Vegeta (ベジータ, Bejīta, or Prince Vegeta) is a fictional character in the Dragon Ball franchise created by manga artist Akira Toriyama. Vegeta first appeared in the manga series in volume 17, or Dragon Ball Z, episode 6 of the anime adaptation as the series' primary antagonist. In the series, Vegeta was born on the fictional planet also called Vegeta, and is the prince to a nearly extinct extraterrestrial warrior race called the Saiyans. Being evil at his introduction, Vegeta soon finds refuge on Earth and reluctantly assists the series' protagonists in saving the Earth from threats. Vegeta's role for most of the series is primarily to be a rival of the series' main protagonist Son Goku, however he slowly progresses into one of Goku's allies and friends.