Shonen anime never really looked the same after Akira Toriyama created Dragon Ball, refining it down the road from a comedic adventure manga into a multimedia martial arts fantasy legend. The series is well-known for strong panel composition in the manga, iconic moments shaping pop culture for decades to follow, and some of the most memorable characters in the global entertainment zeitgeist. Despite these wins for Toriyama's franchise, one quality, character development, isn't necessarily something Dragon Ball as a whole has in high supply.
There are certainly redemptions that turn previous villains into iconic supporting characters, in the case of Piccolo and Vegeta. But while Piccolo has gone relatively free of controversy and is generally embraced by the community, some may find Vegeta, who grew considerably from a heartless conqueror in the Saiyan Saga to a hero by the end of the Buu Saga, to be especially satisfying. But while Vegeta redeemed himself, the plot of Dragon Ball Z and parts of Dragon Ball Super until the latest arc to be adapted haven't really shown the fruits of his development. But in The Galactic Patrol, Dragon Ball's next anime, Vegeta's best personal arc may finally be topped.
Plenty of fans recognize one of Vegeta's best moments, and indeed best arcs, was the Majin Buu Saga, in which he briefly slid back into old habits in his obsession with surpassing Goku. It was an identity crisis for sure, in which he allowed himself to be transformed into a Majin, giving into his pride in the worst sense after his resentment for Goku's growth, against his own stagnation, took over. It culminated in some crucial Vegeta developments in the Spring of 1994. But between his sacrifice against Buu to protect his family and set aside his feud with Goku, and his return to help defeat Kid Buu, Vegeta managed to briefly atone for his sins, even if his initial death was in vain.
This redemption was a culmination of Vegeta's character development from a ruthless Saiyan warrior bent on destroying Earth, to raising a family there and becoming one of its chief protectors. It's certainly an arc to love for Vegeta fans, but in Dragon Ball Super, it plays along these lines, while lingering specifically on Vegeta's atonement. Instead of personal sacrifice in generic, forced goodbyes dulled by resurrection mechanics, Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol will focus on how Vegeta can atone for his crimes while still living to fight another day.
"I have a troubled history with these Namekians. I did them untold harm. So no, I can't allow even one more of them to perish."
Calling back to the Namek Saga, Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol will feature Vegeta once again encountering Namekians, this time as their protector against Moro and his goons, rather than as an adversary willing to massacre them for their Dragon Balls. Instances like chapter #44 of Dragon Ball Super directly spell this out, with Vegeta saving a young Namekian, Esca, from being a preliminary meal for the planet-eater Moro. But, as Moro's threat grows, and Vegeta embarks on a special training mission to fight back once again, his greater development is not lost on other characters later in the arc.
Faced with an opponent verging on invincibility as he continued to gather massive amounts of energy, Vegeta traveled to Yardrat to master an ability even Goku couldn't learn: Forced Spirit Fission. Functioning almost like a reverse Spirit Bomb, Vegeta is able to siphon the energy taken by Moro, and send it to the planets he stole from. It's an astonishing achievement, even capable of undoing Fusion including, hypothetically, separating Piccolo from the Namekians with whom he previously fused, Nail and Kami. Vegeta even briefly learns one of Goku's most iconic techniques, but beyond using it once to rejoin the fight, content only using it once.
Each of these developments are impressive, but it's Vegeta's new conviction that is recognized by Piccolo in the heat of battle that will make audiences truly appreciate how far the character has come. Vegeta is seen living to atone for his crimes, instead of conveniently clearing his name without properly facing the music in a blaze of glory. He's seen as being changed after meeting and spending time with Goku, while still staying his cocky self, beating down on Moro while pointing out that he's the more talented one for what he achieved on Yardrat.
"Have you forgotten how, once upon a time, he showed up to invade the Earth?
And now look—he's fighting to protect this planet.
More than that, it's like he's trying to atone for the sins of his past. [...] Like the mass slaughter on Namek... or all terrible things he did as part of Frieza's army. I think he means to wipe the slate clean by saving our universe from Moro.
It's all because he met you, Goku. You've changed him."
Vegeta doesn't necessarily achieve some grandiose new form, and while he does get stronger, he still leaves enough space for others to shine in this Dragon Ball Super arc. Even then, he makes some of his biggest personal strides to date, and the series exercises more confident reincorporation of Vegeta's previous actions to properly convey the real gravity of atoning for a lifetime of untold crimes that no goofy pink shirts or fatherhood alone can paint over. Instead, Vegeta shoulders that gravity, sets it to 500G, and pushes through it all to become a stronger, better Saiyan fans will continue to love in Dragon Ball Super's next anime.
Dragon Ball Super is an anime series set after Majin Buu's defeat. It follows Son Goku, now a radish farmer, as peace prevails until Beerus, the God of Destruction, appears. Seeking to challenge a legendary warrior, the series revisits events from two Dragon Ball Z films before exploring alternate universes.
