Spoilers for Dragon Ball Super Chapter 86 ahead!
The battle with Gas and the Heeters in Dragon Ball Super has come to an end in a classically Dragon Ball way by introducing a new power for Goku. This time, however, it's a lot more than just a new hairstyle--it may well be the most unique power in any Z Fighter's repertoire.
The fight against the Heeters, and Gas in particular, had been running for several chapters now, interspersed with some flashbacks to Goku's father Bardock and his own time on Planet Cereal. As it turns out, Bardock not only fought Gas then, but managed to defeat him, although the recording of the event didn't include the "how" part. Still, the recording inspired Goku and Vegeta to get back out there and fight, and even the unconscious and slowly recovering Granolah heard enough of the video to realize his vengeance didn't need to be aimed at the Saiyans.
Chapter 86 opens with Goku and Gas mid-fight, with the latter's full power on display, including liberal use of his Green Lantern-style energy constructs. Granolah awakened and arrived to help, powering up a single shot to end this while Goku kept the wish-enhanced villain at bay. The Heeters' leader Elec dismisses the notion, as the amount of energy needed to defeat Gas in a single shot would also be enough to destroy the planet, which was also home to millions of innocent people. Goku's solution is the obvious one: to launch Gas high enough in the air that any blowback from the shot won't pose a threat to the ground. To accomplish this, Goku suddenly projected a massive image of himself, which picked up Gas and threw him at full strength into the upper atmosphere.
As a series mostly known for lightspeed-paced martial arts, this new ability marks yet another divergence from even Goku's ki-based energy attacks. The exact nature of this power-up isn't quite clear yet; Goku was lying on the ground when it activated, and his hair briefly flashed as if Ultra Instinct activated, so it may simply be a new facet of Ultra Instinct. It's also possible that Goku picked this up from Gas as they were fighting; after all, the energy constructs he used were often gigantic, such as in the panel where he created massive energy "shoes" from the beginning of the chapter. It could be both, with Ultra Instinct allowing Goku to not only learn from but even copy abilities from his opponents. Whatever the case, if Goku can create a kaiju-sized form of pure energy at will, this may be a game changer for the series. And, while it seems unlikely, there's always the chance that this is the same technique Bardock used to win.
Given that the series is coming up on its 40th anniversary (in 2024), big changes to what characters can do are certainly one way to help keep Dragon Ball Super feeling fresh. Goku will definitely have some questions about this new power in the coming chapters, but for now at least, the threat is neutralized.
The latest chapter of Dragon Ball Super is now available on Viz Media's Shonen Jump app!