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Majin Vegeta

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Majin Vegeta
Vegeta reveals his Majin charm
魔人ベジータ
Majin Bejiita
Majin Vegeta
Debut Dragon Ball Chapter 456
First Character Vegeta
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"Majin Vegeta" is a fan-name-turned-official descriptive title for the specific state of Vegeta having fallen under Bobbidi's "Majin" charm by way of the wizard's Manipulation Sorcery (sporting the iconic, stylized "M" on his forehead).

Vegeta transforms and makes his first appearance in this state in Dragon Ball chapter 456, originally serialized within the 1994 No. 9 issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in Japan, released 01 February 1994. Vegeta remains this way through his death in chapter 467, and upon his return in chapter 503, no longer sports the insignia.

Usage of the term in popular fandom pre-dates any publicly-surfaced usage in official materials or documentation, though by at least 2005 it was pervasive enough to not only be used internationally by both fans and sublicensees, but then also by its original Japanese license holders.

Character Background

As Gohan battles with Dabra, Vegeta begins to lose his cool, saying he doesn't care about this game; he wants all of this over so he can return to the tournament to fight Goku. Dabra smirks, as Gohan wonders why he all of a sudden isn’t fighting back. Dabra telepathically tells Bobbidi to return them to the ship, since he has discovered something great that will revive Majin Boo. Bobbidi goes along with it and they are suddenly back in the ship. Dabra heads back through the door, and tells Gohan that he is not running away; he has just found another fighter. Bobbidi thinks this better be a great discovery. "One of them holds a strong evil heart... With an evil heart of that caliber, we could draw him over to our side..." Bobbidi likes the idea of them fighting each other to gather the necessary energy, and thinks Majin Boo will finally be revived.[1]

Goku wonders about this other fighter that would be better than Dabra, and Gohan wonders what he meant by "found." Kaiōshin seems to realize what he meant, as Bobbidi watches Vegeta through his crystal ball. Bobbidi agrees that he definitely has an evil heart, and did not come here for the sake of justice. Bobbidi starts to cast his spell, and Vegeta suddenly begins clutching his head. He then becomes a Super Saiyan and struggles more. Kaiōshin tells him that Bobbidi is trying to use his evil heart, and to clear his thoughts. Bobbidi tells Vegeta he is going to bring out his hidden power and make him surpass his limits. Goku and Gohan begin to realize what is happening, as Vegeta screams and then weakly bends forward. Vegeta looks up with an evil grin, with an "M" now visible on his forehead. Bobbidi is quite pleased, and decides to send them somewhere good to fight. The four of them are transported to the ring of the Tenka'ichi Budōkai, where Mister Satan and the announcer are still standing. The announcer recognizes them, and says the matches are already over. Bobbidi encourages Vegeta to steal their energy, fight hard, and kill them if he likes. Vegeta tells Bobbidi to shut up; his only goal is Kakarrot, and no-one else matters. Bobbidi realizes he is not under his complete control, but no matter. Vegeta holds out his hand, with his palm facing out, and fires a Big Bang Attack toward Goku. Goku stands to take it head on, with his guard up, but it goes past him and hits the crowd, blowing up almost an entire section of the arena wall and then shooting out into the city. Vegeta smirks, and Goku is gripped with rage.[2]

Pre-"Majin Vegeta" Verbiage

Splash text from the final page of Dragon Ball chapter 456[3]
Vegeta in the opening to Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden 3
"Prince of Destruction" header for Vegeta in Daizenshuu #2[4]
"Evil Warrior Vegeta" on the Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22 character select screen
Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension character select screen featuring Vegeta vs. Son Goku

Chapters of Dragon Ball as originally serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump regularly featured splash text alongside the borders and gutters of the page, hyping up current and upcoming events, and doing additional work to keep readers on the edge of their seats. This text was generally removed in most collected editions[a]. Splash text alongside the final page of chapter 456 in the 1994 No. 9 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump states:[2]

額に浮き出た悪の印! 身も心も破壊王子の昔にもどったのか、ベジータ!!


The mark of evil has appeared on his forehead! Have you returned to your former self in body and spirit as the Prince of Destruction, Vegeta?!

Splash text on the title page of Dragon Ball chapter 457 the following issue then states 殺戮王子再生!! (Satsuriku-ouji saisei!! or "The Prince of Slaughter Reborn!!").[5] This "Prince of X" distinction goes on to receive regular usage throughout the coming adaptations and ancillary documentation for the franchise. In particular, Dragon Ball Z episode 228 is titled "Vegeta, the Prince of Destruction, is Revived!! Intrusion at the Tournament" (using the same 破壊王子 terminology as the Weekly Jump splash text).

Vegeta makes his first major video game appearance in this form in 1993's Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden 3 for the Nintendo Super Famicom (roughly seven months after its debut in the manga), where he sports the iconic "M" insignia during the game's opening silhouette teasers, as well as in all promotional artwork for the game[b]; Vegeta's actual in-game sprite does not appear to have the "M" on his forehead[c]. Within the game, Vegeta's theme music is simply referred to as "BATTLE 5" in the option menu[6]; the game's arranged soundtrack CD release titles its respective track "FINALE 'Evil Warrior Vegeta' Power up version~" (凶FINALE～「凶戦士ベジータ」Power up version～ FINALE~ Kyō Senshi Bejiita Power up version~). 1996's Dragon Ball Z – Game Music: Rebirth Edition arranged music album contains a new rendition of this music which is likewise simply titled "Evil Warrior Vegeta" (凶戦士ベジータ Kyō Senshi Bejiita).

1995's Daizenshuu #2: "Story Guide" sticks with "Prince of Destruction" as a sub-section header for Vegeta during this portion of the story[d], and goes on to explain:

悟空が自分よりも強いにとを知ったベジータが、魔導師バビディの魔術でパワーアップした姿。悟空の超サイヤ人２に匹敵するほどの戦闘力だ。


Vegeta's form after realizing that Goku was stronger than him, powered up by the magic of the sorcerer Bobbidi. His fighting power is comparable to Goku's in Super Saiyan 2.

1995's Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22 on the PlayStation refers to this Vegeta as "Evil Warrior Vegeta" (凶戦士ベジータ Kyō Senshi Bejiita) on the character select screen (and instruction manual), echoing earlier game and soundtrack verbiage (though the in-game name during battle simply reads as "VEGETA").[7]

Vegeta next appears most concretely in his charmed form in 1996's Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension for the Nintendo Super Famicom. The game features higher-resolution sprite work and animation courtesy of the include SA-1 chip, and Vegeta is clearly recognizable on the character select screen and in-game with the "M" insignia. Within the game, however, he is simply referred to as "Vegeta" with no additional qualifier.[8]

1997's first Dragon Ball GT: Perfect File includes a chart of the various Super Saiyan forms and the respective characters who reach them over the course of the full original series and then GT (up to the point of that book's release). Under Super Saiyan 2, Vegeta is specifically listed — and only there, as opposed to simply "Vegeta" under the other respective sections — as "Demon Prince Vegeta" (魔王子ベジータ Maōji Bejiita).[9]

Also in 1997, the "Dragon Ball: Strongest Martial Arts Bible" triple-game-guide titles the page for Vegeta in Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension specifically as "Super Vegeta" (超ベジータ Sūpā Bejiita).[10][e]

Fandom Usage

Though never spoken aloud or used in narration in the original series, "Majin Vegeta" as shorthand for this specific version of the character likely grew out of and was a natural extension of the character Boo being referred to in full as "Majin Boo"; this is despite the fact that Dabra, who does sport the "M" charm on his forehead, is not ever referred to this way (but, in turn, never particularly needs any kind of differentiation).

It is likely impossible to pinpoint an exact first-time-use of the phrase "Majin Vegeta" in popular Dragon Ball fandom due to the largely decentralized, international fandom of the pre-modern Internet era. Of the early-to-mid-90s conversations that remain archived online, it appears at least as early as December 1996 on the Usenet group rec.arts.anime.misc[11], where it is listed out in reference to batches of fansubbed VHS tapes by different subtitling groups.

TO DO: Scan of fansub packaging/labels

Official Usage: International Sub-licensees

"Majin Vegeta" computer profile in Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury

In February 2002,[12] Irwin Toy released a figure labeled "Majin Vegeta" in their 5" action figure line. Originally released with black hair as "Majin Vegeta", this figure replaced Kuririn in the toy line's seventh wave.[13] By June[14] or July[15] 2002, Irwin Toy replaced the black-haired Vegeta with an anime-accurate yellow-haired Vegeta labeled "S.S. Majin Vegeta" to correct the mistake.

2004's Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury on the Nintendo Game Boy Advance (developed exclusively for the western market by Webfoot Technologies and published by Atari) directly names "Majin Vegeta" up through and including on the in-game computer profile.

Official Usage: Japan

"Majin Vegeta" used in text on the character select screen of Dragon Ball Z: Sparking![16]

Dragon Ball Z 2 is the first major console video game to feature the Majin-charmed Vegeta with any notable voiced lines; the game was released internationally as "Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2" in late 2003, followed by its Japanese release in February 2004. Within the game's programming and assets, separate lines used within the game that are intended for the Majin-charmed version of Vegeta are located separately in an "mvg" folder with filenames beginning with the character set "mvg" (e.g., "mvgcmn10.adx").

"Majin Vegeta" makes its first public-facing appearance in text on a character select screen in 2005's Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! for the PlayStation 2.[16]

Even after this shift, not every video game or piece of merchandise has necessarily shifted to using "Majin Vegeta" exclusively; for example, Dragon Ball XENOVERSE 2 continues to use the "Prince of Destruction Vegeta" title for this specific version of the character.[17]

"Majin Vegeta" is available as a bespoke search tag on the Dragon Ball Official Site.[18]

The term is regularly used with modern figure releases, both domestically within Japan as well as internationally (for example, with the Dragon Stars line which is not released in Japan[19]):

Notable Appearances

Majin Vegeta's original appearance during the Majin Boo story arc of the original Dragon Ball series is his only primary, story-based appearance.

Majin Vegeta begins making regular video game appearances within roughly half a year of his manga debut, and is a staple moving forward in most story-based as well as fighting games.

Manga

Imagery Year Series Episodes Notes
TBD 1994 Dragon Ball 456-467 Remains in this state from his initial charming up until his self-destruction death against Majin Boo

TV Series

Imagery Year Series Episodes Notes
TBD 1993 Dragon Ball Z 228-237 Remains in this state from his initial charming up until his self-destruction death against Majin Boo; largely a direct adaptation of the original manga, with extended fight sequences shown against Son Goku

Video Games

Imagery Year Video Game Title Name Used Notes
CONSOLE/PORTABLE GAMES
1993 Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden 3 ベジータ Immediately selectable
1995 Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22 凶戦士ベジータ
VEGETA 		Immediately selectable
File:Tbd.png 1995 Dragon Ball Z: Shin Butōden TBD Immediately selectable
1996 Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension ベジータ Immediately selectable
1996 Dragon Ball Z: The Grand Legend of Dragon Ball n/a Vegeta leaves the Dabra fight and rejoins as Majin Vegeta in chapter 6 of the story mode; can later be selected in versus mode
File:Tbd.png 2002 Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Warriors TBD Once Vegeta is unlocked, his Majin-charmed form can be unlocked in Story 24 by first losing and then winning the Story 23 battle.[20]
2003/2004 Dragon Ball Z 2 + Dragon Ball Z 2 V ベジータ Automatically transforms upon being knocked down with less than one health bar while "Babidi's Mind Control" is equipped; (unlock method TBD)[21]
File:Tbd.png 2004 Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury Majin Vegeta TBD
2004/2005 Dragon Ball Z 3 ベジータ Automatically transforms upon being knocked down with less than one health bar while "Babidi's Mind Control" is equipped; (unlock method TBD)[22]
2005 Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! 魔人ベジータ Selectable form of main Vegeta character; (unlock method TBD)[23]
File:Tbd.png 2006 Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai TBD (unlock method TBD)[24]
2006 Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! NEO ベジータ (後期) 魔人 Separate character; (unlock method TBD)[25]
File:Tbd.png 2007 Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai 2 TBD (unlock method TBD)[26]
2007 Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! METEOR ベジータ (後期) 魔人 Separate character; (unlock method TBD)[27]
File:Tbd.png 2008 Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World TBD (unlock method TBD)[28]
File:Tbd.png 2009 Dragon Ball: Raging Blast TBD (unlock method TBD)[29]
File:Tbd.png 2010 Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 TBD (unlock method TBD)[30]
TBD 2013 Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission TBD Available through the same cards as the arcade version
File:Tbd.png 2014 Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission 2 TBD Available through the same cards as the arcade version
File:Tbd.jpg 2016 Dragon Ball XENOVERSE TBD (unlock method TBD)[31]
File:Tbd.png 2015 Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden ベジータ (魔人) Z-Assist character only; acquired by clearing Satan City square no. 9 with an S rank[32]
File:Tbd.jpg 2016 Dragon Ball XENOVERSE 2 TBD (unlock method TBD)[33]
2017 Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission X TBD Available through the same cards as the arcade version
File:Tbd.jpg 2019 Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission TBD (unlock method TBD)[34]
File:Tbd.png 2024 Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO TBD (unlock method TBD)[35]
MORE TBD...
MOBILE GAMES
TBD 2015 Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle TBD TBD
TBD 2018 Dragon Ball Legends TBD TBD
MORE TBD...
CARD ARCADE GAMES
TBD 2007 Dragon Ball Z: Bakuretsu Impact TBD TBD
TBD 2008 Dragon Ball Z: W Bakuretsu Impact TBD TBD
File:Tbd 2009 Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Battlers
Dragon Ball Kai: Dragon Battlers 		TBD TBD
File:Tbd.jpg 2010 Dragon Ball Heroes TBD TBD
File:Tbd.png 2016 Super Dragon Ball Heroes TBD TBD
File:Tbd.png 2024 Dragon Ball Super Divers TBD TBD
MORE TBD...

Notes

  1. ↑ Presumably because the reader can just flip to the next chapter immediately, rather than waiting a week and having to buy another whole magazine issue.
  2. ↑ Examples of this include the pullout poster in the front of the game's strategy guide.
  3. ↑ This may have been for design/storage considerations more than anything else, due to the limited number of pixels and colors available per character sprite.
  4. ↑ A corresponding and complementary "missing" title from this section is "Ultimate" for Son Gohan during the Boo arc; as this had not yet been concretely coined in other ancillary material yet, said form of Gohan is referred to as "The Strongest Warrior" (最強の戦士 Saikyō no Senshi).
  5. ↑ An interesting choice, as this title had largely been used in reference to Vegeta in Super Saiyan Grade II (itself a reference to him literally stating, "I'm not. I'm Super Vegeta." in response to Cell in chapter 378).

References

  1. ↑ Toriyama, Akira. Dragon Ball Chapter 455: "An Evil Heart is Found". Weekly Shōnen Jump, 1994 #08. Japan: Shueisha, 25 January 1994.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Toriyama, Akira. Dragon Ball Chapter 456: "The Fated Showdown: Son Goku vs Vegeta". Weekly Shōnen Jump, 1994 #09. Japan: Shueisha, 01 February 1994.
  3. ↑ Toriyama, Akira. Dragon Ball Digest Edition: Super Goku Legend - Legend 17: Majin Boo Arc (Part 2). Japan: Shueisha, 23 December 2016. ISBN 978-4-08-111181-7. (p. 35)
  4. ↑ "Personal History". Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 2: Story Guide. Japan: Shueisha, 04 August 1995. ISBN 4-08-782752-6. (p. 125)
  5. ↑ Toriyama, Akira. Dragon Ball Chapter 457: "Vegeta's Pride". Weekly Shōnen Jump, 1994 #10. Japan: Shueisha, 08 February 1994.
  6. ↑ Dragon Ball Z: Super Martial Arts Legend 3. Japan: Bandai. Nintendo Super Famicom. 29 September 1994.
  7. ↑ Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22. Japan: Bandai. Sony PlayStation. 28 July 1995.
  8. ↑ Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension. Japan: Bandai. Nintendo Super Famicom. 29 March 1996.
  9. ↑ "ちょうっとブレイク 超サイヤ人あらかると". Dragon Ball GT: Perfect File Volume 1. Japan: Shueisha, 24 May 1997. ISBN 4-08-874089-0. (p. 66)
  10. ↑ "Super Vegeta". Dragon Ball: Strongest Martial Arts Bible. Japan: Shueisha, 17 October 1997. ISBN 4-08-108060-7. (p. 143)
  11. ↑ "[ DBZ Question of eps. #"] (28 December 1996). rec.arts.anime.misc. Retrieved: 26 October 2026.
  12. ↑ "Dragonballtoys.com - Irwin Toy 5-Inch Super Articulated - Majin Vegeta" (14 February 2002). Dragon Ball Toys.com. Retrieved: 27 October 2026.
  13. ↑ "IF Labs Dragonball Figures Revealed, and more Series 7 info!" (10 January 2002). Dragon Ball Toys.com. Retrieved: 27 October 2026.
  14. ↑ "Yellow-Haired Majin Vegeta FINALLY hitting stores" (23 June 2002). Dragon Ball Toys.com. Retrieved: 27 October 2026.
  15. ↑ "Time Capsule and Majin Vegeta" (31 July 2002). Dragon Ball Toys.com. Retrieved: 27 October 2026.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Dragon Ball Z: Sparking!. Japan: Bandai, Spike. Sony PlayStation 2. 06 October 2005.
  17. ↑ "破壊王子ベジータ". ドラゴンボール ゼノバース2. Retrieved: 27 October 2026.
  18. ↑ "Search results: 「Majin Vegeta」". Dragon Ball Official Site. Retrieved: 26 October 2026.
  19. ↑ "Super Saiyan 2 Goku and Majin Vegeta Are Coming to the Dragon Stars Series! " (11 January 2023). Dragon Ball Official Site. Retrieved: 26 October 2026.
  20. ↑ "Special Column Chapter One". Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Warriors. Japan: Shueisha, 09 August 2002. ISBN 4-08-779192-0. (p. 62)
  21. ↑ [citation needed]
  22. ↑ [citation needed]
  23. ↑ [citation needed]
  24. ↑ [citation needed]
  25. ↑ [citation needed]
  26. ↑ [citation needed]
  27. ↑ [citation needed]
  28. ↑ [citation needed]
  29. ↑ [citation needed]
  30. ↑ [citation needed]
  31. ↑ [citation needed]
  32. ↑ "CHAPTER 2: CHARACTER". Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Martial Arts Legend. Japan: Shueisha, 11 June 2015. ISBN 978-4-08-779721-3. (p. 55)
  33. ↑ [citation needed]
  34. ↑ [citation needed]
  35. ↑ [citation needed]


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