Vegeta was introduced as a an aggressive, cold, merciless and unrepentant villain, as he would destroy anything or anyone without a second thought, mostly due to his Saiyan nature.

Vegeta is largely characterized by his immense pride (stemming from his royalty among the Saiyan ranks), refusing to be bested by opponents who are lower than him in terms of fighting strength (when he fights Gokū). It has helped and harmed him in countless battles, such as his fight with Dodoria and Zarbon, Android 19 & later 18 after attaining his Super Saiyan form, and the time he lets Cell in his second form reach his Developed Form. It's that reason he has a hard time showing his feelings, and also because of that pride, he aims the to be the strongest warrior in the universe.

Befitting his nature, Vegeta uses the personal pronoun 'ore' (俺), a masculine pronoun that can sound arrogant, suiting Vegeta's proud personality. There also are moments where Vegeta slips into the use of 'ore-sama' (俺様), an exceedingly arrogant variation of 'ore'.

Vegeta is very serious and intelligent (though his pride can cloud his better judgement). He a determined fighter who undergoes hard training, pushing past his limits to achieve results, to this end is the reason he desires to surpass Gokū.

Despite his antipathy towards others, Vegeta does in fact have a caring side; he loved his father dearly and followed Freeza's orders so his father wouldn't be killed. As a father and husband, Vegeta initially showed little care for Bulma and their son Trunks. Even refusing to save them when Doctor Gero tried to kill them to cause a distraction. After his son's future counterpart was killed by Cell, Vegeta showed fatherly instincts for the very first time and assaulted the android. This greatly shocked his wife's future counterpart, who never saw that side of him. Afterwards, he took a more active role in raising his present son, often training him and motivating him to train even if his son doesn't want to.