Vegeta, the prince of all Saiyans, has often played second fiddle to the beloved Goku in Dragon Ball Z. The genocidal villain-turned-anti-hero has just as many fans, if not more, than the main character himself. While Vegeta has seemingly never been able to overcome his eternal rival in raw power, he has never given up, nor forgotten who he is, and where he came from.
Thus, it’s worth acknowledging this hard-working Saiyan’s royalty by taking a look at his myriad limit-breaking transformations. Some are mightily embarrassing, while others are far more impressive than many fans thought. All of them are outrageous and fit perfectly with Dragon Ball Z’s over-the-top formula.
20 Veku
Vegeta has starred in some excellent Dragon Ball Z episodes, but Fusion Reborn was the start of something new. By far the weakest of any form that Vegeta takes is that of the portly Veku. In the movie, Goku and Vegeta find themselves up against the villainous Janemba, an evil entity borne out of the malice extracted from souls on their way to Hell. After Janemba makes short work of Goku’s Super Saiyan 3, the heroes decide that the only method that can overcome this demonic foe is fusion.
After swallowing his pride, Vegeta and Goku became Veku and engaged in an embarrassing brawl that involved him essentially being a punching bag for Janemba. Credit must be given to Veku’s reliance, and the ability to land one hit on the dreaded Janemba, which did pretty much nothing.
19 Great Ape
For common Saiyans such as Goku, Gohan, or Bardock, transforming into a Great Ape meant sacrificing self-agency and a clear mind. In these destructive forms, the gargantuan Saiyans would go on uncontrolled rampages, destroying everything in sight until the transformation wore off.
However, Vegeta was able to control his ape form, unlike Goku, remaining fully cognizant in this state, retaining many of the abilities from his human form. As dangerous he was, he became even more powerful, retaining control and honing this newfound power, even if it wasn’t his strongest transformation.
18 Super Saiyan
For much of the Namek and Frieza Sagas, Vegeta was on a quest to become the “legendary Super Saiyan,” eventually getting the golden glow and sky-blue eyes of this being. In this form, Vegeta was immensely powerful, perhaps even more so than Goku, and he made short work of Android 19 during the debut of this transformation.
For an extended period of time in Dragon Ball Z, it seemed as though Super Saiyan was the ultimate achievement, and Vegeta’s prowess with the form lived up to that promise. It might have seemed impressive at the time, but it was definitely not the best of his transformations.
17 Super Vegeta
During the Cell Saga, Vegeta and Trunks partook in grueling ascetic training within the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, in order to push the limits of their Super Saiyan forms so they could crush Cell. Dubbed a “Super Vegeta,” the prince pushed the power of the Super Saiyan to increase his muscle mass exponentially, resulting in a hulking physique.
Cell’s hubris almost got the best of him when he allowed Vegeta to conjure up a Final Flash that was so incredibly devastating, the Earth itself was in jeopardy of being destroyed. Taking a nearly direct hit from the blast, most of Cell’s body was completely obliterated, shocking the over-confident creature.
16 Super Saiyan 3
In the Japan-only arcade fighting game Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Battlers, Vegeta’s Super Saiyan 3 form made its debut. It has since been featured in the popular mobile title Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle, a mix between board and puzzle games, with an RPG and card collecting mechanic.
While not as tremendously powerful in comparison to a certain Saiyan rival or even other versions of Vegeta, it’s still quite a sight to see Vegeta with long hair, and the electric pulse of the Super Saiyan 3.
15 God-Like Saiyan
In short, this form was something Vegeta was able to tap into, without fully activating the divine Ki which triggered his Super Saiyan Blue form. Essentially, his body emulated the sensations of being divine, after getting a taste of the true power that stems from the godly transformation of the Blue Super Saiyan.
However, it’s hard to gauge what this form is truly capable of, due mostly to lazy writing, erratic power scaling, and a required sense of disbelief. While it’s certainly powerful, it has largely failed to live up to its own name.
14 Tuffleized Super Saiyan
Once known as Planet Plant, the Saiyan homeworld was shared by both the Saiyans, one of Dragon Ball Z’s most powerful races, and the technologically advanced Tuffles, who would become extinct at the hands of their neighbors. Baby was a Machine Mutant designed specifically to destroy Saiyans, and this campaign nearly succeeded in Dragon Ball GT.
One of Baby’s most dangerous functions was the ability to “Tuffleize” the inhabitants of Earth using parasites, and he employed them against Vegeta. Infested and possessed by Baby, Vegeta went through a physical metamorphosis, with vastly augmented strength and abilities. He was able to manhandle Goku as a result, with little effort.
13 Super Saiyan 2
Unlike the “Ascended Saiyan” form, Super Saiyan 2 was a unique and far more efficient transformation signified by a lean physique, with longer, spikier hair, and a surge of lightning throughout his yellow aura.
Enraged by Beerus slapping his beloved Bulma, Vegeta exploded into a rage-fueled SSJ2 and, much to the surprise of characters like the God of Destruction, landed powerful hits that ended up drawing blood. The sheer god-punching potential of Vegeta’s SSJ2 outclasses many other transformations.
12 Majin Vegeta
Babidi took advantage of Vegeta’s character traits by casting a spell on him, transforming him into his Majin, or Demon Prince, form. This was essentially Super Saiyan 2 on steroids, with Vegeta’s latent evil mixed with Babidi’s spell, causing his potential to be unlocked and unleashed.
Aside from Vegeta’s natural strength being dramatically enhanced, he was able to harness supernatural powers such as an enhanced healing factor. He also had an unlimited supply of stamina. His Final Explosion was an incredible burst of energy from deep within Vegeta, and it ended up destroying him.
11 Tuffleized Strongest Form 2
According to Baby and Goku, Tuffleized Vegeta in Strongest Form 1 is the most powerful being in the universe. In this state, Vegeta warped into a being that barely resembled its host, instead taking on an appearance closer to that of the parasitic Baby.
While Baby might not have been the ultimate villain of GT in terms of raw strength, his backstory made him far more interesting than the Shadow Dragons, as did his numerous and unique abilities, such as possessing and mutating Vegeta into forms and states that exceed anything fans saw previously.
10 Vegito As Candy
Vegito is the fused form of Goku and Vegeta when they don the sacred Potara earrings of the Old Kai. There was a time where Vegito found himself turned into a piece of a jawbreaker, allowing him to turn his adversaries into digestible chocolate and candies.
Buu found itself outclassed by the candy form of Vegito, who embarrassed the foolish villain at every turn. The beatdown was so humiliating that Buu forced himself to reverse the candy beam, just to make it all stop.
9 Vegito
Using the Potara Earrings, the super-powerful Goku and Vegeta fused together to form the ultra-powerful Vegito. Unlike the form that the two create with the fusion dance, there is no time limit to Vegito’s form. The only way the reverse the effects was to destroy the Potara Earrings.
The most intriguing element of Vegito’s base form is that he’s already superior to Super Buu. This was bad news since that form was just the start of the epic lineage of power he would leave behind.
8 Super Vegito
In a desperate move, Super Buu liquefied and launched himself inside of Vegito’s body, where he expanded in an effort to tear the fighter apart from within. Vegito located the fiend using his ki, and then literally beat the creature out of his own body.
While inside, however, Super Vegito separated due to the strange atmosphere of Buu’s bowels, but Vegeta and Goku still managed to accomplish their mission. All in all, Super Vegito would likely have been able to able to utterly destroy Buu.
7 Gogeta
In the Dragon Ball Z movie Fusion Reborn, Goku and Vegeta attempted the fusion dance to create Gogeta, the strongest form the Saiyan Prince would ever take. Boasting brutal power and speed that can’t even be calculated, Gogeta made short work of Janemba, who only moments prior had bested the lauded Super Saiyan 3 Goku.
Gogeta’s final move, the Stardust Breaker, delivered a quick hit against its target and, moments later, turned him into dust. That was the power of Gogeta, easily one of Vegeta’s most powerful forms; one of Dragon Ball Z’s characters way more powerful than Goku.
6 Super Saiyan Blue
When Goku literally ascended to godhood during Battle of Gods, Vegeta dedicated himself to training with Whis and was able to unlock the ability to dip into divine ki. In this state, Vegeta could easily wipe the floor with any of his previous transformations.
With most opponents crumbling after just a few blows, Super Saiyan Blue’s power was undeniable. However, that power tremendously drains the stamina of the user, relegating the equivalent of a glass cannon. The powerful attacks are eventually countermanded by exhaustion.
5 SSJ4 Vegeta
Resembling something more akin to a god, this transformation gave Vegeta a wild, primal look, and a tail to boot. While fans never really get to see Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta engaged in extended action sequences, it can be assumed that he was likely near the same level as Super Saiyan 4 Goku, a supreme tier being.
Both he and Goku were godlike beings at this point, but their true power had still yet to be unveiled.
4 Great Ape Baby
With the parasitic Baby inhabiting the continuously mutating body of Vegeta, the possessed Bulma created a device to subject her corrupt husband to 1000 times the normal amount of Blutz Waves, resulting in this catastrophic monstrosity.
As Great Ape Baby, Vegeta retained an unnatural amount of speed and abilities to go along with exponentially enhanced strength. The fact that Great Ape Baby was able to wipe the floor with Goku’s ultimate form speaks volumes about the incredible destructive might of this nearly unrivaled transformation.
3 SSB Vegito
In the Future Trunks Saga of Dragon Ball Super, Goku and Vegeta activated their divine ki and became Super Saiyan Blue, easily becoming the most powerful mortal in their universe. However, the overwhelming power surging through this supreme being put an enormous strain on the Potara Earrings, making what should be a nearly permanent fusion dissipate after an hour.
Secondly, they were unable to destroy their immortal enemy. While they surely would have claimed victory in the Tournament of Power using this form, they simply weren’t enough for Fused Zamasu, which means this transformation, while impressive, is not quite top of the heap.
2 SSB Shinka
Taking everything that has defined him, like his pain, Vegeta managed to turn into this immense being of raw power. When Toppo made his choice to become a God of Destruction, he was imbued with the Energy of Destruction, skyrocketing his power to a level that likely rivaled Beerus.
While he certainly was no master of this new form and was prohibited from destroying his opponents, he was still a literal God of Destruction, and beyond powerful. Yet Vegeta stood up against him in his Shinka form, which surpassed the would-be destructor.
1 SSJ4 Gogeta
While Super Saiyan Blue Shinka is the most powerful form that Vegeta has achieved on his own, the strongest transformation he has ever gone through would be that of Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta, which is light years beyond any other. SSJ4 Gogeta is the fusion-dance-formed combination of Super Saiyan 4 Goku and Vegeta in Dragon Ball GT.
Omega Shenron, the most powerful adversary of the entire franchise, barely had any effect on the fused fighter and lost horribly. The only reason he did not face total defeat was because of the dreaded time limit that accompanies all fusion dance combinations. Still, SSJ4 Gogeta is a transformation unlike any other, and certainly one of, if not the most powerful.