While Vegeta was originally introduced at the start of Dragon Ball Z as a decided antagonist, taking on Goku and the Z Fighters to gain access to the Dragon Balls, the Saiyan Prince eventually became an invaluable ally and friend. And as Vegeta stayed on Earth, he formed a romantic relationship with Bulma, resulting in the pair having two children, though Vegeta would opt to maintain his taciturn nature rather than openly express his love for his family.
Here are the biggest and best moments across the Dragon Ball franchise when Vegeta let his guard down enough for fans to see how much Bulma truly means to him, quietly motivating him as he trains to become the strongest warrior in the multiverse.
Vegeta's Sacrifice For Bulma
Though Vegeta and Bulma had a son named Trunks and Vegeta continued to live with his fledgling family at Capsule Corporation headquarters, he wasn't known for being a particularly present, affectionate family man, instead preferring to train for hours on end in the wake of Goku's death. This changed when the villainous Majin Buu was revived.
Facilitating Buu's revival by allowing the wizard Babidi to possess and empower him with his dark magic, Vegeta saw the folly of his obsessive drive to surpass Goku when Buu proved to be too powerful for the rest of the Z Fighters. Initially underestimating Buu, Vegeta was overpowered and savagely beaten, deciding to sacrifice his life with an epic explosion, hoping to kill Buu in the blast. As Buu approached and Vegeta gathered energy, he mused that his efforts were largely fueled by his love for Bulma and Trunks.
Vegeta's Revenge For Bulma's Death
The first time Goku and Vegeta canonically fused wasn't necessarily because there was a greater mutual threat that required the two Super Saiyans to work together, rather, Vegeta was motivated by the death of Bulma. When an upgraded Majin Buu arrived on the Lookout, he grew bored and turned Bulma and her friends into chocolate and ate them.
This was unknown to Vegeta, who was later given his physical body back by a desperate King Yemma and sent to Earth to stop a rampaging Buu. Upon reuniting with Goku, Vegeta wasn't interesting in fusing at all. Instead, he was preoccupied with the fact that his rival kept the Super Saiyan 3 transformation a secret from him. Vegeta only reconsidered when Goku informed him Buu had killed Bulma and that Trunks was absorbed by the villain. Upon hearing this news, Vegeta quickly agrees to the fusion.
Vegeta Agrees to a Family Vacation With Bulma
Dragon Ball Super opened with Vegeta finally living up to a longstanding promise to Trunks by agreeing to take him and Bulma to an amusement park on a tropical resort island. While things got a bit tense between Vegeta and Bulma over the course of the vacation, it was evident that Vegeta had come a long way since the more distant attitude towards his family that he held throughout DBZ, something noted by Bulma herself.
"That's My Bulma!"
Shortly after returning home from their vacation, Vegeta and Bulma are forced to host Beerus, Universe 7's God of Destruction. When the deity visited Earth, Vegeta quickly revealed to Bulma how dangerous a figure Beerus was, bowing to his every whim and ensuring that the God of Destruction and his attendant Whis were both fully catered to with quality food.
Eventually, Bulma's sense of hospitality and patience with their rude guest wears out and she confronts Beerus for his boorish treatment of them. In response, Beerus slaps Bulma and the sight of Bulma being hurt by the God of Destruction causes Vegeta to snap and angrily attack the god, despite being completely outmatched.
The Birth of Bulla Brings Vegeta Closer to Bulma
Vegeta has trained his entire life to become the ultimate warrior, but there was one instance that caused him to completely stop his training for a good while and refocus his priorities: the birth of his daughter Bulla. After learning Bulma was pregnant, Vegeta refused to leave her side, going as far as to turn down an offer to participate in the Tournament of Power.
A frustrated Beerus uses his powers to cause the pregnancy to accelerate, though Vegeta continues to take care of his newborn daughter, showing just how much of a caring family man he had become since his introduction.
