Synopsis: Vegeta tells Goku that he's lucky – it's not every day that a lower-class Saiyan such as himself gets to fight with someone of Vegeta's status. Vegeta explains that all Saiyan children are tested for their potential at birth, and those with lower power levels are sent off to weak planets. Goku thinks that if that's why he was sent to Earth, then he's lucky, because he's learned that even the weakest can grow strong if they put in enough effort. Vegeta laughs and says that he'll show Goku the wall between them that no amount of hard work can overcome. The two Saiyans go into combat position, and Goku launches himself at Vegeta. The two warriors exchange blows, leaping back and forth and fighting in both the air and on the ground. Though Goku gives it his all, he's unable to land a decisive blow on Vegeta, prompting the arrogant Saiyan to taunt him and ask him where the power he used to defeat Nappa has disappeared to. Vegeta eventually knocks Goku away, and the two stare each other down from afar once again. Goku can't believe how good Vegeta is – he's not even trying and he's outdoing Goku in both power and speed. Left with no other choice, Goku agrees to show Vegeta how he beat Nappa, and uses the Kaio-ken. Now twice as strong and fast as he was before, Goku launches a quick energy blast at Vegeta, who dodges into the air. Goku pursues him, catching the Saiyan off guard with a flurry of blows, and eventually chasing after him in the air – at the last second, Vegeta turns around and knocks Goku back with a vicious kick. Falling out of Kaio-ken state, Goku is shocked as Vegeta laughs and expresses disappointment in Goku if that's really his best. Goku is amazed that Vegeta is this strong, but has to admit – he's actually starting to get excited about this fight. Review: Goku and Vegeta's fight starts off as intense as you'd expect a fight between the two strongest characters in the series to, and right from the start, it's shown that this fight is about more than who's stronger, or even whether or not the Earth will be saved – it's a clash between two different ideologies. The fate of the Earth might be the bigger issue at hand here, but it's Goku and Vegeta's different outlooks on life and fighting that makes this fight much more personal. Vegeta's outlook is cold, clinical even – he thinks that only those born strong are ever meant to be strong. A lot of this no doubt stems form the Saiyans as a whole believing that, to the point that they put their entire species into different brackets based on...how strong they are when they're born. I'd say that sounds pretty crazy, but a lot of real life society basically dictates your place in life (or at least tries to) based on the region you're born into and how much money your family does or doesn't have, so for a fighting-based society such as the Saiyans, this rings pretty true. Vegeta seems to take this belief system to a whole other level however, in that he doesn't even think other strong beings, not even his fellow Saiyans, are worth anything once they're compromised. He had no interest in reviving Raditz nor in keeping the beaten Nappa alive. Given that the only other pure-blooded Saiyan left to his knowledge other than himself is Kakarot, a man that he means to kill, proves just how psychotically focused on strength Vegeta is – power will win out, and nothing else matters. Conversely, Goku's outlook is flexible and warmer – he believes that if someone puts in hard work and truly keeps at it, then their efforts will be rewarded in the end. Goku has seen this happen countless times throughout his life up until now, but most importantly, he's lived it. While Goku has always had a leg up in some ways, he was only rarely and sporadically treated as the absolutely strongest character around. In the beginning of the series, he was strong but still unskilled enough to get taken down by weaker opponents. After going through Roshi's training, he likewise learned that no matter how strong he was, there was always going to be someone else out there who was stronger still. He ended up seeing that first hand on many occasions, as he came up against the likes of Taopaipai, Tenshinhan, King Piccolo, the reborn Piccolo, and eventually his own brother Raditz. Goku went into each of those fights, save for the second Piccolo, being the weaker option, and in each case (this time save for Tenshinhan), he came out of the fight the victor. Goku knows that hard work and training can make anyone stronger than they were before, and that the only limits as far as your own performance goes are the ones you place on yourself – if you do your best, you'll get your best, whatever that might be for you personally. These two ideals clash, and as said before, it's one hell of a clash of personalities and fists both. Depressingly, Vegeta seems to have the upper hand, and he's already pushing Goku far beyond what he's able to do naturally. He goads Goku into using the same power he used to take down Nappa, and Goku does just that – he uses the Kaio-ken, and instantly becomes a better match for Vegeta. ...Until Vegeta shows up even that. Vegeta is on enough of a different level that not even twice Goku's power is able to combat him effectively. This is not looking good for the Earth or our heroes, and it's certainly a depressing outcome to come out of their two different ideologies. That said however, the fight is far from over yet, and a real conclusion hasn't yet been reached. And Goku especially doesn't seem to consider himself out of this just yet, as he's actually getting excited by this fight. I mentioned before that Goku getting excited at the prospect of fighting someone way stronger than him rather than getting scared was going to be a new element of his personality that we'll be seeing more and more of, and that's already proving true here. It's certainly a curious reaction to being this overpowered, and it's one that keeps this from feeling like it's over just yet. If Goku hasn't given up hope after all, how can we as the audience? Until next time! Favorite Panel: Next Time: Far more than they counted on...
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About the AuthorAspiring author and big anime/manga fan, just trying to do my best in the world. For more details, go to About Me. Archives
September 2022
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