These Dragon Ball Sagas Would Be So Much Better Without Vegeta

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Vegeta is arguably the most important character in Dragon Ball Z, more so than even Goku and Gohan. Unlike the other heroes, his story develops throughout the entire series, transforming him from a villain to a complex anti-hero and finally, a true hero. However, this extensive focus on Vegeta meant other characters received less development, especially in the latter half of the anime.

While Vegeta plays a role in the Cell and Buu sagas of Dragon Ball Z, the stories would actually be stronger without him. He repeatedly creates conflict and drama, which isn’t inherently bad, but the way he’s written into the team feels forced. His constant striving for power becomes predictable, and it ultimately overshadows the other characters and diminishes their importance.

Vegeta Ruined the Cell Saga and the Buu Saga of Dragon Ball Z

Vegeta’s story in the early parts of Dragon Ball Z – the Saiyan and Frieza Sagas – is remarkably well-crafted. He’s introduced as a ruthless, arrogant prince, the opposite of Goku, who values his humanity above his Saiyan heritage. When Vegeta is defeated by a group of seemingly weak fighters, it shatters his beliefs. This leads him to become a desperate, lone wolf during the Frieza Saga, abandoning his pride in a bid to escape Frieza’s control and achieve ultimate power. However, all his careful planning fails against Frieza’s overwhelming strength, leaving Vegeta to beg Goku for help with his final breath – a plea for someone else to finish what he couldn’t.

Vegeta’s story didn’t end with his initial defeat; Akira Toriyama quickly brought him back, even before the next major story arc began. While Vegeta ultimately became a powerful figure, his swift return came at the cost of other potential developments and sacrifices within the narrative.

The story never explains why Vegeta moves in with Bulma at Capsule Corp after defeating Frieza, or why everyone except Tien Shinhan accepts it. Adding Vegeta to the main group feels unnatural, and it makes it hard to believe that Goku and the others continue to tolerate his often terrible behavior. Logically, they should have turned against him, but the story never allows that to happen.

The Cell Saga portrays the Z-Fighters in a negative light, starting with their questionable decision to let Dr. Gero live, which doesn’t fit their usual behavior. It gets even worse when they continue to trust Vegeta, despite his mistreatment of his son and the danger he poses to the world by helping Cell become perfect just to feed his own pride.

Vegeta’s decision to let the villain escape for the second time during the Majin Buu Saga is frustrating. While his transformation into ‘Majin Vegeta’ is important for his development, it feels unnecessary, and he never truly faces any repercussions or criticism from those around him.

The story often seems to revolve around Vegeta, with other characters and their motivations shifting to serve his narrative. Bulma’s sudden romantic interest in him feels forced, though the anime handles it slightly better than the original manga. It’s particularly strange that Yamcha is portrayed as unfaithful, seemingly just to make Vegeta appear more appealing. While newer fans of Dragon Ball Z might not care about Yamcha and Bulma’s history, it felt like a betrayal to those who followed the original Dragon Ball series.

Vegeta Never Should Have Become a Main Character in DBZ

If Akira Toriyama hadn’t revived Vegeta at the end of the Frieza Saga, Dragon Ball would have taken a very different path. While it might not be the series we enjoy today, that wouldn’t automatically make it worse.

Removing Vegeta from the Cell and Buu Sagas would significantly improve the Z-Fighters’ image, eliminating his frustrating and repetitive complaining. This change would also challenge the creator to develop new and interesting conflicts, and allow the original, strong dynamic between Goku and Chi-Chi to remain intact. While these improvements are important, the biggest benefit would be the opportunity to introduce fresh storylines and character development.

Although the story hinted at Gohan becoming Earth’s hero, he doesn’t get much focus during the fight with Cell. If Vegeta weren’t in the story, there would be more opportunities to develop Trunks, the other important Super Saiyan besides Goku. This would also allow for a stronger storyline for Trunks and a more natural connection to be shown between him, Gohan, and Android 16.

Piccolo has moments in the Cell Saga, but they don’t really lead anywhere significant. Without Vegeta around, the story could have explored Piccolo’s inner struggles – how he’s changed from a demon, and how he became friends with Goku, the person he was originally meant to destroy – and given him a more substantial role.

It’s understandable to wonder how Future Trunks could exist if Vegeta and Bulma never become a couple. However, a simple solution is that ‘Future Trunks’ might actually be ‘Future Goten.’ If Trunks wasn’t born, Goten could have taken his place as the central young character in the Buu Saga, and would likely have received more development than either Goten or Trunks did in Dragon Ball Z.

Taking Vegeta out of the Buu Saga actually makes the story even better. Without Vegeta and his son Trunks, the author would have been forced to stick with his choice of Gohan as the main hero. Almost everything Goku does in that part of the story relies on Vegeta being there, and without Trunks, Goten wouldn’t have been able to help buy time against Buu while Goku and Gohan prepared to fight.

I really enjoy the classic Buu Saga, but I also think it would have been fun to see the end of Dragon Ball Z as a lighthearted, action-comedy focused on Gohan navigating high school. Imagine him fighting bad guys with his girlfriend and brother! The Great Saiyaman storyline is already a great part of the series, and it could have been even better if Vegeta hadn’t interfered as he often does.

Vegeta is a fantastic and well-known character, but the stories involving Gohan, Piccolo, Yamcha, Bulma, and the entire Dragon Ball Z series would have flowed more smoothly if he hadn’t been involved in the Cell and Buu sagas. The same could be said for certain storylines in Dragon Ball Super as well.

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2026-03-05 07:13