Vegeta is the serious counterpart to Goku’s goofiness throughout the Dragon Ball franchise. The Saiyan Prince overcame his initial struggles early in the series, going on to distinguish himself as one of the greatest Saiyans to ever live. Although Vegeta does contribute to some of the comical aspects of the series, his hard work and tenacity to be the best are what has helped the character resonate with fans.
Aside from being a descendant of the elite bloodline of Saiyans, Vegeta has his fair share of weird characteristics that contribute to his overall development. But no great character is complete without a few flaws, either. Here are five weird secrets about Vegeta’s body.
Vegeta Can Control His Great Ape Form
Early on in the Dragon Ball Z saga, before there were Super Saiyans, the legendary warrior race would use the energy of a full moon to transform into giant apes that tapped into their potential strength. With great power, comes a great cost, and the Great Apes were no exception to this rule -- unless you're Vegeta, that is.
The Saiyan Prince was able to transform into a Great Ape at will by creating a fake moon, via a Power Ball. The device collected Blutz Rays as a concentration of energy that would replicate the appearance of a full moon. The Saiyan Attack Pods also held a device that could project a full moon and be used to achieve transformation.
Although the Great Apes have an enormous power source, they lack the ability to rationally function and tend to go on a rampage upon transformation. In Vegeta’s case, he has been able to function as a Great Ape without losing control, and can even verbally communicate. The elites of the Sayain world are taught to hone their instincts and develop their cognitive skills to allow them to control themselves in the Great Ape state, reflected by Vegeta.
Vegeta's Height Is Inconsistently Portrayed
Vegeta is arguably one of the more menacing Z Fighters in the series of Dragon Ball Z, and that allows for a key physical feature to be overlooked: his height. When introduced early on in Dragon Ball Z, his height was confirmed at 5’3, but he later received a growth spurt to 5’5 in the series. His iconic hairstyle tends to conceal his lack of height, and for the most part, it has been working. His hairstyle is so iconic it doesn’t even change that much when he turns Super Saiyan.
Vegeta was around the same height as Bulma in the early episodes of Dragon Ball Z, but in the more recent series, Dragon Ball Super, he is way taller than her now. He was around Krillin’s height when initially introduced, but now Vegeta towers over him. Vegeta has even been shown to be as tall, if not taller, than Goku.
His inconsistent height is not necessarily the fault of the animators. Depending on the arc they are on, Vegeta is either one of the shorter characters in a group, or if he is soloing with Goku, he is drawn to size up to our favorite gullible Saiyan.
Vegeta's Mustache Had A Short-Lived Life
Dragon Ball is known for the iconic hairstyles of its characters, but the one that could have broken the internet (in its time) was the reveal of Vegeta’s mustache in Dragon Ball GT.
The mustache was hugely disliked in the Dragon Ball community, but some saw it as a tease for Vegeta to start growing a beard like his father, King Vegeta. Not only did Vegeta sport a sleek mustache, but his hair also got shorter in the series, too, changing his character design slightly, which was later revealed to be approved by creator Akira Toriyama.
Luckily, Dragon Ball GT had a plan to get rid of the fuzz caterpillar on Vegeta’s face. He finally decides to shave it off after his daughter, Bulla, calls him a "geek" for having it. If being called a geek wasn’t tragic enough for the Saiyan Prince, he later tries to get others to notice his new look. No one, other than Bulma, figures out what’s new about Vegeta, leading to one of his most quotable outbursts: “I shaved my mustache, you idiot!”
Vegeta Is Reduced To a Quivering Mess... By Worms
Vegeta has defeated many great foes, achieved Super Sayain God, and has killed the most enemies amongst the Z Fighters, but the one adversary he hasn’t been able to overcome is the grotesque and almighty monsters known as... worms.
In the Dragon Ball Z Buu arc, Vegito is absorbed by the pink fiend and the Potara Earrings fusion is undone, leaving Goku and Vegeta trapped in the intestines of Buu. As the two fighters try to figure out how to escape, they are greeted by some roundworms that reside within Buu. Immediately, Vegeta is grossed out by the worms and even commands Goku to get rid of them. After the first one is defeated, Vegeta resorts to his cocky self, until backup arrives, and more worms surround them.
Vegeta overcomes his phobia briefly as he blasts away the worms away, but the fact that he is scared of some harmless intestinal worms reminds us of how vulnerable the Saiyan Prince can be.
Vegeta Can Withstand 500 x Earth's Gravity
Vegeta’s goal has always been to be the strongest warrior to uphold the mantel of Prince of all Saiyans, but before the current gimmicks of training, like The Room of Spirit and Time were established, the only way to achieve more strength was through grit and sweat.
In the early arcs of Dragon Ball Z, Vegeta trains in a gravity chamber that generates up to 300 times the force of Earth’s gravity. Vegeta winds up destroying the chamber from the excessive training but yields great improvement in his strength. In later arcs, Vegeta trains in different gravity chambers with Trunks that go from 400 to 500 times the gravitational force of Earth.
Yamcha tries to train in one of these chambers, too, but he quickly learns why he’ll never amount to the greatness of Vegeta. Trunks is only able to withstand the force by turning Super Saiyan, while Vegeta stays in his original form. The Saiyan Prince definitely puts his body through some harsh treatment in order to surpass all his and rivals.
