Show No Mercy: 8 Times Vegeta Proved He's One of the Toughest Saiyans in Dragon Ball
Vegeta is one of the most popular characters in Dragon Ballfor a few good reasons. His character arc is one of the best in the series, he's always willing to fight, and out of every character in the franchise, there's no character as ruthless as the Prince of all Saiyans (even after he switches to the side of good). Goku and Vegeta are almost perfect opposites in this aspect. While Goku is almost always more than willing to forgive his enemies and let them fight another day, the same can't be said about Vegeta.
Goku will spare his enemies just for Vegeta to come out of nowhere and execute them. It fits right in line with Vegeta's character, as he's not someone to show anyone mercy, himself included. He mellowed out as the series progressed, but when he first entered the franchise in Dragon Ball Z, there wasn't another character who delighted in watching his enemies suffer as much as Vegeta.
8 Vegeta Slays the Namekian Villagers
Before He Became a Hero
Vegeta enjoys destroying his enemies, or anyone who remotely opposes him. The Namek Saga was an interesting one for the Prince of all Saiyans, as it showed him somewhere between being a villain like he used to be and embracing more of an anti-hero status. He eventually becomes one of the best anti-heroes in anime, but the Namek Saga saw Vegeta doing a few things that can't be considered heroic in the slightest. One of the most ruthless moments Vegeta has ever been involved in was during his search for the Namekian Dragon Balls.
Akira Toriyama famously didn't understand Vegeta's popularity originally, though he eventually found the Prince of Saiyans to be useful narratively.
Vegeta finds a Namekian village where one of the Dragon Balls is said to be. Frieza hasn't found the village yet, and Vegeta can tell because the villagers are still alive. He quickly changes that, heading down to the village and insulting the Namekians before executing them ruthlessly. When the Namekian Elder leading the village tells the Saiyan to do his worst, Vegeta obliges. He points his finger like a gun and fires a single, lethal blast at the Namekian brave enough to stand up to him.
7 Vegeta Executes Jeice
Goku Gave Him a Chance; Vegeta Did Not
The Ginyu Force was a group of powerful warriors directly under Frieza's control during the Namek Saga. When they first appeared on-screen, they looked nearly unbeatable. Jeice, Guldo, Burter, Recoome, and Captain Ginyu himself were five of the strongest warriors the Z Fighters had seen. While the Ginyu Force was incredibly strong, they didn't have the ridiculous advantage that all Saiyans possess. When Saiyans survive a near-lethal fight, they become much stronger.
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Vegeta had a few near-death experiences on Namek. He survived them all, becoming much stronger than Jeice could have ever expected. When Captain Ginyu called out for help, Jeice was too preoccupied with Vegeta. With his newfound strength, Vegeta hunted Jeice down and beat him handily. Jeice even begs for his life towards the end of the fight, but Vegeta couldn't care less. He blasts him away with a single Energy Wave, destroying one of the members of the Ginyu Force once and for all.
6 Vegeta Kills Captain Ginyu
Captain Ginyu's Return Was Brief
When Frieza comes back to the Earth for a second time, bringing his whole army with him, Goku and Vegeta have their hands full. Captain Ginyu is once again part of the Frieza Force, and he's a huge threat by himself. While he isn't nearly as strong as Frieza or the two Saiyans, Ginyu has the rare ability to switch bodies with his opponent. It was a big move on Namek when he used it, switching bodies with Goku during their fight.
While the move was certainly ruthless, Vegeta quickly killing Captain Ginyu was an intelligent move. Frieza, on his own, is one of the strongest villains in Dragon Ball, and the last thing that either Vegeta or Goku wants to worry about is Captain Ginyu switching bodies with them and putting the other at a severe disadvantage. Goku wasn't too happy about Vegeta's immediate killing of Captain Ginyu, but this was one of the rare instances where Goku's forgiveness was totally misplaced. Killing Ginyu was a good move, and Vegeta knew it.
5 Vegeta Blasts the Crowd
Majin Vegeta Had No Patience
Majin Vegeta was Vegeta's return to his villainous roots. It's part of the Saiyan's character arc, and his Final Atonement is easily the peak of his entire character. Before he could atone for his sins, he needed to commit them. Vegeta has always felt inferior to Goku. Goku was always at least a little bit stronger than his fellow Saiyan, reaching the legendary Super Saiyan form before Vegeta ever could. When Babidi gave Vegeta a chance to get stronger, the Prince of all Saiyans couldn't help but take him up on his offer.
Vegeta wanted nothing more than to fight Goku. He couldn't care less about the looming threat that was Majin Buu. When he got his power, he tried to fight Kakarot, but Goku wouldn't. Vegeta threatened him by obliterating a group of innocent bystanders at the World Martial Arts Tournament, forcing Goku to fight before Vegeta killed even more. It was an unhinged moment even for Vegeta, and it signaled his full regression back into the villain he started as.
4 Vegeta Obliterates Android 19
Turns Out, Androids Do Feel Fear
Vegeta is at his best when he's arrogant. He's always arrogant, but when he achieves a new form, his pride ascends to an entirely new level. One of the best, most ruthless Vegeta moments occurs in a fight against the first two Androids. At first, Androids 19 and 20 look to be some of the scariest characters the Dragon Ball franchise has ever unleashed. Android 20's assassination of Yamcha came out of nowhere, painting the two robotic villains as heinous and horrifying.
Vegeta was behind Goku in terms of power for just a few moments. Prince Vegeta couldn't stand not being able to transform into a Super Saiyan, flying to a dangerous planet in order to train. He came back to Earth with vengeance in his heart. When Android 19 thought he had Vegeta cornered, he couldn't have been more wrong. Vegeta transforms into a Super Saiyan and plays with the Android like a toy. He then goes on to rip 19's arms clean off, asking if Androids "can feel fear" in one of the coldest lines in the series.
3 Vegeta Encourages Zarbon Only to Kill Him
He Told Him to Power Up For Nothing
Namek was filled with powerful warriors who, at first, had the Z Fighters and Vegeta cornered. Zarbon and Dodoria were two of the strongest fighters in Frieza's ranks. When Zarbon first met with Frieza on the Namekian home world, he did a number on the Saiyan Prince. Vegeta couldn't do much to fight Zarbon, barely surviving their fight. Unfortunately for Zarbon, that's exactly how a Saiyan like Vegeta gets stronger.
Vegeta came back to their fight stronger than ever. He was so strong and so full of pride, that he even told Zarbon to transform into his more powerful, more monstrous form. Zarbon accepts Vegeta's challenge, having no idea of how strong Vegeta has just become. Vegeta then dominates their fight, showing no mercy to the enemy who just let him live from their first fight. Zarbon even asks for Vegeta to let him live, a request Vegeta gleefully denies.
2 Vegeta Decapitates Guldo
A Rare, Brutal Death in Dragon Ball Z
Guldo is another one of the members of the Frieza Force. While he's not strong physically, his psychic abilities earned him a spot in the Ginyu Force, one of the strongest groups within Frieza's ranks. Guldo can also stop time, one of the few characters to do so in the Dragon Ball franchise.
Guldo gave both Gohan and Krillin a hard time when the trio were fighting on Namek. After Vegeta had survived a few encounters and gained strength from surviving, he came back and inadvertently saved his former enemies by killing Guldo.
Right as Guldo is set to kill both Krillin and Gohan, Vegeta swoops in and decapitates him in an instant. It's one of the few decapitations in the entire franchise, highlighting just how ruthless of a move it is from Vegeta. Guldo's head is still able to insult Vegeta after being separated from Guldo's body. Vegeta responds by blowing it to smithereens, ending their fight once and for all.
1 Vegeta Betrays Nappa
Vegeta Showed His Cruelty Early
While Raditz was the first villain of Dragon Ball Z, he didn't leave as big of an impression as his fellow Saiyan warrior, Prince Vegeta. Before Vegeta was one of Earth's greatest defenders, he was a villain trying to destroy the planet Kakarot failed to subjugate. When he came to Earth, he came with his trusty advisor and fighting partner, Nappa. Nappa was brutal. He was able to survive a suicide attack from Chiatzou, fight off almost the entirety of the Z Fighters by himself, and shatter huge swaths of land with simple attacks.
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When Nappa lost a fight to Goku, Vegeta had enough. He didn't see the point in keeping someone he considered so weak by his side. When Nappa was on the ground looking for some help, Vegeta threw him straight into the air, blowing him away with a single attack. It's the Prince of all Saiyan's most ruthless moment in the series for how quickly and easily he decided to kill his only friend at that point in the series.
- 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
