The epic rivalry between Goku and Vegeta could have reached a whole new level of intensity in the latest chapter of Dragon Ball Super, but instead, what had the potential of getting serious was diminished to mere innocuous little jabs between the two Saiyans.
Vegeta’s animosity towards Goku and his drive to surpass him have been one of Dragon Ball‘s major highlights. This is especially the case as the Saiyan Prince has been forced on more than one occasion to begrudgingly rely on Goku’s superior power, essentially admitting his own failures as a result. Meanwhile, Goku’s overly characteristic innocence and nonchalance only serve to infuriate Vegeta further in these instances, embellishing their iconic dynamic even more. But as Vegeta continues to grow in Dragon Ball Super, especially in relation to DBZ, that rivalry has almost fallen to the wayside, causing fans’ need for Vegeta to surpass Goku to carry that momentum.
The latest arc, however, ignited a renewed hope in fans that Vegeta may not have grown as much as Super has implied when Vegeta revealed his true feelings about Goku on planet Cereal. So when the two Saiyans began listening to an audio recording from Goku’s father Bardock that revealed Bardock’s wish for Goku to thrive might be the reason why Goku is so strong, it created the perfect opening for Vegeta to react harshly. But that didn’t happen at all. In chapter 84, Vegeta just made a comment about how Goku is one of the most pampered Saiyans, to which Goku quips by saying that Vegeta does the same by how he spoils his daughter Bra.
Although the exchange provides further proof that Goku is a much worse father than Vegeta, nothing really comes of this massive bombshell. Similar to how the audio file convinces Vegeta to fight alongside Goku despite him almost dying as a result of him refusing to do just that, Vegeta curiously feels that the information he just learned doesn’t warrant more than just an offhand comment. This is odd as Vegeta has been trying to surpass Goku ever since Goku ascended to Super Saiyan despite his humble bloodline. But each time Vegeta comes close, Goku finds a way to leave Vegeta in the dust – that or Vegeta just fails on his own, like when Vegeta first invented Ultra Ego. The fact that Vegeta told Goku just a few chapters earlier that the only reason why he has been fighting alongside Goku is that it was in the best interest of his own family revealed that Vegeta doesn’t really view him as a true friend but a necessary evil that he must align himself with. Even though Vegeta claims in the latest chapter that what he heard in Bardock’s recording has changed his understanding of Saiyan Pride, it’s unconvincing that it could erase an entire perspective he’s held for decades, especially in regard to Goku.
Of course, there are more pressing matters at hand, like Gas’ defeat, which is proving to be almost impossible. Additionally, the reason why they were listening to Bardock’s audio recording in the first place was so they could see how Bardock won against that same villain decades ago, and since what they learned can’t really help them in the present day, they’re now back where they started in defeating Dragon Ball Super’s Gas: square one. Unfortunately, this is just another example of Dragon Ball Super relying on the franchise’s same old formula, where fighting takes center stage as opposed to exploring the intricate relationships that fans adore, most especially the rivalry between Goku and Vegeta.
