Vegeta, a character from the renowned Dragon Ball series, who many of us know as regal, egotistical, and a lump of pride. The character who changes from a villain to an anti-hero, then to a hero. It won’t be an exaggeration if one calls him ‘The best written Dragon Ball character’. Vegeta’s journey throughout Dragon Ball is awe-inspiring, to say the least.
Recently, a YouTuber by the name of ‘Agent Mystery Meat’ made an amazing fan animation ‘Legend – A Dragon Ball Tale’ which took a different approach to depict the characters from Dragon Ball. And the character which stood out the most, for many, was Vegeta. The approach taken for Vegeta made many love him as a character even more.
After watching the fan animation, many were asking, ‘What made this Vegeta so different from the canon Vegeta?’ Well here my friends, lies the answer to your question. So without further ado let us dive right in.
Status:
Firstly, the status the two have. Canon Vegeta is the Prince of All Saiyans on Planet Vegeta which no longer exists, and later he joins the Z-fighters.
Whereas, Legend’s Vegeta is referred to as the “new King of the Saiyans” on the Planet Vegeta that still exists. The change in status separates the two. Former can’t be the King, but still holds the pride of one without his people to rule over. And the latter is the King accepted by the Grand Council and all Saiyans.
Timeline:
The timeline the two meet the Z-fighters is a big factor. The canon Vegeta arrives on Earth after hearing about Raditz’s death, and in order to collect the Dragon Balls to grant himself immortality to fight Frieza.
Meanwhile, Legend Vegeta arrives on Earth before that, during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, and Frieza has yet to attack Planet Vegeta. Legend Vegeta is on an interstellar assassination mission to eliminate the Saiyan Legend, Broly; and recruit ‘The Savior from Heaven’, Kakarot for war.
Frieza:
The involvement of Frieza with Planet Vegeta is a factor I believe that led to the genesis of the two Vegeta. The motivation for Canon Vegeta, as we all know, was to defeat Frieza who destroyed Planet Vegeta and killed all Saiyans. That was the reason he arrived on Earth, and also why he went to Planet Namek.
Whereas in the Legend’s timeline, Frieza hadn’t destroyed Planet Vegeta which led to Vegeta getting the throne. And the reason he wanted to recruit Kakarot was to fight in the war which is probably against the looming threat of Frieza.
Personality:
The two’s personalities may seem identical on the surface, but one can notice the differences when we see the two with a keen eye. We all know the canon Vegeta as an arrogant and prideful warrior, but he was also jealous of Goku’s power. He was frustrated at himself for not achieving the Super Saiyan transformation before Goku. Canon Vegeta is always chasing Goku, but as the series progresses the jealousy turns into a yearning to be stronger than anyone.
Whereas Legend’s Vegeta is regal and prideful – a king who would go to any extent for his people. When Goku achieves ‘The Savior from Heaven’ transformation, Vegeta actually seems proud of him. He also asks Goku to marry Chi-Chi. So we can say that Legend Vegeta, above all things, cares for Saiyans more than his pride.
Power:
If we compare the Power Level when Vegeta first made an appearance in Dragon Ball, and his first appearance in Legends, there is a clear difference between the two. Canon Vegeta didn’t have the Super Saiyan transformation when he appeared; he heavily relied on his Great Ape transformation.
Meanwhile, Legend’s Vegeta already has a Super Saiyan form, he also uses Final Flash. And this Vegeta also used a Kamehameha with Goku, which was quite ironic. We can say that Legend’s Vegeta is stronger as compared to the canon Vegeta when he first arrived on Earth.
What’s in store for the future?
The future for Legend Vegeta is very intriguing to consider. Let us see what we can theorize based on the clues and hints we got so far and whether his route in life will deviate from canon Vegeta or not.
We can say that the war to come is with Frieza – in which Goku and Vegeta would join forces to beat him. But will Vegeta settle on Earth because of his love for Bulma or will he stay on Planet Vegeta to do his kingly duties? It seems that whatever Vegeta we talk about, he is bound to fall in love with Bulma. And what of the future threats? Considering all things, it is likely that Legend Vegeta will also settle on Earth, and continue to fight with the Z-fighters.Conclusion:
Now with both the characters laid out. If you compare the two, you would realize how similar yet different they are. Canon Vegeta changes from an egotistical broken prince looking for revenge, to a loving husband and prideful warrior fighting to protect his family from the threats of the universe. While Legend’s Vegeta is already prideful, the indication of his relationship with Bulma shows that he’ll go down a similar path, but there are endless possibilities in store.
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