Dragon Ball Super Manga Guide: Vegeta vs Goku on PS5 Release Date

Goku and Vegeta’s rivalry has powered Dragon Ball for years, but the franchise is now treating that matchup as settled. Dragon Ball Super has leaned hard into the idea that the “strongest Saiyan” title no longer belongs to Goku, and that doesn’t just feel like a temporary power shift. When the Dragon Ball Super manga returns, Vegeta is set to come out canonically ahead—so don’t be surprised if Goku never again overtakes him in a direct, definitive way.

Key takeaways

Dragon Ball Super frames Vegeta as the true strongest Saiyan, not Goku.
The next Dragon Ball Super manga return is expected to lock in Vegeta as stronger in canon.
With the Black Frieza storyline closing in and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero making Goku vs. Vegeta a major moment, the story logic points away from another Vegeta loss.
Vegeta’s development in Dragon Ball Super is positioned as central, especially as Dragon Ball Super 2 adapts later sagas.
Ultra Ego is presented as a Vegeta-only transformation that can surpass Perfected Ultra Instinct under the right conditions.
Keeping Goku from surpassing Vegeta again is argued to fit Dragon Ball’s long-running themes and character motivation.

Why another Goku win doesn’t fit the current trajectory

With the Black Frieza Saga nearing the point where it can catch up to the era of End of Z, and with Goku vs. Vegeta in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero already treated as a big deal, the idea of Goku surpassing Vegeta again—and especially winning one more time—doesn’t line up with the direction the franchise is taking. A key creative move from Akira Toriyama was effectively crowning Vegeta as the victor of their long-running rivalry, and Toyotarou is widely expected to respect that decision, particularly given how much he clearly gravitates toward the Prince of All Saiyans.

So the most sensible thing Dragon Ball Super can do is preserve the new standing between them, then set up Vegeta to take on an even bigger threat—beating Black Frieza himself—rather than resetting the rivalry scale back in Goku’s favor.

Vegeta is the one-upster in Dragon Ball Super

Dragon Ball Super is often framed as “the Vegeta show” in practice, not just in tone. Vegeta’s character growth is a major driver of the series, and it’s expected to become even more noticeable as Dragon Ball Super 2 adapts the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga and the Granolah the Survivor Sagas. On top of that, Vegeta has managed to close the gap with Goku even after Goku built a significant lead during Battle of Gods, which he achieved in part by performing the God Ritual.

Vegeta’s “catch-up” isn’t just a single unlock—it’s a chain of milestones. He figures out God Ki on his own, reaches a Super Saiyan Blue level that can directly rival Goku 1:1, and then trains even harder during the Goku Black Saga to move past his rival. He also obtains a fresh, personal version of Super Saiyan Blue that’s exclusive to him. Beyond that, Vegeta learns Instant Transmission and Forced Spirit Fission, and he even lands the win over Goku at the end of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.

In other words, Vegeta isn’t merely an important supporting character in Dragon Ball Super. The series positions him as a main focus on the same level as Goku—possibly more.

Goku’s arc is treated as completed by the end of Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball Super doesn’t really contradict that. Vegeta’s story, however, keeps expanding. He has made peace with the wrongs of his past, adopted Cabba as a student, and studied under Beerus as his only disciple. Most importantly for the rivalry itself, he finally moves beyond that competition in a way that allows him to defeat Goku—something he ultimately needed in order to claim that victory. Heading into the Black Frieza Saga, Vegeta is presented as the most developed character in Dragon Ball, and Toyotarou is expected to keep finding new angles to push that growth forward.

There’s also a visual setup pointing toward power escalation: Ultra Superhero is being positioned as Goku’s strongest form yet, featuring a green/blue aura and a crystal on his chest that amplifies his new power.

Vegeta’s better God-form angle and a higher power level

Image via Toei Animation

Ultra Instinct is often treated as the defining technique of the Angels, but Vegeta has been given his own route to closing the distance with Goku’s full power. Ultra Ego funnels Vegeta’s Destructive energy into a single, extremely potent form. Unlike Ultra Instinct, Ultra Ego is portrayed as completely distinct—something unique to Vegeta and usable only by him. It also functions differently from the Destroyer-style transformations associated with the Gods of Destruction.

Even before it’s fully refined, Ultra Ego is described as being just as strong as Perfected Ultra Instinct. The transformation also scales as you keep it active: the longer Vegeta maintains Ultra Ego, the more his Power Level rises, increasing gradually over time. On top of that, Vegeta gains a small boost whenever he takes damage while using Ultra Ego.

That leads to a sharp matchup implication: if Vegeta and Goku fought at full power, a single successful strike from Perfected Ultra Instinct Goku could cause Ultra Ego Vegeta’s Power Level to spike—potentially swinging the fight in Vegeta’s favor.

Once Vegeta truly masters Ultra Ego, the argument goes that he will be undeniably stronger than Goku. Even if he isn’t fully there yet, he’s already indicated to have the higher starting Power Level. Ultra Instinct’s main value is reflexes, while Ultra Ego’s focus is on maximizing Vegeta’s physical strength as much as possible in a very direct way.

There’s also a cost: Ultra Ego makes Vegeta numb to pain, which can make it easier for him to burn himself out. The piece suggests that once Vegeta understands his limits, though, he’ll become unstoppable.

Fu has also been referenced as a major power threat, having already grown strong enough to rival Zeno in Super Dragon Ball Heroes. His new Ultimate form is framed as something that could threaten the multiverse itself.

Keeping Goku from surpassing Vegeta again fits the series’ themes

Goku looks happy as he salutes the viewer. Image via Toei Animation.

Dragon Ball is described as built around three core themes: improving oneself for the sake of improvement, passing the torch to the next generation, and recognizing that someone better will always appear. The “someone better” lesson is said to have been learned right at the beginning of the series, when Master Roshi—presented as Jackie Chun—defeated Goku in the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai. Allowing Goku to never surpass Vegeta again is framed as bringing that theme full circle, especially if Goku remains unshaken by the reality that his rival has officially beaten him.

Goku is also argued to be at his best when he has a meaningful goal to chase. That’s why Akira Toriyama had Goku lose to Roshi and Tien before finally granting him the World Tournament win against Piccolo Jr. Even with that progress, the story quickly brought in villains stronger than Goku to keep him humble. The point being made is that Dragon Ball Super works better as a story when Goku isn’t automatically the strongest character in the room.

And being beaten by Vegeta isn’t supposed to derail Goku’s mindset. In Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Goku is shown as genuinely happy that Vegeta won in a legitimate way. He doesn’t appear to be chasing dominance for its own sake. Instead, he wants to keep growing so he can earn great fights against the strongest warriors across the multiverse.

From there, the narrative logic is clear: Goku moving past the rivalry now that Vegeta has beaten him—and accepting that Vegeta is stronger—fits the ongoing direction of Dragon Ball. It’s also suggested to be a major reason Toriyama had Vegeta beat Goku in the final movie he wrote for the franchise.