Few characters in Dragon Ball Z have the popularity of Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince arguably has one of the best character growth arcs in the show, going from villain to reluctant anti-hero to a full-fledged hero by Dragon Ball Super. That said, attaining that growth required Vegeta to engage in a lot of battles throughout both Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super.
Regrettably, when it comes to Vegeta, it can be hard to be a fan because of his fights. Since Goku is the main character, Vegeta often loses to the main villains in each new arc. Even worse, the losses tend to happen because of his own arrogance. Vegeta does have some great battles though — battles that see him get great victories and show off his awesome fighting ability.
10 Vegeta vs. Frieza (Gold Form) Let Vegeta Get Some Revenge
Dragon Ball Super: Resurrection F
This fight was a long time coming. The moment Frieza's lackeys wished him back, he was due a beat down from Vegeta, the man he'd spent years humiliating before finally killing him near the end of the Frieza Saga. Things looked pretty dire for the rest of Earth when Frieza came to Earth with his new Golden Form, and even Goku's brand-new Super Saiyan Blue wasn't enough to match up against Frieza.
After watching Goku take a beating from Frieza, Vegeta volunteered to step in to fight Frieza next. There, Frieza's inexperience as a warrior was put on display, as Vegeta revealed Frieza had used up all of his stamina in his new Golden Form. With Frieza significantly weakened, Vegeta was able to easily trounce the galactic conqueror. Frieza's shock when he sees Vegeta transform into a Super Saiyan is worth watching for Vegeta fans everywhere. However, this lands in the tenth spot because they found a way to give Goku the victory again when Vegeta should've beaten the main villain this time.
9 Vegeta vs. Zarbon II Revealed The Danger Of The Zenkai Boost
Dragon Ball Z Episode 57, "Gohan, the Hunted"
It can be easy to forget this for people who haven't rewatched Dragon Ball Z in a while, but on Namek, Vegeta was a menace. While finding the Dragon Balls, he snuck around the planet, finding Frieza's strongest soldiers and eliminating them. However, he ran into a wall when he faced Zarbon. Though their battle was initially close, Zarbon revealed a transformation that allowed him to embarrass Vegeta and drag him back to Frieza.
The mistake, though, came when Zarbon tried to heal Vegeta to learn where the Dragon Balls were. Here, viewers learned about the Saiyan "Zenkai Boost," which lets them gain strength rapidly after recovering from a beating. Vegeta's second battle against Zarbon is super-satisfying, as despite Zarbon's transformation, Vegeta defeats him in just a few hits. This was an awesome display of Vegeta's superior intelligence compared to most of Frieza's army, as he not only defeated Zarbon but also snuck away with the Dragon Balls.
8 Vegeta vs. Goku Black II Sees Vegeta Finally One-Up Goku
Dragon Ball Super Episodes 63–64
For Vegeta fans, it's a little rough watching him attempt to finally surpass Goku only for him to fail repeatedly. That just makes it all the more satisfying when he gets to take on a version of Goku in Goku Black, though. After both Vegeta and Goku are initially defeated by Goku Black's Super Saiyan Rose form, the two return to their timeline to come up with a new plan. Vegeta spends six months training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber while Goku tries to master the Evil Containment Wave.
When they return, Goku Black believes he still has the upper hand and gets a hard reality check. With Vegeta stronger than ever, he bashes Goku Black down, all while mocking his plan to steal someone else's body while believing it would steal their strength as well. It's one of Vegeta's best speeches and one of his coolest moments in Dragon Ball Super. The only downside was witnessing Goku Black slither off to merge with Zamasu to avoid being wiped out.
7 Vegeta vs. Majin Buu Sees Vegeta Attempt To Atone For His Actions
Dragon Ball Z Episodes 235–237
Both the moments before Vegeta fights Majin Buu and the fight itself feature some of the best character development for Vegeta in Dragon Ball Z. After allowing Babidi to give him the Majin tattoo to reclaim his "old self," Vegeta is finally forced to understand just how dangerous Majin Buu really is. Refusing to allow Goku to take the glory, he uses his newfound power to fight Buu — only to learn he's no match for the ancient creature.
Vegeta isn't satisfied just losing here, though. Instead, he resolves to save both his family and the planet by making the ultimate sacrifice. It's the first legitimately selfless thing Vegeta's ever done; he even learns from Piccolo that his actions in life mean he'll never get to battle against Goku in the afterlife. Still, he accepts it all and detonates all his ki in one final attack in an attempt to finish Majin Buu off. Even though it doesn't succeed, this is still one of the greatest moments in Dragon Ball Z.
6 Vegeta vs. Semi-Perfect Cell Let Vegeta Embarrass The Main Villain For Once
Dragon Ball Z Episode 155–158
Vegeta's battle against Semi-Perfect Cell was one of Vegeta's finest moments. After emerging from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Vegeta was finally the strongest person on the planet. Despite Cell absorbing Android 17, when he faced Vegeta he was still helpless. For fans of the character, this was a triumphant moment after watching some of his crushing losses in both the Frieza and Android Sagas.
Vegeta not only became stronger, but he discovered a new form of Super Saiyan, dubbing himself "Super Vegeta". It was a brilliant battle, earned solely by his hard work alone. What locks this into the fifth spot though is what happened next. Rather than defeating Cell and moving on, Vegeta allowed Cell to achieve his Perfect Form. It's an undeniable mental blunder that both Vegeta and Goku experienced in the Cell Saga, dragging certain spots of the arc down.
5 Vegeta vs. Android 19 Showed How Fearsome Super Saiyans Should Be
Dragon Ball Z Episodes 129–130
"Let me ask you: does a machine like yourself ever experience fear?!" With these words, Dragon Ball Z fans were treated to one of the greatest transformation scenes in the series. After witnessing Android 19 make short work of an exhausted Goku, Vegeta proudly stepped up to face them next. After watching Goku's fight, Vegeta was fully aware of the Androids' powers — but they had no idea about his, as he revealed he'd gained the ability to transform into a Super Saiyan.
With this new power, Vegeta eliminated Android 19 with brutal efficiency. Of course, Vegeta still retains his trademark arrogance, even allowing 19 to drain as much of his energy as he could before ripping 19's arms off. By the end, the formerly cocky Android 19 was left running away in terror, while Vegeta introduced his latest move: the Big Bang Attack. Vegeta fans likely wish all Vegeta's battles went so smoothly.
4 Vegeta vs. Super Broly Allowed Vegeta To Redeem Himself
Dragon Ball Super: Broly
Dragon Ball Super: Broly not only introduced Dragon Ball Z movie villain Broly to the main canon; it also finally allowed Vegeta to redeem himself. In the original Dragon Ball Z Broly film, Vegeta suffered what's easily his most humiliating defeat — not because of how he lost, but because for most of the movie he wasn't willing to fight at all. He sat helpless in the face of the "Legendary Super Saiyan."
Dragon Ball Super: Broly doesn't do any of that. Vegeta is the first to take Broly head on, and spends most of the fight dominating him. Even as Broly continues to grow stronger, Vegeta unveils different levels of Super Saiyan to stay ahead of him. Not only that, but he uses his superior fighting skill and experience to make Broly look like the rookie he is. Plus, by the time Broly's finally strong enough to overpower him, Goku tags in for his shot. While it goes poorly for Goku, at least Vegeta got to look cool.
3 Majin Vegeta vs. Goku Gave Vegeta And Goku A Much-Needed Rematch
Dragon Ball Z Episodes 229–232
For many fans, Vegeta returning to the side of the bad guys was a long time coming. After waiting seven years to face Goku again, Vegeta is none too happy when Babidi and Majin Buu ruin his chance for a rematch. To finally get what he wants, he takes matters into his own hands by taking on the Majin tattoo, receiving a massive power-up to fight at Goku's level again.
This Goku vs. Vegeta rematch lacks the same iconic vibe as the original only because it was a once-in-a-lifetime event. Instead, this second fight has the weight of all their adventures since then. Both of them are more practiced and even engage in more vicious moves than the first match. It's also a much more back-and-forth fight, since both Goku and Vegeta have access to Super Saiyan 2. The main downside to this fight is Vegeta being unable to reach Super Saiyan 3, and Buu's awakening keeping the fight from concluding.
2 Vegeta vs. Top Represents Vegeta's Full Transformation Into A Hero
Dragon Ball Super Episode 126, "Surpass Even a God! Vegeta's Sacrifice Strike!"
Right at the end of the Tournament of Power, Vegeta finally has his most important battle yet. With only the strongest members of Universe 11 standing in their way, Vegeta decides to finish off the Pride Troopers' leader, Top. Top is every bit the threat he looks, and even reveals he controls the Power of Destruction to use on his opponents. Despite this, Top makes a mistake by revealing that he's cast aside his belief in justice to save his universe.
At this, Vegeta not only bristles but accepts himself for who he is — husband, father, mentor, and a proud Saiyan warrior. Refusing to lose to someone who would cast aside everything they believed in for a single victory, Vegeta begins overpowering Top, even ignoring his Power of Destruction. Vegeta uses his Final Explosion attack to win, but unlike his fight against Buu, not only does he survive, but he successfully defeats Top. This was a huge growth moment for Vegeta, who finally starts down the path of being a true hero.
1 Vegeta vs. Goku Is One Of Anime's Most Iconic Battles
Dragon Ball Z Episode 30–34
The Saiyan Prince first learned humility on Earth, facing a certain lowborn Saiyan warrior named Kakarot. After two dozen episodes of build-up, Vegeta finally faced off against Goku in a battle that has become one of the most iconic fights ever. In this fight, Goku finds a rival whom he can never outclass for very long, while Vegeta learns that nothing is more important than hard work and training.
The first Vegeta vs. Goku battle is also where viewers get their first epic beam struggle between Goku's Kamehameha and Vegeta's Galick Gun. For hardcore Vegeta fans, it might be upsetting that his best fight is a loss, but that's also not quite accurate. Vegeta was powerful enough to beat Goku, especially with his Giant Ape form. However, he wasn't powerful enough to overcome Goku and the rest of the Z Fighters. This fight is directed and choreographed in a way that feels epic even when viewers don't yet understand the significance. Even decades later, this is still Vegeta's best fight, showing how clever he can be in battle and one of the greatest introductions to a character ever.
