Vegeta: The Pride of all Saiyans

"Let Me Ask You: Does A Machine Like Yourself Ever Experience Fear?"

Motivation

You might be perplexed as to why I've chose an anime character to start a technical blog with. Well, let me tell you: this is the character whose effect resulted in the conception of this blog.

You might wonder as to who even watches anime? Well, I couldn't care less to be honest. Statistically I cannot possibly be bothered to find out what's trending and what's not. I just happened to really like anime, and I credit a major part of my ways of thinking all thanks to this one medium of art. To me, anime stands to represent the very idea of stoicism. A philosophy which was very much needed to reform my life.

I have been watching anime since 2017, here are my tracking lists. Anilist - Kitsu

Anime, by its nature, is often unrealistic, with characters possessing absurd powers and abilities that we could never hope to have in real life. However, at the same time, it's that very sense of unrealism that allows anime to embody a kind of stoicism that I find truly inspiring. I'm often awestruck by the depth and complexity of the characters beyond their shallow gimmicky powers, and how to approach seemingly impossible situations with unwavering determination and resolve.

I'll admit that this unrealistic expectation, is exactly what makes me strive for something that is beyond human reach. After all, if we only ever set our sights on what we know we can achieve we'll never grow or improve. I'm very often taught invaluable concepts, things of which I can't even find in my own human circles. Life doesn't often put you in the vicinity of an ideal company.

In this regard, I think anime can be a beautiful motivator, encouraging to push ourselves to be the best selves we can be, even if it means by aiming for the impossible.

Vegeta in immaculate drip

So thank you Vegeta, for keeping me on my toes. I'm sure your resolve helps countless other people, and I'm truly grateful for it.

Background

Okay so he's an angry dude with a comical widow's peak? Well, yes, but not quite.

Vegeta: Prince of all Saiyans

Vegeta is a complex character in the Dragon Ball series based on the the manga written by Akira Toriyama. He is initially portrayed as a ruthless, power-hungry, and arrogant warrior who looks down on his opponents and often engages in ruthless tactics to attain his goals. He has a strong desire to become the strongest fighter in the universe and surpass his rival, Goku (the main character of Dragon Ball series).

However, as the series progresses, Vegeta begins to show more depth to his character. He is shown to be fiercely loyal to his family and allies, and is willing to put his life on the line to protect them. He also struggles with his past as a ruthless villain and the guilt he feels for the atrocities he has committed.

Vegeta is also shown to have a competitive nature, constantly pushing himself to become stronger and never settling for mediocrity. Despite his flaws, he is a respected and valued member of the Dragon Ball cast, and his character development has made him an fan-favorite, me included.

In honor of Vegeta, and all that he stands for, I will be scattering his most iconic quotes of all time.

Vegeta's Impact

Dragon Ball Z will be referred to as DBZ

This was around a time in my life where I felt particularly lost. I had began to watch Dragon Ball Z as one of my closest friends, Dhruv had me watch it.

I started watching DBZ for fun, without any expectations. Despite being marketed as a cartoon for children, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it had many hidden gems for even adults to enjoy. Although I've been watching anime on and off since 2017, DBZ had surprises around every corner.

"Only a Failure Abandons His Principles and Pride."

So what does Vegeta stand for? Nothing actually, he simply wants to surpass Goku in strength, and although fate has it such that he is never able to quite gap Goku (plot armor), his resolve despite his returns was nothing to scoff at. I learnt something valuable that, not ever can get the same results for the same amount of work done, and I was easily discouraged with an arbitrary number of people I looked up to. Whether in real life, across the internet.

Pride

"You may have invaded my mind and my body, but there's one thing a Saiyan always keeps: his pride."

Something I've struggled with for the longest time, has always been self-image issues. I wasn't always very comfortable with myself. I was making decent progress until Vegeta sealed the deal, and helped me cross.

Majin Vegeta (when he was possessed)

Vegeta's emphasis on pride, made me do a straight 180 in thought process. I finally knew how to differentiate between being pretentious and having pride . You should always have pride in the things you do, in the places you come from and in yourself.

There are always opinions that make you question your decisions and the path you've taken, but what stays a reality is the place you're from and the things you do. And that is for other people to make sense of, and for you to stay grounded in. Vegeta was the Prince of all Saiyans, a Warrior Race which was wiped out earlier, and at no point in time, would he let anyone else forget of his royalty, not even for a brief.

Self-Discipline

Somewhere in the middle of me doing my engineering, the biggest discovery that I had made was that my parents had raised me half the person they wanted me to be. But I was still too nice for this world.

"You say I'm arrogant. I say, damn right. That's pride. Pride in the Saiyan I am."

It's only after moving out did I realize that they have been protecting me all this while. But it took it's own while to realize that. The damage had already been done. I for the longest time didn't come to the realization that my parents were on my team, and they've always only wanted what was the best for me. Sorry Mom and Dad.

The price I paid for my actions was exorbitant. It took a huge toll on my parents, on my friends and on me. It was pretty selfish. I simply didn't have the power. Vegeta helped me understand, that I will gain not much on dwelling in the past. It made me who I am, but cannot possibly define who I can strive to be.

I'm aggressive on myself, around myself, I have to be. I'm positively reinforcing good and healthy behaviours through tough love. I'm not normalizing it, but I needed it to survive for the last 6 or so months. I've been on straight survival mode.

If I don't wake up everyday and do the things that I do, I'm not gonna make it , the world will leave me behind.

"Is it slavery when you get what you want?"

I don't approve of this behavior and neither am I normalizing it. I am merely showing an analogy that when you haven't secured the next day's meal, there's really no time to think about first world problems of veganism, etc. You are dealing with problems on an entirely different plane of existence.

I find myself right there. For which I will have all the patience and discipline to get through.

Rage

As time went on, I began to realize that my parents had taught me something valuable too. I learned to accept the hardships of life and not let them define me. I learned to focus on what I could control and let go of what I couldn’t.

With this new perspective, I was able to shed the anger and bitterness that had been consuming me. I no longer felt the need to prove myself to the world. Instead, I can focus on being the best version of myself, for myself and those who love me.

Gratification

The game of balancing the concept of doing what you want vs what you need to is often referred to as the conflict between instant and delayed gratification.

• Instant gratification: is the desire to fulfill immediate wants and needs.
• Delayed gratification: is the ability to resist the temptation of immediate pleasure in favor of a long-term goal.

In DBZ, Vegeta's character development is a prime example of delayed gratification. Despite his desire for immediate power and strength, he learns to patiently train and work on his long term goals. Rather than taking shortcuts or relying on immoral temporary gains, he focuses on long-term growth and improvement. Vegeta's commitment to delayed gratification is a powerful reminder that true success often requires sacrifice and perseverence.

“Power comes in response to a need, not a desire”.

Thanks to Vegeta I was actually increasing my capacity for enjoyment and fulfillment in the long run. I was becoming a better version of myself, and that gave me a sense of purpose and meaning that no fleeting pleasure could ever provide.

These cheap thrills stopped entertaining me altogether. They are shallow and meaningless. I am going to work where I want to be, and I wouldn’t dare settle for mediocrity.

You might've read Vegeta's quote above, that "Power comes in response to a need, not a desire?"

I didn’t quite understand it at first, because I always assumed life would just hand you anything and that there is no point in wanting something. It did not once strike me until later, that I was supposed to get better at dealing with life not going my way, and not eliminate wanting altogether. The more I got handed the short end of the stick, the more it started to make sense, the more it came together.

“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”

Closing

So thank you, Vegeta.

For a "shallow" character, you managed to always continue to be a source of inspiration for me. I won't dissapoint you.