KakaVege

"Goodbye Bulma, Trunks...and you, Kakarot"

- Vegeta in Dragon Ball Vol.39, 110p

KakaVege is the slash ship between Goku and Vegeta from the Dragon Ball fandom.

Canon
They are probably the most famous duo in Dragon Ball. The two of them are the last pure-blood Saiyans in the universe, although the OVA includes Tarble and Dragon Ball Super includes Cabe. In the Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Broly is newly added as a Saiyan survivor, but in the original manga, only Goku (Kakarot) and Vegeta survived to the end.

They were former enemies and fought fierce battles in the past, but now that they have reconciled Vegeta has become the most reliable battle companion on Goku's side. Goku has absolute trust in Vegeta, and their relationship of trust is unshakable after many years of going through various battle scenes together. Even so, as Saiyans, they are eternal rivals who compete with each other on a daily basis, training and striving to reach new heights.

Vegeta, who is easily irritated, is often pushed around by the simple-minded Goku.

Due to their different personalities and ways of thinking, they often get into quarrels like a couple, which have become a regular interaction in their relationship. This bickering is also present in the game version and the movie version.

They spend a lot more time training together alone than they do with their wives. In Dragon Ball Super episode 32 there's a plot point that they spent THREE YEARS in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, with no one else joining them. We all know that Goku and Vegeta are just training, but it’s fun to imagine what other kinds of “training” are also occurring.

They have fused several times using Potara Earrings or via fusion dance. While fusion is fun and hilarious to watch, it also has a sexual implication.

In addition, they often wear matching things together, such as training clothes with the same logo, aprons, jackets made by Capsule Corporation, and earrings (although they only wear one ear at a time).

Goku is 175cm tall and Vegeta is 164cm tall, so Vegeta is much smaller than Goku, but Vegeta is 5 years older than Goku.

These two, said to be the strongest in the universe, have had many astonishing episodes in the Dragon Ball series.

Saiyan Attack Saga
Goku and Vegeta met in the Saiyan Attack Saga, where Vegeta and his companion Nappa landed on Earth after learning that Raditz, the first to attack the planet, has been defeated. Vegeta tried to eliminate Goku, who he sees as a traitor who has lost his mission and pride as a fighting Saiyan, and in the end, Goku and Vegeta fight to the death for the survival of the Earth.

In the end, Goku and Vegeta fought to the death for the survival of the Earth. As a result, Vegeta was also defeated by Goku and the others, and was almost killed by Krillin when he tried to escape in a single-person pod that he had summoned. Goku's plea not to kill Vegeta saved his life and he escaped from the Earth. He and Goku meet again in the Nameksei Saga that followed.

Incidentally, at the end of the final episode of Dragon Ball Super, there was a scene reminiscent of the time when Goku and Vegeta, in their blue state, faced each other on a rocky terrain and fought in the same stance as in their first confrontation.

Nameksei Saga
In the Saiyan Attack Saga, the flow of the story between the original and the anime is almost the same, but in the Nameksei Saga, there are a couple of scenes that's different between the original manga and the TV anime with Goku and Vegeta involved.

After the battle with Ginyu, the leader of the Ginyu Special Forces, Vegeta put Goku in the medical machine and tried to restore his strength.

However, soon after, Vegeta was also exhausted and decided to take a nap. Even though there were other places to take a nap, he chose to lean against the medical machine where Goku is healing, closed his eyes happily and contented. In the manga, unlike the anime, Vegeta was leaning against a foot post of the spaceship to take the nap.

Later in the story, Goku sensed that Vegeta was in danger and destroyed the medical machine before the door opened and went to Vegeta, who was being tortured by Frieza. Sensing Goku's increased strength, Vegeta began laughing and taunting Frieza that Goku is the Super Saiyan who will defeat him. The irritated Frieza fired a strike and pierced through Vegeta's heart. While dying slowly and painfully, Vegeta poured out his past to Goku, begging the only other pure-blooded Saiyan to defeat Frieza for the pride of the saiyan race.

Witnessing the death of Vegeta, Goku exploded in anger at Frieza and made a huge hole in the ground with lazer blast from his eyes. Goku picked up Vegeta's corpse and carried it in his arms, burying it with great care. Goku then challenged Frieza to a final battle, but here too, a shocking original anime development occurred.

In the middle of the battle against Frieza, the dying Goku started to have a hallucination with Vegeta's image in his head and voice in his ears, and the two start having conversation inside Goku's mind. Goku thought it was his limit and it was the end. Vegeta denied and challenged him to have more faith in the pride of the Saiyans. And Goku relied feeling encouraged that Vegeta was by his side.

The dialogue was full of passionate lines, as if Goku wanted Vegeta to at least fight with him in his heart after the tragic death.

But the most interesting thing here is that the hallucination of Vegeta that appeared in Goku's mind was not wearing any clothes, and was completely naked. It became even more strange since Goku's father Bardak and King Vegeta, who also appeared in Goku's mind, were in their uniforms. So in this scene, only Vegeta was completely naked...This is one of the mystery in Dragon Ball that we will never know.

It was actually a touching scene where Vegeta encouraged Goku to avenge his death and the deaths of the people on Planet Vegeta, but audience were too focused on Vegeta's appearance to pay attention to the dialogue. Some Dragon Ball fans argued that it was not Goku's imagination but was Vegeta's soul speaking to him, but the truth is not clear.

When Goku returns to reality, he couldn't stop talking to Vegeta in his brain. When he kept talking to himself, Frieza told him, "I don't understand."

While Goku was battling against Frieza, Vegeta was resurrected by the power of the Dragon Balls. The first thing he noticed after resurrection was that Goku was fighting Frieza in Super Saiyan's form. Although Vegeta failed to accomplished his own wish, upon seeing Goku battling Frieza he praised with joy and proud, "Kakarot, you have finally became the Legendary Super Saiyan!"

Under the wish of the Dragon Ball, Vegeta was transported along with others to Earth. Desiring to learn how to become a Super Saiyan, Vegeta stayed on earth temporarily to wait for Goku to come back. However Goku refused to go back to earth soon but promised that he will return himself later. In the anime, Vegeta was unwilling to wait. He stole a Capsule Corporation spaceship and ventured out to search for Goku in the outer space. One year and eight months after, Vegeta returned to Earth, not having found Goku.

Cell Game Saga
Vegeta's pursuit of surpassing Goku continued in the Cell Game Saga. After witnessing the lower class Goku and Future Trunks transforming into Super Saiyans, Vegeta was so anxious and jealous that he trained with even more determination in the gravity machine. This eventually led to him getting injured in a training-related accident and being hospitalized temporarily and caused Bulma to get closer to him. Vegeta was having some nightmares in the fear of further falling behind.

After two years of intense training, Vegeta was able to transform into Super Saiyan just like Goku. In this new form, he managed to fight Android 19 and saved Goku who was suffering from a heart attack.

At the end of the Cell Game, Vegeta was shocked at Gohan's awakened power, but he was further shocked when Goku sacrificed himself by teleporting Cell to King Kai's Planet and was killed in the explosion. With Goku dead and gone, Vegeta vowed to never fight again.

Majin Buu Saga
In the Majin Buu Saga, they play rock-paper-scissors in a cute way. In the Majin Buu Saga, there is a shocking scene in which they attack Buu with their cheeks together (a.k.a. "date inside the body"), which is an anime original development that makes you look at it three times.

It's not just a cheek to cheek.

Goku vigorously rubs his cheek against Vegeta's, and both cheeks are so close together that there are wrinkles.

Goku then piled on top of Vegeta from behind, destroying the fleeing Buu's body with a horizontal and vertical combination of their arms.

Immediately afterwards, Goku, who hadn't been able to move away from him, said, "How long are you sticking to me! Hurry up and get off me! Vegeta angrily says, "Ah...oh. The expression on Goku's face as he comes back to himself in a flash is quite meaningful. (I wonder how long they would have stayed together if Vegeta hadn't gotten angry...)

Vegeta awkwardly wiped his cheek where he had touched, and when Goku approached again, he panicked and said, "Yo...stay away, Kakarot! I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

In addition, Goku falls on top of Vegeta, who has fainted and collapsed, and he is holding Vegeta in his arms, so depending on how you look at it, it looks like Goku and Vegeta are sleeping together.

When Buu makes them collide face to face, their mouths come together for a moment.

In this episode, which is commonly referred to as the "date inside the body," Goku and Vegeta are the only allies who can move inside Buu's body, and since they are trapped in a small space, there is a lot more conversation and interaction between them than usual.

This is the first time I've ever seen it. When they encounter the giant roundworm that lives inside Buu's body, they are both surprised with comical gag faces, and Vegeta (though he was upset) shows his naturalness by telling Goku what he doesn't like. He was also surprised by Goku's self-doubt about his own face, and was so dumbfounded that he didn't even have the energy to comment on it.

Dragon Ball GT
At the end of "Dragon Ball GT", they have an exchange like a married couple, and during the battle against the One Star Dragon, they start a lover's quarrel in front of the enemy, and Goku proposes fusion, while Vegeta gets very upset and blushes more than ever before.

After this, Vegeta reluctantly agreed to the fusion.

Goku smirks happily.

I'm not sure what to say. It's not funny. I'm happy. I'm happy to hear from you that you want to fuse.

Vegeta replies, "Nonsense.

"This is great, Vegeta."

Goku whispers this, causing an uproar among all the Kakabegers.

When the fusion fails, Goku regains his child form and hugs Vegeta to protect him from the attack.

Dragon Ball Super
In addition, in the Dragon Ball Super anime, there are many scenes that emphasize the closeness between Goku and Vegeta.

For example, in the scene where Goku and Vegeta are sitting side by side on the sofa, Goku sits right next to Vegeta and puts his arm around Vegeta's back like they are a couple, hugging his shoulder as they talk. It's so familiar. It's all too natural. It's no wonder there were whispers of a secret relationship.

In Super, Vegeta's caring attitude toward Goku shines through in many other ways, such as his sharp criticism of Goku in comical situations and his explanations of the main points of the story in a way that is easy to understand. When he is assigned to train under Uisu, the master of the God of Destruction, the two of them work hard together to overcome the difficult ordeal Uisu has ordered them to face, but to their surprise, they end up sleeping in the same room. I don't think they even took a bath together. In addition to that, the two of them are alone in the room of spirit and time for three years. This is just like any other love story.

In the short animation where Vegeta's own brother, Tumble, appears, Goku takes Vegeta's food, and the two of them start fighting over the food, and Goku turns into a Super Saiyan while head-butting Vegeta.

"This is between you and me, isn't it?

And that's not what this is about!

The galleries around them were filled with the flirting. The surrounding galleries could only watch on in amazement....

Fusion Potara Combine
Goku and Vegeta, who are almost equal in power in terms of combat, are suitable for merging, and can be mentally and physically fused to create powerful warriors such as Vegetto and Gojita, who have the combined power of the two.

Vegeta's usual response to Goku before the fusion, which forces him to perform embarrassing movements and poses, is usually "I'd rather die than do this embarrassing pose! But in the end, he has no other choice but to do so, so he accepts it every time without shame.

In the end, he has no other choice but to do so, and so he accepts it every time. In the "Potala" merging with Goku, he doesn't have to do the embarrassing pose, but he and Goku are drawn together by a strong force like a magnet, and they end up merging body to body, which is also an embarrassing act for Vegeta.

"Vegeta! Put this on my right ear! Please!" → He holds out one of the potaras.

"It's okay! Here!" → Vegeta puts it on his ear.

Goku, on the other hand, is always willing to merge with Vegeta, and in fact seems to be happy to merge with Vegeta no matter what the situation.

Dragon Ball Movies
In the movie version of "Clash! In the movie version of "The Warriors of 10 Billion Power," there is a scene where Goku catches Vegeta in a princess's arms after he is blown away by Metal Kuura's attack. In "Resurrection Fusion! In "Goku and Vegeta," Goku catches Vegeta when he is about to be thrown into a pile of needles by Janemba, and rescues him by holding him. After another lover's quarrel, they fuse and defeat Janemba. At the end, they are alone in the park, smiling at each other and vowing to meet again.

In the chorus of the ED song "The Strongest Fusion," the lyrics sound like Goku singing to Vegeta, "I am the sun, you are the moon," "Our friendship," "If we melt together," "Let's put our fingers together," "Let's put our hearts together," and so on.

In addition, the lyrics of "Love Is Like a Ballad," Vegeta's image song in the film, clearly has Goku in mind, and the lyrics of this song show a tremendous amount of dereeling for Goku from Vegeta's point of view, making it a counterpart to the "Strongest Fusion" song.

In the theatrical version of "God and God," a hand-holding scene was prepared, and it almost killed the theater's Kakabager half to death.

In the sequel, "Resurrection 'F'," a scene was depicted in which Goku tries to return to Earth via instantaneous transfer, and Vegeta is incredibly reluctant to hold hands with him. (In the first place, when Goku instantly moves with another person, it's fine if he touches his shoulder or some other part of his body, but Goku dares to request hand-holding, which Vegeta seems to hate the most...)

The manga version of Dragon Ball Super As mentioned above, Vegeta is very reluctant to touch Goku in Resurrection F, but in the manga version of Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta offers his hand to Goku as if it were a matter of course. Goku naturally takes his hand as well.

In the Super manga version, there are other instances in which Vegeta takes a kindred spirit approach to Cabe, a Saiyan from another planet.

Goku is unusually jealous.

When asked by Piccolo, who is standing next to him, "Do you think he likes you? I don't hate him.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that," he said. He's teasing me.

In the promotional video for the PlayStation 2 exclusive "Dragon Ball Z3," Goku's four-minute introduction of the awesome game was met with a high-tension overreaction from Vegeta, who exploded with surprise.

The Saiyan duo was super cool in serious situations, but super childish in the gag world...

Saiyan Attack Saga
Chapter #240 A Final Gamble!!


 * Krillin is seconds away from destroying Vegeta when Goku begs him to stop. He wanted Vegeta to have the chance to recover so they could fight again when they both became stronger. While Vegeta eventually became a good guy, he was everything but good at that moment, as he had just tried to annihilate Goku and his friends moments before. Goku had no idea that Vegeta would eventually switch sides, and he didn't care. Goku wanted a rematch with Vegeta. Despite the fact that others may be put in danger because of this, Goku still wanted Vegeta to be spared.

Fanon
Ever since Vegeta made his debut in Drgaon Ball Z manga, the dynamic and relationship between the two full-blooded Saiyans has became one of the hot topic among fans. And Vegeta was portrayed so successful that Akira Toriyama decided to keep him alive at Dragon Ball fans' request, despite the fact that his original plan was to kill him in Saiyan Attack Saga. The TV series that's produced by Toei Animation added some original scenes that make the interaction between the two even more interesting. So from the very moment Goku met Vegeta KakaVege is born. The Fanon gained more popularity as the plot developed and their rivalry relationship thickened.

In Asian countries like Japan, China and Korea KakaVege is the dominant Dragon Ball slash pairing. Outside Asia shippers seemed to favor a bit more VegeKaka than KakaVege. Some reasons behind this might be cultural difference, and also could be due to how Vegeta's characters portrayed via different voice actors. On AO3, KakaVege is the second most written ship for Goku and the second most written ship for Vegeta, right after their heterosexual canon pairing.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

Son Goku/Vegeta tag on AO3

Son Goku&Vegeta tag on AO3

TUMBLR

KakaVege tag on Tumblr VegeKaka tag on Tumblr

PIXIV

KakaVege tag on Pixiv

TWITTER

KakaVege hashtag on Twitter

VegeKaka hashtag on Twitter

Trivia

 * The Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn movie (1995) Theme Songs

The Strongest Fusion is the closing theme song of the film and part of the lyrics imply that Goku is the sun and Vegeta is the moon.

Love is Like a Ballad is another song that didn't show up in the movie. It is Vegeta's Theme song and the lyrics hinted it's about Goku.


 * Masako Nozawa interview

Goku's voice actress, Masako Nozawa, says that Goku likes Vegeta very much because he considers him his best friend, and Ryo Horikawa, who plays Vegeta, also says that Vegeta may not like him on the surface and is not honest, but deep down he likes Goku.

Nozawa also said, "The two of them look great together," and "Goku's existence exists because of Vegeta.

"I like you!"


 * TV special "Goku Gaiden: Proof of Courage is a Four-Star Ball"

The TV special "Goku Gaiden! In the TV special "Goku Gaiden: Proof of Courage is a Four-Star Ball," which takes place 100 years after the events of Dragon Ball GT, children named Son Goku Jr. and Vegeta Jr. who look very similar to Goku and Vegeta have a fateful encounter at the Tenkaichi Budokai.

The relationship between the Sun and CC families, which had gradually faded since Goku and Vegeta left this world, is reconnected here, and the story ends with a foretaste of a new story between Goku and Vegeta through the descendants of their blood. (In addition, Goku's grandson Pan, who was watching the battle, witnessed a vision of Goku happily watching his descendants' battle in the audience.)