In the latest chapters of Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta has begun to unlock the full power of a God of Destruction by achieving an all-new form known as Ultra Ego, however, the series teased Vegeta’s ultimate upgrade long before anyone realized–linking it to his most shocking victory.
After Lord Beerus, the God of Destruction for the 7th universe, and his angel companion Whis made their presence known to the Z Fighter, Goku and Vegeta followed them to their home world in the hopes they would train them in the ways of god-tier techniques. As always, Goku was able to unlock the god-like power Whis showed him by achieving Ultra Instinct in the Tournament of Power. What fans may not have noticed, however, is at the same time Vegeta also broke his own personal barrier and unwittingly unlocked a power that he didn’t even know was possible.
In Dragon Ball Super Chapter 40 by Akira Toriyama and Toyotarou, Goku unlocks Ultra Instinct for the first time while battling Jiren in the Tournament of Power. Meanwhile, Vegeta is fighting against a challenger named Toppo, who is being trained by his universe’s God of Destruction to become a Destroyer God in his place. When Vegeta sees Goku unlocking Ultra Instinct, as previously the two were working on mastering that technique together, the Saiyan Prince becomes enraged and releases an intense burst of energy, one that is strong enough to knock Toppo out of the ring–leading to his elimination.
By complete accident–which added a level of shock value to the victory–Vegeta harnesses enough power to defeat a fighter who is channeling Destroyer energy. This feat of unbelievable strength is the first clue to Vegeta’s ultimate upgrade. After the Tournament of Power, Vegeta and Goku go back to training with Beerus and Whis, except Vegeta is no longer interested in harnessing the angelic power of Ultra Instinct and instead decides to fully commit himself to the tutelage of Lord Beerus and learn how to use Destroyer energy deliberately.
While it isn’t expressly said that Vegeta tapped into the god-like power of a Destroyer to knock Toppo out of the ring during the Tournament of Power, the fact that he was strong enough to do that to someone who has the power of a God of Destruction means that Vegeta was capable of harnessing that power as well. With this win, which took place well before Vegeta began his Destruction training with Beerus, Dragon Ball Super teased Vegeta’s Ultra Ego long before anyone realized.