Vegeta’s Redemption Won’t Be Complete in Dragon Ball Until He Does One Thing

Summary

• Vegeta’s redemption arc won’t be complete until he brings back his former allies, Raditz and Nappa, to make amends for his past actions.
• Despite being a villain in the past, Vegeta has shown a commitment to righting his wrongs, as seen in his actions on New Namek.
• Resurrecting Nappa and Raditz may be a risky move for Vegeta, as their loyalty could still lie with Frieza, posing a threat, but it’s still something he needs to do to complete his
  Dragon Ball
  redemption arc.

Vegeta is one of the greatest heroes in Dragon Ball history, as he’s helped save the world (and, indeed, the universe) against the likes of Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu. However, in the early days of Dragon Ball, Vegeta was a villain himself, with no moral qualms about wiping out a planet’s population, or even killing those he was closest to. Vegeta has since been on a path of redemption, but upon looking at the villainous deeds of his past, it’s become clear that Vegeta’s redemption arc won’t be complete until he does one thing.

Vegeta was introduced in Dragon Ball chapter 204 by Akira Toriyama as the main villain of the Saiyan Saga. After Raditz came to Earth to check on Kakarot’s mission status (as Goku was originally sent there as a baby to wipe out all life on the planet) and found that Goku became the planet’s protector rather than its reckoning, he immediately alerted Vegeta through his scouter. Once Raditz was defeated, it wouldn’t be long before Vegeta and his second in command, Nappa, arrive on Earth themselves.

These images depict the moment Piccolo realizes he just accidentally alerted the other Saiyans to the existence of the Dragon Balls through Raditz’s scouter while rubbing Raditz’s defeat in his face.

While Vegeta was concerned that Goku failed to complete his Saiyan mission, the real reason he went to Earth following Raditz’s death was due to the intel Raditz gathered. It was Raditz who told Vegeta about the Dragon Balls, at which point Vegeta made the choice to travel to Earth, find the wish-granting orbs, and use them to make himself immortal. However, when Vegeta faced Goku and the Z-Fighters, his plans were foiled. Nappa failed to kill Goku first – and Vegeta killed him for it – then Vegeta fell to the combined might of the Z-Fighters himself before making an escape.

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Vegeta’s time as a villain only lasted throughout the Saiyan Saga and the beginning of the Frieza Saga. However, it was more than enough time to do some unforgivable things, including one that he still needs to make up for: betraying his fellow Saiyans, Raditz and Nappa.

Vegeta Betrayed Raditz & Nappa When He Was a Dragon Ball Villain

Vegeta’s time as a villain is understandably overshadowed by his evil deeds aimed against the Z-Fighters, but perhaps the most vile things he does are against his allies and brethren: Nappa and Raditz.

Raditz and Nappa were loyal soldiers of Vegeta since they were kids, and they’ve conquered a great number of planets side-by-side. In Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku, it’s confirmed that it isn’t unusual for teams of Saiyans to become close, just as Bardock had been with his crew. Therefore, it would stand to reason that Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz would be like a small family – but that is not the case.

After Raditz dies while getting the intel on the Dragon Balls, Nappa asks Vegeta if they’re going to use the Dragon Balls to bring Raditz back. Vegeta laughs in his face, calling Raditz a weakling who deserved to die. This is especially cruel given their history, and the fact that Vegeta wouldn’t have known about the Dragon Balls at all if it hadn’t been for Raditz’s sacrifice.

Once Vegeta and Nappa get to Earth, Nappa takes it upon himself to absolutely dominate every member of the Z-Fighters, and is only met with defeat when Goku enters the ring. Despite winning every previous match, Nappa’s loss to Goku is too unforgivable for Vegeta, and the Saiyan Prince kills Nappa for his weakness. Vegeta knew Nappa his entire life, yet he killed him without a second thought. And, to make matters worse, Vegeta himself would lose to Goku and the Z-Fighters, effectively experiencing the same losses as Raditz and Nappa – making Vegeta a hypocrite on top of everything else.

Why Vegeta Needs to Bring Back Raditz & Nappa with the Dragon Balls

Vegeta’s cruelty in regard to his own men – not to mention his desire to destroy the world, become immortal, and rule the universe – proves that he was worse than both Nappa and Raditz. Yet even so, Vegeta was given the chance to redeem himself, and he proved to everyone and himself that he had what it takes to become a true hero. Nappa and Raditz were robbed of that chance by Vegeta (Raditz because Vegeta was never going to bring him back, and Nappa because he was literally killed by Vegeta), and now it’s time for Vegeta to remedy that.

Resurrecting Nappa and Raditz would not only complete Vegeta’s Dragon Ball redemption arc, but it could help the Z-Fighters in their ongoing efforts against Black Frieza.

Right now in Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta and Goku are slowly bringing the Saiyan race back to its former prominence. This was made clear in Dragon Ball Super chapter 103, which showed every Saiyan in the franchise (including Broly) training on Beerus’ planet. The Saiyans are training to be able to match Black Frieza, and kill the tyrant once and for all. If Vegeta is growing an army of Saiyans to fight Frieza, then it would only make sense that he’d recruit two of his most loyal soldiers, while simultaneously redeeming his heartless disregard for them.

Resurrecting Nappa & Raditz Wouldn’t Be the First Time Vegeta Made Amends for His Past

Dragon Ball Super chapter 44 by Akira Toriyama and Toyotarou

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At the end of Vegeta’s DBZ villain era, he finds himself once again searching for the Dragon Balls, but not on Earth, on the planet Namek. When he obtains one of the Dragon Balls from a small village, he kills every resident in the process. Then, the damage he did to the Namekians became even more pronounced when, after all the fallen Namekians were wished back to life, the ones he killed didn’t return. The wish only accounted for those killed by Frieza and his men, and since Vegeta wasn’t associated with Frieza, his victims stayed dead.

Vegeta wouldn’t truly feel the weight of this evil deed until Dragon Ball Super, when he and Goku were ferociously defending New Namek from the villain Moro. Vegeta himself admitted why he was so desperate to beat this villain and save these people, in particular, when he said, “I have a troubled history with these Namekians. I did them untold harm. So no, I can’t allow even one more of them to perish”.

This level of commitment to redeeming the mistakes of his past is one of the best parts of Vegeta’s character development, and really makes his redemption arc genuinely believable. And now, it’s time to see that same level of commitment to righting the wrongs of how he treated Nappa and Raditz, as they deserve the same chance at redemption that Vegeta got.

Perhaps Vegeta is Doing the Heroic Thing By NOT Resurrecting Nappa & Raditz

Resurrecting his one-time Saiyan comrades would allow Vegeta to undo the sins of his past (like he did by saving New Namek from Moro) and it would prove beneficial to his current crusade against Black Frieza (as that would add two more Saiyans to their ranks). However, perhaps Vegeta is doing the heroic thing by not resurrecting Nappa and Raditz.

Nappa and Raditz were villains, after all, and it could be dangerous to bring back two Saiyans who may have held a grudge against Vegeta and Goku while in the afterlife. Not only that, but they were soldiers of Frieza, so it’s just as likely that they would reunite with their former Emperor than join Vegeta and Goku. If they did that, then Frieza – who now has a greater understanding of Saiyan potential – could train them to become even more powerful than Goku and Vegeta (indeed, he did the same for himself when he became Black Frieza).

While bringing Nappa and Raditz back would be a gamble, it’s a chance Vegeta needs to take.

Again, Vegeta was a more evil villain than both Raditz and Nappa, yet even he came around after joining the Z-Fighters. Vegeta killed one and allowed the other to remain dead when he was still a heartless villain, and the only way to make up for that is to bring them back, and give Raditz and Nappa the same chance at redemption he had. Once that one thing is done, then Vegeta will have finally completed his redemption arc in Dragon Ball.

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