More than three decades after Vegito first appeared in the Dragon Ball Z anime, this fusion remains one of the most popular and beloved combinations of the legendary characters Goku and Vegeta.
After Super Buu absorbed Gotenks, Piccolo, and Gohan, Goku had no choice but to fuse with his longtime rival Vegeta. As expected, Vegeta hated the idea of sharing a body with his opponent, but he eventually agreed to defeat the dangerous enemy.
But did you know this iconic fusion almost never existed? Yes, Vegito, born from the Potara earrings fusion between Goku and Vegeta, was actually a last-minute backup plan by creator Akira Toriyama.
Vegito Was Just a Backup Option in Dragon Ball
As fans know, during the Fusion Saga of Dragon Ball Z, after Super Buu became too powerful, Goku and Vegeta fused using the Potara earrings to become Vegito. However, according to Akira Toriyama, this was not the original plan.
In fact, the fusion character in the main manga story was supposed to be called “Gogeta,” not Vegito. Evidence lies in a preview published in Weekly Shonen Jump one week before Vegito’s official debut, which clearly stated that “Gogeta” would appear the following week.
At that time, fans also knew the fusion method would involve the Potara earrings, since both Goku and Vegeta were shown wearing them in the preview images.
Ironically, the original fusion method was intended to be the Fusion Dance. However, Toriyama had to drop this idea because of the Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn movie.
Potara Fusion Came About Because of a Movie
Toei Animation used the idea of Gogeta in the Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn film, a project where Akira Toriyama was consulted. To avoid repeating what was already planned for the movie, Toriyama came up with the idea of the Potara earrings and had Goku and Vegeta use them to become Vegito.
Here is what the Dragon Ball creator said about the Potara fusion:
“Since Fusion was already a key plot point used in one of the movies (Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn), I was wondering what to do. I always draw the Kaiōshin’s earrings, so I thought, ‘Maybe I can use those…’
This unexpected decision not only made Goku and Vegeta become Vegito instead of Gogeta in the main story, but also introduced a completely new fusion method, different from the Fusion Dance.
Interestingly, if the Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn movie hadn’t used the Gogeta concept, Potara Fusion might never have existed. That means Elder Kai would never have had the story of fusing with the Old Witch, Kibito Kai wouldn’t exist, and the later fusion of Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super might never have happened.
Considering how much this concept added new depth and elements to the story, even as a last-minute idea, Dragon Ball fans have a lot to thank Akira Toriyama for creating such a clever and amazing backup plan.