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Warning: The following contains spoilers for the Dragon Ball Super manga. Dragon Ball Super is now streaming onCrunchyroll.
Out of the many forms to have come from theDragon Ball Superanime and manga, none can compare to the levels of hype brought about by Autonomous Ultra Instinct. When Goku first unlocked Ultra Instinct, it nearly broke the internet, and if that wasn’t enough, he quickly followed it up with an amped-up version of Ultra Instinct. In the yet-to-be-adapted parts of theDragon BallSupermanga, Goku has unlocked even more forms of Ultra Instinct, and now it’s time to take a close look at all of them.
Before that though, whyarethere several forms of Ultra Instinct? Are they different forms entirely, or are they more akin to levels of mastery? Well, it’s actually a little bit of both. Some “forms” of Ultra Instinct are essentially just enhanced versions of the form that came before it, while others do sort of deviate from the path and areunique to specific individuals.
Ultra Instinct Sign
The Calm Before the Storm
The very first form is Ultra Instinct Sign, sometimes known as Ultra Instinct Omen. As these names imply, this is the form achieved by someone who has only begun to grasp the concept and power of Ultra Instinct. They develop the Ultra Instinct’s key ability of automatically dodging or reacting to incoming attacks, but the form is incomplete, as the user still struggles to attack without thinking. As such, whileUltra Instinct Sign givesits user an immense boost in defense, they can’t fully utilize all of their power for attack.
That’s not to say that Ultra Instinct Sign doesn’t give its user a boost in raw strength and power though, because it definitely does. While in this form, Goku started to actually push back Jiren, even though he was barely able to keep up with him with his previous strongest form, Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-ken X20. Goku first achieves Ultra Instinct Sign inDragon Ball Superepisode 110, “Goku Enkindled! The Awakened One’s New Ultra Instinct!”, which was triggered afterhe absorbed the Spirit Bombhe was supposed to use on Jiren. Visually, Goku was shrouded by a burning silver aura, with silver eyes to match. His hair also gets spikier but overall retains the shape of his base form hair, and while it doesn’t change color entirely, it does gain silver highlights.
Perfected/Mastered Ultra Instinct
A Level Even Gods Struggle to Reach
The next stage after Ultra Instinct Sign is Perfect Ultra Instinct, and as the name implies, it is achieved through abetter mastery of Ultra Instinct. It is the form the Angels use and the Gods of Destruction strive to achieve, yet Goku, a mere mortal, was able to attain it. Unlike Sign, users of Perfected Ultra Instinct can now attack instinctually, making their movements even more fluid and powerful. The boost in power of Perfected Ultra Instinct dwarfs that of Sign, and with it, Goku can keep up with Full Power Jiren. Perfected Ultra Instinct’s appearance is similar to that of Sign, except Goku’s hair is now entirely silver and no longer has any loose strands.
Goku unlocks Perfected Ultra InstinctinDragon Ball Superepisode 129, “A Transcendent Limit Break! Autonomous Ultra Instinct Mastered!”, after using Ultra Instinct Sign for the third time. As Goku got used to his Sign form, his power began to soar, and he began to lean more towards offensive moves, indicating an improved mastery of Ultra Instinct. His aura continued to burn brighter and brighter until his hair turned entirely silver, finally achieving the next level of Ultra Instinct.
Perfected Ultra Instinct Giant Form
Some might say that this isn’t necessarilya new form or levelof Ultra Instinct and is instead just a move or technique performed using Perfected Ultra Instinct, but it’s still worth mentioning. Perfected Ultra Instinct Giant Form is when Goku, in his Perfected Ultra Instinct form, generates a gigantic avatar in his shape that he can fully control to fight equally gigantic opponents. The avatar is made of blue ki, and Goku’s physical body is located in the avatar’s head, where the brain would be. Goku first used Perfected Ultra Instinct Giant Form in theDragon Ball Supermanga chapter 66, “Moro, Consumer of Worlds”, to combatthe massive Earth Absorbed Moro.
True Ultra Instinct
Goku’s Own Spin on Ultra Instinct
If Gohan has his Beast form, and Piccolo has his Orange form, Goku has True Ultra Instinct. Ultra Instinct itself isn’t unique to Goku; the angels have all mastered it, and most, if not all, the Gods of Destructions can, at the very least, tap into its power. That’s why he developed True Ultra Instinct, a form that’s unique to him and perfectly suits his fighting style.
Goku eventually realized that Perfected Ultra Instinct didn’t suit him as it required complete calmness and an absence of emotion to maintain.Goku is a Saiyanthrough and through though, and his love for battle and the desire to protect those he loves will always be a part of who he is. So, instead of further going down the path of Ultra Instinct’s perfected form, Goku takes a step back to Ultra Instinct Sign, which requires less emotional detachment. From there, he honed it and incorporated his fighting style into it, until eventually developing True Ultra Instinct; a form that can fully draw out the potential of Goku’s fighting style. This iscurrently Goku’s strongest form, which he first displays in theDragon Ball Supermanga chapter 85, “To Each His Own Answer”, during his fight with Gas.
“For that (Perfected) Ultra Instinct to work, I need my heart to be calm and tranquil. But in this form, I can put my emotions to work for me.” - Goku explaining True Ultra Instinct
Goku’s True Ultra Instinct’s connection to Sign is why its appearance resembles Sign more than Perfected Ultra Instinct. Weirdly enough, it looks exactly like Sign, but with fewer details, as the aura that used to constantly envelop the user will only sometimes appear in this state. Other than that, the hair and eyes are completely identical to Ultra Instinct Sign.
