‘Dragon Ball Super’ Reveals the Next Level of Goku’s Ultra Instinct

The latest chapter of the Dragon Ball Super manga picks up with the final minutes of the Tournament of Power, in which Goku is facing off against Jiren in a final one-on-one battle. That battle entered a new phase when Goku manifested the mysterious power known as Ultra Instinct, and in this latest chapter of the manga, we finally get to see Goku’s mysterious new ability in action.

Ultra Instinct initially gives Goku the edge against Jiren, but Universe 11’s unstoppable warrior tips the scales back his way, after he reveals that his “pursuit of strength” motivation allows him to exponentially increase his chi, in order to keep pace with Goku. Never one to back down form a challenge, Goku sees Jiren’s power increase and ups the ante once again – thereby unlocking the full potential of a complete (or “perfect”) Ultra Instinct power!

Like in the Dragon Ball Super anime, there is a major aesthetic difference between Goku in his intermediate Ultra Instinct form, and this later stage of “perfect” Ultra Instinct. In the lesser form of the technique, Goku’s hair is black and his eyes gray, with a powerful aura to go with it. In “perfect” Ultra Instinct form, Goku’s hair turns silver to match his eyes, with a seemingly imperceptible aura, which makes the loose threads of his clothing or loose rocks underfoot float around him, without displaying the usual energy signature you see in a Dragon Ball power aura. With Perfect Ultra Instinct, Goku is able to quickly seize the advantage over Jiren in battle, nearly ringing-out the Pride Trooper warrior with a Kamehameha that blast Jiren right through the bottom of the ring. For a moment it looks as though Goku has victory in hand – but the advantage is a fleeting one.

As the manga chapter comes to a climax, it’s revealed by Whis that Goku cannot hope to defeat Jiren with Ultra Instinct. The issue is that Jiren is able to exponentially increase his battle power, through sheer force of will to acquire more strength. Meanwhile, Goku’s limitations in adjusting to the offensive and defensive aspects of Ultra Instinct puts him on a ticking clock of endurance that Jiren can easily outlast. As the fight goes on, Goku suddenly finds himself finding out of Ultra Instinct, and his body severly depleted as a result of using the technique. Thankfully he has one clear advantage over Jiren left: teammates. As the Tournament of Power enters the final three minutes, Vegeta steps up to finish the fight alongside Goku.

It was unclear if the Dragon Ball Super manga would follow the anime with a two-step progression of Ultra Instinct, or simply settle for one form of transformation. Now we know the answer.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly will hit Japanese theaters in December, and is expected to arrive in the U.S. on January 16, 2019. Dragon Ball Super is currently airing its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami programming block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m. ET. 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.