Contains spoilers of Dragon Ball Super chapter #87
Goku and Vegeta barely had the time to show their most powerful forms, True Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego, before they were already surpassed by a classic Dragon Ball villain, Frieza. In a shocking turn of events, Frieza's Dragon Ball Super return took out Goku and Vegeta with a single blow, despite the Saiyan using their strongest transformations. This could be a sign that Dragon Ball's tried and true formula of constant power-ups is perhaps being overused.
Over the course of Dragon Ball Super, Goku and Vegeta unlocked access to a superior form of power called "god ki", which allowed them to transform into Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue. After training extensively with the God of Destruction Beerus and his Angel Whis, the two fighters unlocked two powerful new forms that are supposed to be the pinnacle of their power, making them similar to their divine masters. From Whis, Goku learned Ultra Instinct, which allows the body to move independently of thought. Vegeta's most powerful form, Ultra Ego, which he learns from Beerus, lets the Prince of Saiyans absorb attacks and turn them into power, making him stronger the more damage he takes. Despite the time and effort spent to learn these techniques, however, both were instantly humiliated by Frieza Black, the new form obtained by the villain.
In Dragon Ball Super chapter #87, by Toyotarou and Akira Toriyama, Frieza unexpectedly arrives on Planet Cereal, just when the battle between Goku, Vegeta, Granolah, and the strongest warrior in the universe, Gas, is about to conclude. To everyone's surprise, Frieza easily kills Gas, who proved to be more powerful than both Goku and Vegeta after expressing a wish to the Dragon Balls. Frieza then notices the two Saiyan and transforms into his new form, Black Frieza. Goku and Vegeta immediately activate Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego to defend themselves, but it's to no avail. With a simple punch to the stomach, Black Frieza takes them both out, and even spares their lives to show his contempt.
The reason behind Frieza's new absurd power-up is that he found a Hyperbolic Time Chamber, a pocket dimension where time flows faster than in the outside world, which can be exploited to train extensively in a short time. Frieza trained for ten years, which made him immensely stronger than Goku and Vegeta because of his prodigious natural talent, which he never nurtured before. Despite the explanation making sense, however, it still seems that the series just wasted Goku and Vegeta's evolution for the sake of shock value. Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego were Dragon Ball Super's most appreciated features because they are more than simple power level increases. Each form comes with unique abilities that perfectly suit its respective user and, due to their divine origins, they teased a future evolution of Goku and Vegeta into the Angel and God of Destruction of Universe 7. Having them beaten so easily seems like a waste of potential.
Hopefully, Ultra Ego and Ultra Instinct will not simply be replaced by the next power-up. Goku has recently reached a new understanding of Ultra Instinct, adding his own unique spin to the technique and hinting at the fact that he has just begun to scratch the surface of its potential. If that's the case, the next Dragon Ball Super arc will see Goku and Vegeta enter some gruesome training regime to master their new forms and have a chance at beating Frieza when the villain will show up again.
Read the latest chapter of Dragon Ball Super now on Viz Media's Shonen Jump app!