Dragon Ball 10 Times Goku & Vegeta Failed To Work Together

Goku and Vegeta met as enemies then became allies, but they still have trouble with their teamwork, even against Dragon Ball's most powerful foes.

There are few anime series that have reached the level of success and celebration that’s been experienced by Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball. For decades Dragon Ball has been one of the leading shonen series that never fails to pit Goku and his powerful allies against new and deadly threats.

Toriyama’s Dragon Ball can sometimes fall into a repetitive pattern, but it’s still able to feature thrilling clashes of strength that challenge the anime’s characters both as individuals and as teams. One of the most prominent pairings in Dragon Ball is the volatile combination of Goku and Vegeta. The two Saiyans have accomplished some amazing things when they work together, but they don’t always see eye-to-eye.

10 Their Out Of Sync Fusion Dance Results In The Birth Of Veku

Dragon Ball introduces many powerful ways to get a boost in strength, but fusion has become one of the more exciting strategies to quickly become more intimidating. Dragon Ball establishes a more stable fusion method through the Potara Earrings, but there’s also a dance that can be performed - only it requires the two participants to be perfectly in sync. It takes Goku and Vegeta a few attempts to nail the fusion dance process, but their inability to match each other’s actions and work together results in some regrettable fused characters, such as Veku.

9 Vegeta Flips Out On Goku For Using Bulma As Collateral For Old Kai

Dragon Ball Z’s Buu Saga features some of the biggest swings that the anime takes, and many of the series’ characters get separated as they each try to manage the growing Buu problem. Gohan’s efforts to wipe out Buu involve his training on the Sacred World of the Kais with the hopes of unlocking his Ultimate upgrade. Old Kai is initially wary to lend a helping hand, but Goku volunteers some enticing pictures of Bulma as collateral. This sends Vegeta into a frenzy and he chastises Goku for not thinking of his wife here. It’s an awkward fight.

8 Not Listening To Whis To Fight Golden Frieza As A Team

The battle against Golden Frieza functions as an important lesson for both Goku and Vegeta in regards to how functional teamwork is often more valuable than brute strength. Goku and Vegeta both overwhelm Golden Frieza with their Super Saiyan Blue forms, but they separately attack the tyrant.

It’s through this division that Frieza gains an opening to destroy the Earth and ultimately beat them until Whis briefly rewinds time. Whis repeatedly tells Goku and Vegeta to pool their strength, and doing so would have avoided such an apocalyptic conclusion.

7 Vegeta Refuses To Donate Energy For Goku's Tournament Of Power Spirit Bomb

Tournaments are a regular occurrence in Dragon Ball, but Dragon Ball Super decides to go out on the biggest competition the franchise has ever seen with the multiversal Tournament of Power. Goku, Vegeta, and the rest of Universe 7’s strongest fighters square off against dozens of staggering warriors. Goku resorts to many strategies during the competition, but at one point he turns to his Spirit Bomb to overwhelm the competition. Vegeta thinks this is a foolish plan and he doesn’t donate any of his energy to Goku’s Spirit Bomb, which is significant since even Frieza lends Goku some strength.

6 Baby's Parasitic Invasion Of Earth

Dragon Ball GT remains a controversial chapter in the Dragon Ball franchise, but despite some of its missteps, it still contains some fantastic fight sequences and character development. Dragon Ball GT really picks up after Baby invades Earth and begins to infect the population as he searches for a suitable host. It’s Vegeta who receives this honor, which naturally leads to a renewed conflict with Goku. Admittedly, Vegeta is not himself when Baby has him infected, but it’s still an occasion where he and Goku cannot work together and are forced into a battle that’s nearly fatal.

5 Their Contrasting Celestial Training

Dragon Ball Super’s manga is still going strong, and one of its more rewarding additions is the extensive training that Goku and Vegeta engage in under the tutelage of Whis and Beerus. The two of them pursue different streams of power, with Vegeta heading in the direction of a God of Destruction, while Goku becomes better acquainted with his Ultra Instinct abilities.

These contrasting battle strategies are likely a good idea when it comes to the bigger picture, but it still causes Goku and Vegeta to diverge and focus on their own interests rather than collectively training together.

4 Their Lack Of Teamwork Against Buu Results In Him Growing Stronger

Goku and Vegeta have faced tons of frustrating enemies, but Buu is by far one of the most unpredictable and resilient of their opponents. Buu makes his presence known through a wealth of transformations and absorptions where he acquires the strength of others. Goku and Vegeta both do their best against Super Buu, but their strategies aren’t aligned and they only get in each other’s way. The experience is humbling to both of them, and even after their fusion into Vegito, there are still teamwork issues.

3 Their Separate Approaches During The Cell Games

Cell is such a fascinating antagonist because of the ideology and restraint that he often exhibits. The challenge of the Cell Games is an unusual change of pace for the anime in the middle of a conflict, and it allows the characters a chance to properly prepare. During this period, Goku focuses on working with Gohan and improving his son’s strength while Vegeta trains with Future Trunks. They both have their reasons for this, but it’s a strategy that nearly doesn’t work. More of a united front during this period would have likely only helped Goku and Vegeta.

2 Vegeta Succumbs To A Majin Possession

Goku and Vegeta first meet each other as enemies, and ever since, Dragon Ball has looked for opportunities to recapture their original rivalry and pit them in combat against each other. This eventually occurs when Vegeta gives in to temptation and accepts Babidi’s power boost in exchange for becoming a member of the Majin. Majin Vegeta commits some horrendous acts, many of which Goku tries to prevent and offset. The culmination of all of this is an epic fight between Goku and Majin Vegeta where the two are forced to compete against each other. Reconciliation is impossible.

1 Their Divided Approaches During Super 17’s Break Out From Hell

An especially chaotic period during Dragon Ball GT involves Dr. Gero and Dr. Myuu’s scheme to create a new ultimate android, Super 17, but it also results in dozens of former foes returning to cause mischief. Initially, Vegeta rages against Dr. Gero and Dr. Myuu after they insult him by saying that he’s inferior to Goku. Vegeta’s anger makes him fight impulsively and get his energy absorbed, all while Goku is stuck in hell with his own problems. They eventually unite against Super 17, but the initial mayhem has them fragmented with their approaches.