Was it ever explained why Majin Vegeta turned into a stone statue?

[Jord]

The whole Final Explosion was cool but it was always weird to me how he turned into a garden statue afterwards. I can see how he would completely disintegrate or just leave a body but the statue thing just didn't make any sense. Never happened in any other point in the series as well.

[Saiya6Cit]

I always interpreted it as if he "burned" all his energy, so it is not that he was a solid statue at any time but rather that it was a collection of ashes in the shape of Vegeta's body that "broke" at the fall.

If you think about it the human body is approximately 99% comprised of just six elements: Oxygen, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Carbon, Calcium, and Phosphorus. Five other elements make up about 0.85% of the remaining mass: sulfur, potassium, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium.

So it makes sense to me.


Why did he not get closer to majin buu before exploding (ala chiaotzu) which would have actually been more effective, it's beyond me.

[PurestEvil]

I am pretty sure that the amount of ki that he exuded was so concentrated that it combusted all his organic structures, leaving only ash and inorganic material.

Why did he not get closer to majin buu before exploding (ala chiaotzu) which would have actually been more effective, it's beyond me.

If Vegeta tried to get any close, Buu most likely would've either moved back or smacked him.

[Saiya6Cit]

I am pretty sure that the amount of ki that he exuded was so concentrated that it combusted all his organic structures, leaving only ash and inorganic material.

Why did he not get closer to majin buu before exploding (ala chiaotzu) which would have actually been more effective, it's beyond me.

If Vegeta tried to get any close, Buu most likely would've either moved back or smacked him.

You have a point.

Vegeta did his best, and his best was not enough

[TobyS]

Yep for sure ash.

I think people assume stone becasue we just saw statue Piccolo and Statue Kuririn for ages right before.

[PurestEvil]

Why would it not be ash? Stone doesn’t fall to the ground so softly like that.

[BWri]

I always interpreted it as if he "burned" all his energy, so it is not that he was a solid statue at any time but rather that it was a collection of ashes in the shape of Vegeta's body that "broke" at the fall.

If you think about it the human body is approximately 99% comprised of just six elements: Oxygen, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Carbon, Calcium, and Phosphorus. Five other elements make up about 0.85% of the remaining mass: sulfur, potassium, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium.

So it makes sense to me.


Why did he not get closer to majin buu before exploding (ala chiaotzu) which would have actually been more effective, it's beyond me.

Great explanation. For the last part, I think he just wanted his attack to go off without a hitch and if he got any closer, it's likely Buu could have stopped him in any number of ways.

Saiya6Cit has the best explanation I've heard so far, but I always had a simpler explanation. I always thought Vegeta was the first character we've seen use every last ounce of energy he had, so much so that it left his body as a husk.

In the anime scene, it almost looks like Vegeta uses life energy too

[Jord]

I always interpreted it as if he "burned" all his energy, so it is not that he was a solid statue at any time but rather that it was a collection of ashes in the shape of Vegeta's body that "broke" at the fall.

If you think about it the human body is approximately 99% comprised of just six elements: Oxygen, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Carbon, Calcium, and Phosphorus. Five other elements make up about 0.85% of the remaining mass: sulfur, potassium, sodium, chlorine, and magnesium.

So it makes sense to me.


Why did he not get closer to majin buu before exploding (ala chiaotzu) which would have actually been more effective, it's beyond me.

Great explanation. You totally made sense.

[Darkprince410]

In the anime scene, it almost looks like Vegeta uses life energy too

He is using life energy, because ki is life energy. Contrary to what the Funimation dub tried to push, that there are two different forms of energy within the body, and that life energy could be added in, ki is life energy in the original manga and anime.

[nhienphan2808]

It's a tribute of sorts for the Hiroshima victims who died the same way. Putting that in context and the eerie silent soundtrack of the OG Japanese version, the death was NOT meant to be viewed as heroic or even redemption. It's tragic, a punishment.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

It's a tribute of sorts for the Hiroshima victims who died the same way. Putting that in context and the eerie silent soundtrack of the OG Japanese version, the death was NOT meant to be viewed as heroic or even redemption. It's tragic, a punishment.

Yeah...as much as I love the track Sumitomo used for Kai: TFC, it really didn't belong in that moment at all. I suppose it was trying to signify Vegeta's change (and it was used appropriate later in the "Kakarot, You are #1 monologue), but the silence of the OG Japanese sequence is striking.

[nhienphan2808]

It's a tribute of sorts for the Hiroshima victims who died the same way. Putting that in context and the eerie silent soundtrack of the OG Japanese version, the death was NOT meant to be viewed as heroic or even redemption. It's tragic, a punishment.

Yeah...as much as I love the track Sumitomo used for Kai: TFC, it really didn't belong in that moment at all. I suppose it was trying to signify Vegeta's change (and it was used appropriate later in the "Kakarot, You are #1 monologue), but the silence of the OG Japanese sequence is striking.

Not only the anime, the OG Tankobon manga had this Toyotomi Hideyoshi's poem about vain on the cover of the chapter.
https://gyazo.com/9f21b02d6212c8acf8ee0d1ff3956e99

[BWri]

He is using life energy, because ki is life energy. Contrary to what the Funimation dub tried to push, that there are two different forms of energy within the body, and that life energy could be added in, ki is life energy in the original manga and anime.

It's nebulous, but there is something of a difference even by Toriyama-san's admission. Herms explains it in this old thread: viewtopic.php?t=14734. Funi probably just picked up on that and ran with it. It's not an entirely separate type of "energy" but it is a specific component of ki.

That said, I think I did mix Funi's concept of Genki in with this one in the original statement I made. I grew up with the dub so its difficult to let go of some concepts.

[Darkprince410]

He is using life energy, because ki is life energy. Contrary to what the Funimation dub tried to push, that there are two different forms of energy within the body, and that life energy could be added in, ki is life energy in the original manga and anime.

It's nebulous, but there is something of a difference even by Toriyama-san's admission. Herms explains it in this old thread: viewtopic.php?t=14734. Funi probably just picked up on that and ran with it. It's not an entirely separate type of "energy" but it is a specific component of ki.

That said, I think I did mix Funi's concept of Genki in with this one in the original statement I made. I grew up with the dub so its difficult to let go of some concepts.

That's what I was meaning. If you use ki, then because genki is a component of ki, you are using genki as well. You are automatically using that "life energy" when you're using ki