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Of all the transformations that have been introduced in theDragon Ballfranchise, few are remembered as fondly as Ultra Instinct. In truth, this isn’t as much a transformation as it is a technique, one that is inherent to the Angels of the multiverse who are able to use it at all times with incredible precision. However, when used by mortals, Ultra Instinct seems to take more of a transformation role, at least when Goku uses it.
Despite getting off to a shaky start with it, Goku would eventually master this legendary technique, which is a feat so spectacular thateven the Gods of Destruction, over millions of years, haven’t been able to pull it off. However, despite Ultra Instinct’s viability and overall strength, there is one glaring issue with the state that Goku must master before he can hope to take on the greatest threats thatDragon Ball’smultiverse has to offer.
The Many Versions Of Ultra Instinct
First Appearance
Dragon Ball Super, Episode 110, “Goku Enkindled! The Awakened One’s New Ultra Instinct!”
Story Arc
Tournament of Power
Although the form was officially given a name far later on, the first instance of Ultra Instinct withinDragon Ballwas in the first few episodes ofSuper. As Goku is fighting Beerus on King Kai’s planet, he quickly finds that he has never been as outclassed against an opponent as he is against this mysterious villain,even in his Super Saiyan 3 form. At one point, Goku charges Beerus, but his body automatically steps back.
This piques the Destroyer’s interest, with Beerus even asking if Goku is some sort of fighting genius that his body would just evade danger on its own. Although this went under everyone’s radar at that point, fans would eventually find that this was Ultra Instinct, the inherent Divine Technique of the Angels that essentially allows their body to evade danger on its own without them having to spend even the tiniest of instances to think about doing so. This proved to be the greatest defensive technique in the entire franchise.
Eventually, Goku awoke Ultra Instinct within himself, briefly becoming the single most powerful mortal in the multiverse in the process. However, his degree of accuracy with it when compared to that of the Angels differed greatly, which is wherethe biggest flaw of Ultra Instinctcomes in, which is that it is not only difficult to use, but is also insanely tricky to master. Of course, this is a given, due to it being the ultimate defensive technique in the multiverse used only by the strongest beings.
However, it’s incredibly confusing for a mortal to use, which can be seen with the entire progression that Goku has had with it so far. He started with Ultra Instinct Omen and later unlocked the full version in the Tournament of Power, then he would briefly lose the ability to use it after this arc ended. Following this, the Moro arc showed that he needed to perfect it, leading to the Perfected Ultra Instinct, which everyone thought to be the greatest version of this technique.
Power comes in response to a need, not a desire. You have to create that need.
However, the Granolah arc would only throw more confusion into the mix, since Whis explained that the most accurate version that Goku could use was when he used it as a technique in his Super Saiyan God forms rather than an entirely new transformation. However, this was a short-lived detail, as Goku would surpass this againwhen using Perfected Ultra Instinctagainst the titular antagonist of the arc, and the detail of the form being most accurate in the Super Saiyan God forms was never mentioned again.
As if all of this wasn’t bad enough, the Granolah arc saw yet another addition to his line of Ultra Instinct with True Ultra Instinct, which was a version of the form that was even stronger than the ones before, as it allowed Goku to use his Saiyan powers along with the technique itself. This shows that there is a lot of confusion when it comes to Ultra Instinct and that Goku still has a very long way to go before he can master it completely.
How The Series Can Fix This Problem For Goku In The Future
The Solution
Keeping all of this in mind, the best place for the series to go in the future regarding Ultra Instinct is by having the ‘True’ version that Goku used at theend of the Granolah arc against Gasbe the strongest. It has been established that the Angels have a natural affinity for this technique, so it would make sense that a regular mortal wouldn’t be able to use it the same way as they could.
Perfected Ultra Instinct seems to discard Goku’s emotions and Saiyan powers, which may not be the most ideal way for the Saiyan to fight. So, by mixing the incredible abilities of this Divine Technique with the awesome powers of the Saiyans, which allow them to get even stronger the more they fight, it could create the perfect form for Goku to use and perfect for himself.
