There’s no end in sight for Akira Toriyama’s prolific Dragon Ball series, and it remains one of the most popular anime programs of its kind even though it’s been more than three decades since its debut. Dragon Ball has achieved an evergreen quality due to its story and characters naturally evolving over time.
The core principles of Dragon Ball are the same, but the series develops and grows as the stakes become more intense. Vegeta is a popular personality in Dragon Ballwho comes with a loaded history, but he’s grown into one of the series’ most beloved heroes. Some incredible destructive techniques are at Vegeta’s disposal, but what’s even more fascinating are all the powers that he’s neglected and abandoned.
10 Vegeta Crafts A Spirit Sword To Extend His Reach
Plenty of characters in Dragon Ball are competent with a weapon, and they’ll use these tools to complement their fighting styles. However, some creative thinkers forge their own weapons – like a sword, scythe, or shield – out of their energy force. As a result, there are some interesting differences between the specifics of the Tournament of Power in Dragon Ball Super’s anime and manga, the latter of which features the only use of Vegeta’s Spirit Sword.
Vegeta creates a sword out of energy that he uses to latch onto the arena to avoid elimination by Kale. Curiously, this Spirit Sword tactic is first used by Vegito, which indicates that Vegeta retained the ability after the fusion separated.
9 Vegeta Cribs From His Enemy For His One-Time Tail Slicer Maneuver
A surprising moment from early on in Dragon Ball Z’s run is when Vegeta forces Great Ape Gohan to revert to his child state after he slices off his tail. This technique is referred to as Vegeta’s Tail Slicer, but it’s really just a variation on Krillin’s Destructo Disc.
Vegeta witnesses the use of the Destructo Disc during his battle against the heroes and so it’s not hard to imagine that he uses his battle knowledge to recreate the ability to solve the growing Great Ape problem. Great Apes become less of a danger as Dragon Ball goes on, but Vegeta still never gives this ability another chance to slice up the competition.
8 Vegeta Begrudgingly Uses Instant Transmission To Get Back To Earth
It’s a refreshing change of pace when Vegeta travels to Planet Yardrat to improve his skills and overwhelm Moro. However, Vegeta very pointedly doesn’t just want to copy Goku’s trajectory on Yardrat, and he instead focuses on a different set of skills.
Vegeta does appear to quickly master the ways of Instant Transmission since it’s the most efficient way for him to get back to Earth and help his friends. Of course, Vegeta hates turning to this power that Goku has made his own, but it might come forward if he’s under duress.
7 Vegeta’s Full Power Energy Ball Is A Planet-Sized Sphere Of Destruction
The promotional anime Dragon Ball Heroes is a chaotic blend of characters from every Dragon Ball property that focuses more on sensational spectacles than a logical storyline. One of the more recent developments in the series involves Fu harnessing the power of a fully-grown Universe Tree that has the capability of creating a new universe.
Vegeta does his part in the Universe Tree’s destruction when he releases a Full Power Energy Ball, a gigantic sphere of energy that’s not dissimilar from Frieza’s planet-ending Death Ball attack. However, the sheer power of this ability and its debut in Dragon Ball Heroes means it’s unlikely to reappear.
6 Vegeta’s Final Atonement Sacrifice Isn’t A Tactic That Can Be Abused
The characters in Dragon Ball are absolutely ruthless and truly committed to victory at whatever the cost, even if that means sacrificing themselves. One of the grimmest moments in the franchise is when Vegeta swallows his pride, admits his defeat, and resigns himself to his Final Atonement self-destruct maneuver as the only way to destroy Buu. This ability involves Vegeta channeling and releasing all of the energy in his body in an explosive blast until nothing is left but an expired husk.
The only other time that Vegeta turns to this bleak ability is during the Tournament of Power, but he manages to pull off a non-fatal version in that scenario.
5 Cloning And Gigantification Are Now Part Of Vegeta’s Repertoire After His Time On Yardrat
Vegeta is one of the more headstrong and arrogant characters in Dragon Ball, but he’s made great strides when it comes to humility and admitting that he needs help. Vegeta learns an abundance of essential lessons during his training period on Planet Yardrat. As a result, Vegeta leaves the planet more attuned to his body and powers, which translates into some exceptional skills that he’s yet to practice.
The Yardratians indicate that their spirit control skills can manipulate the user’s body in grand ways, whether through gigantification or the illusion of cloning. There’s an extra panel in the Dragon Ball Super Manga where Vegeta uses the cloning skill during his Spirit Control training.
4 Vegeta’s Final Crash Is Meant To End The Battle, But It Doesn’t Leave Much Of An Impression
Some of Vegeta’s most prominent moves in battle are his Big Bang Attack and Final Flash. Still, it’s always appreciated when Dragon Ball can reflect some kind of evolution between a character’s abilities and fighting style. Vegeta enters his fight against the Ginyu Force’s Recoome with unbridled confidence, but it quickly becomes one of the Saiyan’s most crushing defeats.
Vegeta tries to finish off the burly brute Recoome with a two-handed exhaustive energy attack that he dubs Final Crash. The move causes massive fallout, yet Recoome is left relatively unscathed. Vegeta doesn’t return to this technique, but it does feel like Final Flash is the perfected version of this destructive attack.
3 Vegeta Becomes A Self-Aware Genius Through His Brief Gag Manga Awareness Powers
Crossovers are plentiful in anime, and Akira Toriyama has explicitly indulged in this area when he’s pushed his worlds of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump together. Dr. Slump’s Arale shows up a few times throughout the original series, but she’s given a hearty showcase in an episode of Dragon Ball Super where she ostensibly turns the series into an episode of her own show.
Goku and Vegeta are repeatedly put to task by Arale’s unlimited power, which throws Vegeta into an existential crisis. Goku is relatively laid back over this complication, but Vegeta repeatedly breaks the fourth wall and exhibits an unexpected awareness of gag manga principles and that they’re trapped in one.
2 Vegeta Gains Intense Spirit Control Powers That Make Him More Aware Of His Abilities
Vegeta loves to be a lone wolf and push himself past his limits, but the character’s training period on Planet Yardrat is undeniably some of the most productive work that Vegeta has done in a long time. Vegeta leaves the planet with multiple new skills, including Forced Spirit Fission, which becomes a game-changer against Moro.
However, the Yardratians specialize in Spirit Control abilities that Vegeta must first master before progressing onto the more specific techniques. Vegeta shows off his Spirit Control proficiency on Yardrat, but he’s since returned to more conventional combat upon getting back to Earth.
1 Vegeta Is Still A Novice When It Comes To The Destructive Ways Of Hakai
The Dragon Ball lore has only grown richer after introducing Gods of Destruction, Angels, and other powerful celestial deities. Beerus and Whis have become crucial characters in the series, and there’s an odd kinship formed between Beerus and Vegeta that’s evolved into mutual respect.
Vegeta has engaged in serious God of Destruction training under Beerus’ guidance, and it’s pushed him to levels that Goku hasn’t even reached. This includes Vegeta successfully pulling off the Hakai erasure technique, but he’s still only left it to emergencies. There’s a lot of responsibility behind this level of power.