Union of Rivals

Super Buu, now carrying Gohan's immense power, gives Goku a five-count to find a fusion partner. Goku mentally runs through his options. He imagines fusing with Dende but realizes that stripping Earth of its guardian would leave the Dragon Balls useless. That leaves Mr. Satan, a man who knows basic martial arts but possesses no ki abilities whatsoever.

Goku steels himself to throw the earring to the World Champion when a familiar energy signature suddenly flickers into existence. Vegeta has returned to the living world, his body preserved by King Yemma's direct intervention. Goku vanishes using Instant Transmission, leaving a bewildered Fortuneteller Baba behind.

Vegeta refuses the Potara on principle. He confronts Goku about concealing his Super Saiyan 3 ability during their battle under Babidi's control, calling it a humiliation he cannot forgive. Goku tries to explain that the circumstances left no room for escalation, but Vegeta would rather die than merge his identity with Kakarot's.

Super Buu arrives and brutally demonstrates why stubbornness is a luxury they cannot afford. He recognizes Vegeta from their earlier encounter and proceeds to pummel both Saiyans simultaneously. Even fighting together as Super Saiyans, Goku and Vegeta are hopelessly outmatched against a Buu who holds the power of Gohan, Gotenks, and Piccolo all at once.

Battered and bleeding, Goku delivers a speech that finally pierces Vegeta's armor. He tells the prince that everyone is gone: Bulma, Krillin, Chi-Chi, all of them killed or absorbed. He reminds Vegeta that they are the last two Saiyans in existence and that clinging to pride means letting their entire race's legacy end in failure. They have a chance to save a planet from the same fate as their homeworld.

The words land. Vegeta, driven not by submission but by the desire to avenge his family, takes the earring and places it on his ear. As Super Buu charges one final attack, a blinding light engulfs the two Saiyans. When it fades, a single warrior stands in their place: Vegito. Episode 268 set the highest viewership rating ever recorded for Dragon Ball Z on Cartoon Network's Toonami.