‘Dragon Ball Super’: Why Goku’s Mastered Ultra Instinct Will Beat Jiren

Dragon Ball Super has officially put the end in sight, as spoilers for some of the final episodes in the series have clearly spelled out what the final bout in the Tournament of Power will look like. After some big sacrifices by the final Universe 7 fighters like Android 17, Vegeta, and (maybe) Freeza, Goku will finally unlock the mastered form of Ultra Instinct to go up against Jiren one last time.

We just learned the massive true power of Jiren in the latest episode, and found out how his tragic backstory created his indomitable strength. At this point, there’s fair question as to whether or not Goku can beat the Universe 11 champion, even with a fully mastered Ultra Instinct.

However, a lot of clues have already been laid down to explain just how and why the mastered form of Ultra Instinct will ultimately be Jiren’s downfall:

Jiren’s Weakness

Android 17 (rock star that he was) figured out the secret to beating Jiren: The Pride Trooper is as vulnerable to surprise attacks anyone else!

From what we’ve seen, Jiren is virtually unstoppable both offensively and defensively, so long as he’s aware of the attacks. Even when Freeza attempted to jump Jiren in the last episode, he was thwarted because Jiren saw him coming used a telekinetic hold to stop Freeza in his tracks. It was only No. 17 who maneuvered quickly enough to get behind Jiren and tag him with a blast that actually had an effect (however minor). But the weakness has been exposed: subverting Jiren’s awareness is the way to break his technique.

Ultra Instinct Mastered

It seems pretty clear, at this point, how this final battle can tip in Universe 7’s favor: Mastered Ultra Instinct is the key to beating Jiren down.

Until now, Goku had only tapped into the defensive element of Ultra Instinct. During his second time accessing the state, it was explained that he has only tapped the defensive side of the godly state, with Whis and Beerus wondering if Goku could master the full form of Ultra Instinct in time before the tournament ended.

That has been the major clue and foreshadow for Jiren and Goku’s arc toward the Tournament of Power climax. Like Goku accessing Super Saiyan for the first time in Dragon Ball Z, Ultra Instinct is accessed and then built up to full power for a final battle, in which Goku is now poised to win. If Jiren’s power requires awareness, then Goku’s offensive and defensive power in Ultra Instinct will be able to outpace Jiren’s awareness, and simultaneously ward off his super powerful attacks, and break through his defenses.

Given the impressive look of Ultra Instinct in its nascent stage, this final battle between a fully-powered Jiren and fully mastered Ultra Instinct Goku will be one of the most gorgeous fights Dragon Ball has ever produced.

Dragon Ball Super‘s “Universal Survival” arc is part of the recent simulcast agreement that sites like Crunchyroll and Funimation have scored. Dragon Ball Super airs on Crunchyroll Saturday evenings at 7:15 p.m. CST. Adult Swim airs the English dub during its Toonami block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m, and is now available to stream on FunimationNOW and Amazon Video.