After dozens of battles and hundreds of episodes, Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z ended in 1996 with a conclusion that left the door open for future adventures. As the conclusion (at the time) to the long-running adventures of Goku, Vegeta, and their colorful cast of companions, Dragon Ball Z‘s final episode set the stage for a potential future revival while staying true to the roots it had established throughout the years. Dragon Ball Z has always shined through its most epic moments and the promises of even more bombastic ones in the future and its finale exemplified that.
Even with countless adventures in the rearview mirror, the finale of Dragon Ball Z ensured that both Goku and Vegeta left on a high note. After seven years of episodes and an even longer run for the manga, audiences had grown accustomed to Goku and Vegeta being locked in a constant state of competition. But through the finale, both Goku and Vegeta were able to go their separate ways, understanding that what they sought was no longer aligned. Two sides of the same coin, both protagonists were able to remain true to themselves even as the wildly popular anime came to an end.
Goku’s Search for Greater Strength
Goku Leaves to Train Uub
In the finale of Dragon Ball Z, we find Goku and Uub, the human reincarnation of Majin Buu, in a place all too familiar to Dragon Ball Z fans: the first round of the World Martial Arts tournament. Going out of his way to antagonize the young Uub, Goku readily admits that his goal was to determine how strong Uub was – a trait seen numerous times from Goku in the past, as he has sought stronger and stronger opponents throughout the years. As their battle progresses, it becomes clear to Goku that Uub, despite his strength, isn’t comparable to him in power and is not able to utilize his ki to generate energy blasts or fly, traits that the audience has grown to expect from the strongest and most important characters.
With this in mind, Goku makes a simple but important determination: he is going to train Uub to supplant him as Earth’s protector and ensure that his legacy continues with another strong fighter taking his place. Entrusting the protection of the Earth to Goten and Trunks in the interim, he sets off with Uub to ensure that Uub’s training is in the best hands: Goku’s own. There could not be a more perfect end for Goku’s time in Dragon Ball Z, as he has always been a character defined by his need for new challenges, stronger foes, and the search for more companions with whom he can train. Training Uub is the culmination of all of those aspects of his characters, and choosing to do so ensures that, no matter what happens, Goku’s legacy as the protector of Earth lives on.
Dragon Ball Super’s Uub Change Improves Goku’s Original Ending
Dragon Ball Super reintroduces Uub to the series, and he bring a major revelation that improves Goku’s original ending from the Dragon Ball Z era.
The Friendship that Defined Vegeta’s Growth
Vegeta Is the Character that Grew Most During the Series
While Goku sought greater strength and the continued protection of Earth, Vegeta, ever his rival, chose a different path. Less of a focus of the finale, Vegeta nonetheless was a key part of the conclusion of Dragon Ball Z‘s final episode. Perhaps most importantly, Goku apologizes to Vegeta for the fights they won’t be able to have, an apology that Vegeta accepts. In a true moment of growth, Vegeta shows that he understands that his path and that of Goku have diverged.
However, even in that divergence, Vegeta shows that he still understands Goku in a way that many others within the cast may not. Vegeta’s closing remarks are incredibly important to his character and that of his relationship with Goku: he calls Goku his friend, something completely unexpected, and recognizes that while Goku is training Uub to be his protégé and successor, he’s also looking for someone to train with who can make him stronger. Goku may claim altruistic reasons for training Uub, but there is a piece of him that is still looking for future battles and greater strength. Vegeta, above all, understands this.
A Finale that Continued the Saiyan Journey
Goku and Vegeta’s Roles Are Flipped in the Finale
Throughout the entirety of Dragon Ball Z, once Goku’s Saiyan heritage was revealed, the need for strength and love of battle have been the defining principles that its two primary Saiyan protagonists have ascribed to. Though the series began with Goku surrounded by his friends and family and with Vegeta seeking new ways to prove his strength above all else, their roles ended up flipped as Dragon Ball Z concluded its final episode.
Through their influences on each other, Goku became the one seeking new challenges and greater strength, while Vegeta became content to spend his time with those whom he had grown to love. The story of Dragon Ball Z, at its core, was the story of those two Saiyans and their respective growth and development, and the finale truly captured who they both had been and who they had become after almost three hundred episodes of shared adventures and conflicts.
