WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Super Chapter 76, by Akira Toriyama, Toyotarou, Caleb Cook and Brandon Bovia, available now in English through Viz Media.
When Vegeta first appeared in Dragon Ball Z, the villain was one of the most vicious foes against whom the Z-Fighters had ever fought. However, thanks to his hatred for Freeza, Vegeta eventually turned to the side of good and from there became a permanent ally to the Z-Fighters. While he's broken bad on occasion, Vegeta has remained one of the group's most stalwart fighters. Now, Dragon Ball Super has indicated Vegeta's change is permanent.
At the start of Dragon Ball Super Chapter 76, Granolah continues to beat on Vegeta, essentially taking him out of the fight. Before Granolah can strike a particularly grievous blow, though, Goku interferes and saves his friend. This seemingly sends Vegeta over the edge, and he rebuffs Goku's help. As they're arguing, Granolah gets a sneaky blow in on Vegeta and temporarily takes him out, forcing Goku to step in and face the last Cerealian.
Goku ends up going down, too, and Vegeta returns to the battle, apologizing for his earlier behavior and attributing it to his "stubborn Saiyan pride." Vegeta jumps back into battle and activates his Ultra Ego form. This helps him stand toe-to-toe with Granolah for awhile, but soon the Cerealian overtakes him again. Knowing he's beaten, Vegeta then takes a different approach: He tries to convince Granolah that eradicating the Saiyans would just repeat the same atrocity that group committed in the first place.
Granolah doesn't like Vegeta saying this and unleashes on the Saiyan Prince. He then decides to use all of his power to kill Vegeta, even if it means dying himself and not getting revenge on Freeza. As he prepares for death, Vegeta remarks, "Apologies, Lord Beerus. I couldn't revert to the callous, unfeeling man I once was. That God of Destruction power was beyond the scope of a novice like me." In the end, Goku ends up saving Vegeta, but the implication of this is clear: the Saiyan Prince really has changed.
It's noteworthy Vegeta's inability to return to his earlier callous ways affects his ability to use Ultra Ego. The ability seems to have bled into his personality, causing him to lash out at Goku and seemingly become the old Vegeta again for a time. However, not being able to fully return to the callous person he once was may stop Vegeta from mastering the ability. As such, if Vegeta has any hope of really becoming a God of Destruction, he's going to have to find a way to reconcile the caring person he's become with the monstrous being such a title requires.
Dragon Ball Super Chapter 77 releases on Oct. 20 in English through Viz Media.
