There are few anime series that make as big of an impression on pop culture as Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball has been able to endure for as long as it has thanks to its incredibly entertaining and lovable characters. Goku is the star of the series, but it didn’t take long for Vegeta to quickly grow into a fan-favorite character.
Vegeta remains one of the most enjoyable aspects of Dragon Ball and he can always be expected to give his all in battle. Vegeta is extremely powerful, but that doesn’t mean that he’s invincible and he’s certainly experienced his fair share of defeats and losses. Failure is never fun, but it stings even harder for the Prince of Saiyans.
10 He Suffers Defeat By Gag Character, Arale
Dragon Ball Super contains some of the most thrilling and dangerous fights from the entire Dragon Ball franchise, but it also excels with leaning into the series’ more comedic sensibilities. There’s a delightful crossover episode that features the return of Dr. Slump’s Arale.
The surprisingly strong girl robot clashes with both Vegeta and Goku, but the former receives the brunt of her mayhem. Vegeta completely loses his composure and Arale thoroughly dominates him. It forces Vegeta to not only admit defeat, but also to concede to the embarrassment of being stuck in a gag anime.
9 The Birth Of Copy-Vegeta & His Pacifier Debacle
Goten and Trunks largely recede into the background in Dragon Ball Super, but the Copy-Vegeta mini-arc is a great showcase of their quirky teamwork. The situation at hand involves an alien entity producing a duplicate of Vegeta, who progressively gains his strength.
On one level it’s rough for Vegeta to realize that this imitation is superior to him, but the method to reverse this damage is even more humiliating. Vegeta learns that he can offset Copy-Vegeta’s power if he passively sucks on a pacifier-like object. This only underscores what a vulnerable position Vegeta is in at this moment.
8 Not Winning The Tournament Of Power
Tournaments are par for the course in the Dragon Ball franchise, yet Dragon Ball Super’s anime decides to conclude with the most elaborate fighting competition of all, the Tournament of Power. Vegeta helps represent Universe 7 and he definitely makes valuable contributions for his team.
That being said, Vegeta also gets eliminated, doesn’t become the ultimate winner, and his self-destruct attempt is even misguided. Universe 7 does win, but it’s fair to say that Vegeta feels somewhat disappointed in himself that he’s not the one to deliver the finishing blow.
7 Losing To Hit In The Tournament Of Destroyers
Dragon Ball Super introduces the concept of the multiverse to the series and Universe 7 shares a special connection to Universe 6. The growing feud between Beerus and Champa culminates in the Tournament of Destroyers competition between the two universes.
Vegeta temporarily sweeps Universe 6 and accrues several victories before he meets his match with the acclaimed assassin, Hit. Vegeta shouldn’t be ashamed and it’s hard to counter Hit’s signature move when it’s being encountered for the first time. Nevertheless, Vegeta has a hard time and stews over not getting a chance at redemption against him.
6 He Becomes Infected By Baby
Dragon Ball GT remains a mixed bag for fans, but there are still some compelling ideas that the sequel series explores. The first major threat that’s felt in the series is Baby, a parasitic alien who’s bent on revenge against the Saiyans.
Many individuals fall prey to Baby’s infection, but Vegeta becomes his model host. It’s quite sad to see Baby force Vegeta to do such evil things to those that he loves. Additionally, he has to stoop to technology and artificial means to turn Super Saiyan 4 for the first time, unlike Goku.
5 Letting Golden Frieza Destroy The Earth
Dragon Ball has unfortunately fallen into a somewhat predictable pattern that whenever Vegeta gets the upper hand, it usually means a quick defeat isn’t far behind, with Goku left to pick up the pieces. The battle against Golden Frieza seems like it will actually break this pattern.
Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta is ready to finish off Golden Frieza when his hubris gets the better of him. Vegeta’s gloating gives Frieza enough of an opportunity to trigger the detonation of Earth, only for Whis to conveniently rewind time, only for Goku to then seize the victory.
4 His Defeat Against Perfect Cell
Perfect Cell is a formidable Dragon Ball villain that sometimes doesn’t properly get the respect that he deserves. Vegeta has sadly gotten used to being runner-up to Goku, but it stings, even more, to have to pale in comparison to Goku’s own son.
Vegeta tries his best against Perfect Cell, but it’s all for naught. Vegeta has to accept that he’s helpless in this situation, which Perfect Cell hammers in when he returns and takes out Future Trunks. It’s all a lot for Vegeta to process and all of his training for this occasion is still not enough.
3 Losing To His First Fight Against Goku
Vegeta has experienced a tremendous amount of growth since he first arrived on Earth alongside Nappa, but his original defeat at the hands of Goku and company still stings a lot and establishes the duo’s entire dynamic.
Vegeta is extremely unaccustomed to lose at this point, so this defeat humbles him in a new way and plants the seeds of doubt in his head. What makes this failure even more humiliating is that even peripheral characters like Yajirobe and Krillin are involved in Vegeta’s takedown and he only survives because Goku saves him.
2 His Loss Against Frieza & Not Becoming The First Super Saiyan
Goku is ultimately the big hero on Planet Namek who doesn’t just defeat Frieza but also turns into a Super Saiyan. Vegeta experiences some peak villainy on Namek and operates under the delusion that he’s the real Super Saiyan. Vegeta’s humiliation and death by Frieza is one of his lowest moments, but even before this, he’s completely annihilated by the Ginyu Force’s Recoome before Goku comes to his rescue.
He’s consistently shown examples of why he’s not as good as Goku until he’s fully beaten down and it’s another very harsh pill for Vegeta to swallow.
1 His Failed Majin Self-Destruction
The Buu Saga attempts to rekindle some of the tension from Dragon Ball Z’s start when it pushes Vegeta back to the dark side when he becomes a member of the Majin. Majin Vegeta commits some horrible acts that he struggles to reckon with and his final gesture, a self-destruct attack, fails and only hurts himself.
These unsuccessful strategies break his spirit, but what sticks with him, even more, is the realization that Goku held back his Super Saiyan 3 form from him and that he’s truly the world’s strongest.
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