Dragon Ball: 10 Big Ways Vegeta Changed From His First Episode ...

Vegeta is undoubtedly one of the Dragon Ball franchise's most popular characters. Despite starting off as an arrogant and violent killer with a chip on his shoulder, the prince of Saiyans has had quite the character arc and arguably one of the best in anime history.

RELATED: Dragon Ball: 10 Most Brutal Vegeta Quotes

Knowing where he ends up as the series goes on, it's actually almost hard to believe Vegeta used to be the way he was in his first appearance, it's like looking at two different characters now. The road to redemption is a long one, and for Vegeta, the changes he went through definitely paid off big time.

10 HIS COLOR SCHEME

These days, Vegeta's look is instantly recognizable. With his black hair, blue suit, and white and gold armor, his look is iconic. However, in the anime's early days, Vegeta's color scheme was almost completely different, having light brown hair, a dark blue suit with a green and orange set of armor.

This was due to a coloring mistake since before that time, Vegeta was only known to be in black and white. By the time he arrived on Earth, the colors were fixed to what we know today, but it'd incredibly interesting to think about what it would've been like if they stuck with that look for Vegeta.

9 POWER LEVEL'S THROUGH THE ROOF

At the start of the anime, Vegeta was already pretty powerful, surpassing his fellow Saiyans Raditz and Nappa by a long shot. Little did anyone know at the time, but Vegeta would continue to shatter his limits throughout the many sagas of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super. 

RELATED: Dragon Ball: 5 Villains Who Became Heroes (& 5 Who Stayed Bad)

Not only has Vegeta reached the title of Super Saiyan, a level of power he originally thought was the stuff of legends, but he's also gone farther than that, reaching even higher heights as Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan Blue, and even an ascended form that goes beyond that. Whether its training or sheer force of will, Vegeta continues to grow far stronger than his old self would've ever imagined.

8 LOST HIS TAIL

Saiyan tails really do seem to come and go in the Dragon Ball series. When Vegeta first appears, both he and  Nappa have monkey-like tails, as most Saiyans do, wrapped around their waists like a furry belt. He'd even go on to use his own power to become the giant Great Ape in his battle against Goku, but this would be the only time it would happen. During this fight, his tail is cut off by Yajirobi's sword, transforming him back to normal.

After escaping Earth, Vegeta recovers from his wounds, but his tail never grew back. In a sense, this injury was a permanent mark of the Saiyan's loss against the Z-Fighters, but as time went on Vegeta would grow past the point of actually needing his tail.

7 ACTUALLY A PRETTY GOOD DAD

With the way he started out and his consistently abrasive personality, one would think Vegeta wouldn't make for a good parent. Surprisingly though, he actually is a good dad. While in the beginning his attitude towards his son, Trunks was questionable, he got better as time went on and unlike Goku, Vegeta tends to not abandon his family for long periods of time in order to train.

While at first glance you could say that Vegeta has a bit of an aggressive parenting style, actions speak louder than words. Vegeta did sacrifice himself during the Buu Saga to protect Trunks and before the Tournament of Power, he refused to leave a pregnant Bulma's side until his daughter, Bulla was born. Vegeta actually cares a lot for his kids, though he'd never be the first to admit it.

6 LESS QUICK TO KILL NOW

At the beginning of Dragon Ball Z, Vegeta cared little for the sanctity of life of any sort. If someone annoyed him even a little, Vegeta was quick to kill whoever whether they were friend, foe, or innocent bystander. It wasn't until he began spending more time on Earth and the Z-Fighters that he began to soften a little.

RELATED: Dragon Ball: 5 Characters Vegeta Can't Beat Yet (& 5 He Never Will)

While he was still violent, it was clear that his interactions with people like Goku, Bulma, and Trunks changed him from a remorseless killer to a more empathetic (though still broody) warrior that usually doesn't go for the most lethal method first anymore.

5 BECAME SYMPATHETIC

During the Saiyan Saga, Vegeta was showcased as an arrogant and hostile villain who killed his own allies if he felt they were too weak and wasn't above beating children. It was hard to see Vegeta as someone to root for, that is until the Frieza Saga revealed the tragic fate of the Saiyan race.

Since Frieza had destroyed the Saiyan homeworld and effectively slaughtered its people down to less than a handful (including the king, Vegeta's father), this made Vegeta more sympathetic as a victim of Frieza's cruelty. While it didn't exactly erase his own sins, it was the first step that would lead to Vegeta's redemption.

4 HIS RIVALRY WITH GOKU

Goku and Vegeta have had an epic rivalry as famous as the Dragon Ball franchise itself. Starting off from merely being a battle between good versus evil, the more the two interacted, the more their relationship evolved.

For a while, Vegeta was always one step behind Goku (or "Kakarot" as he kept calling him) and worked towards one day be strong enough to kill him, but that definition would change. Through the years and many levels of power, Vegeta kept on training not to kill an enemy, but to keep up with an equal. They went from enemies to frenemies, and eventually to an unspoken friendship and respect that comes from one pushing the limits of the other.

3 MARRIED TO BULMA

When he first appeared, Vegeta had something of an unbridled hatred towards pretty much anyone and everyone. With a personality like that, nobody would ever expect that he would ever even show the tiniest shred of love for someone else, let alone for a human, beings that Vegeta originally saw as weak and worthless. Yet somehow Vegeta would go on to marry and have children with series mainstay, Bulma.

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Vegeta has been shown to be fiercely protective of Bulma, going so far as to make himself look like a fool to appease the God of  Destruction and even attacking him in a blind rage when Beerus hits Bulma. Vegeta may be tougher than steel, but it's obvious he'll always have a soft spot for his wife. Probably helped that Yamcha cheated on Bulma too.

2 HUMILITY

Calling Vegeta prideful in his first appearance would be an understatement. Being the Saiyan prince, Vegeta was supremely arrogant and overconfident and believed himself to be an "elite" above other Saiyans, seeing someone as Goku merely as inferior. But after being tested and even matched in their fight, Vegeta grew angered at his first of many encounters with humility.

Vegeta's consistent fights and losses began to stack up as time passed and slowly but surely forced him to face his growing insecurities. The result was Vegeta becoming less self-aggrandizing and much more humbled by his experiences. While the old Vegeta saw himself as perfect, the current Vegeta is much more willing to admit to a mistake and always strives for improvement

1 COMPASSION

As the Dragon Ball series continues on, it becomes harder and harder to remember that Vegeta was once the incredibly violent and cold-blooded conquerer that he once was. It's easy to say that Vegeta has grown into a much kinder version of himself that nobody would've thought possible of him.

In the old days, Vegeta only cared for showing everyone how great he was, regardless of who he had to hurt or kill to do it, but now he's a lot more considerate to others. A great example would be when helped his fellow Saiyan Cabba improve as a warrior and even promised to save him and his universe during the tournament of power, something the old Vegeta never would've even entertained. Through his battles, sacrifices, and humility, Vegeta has grown stronger both physically and in character.

NEXT: Dragon Ball: 5 Reasons Why Goku Is The Anime's Best Hero (& 5 Why Vegeta Is The Real Hero)