Vegeta is one of the most beloved characters in Dragon Ball history. He made his appearance in Dragon Ball Z as a bloodthirsty Saiyan who would leave no stone unturned in his quest to become the strongest warrior in the entire universe. Vegeta's immense pride is what makes him such a fascinating character and a breath of fresh air when compared to Goku's personality.
That being said, Vegeta's massive ego has led to him committing several mistakes throughout the series. That said, the Prince of all Saiyans has always made up for his failures in some form or the other. However, discussing these errors in judgment from Vegeta is still pretty worthwhile.
10 Being Subservient To Frieza For The Longest Time
Frieza is one of the most powerful villains in Dragon Ball. He features in multiple arcs throughout the series, although it's his first appearance in Dragon Ball Z that still sends chills down the spines of most people.
So, it might be easy to say that Vegeta should've fought against Frieza's will for the longest time. However, the fact that he was completely subservient to Frieza and carried out his will without fail is still pretty surprising, especially considering Vegeta's massive pride. However, Vegeta did ultimately rebel against his master.
9 Underestimating Goku
Vegeta debuted in Dragon Ball Z as a villain who wanted to use the power of the Dragon Balls for himself. This led to him and Nappa landing on Earth, unleashing a wave of destruction and death in the process.
While Nappa and the Saibamen gave the Z Fighters a run for their money, Goku was on a whole different level of power. Vegeta should've respected Kakarot's power from the get-go instead of letting this lowly Saiyan get the better of him with pure skill.
8 Trying To Fight Frieza's Warriors Without Enough Strength
Vegeta has a habit of jumping into fights headfirst without a care in the world. This attitude led to him eating dirt more often than not against Frieza's henchmen.
Thankfully, the convenient Zenkai boosts in this arc let the Saiyan come back from near-death time and time again to get his revenge.
However, it was only a matter of time before his luck would run out...
7 Failing To Even Inconvenience Frieza
Finally, after being under the tyrant's boot for the longest time, Vegeta finally had the chance to get his revenge for all the Saiyans that Frieza annihilated. However, it was clear that the Prince of all Saiyans was still a long way from actually making a dent againt Frieza.
This led to Vegeta pitifully begging Goku to defeat Frieza before being killed by the tyrant. This, coupled with Krillin's death, pushed Goku over the edge and led to him attaining the classic Super Saiyan transformation that has become the stuff of legends.
6 Believing He Had The Power Of A Super Saiyan On Namek
The one thing worse than being prideful is being delusional. Both these mentalities can combine to lead people into deadly situations, and that's precisely what Vegeta faced when he relied on a power that he never had.
While he does become a Super Saiyan at the start of the Android Saga, that's still a long way off from the events on Namek. For Vegeta to expect such an amazing power to fall into his hands with ease was a pretty harebrained thought, indeed.
5 Getting Cocky After Becoming A Super Saiyan
While facing off against Android 19, Vegeta decided to step in and save Goku with a little surprise of his own. He showed the true power of his training with his Super Saiyan transformation.
However, while Vegeta was able to make quick work of Android 19, the other fighters were in a whole different class of their own. This led to the Saiyan getting his hand broken by Android 18 en route to a humiliating defeat.
4 Letting Cell Reach His Final Form
At times, Vegeta's pride as a warrior took over his common sense. This led to him making the foolhardy decision to let Cell reach his perfect form just so that he could fight this anomaly at full power.
However, Vegeta quickly realized that he had bitten off way more than he could chew. He was pummeled into the ground by Perfect Cell, and while the Saiyan's Final Flash managed to harm the villain, the latter's regenerative properties led to the technique being useless in the grand scheme of things.
3 Not Being A Good Father To Trunks
Given Vegeta's tumultuous childhood, it was only a given that he wouldn't exactly be the most stable father around. However, the manner in which he treats Future Trunks during the Cell Saga is simply despicable.
Vegeta does show his love as a father when Trunks dies during the Cell Games, but he was absolutely horrible to his son otherwise. This one moment of grief doesn't make up for the many times he completely dismissed his son!
2 Letting Babidi Manipulate Him
After facing a midlife crisis of sorts, Vegeta wanted the thirst for battle to course through his veins once more. However, it's the manner in which he went about gaining his powers that were pretty suspect indeed.
Vegeta let Babidi take over his mind to unlock new reserves of power. While he ultimately managed to overpower Babidi's brainwashing, it wasn't enough — after all, the main point of Vegeta and Goku battling was mainly to revive Majin Buu, and that goal was achieved.
1 Giving Frieza Breathing Room After Being Super Saiyan Blue
Dragon Ball Super features a more level-headed Vegeta, to the point where he corrects his rival's fallacious strategies and motivates him at every step of the way too. However, Vegeta's trademark attitude has yet to be taken down a peg.
During his fight with Frieza, Vegeta toyed around with the emperor instead of defeating him in one fell swoop. This gave Frieza a window of opportunity to destroy Earth, prompting Whis to rewind time and Goku to jump in and steal Vegeta's thunder.