‘Dragon Ball Super’ Manga Reveals Different Ultra Instinct Debut

Goku has plenty of power-ups, but they aren’t all equal. Forms like Super Saiyan are a classic while Super Saiyan Blue is making its own niche. Nowadays, it is Ultra Instinct grabbing everyone’s eye, and a new take on the form was shown in the latest chapter of Dragon Ball Super.

Recently, Shueisha released chapter 39 of Dragon Ball Super, and the update saw Goku tap into the heralded form. While the anime gave Ultra Instinct its debut some time ago, the manga is only catching up to that moment, and Toyotaro put a new spin on how Goku came upon Ultra Instinct.

In the anime, Goku tapped into Ultra Instinct’s first phase (known as Omen) when he was hit with a Spirit Bomb that Jiren threw back at him. The adrenaline rush pushed Goku past his known limits, but Ultra Instinct requires something far less epic in the manga.

As it turns out, Goku was able to tap into Ultra Instinct — or a form of it — thanks to Master Roshi. The Saiyan’s mentor pushed Goku to realize that power is not synonymous with true strength; Sometimes, you must look elsewhere for such a boost.

“Do you eat well,” Roshi asks. “Rest well? Play well? Learn well?”

“One last lesson from the Turtle School then,” the old man says before rushing into an attack. “on how to move well!”

Roshi may be ringed out by Jiren moments later, but the note is enough to make Goku realize what he needs. Rather than an external push, the Saiyan taps into serious self-reflection, and he is able to use Ultra Instinct without any epic run-up. However, Goku isn’t able to tap into the power for a prolonged period of time, so it seems like the Saiyan has a bit more work to do.

So, what do you make of this brand-new take on Ultra Instinct? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

If you are interested in the anime series, Dragon Ball Super is currently airing its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami programming block Saturday evenings and Adult Swim on weeknights. It is also available to stream on Funimation and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release of the series is complete, and available to stream on Funimation, VRV and Crunchyroll.