Why Vegeta may never surpass Goku

Disclaimer: This article does not aim to take anything away from Vegeta as a powerhouse or as an overall great character. I am a fan of Vegeta as well and I believe he is one of the greatest and most developed characters in the Dragonball series.

Rather, this article focuses on the fundamental differences between both Goku and Vegeta as fighters and how that affects the possiblitity of Vegeta ever surpassing Goku.

And this is not about power levels either, as Vegeta can very well attain the Ultra-Instinct transformation in future as well. But it’s really not about how much raw power they have, it’s about who is the better fighter or who has more innate talent for fighting--this is what I think makes the most difference, cause their power levels are always pretty close to each other.

Alright, since the title of this article is a hugely divisive claim, let me cut to the chase real quick and we’ll get to the explanation part later. So, the sole reason why I believe Vegeta can never surpass Goku is simply cause Goku is an overall better fighter than Vegeta.

Yes it’s true that without the Ultra-Instinct transformation and when they’re both in the Super Saiyan Blue form, Vegeta is most likely a bit more powerful than Goku. The last fight between Vegeta and SSR Goku Black proves that Vegeta’s power level is a tad higher than Goku and before entering the Tournament of Power, Vegeta went through some grueling training sessions as well, which implies that the power gap is even more between Vegeta and Goku right now (not taking Goku’s latest transformation into account, of course).

But the sole reason why I personally feel that Goku will always be one step ahead of Vegeta is cause Vegeta, even with all the raw power and determination to surpass Goku, lacks something that Goku has in abundance--the supreme battle awareness (honestly, I’m not sure what to call it) that lets him study an opponent and come up with a suitable strategy, on-the-fly and right in the midst of a fight.

From my viewpoint, this element of fighting awareness is the only real edge that Goku has over Vegeta and if you think about it, it’s also the most crucial element in any fight. No amount of training or preparation can make up for this innate talent that Goku has--which allowed him the win against Hit in their second battle (I know the first one gave Goku an advantage by letting him study some of Hit’s moves beforehand), study Beerus’ move/attack and coming up with a counter-move (and saving the Universe as a result), all in real-battle-time.

In a nutshell--Goku has an uncanny battle sensibility that lets him figure out an opponent during a fight and allows him to adapt and come up with an effective way to overcome that opponent. And the way I see it, this is a zen-level skill that is single-handedly responsible for Goku getting the edge over many of his powerful opponents. Of course, this only works if the power gap is relatively small--there’s no way Goku could’ve done anything to Beerus if he didn’t reach the Super Saiyan God form and just kept fighting in SSJ3.

Also, this fight sensibility is the reason why Goku has proven himself to be far more creative in a fight than Vegeta. Combining SSBlue with Kaio-ken, alternating between SSG and SSBlue in short bursts, using the SSBlue aura against Hit’s pocket dimension technique, combining instant transmission with Kamehameha (thereby creating a cool new move altogether)--these are only some of the many creative things that Goku has performed during a battle. And though Vegeta is surely up there with Goku in terms of raw power and skill, but ultimately, he has got nothing on these in-battle feats.

I think the fights between Vegeta and Zarbon (back in Dragonball Z) really show the entire characteristics of Vegeta as a fighter. When he first fought transformed Zarbon, Vegeta couldn’t do anything till his battle injuries allowed his power level to rise up significantly. And when he got a lot stronger than before, he finished off Zarbon in a short and brutal fight. But in both cases, the fights were one-dimensional and much less interesting to watch (when compared to Goku’s fights).

And in all of Vegeta’s fights, this same pattern repeats over and over. Whether Vegeta is fighting imperfect Cell or SSRose Goku Black, it’s always a contest of raw power. When Vegeta faces an opponent less powerful than him, it’s a stomp and when he faces a foe stronger than him, it’s always a downhill battle. All the fights involving Vegeta prove that he is always about raw power and his best bet is to use that power advantage over his opponents.

While this doesn’t mean that Vegeta doesn’t use strategy during a fight, it’s that he doesn’t really have that innate talent of fight sensibility that Goku has. That’s why fights involving Goku is always a lot more exciting to watch than any of Vegeta’s fights, cause even though Goku gets outmatched by his foes lots of times, the fights always have that sense of unpredictability to them. After all, a great fight is not really about a contest of power levels but also requires a sense of thrill which keeps the viewers at the edge of their seats all the way through.

And if you really take an in-depth look at both of their approach towards battles, it’ll become clear as to why Goku always ranks a bit higher than Vegeta. Goku never fights to conquer and dominate, but always for the sheer thrill of fighting and the opportunity for pushing himself beyond his current limits. On the other hand, Vegeta fights to crush and dominate his foes and to prove his own supremacy over his opponents (this was faithfully expressed in the episode ‘Vegeta’s Respect’ back in Dragon Ball Z)

It can also be implied that Goku has a natural love for the art of fighting that Vegeta does not. Vegeta fights for a purpose--to win, to destroy and to reign over whereas Goku fights only cause he enjoys the sheer excitement and all the unpredictabilities of a fight. And it’s not hard to see that this is why Goku has that innate talent for supreme battle awareness that Vegeta does not.

However, this article doesn’t suggest that Vegeta is in any way weaker than Goku, but quite the opposite. Vegeta’s desire to surpass Goku in terms of raw power may actually outweigh Goku’s penchant for pushing his own limits, especially if you consider the colossal amount of power gap that Vegeta has managed to close between him and Goku throughout the years. Given everything we’ve seen so far from Vegeta, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if at the end of the series, Vegeta actually surpasses Goku once and for all, in terms of power level.

But does that mean Vegeta will finally be able to beat Goku in a straight up fight? I don’t think so cause Goku still has the most important edge over Vegeta--his uncanny fight sensibility that easily makes him the superior fighter in a battle. This is the main theme of this article, the reason Goku can always win against Vegeta is not because of raw power level, but cause of his natural talent for fighting which grants him the rare ability to figure out an opponent during a fight and find a way to overcome him.

To sum it all up, the possibility of Vegeta surpassing Goku is always there, cause ultimately, what Toriyama and the other writers of Dragon Ball Super want, it’s reality for us, the viewers. But as of right now, based on the overall continuity and everything we’ve seen so far from these two characters, there’s absolutely no way that Vegeta can completely surpass Goku. Match him in raw power level? Sure. But becoming an overall better fighter than Goku? Highly unlikely.