Despite Goku usually beating him to the punch, Vegeta has always managed to stay within just a step or two of his eternal rival. Over the years, he’s been able to master pretty muchevery transformation that Goku hasand even boasts a few unique forms of his own. However, despite decades having now passed since their introductions, there are still some Super Saiyan transformations that Vegeta has never achieved in canonDragon Ballmedia.
Whether because he’s unable to learn them or simply deems them unnecessary, Vegeta has never once used these transformations in theDragon Ballanime or manga. Given that he has long surpassed most of them when it comes to power levels, the chances of him ever doing so now seem pretty slender, though that’s not to say that fans should completely give up hope of ever seeing these Vegeta forms in futureDragon Ballstorylines.
Gohan’s Potential Unleashed and Beast forms will not be included on this list as neither is considered a Super Saiyan transformation. The same is also true of Goku’s Ultra Instinct form.
1Super Saiyan 3
Other than perhapsSuper Saiyan God,which was almost immediately replaced by Super Saiyan Blue, it’s difficult to think of a more under-utilizedDragon Balltransformation than Super Saiyan 3. First showcased by Goku during the Majin Buu saga, the form has been given very little screen time over the years and has only been mastered by a handful ofDragon Ballcharacters. Vegeta is not one of them.
Part of this may be down to the fact thatSuper Saiyan 3 is a somewhat flawed transformation. Due to its immense stamina drain, it can be difficult for users to sustain the form over longer periods of time, thus making it highly impractical in battle. What’s more, according to series creator Akira Toriyama, mastering the base Super Saiyan form could lead to power levels far greater than that of a Super Saiyan 3, so it’s possible that Vegeta opted to go down this route instead.
2Super Saiyan Third Grade
Vegeta may be a little arrogant at timesbut he’s far from stupid. The Saiyan Prince is very good at spotting the strengths and weaknesses of a transformation and is quick to discount the Super Saiyan Third Grade form as a result. Whether or not he has ever achieved this transformation off-screen is debatable, but, unlike Goku, he’s never shown using it in either the manga or the anime, leading many to believe that he hasn’t.
Though Super Saiyan Third Grade does dramatically increase the user’s power level, it does so at the expense of speed and mobility. This makes it fairly useless in most situations and leads to Vegeta labeling it a “primitive” form whenFuture Trunksattempts to use it against him during their sparring match inDragon Ball Super. Much like with Super Saiyan 3, it seems safe to assume that Vegeta could master the transformation if he really wanted to, but given that he has long since surpassed it, the chances of that happening now seem fairly slim.
3Super Saiyan Rose
At various points throughout the manga and anime, both Vegeta and Goku’s bodies have been possessed or controlled byDragon Ballvillains. In Vegeta’s case, it’s Babidi and Baby pulling the strings, while in Goku’s, it’s Captain Ginyu and then Zamasu. Each instance results in its fair share of memorable moments, with the latter leading to one ofthe best new transformations introduced inDragon Ball Super.
Super Saiyan Rose is the result of combining the Super Saiyan transformation with Godly Kiand is more than capable of holding its own against Super Saiyan Blue as a result. In fact, while using this form, Goku Black is able to wipe the floor with both Goku and Vegeta and pretty much destroys an entire universe before Zeno Sama’s intervention. In the time since then, the Saiyan Prince has managed to surpass this form, but it remains a Super Saiyan transformation that Vegeta cannot use.
4Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-ken
Several online sources cite Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-ken as its own transformation as opposed to just a technique that’s being combined withthe Super Saiyan Blue form. If the former is indeed the case, then this is yet another example of a Super Saiyan transformation that Vegeta never achieves, though, as with some of the others, there are several potential reasons why the Saiyan Prince may never use this form; the main one being that Vegeta cannot use Kaio-ken.
Many assume that Vegeta is simply too proud to learn a technique from someone he deems inferior, while others speculate that he may have concerns regarding its reliability in battle. Ultimately, though, it’s inconsequential, as Vegeta’s Super Saiyan Blue Evolution seems to match Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-ken for power, while also avoidingthe massive strain that the Kaio-ken technique places on the user’s body.
5Legendary Super Saiyan
It’s sometimes said thata Legendary Super Saiyan only comes around once every thousand years. With this in mind, it makes sense that only two have ever been shown in canonDragon Ballmedia: Broly from Universe 7 and Kale from Universe 6. It’s arguably a good thing too, as if there were many more of these rage-driven Saiyans rampaging around the universe, the Z Fighters would have a tough time containing them all.
Vegeta may not have achieved this transformation himself, but he has fought against aLegendary Super Saiyanon multiple occasions. Most recently, he and Goku needed to fuse into Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta to overcome Broly’s immense power. It’s possible that with the help of Ultra Ego, Vegeta could now defeat a Legendary Super Saiyan solo if push ever came to shove, though this remains a hotly debated topic among the fandom to this day.
