More than 40 years on from its debut, Dragon Ball is as successful as it ever was, consistently raking in as much or more profit than other top franchises in the anime industry, and that doesn’t appear likely to change with Dragon Ball Super‘s continuation scheduled to arrive in the near future. In recent years, the series’ success has been tied to one major shift in the dynamic between two of its main characters.

When Dragon Ball stepped into the territory of gods and angels with 2013’s Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, the series stapled Goku and Vegeta at the hip, and continued the never-ending story with the two Saiyans side by side in the spotlight. For the first time since Saiyans were introduced into the series, another character was kept on equal footing with Goku, spawning a new generation of self-proclaimed Vegeta superfans.

However, long before the Saiyan duo teamed up to train under Whis, even before the prince relented and gave Goku the title of ‘number one’, another fighter earned Vegeta’s respect. Of all Earth’s greatest heroes with whom Vegeta fought and teamed up early on, Gohan was the only one towards whom Saiyan prince felt any sense of pride.

Gohan Earned Vegeta’s Respect Before Goku Did

Vegeta Felt a Sense of Saiyan Pride Towards Gohan Early On in His Time in Dragon Ball

Vegeta is a relatively complex character, especially for a series like Dragon Ball. When he entered the series, he felt disdain for Goku, largely because he was born a lower-class Saiyan and embodied everything the Saiyan warrior was not. Despite that, his intense dislike for Goku did not spill over into a hatred for Goku’s son. Gohan, regardless of his own reservations about fighting, was on the frontlines at a young age, something Vegeta came to respect when he was given no option but to team up with the young half-Saiyan on Planet Namek.

Later, in the Cell Saga, when Gohan surpassed everyone including his own father, Vegeta did the unthinkable. A shift in his personality had begun, and when Trunks was killed by Cell, Vegeta lost his cool and launched a selfish attack on the villain. The attack brought no benefit to the heroes, and resulted in Gohan losing the ability to use one of his arms. For the first time in the series, Vegeta apologized for his actions, something Gohan noted as a bad omen for the Earth’s future.

Even today, with all Vegeta has been through and all the change he’s undergone, he wouldn’t be caught apologizing to Goku for his actions in a fight. The prince felt a genuine sense of pride in Gohan’s strength, as another powerful member of the Saiyan race, and his respect for Goku’s son hasn’t faded throughout the series. In the Buu Saga, when Gohan began to slack off, Vegeta criticized him not out of spite, but because he genuinely expected greater things from the young hybrid Saiyan.

Modern Dragon Ball Benefits from Vegeta’s Evolution

Keeping a four-decade-old franchise fresh is a tough task, especially one that focuses on a clear protagonist as iconic as Goku. However, the franchise expanded its focus to include Vegeta during the airing of Dragon Ball Super, a change that’s allowed the series to remain as popular as it has over the past decade. The prince consistently ranks among the favorite villains-turned-heroes in anime, and Dragon Ball fans will never complain about his receiving more screen time.

Dragon Ball Super is set to return in the upcoming Galactic Patrol Saga, an arc that includes some of Vegeta’s best moments. With Gohan’s return to glory in 2022’s Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, fans may get the chance to see a team-up between him and the prince in the near future.

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

Latest TV Show

Super Dragon Ball Heroes

First Episode Air Date

April 26, 1989

From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.