Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z is a battle shonen series that’s dense in rewarding rivalries and brutal battles, yet it’s hard to top the competitive relationship that exists between Goku and Vegeta. Goku and Vegeta have always been two of Dragon Ball Z’s strongest characters and they represent a fascinating case study in nature versus nurture in terms of how their extremely different backgrounds and philosophies have empowered them in unique ways. Dragon Ball Z begins with these two as bitter rivals who are locked in a fatal feud with each other, only for the series to end with Goku and Vegeta as genuine friends who genuinely respect one another.
Goku and Vegeta’s early Saiyan Saga clash remains one of Dragon Ball Z’s greatest moments and the series has continually attempted to match these heights. Vegeta temporarily returns to the dark side during Dragon Ball Z’s Buu Saga and his transformation into Majin Vegeta precipitates an epic rematch against Goku. There’s a lot to appreciate in Majin Vegeta and Goku’s Buu Saga battle. However, it’s later revealed that Goku has been holding back on one of his most powerful developments. Goku’s decision to hide his Super Saiyan 3 transformation may initially seem strange, but there’s plenty of evidence that suggests why this was the smarter move.
Super Saiyan 3 In Dragon Ball, Explained2:02
Super Saiyan 3 In Dragon Ball, Explained
Though Dragon Ball’s Super Saiyan 3 is powerful, it comes with a few drawbacks.
Goku Concealing Super Saiyan 3 Speaks To His Heroic Humility
Goku Doesn’t Want To Show Off Or Gloat About His Powers
Why Couldn’t Vegeta Reach Super Saiyan 3?
Super Saiyan 3 was one of the more epic transformations in Dragon Ball—so why wasn’t Vegeta, the Prince of All Saiyans, able to achieve it?
Dragon Ball Z’s characters are driven by many unique motivators. One of Goku’s most heroic qualities is that he’s always been motivated to fight for the sheer joy of it all. He truly savors the competitive act of combat and gets more excited over the prospect of being challenged by a strong adversary. Unlike other characters, like Vegeta, Goku doesn’t battle because he wants to instill fear in the masses or even kill his opponent. This is particularly true in his battle against Majin Vegeta.
Vegeta may have relapsed to his darker impulses, but he’s still someone who’s become one of Goku’s best friends and an individual who’s started a family. Goku would take absolutely no pleasure in revealing his Super Saiyan 3 strength and using it to kill Majin Vegeta and shatter the peaceful life that he’s built. It’d be difficult for Trunks and Bulma to forgive him for such an act, but it’d likely be even more of a challenge for Goku to forgive himself. Majin Vegeta proves to be stronger — or at least more motivated — than Goku, but Goku isn’t interested in pummeling him to secure a victory.
Goku, at this moment, is interested in a fair fight with Vegeta. Concealing his Super Saiyan 3 transformation is the most appropriate way to achieve this, due to how they’re both Super Saiyan 2 fighters. Goku doesn’t wish to gloat over Vegeta or crush his spirit, which could fully push him over to the dark side, corrupt him, and ruin any chance of him ever becoming good again. It’s a magnanimous gesture that mirrors the Cell Saga’s events when Future Trunks hides his Super Saiyan Third Grade transformation from Vegeta because he doesn’t want to shame his father.
There’s nothing to gain from Vegeta becoming crestfallen, jealous, and clouding his judgment. Goku’s decision to keep his newest Super Saiyan 3 form a secret also helps Vegeta properly praise Goku’s superiority toward the end of the Buu Saga when he realizes that Goku held back and wasn’t giving his all during their fight. This realization prompts an epiphany in Vegeta where he’s able to truly admire Goku’s skills and fighting ethic, whereas this perspective would be diminished if Goku flaunted this power earlier on — even briefly — during their fight together.
Goku Isn’t Used To Super Saiyan 3 Yet & The Transformation Is Intense
Goku Lacks Enough Time To Become Super Saiyan 3
How the Majin Buu Saga Gave Vegeta His Best Moment in Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z’s Vegeta is a character who’s often praised for his strength and pride, but conceding defeat to Goku is the Saiyan Prince’s best moment.
Goku goes on to explain that he first unlocked Super Saiyan 3 strength during his extensive period in Other World following his death against Cell. Goku has previously experienced this transformation, but it’s still very much a work-in-progress that Goku hasn’t completely mastered. Goku has only just started to experiment with Super Saiyan 3 strength in Other World. He hasn’t yet figured out how to use it to the best of its ability and he lacks proper confidence regarding his Super Saiyan 3 form.
There’s still a large degree of risk and uncertainty around this new transformation. Alternatively, Goku has perfected his Super Saiyan 2 form and can confidently use it to its full potential. Goku can be his best self as a Super Saiyan 2 and not have to worry about unexpected setbacks that could surprise him and cause him to lose the battle. It’s simply not a smart strategy, whereas Super Saiyan 2 is the best tool in his arsenal at this point, even if it’s not his strongest ability. It’s at least the most consistent.
Another important element to consider is that Goku’s battle against Majin Vegeta catches him by surprise. It’s a relatively abrupt attack that Goku is impulsively pushed to engage in. Goku’s Super Saiyan 3 transformation against Majin Buu reveals that this is a strenuous metamorphosis that requires a considerable amount of time. It’s Dragon Ball Z’s lengthiest Super Saiyan transformation. Buu’s curiosity facilitates Goku having the opportunity to engage in such a transformation.
However, Goku never really has an equal opportunity to pull off his Super Saiyan 3 transformation against Majin Vegeta. He’s never given enough isolated time without interruption to pull off this maneuver. Majin Vegeta is so vengeful and driven by rage that he’d just take Goku out as soon as he began this laborious procedure. Goku’s battle with Majin Vegeta just doesn’t have a properly accommodating environment to transform into a Super Saiyan 3, even if he wanted to do so.
Akira Toriyama Hadn’t Thought Up The Transformation Yet
Dragon Ball’s Creator Doesn’t Devise The Super Saiyan 3 Transformation Until Later
10 Best Fights in the Majin Buu Saga
The Majin Buu Saga is an epic conclusion to Dragon Ball Z due to the anime’s greatest villain Majin Buu taking on Goku and his allies.
There are plenty of canonical in-universe explanations for why Goku doesn’t reveal his Super Saiyan 3 form to Majin Vegeta. That being said, it’s also important to take into consideration one of the most logical reasons why Goku doesn’t become a Super Saiyan 3 until his battle with Majin Buu. The simple fact of the matter is that Goku didn’t use Super Saiyan 3 earlier on because Akira Toriyama hadn’t created the transformation yet. Toriyama doesn’t concoct the transformation until later on as a way for Goku to hold his own against Buu and help the other heroes bide time.
There are logical explanations provided later on as to why Goku holds off on this transformation and conceals it until he faces Buu, rather than Vegeta. However, the true answer is that Super Saiyan 3 didn’t exist during Goku and Majin Vegeta’s fight. Constant Super Saiyan transformations, while exciting, are sometimes mocked by fans for their repetitive nature and how they’re too easy of a solution for the heroes’ problems. Super Saiyan 3 is certainly guilty of this trope, especially since it just unnecessarily extends the Buu Saga’s storytelling and doesn’t actually result in Buu’s defeat.
It’s more of a placeholder plot device. It’s even possible that Super Saiyan 3 is a development that Toriyama later regretted, but one that made sense as a way to solve the current problem at hand because Buu’s power was so tremendous. Goku didn’t need to resort to a drastic new transformation to defeat Majin Vegeta and the whole novelty of their fight is that they’re both finally at equal Super Saiyan 2 standing. The introduction of a new transformation at this point would diminish all of this.
Use Of Super Saiyan 3 Greatly Limits Goku’s Remaining Time On Earth
Early Execution Of Super Saiyan 3 Strength Would Have Sent Goku Back To Other World
Goku Should Have Stayed Dead In Dragon Ball Z’s Buu Saga
Goku never should have come back for the Buu Saga, allowing his son Gohan and the other heroes in Dragon Ball Z to step up and protect the Earth.
Goku plays a prominent role in Dragon Ball Z’s Buu Saga, which makes it easy to forget that the character is still actually dead for the majority of this storyline. Goku is given an incredible gift in the form of being able to spend a day on Earth with his family and friends. Coincidentally, this day becomes a cataclysmic catalyst for Babidi’s awakening of Majin Buu. Goku understands that his limited time on Earth is a rare gift and a luxury that’s not something for him to abuse or take for granted.
Goku’s Super Saiyan 3 transformation is such a taxing procedure that it actually drains the remaining time that he’s able to stay on Earth. This means that Goku realizes that any Super Saiyan 3 use is going to speed up his clock and send him back to Other World, during a time when he’s essential on Earth and needs to take advantage of every single minute that he has there. Goku’s use of Super Saiyan 3 strength against Majin Vegeta would be an impulsive decision that doesn’t think of the bigger picture and everything else that needs to be done to protect the planet and better insulate the heroes against Buu.
Goku’s early application of Super Saiyan 3 power could have potentially taken him out of the picture before he even faces Buu, which would become an even greater liability, since the heroes can’t fully depend on Vegeta during this point in time. This would ultimately put greater pressure on Gohan and the Z Sword training that he’s engaged in on the Sacred World of the Kai. Goku’s brief application of Super Saiyan 3 strength against Innocent Buu leaves him only 30 minutes left on Earth, yet he still needs to teach the fusion dance to Goten and Trunks so that they can pick up the slack and take on Buu. This is all potentially thrown out the window if Goku becomes a Super Saiyan 3 against Majin Vegeta.
Goku Wants To Better Prepare The Next Generation Of Heroes To Protect Earth
Goku Abusing Super Saiyan 3 Strength Early On Doesn’t Let Anyone Else Grow
Dragon Ball Z: Why Didn’t Super Saiyan 3 Goku Kill Babidi Himself?
Goku should have been more than capable of killing Babidi himself. But he didn’t. For some reason, he left this dangerous wizard’s fate up to chance.
Goku has always been Dragon Ball’s main character and guiding force, but he experiences a crucial moment of enlightenment during the Cell Saga. Goku’s training and prep work with Gohan for the battle against Cell helps him better understand his own mortality, and that there needs to be other powerful people beyond him to fight against evil. The planet can’t always depend upon Goku to save the day and that this isn’t a sustainable method, especially as he gets older.
Goku is determined to make sure that there’s someone strong enough to protect Earth in his absence, which is now more important than ever since he’s spent a lengthy time in Other World and shouldn’t even be on the planet. Goku recognizes the incredible potential in Goten and Trunks, just like he did with Gohan before them. He views their ability to master fusion and combine their strength as Gotenks to be the Earth’s best contingency plan for any future evil.
Goku is interested in leaving the next generation of heroes in a position where they can defend the world when he’s gone, rather than back him up in battle. Goku confirms all of this in Dragon Ball Z Chapter 315, “Battle for the Universe” and Dragon Ball Z Episode 278, “True Saiyans Fight Alone.” Goku admits to Vegeta that he believes that he could have actually beaten Innocent Buu in his Super Saiyan 3 form if he truly went all out in battle. However, this strategy would be short-sighted, especially with Goku already dead, and leave the Earth defenseless to future attacks.
