‘Dragon Ball Super’ Theory Likens Toppo to Majin Vegeta

God of Destruction Toppo may be gone from the Tournament of Power now, but he is certainly not forgotten. The sudden ascension and equally sudden elimination of GoD Toppo has Dragon Ball Super fans upset, but one fan has found a sliver lining in Vegeta’s defeat of Toppo that will give longtime Dragon Ball fans the feels:

from discussion Vegeta’s massive character development has made me proud to call him my favorite character..

from discussion Vegeta’s massive character development has made me proud to call him my favorite character..

from discussion Vegeta’s massive character development has made me proud to call him my favorite character..

Indeed, there are a lot of parallels between the “Majin Vegeta” arc of the Buu Saga in Dragon Ball Z, and Vegeta’s fight with GoD Toppo in the Tournament of Power:

The first thing that echoes between both DBZ and DBS is the entire theme of what principles mean. Babidi’s magic was able to turn Vegeta into Majin Vegeta because the Saiyan Prince’s heart wasn’t yet purely heroic – he still clung to old villainous ideas of power and selfishness that limited him. Toppo’s transformation was similar, born out of a selfish need for survival, which causes him to abandon his heroic principles of justice for the power of Destruction – a fact that both Freeza and Vegeta totally call him on.

When Vegeta finally got free of Babidi’s control, he selflessly used his “Final Atonement” attack to try and destroy Majin Buu. The attack was so great that it destroyed Vegeta in the process – marking the first time the Saiyan Prince sacrificed himself to save others.

That scene was one of Dragon Ball Z‘s greatest moments, and we got to see it come around full circle in the final battle between Vegeta and Toppo. Just like with Buu, Vegeta unleashes the risky attack against GoD Toppo as a means of sacrificing himself to save the ones he loves (Trunks, Bulma, Bulla), as well as those he swore an oath to (Cabba, Universe 6). Doing this against GoD Toppo in particular, showed how far Vegeta has truly come as a heroic figure of unbreakable principles – far from the emotionally and spiritually weaker fighter he was when becoming Majin Vegeta. The end result is that, this time around, Vegeta’s “Final Atonement” attack actually bested his opponent, but didn’t kill Vegeta, as his resolve (not just his ki or physical power) has gotten that much stronger.

As stated, this was another thematic callback that enriches the Dragon Ball Super experience for longtime fans. It’s also another point in the argument that Vegeta has gotten off of the sidelines of the Tournament of Power to become its biggest standout; there’s more reason than ever to love Dragon Ball‘s bad boy (now with a heart of gold), and the fans are certainly showing that love every week. Hopefully this full-circle turn wasn’t Vegeta’s final act…

Dragon Ball Super airs on Crunchyroll Saturday evenings at 7:15 p.m. CST. Adult Swimairs the English dub during its Toonami block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m, and is now available to stream on FunimationNOW and Amazon Video.