Summary
- Goku and Vegeta's rivalry is the blueprint for Shonen anime rivalries.
- Their unique bond and character development has set a high standard that other series still haven't been able to match.
- They are rivals who push each other to higher levels of power and growth, a trope that has been used by most Shonen series since then.
One of the most popular tropes in the entire Shonen anime subgenre is that of the relationship between the protagonist of the story and their rival, who typically takes the form of a far more serious and brooding anti-hero. Although this is an incredibly beloved and ubiquitous trope among most Shonen anime franchises, the way that it has been handled in Dragon Ball is perhaps the greatest and most important of them all.
In the early days of the franchise, there was only one main protagonist, known across the world as Son Goku. However, as the series progressed and Dragon Ball Z came around, Vegeta was introduced as a rival to the main character and slowly rose up to the level of deuteragonist by Super. In this article, let's go over why the rivalry between Goku and Vegeta is the most important in all of anime.
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Goku And Vegeta Are The Blueprint For Anime Rivalries
They Did What No One Else Had
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Goku's First Appearance |
Dragon Ball, Episode 1, "The Secret of the Dragon Balls" |
|---|---|
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Vegeta's First Appearance |
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 5, "Gohan's Rage" |
Although their rivalry wasn't the first, the relationship between Goku and Vegeta has definitely been the most iconic in the entirety of anime in general. Although the main reason for this has to do with the popularity of Dragon Ball in the world, the rivalry itself still took the best parts of ones from the past, notably Joe and Rikiishi from Ashita no Joe as well as Amuro and Char from Mobile Suit Gundam, and improved upon them drastically.
Introduced as some of the last few survivors of the Saiyan race, Goku and Vegeta shared a unique bond right from the offset. However, both had different worldviews born from their Saiyan background, where Goku was brought up as a savior while Vegeta was always destined to be a conqueror. This eventually led to them confronting one another in the last battle of the Saiyan Saga, where each gave everything they had in one of the greatest fights in the entire anime industry.
On this planet, we know that even the lowest-born can outdo the elite if they work hard enough!
While fans didn't know it at the time, Goku sparing Vegeta at the end of their fight would pave the way for the greatest anime rivalry ever. This was seen in the Namek Saga, where the Saiyan Prince returned to the screens but wasn't an antagonist to the heroes in the same way, even acting as a vital ally in the arc. Upon dying at Frieza's hands, Vegeta was wished back and made his way to Earth. Although it would be seen later on, Goku's compassion had a profound effect on him, which would go on to make him a hero.
Eventually, Vegeta would unlock all the same transformations as Goku and would join the Z-Fighters as one of Earth's mightiest protectors. What was once a clash of ideals led to Goku and Vegeta becoming rivals who were on relative levels of strength, constantly pushing one another to higher tiers of power and chasing each other's strength as a way to improve themselves as well.
Their personalities and approaches to any given situation were perhaps the most iconic part, where Goku was a silly and fun-loving optimist who showed compassion wherever possible, while Vegeta was the brooding and serious anti-hero who was far more ruthless in his attitude. This brought an incredible contrast that not only gave a ton of depth to their characters, but was so foundational to the Shonen anime genre that it has inspired almost every single series since then.
Some of the biggest anime franchises of all time have incorporated this dynamic into their storytelling, where the main character and main side character have an incredibly unique relationship. Their personalities are incredibly different on the face of it, but they work together seamlessly, providing a brilliant formula that has worked wonders for some of the best anime series of all time and will continue to be just as influential in the future.
Some notable examples of such rivalries are:
- Naruto and Sasuke - Naruto
- Deku and Bakugo - My Hero Academia
- Gon and Killua - Hunter x Hunter
- Ichigo and Uryu/Renji - Bleach
- Yuji and Megumi - Jujutsu Kaisen
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Why Goku And Vegeta Are Still The Greatest Rivalry
The First And Still The Best
The main reason why Goku and Vegeta work so well and so much better than all the other rivalries is because of the relationship these two have with one another and how brilliant their contrast is. In pretty much everything they do, both have a unique way of approaching it that is perfectly in line with their character, while, at the same time, bringing out the best in themselves, especially when they compare themselves to the other. Goku is a prodigy whose talent and affinity for Martial Arts is unmatched, while Vegeta is the hardest worker in the franchise.
Though the levels of power they achieve are similar, the way they get to them is different, which just works so well for the story. Moreover, Goku and Vegeta are some of the last surviving pure-blooded Saiyans left in the universe. Because of this, while they may never show it to one another, this gives them a special kind of kinship, one which has been instrumental to both of their character arcs. While Krillin is, and always will be, Goku's best friend, perhaps no other person aside from his family means more to him than Vegeta.
Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
Dragon Ball Z
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 1989 - 1996
Dragon Ball Z is a Japanese anime series produced by Toei Animation and a sequel to the 1986 Dragon Ball series. It continues the adventures of Son Goku as an adult while also paralleling the life of his son Gohan. Son Goku typically defends the Earth from villains like Vegeta, Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu. The series is followed by Dragon Ball GT and then Dragon Ball Super.
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Akira Toriyama
