(Tale 204)

The two learn of the Dragon Balls from Raditz, who was defeated by Goku and Piccolo, and have now come to invade Earth and obtain eternal life.

(Tale 204)

Piccolo, Gohan, and other warriors of Earth arrive to face off against the two Saiyans.
Although Nappa is eager to fight, Vegeta orders him to stand down and decides to allow for a grace period of three hours while they await Goku's arrival.

(Tale 219)

Three hours pass with no sign of Goku, and Nappa resumes his assault. Soon after Piccolo's defeat, Goku arrives, stunning Nappa and Vegeta with his Power Level reading.

(Tale 224)

Goku takes out Nappa, and Vegeta takes his place as Goku's opponent.
He tells Goku, "You should be honored, you know... A bottom-tier boy like you hardly ever gets a chance to play with an elite warrior like me..." He shows that this is no mere boast by easily deflecting attacks from Goku, who has powered up with the Kaio-Ken, then making the air itself vibrate with the force of his Ki before going on the attack.

(Tale 228)

(Tale 229)

His pride injured by Goku's counterattack using Kaio-Ken: Kaio-Ken Times Three, the enraged Vegeta snarls, "Prepare to die with this world you love!!!!!" as he fires off his signature move, the Galick Gun. However, Goku is able to deflect this attack with Kaio-Ken: Kaio-Ken Times Four and a Kamehameha of his own.

(Tale 230)

(Tale 231)

Now even more infuriated, Vegeta uses his Power Ball to create a small, artificial full moon. This causes him to transform into a Great Ape and unleash a rampaging assault on Goku.
Although he prevents Goku from using the Genki-Dama and then attempts to crush him in his fists, a surprise attack by Yajirobe severs his tail, returning him to his normal form.

(Tale 235)

Gohan arrives to help his father and keeps Vegeta busy while Goku prepares another Genki-Dama. With Gohan and Krillin's help, he is able to land a hit on Vegeta this time, inflicting serious injuries on the Saiyan prince.

(Tale 238)

Vegeta attempts to finish off Gohan with his remaining strength, but he is sliced across the back by Yajirobe. On top of that, upon catching sight of the small full moon Vegeta had created earlier with his Power Ball, Gohan's Great Ape Transformation takes over.

(Tale 239)

(Tale 240)

Vegeta manages to cut off Gohan's tail and appears to be in the clear, but as Gohan falls to the ground, Vegeta finds himself flattened under the Great Ape's ponderous weight.

(Tale 240)

Krillin is prepared to deal the finishing blow, but is stopped by Goku, who hopes for a rematch someday when the two have grown even stronger. Vegeta takes his chance and makes his escape from Earth.

(Tale 241)

First Appearance

"Dragon Ball" Tale 204

Family

King Vegeta

Techniques

Galick Gun
In this technique, all the Ki in one's body is condensed and then fired from the palms of one's hands. It's very similar to the Kamehameha but has a distinctive stance in which the user seems to be pushing Ki forward with their palms.

Power Ball
By mixing with the oxygen in a planet's atmosphere, this technique creates an artificial miniature full moon that reflects over 17 million Zeno. Only select Saiyans can use this technique, which allows them to perform a Great Ape Transformation when a natural full moon is unavailable.

Trivia

Friend or foe, Vegeta shows no mercy!

Vegeta has a cruel streak to him, and even his allies are not safe. We see him blasting a Saibaiman who failed to take its opponent seriously and even disintegrating his companion Nappa with a cold "What good are you if you cannot fight?!!"

(Tale 227)

→Preview: Scroll down to the comments for a hint about who next week's character will be!

*All images are from the Japanese version.