Goku and Vegeta: Anime's Most Iconic Frenemies (2024)

Goku and Vegeta are arguably the most iconic rivals in anime history. However, it can often be confusing when looking at their story whether the two of them are actually friends or enemies. After all, when they're not joining forces to take down the multiverse's most terrifying villains, they're locked in their own fight of life or death.

The fact of the matter is, Goku and Vegeta have spent time as both friends and enemies throughout the Dragon Ball series. Their biggest period of ups and downs was definitely in Dragon Ball Z, as Vegeta was frequently a villain who was changing throughout that period. In fact, the story of Goku and Vegeta's rivalry is really mainly a story of Vegeta's personal growth as a person. By the time Dragon Ball Super came around though, the two heroes had become pretty much inseparable, even if Vegeta would never admit it.

See Also

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Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball tells the tale of a young warrior by the name of Son Goku, a young peculiar boy with a tail who embarks on a quest to become stronger and learns of the Dragon Balls, when, once all 7 are gathered, grant any wish of choice.

Created by

Akira Toriyama

First Film

Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies

Latest Film

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

First TV Show

Dragon Ball (1986)

Latest TV Show

Dragon Ball Super

First Episode Air Date

April 26, 1989

Latest Episode

Cast

Sean Schemmel , Laura Bailey , Brian Drummond , Christopher Sabat , Scott McNeil

Current Series

Dragon Ball Super

Summary

Dragon Ball is the labor of writer/illustrator Akira Toriyama, beginning with Dragon Ball back in 1984. The series originally started as a serialized manga back in Weekly Shonen Jump for nearly a decade until it expanded into the anime franchises it is most known for today. Dragon Ball was later adapted into two animes, with one being Dragon Ball Z, the most universally known series in the entire Dragon Ball canon. The franchise has continued to expand lore via films, video games, and additional sequel TV series, such as the more recent Dragon Ball Super and Super Dragon Ball Heroes. Dragon Ball centers mostly around Son Goku, a being known as a Saiyan, and his friends as they face off against intergalactic threats and seek out the titular dragon balls. When all seven of these balls are collected, they can be used to summon a legendary dragon that can grant the wishes of whoever so gathers them. The Dragon Ball franchise continues to be one of the most well-known and beloved animes of all time, with over forty different countries airing it, and has had a tremendous impact on Western culture as a whole.

The Evolution of Goku and Vegeta's Rivalry in Dragon Ball

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Saiyan Saga

Vegeta and Goku's first meeting was during the Saiyan Saga when Vegeta and Nappa arrived on planet Earth to wreak havoc on all of humanity. 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 came to a close, Goku showed Vegeta mercy by allowing him to escape when the fight was over, and this singular act would have a profound impact on their relationship going forward.

Frieza Saga

With the Frieza Saga came a pivotal period for Vegeta specifically because he began to fight alongside the Z Fighters, specifically Krillin and Gohan, and only out of necessity. The Frieza Force was a shared 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 acknowledge the fact that they would have both been killed if not for Vegeta having their backs. Upon Vegeta's death at the hands of Frieza, Goku acknowledges Vegeta's help in protecting both his best friend and his son and even expresses that he knows there is some amount of good inside Vegeta—even if Vegeta hasn't yet acknowledged that part of himself yet.

Cell Saga

By the time the Cell Saga begins, Vegeta has already secretly begun a romantic relationship with Bulma and is pretty much appropriated into the Z Fighters by default. He still has far too much pride and overconfidence in his own strength which puts his comrades in danger though, and it doesn't help that he sees himself as above the others because of his comparative strength as well. Nevertheless, he is forced to acknowledge both 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 testing ground for Goku and Vegeta’s rivalry, as some extremely important moments happen that would set the stage for their reluctant friendship in Super. In a tragic twist, Vegeta allows Babidi to place him under mind control in order to gain a power boost that he perceives will finally allow him to become stronger than Goku once and for all. It's clear at this point that his pride has still prevented him from accepting Goku as his equal, and Vegeta will do whatever it takes to come out on top, even if it means throwing away all the good he has done up to this point.

Eventually, though, Vegeta comes to recognize the error of his ways when Majin Buu is finally released, and he witnesses the terror of the monster's power firsthand. In a true moment of desperation, Vegeta makes the ultimate sacrifice by giving his own life to try to destroy Buu and protect his family and the earth he has made his home. This was a true moment of growth for Vegeta, and it's what paved the way for him to later agree to fuse with Goku to create the all-powerful being Vegeto in hopes of bringing Buu down. As cool of a character as Vegeto is, his real significance is in demonstrating how the two Saiyans have finally come to completely accept each other as equals—especially Vegeta.

Dragon Ball Super

In Dragon Ball Super, Goku and Vegeta have begun training together on Lord Beerus' planet, and have become the closest of allies and frequent sparring partners. Vegeta still hates having to fuse with Goku because he would much rather rely on his own strength, but when the situation calls for it, both Goku and Vegeta are willing to put their trust and fate in the other's hands out of mutual respect.

How Vegeta Feels About Goku

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Vegeta has long envied and secretly admired Goku for his strength. It wasn't until the end of the Buu Saga that Vegeta was finally willing 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 muse "Perhaps it is my anger that has made me blind to the truth for so long. I see it now, this day has made it all too clear. You're better than me Kakarot. You are the best." Still, he admits that "After living every moment of every day for the singular purpose of surpassing you, I finally became a Super Saiyan." This shows the power of Goku's influence on Vegeta, the respect he has gained for him, and what their rivalry has meant for his growth as a person and fighter.

By the time of the Tournament of Power in Super, Vegeta was willing to actively root Goku on; and defended his friend's honor against the God of Destruction of Universe 11, Belmod. Vegeta shouts to his friend from the sideline "Come on Kakarot! Find a way! I've entrusted everything to you: my pride, my promise, everything!" This moment is extremely important for Vegeta because it displays his true feelings toward Goku perhaps more than any other previous moment. Even despite their training together and relying on each other's strength time and time again, Vegeta is usually far too prideful to give Goku any kind of verbal acknowledgment, especially around other people. After all, Vegeta isn't the kind of person who is willing to show respect to just anyone, so the fact that he does so for Goku demonstrates the strong sense of companionship and admiration he has for him.

How Goku Feels About Vegeta

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Following their first fight, Goku spared Vegeta's life—even despite the fact that Krillin thought it was better to kill the Prince of Saiyans to prevent him from causing any more trouble for the people of earth. This wasn't out of benevolence or even out of the kindness of Goku's heart though. Instead, it was because Goku respected Vegeta's strength, even though he knew he was a bad person. The warrior within Goku made him want to let Vegeta live to fight him another day, pleading with Krillin "I know it's not the right thing to do, but please, grant me my selfish request. Let me have another chance to fight him." This is not something that was specific to Vegeta, though. This is just Goku's personality: he values a person for their strength and sees the good within all people.

That side of Goku is what pushed Vegeta to become a better person through the years, which in turn pushed Goku to become a stronger fighter. Goku has always had a respect for Vegeta as a warrior, and he eventually began to respect Vegeta as a person as well. Goku is at his most pure and happy when he is fighting and training, and the fact that he has chosen Vegeta to be his perpetual sparring partner says pretty much everything about how Goku feels toward him.

Why Goku and Vegeta Are Definitely Friends Instead of Enemies

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Goku and Vegeta have only actually seriously fought against each other with malicious intentions twice in the entirety of the Dragon Ball series, with one of those fights occurring when Vegeta was under the control of Babidi as a Majin. However, since he did willingly choose to undergo mind control for his own purposes, that fight does count. Other than that, all the other instances of them fighting against each other in a serious manner have come as a result of either Vegeta or Goku's body being under the control of some other dangerous being (as in the case of Captain Ginyu in Z, Baby in GT, and Zamasu in Super). On the other hand, they've fought alongside each other as comrades innumerable times.

Both Goku and Vegeta essentially live to fight and be the strongest, and they each push each other further by their mere existence. This has caused them to become the ultimate rivals who act like they hate each other but will protect one another—and each other's families—with their lives. They attend events together (which Goku usually shows up late to), train together, and even their sons Goten and Trunks are the best of friends. Goku and Vegeta are essentially the only people who can truly understand each other, and yet their personalities are so different that it's a wonder they still haven't killed one another. Their relationship may have started as a "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer" kind of situation, but over time, they ended up becoming true friends.