Characters / Dragon Ball Z Abridged - Vegeta

Dragon Ball Z Abridged Character Index
Main Characters (Son Goku | Vegeta) | Supporting Characters | Villains (Galactic Freeza Army, Cell) | Minor Characters | Movies and Specials

---

Voiced by: Nick "Lanipator" Landis

"First immortality... then the bitches."

The Prince (technically King) of All Saiyans and one of the last members of his race, he initially comes to Earth to gain immortality from the Dragon Balls, only to be confronted by the Z Fighters. After a grueling battle with Goku, Vegeta continues to try and get stronger, hoping to be able to defeat his fellow Saiyan for humiliating him on Earth. However, though he might not be fond of the idea, Vegeta slowly becomes a close ally of the Z Fighters, even starting a family with Bulma, though currently he still remains an Anti-Villain.

---

A-D

• Abusive Alien Parents: Goku, Chi-Chi, and Piccolo may not have done a great job of raising Gohan, but Vegeta makes them look like "Parents of the Year."
  • In Episode 38 alone, he's called Future Trunks a literal bastard, a failure, and a disappointment; twice. In the next episode, he punched Trunks for saying that Goku was stronger than him. The way he behaves, it's as if he's deliberately going out of his way to be a terrible parent to Trunks. Judging from Future Trunks' thoughts about exiting the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and hearing the "first bit of positive reinforcement in over a year" from Goku talking about his hair, said training didn't fix their relationship much either.
    Vegeta: Wow, you're just the Grand Central Station of disappointment, aren't you?
  • He isn't much nicer to the present-day version of his son either, flat out telling Baby Trunks that he values the Saiyan armor Bulma made more than him. Piccolo claims, and Bulma implicitly admits, him having no interest in raising his son in any way is for the best.
  • In the Broly special, his very first decree as King is that his son will be referred to as "Princess Trunks", and laughs maniacally when Trunks reacts in anguish.
    • To whit, he even offhandedly refers to Trunks as a "filthy halfling" in the most insulting compliment of all time. Comparing Trunks favorably to Broly is still stellar parenting by Vegeta standards. This doesn't escape Trunks's notice.
      Trunks: Love you too, Dad.
  • What does it ultimately take for Vegeta to finally start treating Future Trunks with more respect? Trunks blasting him for letting Cell absorb 18. What does it take for Vegeta to show legitimate concern for him? Watching him bleed out and die in front of his eyes.
  • It is implied in a lot of Vegeta's dialogue that he does care about Trunks and wants his future son to be strong and succeed. The problem is that Vegeta has a very skewed idea of what proper parenting is due to both his own childhood and being a Saiyan, and thinks that the only way to raise his son is to abuse and belittle him so he'll become tougher and stop acting "weak." After their year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Vegeta is a bit more respectful toward his son, and he genuinely becomes proud of his son when Trunks stands up to him.
  • Also, Vegeta had King Vegeta, Nappa, and Freeza as his father figures. With those kind of role models, growing up to become a terrible father yourself is inevitable.
  • In Episode 1 of Dragon ShortZ, Nappa implies that as a baby, either Nappa himself or King Vegeta repeatedly shook him while screaming that he would always be weak and never become king, and this "gave him a complex." Also he was force-fed coffee beans, which stunted his growth.
  • Ultimately Vegeta and Trunks part on good terms, but with Vegeta showing his affection by exchanging flipping birds with his son.
• AcCENT upon the Wrong SylLABle: He pronounces moustache as "Moostache", like in the dub of Dragon Ball GT.
• Acquired Situational Narcissism: He becomes even more insufferable than usual after being crowned King of New Planet Vegeta in Broly Abridged.
• Adaptational Intelligence: Zig-zagged. While Vegeta's analytical side and common sense has taken a hit like everyone else in the Abridged series, at the same time the series tends to make him smarter relative to everyone else and often paints him as the Only Sane Man in the earlier seasons. Even in the later seasons where he's undergone Sanity Slippage, he's still prone to Surrounded by Idiots moments. Having said that, he still gets played by Goku and Cell, especially the latter where Vegeta saw it coming and still let himself fall victim to his pride.
• Adaptational Jerkass: The original series portrayed Vegeta as a gradually softening Byronic Hero whose villainy was caused largely by Freeza's treatment of him. Here, he's openly, hilariously evil, actively denies any possible mitigating factors from his upbringing, and does many of his cruel acts with joyful sadism. There are indications that he's mellowing out like his canon version as he spends more time on Earth and around Bulma and Trunks. Emphasis on the "slowly" there, though.
  • The conversation with Semi-Perfect Cell has a very subtle one. In the original, Vegeta had long since given up his grudge over his defeat of Android 18 and his decision to allow the monster to absorb her is out of curiosity of his perfect form, with her being a secondary factor. Here, when 18 is brought up, Vegeta refers to her as bitch, hinting that he's not only still bitter about her beating him, but is fully willing to have her absorbed out of spite for humiliating him in addition to his curiosity of Cell's Perfect form.
    • In the original Vegeta treats all of his unworthy opponents - read everyone except those whom he knows/come to know how dangerous they are, or Kakarot - with equal amounts of condescending disdain, regardless of gender or race. Here, he makes sexist remarks about 18 throughout their battle, culminating in him calling her a cunt to her face, which leaves everyone, including 17, in shock. This leads to the cyborg finally deciding to stop holding back and put him in his place. He also makes some subtle jabs at Zarbon's presumed orientation.
• Adaptational Nice Guy:
  • Downplayed, but Vegeta has a moment of this when Cell is killed. In the original story, he laments on the fact Goku was able to willingly sacrifice himself for the planet without fear. Here, he just waits for Trunks to be revived, showing a bit of mindfulness towards his son.
  • In the original Bardock TV Special, he had a clear disdain towards the news that his entire race and planet had been destroyed by an "asteroid" and even tells Nappa to request to a planet to slaughter. In the abridged version of the special, Nappa tells him the bad news, and doesn't take it well that his race, planet, and family had been killed, and only went along with Nappa trying to take him to Dairy Queen. This discounts the dub version where a random Freeza soldier tells him about it, and keeps quiet about it.
  • Earlier on, while both versions of Vegeta killed Nappa because You Have Failed Me, Canon!Vegeta kills Nappa simply because he couldn't defeat Goku, while Abridged!Vegeta killed Nappa because he killed Piccolo and thus rendered the Dragon Balls useless, foiling Vegeta's plan to wish for immortality (plus a lot of repressed rage from dealing with Nappa's idiocy).
• Adaptational Wimp: Vegeta's honestly a lot less impressive in the abridged series than in the source material, largely stemming from his Iron Butt Monkey status and condensed fights. A good example would be against 18, where Vegeta is able to fight evenly with her before he starts to wane and she gets the upperhand; here, she's toying with him the entire time and curbstomps him with ease.
• A God Am I: He's had this attitude ever since he turned Super Saiyan, once referring to himself as a shining golden god. States it outright in Episode 44, where when Krillin says that Piccolo fused with "God" he denies it because "I'm still here!" Vegeta has actually made this claim in Two Saiyans Play videos before.
• All There in the Manual: An in-universe example - Vegeta hands Jeice one on Saiyans to show him the species' ability to get even stronger after almost dying.
• Aloof Ally: Slips into this at the end of Series 2 and becomes this fully in Series 3.
• Always Second Best: To Goku, just like in the regular series. Episode 39 really drives this point home. Rubbing it in is the last thing Perfect Cell does before breaking his back and beating the Super Saiyan out of him.
• Angrish: Frequently lapses into this.
  • After killing Dodoria and Zarbon, Vegeta goes to the spot where he hid the Dragon Ball... it's not there. Vegeta couldn't even speak Angrish properly after that.
• Antagonist in Mourning: In Buu Bits, during his Motive Rant, Vegeta states that he lost his sense of purpose after Goku died, as he no longer had someone to surpass.
• Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?: When he finds out that Zarbon didn't molest him, his reaction was to ask "What, I'm not good enough for you?"
• Asshole Victim: He frequently gets beaten within an inch of his life by superior opponents, but it's usually rather hard to feel bad for him.
• Atomic F-Bomb: Considering he has a temper and a potty mouth, Vegeta lets these out far more often than anybody in the cast.
  • Episode 10 when he's on the wrong end of a Kaio-Ken x4 Kamehameha.
  • Episode 18, when he realizes Gohan's stolen his Dragonball. This one's so intense that his unholy screaming can be heard half a planet away by Freeza, across the reaches of space by Goku in his ship, by King Yemma in Heaven, and twenty years in the future of an ALTERNATE TIMELINE by Future Trunks.
  • He does it again in episode 21 when he finds out Goku trained at 100x Earth's gravity to get far stronger.
  • When this is repeated in Abridged Kai 2, Vegeta howls so hard he CRASHES the Adobe plugin... and then plows right through the crash screen, still screaming bloody murder all the while.
  • The way he copes after getting humiliated by Android 18 is by screaming pronanities at the top of his lungs and exploding everything around him (at least this time he does it in a secluded area).
• Audience Surrogate: Zig-zagged. In Broly The Legendary Super Saiyan Abridged, his reaction towards Broly's Legendary Super Saiyan form is of those who find his transformation to be awesome, but finds his motivation for revenge to be utterly stupid of another camp, and the combined third camp who do like him, but his motivation is that stupid. He appears to be this for Team Four Star themselves who finds power levels to be annoyingly insignificant.
• Authority in Name Only: As Bulma notes, being the Prince of all Saiyans doesn't mean much if there are only two Saiyans left!^note Though Gohan is half Saiyan and unbeknownst to Bulma, Nappa got resurrected.
  Vegeta: Three and a half!^note Word of God says the "Three" Saiyans in question were Nappa, Goku, and Tarble. But Plan to Eradicate Christmas implies that Tarble may have gotten killed by Vegeta himself in one of his attempts to shoot down Santa possibly making this statement refer to himself instead.
• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other:
  • It takes Super Perfect Cell killing off Trunks for Vegeta to express his love for his baby boy for the first time.
  • In Buu Bits, after Goku rebuffs Vegeta's Motive Rant about why he allied with Babidi, saying that Vegeta didn't need to make up an excuse if he just wanted to fight him, Vegeta sincerely smiles for a moment and says he missed him. During Vegeta's Heroic Sacrifice, he also calls Goku "best buddy".
• Ax-Crazy: Is quick to resort to violence even when calm.
• Badass Boast: Gets to deliver these on a constant basis, helped by Lanipator's voice acting, but more often than not he immediately gets the snot beaten out of him.
• Bait the Dog: After killing Nappa, Vegeta exclaims that he's so relieved to be rid of him that he might just leave Earth alone. As soon as Krillin says "Really?", he drops the other shoe and says they're still screwed.
• Balls of Steel: Vegeta's daughter Bulla does not get erased after he gets kicked in the dick over a thousand times! ^note The first Meta-Cooler kicks him once on screen. Then after a cutaway, Vegeta mentions he keeps doing it. Then when the 1000 additional Meta-Coolers show up, every single one of them does it. Furthermore, even though he gets repeatedly kicked in the dick by the Meta-Coolers, he still manages to recover at quite an impressive rate to fight back against Meta-Cooler. He didn't even need a "handful" of Senzu beans to do it.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: By Dragon ShortZ Episode 5, this is now Vegeta's problem — Goku was the only one who would put up with Vegeta's assholish attitude and was the only one who could fight him. With Goku dead, no one else wants to put up with him: Gohan doesn't like fighting, Piccolo doesn't want to deal with him, 18 hates his guts, Tien is MIA and he won't consider Krillin or Yamcha.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: A HUGE case of this with Bulma, until they did the deed in Episode 34. Quickly made hilarious when Bulma (and the audience) discover that he has absolutely no idea what a condom is.
• Berserk Button: Anything can (and most likely will) set him off.
  • Dragon Ball GT. He kills Vegeta Jr. (one of the Saibamen), and snaps upon hearing the theme song.
  • He also hates weaklings and the color pink.
    Tien: Hey Vegeta.
    Vegeta: What?
    Tien: Nice shirt.
    Vegeta: AND THERE IT IS!
  • Almost anything Nappa does has to count too.
  • Don't steal his hair style.
    Goku: Vegeta! he [Super Android 13] stole your 'do!
    Vegeta: I'LL KILL HIM!
  • Don't steal his lines.
    Mr. Satan: I AM THE HYPE!
    Vegeta: Kill him!
  • "Renegade for Life" shows he hates being called "Human" and "Monkey".
    Job Bot: Hello, human! Welco-
    Vegeta: WHAT DID YOU FUCKING CALL ME?!
    ...
    Job Bot: A true grease monkey—get under the hood and get your hands dirty—
    Vegeta: Alright, CALLING ME HUMAN WAS ONE THING, CALLING ME MONKEY?! THAT'S NOT COOL! NOT ALRIGHT! HARASSMENT, YOU DICK!
  • Insinuating that others are stronger than him. Especially Goku. The latter has been named in-universe as the "Goku Button," and both Future Trunks and Semi-Perfect Cell received gut punches from the prince himself for pressing it.
  Krillin: You pressed the Goku Button. Ya shouldn't have did that.
• Beyond the Impossible: Vegeta outright violates the laws of physics in Episode 18, where he screams so loudly it can be heard everywhere. Goku can hear it from space, King Yemma can hear it in the Other World which is another dimension, and Future Trunks can hear it 20 years later on another planet. His scream was SO powerful it just traveled through space, even though there's no air for sound to travel through!!
• Big Bad: Season 1 as the main antagonist of the Saiyan Saga.
• Big Damn Heroes: Just like in canon, it was Vegeta's timely distraction that finally helped Gohan kill Cell.
• Big "NO!": Has several of these. Most notable one was the introduction of GHOST NAPPA!
• Blood Knight:
  • A requirement on the Saiyan résumé. He shoots down Bulma's suggestion of murdering the creator of the Androids (although he does love how she phrased it) because he's as excited at the chance of fighting them as Goku is.
  • In Dragon ShortZ episode 5, because of Goku's Heroic Sacrifice, he's been trying to literally pick a fight with someone. Which includes Gohan, Piccolo, 18, and Tenshinhan (whom he can't find because he's off-radar). However, he does not like the idea of fighting Yamcha.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: Invokes this to Trunks during the Broly movie. He freely agrees that Paragus' actions of kidnapping and enslaving the Shamoshans are 'inhuman', and still approves, as it is 'not in-Saiyan' of him.
  • A bit more implicit in throughout the rest of the series^note moreso in terms of parenting. His behavior towards Trunks ^note i.e. flipping between being horrifically cruel to uncharacteristically warm towards Trunks, and getting offended when Android 16 calls him a terrible parent seems to imply that this is actually good parenting to him.
• Bond One-Liner: After making a confession of his defeat on Earth to Cui.
  [Cui explodes]
  Vegeta: God, I love therapy.
• Break the Haughty:
  • Freeza makes him cry, "like a little bitch," in Episode 27. Unfortunately, it doesn't stick.
  • Episode 52 ends up wounding his pride even further, with Perfect Cell gaining the upper hand and breaking him physically and mentally.
  • As has been pointed out, Vegeta is a consistent victim of "Pride before the fall", when his ego hits critical mass is when he gets the smug physically beaten out of him. This has happened with Freeza to Vegeta's belief he had become a Super Saiyan, with 18 when he did become a Super Saiyan, and with Perfect Cell when he reached Ascended Saiyan.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: In Episode 9. Nappa is being extremely stupid and gave Vegeta a brain aneurysm out of "sheer stupidity", so Vegeta breaks the fourth wall by muttering "9 minutes 18 seconds," over and over. When Nappa asks what happens when they reach that time, Vegeta replies: "The happiest moment of my life". This is the time stamp of when he vaporizes Nappa.
• Breakout Character: Polls have shown Vegeta is the most loved character of the Abridged Series, which shows through how heavily he's featured TFS' side videos.
• Broken Pedestal: When Vegeta finds out that Broly is motivated to become the Legendary Super Saiyan because of Kakarot's crying when they were babies, he finds it hard to maintain respect for him. He then settles for alternating between awe and embarassment.
• The Bully: To put it bluntly this what Vegeta is. He relishes the fact he's (usually) stronger than anyone else, sans Goku, and takes great delight in tormenting and taunting everyone because he knows nobody can do anything about it... Until someone, not necessarily good guy, can.
• But for Me, It Was Tuesday:
  • He doesn't even remember Yamcha. Until he recognizes him as "that scrub that got killed by a Saibaman".
  • He says that throwing Paragus and Broly into a ditch and leaving them to die sounds like something he would do, but doesn't remember if he did it or not (it was his father).
• Butt-Monkey: Vegeta's ability to screw up pretty much any situation starts to make him the butt of jokes in late Season 3. To wit:
  Goku: (when Trunks says they probably won't need Senzu beans) Yeah, but...(with Trunks) Vegeta.
  Piccolo: We're just making a bet to see who screws this up first, Vegeta or Krillin.
  Gohan to Cell: Careful Cell. Your Vegeta's showing.
  Gohan to Trunks: Try to forget you're half Vegeta and don't f*ck it up.
• Cain and Abel: In Plan To Eradicate Christmas, he reveals he shot down his brother's space pod while also shooting at Santa (though they Never Found the Body).
• Calling Your Orgasms: "Gallick... gun... FIIIIRRREEEEEE!!!" Also, literally fires a Galick Gun when he climaxes.
• Came Back Strong: As in canon, he makes full use of the Saiyan ability to get stronger after nearly dying. He even hands Jeice a book about it as an in-universe All There in the Manual.
• Can't Take Criticism: In The Stinger for Episode 53, Vegeta and Krillin have a laugh together over Krillin's status. It's only when Krillin starts bringing up Vegeta's own humiliating loss that Vegeta stops laughing, and decides to punch Krillin's face instead.
• Card-Carrying Villain:
  • Goku just wouldn't get it otherwise.
    Vegeta: I'M F**KING EVIL.
    Vegeta: Don't care. Evil.
    Vegeta: Renegade for life.
  • It's also used to poke fun at the FUNimation dub's changes to Vegeta's characterization (specifically through his death speech).
    Vegeta: I've lived my entire life under Freeza's rule. My entire kingdom, my race, was enslaved to his bidding.
    Goku: I understand now. If it weren't for Freezer you wouldn't be—
    Vegeta: Dying? No.
    Goku: I was gonna say "evil".
    Vegeta: Oh, no! I'd definitely still be evil! If this situation were reversed, this conversation would never have happened. You'd be dead, and I'd be laughing.
  • Buu Bits sums up his thoughts about this.
    Goku: Stop it, 'Getes! This isn't like you! You're not a bad guy!
    Vegeta: Since when!? When, on this worthless Earth, did I ever become a quote-unquote "good guy"!?
    Gohan: You were at Krillin's barbecue last week!
    Vegeta: Yeah, and I brought potato salad.
    Goku: He is truly lost to us.
• Character Catchphrase: Several that are this and a Running Gag:
  • The first to Phrase Catcher Nappa, used to express his dissatisfaction or annoyance with his partner.
    Vegeta: Goddamn it, Nappa!
  • Vegeta will come in swinging with this particular chant being used as his way of calling dibs.
    Vegeta: Mineminemineminemineminemineminemineminemine!
  • Will immediately contradict anyone who tells him he can't do something.
    Anyone Else: Vegeta, NO!
    Vegeta: Vegeta, YES!
  • His description of the Super Saiyan legend gets pretty repetitive. To the extent that Freeza murders him to cut off the rant.
    Vegeta: You're not dealing with the average Saiyan warrior anymore...
  • When he wins at something.
    Vegeta: Victory for Vegeta!
  • When somebody uses Vegeta's ego to manipulate him into doing what they want.
    Vegeta: You know, the funny thing is, I know you're playin' me, but you're right.
• Character Exaggeration: While he doesn't get as much as some characters, he's a lot less restrained than his original characterization.
• Characterization Marches On: Started as a Card-Carrying Villain and the straight man to Nappa. While he hasn't really become less evil, his ego, temper, and borderline manchild-ness have gradually overshadowed that aspect of his personality, and the straight man bit is practically gone.
• The Chew Toy: But most of the trauma he gets is mental trauma, unlike Krillin or Yamcha, though his beatdowns are pretty notable. His beatdowns get VERY physical in Cooler's Return, where he is kicked in the dick more than 1,000 times by Cooler's metal clones.
• Clap Your Hands If You Believe: During the battle with Freeza, Vegeta seems to think that if he says that he's a Super Saiyan often enough, it will be true.
• Combat Pragmatist: Vegeta is ruthless in combat. On Earth he turns into an Oozaru after he realizes Goku is capable of overpowering him and breaks his legs to make sure he won't run away. On Namek he picks off Freeza's top enforcers one by one while they're away from the tyrant and unable to call for help. He also kills Guldo while he's too caught up in his fight against Gohan and Krilin and against Recoome he goes for a brutal surprise point-blank ki blast to the face when Recoome thinks he's unconscious.
• Compliment Backfire: Averted when Goku admires the pink shirt he loathes, but otherwise played pretty straight. Vegeta doesn't have a lot of coping strategies for positive reinforcement. After emerging from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and spending nearly a minute of taunting and gloating at Goku over finally becoming more powerful than him, he is furious when Goku is merely happy and supportive of his "friend's" accomplishments.
• Cosmic Plaything: Nothing ever goes right for him, and when it does, you can bet there's a Humiliation Conga headed his way. Being who he is, he deserves it, and it is hilarious.
• Country Matters: Against Android 18, he deliberately uses the C-word to insult her. Given his habit of trash-talking anyone he fights against and never calling anyone by their proper names, it's clear that he did so to make her very mad. Needless to say it worked, and 18 thrashed him and broke both of his arms.
  Vegeta: Now if you'd like to continue this fight, I can finally get around to disassembling you, you smug c-*bleep*-t.
  (beat; everyone present standing appalled at what they've just heard)
  Android 18: (exasperated sigh) ... Yup! (cue immediate punch to the face)
  • When this happens in "Abridged Kai 3", most of his dialogue towards 18 consists of the C-word. 18 proceeds to beat him into a terrified mess.
• Culture Clash:
  • He first asks what is soap and tries to eat it when Bulma said it was made of animal fat.
  • When Bulma asked if he had "protection" and to wear it when they had sex, he made sure to wear his battle armor.
  • He calls Bulma's mom "MILF" just because she keeps telling everyone that's her nickname. When she corrects and tells him that it's now "GILF", Vegeta doesn't get it at all.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: He's often on both ends of this constantly bobbling between being an unstoppable force and soon after a punching bag. On Earth he's basically on top only being defeated because he keeps letting his guard down. On Namek he usually thrashes (and gets thrashed) and vaporizes anyone after his Zenkai boosts up until Freeza. And in the Androids Saga, much like Canon, his "fight" against Android 19 is this, not long after that there's his fight with Android 18 where he gets two broken arms for being a total dick, after that comes his trouncing of Semi-Perfect Cell and then he gets shitstomped by Perfect Cell.
  Vegeta: Do you feel fear, Android?
• Destructive Saviour: After Trunks describes the androids as humanity's greatest threat, we cut to Vegeta destroying numerous cars and their drivers in his fruitless attempts to fight 18. Contrast with 18, who, unlike in the original series, isn't directly harming anyone but Vegeta.
  Vegeta: I will kill as many people as I have to as long as you are one of them!
• Determinator: The man is so stubborn that he'll pursue a course of action to win until he's either dead or the other guy is.
  Meta-Cooler: He's quite persistent.
  Goku: You have no idea.
• Didn't See That Coming: When he finally realizes Future Trunks is his son.
• Didn't Think This Through: Him not thinking the villain's next form would far surpass him in terms of power and goading/allowing them to transform is a mistake he makes twice in the series. Vegeta pays for this dearly both times and suffers some of his most humiliating defeats because of his lack of foresight. The first leads to him suffering a severe thrasing and eventually dying by Freeza's hands and the second time he suffers a quick, but no less brutal beatdown from Perfect Cell who also demolishes Vegeta's ego in the process.
• Dirty Coward: He was more than willing to ditch everyone on Namek leaving them at Freeza's mercy when he realizes he bit more than he could chew by letting the galactic overlord power up to his second form. Unfortunately for him Freeza cuts him off and gives him a quick trip to a mountain (actually a plateau) with a punch for his troubles.
• Disappointed by the Motive: Vegeta is quite upset that The Legendary Super Saiyan™ is motivated by a crying baby.
• Disappeared Dad:
  • He invokes this trope in episode 35 in relation to Bulma and baby Trunks, since he left in the spaceship when she demanded he get a job to help support their child.
  Bulma: ...And that was a year and a half ago, so... ya know, you tell me.
  • In Buu Bits, Gotenks points out to Ghost Nappa^note Died from a stroke that Trunks' dad was dead. Nappa is of course happy to be reunited with Vegeta.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Is a master of this and literally takes things to the extreme for no reason but for his UNYIELDING RAGE!!!!
• The Dog Bites Back: Perfect Cell spent most of the time pinning Vegeta in a verbal and physical beatdown, while completely underestimating him. In Episode 60, Vegeta fires the decisive energy blast that allows Gohan to kill Cell.
• Drunk with Power: In the Broly abridged movie, he quickly lets his new "King" title go to his head and makes decree after decree, mostly just to stroke his own ego or humiliate Trunks.

E-H

• Enraged by Idiocy: Very often, even providing the trope page's quote.
• Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Hinted several times.
  • He slips into Tranquil Fury when Cui makes a Your Mom joke, while knowing perfectly well that Vegeta's mother is dead.
  • He is once again not happy when Cell makes a joke at his mother's expense when announcing the Cell Games.
    Cell: And much like Vegeta's mother, I will accept all comers.
    Vegeta: How DARE...
  • He's also not happy at the end of Krillin Plays Among the Sleep, after Krillin calls a female monster with upright hair "Vegeta's mom".
    Vegeta: Heard you were talking shit about my mom!
    Krillin: NO, VEGETA, NO!!
  • On a related note, playing Undertale, he sarcastically gives Toriel his usual treatment, but his tone starts shifting from sarcastically calling Moooom to, "...I miss my mom."
  • During the episode of Renegade for life with Vegeta playing God of War initially brushes off Atreus crying over his mother but then quickly makes a somber comment about what it's like to lose your mother.
  Vegeta: Ya ain't special, boy. I lost my mama too!....(quieter) It sucks, though. It sucks.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He is legitimately horrified seeing Future Trunks die in front of him, which motivates him for the first time to act like a Papa Wolf.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • It's more an issue of gruesome spectacle than morality, but even Vegeta is given pause when the Namekians mutilate and cannibalize Guru.
  • Also shows enough class not to swear in front of an infant Jesus.
  • When he realized that the "Wheel of Death" was being filmed, he furiously asked "What kind of sadistic retard watches this crap?!" Cue Answer Cut to Freeza.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: During his lets play of Undertale, his initial response to Toriel giving him a room and leaving him a slice of pie was to ask "What is the purpose of giving me these things?! What have I done for you?!"
• Evil Counterpart: Was and pretty much still is one to Goku.
• Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor:
  • Vegeta makes a joke about the disabled Christopher Reeve when stomping on Goku's legs.
    Goku: That was in terrible taste!
    Vegeta: Don't care! Evil!
  • When he's fighting Android 18, he calls her a washing machine, specifically explaining that he meant to be a sexist crack, not just a joke about her being a robot, and then "a smug c^#@".
• Evil Is Hammy: Vegeta is the biggest ham in the series without question.
• Evil Laugh: In the second Kai episode, he laughs manically for a solid 20 seconds.
• Evil Prince: He is a prince and freely admits to being evil.
• Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: How he realized that Gohan and Krillin used the Namekian Dragonballs without him.
  Vegeta: Jezus I overslept. It's already night... For the first time since i got here... On a planet with three suns... Oh you MOTHERF-
• Eye Scream: He takes a solar flare and then two hits to an eye in the season 1 finale. By the third time he shouts in much pain and discomfort "My eye!! Why is it always the goddamn eye?"
• Face Death with Dignity: In Buu Bits he mostly has this reaction to his Heroic Sacrifice to try and stop Buu, even bidding farwell to Goku mentally as "Best Buddy". The only time he's indignant about it is when Piccolo scoffs at the idea of Vegeta going to Heaven, but cools down quickly and admits it's a fair verdict.
• Faster Than They Look: His Oozaru form is this as Goku discovered, much to Goku's horror.
  Goku: He's getting huge. That means he'll only be stronger. That means he won't be as fas-ohgodhe'sstillasfast!
• The Fighting Narcissist: After he finally becomes a Super Saiyan, as demonstrated when Piccolo overhears his thoughts.
  Vegeta: Oh God, this feels amazing. First thing I'm gonna do when I get home is step in front of a full-length mirror, strip down, turn Super Saiyan and -
• First-Name Basis: The Buu Bits depiction of his Hollywood Mid-Life Crisis shows Vegeta considers being on a first-name basis with Krillin an indicator of how far he's fallen.
  Vegeta: I lost my edge. And now, I'm going to... PTA meetings! And Krillin's movie nights! Listen to me, Kakarot! I'M USING HIS FUCKING NAME!
• First Time Feeling: After Trunks stands up to him and thwarts his plans.
  Vegeta: Huh. This is a new feeling: Pride in someone else. *beat* Unfortunately it's overshadowed by all this UNYIELDING RAGE!
• Fish out of Water: Among other things, he has no idea what condoms or soap are. When Bulma explains the latter as a block made of animal fat, his first instinct is to eat it.
  Vegeta: BWA! This tastes nothing like what you just said.
• Flanderization: Much like in the original series, his arrogance and ego keep increasing to the point that he shifts from the badass killer of Freeza's entire army to a Psychopathic Manchild.
  Vegeta: I AM THE HYPE!
• For the Evulz: The reason he wants to kill Santa in Plan to Eradicate Christmas.
• Freak Out:
  • When he discovers that Gohan stole the dragon ball he hid underwater, he absolutely loses it. He bursts from the water screaming bloody murder, so loudly that it breaks the laws of physics. When we next see him, his eyes are bloodshot, he's talking in Hulk Speak, his perception of color keeps changing, and he's shouting at Ghost Nappa. In the Kai version his scream is loud enough that it causes your flash player to crash, and then shatters the flash player itself. It's so loud, it could be heard on Earth 20 years later, with Trunks hearing it as Bulma prepares the time machine. Becomes a Brick Joke in History of Trunks, where you can hear the scream in the background during the same scene.
  • A more serious version: When Future Trunks was killed by Cell's first attack after returning to Earth, his horror over Trunks' death drowns out Krillin and Yamcha, to the point of shouting "MY BABY BOY!!!".
• Freudian Excuse: Well, his planet and his entire race was blown up and he's enslaved to the one who did it, but according to him, he'd be evil anyway.
• Freudian Excuse Denial: When Goku suggests that Freeza is to blame for how evil he is, he disagrees, saying he'd probably still be evil even if Freeza hadn't done what he did.
• Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Vegeta pins the blame why he return to evil to his Hollywood Midlife Crisis, where he starts to become friends with Krillin, and doing activities with him. Goku, being Goku, tells him he didn't have to justify engaging a fight with him.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: To an extreme. With the exception of Goku, Bulma and Krillin, none of the Z-fighters like him, including his own son. The only reason they even tolerate him is because he's one of the strongest fighters on their side. When he gets his ass kicked by Android 18, the others are less concerned and more amused by it. Lampshaded in Episode 38:
  Trunks: How are these people friends with you?!
  Tien: Making a lot of assumptions right now.
  • Dragon ShortZ episode 5 is all about this and its depressing logical conclusion. While he may have regained the respect of Future Trunks, he's gone, and so is Goku. Unfortunately, that leaves him with very few people, if none at all, who want to give him the time of the day, let alone fight him like he demands. Even Nappa isn't that willing to entertain him just because his former boss asks for it. In the end, he's all alone, and it's hard to say if he knows he only has himself to blame.
• Groin Attack: On the receiving end, over 1,000 times in Cooler 2: The Return of Cooler's Revenge. And considering the Meta-Coolers are, well, made of metal... OUCH.
  Vegeta: That... was for... m'dick...
• Has a Type: Notes that Bulma was bitchier than usual, and not the "hot" kind, meaning the "usual" was the hot kind he finds her attractive.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Throughout season 2, Vegeta has been steadily losing his cool more and more.
• Heel–Face Turn: During part 3 of the season 3 finale he has a stroke of conscience and attempts to avenge his son. When Gohan calls him out on just now having a stroke of conscience, he actually apologizes.
• Hey, You!: Befitting his more jerkish personality compared to the canon where he at least call others by their name, Abridged Vegeta almost never calls anyone by their name. Often calling Bulma "the woman", Trunks as "the boy", Tien as "triclops" or Mr. Popo as "Black Man". Ironically, the only people that he consistently call by their name in this version is Goku, Nappa, and Freeza, aka three of the people that Vegeta hated the most throughout his life.
• Heroic BSoD: He briefly has one after realizing that Future Trunks is his infant son all grown up.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Like in the original, Vegeta attempts to take Majin Buu with him while saying farewell to Bulma, Trunks, and his best buddy. Unfortunately, Buu survives it.
• Hidden Depths:
  • Episode 5 of his playthrough of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance reveals that he speaks French.
  • He's also a Star Wars fan, if his Two Saiyans playthrough of Tekken 7 with Goku is any indication.
    Vegeta: Look, it is an interesting series, and -I don't need to defend myself to you!
  • And if Broly movie is anything to go by, he also seems to have a knack for architecture and interior design.
• Hilariously Abusive Childhood: It probably wouldn't be hilarious if it happened to someone other than Vegeta, but Nappa's advice on how to raise Baby Trunks has some very specific examples on what Vegeta shouldn't do, like punting him, violently shaking him, or belittling him on how weak he is. Vegeta is less than impressed as he realizes this.
• Honor Before Reason: Yeah, no honor to be found from him anywhere else. Nonetheless Vegeta is vocally against the idea of giving Goku a Senzu bean in the middle of his fight with Cell.
• Hollywood Mid-Life Crisis: Team Four Star has said that if they end up abridging the Buu Saga, Vegeta's decision to give himself over to Babidi will be portrayed as one of these, triggered by his growing frustration at getting "domesticated" by life on Earth. It comes up more than once during side projects like Renegade For Life:
  Vegeta: I thought about inviting Krillin over! Krillin! For a barbecue! What happened to me, man?! I used to be cool!
  Vegeta: I watched a movie with Yamcha — and I liked it! was a romantic comedy! I had a good time!
  • Come Buu Bits, which sees Majin Vegeta give a heartfelt Motive Rant to Goku:
    Vegeta: You don't get it. How could you? You, who's never once questioned why he fights? You've always lived for yourself, trained for yourself; and once you were gone, I lost what drove me to be better. I lost my edge, and now, I'm going to... PTA meetings! And Krillin's movie nights! Listen to me, Kakarot; I'M USING HIS FUCKING NAME!!
• Hot-Blooded: Unlike his canon character Vegeta is actually passionate and loses his cool very easily. Also he is extremely enthusiastic even rivaling Goku's enthusiasm.
• Hulk Speak: Tends to slip into it whenever he's feeling pretty mad, but not quite mad enough to lapse into full-blown angrish.
• Hypocritical Humor:
  • After Trunks gets defeated by Perfect Cell, Vegeta of all people tells him to show some pride in losing. And Krillin immediately calls him out on it.
    Krillin: View must be great from that glass house of yours.
  • He gets extremely annoyed by Broly saying "Kakarot" over and over again despite easily being the character to use that name for Goku the most; hell, he even triggered Broly by deliberately saying Kakarot over and over again because he felt it was an insult to call him Goku.

I-N

• I Just Want to Be Special: He's always going on about the Saiyans being the greatest fighters in the universe, and he's completely and utterly obsessed with becoming a Super Saiyan.
  • To the point where Freeza kills him mid-sentence just because he's sick of hearing the Super Saiyan speech.
  • Taken into overdrive after the arrival of Future Trunks, leading Vegeta to repeatedly insist that he's a Super Saiyan, but no-one buys it.
    • He finally gets his wish in Episode 36.
• Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Fittingly for a former henchman to Freeza, Vegeta is a proud graduate whenever he's called on to shoot something at anything less than pointblank range. Piccolo grumpily declares it as a failure to properly Lead the Target. Bonus points for literally screaming "DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA!" while filling the sky with exploding fire on Namek, with not a single shot connecting with either Freeza or the other heroes he almost inadvertently hits.
• Incoming Ham: Always theatrical when making an entrance.
  "I'M BACK, BITCHES!"
• Inelegant Blubbering: Eventually reduced to it after he keeps failing to become a Super Saiyan. And here it's actually giving in to it completely that lets him pull it off.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: Vegeta is... not the most secure individual in the series.
  Vegeta: [As he's beating Kid!Gohan bloody] So what? You think having a dad who's a Super Saiyan makes you better than me!?
  Kid!Gohan: Noo-ho-hoooo!
  Vegeta: [continuing to beat him] Wrong answer!
  Future!Gohan: ...he had a lot to prove.
  • The Buu Bits shorts implies that the part of Perfect Cell that adores Goku for his sheer, simplistic love of fighting comes straight from Vegeta, which further suggests that Cell's utter disdain for Vegeta for not being Goku also comes from Vegeta.
• In-Series Nickname:
  • Is called a "Troll doll" by Android 18 and "MC Widow's Peak" by Android 17.
  • Goku calls him "Geets".
• Insistent Appellation: He always calls Goku by his Saiyan name "Kakarot", or else he believes he would disrespect his Saiyan heritage.
  • It turns against him with a vengeance in Broly Abridged when he continues to say it despite Trunks and Paragus' pleadings, triggering Broly's transformation.
  • It also leaves Vegetto unable to say that he's fused from Vegeta and Goku, in the Buu Bits.
  Vegetto: We are a warrior, born of the Potara. A combination of Vegeta and Go- (visibly struggling) Goooooooooo... karot. (Super Buu expresses confusion) Huh. That was weird. Why can't we say GoOoOoOoO... GOOOOOOOOO...
  Buu: Are you two... Are you alright?
  Vegetto: Sir. We are talking to ourself. Vegeta and Go... Vegeta and GOOOOOOOOOH, WHATEVER! You can just call us Vegetto! And Son GOOOOOOOOOOO—FUCK YOURSELF!
• It's All About Me: Goes without saying, really. For a specific example, in Broly Abridged he insists on calling Goku "Kakarot", despite everyone warning him not to and Broly clearly getting enraged by it, because he insists that doing otherwise would be an insult to his own Saiyan heritage.
• Jerkass: Immensely so. He loves to inflict harm and abuse to others, throws insults like a kid throwing candy around, and has no problems with committing child abuse.
  Vegeta: [to Gohan, after kneeing him in the stomach] "By the way, I only hit you because I have pent-up aggression against your father. Take that."
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • He calls everyone out on their reliance and blind faith in Goku, when the latter is never there when they needed him. Piccolo even agrees with him.
  • He blames Trunks for causing more Androids to appear. Vegeta was being irrational, yes, but he's absolutely right. Trunks entering the past to fight caused any number of subsequent events to happen that further endagered the Earth, he leaves out critical information in regards to the Androids (such as what they look like or where they are), and his Time Machine was used by Cell to travel to the past and wreak havoc on the world.
  • When he hears Goku call a bunch of the characters minors, which Gohan realizes he means character status, Vegeta takes offense. Vegeta is of course the only one bothered, but he is not a minor character.
  • As in the original Dragon Ball Z, Vegeta is rightfully pissed at Goku for not prioritizing saving his own son, Gohan from Buu destroying Earth. Unlike his canon self, he at least gives Goku a small amount of lenience for saving Dende (and by extension, the Dragon Balls), but is still mad about Goku saving (the seemingly useless) Mr. Satan.
• Karmic Butt-Monkey: As often as Vegeta gets in over his head and takes a serious beating, it's rare that he hasn't done something to deserve it. Typically Vegeta's worst injuries come directly after, and in at least one case specifically because, of him deciding to be an asshole for his own gain/amusement, even when being kinder or doing nothing would ultimately be more to his advantage in a situation. The writers have noted in a commentary episode that this is the only reason they feel they can get away with making Vegeta as pointedly offensive as he is, since the worse he gets the sweeter his inevitable (and frequent) comeuppance becomes.
• Know When to Fold Them:
  • The end of Season 1, after stopping Gohan's Oozaru form backfires.
    Vegeta: Crushed and broken beneath an unconscious, naked child. Yep, I think I'm done here.
  • Averted in his fight with Android 18. Horribly, horribly averted.
  • In episode 5 of Shortz, Piccolo decides to frame Vegeta for breaking rule 6 of Popo's ruleset. Vegeta promptly panics and bails after having one last word with him.
• Large Ham: Due to his Hot-Blooded nature he screams almost everything at the top of his lungs and commonly during his sentences it always ends with him Suddenly Shouting.
• Leeroy Jenkins: Overconfidence tends to make him throw himself into situations he can't really cope with.
  Vegeta: This tactical shit's getting REALLY OLD! Now get out here and fight me blindly like a man! Or... a mandroid.
• Lightning Bruiser: His Oozaru form, unfortunately for Goku.
• The Load: He puts all life at risk just to feed his ego.
• Loveable Rogue: Self-entitled; he describes himself as a "handsome, dashing rogue".
• Mad Libs Catch Phrase: In Season 1 and 2, calling out the name of an 80's power rock song as part of a threat.
  • I'm going to Rock You Like a Hurricane.
  • Prepare for a Ballroom Blitz.
• Made of Iron: Vegeta gets a ton of (deserved) punishment even for Dragon Ball standards and still keeps fighting. On Earth he survives a Kaioken x4 powered Kamehameha, a Spirit Bomb and only stops after being crushed by Gohan's Oozaru weight. On Namek he gets serious beatings from Zarbon and Recoome both with full intention to kill him and he survives, albeit very wounded, both times. And then there's his ordeal with Meta-Cooler and the 1001 kicks to his family jewels...^ExplanationWhereas Goku's pair of eggs were cracked by Super Android 13 with one punch and erased Goten from existence, Vegeta's daughter, Bulla, doesn't get erased even after he gets his schlong used as a soccer ball over a thousand times by Meta-Cooler.
• Misery Trigger: While claiming to be stronger than him will make him want to beat you up, proving that you are stronger than him will have him crying... Like a bitch.
• Mistaken for Gay:
  • By Zarbon, ironically enough.
    Vegeta: That reminds me. Did you do anything to me while I was unconscious?
    Zarbon: Did I... Did I what?
    Vegeta: Did you do anything to me while I was unconscious?
    Zarbon: What?! Oh, God no!
    Vegeta: Oh, thank God, I... wait. What do you mean by that? Am I not good enough for you?!
    Zarbon: I'm going to be honest here, Vegeta. This is sounding really gay.
    Vegeta: What?
    Zarbon: Not That There's Anything Wrong with That.
    Vegeta: Just... Just... Just transform, damn you.
  • In Episode 56, Goku misunderstands some ambiguous language, and thinks Vegeta wants to have sex with him after training in the Time Chamber instead of beating him up. He is utterly unsurprised.
• The Napoleon: His being one of the shortest and one of the angriest main characters is noted.

  Jeice: 'M not that short, Captain.
  Ginyu: Oh, don't go all Vegeta on me.

  • 18 asks if his attitude is just "a short guy thing", and Cell outright calls him "a walking, talking Napoleon complex."
• Narcissist: Taken to an almost clinical degree. Vegeta doesn't notice that people ignore him whenever he starts talking and he's compared himself to both a god and perfection on separate occasions. It's telling that his Sanity Slippage only started after a lowly peasant like Goku caught up with him.
  Vegeta: How can you be "semi-perfect"? You're either perfect or you're not me.
• Never My Fault: Vegeta tries to make it sound like it's Trunks's fault that he lost to the Androids by not emphasizing their threat level properly, though he admits his own overconfidence (and at the same time justifies it to himself by claiming that's just how he is).
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
  • In the Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan Abridged movie, Vegeta triggers Broly's transformation by constantly saying "Kakarot", refusing to refer to him as "Goku" because it would be disrespecting of his Saiyan heritage.
  • Every Christmas, he would try to kill Santa. This caused Planet Vegeta to not have Christmas which lead to Turles' Start of Darkness and is one of the (many) reasons Santa himself tries to kill everyone on Earth in Plan to Eradicate Christmas.
  • He allows Semiperfect Cell to absorb Android 18, even stopping Trunks from stopping Cell himself, allowing Semiperfect Cell to become Perfect Cell, outclassing all the current fighters, and upgrading his Apocalypse How rating from Species/Total Annihilation to Planetary Annihilation.
• The Nicknamer: Calls Android 19 an Automaton-o' fun, and Androids 17 and 18 Faggoty Andy and On-the-Raggedy Ann respectively. In fact, Vegeta almost never calls anyone by their given name, more often than not referring to other characters by a seemingly derogatory nickname. "Baldy" was used interchangeably between Krillin and Tien until he got to know them, at which point he started calling Krillin (and Yamcha) "Beta Male" and Tien "Triclops". However, the nicknames do occasionally come in more respectful (if still literal-minded) flavors like when he called Bulma's Mom "Milf" (and later "Gilf", which he found confusing), Trunks as "The Boy", and Mr. Popo was "Black Man" ^note  Which Vegeta only called him because he couldn't make heads or tails of what Popo is.
  • He also took to calling Yamcha the "beta male" when he finally recognized him. Also referenced in the Honest Trailer for Dragon Ball: Evolution.
  • Like Krillin, Vegeta referred to Dende as "Little Green".
  • In Buu Bits, Vegeta actually referring to Krillin by name is cited by him as an example of how he's lost his edge since Goku's death.
• Nominal Hero: Come season 3, he's a hero in the loosest sense possible. In fact, in terms of destruction, he's far more dangerous than the Androids, causing greater damage than they do.
  Vegeta: [to Android 18] I will kill as many people as I have to as long as you are one of them!
• No-Respect Guy: Vegeta is a massive, egomaniacal, homicidal Jerkass and no one in the show cares to forget it. He even gets used as a unit of measure of screwing something up by the time of the Cell Games, arguably topping poor Yamcha in this regard.
• Not Even Bothering with an Excuse: If he's desperate enough to get out of a situation, he'll resort to this.
  (Krillin and Gohan being optimistic about Piccolo beating Freeza)
  Vegeta: Yeah, that's just, uh...great. If you'll excuse me though, I've uh...gotta... (Beat) ...Bye. *flies away*
• Not So Above It All: His Only Sane Man status notwithstanding. There are times when he shows he is not as different than the people he finds himself stuck with.
  Krillin: Who here just thought of Freeza with boobs? [Awkward silence] Really? I'm the only one?
  Vegeta: Yes! [thinking] He must never know.
  • In Episode 60 Part 2, when Goku dubs Gohan's new form "Super Duper Saiyan", Vegeta thinks to himself that he'll surpass it and become a "Super-Dee-Duper Saiyan".

O-Y

• The Only One Allowed to Defeat You:
  • Implied in Episode 36. When Android 19 is about to finish off Goku, you can hear Vegeta approaching in the distance...
    Vegeta: ...minemineminemineminemineminemine...
    Krillin: Does anyone else hear that?
    Vegeta: ...minemineminemineminemineminemine...
    Yamcha: Yeah. It's getting closer.
    Tienshinan: And it sounds an awful lot like...
    Vegeta: MineMineMineMineMINEMINEMINEMINE!
    [Vegeta kicks Android 19 in the head]
    Vegeta: Mine.
  • Also in Cooler 2 he saves Goku from an energy blast from Meta-Cooler.
    Vegeta: "If anyone's going to kill Kakarot, it's me."
  • He's also pretty pissed that Goku's heart virus kills him before he could.
  • Super Android 13, again, he refuses to let Super 13 to kill Goku
    Vegeta: "Nobody is killing that idiot but ME!"
• Only Sane Man: At least in season 1, though it tapers off towards the end of season 2 and vanishes completely come season 3. At this point, he becomes a narcissistic rageaholic with a Hair-Trigger Temper, especially after becoming a Super Saiyan. The role of Only Sane Man has now been inherited by his son, Trunks. In HFIL, Cell chalks the difference up to an ego boost from how many of Freeza's men he killed over the course of the Freeza Saga.
• Only Sane by Comparison: Moreso than his canon self; when around ditzes like Nappa and Goku, his own character flaws are (slightly, in some cases) downplayed and he plays the Straight Man. But when he is around people who are smarter and more competent, like Future Trunks, his aformentioned character flaws become FAR more noticable.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Gohan's reaction is "We are fucked" when Vegeta actually apologizes to Gohan for screwing up and nearly getting them both killed.
• Out-of-Clothes Experience: What he thought death entailed, only that was just King Yemma tricking him.
• Parental Issues: In Episode 10.
  Vegeta: You... you cut through my armor! This was a gift from my father!
  Yajirobe: I'm sorry, I'm sure your father was a great man!
  Vegeta: I HATED my father!!
  Yajirobe: Oh, well then, I'm sure your father was a total prick.
  Vegeta: HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT MY FATHER LIKE THAT!?!
• Papa Wolf: When Trunks gets killed, he has a stroke of conscience and attacks Cell head on.
  Vegeta: MY BABY BOY!!!
  • He has a heartwarming exchange with Piccolo after everyone else leaves the Cell Games arena.
    Piccolo: Well, don't worry. We'll go revive your "baby boy".
    Vegeta: Fuckin’ better…
  • In Dragon ShortZ first episode, he tells Nappa that every time he sees baby Trunks sleeping, he wants to kill anyone who would harm him. Nappa commends him for it though Vegeta views him complimenting about it as an insult.
• Person as Verb: Vegeta-ing means "screwing up", "making things worst". As a noun it means being a "fuck up".
  Goku: Vegeta, stop Vegeta-ing!
  Vegeta: Don't you verb me!
  
  Gohan: [To Trunks] Try to forget you're half Vegeta and don't f**k it up.
• Pet the Dog: Vegeta does this while being a Jerkass at the same time.
  • Played for Laughs, but he refrains from telling Krillin what Freeza's mother actually looks like because "he must never know".
  • He compliments Bulma on her Saiyan Armor that she made for the fight against the Androids saying it's the greatest thing she's ever produced, including their son.
  • Admits to Cell that Future Trunks is almost as strong as he is in front of him (then saying it's because Trunks is half him and looks like an eggplant because of Bulma).
  • Vegeta has this moment after being attacked by Trunks.
    Vegeta: Huh, this is a new feeling, Pride in someone else. Unfortunately, it’s overshadowed by all this UNYIELDING RAGE!!!
  • His entire role in "Plan To Eradicate Christmas". He's considerably less bitter or dickish than in the main series, as he even indulges in Trunks' question^note Trunks was asking if Vegeta was alright, considering he was "uncharacteristically wistful" and openly celebrates Christmas with the rest of the main cast. Somewhat subverted by the fact that he spent most of his Christmases on Planet Vegeta trying to shoot down Santa for the fun of it.
  • Downplayed when he gets sent to Earth. According to History of Trunks Abridged, he (angrily) shows some respect that Goku is a Super Saiyan while beating up Gohan.
• Phrase Catcher: "Vegeta, no!"
  • "Vegeta, yes!"
  • A lot of characters call him a "bitch", even before Freeza's famous "like a bitch" line. Pretty much happens whenever Vegeta tries to trash talk somebody who's actually stronger than he is at the time.
    Nail: Big talk coming from a bipedal bitch.
    Freeza: (to a horrified, crying, Vegeta) See, it's like I told you, Vegeta. Like a bitch.^note Freeza making good on his promise that he'd be making Vegeta cry like a bitch.
    Android 18: So, who's got two broken arms and is a total bitch? [breaks Vegeta's other arm] This guy~
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: He's a good deal shorter than several characters. Lampshaded by Nail in Episode 18:
  Nail: Bring it on, all 4 feet of you! Or should I count your stupid hair?
• Politically Incorrect Villain: His go-to insults are usually based on species, gender or sexuality.
  Vegeta: You (Trunks) look like a fruit!
  Trunks: Dad-
  Vegeta: And not like a homosexual, I mean like a literal fruit! [beat] Eggplant!
  • Played straight in regards to women, however.
    Vegeta: [To 18] You sure talk a lot of shit for a washing machine. And no, I'm just saying that because you're an Android. I'm saying it because youre a wo-[18 headbutts him]''
  • Back on Namek, he also killed Dodoria after learning she was female. Compounding this further, Freeza's entire army had no qualms with her gender, and even Cell of all people was nicer to her in HFIL.
  • Vegeta is also androcentric and insults male characters with feminine features. He referred to his son as "Princess Trunks" just to embarrass him and refers to Android 17 as "Faggoty Andy".
• Potty Emergency: Used as an excuse to get out of fighting Ginyu, while Goku explains. Later, while taking a nap, he wakes up suddenly shouting "I HAVE TO PEE!" And then later, Freeza taunts him by asking when he graduated from Pull-ups.
• Pre-Asskicking One-Liner:
  • Against Jeice;
    Vegeta: G'day, mate.
  • And against Ginyu:
    Ginyu: At least I'm not trapped in a useless body.
    Vegeta: Gimme a minute.
  • Pretty much all of his dialogue during his Curb-Stomp Battle with Android 19, given that he was giving the Android a "countdown." And it is glorious, starting with this line:
    Vegeta: [Having just No Sold a punch from Android 19] Looks like you just initiated your self-destruct sequence.
• Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
  • Has several in Season 2.
    Vegeta: Let me put it to you in a way you'll understand: I'm about to blow my load all over your insides [...] No homo.
  • And this against Android 19.
    Vegeta: So, before we put down the clown, let's put it to bed, shall we? Do you feel fear, Android?
    Android 19: No. Please. Get away. [Proceeds to understandably flee]
    Vegeta: All I needed to hear. One. BIG BANG ATTACK!
• Pride: Vegeta's Fatal Flaw that frequently results in him getting in over his head.
  • It makes him insanely easy to manipulate, as Cell (whom he could have easily killed at that point) convinces him to allow Cell to absorb Android 18 and reach his Perfect Form, simply by claiming that if he (Cell) were Perfect then he could kill Vegeta easily. Vegeta, naturally takes this as a challenge and allows it.
  • This line:
    Vegeta: [after sensing Cell the first time] Okay, what the hell am I sensing? Is that the Namekian? Is that me!? Is that me stronger than me!? I'll ***ing kill me!
  • After coming out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Son Goku made a point to Gohan to not brag about how much stronger they are than Vegeta because it would damage his pride. His pride is damaged anyway...
• Psychopathic Manchild:
  • Started becoming one during the events on Namek. Of course, it makes sense considering what Nappa said about why he is a Psychopathic Manchild.
  • It's shown he became a Super Saiyan by throwing a temper tantrum (canonically, this actually isn't that far off) and in Gero's own words he's still just a arrogant little brat throwing a fit when he won't come out.
• Pure Is Not Good: As in the original series, Vegeta was able to achieve the Super Saiyan form with a different kind of pure heart. However, Vegeta claims his heart is "pure, unadulterated badass", just after a cut away of him throwing a tantrum.
  Tien: Yeah, more like pure, unadulterated ego.
• Real Men Wear Pink: Although he hates every minute of it:
  Vegeta: [Upon sensing Freeza] Son of a bitch!
  Yamcha: What, still ticked off about the shirt?
  Vegeta: NO, I— well, yes, actually, I'm absolutely livid.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: In Episode 18, he apparently bursts a blood vessel in one of his eyes when Gohan pulls one over on him and Ghost Nappa shows up to torment him, causing it to go red. The other follows suit shortly after.
  • His eyes also glow red in Bulma's rape-fantasy.
• Reformed, but Not Tamed: Vegeta's behavior post-Character Development in Buu Bits makes it clear that while he may now recognize the value of life on Earth, he still sees humans as disgusting weaklings and states that the only reason he won't destroy the planet is because "his stuff" (his wife and son) is on it.
• Retired Monster: His Hollywood Mid-Life Crisis as depicted in Buu Bits is him realizing that he's become this in Goku's absence, no longer a feared warrior looking for the next fight but a family man. It disgusts him enough to throw himself in with Babidi.
• Revenge by Proxy: Parodied in Episode 18 when he knees Gohan in the chest and flies off.
  Vegeta: By the way, I only did that because I have pent-up aggression towards your father... Take that.
• The Rival: To Goku.
• Running Gag: In ShortZ, Vegeta keeps getting called out as "a bad father and a terrible partner" specifically for skipping out on Trunks' birth.
  Vegeta: Why does everybody keep saying that?
• Sanity Slippage: Being alone in the endless void of the Time Chamber causes Vegeta to begin crazily talking to a figure of Nappa made of a broom and volleyball, a la Cast Away.
• The Scream: He screams a lot. Special mention goes to the one he lets loose in Episode 18, which is so powerful that it can be heard all over the planet, in space, in the afterlife, and in the future. In the second Dragon Ball Kai Abridged episode, the scream crashes the Flash Player running the video and then crashing the crash.
• Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: His view once he becomes "King Vegeta II" in the Broly movie.
  Trunks: Do you even know what you're doing?!
  Vegeta: Don't need to. I'm king.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
  • After being beaten in Episode 10:
    Vegeta: Crushed and broken beneath an unconscious, naked child. Yep, I think I'm done here.
  • He tries to flee from Freeza while the others are fighting him. Freeza stops him though.
  • In Episode 35, when Bulma tells him to get a job and help raise Trunks, he flees into space in a Capsule Corp ship a year and a half before the fight with Dr. Gero and Android 19.
• Sir Swears-a-Lot: He usually swears the most out of all the characters. Even more so in Two Saiyans Play.
• Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: While his rivalry with Goku is still the primary focus of his hatred, he has a comparatively more civil enmity with Tien. Tien is the only Z-Fighter who regularly insults Vegeta and gets away with it, mostly because Vegeta thinks killing him for something so small means Tien would be the winner in their verbal sparring matches.
• Small Name, Big Ego: As demonstrated perfectly by the man himself in Episode 42: "I mean, have you met me? I'm me! I'm a big deal!"
• Smug Super: To say he revels in having a higher power level than everyone around him is a huge understatement.
• So Proud of You: He finally feels a twinge of pride in someone else for the first time in his life when Future Trunks finally stands up for himself and blows Vegeta over the horizon. It's almost immediately overshadowed by petulant rage, but hey! Progress.
  • He flips off Trunks while the boy was on his way back to his own timeline. When Trunks flips him back, Vegeta just smirks.
• Sore Loser: Very much so after he gets curb stomped by 18. He spends the next several episodes as a Super Saiyan out in a wasteland...coping.
  Vegeta: GOD DAMN IT! SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!
  [blows up the area]
• Stay in the Kitchen: Never a huge believer of gender equality to begin with (he consistently calls Bulma "Woman" rather than her name), he really cranks it up in his fight with Android 18, though he may have been deliberately trying to make her mad.
  Vegeta: You talk a lot of shit for a washing machine. And no, I'm not just saying that because you're an android. I'm saying it because you're a wom—. [Android 18 head-butts him]
• Straight Man: To Nappa, and the others sometimes as well.
• Surrounded by Idiots: Being around Goku and Nappa, it's hard to argue with him. He even outright says it during his first fight with the former.
• Talking in Your Sleep:
  • A dream he has while unconscious leads to
    Vegeta: "My power is maximum..."
  • And later
    Vegeta: First immortality, then the bitches.
• Talking Is a Free Action: Finds out the hard way that Android 18 didn't get the memo on that one.
  Vegeta: Dammit, woman, won't you let me finish a single sent— OW!
• Tempting Fate:
  • Any time Vegeta says "There's nothing you can do about it!"... something's going to get done about it.
    Vegeta: At least I still have my pride.
    [Gets sent flying by Gohan]
    Vegeta: Ow! My pride!
  • Done to horrifying effect after his trouncing at the hands of 18; he vows that once he's destroyed the Androids, there's nothing left to stand in his way. Cue Cell's entrance in Ginger Town.
• Terse Talker: Zig zagged during one of his Villainous Breakdowns
  Vegeta: I am here for it.
  Krillin: For what?
  Vegeta: Dragon. Ball. Need. That dragon ball. Give it to me. One you took. Need my wish.
  Krillin: Are... you okay?
  Ghost Of Nappa: I think your rage broke, Vegeta.
  Vegeta: SHUT UP, GHOST OF NAPPA!
  Krillin: What was that-?
  Vegeta: I'M NOT CRAZY! YOU'RE CRAZY! ESPECIALLY YOU, NAPPA!
  Ghost Of Nappa: Ayy.
  Krillin: Who are you talking to-?
  Vegeta: Dragonball! Hand now please.
  Krillin: Uh... I don't... really... have it.
  [beat]
  Vegeta: No.
  Krillin: What?
  Vegeta: No.
  Krillin: Uh-
  Vegeta: Nooo...
• Thousand-Yard Stare: He has when once he realizes that Broly is the Legendary Super Saiyan because of his absolute hatred for baby!Goku's crying.
• Token Evil Teammate: By season 3, though he often allied himself with the others as early as mid-season 2. He's quite proud of being evil. In Broly Abridged, when he finds out Paragus enslaved a race to work on New Vegeta, he takes back all the mean things he said and promotes him to Grand Vizier.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Remember how Vegeta ended the Namek arc being absolutely ruined and humiliated by Freeza? Well, now that he's achieved Super Saiyan and has become the second most powerful being in the known universe (first, technically, considering Goku is... indisposed), Vegeta is quite happy to strut and preen and act like a huge jerkass to everyone, rubbing their faces in the fact that none of them can do anything about it. ...And then the Android Saga starts.
• Took a Level in Kindness: No, seriously. He's still a massive prick, but as of his beatdown at the hands of Perfect Cell he's shared a lot more comradery and one or two moments of genuine pride with the others. To say nothing of him giving a genuine apology to Gohan and having a moment with Trunks.
• Trademark Favorite Food: He loves the soft drink Hetap. While Goku seems to enjoy it as well, Vegeta has commented on more than one occasion about his love of the drink.
  • When meeting Trunks for the first time Vegeta along with some of the others took some drinks from Trunks' fridge. Later, when Vegeta notices that the all the Hetap is gone he angrily shouts, "WHO DRANK THE LAST HETAP?! I'LL KILL YOU".
  • Later when a Hetap commercial plays while all of the Z-fighters are hanging out a Bulma's place, a Hetap commercial plays ending with the line "Hetap. Come on, you've killed for less", Vegeta's response is "That's not untrue".
  • After Goku shows off his new power from his year of training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, he tells everyone that he'll meet them at the "Cell Games presented by Hetap". Vegeta states in a growly voice "That hollow skulled bastard! Now I'm angry and thirsty!" demonstrating that just mentioning Hetap is enough for Vegeta to crave it.
• Tranquil Fury:
  • In Episode 10 part 2, after his tail got cut off:
    [calmly] You know... I thought I'd be angrier, what with the utter humiliation and loss of my tail... Or maybe I'm just so unbelievably enraged that I've come full circle. Oh well! Either way, it's time to put an end to this.
  • In response to Cell challenging him to hit him as hard as he could after having just trounced him:
    Cell: Hard as you can... are we clear?
    Vegeta: Crystal.
• Trash Talk: In every fight he's in, Vegeta will insult and denigrate his opponent whenever possible, adjusting for who and what they are.
• Troll:
  • Becomes this towards Trunks in the Broly movie for a while, ordering all of his subjects to address "her" as "Princess Trunks", then laughing at "her" dismay.
  • Also, back when he worked for Freeza's army, he made a habit of throwing dog treats at Guldo, he even suggested to Gohan and Krillin to do the same while fighting him, just because he finds it hilarious.
• Truer to the Text: When Goku asks if Freeza's upbringing made him the cruel, sociopathic asshole he is, Vegeta denies it completely. In the Japanese version, Vegeta makes no mention of Freeza shaping him, only the shame he felt from being forced to serve under him.
• Underestimating Badassery: He's on the giving and receiving end of this.
  • Cui, Dodoria and Zarbon were caught off guard by how powerful Vegeta could become after recovering from near fatal injuries.
  • Androids 19 and 20 are initially unconcerned when Vegeta shows up to save Goku. Then the prince reveals his Super Saiyan form for the first time and proceeds to hand 19 his ass.
  • When Vegeta meets Androids 17 and 18, he is unimpressed since they look like a pair of harmless teenagers and even mocks Trunks for being afraid of them. 18 shows him the folly of this assumption. Even after being defeated by 18, Vegeta refuses to accept that he made a mistake and blames his loss on Trunks.
• The Unfettered: Vegeta does not take kindly to others telling him to hold back from what he wants. It's to the point of Running Gag that he replies to "Vegeta, no!" with "Vegeta, yes!"
• Unknown Rival:
  • Much to his chagrin, some of the villains like the Androids and Cooler don't know who he is and tend to ignore him.
  • As part of the adaptation this even applies to Goku of all people. Goku is completely incapable of perceiving Vegeta as anything other than his "best buddy" after Namek, and he makes no attempt to humor any of Vegeta's blustering, even after the brief period when Vegeta had just come out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and was stronger than Goku. During Plan To Eradicate Christmas, Goku's usual Malaproperisms reveals he thinks of Vegeta as a minor character.
• Unstoppable Rage: As the seasons progress he is prone to doing this much more than his canon counterpart and will scream in a rage for hours. Also his moment in Episode 18. And possibly his tantrum after losing to 18... though we don't know how long that went for.
• Verbal Tic: Has a tendency to say "god damn it" even without Nappa around. Or simply "goddamn" used in between words.
• Villain Killer: Nappa, Appule, Cui, Zarbon, Dodoria, all of the Ginyu Force and Android 19 have died by his hand. Cell was surprised to learn just how many villains in HFIL Vegeta had killed.
  Cell: No wonder Vegeta had an overinflated ego - you all fed him!
• Villain Protagonist: He's an unreliable and Token Evil Teammate without question during Season 2. In his fight with Android 18, this is perfectly lampshaded. First we have this brilliant gem.

  [The Z-Fighters are flying to the scene of the battle]
  Future Trunks: [thinking] I can't believe he's taking them on alone! He has no idea what kind of destructive force they pack! The Androids are humanity's greatest threat!
  [Cue the part of the battle that happens on a freeway, where Vegeta's haphazard attacks on Android 18 result in multiple cars being blown up and everyone inside them likely dead]
  Vegeta: I WILL KILL AS MANY PEOPLE AS I HAVE TO AS LONG AS YOU ARE ONE OF THEM!!!

• Villainous Breakdown:
  • In Episode 10 during his fight with Goku. Part of it is because Vegeta is losing to Goku, the other part is making sense of Goku.
  • In Episode 18, upon realizing that Gohan had stolen the Namekian four starred Dragon Ball, to say he goes ballistic would be an understatement. He screams so loudly that it can be heard from outer space, hell, and the future. In Kai, he breaks the video itself, then breaks the error screen.
  • In Buu Bits, he treats the life he has after Goku's death as a Hollywood Midlife Crisis whereupon he actually spent time with Krillin, and even started using his name. Gohan even mentioned he even went to Krillin's barbeque, though he mockingly says he brought potato salad. Goku did not take kindly to that.
• Villainous Widow's Peak: Of course he has one! He's f*cking EVIL!!!
• Vitriolic Best Buds: In the Totally Not Mark Buu Saga, Vegeta practically flat-out admits this to be the case with Goku, whom he says he missed during his fight with him. Even in his Heroic Sacrifice against Buu, he explicitly calls him "Best buddy".
• Vocal Evolution: His voice becomes less raspy and conveys more emotional range as the series goes on. In contrast with Christopher Sabat's version which kept the gruff, raspy tone throughout his run.
• What the Hell, Hero?: In the Buu Bits Vegeta is very vocal about his distaste over Goku leaving Gohan to die on Earth.
  Goku: Vegeta, I have an idea.
  Vegeta: Is it you should have saved your son?
  Goku: Nope, I think I have a plan to beat Buu.
  Vegeta: Was it saving your son?!
• When You Coming Home, Dad?: Apparently the reason Vegeta hates his father so much is because he was too busy ruling the planet to spend time with his son, as he brings up when playing the Platinum Demo for Final Fantasy XV.
  Vegeta: He was so busy trying to rule a goddamn planet. No time for your son, eh, dad? Well, ffffffuck you!
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Really, really does not like worms.
  Vegeta: They're weird, they're slimy and they don't have bones!
• The Worf Effect: He's somewhat more successful than Piccolo, usually he's pretty successful on everybody he fights up to and including Elite Mooks and the Quirky Miniboss Squad, only to get his butt handed to him by the current Big Bad.
• Worthy Opponent: In Dragon ShortZ, we get a list of the characters alive he considers this, based on who he challenges (and considers at least somewhat comparable, as he won't consider Yamcha, Krillin or until he gets desperate, Nappa, and he knows better than to attack Popo). His list includes Android 18, Tien Shinhan, Gohan, and Piccolo. He'd probably consider Future Trunks and Goku this, but the latter is dead and the former went back to the future.
• Would Hit a Girl: He declares that he would not hesitate to fight a woman before fighting Android 18.
• Would Hurt a Child: Gut-punches Gohan because of pent-up aggression against his father, and really isn't bothered when Second Form Freeza tries to get a rise out of him by beating Gohan up.
• You Have Failed Me: Like the original series, Vegeta kills Nappa after he falls to Goku. However, it's less for losing and more because Goku points out that with Piccolo dead, the Dragon Balls won't work. And Nappa killed him. It was the last straw after dealing with Nappa most of his life.

---