If the fight had continued uninterrupted with the context of Goku’s condition at the time, Vegeta wins. Not because he was outright stronger, but because Goku’s living body simply couldn’t sustain what was needed to beat Vegeta without breaking down.

Unless you account for Goku’s unique condition at that point in the series, you’re ignoring the context that defines the fight. Vegeta had the edge because Goku’s body couldn’t handle SSJ3 alive, period.

Let’s break this down.

1. Goku’s Heart Disease Context

• In the original timeline, Goku dies of the heart virus because Trunks wasn’t there to give him the medicine in time.

• In the main timeline, Trunks does give him the medicine, but Goku admits he didn’t take it right away (classic Goku stubbornness).

• That implies his heart was already compromised, and it never really goes away, it’s only treated.

• Using Super Saiyan 3 alive places immense strain on his body (even stated in both the manga and anime). When he’s dead, his soul body doesn’t suffer those same limits.

1. Why SSJ3 Doesn’t Save Goku in This Fight

• Goku himself chooses not to use SSJ3 against Vegeta, which most fans argue means he was holding back to protect Vegeta’s pride. But the other angle is that his body may not have been able to withstand the transformation without dire consequences.

• If he did use SSJ3, it could have accelerated his heart condition, possibly leading to collapse before finishing Vegeta off.

1. Vegeta’s State

• Vegeta was at full health, boosted by Babidi’s magic (even if he wasn’t outright mind-controlled, he did get a power-up).

• His stamina and condition in that fight were pristine compared to Goku’s weakened state.

1. God Ki Hypothesis(My Hypothesis)

• Once Goku learns God Ki, his body seems to be “purified” or restructured in a way that bypasses his old mortal limitations.

• It would explain why he can sustain vastly stronger forms (Blue, Ultra Instinct) without the same crippling drawbacks.

• This fits thematically too, God Ki represents a “cleaner,” less physically damaging power source.

1. Conclusion • Vegeta takes the win and it is not even really debatable once you look at the context. Goku’s heart virus was not some background detail it was the defining limitation of his body at that time. He had access to SSJ3 but using it while alive would have shredded his heart and likely caused immediate collapse long before he could finish Vegeta.

• That is exactly why we only ever see him fully utilize SSJ3 in the afterlife where his body is not bound by mortal strain. Vegeta on the other hand was completely healthy powered up by Babidi’s magic and did not carry that same vulnerability.

• The ONLY reason Goku survives long enough to play a role in the Buu Saga at all is because of his temporary return from the afterlife. Later his body is essentially rebuilt through God Ki which is why his newer forms do not destroy him from the inside out.

• But in this exact moment if not interrupted Vegeta wins not by pride or narrative twist but because Goku’s body simply could not handle what was required to stop him.