One of the things I found most interesting about Vegeta was how much he opened up, not only to family, but to strangers. That’s highlighted in his interactions with a young Saiyan from a different universe named Cabba. Cabba was a powerful yet respectful, good-natured boy that lacked the warrior instinct and pride Vegeta thought defined a Saiyan. So even though they were from different universes, Vegeta, as the prince of Saiyans, accepted it as his responsibility to see to it that they thrived on their planet, that they’re able to protect themselves and avoid the fate that befell Planet Vegeta. When Cabba realized that Vegeta was being cruel to be kind, this is after Vegeta triggered him by threatening to destroy his planet, he gained a new level of respect for Vegeta to the point where he started calling him “master”, placing himself in a position to be mentored by him. The biggest surprise was that Vegeta, in his usual tsundere way, didn’t seem to mind, and even went on to form a bond with the boy.
Vegeta used the small amount of time they had, since they met at a fighting tournament so were basically opponents, to push and teach Cabba. He respected Cabba enough to not go easy on him, something the boy appreciated.
Not only did Vegeta teach him to fight, but he gave him words of advice that would serve him throughout his life as a warrior and protector of the innocent.
I know some of you are thinking "this is Husbando Wars, what’s all that fighting got to do with anything?" Well it’s simple. It highlights the big heart Vegeta tries to hide. The way he behaves sometimes makes people question what a beautiful, smart woman like Bulma sees in him. He can be rude, abrupt, sometimes downright cruel, and as these are the reactions that come easiest to him, considering he spent most of his life fighting just to survive, it can be all people allow themselves to see. But he could have just ignored Cabba. They were technically enemies in a tournament where the rules were that the loser and their planet gets erased, as in everyone from the losing planet would die. Cabba was a stranger from another universe. Someone he would never have to see again. Someone who meant absolutely nothing to him. But he saw the warrior in the boy. He saw the potential that Cabba himself couldn’t see because he didn’t know it existed. Vegeta took his own experiences and resolved that he would do everything he could do to help someone else not suffer a similar fate.
Cabba couldn't help but idolize Vegeta, his admiration sometimes to the point of overwhelming. For me personally, that helped soften me more towards Vegeta, to the point he actually became my favorite character. He's a good man, even if you have to squint to see it sometimes
He's also a devoted family man, something I will highlight in my following post
coming soon!