'Dragon Ball Super' Shares Rare Vegeta Throwback

Dragon Ball isn't afraid to make a play at its past, but Vegeta likes to pretend he was born the warrior fans know him as today. Still, the fighter had to grow into the person he is now, and fans were reminded of that with the latest chapter of Dragon Ball Super.

Thanks to Viz Media, chapter 40 of Dragon Ball Super is up, and it contains a rather surprising throwback. Readers catch up on the moment after Vegeta takes his frustration out on Jiren, and the hot-headed warrior doesn't hold back one bit.

As fans can see here, Vegeta takes a moment to knock Goku and his Ultra Instinct state in order to exalt his own genius. The move comes after Jiren asks whether Vegeta is trying to unlock the power-up for himself, and the Saiyan references his often-ignored past to explain why he has zero interest in the form.

"Such a move doesn't suit me. The notion of being taught anything by anyone, even," Vegeta said, clearly knocking the time he spent training with Whis.

"I had no master, and I have no memories of my father — King Vegeta — teaching me the basics. No, I'm a prodigy, forged by the fires of solo training."

Continuing, Vegeta goes on to say that his determination to reach the top will bring him to the top. He refuses to ride Goku's coattails when it comes to power-ups, so Vegeta is willing to skip over Ultra Instinct in hopes of reaching a unique form for himself.

"Just now I was close to losing sight of what makes me, me. I aim for the top playing by my own rules, so Kakarot can have Ultra Instinct to himself for all I care."

For fans, this assertive throwback gives fans a glimpse at how Vegeta views his past nowadays. It is no secret the Saiyan has a complex with Goku, but he's also harbored complicated emotions about King Vegeta. As far as Vegeta is concerned, his old man didn't teach him anything in the way of battle, leaving the boy to develop his prodigal skills by himself. With that in mind, it is easy to see why Vegeta adopted a full-on loner mentality, and it seems he's not willing to give it up just yet.

What do you make of this surprising throwback by Vegeta? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Dragon Ball Super currently airs its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami programming block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m. It is also available to stream on Funimation and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release of the series is complete, and available to stream on FunimationNOW, VRV, and Crunchyroll.