Vegeta…as voiced by…Ryō Horikawa

I barely had one at all. I thought he’d appear for two or three episodes, then go out in a blaze of glory. (laughs) But instead, he started to appear more and more frequently, and before I knew it, I’d become a regular… (laughs) So it wasn’t until I became a regular that I first thought, “Vegeta’s this kind of guy,” and worked on making the role.

There wasn’t. I think Toriyama-sensei probably established that while he was going along. Suddenly, I had become a prince, and moreover, I would come to call Earth home. (laughs)

There was; even being another evil character, I didn’t want to be diluted. I didn’t want to become just a thug. So I took care with my choice of words. I’d deliberately avoid the use of “temē!“¹, for example. No matter how much I flew off the handle, I’d use “kisama!“² For Goku to be effective as an ally of justice, there needs to be an evil equally as profound. That way, it’ll be a story of solid contrasts, right? So the only thing I really tried to avoid was being cheapened.

I enjoy betraying [expectations] like that, in both the good and the bad sense. Among the various works I’ve done, be it a bit abstract, or a manly-man, or a hot-blooded youth… as an actor, being able to do a variety of different things allows me to feel a sort of catharsis. It’s quite enjoyable.

I didn’t audition; I was contacted, and then I was set to do the part, just like that. As the one who was chosen, I don’t really know the reason behind it. (laughs)

It changed quite a bit. He gradually became more and more adult. When he first appeared, he was really childish, but he really seemed to become an adult from Freeza onwards.

The feeling really changes. So even if I wasn’t aware of it, I definitely think my approach to doing the character changed.

When he fought with Majin Boo, he even said “Take good care of your mother” after knocking out Trunks. I remember thinking, “Vegeta is a villain no longer!” (laughs)

Well, I think it’s interesting. I think it’s nice that you can see more and more of this unexpected side. I feel that, to begin with, there’s no such thing as an absolute character. Depending on the environment or the people they’re with, people change, don’t they? So I think it’s only natural that he’d undergo a psychological transformation.

Well, this is true in general, but the more you play a villain, the more fun you have. The bit that you play becomes cuter. Vegeta is something of a prodigy, who hardly knows defeat. Then he comes to earth, squares off against Son Goku, and for the first time, he loses. His tenacity in clawing his way back up from that is where I think he shows he’s not just some pampered child. He may be on the wrong side, but I think the sort of energy he has is incredible. Looking at it that way, I gradually began to enjoy it more, and wanted to make the evil even mightier. (laughs)

At first, it was absolute hatred, but along the way, I think it came to turn into respect. Though I think with his sort of personality, he wouldn’t actually be able to say it. (laughs) He had looked down on [Goku] as a low-class warrior, but he keeps getting shown up by him; because of that, I think there’s something that awakens in him. Vegeta is always fighting, not with Goku, but with himself. It’s a fight to raise his own upper limits, and I think he has a great deal of pride in the true sense of the word.

Goku and Vegeta’s fusion, Vegetto; I had to speak at the exact same time as Goku’s voice actress, Masako Nozawa-san. At first, I was unsure whether I’d be able to do it, but it went surprisingly smoothly. The only things we decided in advance were the spots where we should breathe.

Really, it was almost mystical in how we made it through without a single flub. Granted, I’m singing my own praises here. (laughs) We could have gone with having one of us record their lines, then the other person match them, but we simply didn’t have the time. (laughs) We thought we’d just go ahead and try it, and when we did, it was a complete success! Normally, I’d think we wouldn’t line up.

It is. I think that was a big part of it.

The scene where, while watching Goku fight Majin Boo, he reflects on various things. He even told Goku, “You’re Number One.”³ I really think the fact that he had come to be able to acknowledge someone else represented growth for Vegeta. Also, the scene where he tells Goku to “avenge [the Saiyan race],” after Freeza beats him to a bloody pulp.⁴ That part.

I really did! “This is the finale,” I thought. And yet, on top of coming back to life, he came to Earth, and even had kids. (laughs)

Man, that came out of nowhere! There was no process about it; it was so sudden. So there’s no real connection with that inside me. It would have been nice if they’d told at least a little bit of that story, though.

To have continued on this long, in my mind, it’s my life’s work. Even though the show ended, it doesn’t feel like it’s over. I think we all feel this way, but if we were told, “All right, we’re going to do it again,” I have a feeling we’d all get together right then and there and get back in the studio. I get the sense that it’s just that deeply ingrained into our bodies.

Everything! As an actor, what sort of work you’re going to run across is a really big thing. Because of that, I think the very fact that I was able to come across a title as big as Dragon Ball is a huge plus. Really, the only thing I can say is that I’m grateful.

It was an incredible honor being able to participate in a work that continued on for so long. Please continue to love and watch Dragon Ball from here on out! Perhaps, with that passion once again spreading throughout Japan, a new series will come out. And if that happens, I think I might be able to reprise my role, so please show your support. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!⁵