Over the years, Dragon Ball's star protagonist, Goku, has seen some wild transformations that propel his power far beyond the expected, usually accompanied by a slick new hairdo. Much to Vegeta's dismay, it seems that every time he or another character comes close to surpassing Goku in power, Goku experiences another awesome transformation that leaves everyone else in the dust.
Continuing the tradition in Dragon Ball Super, Goku's latest form is by far his most powerful to date, marked by silver eyes and blindingly white locks. As this new form diverges from the sequence of normal Super Saiyan transformations, fans naturally have questions. To that end, here's everything to know about Goku's Ultra Instinct form
10. Goku Tapped Into It By Necessity, Not Will
Goku's method of activating Ultra Instinct is closely reminiscent of the way most Super Saiyan transformations happen, for example, Gohan's ascension to Super Saiyan 2 during the Cell Saga. Only after witnessing the death of Android 16 and the brutalization of his family and friends by Cell and the Cell Juniors, Gohan's inner monologue remarks that he can "feel it slipping," before launching into the transformation that eventually brings down Cell.
Similarly, Goku's desperate struggle to survive against Jiren is what allows him to shatter his "self-limiting shells," and activate the initial Ultra Instinct -Sign- form. Goku is eventually able to complete the Ultra Instinct form, but initially, it's his Spirit Bomb, which Jiren essentially turns into a black hole, that acts as a trigger for Goku to snap and ascend to his Ultra Instinct -Sign- form.
9. Ultra Instinct -Sign- Is Purely Defensive
Ultra Instinct may very well be Goku's ultimate form, but it's preceded by an unstable, far less capable form known as Ultra Instinct -Sign-. When Goku first succumbs to Ultra Instinct -Sign- at the brink of death by Jiren, he's able to match Jiren's ferocious attacks with swift dodging abilities.
However, it isn't until he's able to achieve the complete Ultra Instinct form that he begins experiencing the offensive benefits of his elevated form. The Ultra Instinct -Sign- form also differs from the final Ultra Instinct form aesthetically, with Goku sporting a slightly disheveled, dark silver shock of hair compared to Ultra Instinct's definitively white-haired characteristic.
8. Vegeta Is Unlikely To Ever Achieve Ultra Instinct
Perhaps Vegeta's primary motivator throughout Dragon Ball is his jealousy toward Goku's superior fighting abilities and power. Vegeta's own ascension through the Super Saiyan ranks generally trails Goku's, however, Ultra Instinct might be where the buck stops for poor old Vegeta.
Nevermind that Ultra Instinct is an elevated state even the gods of Dragon Ball Super have trouble achieving, it's Vegeta's very nature as a fighter that holds him back in this case. The angel Whis explains to Goku and Vegeta that reaching Ultra Instinct is extremely challenging and requires completely emptying the mind of thought and relying on pure impulse. Singling out Vegeta specifically, Whis advises, "You two are still thinking before you move, rather than just moving. I'm afraid this habit is especially strong with you, Vegeta". As it stands, Goku is the only known mortal with the ability to achieve Ultra Instinct. Vegeta likely needs work before he can match Kakarot.
7. Ultra Instinct's Japanese Name Was Hard To Translate Into English
The name Ultra Instinct may come off as a generic term without a ton of thought behind it, but the form's original Japanese name has a lot more going on. Migatte no Gokui can be interpreted a number of ways, although none of them directly translate to anything near "Ultra Instinct."
Breaking it down, migatte means selfishness colloquially, while gokui equates to the masterful, secret teachings of an art or skill. So, out of context, a Japanese speaker might assume the phrase has something to do with mastering selfishness. However, with proper context, the name for Ultra Instinct roughly translates to "mastery of the body moving independently." That doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, so Ultra Instinct was used in its place for the English version.
6. It's Unclear If Goku Can Ever Use It Again
Near the end of Dragon Ball Super, Goku explains to Vegeta that he is no longer able to reach the Ultra Instinct form, surmising that he mistakenly transformed after being pushed past his limits by Jiren. This is different from the way every other transformation occurs, in which the characters are able to quickly learn how to activate their improved forms at will.
Although, Ultra Instinct is very clearly a separate transformation from the Super Saiyan forms, so it's unsurprising that it follows different rules. Depending on what happens next for the Dragon Ball franchise, this could very well be the end of the Ultra Instinct form.
5. It Has Its Flaws
Sure, Ultra Instinct has Goku in what is by far his most powerful form, but it's far from perfect. As mentioned earlier, it isn't a form that Goku can switch into voluntarily, meaning it's only viable as a last-ditch effort in catastrophic situations. Even worse, Ultra Instinct simply isn't sustainable. Beyond a minute or two in that form, Goku's body begins to suffer the effects of centralizing all that power, resulting in painful shocks of dark ki and ultimately, the loss of consciousness.
Whis even mentions at one point that spending too much time in the Ultra Instinct form can inflict fatal damage on the fighter's body - not good at all when the whole world is depending on you to save them.
4. Master Roshi Might Be Able To Reach Ultra Instinct
Indeed, Goku is the only known mortal able to transform into the Ultra Instinct form, but it's hinted at in the manga that Master Roshi may be another who can harness its great power. To the astonishment of the spectating mortals and gods, Roshi is able to block and dodge a flurry of attacks from Jiren, before ultimately being defeated.
Even though he didn't win, Roshi gives Goku a masterclass in utilizing skill and dexterity over raw power, a lesson Goku seems to heed when he first achieves Ultra Instinct -Sign- and displays incredible speed and dodging abilities. This is far from confirmation that Master Roshi has mastered Ultra Instinct, but it's definitely peculiar that he manages to hold his own against someone he has no business fighting in the first place.
3. It Might Have Origins In Real-Life Philosophy
It's, ahem, unlikely any real-life human would ever possess the ability to destroy entire universes in a feat of supernatural power, but there might be something more to Ultra Instinct than Dragon Ball Super lets on. The legendary martial artist Bruce Lee has spoken about an opportunistic fighting technique that relies on instinct and reflexes to act without thinking beforehand. His words bear a striking resemblance to Goku's fighting style during his fight with Jiren while in his Ultra Instinct form. In the "Lost Interview" with Pierre Berton, Lee phrases it best: "When the opponent expands, I contract. When he contracts, I expand. And, when there is an opportunity, I do not hit - it hits all by itself."
Separate from Bruce Lee, the principles of the Ultra Instinct form appear to mimic the Mushin mental state practiced in Zao and Daoist meditation and martial arts. The technique seeks to unburden the performer from mental inhibitors such as anger and ego by displacing analysis with instinctual movement and intuition.
2. Ultra Instinct Is Featured In Dragon Ball Video Games
Ultra Instinct is used to great effect in Dragon Ball Super in Goku's fight against Jiren in the Tournament of Power. However, as it turns out, Dragon Ball Super isn't the only place fans can witness Goku using Ultra Instinct to punish his enemies with god-like strength. In the Japanese trading card arcade game Dragon Ball Heroes, Ultra Instinct -Sign- is featured as Goku's super move.
Elsewhere, in Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Ultra Instinct Goku is a playable character patched via a paid DLC pack Finally, Ultra Instinct -Sign- Goku appears in the free-to-play mobile game Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle.
1. Anyone Can Achieve Ultra Instinct
While the Super Saiyan form is obviously limited to Saiyans, Ultra Instinct is theoretically feasible to anyone - yes, even Yamcha. After all, Ultra Instinct isn't technically a transformation into a new form, but rather a technique or state of mind which requires incredible discipline and concentration. In fact, it doesn't appear that Ultra Instinct even requires any specific level of power, but rather the right mentality.
The fact that Ultra Instinct is limited to neither Saiyans nor immortals proves that within the laws of Dragon Ball Super's universe, there's nothing stopping Yamcha, Krillin, Chi-Chi, and Hercule from reaching Ultra Instinct through sheer will and desperation.