give me another chance to fight him." This isn't something specific to Vegeta, though. It's just Goku's personality: he values a person for their strength and sees the good in everyone.
This side of Goku is what has driven Vegeta to become a better person over the years, what has driven Goku to become a stronger fighter. Goku has always respected Vegeta as a warrior, and he has finally begun to respect Vegeta as a person too. Goku is at his purest and happiest when he's fighting and training, and the fact that he chose Vegeta as his perpetual training partner says a lot about how Goku feels about him.
Why are Goku and Vegeta definitely friends rather than enemies?
Only twice in the entire Dragon Ball series have Goku and Vegeta actually fought seriously with malicious intent, one of those fights taking place when Vegeta was under Babidi's control as Majin. However, since he voluntarily chose to submit to mind control for his own purposes, this fight counts. Apart from that, all other instances where they seriously fight each other are due to Vegeta or Goku's body being under the control of another dangerous being (as in the case of Captain Ginyu in Z, Baby ) . in GT , and Zamasu in Super ). On the other hand, they have fought side by side as comrades on countless occasions.
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Goku and Vegeta essentially live to fight and be the strongest, and each pushes the other further by their mere existence. This has led them to become the ultimate rivals, who act as if they hate each other but will protect each other - and their respective families - at the cost of their lives. They attend events together (to which Goku usually arrives late), train together and even their sons Goten and Trunks are best friends. Goku and Vegeta are essentially the only people who really understand each other, and yet their personalities are so different that it's a wonder they haven't killed each other yet. Their relationship may have started out as a "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer" situation, but over time, they ended up becoming true friends.
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