Back in the living room, Morty watched the scene unfold and tearfully remarked, "Vegeta gave up his own life to save everyone."
Rick responded, "Yeah, whatever. Let's take a look at his life."
The screen flickered, and Vegeta's life began to play out before them.
From his birth as the Saiyan prince, it was clear he was destined for greatness, with immense potential coursing through his blood.
The footage showed him training relentlessly, battling Saibamen, and growing stronger with every fight. As he matured, his power elevated him to the ranks of the elite warriors.
But then, everything changed. Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta, masking it as a meteor strike, and Vegeta was forced to become a loyal servant to the tyrant.
He later attacked Earth, only to be crushed by Goku in their battle, forcing him to flee for his life.
On Namek, Vegeta's power had increased, but when he clashed with Zarbon, he was completely ravaged by him.
He was outclassed by Goku, and his first humiliating death came at the hands of Frieza.
After being revived by Shenron, his fragile self-worth was further shattered by Goku's power.
Desperate, he transformed into a Super Saiyan, hoping to restore his pride, but was defeated by an android, leaving him with a shattered arm.
When an unexpected surge in power allowed him to defeat Cell's second form, Vegeta let his pride blind him. Ignoring Trunks' warnings, he allowed Cell to reach his final form.
What followed was predictable. Cell recovered from Vegeta's strongest attack as though it were nothing, then ruthlessly targeted him, nearly breaking his spine in the process.
He was ultimately outmatched by Goku, who humiliated him further, making it clear that he was the superior warrior.
This became painfully evident during the Cell Games, where Goku and his son outperformed Vegeta at every turn.
Goku sacrificed himself to save Earth and everyone on it, while Vegeta could do nothing but watch, and was even saved by Gohan.
Crushed by his repeated failures, Vegeta felt too ashamed and vowed to never fight again.
Then Babidi arrived at Earth. Desperate to prove himself, Vegeta allowed himself to be controlled, seeking to defeat Goku in a desperate attempt to reclaim his lost pride.
As Vegeta clashed with Goku, Babidi gathered enough energy to resurrect Buu.
Meanwhile Goku, still holding back, refrained from using his full power, unwilling to reveal his Super Saiyan 3 form.
Vegeta, consumed by his own delusions, believed he had finally reached Goku's level. The truth, however, was far from it—he was still leagues behind.
The screen shifted again.
A cloud of smoke began to swirl and coalesce, taking shape.
"Boo!"
With a resounding shout, the monstrous Buu appeared, completely unharmed.
The footage of Vegeta's life came to an end.
Rick applauded with emotion.
---
The scene ended, and the TV screen froze.
Morty: "So... Vegeta never actually wins a fight?"
Rick: "Yep, pretty much. He's like the madao of Dragon Ball."
Morty: "Wait, so what happened to Gohan and Goku? Did they die? Who's gonna stop Majin Buu?"
Rick: "Oh, Buu will be back for another round eventually. But don't count on anyone stepping up to stop him. The rest of the fighters? Totally useless by this point."
Morty: "I see... So Gohan and Vegeta are going to have a rematch?"
Rick: "It's a bit more complicated than that. Buu's gonna go through several transformations. Gohan's gonna get some absurd power-up—standard Dragon Ball move—and they'll have a fight. But, of course, Gohan's gonna get cocky and lose."
Morty: "Then what?"
Rick: "Goku and Vegeta will fuse into some new fighter to take him on after Buu absorbs everyone. Then, Buu will transform again, and Goku and Vegeta will face off against him. Vegeta's gonna get absolutely wrecked, nearly dying. Goku, being Goku, will gather energy from the whole universe to launch this giant attack, finally taking Buu down. And in the end, he becomes the hero that Vegeta... well, never will be."
Morty: "And that's how it ends?"
Rick laughs: "Oh, no, no. In the next series, a god shows up to Earth, looking for the Super Saiyan God. He's so powerful that no one can stop him. And, of course, Vegeta's completely useless, so he has to dance to appease the guy. Goku gets a new transformation and puts up a decent fight, which convinces the god not to destroy Earth."
Morty: "That's it?"
Rick: "That's just the beginning. Then things really spiral. A Kai named Zamasu betrays his master, steals the Time Ring, kills the gods, and uses the Super Dragon Balls to wish for Goku's body from another timeline, becoming Goku Black."
Morty: "Wait, hold on. There are gods too? And the Super Dragon Balls are just floating around in space?"
Rick: "Yep. No wonder Zamasu betrayed them. It's a mess."
Morty: "But... how does this even work? Doesn't that mean there are infinite Zamasus, infinite gods, and infinite Super Dragon Balls? What happens if another timeline succeeds in defeating Goku or wishes to take the body of a god? Who stops them then? Whoever designed this system clearly didn't think it through."
Rick: "Morty, the more you think about it, the less it all makes sense. Just sit back, enjoy the 'hype moments,' and the 'aura'—because that's really all this universe is."