Dragon Ball: Are Vegeta & Goku Brothers? Are They Related?

Vegeta is known as one of the strongest characters in the Dragon Ball franchise. He’s one of the most powerful and talented fighters in the whole series. Initially introduced as a villain in the series, he would soon become one of Son Goku’s most trusted and loyal allies, even getting married to Bulma. But, the rivals-turned-friends are very similar in physical appearance, and that is why fans keep wondering whether they are related. In this article, we are going to tell you whether Vegeta and Goku are brothers or if they are related in some other way.
No, Vegeta and Goku are not brothers or related in any way. They are both Saiyans, i.e., they come from the same planet and stem from the same alien race, but they are not directly related as they come from different families. All Saiyans look a bit alike, but Vegeta is from a high-class Saiyan family, while Goku is only a low-class Saiyan. They are good friends, though.
The rest of this article will focus on Vegeta and Son Goku, as we will elaborate on how the two of them are connected and why they are so similar in so many ways. If you don’t know the whole story of Dragon Ball, we have to warn you that there will be spoilers in the following paragraphs.
Are Vegeta and Goku related?
The two most famous Saiyan warriors, Vegeta and Son Goku look alike and are very much connected in many ways. They come from the same planet. They started off as enemies and rivals, only to become the closest of friends and allies. Vegeta was, for a while, obsessed with overpowering Goku but has since become his friend and ally. He even married Bulma, the girl who traveled with kid Goku when the story began. So, seeing how close they are and how similar they are in appearance, one cannot help but wonder – are Goku and Vegeta related?
Well, no, they are not. A popular theory states that they are brothers, but that is simply not true, as not only are they not brothers, they are not related in any way. Sure, both of them are Saiyans, and since most Saiyans have very similar physiology, they do look a bit alike. Still, they are from completely different families, and there is no direct relation between them. Vegeta is actually Saiyan nobility, stemming from a high-class Saiyan family, whereas Goku comes from a low-class Saiyan family and is nowhere near Vegeta’s status. We shall now explore their histories further.
Vegeta’s family history
He was born around 732. In his youth, he saw his father being dominated by the God of Destruction, Beerus (in Battle of Gods, Vegeta does not try to help his father because he was terrified, but in the Dragon Ball Super series, he tries to help him, but he gets paralyzed by Beerus, preventing him from moving). His race is also subject to the rule of the interplanetary warlord Frieza, and Frieza also coerced King Vegeta into delivering him to the latter through undisclosed means.
As a child, everyone suspected him of being the legendary warrior, thanks to his innate fighting potential and the fact that he was a member of the royal family of Planet Vegeta. It is for the fighting strength that Frieza spares him when he destroys Planet Vegeta. Indeed, he sees in him a perfect tool to accomplish missions of conquest. He regularly sends him to other planets with Nappa, his comrade in arms and bodyguard.
Growing up, he has only one goal: to kill Frieza, break free from his grip, and take his place to rule the universe. But he is not yet strong enough to compete with him. He is also constantly mocked by the lieutenants of Frieza, Cui, Zarbon, and Dodoria, who are more powerful than him.
Thanks to their detectors, Nappa and he discovers, while they are on a mission, that Raditz, who had gone to Earth to conquer it and convince his brother Son Goku to join him, has been killed. In the process, they also learn of the existence of the Dragon Balls, which can make any wish come true. They, therefore, decide to go to Earth to become immortal thanks to these balls, which would allow them to fulfill their dream. During their journey, which lasts at most a year, they ruthlessly eradicate the population of two planets.
Once arrived on Earth, Nappa cruelly razes an entire city, then he and the latter face Son Goku’s friends, determined to defend their planet. They first spawn several Saibaimen to gauge their opponents and entertain themselves. Piccolo and his allies succeed without too much difficulty in eliminating them, but Yamcha will still be killed by surprise after having defeated one, this one blowing himself up. His teammate then engages in combat against all of Son Goku’s friends present. He proves too strong and kills Piccolo (and consequently the Almighty), Tienshinhan, and Chiaotzu (who sacrificed themselves to kill him, to no avail).
Only Son Gohan and Krillin are still alive when Son Goku arrives, having returned from a year of training. The latter succeeds in avenging his friends, easily getting rid of Nappa, and leaving him unconscious without however killing him. After Son Goku’s easy victory against Nappa, he coldly finishes off his ally, considering that he is no longer useful to him. We discover at this moment the heart of stone and the cruelty of the one who presents himself as the prince of the Saiyans. Son Goku is also at this moment impressed by the power he has released.
Goku’s family history
Kakarot is a Saiyan who was born on Planet Vegeta in the year 737 of the Dragon Ball timeline. His parents are Bardock and Gine, two low-class Saiyans. Since Kakarot only had a combat strength of 2 at birth, he was subclassed as a Saiyan. The Saiyans had the initiation ritual of sending their children to conquer planets where the inhabitants had low combat potential.
Kakarot was sent to Earth aboard a spaceship when he was still a baby, and this was just before Frieza destroyed his home planet at the suggestion of the god of destruction, Beerus. In the film Broly and the manga Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, Kakarot is sent to Earth when he is two years old, in the year 739, by his parents, Bardock and Gine, who wanted to protect him from the destruction of the planet Vegeta envisaged by Frieza. He would therefore have been born in the year 737.
Shortly after landing on Earth, he was picked up by Son Gohan. Grandpa Gohan decided to name him Son Goku and raise him, teaching him martial arts. However, the child was very rambunctious and violent until the day when, then two years old, Son Goku seriously injured his head by falling from a cliff, forgetting his mission to wipe out the earth’s population. Thus losing his aggressive nature and any form of genetic memory of his Saiyan destiny. The child’s temperament was also greatly upset: if he kept a strong attraction for fighting, challenges, and martial arts, Son Goku had forever lost his destructive impulses, contempt for the weak, cruelty, and ruthlessness of the Saiyans.
On the contrary, he had become sympathetic, devoid of any form of vice, filled with empathy, and revolted by any form of injustice and cruelty. He ends up living happily with his grandfather Son Gohan. However, he unintentionally kills him during his first transformation into a giant gorilla on a full moon night. Since this tragedy, Son Goku lived alone in the small house in the middle of the forest that he will have rebuilt, keeping the Nyoï Bo and the Su Shinchū (the four-star Dragon Ball) the only legacies remaining to him from his grandfather.