Why Vegeta never beats Goku in Dragon Ball: a rebuttal

Ranker ran an article titled 7 Theories About Why Vegeta Never Surpasses Goku In The Dragon Ball Series, and I went through it theory by theory. It isn't as bad as some of the Screen Rant and ComicBook.com pieces on Dragon Ball, which I find embarrassingly bad, written by people who don't care about the series. This one makes some interesting points. It also makes some that don't make any sense, and most of them don't answer the question in its title.

The premise itself is wrong. Vegeta has surpassed Goku many times since Dragon Ball Z. I think the writer is asking why Goku always overcomes him. There are many reasons for that. The article outlines some. Some are true, some are not, and some are true but don't apply to this discussion.

Goku the martial artist versus Vegeta the soldier under Frieza

The first theory says Goku is a duelist while Vegeta is a soldier. Goku is a martial artist who enjoys the thrill of fighting and improving. Vegeta was a soldier working under Frieza. That may be partially true. Goku is a tournament tested fighter, and Vegeta never grew up like that.

But Vegeta was the prince, and Nappa was his top guy. He wasn't on the battle lines his entire life. Other Saiyans were involved before the destruction of Planet Vegeta. Vegeta was also so much stronger than his opponents that fighting wasn't much of a struggle for him.

I understand the writer's point, but I don't feel it's a big reason Vegeta hasn't surpassed Goku. Over time Vegeta has become just like Goku. He's always trying to surpass himself, surpass Goku, surpass Beerus, whoever he has to. He's adopted Goku's mentality. In the more recent Dragon Ball Super material, he has changed without question. This theory may have applied for most of Dragon Ball Z. As the series progressed, though, I feel Vegeta became more of a duelist and more of a martial artist, especially in the Moro arc.

The Zenkai boost applies to Vegeta as much as Goku

The second theory says Saiyans get stronger after taking a good beating. I don't think this one should be on the list, because it applies to both Goku and Vegeta. If we look at the history of these characters, there's a possibility Vegeta has been beaten up more than Goku has.

The statement itself isn't wrong. If a member of the Saiyan race is close to death or gets beaten badly, they get a boost of power, which the fandom calls a Zenkai boost. I'm not sure it applies here, though. Goku and Vegeta have been at equal power numerous times. Vegeta has also surpassed Goku numerous times, including when he exploited the Zenkai for his own benefit.

I think the writer means we saw Goku battle on screen since he was a little kid: the Red Ribbon Army, the Piccolo arc, the tournament arcs, Baba. We know some of Vegeta's history, but not every fight. That doesn't apply anymore. Even in the Vegeta saga, Vegeta was stronger than Goku. Goku could not have beaten him in that first fight without the Kaioken. I think the writer is trying to make points that don't support his argument. If I'm honest, I think the main reason is plot shielding for the main character.

Goku's selflessness versus his bond with his friends

The third theory says Goku's selflessness gives him an advantage. Both Goku and Vegeta have been very selfish and very selfless at different moments. The idea might come off as thought provoking and philosophically deep, but it doesn't work for Dragon Ball. I don't think being selfless makes you stronger.

What I think the writer should have said was a big point during the fight with Jiren in episode 130 of Dragon Ball Super: Goku has a stronger tie to his friends than Vegeta does. However, Vegeta has proven time and again that he has a much stronger bond to Bulma, Trunks, Bra and now Cabba. Once again, the two are going down a mirrored pathway.

I think the reason Goku stayed one step ahead throughout Dragon Ball Z is that he's a much more focused and open minded fighter. He's trained under Roshi, Grandpa Gohan, Korin, King Kai, Kami and Mr. Popo, and later Whis. He also learned from the Metamorans and the Yardrats. Vegeta only recently learned Forced Spirit Fission from the Yardrats in the Moro arc. Going back to Dragon Ball Z, Goku is a smarter fighter than Vegeta, even if some folks don't want to say it. Vegeta may have been tactically better hand to hand, but I've always felt Goku's versatility was higher, especially with techniques like the Spirit Bomb and Instant Transmission. The article says Goku's greatest strength comes from helping each other. That's a good point, but thinking of Vegeta's thoughts of Bulma after he blew himself up against Majin Buu, I think he's come a long way too.

Raw talent isn't the reason Goku stays ahead of Vegeta

The fourth theory says Goku simply has more raw talent. That's close to the point I was making, but I don't think it's worded correctly. Vegeta is the super elite, and Goku is the low class warrior. If you break it down, it's the opposite.

Through most of Dragon Ball Z, Vegeta was a prideful, egotistical fighter. He felt he deserved to be more powerful than Goku, that it was his birthright to rule over him, and that Kakarot was beneath him. That lasted until the end of the series, when he acknowledged Goku is number one.

I think the reason for that is hard work, not talent. Goku put in a lot of work. He learned to train in gravity before Vegeta, who copied the gravity training and kept using it. Goku first got a taste of god power in Super and wanted to keep going. Vegeta wanted it too, but Goku tasted it first. It's about versatility, hunger and the need to train harder. As Dragon Ball Z progressed, Vegeta became more like Goku, training harder and doing what it took to reach that level.

The Monkey King connection and Goku's plot armor

The fifth theory says Goku's ties to the Monkey King mythos prove he can't fail. I don't like this one. First, Goku fails a lot. He's lost many fights and makes mistakes all the time, so the claim is incorrect.

Second, it goes in a very meta direction. Son Goku is based on Sun Wukong from Journey to the West, but he's a very different character who doesn't behave that similarly. They share some things: multiple transformations, the cloud and the staff, and what's referred to as the empty head. That doesn't mean they're dumb. They can fill that head with knowledge of combat and not be married to one concept, like Jeet Kune Do was to Bruce Lee. Even so, comparing Goku to the character he's based on isn't an in universe explanation. That's Toriyama's writing.

That ties to my plot shielding point. The writer suggests Vegeta might be cursed to live in Goku's shadow, but the reality is that "goku is the main character." Many Vegeta fans can't accept that, especially those who've only seen Dragon Ball Z. That's like seeing The Empire Strikes Back and not the original Star Wars. Dragon Ball is the story of Goku from child to grandfather. You can have a favorite among Vegeta, Gohan, Krillin or Beerus, but it's Goku's story. Should Goku win every fight? No. Should he always beat the main villain? Probably not. But "vegeta will always be number two because it's not his show." The story has always been Vegeta catching up to Goku, which he has done a few times.

The Spirit Bomb versus Vegeta's Forced Spirit Fission

The sixth theory asks whether Goku is an energy vampire, pointing to the Spirit Bomb's absorption. The writer makes a decent point that Goku knows techniques like the Spirit Bomb and, going deeper, the Kaioken.

The problem is that in the Moro arc, Vegeta knows Forced Spirit Fission, which has very similar energy manipulation properties. Vegeta has made himself a better fighter. The writer argues the Spirit Bomb puts Goku over Vegeta. I guess it did, if you believe that, but now that Vegeta knows Forced Spirit Fission, it's almost the same thing. It's tough to call this a reason Vegeta couldn't surpass him, because Vegeta may have when it comes to energy.

Who produces more ki depends on the form and the move

The seventh theory is too much like the sixth: does Goku produce more ki than Vegeta? It depends. Ultra Instinct is a totally different kind of transformation. Super Saiyan 1, 2 and 3 use inner ki. Super Saiyan 4 and the Oozaru use Blutz waves with that inner ki. Super Saiyan God, Blue, Rose and the other god forms use god ki. Ultra Instinct, Migatte no Gokui, is all those energies plus the empty head: mastery of self movement, letting your body move on its own. That requires training or practice, which Vegeta did with Whis.

At times Vegeta gives off more energy than Goku. For finishers like the Final Explosion and Final Flash, he harnesses a huge amount of energy, just as Goku does for his Super Kamehameha. The writer says a Saiyan's power comes from using and manipulating ki, but that's every martial artist in Dragon Ball and in all of shonen. You don't have to be a Saiyan. Saying Vegeta can't tip the scales on power is wrong.

Overall, it isn't a terrible article, and it wasn't infuriating. But the points have nothing to do with why Goku is more powerful or why Vegeta can never surpass him. I don't want to call it clickbait, but I think it's mistitled. It should have been called something like the differences between Goku's and Vegeta's fighting philosophies. Vegeta has surpassed Goku numerous times and probably will again at some point. As Vegeta said in Resurrection F, they need each other to improve. Goku is usually more powerful because he's more versatile and more open minded. But Vegeta has changed big time, and he could learn Ultra Instinct at any point if he really tries. Because of that change, "it's anyone's ball game."