Vegeta gets a bad rep. Sure, the Prince of Saiyans tends to play second fiddle to Kakarot, but Dragon Ball's resident tsundere can hold his own against the best of them. If it were not for his pesky pride, Vegeta might have eliminated the likes of Semi-Perfect Cell or perhaps Frieza's earliest forms. Unfortunately, Vegeta's neverending desire to establish himself as Goku's superior usually results in the Prince making the situation worse. Dragon Ball Super bestows the Saiyan with some much-needed character development, while also steadily heightening Vegeta's combat prowess.
Vegeta has a rather awful track record, especially in Dragon Ball Z. In fact, the dude may just be the franchise's greatest jobber. Yes, even more so than Yamcha. Yamcha! It seems like an arc does not pass without the central villain turning Vegeta into a glorified punching bag, prompting Goku (or Gohan) to take charge and save the day. Racking up losses on a regular basis, one may assume Vegeta ranks pretty low in the Dragon Ball's power rankings. Well, things are not quite so simple. Considering Dragon Ball Super essentially turns Vegeta into a god, the Saiyan obviously outpowers many short-lived characters. In the name of fairness, challengers will be compared to the version of Vegeta found in their respective arcs. Judgment will be passed in a vacuum, hence Vegeta may still come ahead despite losing a previous encounter.
Here are 15 Dragon Ball characters stronger than Vegeta (and 15 strange ones who aren’t)!
30 Stronger: Goku
Why not start things off with the most obvious entry? Goku is Vegeta’s rival, however the same does not hold true in reverse. Vegeta strives to surpass Kakarot. Without the presence of the unpretentious Saiyan to consistently remind the Prince of his limitations, Vegeta may never have dared to turn against Frieza. Vegeta hates but respects Goku, and the only thing Saiyans truly respect is power.
While they have fought numerous times, Goku and Vegeta’s contest during Dragon Ball Z’s Saiyan Saga defines their relationship. Vegeta puts up a good fight, however, Goku unleashes Kaio-Ken and overpowers his arrogant opponent.
29 Weaker: Golden Frieza
Frieza is the mortal enemy of all Saiyans. As the Prince of said race, Vegeta detests the war criminal more than even Goku. A fine enough film in its own right, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' falls just short of greatness due to Golden Frieza simply failing to come across as a threat to either Goku or Vegeta. Now, in all fairness, Frieza had yet to master the form’s true potential.
Once the Tournament of Power comes around, the gap has definitely shrunk between Golden Frieza and Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta. However, the former struggles badly against Toppo’s God of Destruction form, while the latter fared far better.
28 Stronger: Super Saiyan 2 Gohan
Now, in all fairness, comparing a Super Saiyan 2 to a mere Super Saiyan is hardly fair. Nevertheless, we are doing it anyway! The Cell Saga arguably marks Vegeta’s lowest moment in the series, as the anti-hero permits the main villain to reach his final form at the expense of the Earth’s safety. During this time, Vegeta ranks relatively high amongst Super Saiyans. That all changes once Gohan electrifies the competition.
Despite a full bill of health, Vegeta struggles against a Cell Jr. Comparatively, Gohan eliminates a whole party of the miniature androids without breaking a sweat.
27 Weaker: Ultimate Gohan
While Vegeta arguably has the lead up until the Android Saga, Gohan is a tier above the Prince of Saiyans throughout the rest of Dragon Ball Z. Ultimate Gohan wrecks Majin Vegeta without missing a beat. If Goku’s son continued to evolve and train, Gohan could have matured into the strongest Z fighter of all time. Alas, life had different plans.
Dragon Ball Super relegates Gohan to little more than a glorified cameo, with the Saiyan only regaining his Ultimate form during the final arc in the anime. By the time the Universe Survival Saga rolls around, Ultimate Gohan cannot hold a candle to Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta.
26 Stronger: Jiren
Endeavoring to raise the stakes set by Goku Black, Zamasu, and Golden Frieza; Dragon Ball Super found its answer in the form of Universe 11’s Jiren. A muscular defender of justice with an incredibly cliché backstory and a nondescript face, Jiren allows his actions to speak for themselves. As the final opponent to challenge Goku, Jiren competes in a higher bracket than the Prince of Saiyans.
Now, to give credit where credit is due, during their fight, Vegeta does land a few decent hits, including a particularly stern kick to the Pride Trooper’s midsection. Vegeta has the skill but lacks the power to face Jiren on equal footing.
25 Weaker: Anilaza
Introducing a couple of dozen new faces to the mix, the Universe Survival Saga buckled under the weight of its cast. Consequently, many characters are relegated to monsters of the week. Out of all the throwaway enemies, Anilaza towers head and shoulders above the fodder! A Godzillaesque creature created through the fusion of four Universe 3 members, Anilaza overwhelms six of Universe 7’s members. Super Saiyan Vegeta is part of that team.
Not to take anything away from Universe 3’s ace in the hole, but Anilaza fails to persuade Vegeta or Goku to activate Super Saiyan Blue. Furthermore, the gigantic monster has an obvious weak spot stamped on his head. Despite evidence to the contrary, Vegeta is not an idiot.
24 Stronger: Beerus
Universe 7’s God of Destruction seems poised to serve as the final threshold for Goku and – to a lesser extent – Vegeta to transcend. While stronger fighters do exist, even among the Gods of Destruction; Beerus is the Saiyans’ master, conqueror, and deity. Strictly speaking, Universe 7 cannot offer a more powerful opponent than the Egyptian cat.
Due to Beerus’ training, Vegeta and Goku have closed the gap. Nevertheless, we doubt the sensei has taught all his tricks to his students.
23 Weaker: Hit
In the Universe 6 Saga, Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta and Hit collide in their one and only match, concluding with the latter securing a comfortable victory. Taking into account the outcome of their solitary contest, Hit should naturally rank above the Prince. Yet, we find ourselves leaning in the Saiyan's favor.
While a competent close quarters combatant, Hit relies heavily on his Time-Skip ability to swiftly eliminate his targets. Without prior knowledge of this move, Vegeta was caught unprepared by Universe 6’s strongest warrior. Such a situation is unlikely to repeat itself. Any future fights will come down to the wire.
22 Stronger: Whis
Even destroyers of worlds require an education. Beerus found his master in the form of the angelic Whis, a peaceful and somewhat carefree character with seemingly infinite potential. As the Grand Minister’s children, Whis and his siblings are only surpassed by their father and the ruler of the entire multiverse, Zeno.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly established that the Legendary Super Saiyan lacks the requisite power to cause Whis to fight seriously. Will the angel ever show his true strength? Maybe, maybe not; either way, Vegeta is no match for Whis.
21 Weaker: Innocent Buu
If comparisons are restricted to the Majin Buu Saga, Innocent Buu is stronger than all the Z Fighters besides Super Saiyan 3 Goku and Ultimate Gohan. Be that as it may, the character stuck around for the franchise’s subsequent outings. Buu snores his way through most of Dragon Ball Super, with the only worthwhile contribution arriving in the form of a squash match against Basil in Zeno’s exhibition session prior to the Tournament of Power. Due to his opponent’s power deficit, pinpointing Buu’s current energy level is quite tricky.
According to the data presented by the series, Vegeta seems to have surpassed Innocent Buu by quite a notable margin. Bribe Buu with a cup of pudding and the match is over.
20 Stronger: Kid Buu
Lacking the slightest hint of self-control, Kid Buu is the living personification of Freud's ID. The villain has no restraint, motives, or traditional intelligence. Kid Buu exists to destroy. Consequently, Dragon Ball Z’s ultimate big bad lacks the nuance of some of the earlier villains, even if none compare to Kid Buu's power.
Super Saiyan 3 Goku barely manages to keep up with the pink antagonist, while Vegeta’s main contribution to the fight is to keep Kid Buu distracted until Kakarot prepares the Spirit Bomb. How does the Prince accomplish this task? Painfully.
19 Weaker: Caulifla & Kale
Two for the price of one! As quick of a learner as she may be, Caulifla is closer to the level of Super Saiyan 2 Gohan than a fully powered Vegeta. With regards to the female Broly, Kale demonstrates an impressive amount of destructive power and the necessary will power to eventually control her berserker form.
In the anime, Vegeta mainly ignores Universe 6’s female Saiyans, who spend their time getting schooled by Super Saiyan God Goku. In the manga, Vegeta deduces Kale – the strongest of the pair – is not worthy of his time.
18 Stronger: Kefla
Compared to Universe 7’s counterparts, Universe 6’s Saiyans have only just begun their journey towards self-actualization. Caulifla, Kale, and Cabba manage to reach Super Saiyan relatively quickly, although one could argue their lack of knowledge about the transformation was the only thing preventing them from accessing it. Individually, all three have a long way to go before they stand any hope of competing against Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta.
Kefla is a whole different story. Equipped with the Potara Earrings, Caulifla and Kale successfully fuse to form the confident Kefla. Retaining the former’s arrogance and the latter’s natural horsepower, Kefla easily destroys Super Saiyan Blue Goku and more than holds her own against the protagonist’s Ultra Instinct form. Fusion may be cheating, but everything is fair game in the Tournament of Power.
17 Weaker: Uub
With the exception of perhaps Raditz, Uub earns the title of Dragon Ball's most wasted character. The human incarnation of Kid Buu, the powerful child's sole claim to fame is a short fight against Baby. Dragon Ball Super barely mentions Uub.
As a result, Uub is somewhat of an enigma. While Dragon Ball GT suggests he is more powerful than the average Super Saiyan, this does not extend to Vegeta and Goku's 4th forms. If Uub does show up in a sequel to Dragon Ball Super, he needs to be far more powerful than Kid Buu to measure up against Vegeta.
16 Stronger: Broly
Undoubtedly the franchise’s best feature film, Dragon Ball Super: Broly contains some fantastic battles. While Gogeta and Broly steal the show, Vegeta’s clash with the hulking Saiyan slots in at a close second. For the majority of the encounter, the Prince of All Saiyans has the upper hand without even having to resort to Super Saiyan Blue. That being said, Broly had only scratched the surface of his potential.
Broly’s power is so overwhelming, Vegeta swallows his pride and agrees to perform the fusion dance with Goku. If this action does not scream outmatched, then nothing will!
15 Weaker: Captain Ginyu
The Ginyu Force's leader is billed as the second most powerful in the universe, only being outdone by Frieza. Despite talking quite a good game, Ginyu has an awful time against Goku and friends. After trading bodies with Kakarot, Ginyu struggles to come to terms with the Saiyan's dynamism, leading to an absolute thrashing at the hands of a newly empowered Vegeta.
After bidding his time for a chance to seek revenge on those responsible for trapping him in a frog, Captain Ginyu briefly returns during Dragon Ball Super's Golden Frieza Saga. Once again, Vegeta has the final laugh.
14 Stronger: Toppo (God of Destruction)
Out of all the “stronger” candidates, Toppo may very well be the most controversial. After all, Vegeta eliminates this very opponent during the Tournament of Power. Should that not be enough to give the edge to the Prince?
Vegeta deserves all of the respect in the world for finding a way to overcome Toppo. That being said, the Saiyan uses every ounce of his energy to succeed in pushing the God of Destruction out of the ring. Outside of a tournament setting, Toppo should reign victorious. Following their battle, the defeated Toppo is far less damaged than the triumphant Saiyan.
13 Weaker: Gotenks
Battles are decided by more factors than solely raw power. Created through the fusion of Trunks and Goten, Gotenks is a mischievous warrior with a quirky moveset and a ton of potential. On their own, Trunks and Goten had already unlocked the ability to reach Super Saiyan, but Gotenks goes even further beyond the limit by achieving Super Saiyan 3.
Even if confining the comparison to only the Majin Buu Saga, which is the only time Gotenks is somewhat relevant, Vegeta still comes out on top. Why? Gotenks is too immature. In close matches, experience tends to be the difference.
12 Stronger: Perfect Cell
Vegeta’s stupidest blunder instantly came back to haunt the arrogant warrior. The Saiyan has Semi-Perfect Cell on the ropes from the very first second, reducing the android into a pitiful mess. Unfortunately, Semi-Perfect Cell realizes that pride is Vegeta’s greatest character flaw and manipulates the Prince accordingly.
Perfect Cell does not even register Vegeta as a threat. The android brushes off a direct hit from the Saiyan’s ultimate attack (Final Flash), a stunt that leaves Vegeta's pride in tatters.
11 Weaker: Super Saiyan Blue Goku
Goku holds an edge over Vegeta throughout the entirety of Dragon Ball Z. The latter’s sole victory as Majin Vegeta is rendered meaningless when Goku reveals he could have transformed into Super Saiyan 3. Even though Dragon Ball Super is definitely Kakarot’s show, 2015’s anime closes the gap between the two rivals.
With very little separating Super Saiyan Blue Goku from Vegeta’s equivalent form, tactical prowess and temperament take priority over natural ability. While Goku seems to grow dumber by the second, Vegeta has shed his insecurities. The Prince of All Saiyans is a more complete package than Kakarot.