Vejita
Personality | Technique | Roles

Personality

If someone has a strong personality in DragonBall Z, it's Vejita. He is a Saiyan, like Son Gokuh, and is particularly proud of it. He's no ordinary Saiyan, either: he is Prince Vejita, one of the greatest Saiyan warriors of all time (or so he thinks). His self-confidence is very seldom shaken. His first big disappointment is his defeat when he attacked Earth, followed by his humiliation and death against Freeza and by his powerlessness facing Cell. Along the way, he nurtures a huge hatred towards Son Gokuh, an ordinary Saiyan fighter that always seems to be one step ahead of him. Basically, he's envious. He is a Saiyan prince, whose task was to destroy a planet, and he ends up living in it, helping to save it and even marrying (Buruma) and having a son (Trunks). I guess it hurts. I'll confess: Vejita is my favourite character, because he represents the fight between good and evil inside one single person. He has a psychological density no other character has (this is beginning to sound like a literary analysis). He might be arrogant, presumptuous and hard to put up with, but he is a struggler. He never gives up, no matter the odds. And he holds one particular value dearly: honour.
 
Vejita in SSJ

Technique

When Vejita arrives on Earth, he can't yet reach SSJ state. Actually, both Gokuh and Future Trunks accomplish this before him (in order of appearance, not chronologically). He only reaches this superior fighting ability when training for the conflict against Dr. Gero's artificial humans. He reaches SSJ2 during the 7 years period after Cell's death, during which he practises with his son, Trunks (Chibi), although we only witness this in the Gokuh vs. Vejita battle upon the start of the Buu era. 
During the initial attack on Earth, Vejita shows that he had learnt how to control the transformation into Saiyan monster. He was almost unbeatable in this form and he would have destroyed the planet and all the fighters, if his tail hadn't been cut, which took the metamorphosis power away from him. He tried to do the same to Son Gohan before his (Gohan's) transformation, but he was too late and he had to do it afterwards. He could also concentrate (relatively) large amounts of energy upon himself. He could shake the land around him and raise large pieces of rock and earth. This is something that would be common from then on, but it was quite a novelty at that time. 
Vejita's trademark technique is the Big Bang Attack. It is very powerful and consists of a large concentration of energy in the palm of one hand (cf. the KamaHameHa technique), with the correspondent arm stretched, after an initial pointing gesture. Next, well, he shoots a devastating energy ball. Don't try this at home. 
I thinks Vejita's most feared technique, and one in which he is a master since the beginning, is his stone-solid self-confidence, will power and determination. He is a great warrior mostly because of this (personal opinion).

Roles in the major battles

Battle against: Role:
Vejita
Vejita
Vejita was the bad guy here. He came to Earth to destroy it and he would have accomplished it if it weren't for Son Gokuh. Vejita out-skilled any of the fighters, including Gokuh, and only by co-operation between all of them could they have put an end to Vejita's evil mission. Gohan was a big help, too, by unwillingly turning into a Saiyan monster.
Freeza
When Vejita showed up to fight Freeza, he seemed to be a legitimate hope for Piccolo, Kuririn and Son Gohan, but they were mistaken. Freeza didn't react to the initial attacks, and that gave Vejita a (even) greater self-confidence. Yet Freeza quickly turned the battle around and, basically, he kicked Vejita's arse. He tortured and fatally injured Vejita without much effort. Vejita's last words were directed to Gokuh: he made him promise that he would avenge him and the Saiyans.
Cell
Vejita had the chance to kill Cell when he was in his 3rd. evolutionary state, but he was tricked by Cell into letting him reach his perfect form (he would be a real match, then). He was powerless before Perfect Cell, so, in the actual battle, he just defended himself and others from the Cell Jrs. Upon the return of Cell after Gokuh's Shunkan-Idou and the death of Trunks, Vejita attacks Cell and almost gets killed. He survives thanks to Gohan, who injures his left arm to protect him. Vejita apologizes (a first!) and, during the KameHameHa confrontation between Cell and Gohan, he strikes by surprise, enough to allow Gohan to finish the enemy off.
Buu
In Portugal, we haven't finished watching the series, so I can't yet fill in this section, sorry.