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Warning: Contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Daima episode #1.Dragon Ball Daimahas finally premiered, and it opened, unsurprisingly, with Goku and Vegeta having a sparring match. While far removed from the actual plot, it was a great way of easing people back into the anime after so many years, and with Vegeta’s role inDaimacurrently unknown, it’s also good for giving him something to do before he’s potentially put on the sidelines for weeks to come.
Despite Goku usually being the stronger of the two,Goku has never beaten Vegeta in a fight; Vegeta objectively won their first fight inDragon Ball Z, he knocked Goku out with a sucker punch in the Buu saga, and Vegeta narrowly won a battle of attrition inDragon Ball Super: Super Hero. Because of that, it’s all the more surprising thatDragon Ball Daimamight have technically given Goku his first true win against Vegeta. It’s a great moment to see after so many years, and above all else, it works to make Goku and Vegeta’s rivalry even better.
How Goku Defeated Vegeta In Dragon Ball Daima
InDragon Ball Daimaepisode #1, after Goku finished eating food at Trunks’ birthday party, he and Vegeta decided to have a friendly spar, or at least as friendly as they could manage. After trading blows for a bit, Goku overpowered Vegeta’s Galick Gun with a Kamehameha and then used that opening to punch him in the face; that was the last portion of the fight shown before King Gomah used the Dragon Balls to turn everyone into children, meaningGoku technically won his fight with Vegeta inDragon Ball Daimabecause he had the advantage before it abruptly stopped.
Goku’s win against Vegeta is more of a technicality than anything, but the fight was arguably already leaning in that direction. Not only did Vegeta never have a clear advantage over Goku, but Vegeta’s Galick Gun was initially far bigger than Goku’s Kamehameha, yet Goku still overpowered Vegeta with relative ease. Add in how Goku never used any transformations, especially not Super Saiyan 3, andGoku likely would have won his fight with Vegeta even if Gomah hadn’t interrupted them, the only difference being that it would have taken longer to play out.
Goku Is Far Stronger Than Vegeta In Dragon Ball’s Current Timeline
Vegeta Could Never Beat Goku At This Time
With Trunks turning nine in the series premiere, that meansDragon Ball Daima’s official timelineis one year after the Buu saga, a period where Vegeta needed a boost from Babidi’s magic just to be on par with Super Saiyan 2 Goku, and he still would have lost to Super Saiyan 3. With only a year having gone by and Beerus and Whis having yet to appear, there shouldn’t be a reliable means for Vegeta to close the gap between them, soGoku was stronger than Vegeta due toDragon Ball Daimataking place so close to the Buu saga.
Why Goku Beating Vegeta In Dragon Ball Daima Is Such A Big Deal
Dragon Ball Daimamarks the first time Goku has beaten Vegeta in a fight, and there are plenty of reasons why that’s a big deal. For starters, while Goku has almost always been the superior fighter, it’s always been a sticking point that Vegeta has technically won all of their fights, even with the occasional special circumstances. Now, however,Dragon Ball Daimaoffers definitive proof that Goku can defeat Vegeta in a fight, or at least as definitively asDragon Ballcan get, and it does a lot to support the idea of Goku being the strongest of the heroes.
Goku beating Vegeta is also good for fleshing out their rivalry, in general. It’s always been rare to see Goku and Vegeta fight, and with Vegeta always winning whenever a fight was allowed to play out, combined with how that rarely invalidated Goku being stronger than him, their rivalry has sometimes come off as not being as strong as it’s supposed to be. As such,Dragon Ball Daimafinally having Goku beat Vegeta in a fight makes their rivalry feel far more even than usual, and that sort of development after so many years is great to see.
Goku’s victory over Vegeta is also good forDragon Ball Daima, in general. Goku is about to be thrown into one of the biggest challenges he’s ever faced in the franchise, soGoku beating Vegeta in a fight works to emphasize that Goku’s the best person for dealing with the conflict inDragon Ball Daima, whether that’s by himself or from simply leading the charge. It’s one of the best ways thatDragon Ball Daimacould have started, and hopefully, it will serve to further develop their rivalry for years to come.
Dragon Ball DAIMA
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Dragon Ball Daima sees Goku and his allies inexplicably shrunk into miniature forms, prompting a journey to the Demon Realm. This animated adventure, part of the Dragon Ball franchise, explores their mission to solve the mystery and restore their original statures. Released in October 2024.
