Ultra Instinct Transformation - Dragon Ball
Autonomous Ultra Instinct (often simply called Ultra Instinct) is an extremely powerful, yet insanely difficult ability to master that requires its user’s mind to be completely devoid of thought. This essentially separates the user’s consciousness from their body and allows it to move on pure instinct rather than calculated dodges and attacks. Very few characters are able to use this ability, even in its imperfect form.
History
Akira Toriyama, the original creator of Dragon Ball and the designer of the transformation, mentions that the design and its name was finalized after the Universe Survival Arc had been fully planned out. Its design may have been influenced by Toriyama’s original desire to have Super Saiyan Blue’s hair be white. Very few people have been able to use this ability, two of which are Whis and Beerus, though the latter still hasn’t perfected the ability. As such, Goku is the first known mortal to have fully mastered Ultra Instinct. It seems that Master Roshi also has an ability that acts similarly to Ultra Instinct due to his experience with martial arts, though this may be considered a separate technique.
Transformation
As shown by Goku, it appears that there are two distinct stages that Ultra Instinct can take. There is the incomplete form (sometimes called Ultra Instinct -Sign-) and its perfected form. Although Whis and Beerus don’t show any physical changes when using Ultra Instinct, it appears that Goku is unique in that his aura, eyes, and hair all change after transforming. In its incomplete form, Goku’s eyes turn silver and he releases a shimmering aura comprised of various shades of silver, purple, and blue. In the mastered version of Ultra Instinct, his hair turns completely silver and the aura becomes even more complex by including red and magenta in addition to the colors mentioned previously. In the manga, this transformation also slims its user down, much like it does when they transform into a Super Saiyan God, though this change is omitted in the anime adaptation. After Goku first transforms into the imperfect version of Ultra Instinct, his facial expressions turn stern, but not angry. On the other hand, after mastering the form, his face shows an incredibly focused, but calmer expression.
In both the -Sign- and Perfect versions of Ultra Instinct, its user gains an unbelievable amount of power and becomes capable of automatically dodging enemy attacks, even if they are unaware of them. This ability is great for dodging and defense, but can be much more difficult to use for strategic fighters, as they tend to think about their attacks. This is something that could immediately cause the transformation to dissipate, as it requires the user’s mind to be completely devoid of thought. In the anime, Whis notes that it would be much harder for Vegeta to attain this form due to his nature to fight battles strategically. According to Whis, there must also be a trigger to activate the transformation. In Goku’s case, it was first being hit by his own Spirit Bomb after Jiren managed to repel it back at him.
Although it gives its user immense power and speed, there are several drawbacks to using Ultra Instinct. Most noteworthy is likely the insane amount of discipline and time it can take to simply gain access to the -Sign- version of Ultra Instinct. To put things in perspective, the God of Destruction Beerus has trained with Whis for hundreds of millions of years and still hasn’t fully mastered the technique. That said, it appears the angelic assistants like Whis seem to be capable of learning Ultra Instinct with relative ease. Another major drawback regarding Ultra Instinct is the toll it can take on its user’s body. Much like the Kaio-ken technique, Ultra Instinct places a great deal of stress on its user if they are not trained to harness its power correctly. In exchange, however, it gives them great strength. As it was Goku’s first time using the transformation, he quickly pushed his body way past its limits and ended up writhing in pain before falling unconscious.
Video Game Appearances
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2: Goku appears in both Ultra Instinct forms as a part of the second Extra Pack DLC. He uses the form if the player’s character chooses Goku as their master and sides with the character Fu.
Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Goku uses Ultra Instinct once again after being overpowered by Super Saiyan 3 Cumber, eventually defeating him with it.
Dragon Ball: Dokkan Battle: Ultra Instinct -Sign- Goku can transform into the mastered version of the technique in this game as long as his HP drops below a certain point. If the player chooses to do this, the character becomes much stronger, can possibly avoid enemy attacks, and can break through an opponent’s defenses. In exchange, however, he loses the defense buff normally granted by Ultra Instinct -Sign-.
Dragon Ball FighterZ: Ultra Instinct Goku is currently scheduled to be added to Dragon Ball FighterZ as a DLC fighter in the third “FighterZ Pass”. Although no specific release date has been given for the fighter as of February 2020, but he is scheduled to be added sometime in Spring 2020.
Links
Dragon Ball Series
Dragon Ball Z Series
Dragon Ball Kai Series
Dragon Ball Super Series
Dragon Ball GT Series
Super Dragon Ball Heros
Akira Toriyama