Vegeta Fights (Top 7 Saturdays)

Vegeta is one of the most popular characters, full stop. Not just in Dragon Ball, not even just in anime, but in fantasy, sci fi, and kung fu genres he dominates as a persistent, magnetic force that attracts seemingly endless fandom. It's easy to see why -- he's a smug, morally compromised little shit, whose heart grows three sizes just in time to save the day. He's the Grinch, but with high flying kung fu and the haircut of a troll doll. While I love to roast Vegeta, both on this blog and just in day to day life, there's no denying that he is fucking cool. Maybe not Piccolo levels of cool. But still pretty cool. And a large part of that is to do with his down-and-dirty style of fighting. In a world of well-choreographed karate, Vegeta uses flight, rapid fire ki blasts, grapples, throws, and handfuls of sand like no one else had before. So let's celebrate that storied history of Vegeta battles with a little countdown!

I'll be ranking these fights not based on how good fight is overall, but based on Vegeta's contribution to them.

7) Vegeta vs Zarbon, Parts 1 and 2

Vegeta is an absolute beast on Namek. His fights with Kewie and Dodoria can barely be called fights. His initial confrontation with Zarbon is fucking awesome, with lots of great use of flight through it. It's one of the first battles that really sticks in the air, and even when Monster Zarbon is on the loose, Vegeta loses the fight in a mid-air piledrive. The second part isn't quite as awesome until the ending. I think we'll all remember where we were the first time we watched Vegeta punch through Zarbon's gut.

6) Vegeta vs Jheese

Yet more Planet Namek shenanigans this time around. This fight is similar in tone to the second half of the Zarbon fight, where his opponent, this time Jheese, is completely unprepared for how much stronger he is after getting his ass handed to him and recovering. Some of the filler segments of this fight is really cool, with a lot of good direction and animation. But the way he executes Jheese might be his most brutal kill. Not because of how he does it -- he just vaporizes him -- but for the utterly dickish smirk he has on his face, even as Jheese begs for reprieve.

5) Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta vs Golden Freeza

If it was just the Resurrection 'F' version of this fight, I probably wouldn't score it so high, and maybe not on the list at all. But the Dragon Ball Super version is really freaking awesome, and one of the only fights in the new anime that isn't a total turd. Far from it, this fight, in either version, finally gives us the confrontation between SSJ Vegeta and Freeza we've longed to see... Just with a little deviantart recolor slapped on it. Don't let my shitting on Super fool you though, this fight is dope.

4) Super Vegeta vs Semi-Perfect Cell

Okay, I'll admit, I may be bias here. The fights before this might actually be better Vegeta fights. But I fucking love Super Vegeta. This brand new level of utterly insufferable smugness is one of the absolute highlights for me. You can even extend this to him fighting Trunks after letting Cell go after #18. The whole sequence is so fucked up and filled with rad moments. I may have a fair few problems with Cell and his storyline, but this block of episodes is pretty great. (Until Perfect Cell arrives then it slows right the fuck down until Trunks roids out buuuuut that's a whole other post.)

3) Vegeta vs Kid Boo

"Damned if I'm going to be killed by the likes of you. I am the warrior prince of the Saiyans... Vegeta!!!"

Enough said.

2) Majin Vegeta vs SSJ2 Goku

Great choreography? Check. Emotional turmoil? Check. Brutal use of their surroundings? Check. A piece of the Majin Boo Saga where the original manga completely dropped the ball? Check. This is one of the very best fights in anything, ever. Particularly the Hisada episode (pictured above), but every episode with this fight is absolutely brutal and iconic. It's the fight DBZ fans had been waiting 193 episodes for and holy fuck, did it not disappoint. Five Stars. A+. 3 out of 3. Two thumbs way up.

1) Vegeta vs Reacoom

How can you possibly beat the Majin Vegeta fight? Why, you have Studio Junio (Minoru Maeda's studio) animate one of the most balls-to-the-wall, high octane fights from the original manga. This is one of those few episodes where literally every single frame is beautifully rendered. And the fight choreography is absolutely insane. It manages to have all the high flying action of DBZ, while also throwing in some great Dragon Ball style ground battling, but with a Vegeta twist. Everything about this fight, this episode, is perfect. If you watch this and you're bored, check your goddamn pulse.