A professional psychologist has shared his thoughts about the relationship between one of anime's most popular rivals, Goku and Vegeta.
Over at the official website of Dragon Ball, entertainment analyst Maishiro interviewed Nobuyuki Ota, an associate professor at the Graduate School of Contemporary Education — Chubu University, to analyze the relationship between Son Goku and Vegeta. Ota said that the rivalry of the two saiyans is completely one-sided, with Vegeta aiming to surpass his fellow Saiyan warrior, while Goku is merely just doing his own thing.
"Goku and Vegeta cooperate when necessary, but also sometimes fight to determine who is stronger. From an outsider's perspective they do indeed look like rivals," Ota said, before continuing, "However, it is unclear whether both of these warriors feel the same way. It does seem like Vegeta considers Goku to be his rival, but I believe that Goku is not the kind of individual who sees others as his rivals."
Ota noted that one-sided rivalries such as Vegeta are common in the real world. "In a psychological survey, if you ask the question, 'Is there someone that you consider to be your rival?', over half of the participants will answer yes," Ota said. "However, that number decreases significantly when you ask those same people whether they think that their rival feels the same way about them. Just like in a romantic relationship, it isn’t normally possible to confirm what both individuals are feeling at any given moment, so it's common for just one person in such a situation to be thinking, 'That's my rival,'. Vegeta's goal is to surpass Goku, while Goku's goal is to compete with others in order to become stronger. I believe that for Goku, the focus is less on defeating his foes and more on the desire to improve himself," the psychologist stated.
According to Ota, each of the Saiyans' personalities are realistically represented by their significant others. He explained: "Goku's wife, Chichi, and Vegeta's wife, Bulma, both have very strong personalities, and I think you would need to have their type of mentality in order to put up with someone as tenacious as a Saiyan".
Related: Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Reveals The Name of Piccolo's New Form
Ota also stated that Vegeta's motivations are easier for an average fan to connect with, which is pretty ironic. "When I look at both of these Saiyans, Vegeta seems the more human of the two. His high self-esteem and quest to prove his own strength are very relatable. I think that one of the interesting aspects of the Dragon Ball story is that Vegeta, raised on another planet, seems very human, while Goku, raised on Earth, seems very Saiyan-like," the psychologist observed.
In the Dragon Ball Super manga series by Akira Toriyama and Goku and Vegeta are currently fighting Gas of the Heeter Force. You can read more details about the latest chapter in our Chapter 85 spoilers article. The Saiyan heroes are also featured in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero but with only minor roles. That animie movie is set to release in U.S. theaters on August 19.