The Z-Fighters have died quite a few times in their brutal battles that populate the three Dragon Ball series. While most have returned from the grave thanks to the Dragon Balls, some of the deaths remain fan favorites in the anime world. One of the biggest was the first death of Vegeta, in which the Saiyan Prince died at the hands of the despot Frieza on the Planet Namek. Recently, Dragon Ball fans re-discovered why Akira Toriyama made the decision to kill Goku’s eternal rival.
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Following the Saiyan Saga, in which Vegeta was a villain through and through, the Prince of all Saiyans forged a shaky alliance with the likes of Goku, Gohan, and Krillin in the fight against Frieza. While gaining some serious power thanks to a few near-death experiences on the Planet Namek, Vegeta found himself to be no match for Frieza’s power level, especially in the alien despot’s final form. Toying with Vegeta, Frieza killed the Saiyan Prince when Goku hit the scene, but was brought back before the arc ended thanks in part to using the Earth’s dragon balls to net him a quick resurrection. Hilariously, Toriyama had quite the reason as to why he decided to kill Vegeta the first time.
Why Did Toriyama Kill Vegeta?
In a recently unearthed interview, Akira Toriyama stated that his original decision to kill Vegeta was an attempt to “betray the fans’ expectations”. His direct quote hilariously explains that thanks to fan requests asking for the Saiyan Prince not to be killed, the mangaka ultimately pulled the trigger and did so by taking fan expectations into account, “I do, in the sense of ‘betraying the fans’ expectations’. For instance, when I got a lot of, ‘Don’t Kill Vegeta,’ I deliberately killed him.’
Luckily, Vegeta has been able to dodge the Grim Reaper throughout Dragon Ball Super. With the Granolah Saga giving the Saiyan Prince a new transformation in Ultra Ego, he has a new challenge to overcome as Frieza has become the new strongest in the universe thanks to the villain’s encounter with a Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Gaining a new form in “Black Frieza”, Vegeta has been attempting to master a new style of fighting to take on the ultimate Dragon Ball villain.
What was your favorite death in the Dragon Ball franchise? What was your favorite death for Vegeta specifically? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Z-Fighters.
