Majin Vegeta: The struggle within ourselves (DragonBall Z Anime Analysis)
He is often regarded as the quintessential anti-hero of pop culture. He is selfish, egotistical, prideful, arrogant, resentful, envious, ruthless, violent, power-hungry, impulsive, murderous, entitled, evil. He is also insecure, nurturing, instructive, family-oriented, loyal, selfless, reclusive, hard-working, self-controlled, caring, protective, gentle, accepting, loving, good.
He is Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans, from the all time popular anime series Dragonball Z. He made his first series appearance as the regal, impressive, villainous Saiyan Prince bent on destroying Earth. However, as the series progressed, he slowly turned into an anti-hero, displaying more and more positive qualities, before becoming a full-fledged hero at the end of Dragonball Z. He went from being Goku’s most dangerous enemy at one time, before becoming one of Goku’s closest friends.
However, along his path of becoming a hero alongside Goku and the gang, he took a minor step back. In the final arc of the Dragonball Z series, it has been almost 7 years since the arrival of their last major enemy, and Vegeta was making a smooth transition into Earth life. However, the next big threat to Earth was coming, and an evil wizard by the name of Babidi was to unleash this evil on the planet.
In the years before Babidi’s arrival on Earth, Vegeta has been making a slow transition into heroic status, leaving his former life of conquering planets in order to raise a family on Earth. Underneath the surface, however, Vegeta longed for the days he was conquering planets and being a ruthless killing machine. He feels that his life on Earth has softened him. Made him weak. Babidi exploited this secret yearning to be bad again and took over Vegeta’s mind, allowing him to be evil again. Babidi took advantage of his deep, underlying feelings of discontent, and seduced Vegeta to be evil, and thus more powerful. Powerful enough to finally defeat his greatest rival: Goku. Through this, Majin Vegeta was born.
So what is at war within Vegeta, and by extension, ourselves? How would this conflict spill over our psyche and make us revert back or to make us take drastic change, either in favour of one side or the other? Such a conflict, such a duality within ourselves have multiple variations that many cultures and concepts have tried to explain over the course of history. However, they will be explained here in the form of three distinct contrasts and conflicts, and upon further inspection, it will be found that these two sides of ourselves in each instance are very interrelated in some way. We will also look at how we can incorporate these sides within one person in the same way Vegeta did once he overcame Babidi’s control.
Visceral vs. Cerebral
To be cerebral is to be driven by the mind. To be logical. Rational. Analytical. It is to give rule over to the cerebrum, the largest part of the brain. It is to be focused on the intellectual. The calculated. The strategic.
Cerebrum: the principal and most anterior part of the brain in vertebrates, located in the front area of the skull and consisting of two hemispheres, left and right.
On the other hand, to be visceral is to be driven by the heart, the gut, and the body. To be intuitive. Irrational. Instinctual. It is to give rule over to the viscera, the main internal organs. It is to be focused on the emotional. The feeling. The impulsive.
Viscera: the internal organs in the main cavities of the body, especially those in the abdomen, e.g. the intestines.
The visceral is always at war with the cerebral. The mind fights against the heart and body. It is logic vs. emotion. Intellect vs. instinct. Feeling vs. thinking. However, this battle is not evenly matched. In the same way a man’s viscera is larger than a man’s cerebrum, the emotional self is much stronger than the logical self. If left out of control, the visceral self will come to dominate the cerebral self, leaving a man unable to think clearly and being at the mercy of his emotions.
It is an eternal battle where the cold, calculating, controlled cerebral self tries to rein in and tame the fiery, impulsive, chaotic visceral self.
The Visceral and Cerebral within Vegeta
Vegeta is an intelligent person. Vegeta knows logically that Babidi should not be trusted, and that keeping his cooperation with Goku in combating the greater enemy that Babidi will unleash is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do.
However, his emotions, his pride, ego, resentments, insecurities, his feelings of both inferiority and superiority, his his competitiveness and his deep will and desire to be the strongest overwhelms his logical thinking and allows Babidi’s mind control. Driven by his envy and bitterness towards Goku, and by his deep-rooted emotional needs and desires, Vegeta hopes the mind control of Babidi will make him strong again like before.
“I was the perfect warrior. Cold and ruthless. I lived by my strength alone. Uninhibited by foolish emotion!”
-Vegeta
Even before his transformation into Majin Vegeta, Vegeta has always exhibited both cerebral and visceral qualities.
On one hand he is a tactical and strategic warrior, attacking his opponent’s weaknesses, thinking of different ways to defeat his opponents in battle, and crafting training strategies that will improve upon his own weaknesses.
On the other hand, he is highly aggressive and willful, using his strength and ruthlessness to dominate and destroy his opponent, alot of time giving into his emotional weaknesses, such as his narcissism, grandiosity, impulsiveness and irrationality.
The Mind and the Heart
We are all creatures of both logic and emotion. Many times the two sides will be at war within us, with our visceral side winning the majority of the time. The secret to achieving dominion over both sides is to acknowledge that we are emotional creatures with emotional needs. We must examine our emotions at its roots. Why do we feel this way? Why do we act like this when a certain something occurs?
The origins of all our emotional responses stems from our past experiences. The more we understand our own past and the past of others, the easier it is to emotionally connect with them, and the easier it is to emotionally detach and not get caught up in other people’s emotional turmoil.
For more emotional mastery, we should train ourselves to increase our reaction time to events around us, thinking through things deeply rather than reacting on emotional impulse. Channelling our emotions in productive ways, like in our work and life projects, will grant us great power and more potency in the pursuit of our goals.
Lastly, to develop our cerebral self more, we must make an effort to train our minds. Train our minds to stay collected and controlled during times of emotional stress. This is not easy to do, but doing so will win the respect of others. This is done by thinking ahead to all the possible setback that can come and mentally preparing for anything. We should also practice the art of activating our mental faculties and using our minds to create plans. To use more of our analytical capabilities and create more emotional attachment by having a mental picture of what to do rather than always using instinct and making mistakes. Develop the foresight and wisdom of a strategist, and you will find enjoyment in coming up with different plans to implement at the right time.
Masculine vs. Feminine
The sex that we are assigned at birth, the fact of whether we are a man or a woman, determines most of our personality and emotional state. However, even if we are assigned a sex at birth, we still have traits of the opposite sex. We have both masculine and feminine qualities within us, and this contrast within us is what gives our character richness.
Masculine Qualities
The most common qualities associated with masculinity are physical prowess and intellectual rigor. A man is at the peak of his masculinity when he is physically capable, such as exhibiting strength, speed, and athletic skill. He also exhibits an affinity to intellectual pursuits, such as physics, medicine, philosophy and engineering.
Ambition and purpose are also masculine traits. A man exhibits a high level of masculinity when he is ambitious, is goal-oriented, has determination and perseverance to reach his goals, and has a purpose that drives him forward. A masculine man is driven, single-minded, and wants to succeed.
A man who has a masculine aura is also competitive, hierarchical and powerful. He wants to be at the top of the pecking order and the best at what he does. This is why the majority of world leaders and top athletes are man, because they are driven by their will to win and dominate their competition. Men want to be respected and admired, even envied, for their accomplishments in life and their place in the social ladder.
Then the Lord God took some soil from the ground and formed a man out of it; he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live.
-Genesis 2:7
Feminine Qualities
The most common qualities associated with femininity are a nurturing character and a desire for meaningful relationships. Women are generally people-oriented and wants human connection. Women with a feminine nature want to feel appreciated and cared for by other people, and they crave emotional intimacy.
A woman with a feminine essence is group-oriented and empathetic. A woman will think of the welfare of the entire social group as well as other people. She will be able to feel the emotions of others and nurture those around her like a loving mother. A feminine woman wants everyone to get along and for the group to have a cooperative atmosphere.
Self-consciousness is also a feminine quality. Due to women being people-oriented, they are always conscious of how they are presented to others. Is she nice? Is she too loud, or too quiet? Is she pretty enough?
Then the Lord God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the flesh. He formed a woman out of the rib and brought her to him. Then the man said, “At last, here is one of my own kind- Bone taken from my bone, and flesh from my flesh. ‘Woman’ is her name because she was taken out of man”.
-Genesis 2:21–23
The Masculine and Feminine within Vegeta
Before Vegeta arrived on Earth, he was purely driven by his masculine identity. He wanted to amass power, he enjoyed his position at the top of the hierarchy as a prince, and he acted autonomously and independently with no real emotional attachments. He was, for all intents and purposes, his own man.
However, after Vegeta arrived on Earth, he began to show more of his feminine nature. He opened up to more people emotionally and built more meaningful attachments, such as with Goku, Future Trunks and Bulma. He became a family man, living with his wife Bulma and raising his two kids, Trunks and Bulla. He also expressed his love and affection for those around him more, even if expressing himself is not his strong point, and he settled in as an integral part of the Z warriors.
Despite this, Vegeta felt disgusted giving into so much of his feminine nature. He hated the fact that he enjoyed family life and his attachments on Earth. He longed for the days where he was the all-conquering, masculine warrior that strives to be the strongest. As a result, he let Babidi take over his mind and turn him evil again, in order for Vegeta to truly feel like a man again. So he will once again be driven by his purpose to be the strongest fighter. So he can get rid of his attachments and be fully independent and autonomous again. He wanted to feel strong and masculine again like before.
However, even before Babidi took control of his mind, Vegeta exhibited masculine qualities, such as his stoic and brooding nature, his competitiveness to surpass Goku, his purpose, drive, will and determination to be stronger. Vegeta allowed Babidi to take his mind over because he despised his feminine qualities he developed through his friendships and attachments on Earth, and his seemingly emotional dependence on his family. After Vegeta was finally free of Babidi’s control did he realize that having feminine qualities is not a bad thing. In fact, having people to fight for made him a more powerful warrior than ever, and they made his better as an overall person.
“Trunks, Bulma, I’m doing this for you. And yes, even for you, Kakarot”.
-Vegeta
The Man and the Woman
It is the difference, contrasts and tension between the two sexes that generate attraction between a man and a woman. A woman is attracted to a masculine man, and a man is attracted to a feminine woman. This contrast is known as polarity. The more polarity in a relationship, the more sexual attraction between both man and woman.
However, it is that hint of femininity in a man, and masculinity in a woman, that builds the deepest emotional connection between a man and a woman. This fact is due to our deep-rooted narcissism, in that we feel more connected to those like us.
It should be said that Vegeta’s feelings of disgust towards his feminine nature is common among men. Men feel a slight discomfort, even disgust, at the fact that they at times crave human connection and expressing emotion. Men do their best to present a stoic and emotionless exterior, because they know that is the masculine ideal for a man. Men usually try their best to exhibit the masculine and suppress the feminine.
However, as humans, we should aim to integrate both our masculine and feminine natures together in one person. This takes practice, but a deeper connection with both sides of ourselves will make us more relatable to other people.
This is done by developing our other side. If you are a feminine woman by nature, start developing your masculine side by asserting your independence and create goals for yourself outside of finding a good man. If you are a masculine man by nature, start developing your feminine side by improving your active listening skills, learning to incorporate yourself in a group, and learning to express our emotions to others.
Light vs. Dark
Society since the dawn of time has frowned upon those that exhibit dark, evil qualities. If fact, it was God that separated darkness from light, calling the darkness “night” and the light “day”. Throughout human history, God has cursed those that live in darkness, or evil, but he has blessed those that live in the light, or good.
It is the eternal struggle between the saint and the sinner within. We all want to give into our dark side, but we know we shouldn't. We always want to do bad, even if we know we should do good, and even if we want to do good, we end up doing bad. The light and the darkness are locked in battle over our souls.
The dark side of our character is commonly called in psychology as “the Shadow”. It represents all the qualities man struggles to repress. While man tries to repress the Shadow, man also overcompensates the front they put on by projecting the opposite of what they try to hide. For instance, if a man is deeply angry and hostile, he will try and give an extra effort to appear friendly, charming and affable.
However, sometimes the darker sides of ourselves leak out in unexpected ways, in ways we can’t control, such as backhanded compliments or unexpected pettyness. We all want to give into what is taboo and wrong, such as doing drugs, taking vengeance on those who wronged us or wrong the world, lashing out on social media, exhibiting no sexual restraint, or acting cold to those around us. The Shadow is ever present, and lies beneath our bright and sociable exterior.
“Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is”.
-Carl Jung
The Light and Dark within Vegeta
Vegeta gave free rein to his dark side, his shadow, before he arrived on Earth. He was a merciless killer, bent on causing destruction and chaos. Vegeta arrived on Earth with the purpose of either conquering the planet or destroying it.
Driven by pride and aggression, he laid waste to his enemies, even after his initial arrival on Earth. He was as ruthless to his enemies as ever, even as he transitioned from villain, to anti-hero, to full-fledged hero. However, after a time, he started a family and settled down on Earth. As a result, he was forced to suppress his dark side in order to maintain a stable family life, even though the shadow would leak out whenever he would assert himself or lose his temper.
When Babidi came, Vegeta could not resist the seductive pull of his dark side any longer. He remembered the feeling of uninhibitedness, of power, of freedom. Freedom from moral constraints and shackles. He knew that if he had his evil restored, he would be a stronger warrior, which has been his ultimate goal from the beginning. Seeing his chance to be bad again and enjoy the freedom of following his own personal desires like before, Vegeta allowed Babidi’s control of his mind, all out of greed, resentment, and ego.
“I wanted him to reawaken the evil in my heart. I wanted him to return me to the way I was before!”
-Vegeta
However, throughout this process, Vegeta is still fighting an internal war. The good at war with the bad. He loves the merciless destruction of his enemies, but he also loves his family. He loves unleashing his fury and power, but he also cares for the people of Earth. This internal battle allows him to break from Babidi’s control and then to perform an act of ultimate good: sacrificing his life in an attempt to defeat the monster Babidi unleashed on Earth, for the sake of his loved ones.
The Good and the Bad
As human beings, we always want to give in to the darkness. To lose all moral constraints and to live in absolute moral freedom. We hate ourselves from having to act so good, to seem so righteous and virtuous on the outside, because people today frown upon the darkness in the same way God condemns those that sin against him.
The secret is to channel and control our dark impulses in a productive manner. By embracing and unleashing the Shadow in this way, we can unlock our creative powers and become more productive in our work and in our projects. Once we understand and embrace our dark qualities, we can use it as fuel to propel us forward and excel in our projects, which is exactly what Vegeta does. By channelling his ego, pride, aggression, and competitive attitude towards Goku, he is able to excel as a warrior, reach new levels of power, and consistently defeat more powerful enemies.
By understanding that all people have a dark side, we will also be able to recognise when the darkness subconsciously leaks out of someone. This could be in the form of a minor emotional outburst, a slight off-hand comment, or unexpected assertiveness. In accepting the fact that all have a dark side, we are not as surprised when we see people doing things we would never expect of them.
We examine our dark qualities deeply, accept them as they are, then show them in productive ways. Demonstrating, for instance, that we are selfish and egotistical creatures in a controlled manner will make people respect you, because you have the courage to be more authentic in the world. This authenticity will create an aura of respectability and relatability around you.
However, we should not live under the dominion of our shadow, controlled by its dark and whimsical impulses. We must have developed a good set of moral codes that we live by, as living solely through the shadow will garner people’s dislike and resentment at our lack of self-control. Find good, moral principles to live by and stand by them, doing as much good as possible to our fellow men in the world, while also showing our darkness within when the time deems it necessary.
These sides of ourselves are all related. For instance, men are more logical and analytically driven, and the male has always in time past represented order and the light. They are rigid and single-minded, and use force to achieve their goals and conquer empires. On the other hand, women are more intuitive and emotionally driven, and the female in time past has always represented chaos and the darkness. They are fluid and adaptable, and use manoeuvrability to achieve their goals and create alliances.
Vegeta’s turn into Majin Vegeta is a representation of man’s struggle against his own duality. However, people should embrace this duality, to show and flaunt it, as doing so will unlock their creative potentials and give their work positive momentum. They will become more dynamic, fluid, and integrated humans, able to show multiple facets of their character and use more skills and qualities at their disposal. This complexity in character will create an aura of mystery, as people will struggle to figure out who they really are. They will pique other people’s interest and curiosity, and they will attract others through their authenticity and unique aura.
By giving into and even embracing our dual natures and showing our complexity, we will never be in the predicament of Majin Vegeta, who represented the struggle within ourselves.
