Who Is Vegeta?

Every Dragon Ball fan eventually hits the same wall. You want a straight answer about the Prince of All Saiyans, but wikis bury it under fifty tabs, forum threads argue, and half the numbers online are simply wrong. His age, his forms, his true power level. All of it sits scattered across the internet, and you waste an hour finding nothing solid. This guide fixes that. One page, every real answer, backed by official sources.

Who Is Vegeta? The 60-Second Answer

Vegeta is the crown prince of the Saiyan race and the eternal rival of Goku in Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball franchise. He lands on Earth as a ruthless conqueror, loses, and then spends the rest of his life refusing to lose again.

That refusal is the whole character. Pride drives him, pride nearly destroys him, and pride is what finally pushes him past every ceiling Goku sets.

Quick facts:

• Race: Saiyan, royal bloodline, son of King Vegeta
• Height: 164 cm (about 5’4″), per official character guides
• Born: Age 732 in the Dragon Ball timeline
• First on-screen appearance: Dragon Ball Z episode 5, 1989
• Family: Trunks and Bulla’s father, married to Bulma
• Signature attacks: Galick Gun, Final Flash, Big Bang Attack
• Japanese voice: Ryō Horikawa · English voice: Christopher Sabat

Vegeta’s Origin: The Last Prince of a Dead World

Planet Vegeta burned when he was five years old. Frieza wiped out the Saiyan race in a single strike, and the boy who survived grew up working for the monster who killed his father.

That is the wound underneath everything. Every insult he throws, every training montage he endures, comes from a child who watched his home become ash and had to salute the arsonist.

Saiyans are built different. They heal stronger after near-death, they keep their youthful bodies far longer than humans, and their power jumps every time they survive something that should have killed them. Vegeta weaponized all three traits through pure stubbornness.

He also carries a tail in his early appearances, which lets him transform into the giant ape form known as Oozaru under a full moon. He uses it against Goku in their first fight, and Goku’s allies cut the tail off to stop him.

From Planet Conqueror to Earth’s Angry Dad

Vegeta arrives on Earth in Age 762 with Nappa, kills half the cast, and loses to a wounded Goku anyway. He leaves alive, vowing revenge, and never quite gets it.

Then the story bends him. On Namek he watches Frieza murder his people and dies begging Goku to finish the job. He returns to Earth, trains in a gravity room, and starts a family with Bulma without ever formally agreeing to it.

The Buu Saga is where he breaks open. Babidi marks him with the M symbol to unleash his old cruelty, and the plan fails completely. Family beat the darkness. He hugs Trunks, tells his son he is proud to be his father, and burns himself to ash trying to kill Majin Buu.

He calls that sacrifice his atonement. Fans call it the greatest single moment in Dragon Ball Z.

Every Vegeta Form and Transformation, Ranked by Story

Vegeta collects transformations the way other characters collect excuses. Each one marks a real turning point, not just a new color.

• Base Saiyan (with Oozaru): Scouter, armor, tail. Pure conqueror.
• Super Saiyan: Unlocked between Age 764 and 767, first shown against Android 19 in Age 767. He reached it through grinding, not rage, which is very him.
• Super Saiyan Second Grade: The bulked-up version he and Trunks build inside the Room of Spirit and Time.
• Super Saiyan 2: Reached during the seven-year gap before the Buu Saga. He debuts it as Majin Vegeta at the World Tournament.
• Majin Vegeta: Not a form so much as a possession. The M mark on his forehead is Babidi’s dark magic feeding his buried cruelty.
• Super Saiyan God: Achieved through training under Whis in Dragon Ball Super.
• Super Saiyan Blue: God ki layered over Super Saiyan. His workhorse form for most of Super.
• Super Saiyan Blue Evolved: The deep-blue power spike he pushes out against Jiren and Kefla-era threats.
• Ultra Ego: His manga-original answer to Goku’s Ultra Instinct. Purple aura, no eyebrows, pure destruction energy.
• Beast-style and game forms: Extra states from Heroes, Xenoverse and Sparking Zero, outside the main story.

The pattern matters. Goku’s forms come from calm. Vegeta’s come from anger he refuses to let go of. Both work. Only one of them costs him his peace of mind.

Majin Vegeta and Ultra Ego: The Two Forms That Define Him

Majin Vegeta is the fan favorite for a reason. The forehead M, the cracked armor, the Final Flash aimed at his own conscience. It is the character admitting, out loud, that he misses being the villain, and then proving he does not.

Ultra Ego is the mature version of that same energy. Beerus teaches him that power drawn only from instinct has no ceiling, and Vegeta turns that lesson into a form fueled by taking damage. The more he gets hit, the stronger he burns.

Is Ultra Ego canon? Yes. Ultra Ego appears in the Dragon Ball Super manga from chapter 74 onward, published by Shueisha, and it stays in the main story. It simply has not been animated in the Dragon Ball Super anime, which is why casual viewers assume it is a game invention.

The trade-off is brutal. Ultra Instinct dodges damage. Ultra Ego eats it. Vegeta chose the path that hurts, because hurting is the only language he fully trusts.

How Tall Is Vegeta? Height, Build and That Famous Hairline

Official character guides list him at 164 cm, roughly 5 feet 4 inches. Goku stands at 175 cm. Bulma is 165 cm, which means the Prince of All Saiyans is one centimeter shorter than his own wife.

Dragon Ball Super redraws him noticeably taller, close enough to Goku that the Fusion Dance reads as believable. Old fans noticed immediately. The official number never changed.

His height never limited him, and his hairline became its own running joke. Saiyan hair does not grow or change after childhood, so that sharp widow’s peak and the flame-shaped spikes stay identical from age five to age fifty. Every strand points up. Nothing moves. Ever.

Artists copy that hairline more than any other feature when drawing him. Get the spikes wrong and the sketch stops reading as the character, even with the correct armor.

Goku vs Vegeta: Who Is Actually Stronger?

Goku wins on peak output. Ultra Instinct, Kaioken stacking, and a body that refuses to obey limits give him the higher ceiling in nearly every major fight.

Vegeta wins on consistency and grit. He trains without breaks, refuses shortcuts, and closes gaps that should take years in a matter of weeks. His fusion forms, Vegito and Gogeta, also produce the strongest single fighters in the franchise.

Here is the honest answer: they trade the top spot constantly, and the story wants it that way. The moment one pulls ahead for good, the engine of Dragon Ball stalls.

Is Vegeta stronger than Goku? In raw peak power, no. In sustained pressure, refusal to quit, and willingness to trade his own body for a win, Vegeta takes that fight every time.

Why does Vegeta call Goku Kakarot? Kakarot is his birth name, the one given to him on Planet Vegeta. Vegeta uses it as a reminder that Goku is a low-class warrior playing at greatness. Late in the manga he occasionally says “Goku” instead, and fans treat that as a quiet sign of respect.

How Old Is Vegeta? The Complete Age Timeline

Vegeta was born in Age 732. Goku was born in Age 737. That makes the prince five years older than his rival, which stings more than any punch ever has.

Saiyan bodies age slowly, and Vegeta adds another complication: years spent inside the Room of Spirit and Time, where one day outside equals one year inside. His calendar age and his biological age drift apart as the series runs.

How old was Vegeta in the Saiyan Saga? Twenty-nine when Raditz landed, thirty when he and Nappa touched down on Earth to fight.

How old was Vegeta when he went Super Saiyan? Somewhere between 32 and 34. He reached the form during the three-year gap before the Cell Games, off-screen, through training alone.

How old is Vegeta in Dragon Ball Z? He spans 29 to 42 across the series.

How old is Vegeta in Dragon Ball Super? He starts at 46 and finishes around 48, with a biological age several years higher from time chamber sessions.

Is Vegeta older than Goku? Yes, by five years, and he never lets anyone forget it.

What He Wears: Armor in Z, Super and GT

The original Saiyan battle armor is white with gold trim, worn over a dark blue bodysuit, finished with round shoulder plates plus white boots and gloves. That silhouette is the character. Tattoo artists, cosplayers and figure sculptors all begin there.

What armor does Vegeta wear in Dragon Ball Super? He opens the series in updated white-and-gold Saiyan armor over a bluer undersuit, then shifts into Beerus-style training clothes: a dark sleeveless top with matching pants, worn while training on the destroyer god’s planet. Later arcs return him to armor variants and Bulma-designed combat gear.

What outfit does Vegeta wear in Dragon Ball GT? GT is a non-canon sequel produced by Toei, and it dresses him in a black sleeveless top, dark pants, white gloves and boots. It also hands him a mustache, which he shaves off after Baby humiliates him. That mustache remains one of the most argued-about design choices in the franchise.

He also wears a white shirt printed with the word BADMAN during the Buu Saga, right after Trunks takes a hit. The joke lands hard, and the shirt became one of the most printed garments in anime history.

Does Vegeta Love Bulma?

Yes, deeply and quietly. He married her, raised two children with her, and never once said the words in a way that felt natural to him.

The proof shows up in behavior instead of dialogue. He stays on Earth for her. He keeps training through her pregnancy. He lets her run him around Capsule Corp, which is the closest thing to surrender this man has ever offered.

His Final Explosion speech names Trunks, then Bulma, then Goku, right before he destroys himself. That ordering is the entire marriage in one sentence.

Baby Vegeta, Family and the Saiyan Bloodline

Searches for baby vegeta split into two very different intents. Some fans want the character as a child, the five-year-old prince standing on his home world before Frieza’s attack. Others want Baby, the GT parasite who hijacks his body and becomes Baby Vegeta.

Both versions matter to the fanbase. The child version humanizes him. The GT version hands him one of the darkest arcs he ever gets, since his own body commits crimes while he stays trapped inside it.

Full profile table:

Who Voices Vegeta?

Ryō Horikawa has voiced the character in Japanese across the entire franchise, and his performance sets the standard everyone else chases.

Christopher Sabat handles the English dub, taking over the role in the late 1990s after Funimation moved production in-house. He also directs voice sessions and has played Piccolo and Yamcha in the same series.

Brian Drummond performed the original Ocean Group English dub heard in the earliest North American broadcasts, and fans still argue about which version truly owns the role.

How to Draw Vegeta: A Simple 7-Step Method

You do not need raw talent. You need order. Follow these steps and the likeness lands.

1. Head shape first. Draw a rounded skull with a strong, slightly square jaw and a narrow but firm chin.
2. Set the hairline. Place a sharp widow’s peak at center, then build three flame-shaped bangs falling toward the eyes.
3. Build the spikes. Every strand angles up and back. Vary the lengths, keep the base wide.
4. Eyes and brows. Thick, low-set brows sit tight against the eyes. Add a hard glare and a small nose.
5. Torso. Broad shoulders, thick neck, V-shaped chest. He reads as compact muscle, never tall muscle.
6. Armor. Round shoulder plates, a chest plate split down the middle, a two-strap belt, white boots with folded cuffs.
7. Pose last. Fists clenched at the sides for pride, one palm forward for the Galick Gun, both hands overhead for the Final Flash.

Drill the hairline ten times before you touch the armor. That one feature carries more recognition than the entire outfit combined.

Fan Culture: Wallpapers, GIFs, Memes and Tattoos

The fandom treats him better than almost any rival character in anime history.

• Vegeta wallpaper: Ultra Ego and Majin designs dominate phone and desktop sets. Purple aura images perform best on mobile screens.
• Vegeta gif: Reaction clips rule the internet. The crossed-arms glare, the “prince of all Saiyans” boast, and the smug half-smile get shared more often than actual battle footage.
• Vegeta meme: Self-deprecating captions, exhausted-dad jokes and the “he has plans” format stay evergreen years after release.
• Vegeta tattoo: The Majin forehead M leads every request, followed by the armor shoulder plate and the crossed-arms silhouette.
• Vegeta badman shirt: The white BADMAN tee keeps selling decades later, worn ironically by fans and unironically by people who never watched a single episode.

None of this happens by accident. The character is short, angry, stubborn and secretly devoted. That exact mix is remarkably easy to see yourself in.

Wait, There Is Also a Vegeta Seasoning

Not every search means the Saiyan prince. Vegeta is also a Croatian all-purpose seasoning produced by Podravka.

Chemist Zlata Bartl developed the blend in Podravka’s labs at Koprivnica in 1958. It reached shelves in 1959 as Vegeta 40, then expanded into Hungary and the Soviet Union by 1967.

The classic blend runs mostly salt, plus dehydrated carrot, parsnip, onion, celery and parsley, with MSG, sugar, cornstarch and spices. It became a permanent fixture in Eastern European kitchens and now sells across dozens of countries.

Podravka publishes the complete ingredient list on the official brand site, so check there before cooking with it if you watch your sodium intake.

Topical Map: How This Guide Links to Every Related Topic

A pillar page earns authority only when it points outward to focused answers. Build these supporting pages and link each one back here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Vegeta?

Vegeta is the prince of the Saiyan race and Goku’s lifelong rival in Dragon Ball. He debuts as a villain who invades Earth, then grows into an antihero, a husband to Bulma, and a father to Trunks. Pride defines him, and that same pride keeps dragging him past every limit he meets.

How old is Vegeta?

He was born in Age 732, five years before Goku. He is 30 during the Saiyan Saga, 42 in the Buu Saga, and 46 when Dragon Ball Super opens. Time inside the Room of Spirit and Time pushes his biological age higher than his calendar age.

Is Ultra Ego Vegeta canon?

Yes. Ultra Ego debuted in chapter 74 of the Dragon Ball Super manga, published by Shueisha, and it stays part of the main story. It has not been animated yet, which is why many fans wrongly assume it came from a video game.

Who is stronger, Goku or Vegeta?

Goku holds the higher peak power, especially once Ultra Instinct enters the picture. The Saiyan prince matches him in durability, training discipline and sheer refusal to quit, and their fusion forms outclass both of them. The series keeps them close on purpose so the rivalry never loses fuel.

Does Vegeta love Bulma?

He does, and he proves it through actions rather than words. He married her, raised Trunks and Bulla with her, stayed on Earth for her, and named her in his final speech before sacrificing himself. Their marriage stands as one of the most stable relationships in the franchise.

How tall is Vegeta and why does he look taller in Super?

Official guides list him at 164 cm, about 5’4″, which is 11 cm shorter than Goku. Dragon Ball Super redraws him closer to his rival’s height so fusion scenes look natural on screen. The official stat never changed, only the artwork did.

Your Turn

Stop settling for scattered answers. Bookmark this page as your single reference, then pick one thread and go deeper: the Ultra Ego breakdown, the full rivalry timeline, or the age chart with every saga year attached.

Which moment convinced you he is the best-written character in Dragon Ball? The Final Explosion speech, the Ultra Ego reveal, or that BADMAN shirt? Drop your pick in the comments, then send this guide to the friend who still believes he is five years younger than Goku.