Vegeta is the most powerful and feard of all the Saiyans bearing the same name as the planet from which he comes. Cunning, ruthless, and cruel in battle, he enjoys toying with those helpless creatures who dare oppose him. He is a "Super Elitist"-- the highest class of Saiyans. With his and Nappa's strength, he beleives they can conquer the Earth in three days. As the mightiest warrior of the Saiyans, Vegeta has no tolerance for failure and has in fact eliminated his own men for showing weakness in battle. He is leader over Nappa and orders him to do most of the fighting on Earth.
As all Saiyans who still possess their tails, Vegeta metamorphoses into a giant Monkey when he sees the full moon increasing his strength tenfold. This is when a Saiyan is at his full potential.
Arrogant to a fault, Vegeta hates the thought of being weaker than any other creature. Because of that fear, he is constantly training and searching for that extra edge that will keep him on top. He is even more intent on destroying Gohan for Vegeta realizes that the combination of human and Saiyan is stronger than human or Saiyan alone and that thus Gohan is a formidable threat to Vegeta.
Physically smaller than Goku, Vegeta has wild black hair that is pushed back by a receding hairline. Nevertheless he is formidable and can power up to unbeleivable levels destroying entire planets.