Fighting and anime go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Animated violence is just plain cool; the perfect combination of eye candy and narrative development. The closest thing we have to it in real life is the WWE.
Which is somehow even more insane than anime, but that’s beside the point.
Every shounen anime has that one fight that everyone remembers as being peak. ‘My Hero Academia‘ had Deku VS Bakugo at the end of season three. ‘Naruto‘ had the incredible battle between Naruto and Sasuke at the end of both the original and Shippuden (filler not withstanding). So on and so forth.
Being a series entirely focused on fighting and martial arts, ‘Dragon Ball‘ is full to the brim with such iconic fights. Goku VS Piccolo, Gohan VS Cell, Vegeta VS Buu, Yamcha VS Humiliation, the list goes on and on.
Yet among that extensive list, one fight stands head and shoulders above all the rest. The subject of todays article: the climactic finale of the Saiyan saga, Goku VS Vegeta.
The Setup
We all know the story by now. Raditz appears on Earth, reveals that Goku is actually an alien and that he’s his brother, attacks him, kidnaps Gohan, then Piccolo kills both brothers. But Raditz was just a thug, and his death attracts the attention of two far deadlier enemies: Nappa and Vegeta. They’ll arrive in one year, so everyone has a year to prepare. Goku, being dead, goes to meet a new god to train, the humans go to Kami’s, and Piccolo whips Gohan into shape.
This setup masterfully bakes tension into the narrative like cheese in a lasagna. Goku literally had to die to bring Raditz down, and he’s the bottom of the Saiyan food chain! The stakes are so dire that everyone spends the entire Saiyan saga preparing for this one battle!
And it still isn’t enough.
When that battle finally comes, that tension only escalates further. Nappa absolutely decimates the rest of the cast, slaughtering everyone except Krillin and Gohan. All the while, the far deadlier Vegeta chills out on the sidelines, watching the carnage unfold with calm confidence. Then, just as all hope seems lost, Goku finally arrives on the scene and eases up on that tension by wrecking Nappa’s shit. Finally, it seems everything is gonna be alright.
Until Vegeta casually wipes Nappa out of existence just to make a point. The message is clear. Nappa was small potatoes compares to the Saiyan prince. Goku’s training hasn’t surpassed him; it’s just put him on the same playing field.
The Fighters
These two need no introduction. They’re are so iconic at this point that I can address them as Vegetable and Carrot completely out of context and you’d know exactly who I’m talking about.
The rivalry between Goku and Vegeta is one of the most iconic in fictional history. It inspired just about every other dynamic like it to come. Naruto and Sasuke, Sonic and Shadow, Yugi and Kaiba, follow their roots and they’ll all guide you back to these two. And it all started with this fight.
Goku is effort and dedication personified. A Saiyan born at the bottom of the food chain, raised up by the people he loves and pure hard work. He’s devoted his life to training and improving, and now, here he stands, ready to risk it all to avenge the friends he’s lost and protect those he has left.
Vegeta is the exact opposite. The Prince of all (two and a half) Saiyans, he stands as the most powerful member of their race. Natural talent personified. He believes in the divine right to rule, that he was born better and stronger and never needs to work for anything. Why would he? He’s royalty! Whereas Goku fights for those he loves, Vegeta fights only for himself.
But it’s not just them. See, unlike most other Dragon Ball fights, this one isn’t just a one-vs-one duel. After Vegeta goes monkey-mode, Krillin, Gohan, and even Yajirobe jump in to help! This adds to the sense of desperation permeating the battle; this is a true struggle for survival, in which everyone has to do their part. It fits super well with the core theme of the fight and the arc as a whole.
Before we get to that, however, we need to talk about…
The Style
In terms of raw eye candy, this fight still holds up to this day! Animation, choreography, it’s got it all! Even the pacing isn’t all that bad, at least by DBZ standards. I’ll take a six episode long fight over the eight hour marathon that was Goku VS Freeza.
Animation wise, these episodes are surprisingly consistent. Better yet: they’re consistently good! The animation staff were cooking with gas for this small stretch of the show. It has its low moments, of course, but that’s to be expected with anime production schedules. Especially those of the time.
But the real draw here is the choreography. Toriyama was drawing at 120% with this fight! Badass martial arts, the series first true beam struggle, Vegeta’s Ozaru transformation, Spirit Bomb ping-pong with Krillin and Gohan, and more! It’s a genuine treat to watch from beginning to end!
This also gives the fight a great sense of back-and-forth. This isn’t just Goku or Vegeta taking turns curb-stomping each other. Each side in the conflict is constantly reacting to the actions of the other. The tables aren’t just turning, they’re spinning like a roulette wheel! It’s incredibly thrilling to watch!
The Theme
The Saiyan saga is ultimately a story about defying heritage. Both Goku and Gohan reject their Saiyan origins, choosing to fight for Earth. Vegeta, our main antagonist, is that heritage personified; he looks down on everyone around him, be they friend or foe, with a might-makes-right approach to life. He is the embodiment of everything that made the Saiyans who they were, and why our heroes have rejected them.
This idea is further personified by the Ozaru transformation. When Gohan transforms as Goku did at his age, both father and son are made into mindless monsters. Vegeta, on the other hand, has full control over the form, using it to stamp down everyone beneath him.
But it’s this very power and arrogance that brings the prince down. When Gohan’s tail conveniently pops back out at the eleventh hour, the child goes ape. Though Vegeta manages to chop the tail off, it’s too little too late. One falling giant monkey later, and the proud Prince of all Saiyans lies crippled, broken, and humiliated beneath a naked child.
No wonder he took that loss so personally…
Conclusion
Goku VS Vegeta still stands as one of the best fights in anime history! Narrative, visuals, pacing, choreography, it knocks every single one right out of the park! You can still watch it over twenty years later and have a great time!
Or you could play it in one of the many, many DBZ games. Or watch the Kai recut. Or the DBZA version. Honestly, I’ve seen this fight so many times in so many different ways that I’ve nearly become numb to it.
Nearly.
It’s not only the perfect end of the Saiyan saga. It’s also the launch pad for the Namek saga and Vegeta’s character arc. Two of the most iconic anime storylines ever, began because two dudes had an argument in the desert. Not to mention their later rematch in the Buu saga!
But that is a discussion for another day.
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