Why Goku Mastering Ultra Instinct is not good for the series
Ultra Instinct, also popularly known as Migatte no Goku’i, is Goku’s strongest form till date. Ultra Instinct isn’t a form but more of a technique or a state of being. The technique allows the user to attack or defend without even thinking about it. In other words, the body moves by itself which eliminates reaction time. In Dragon Ball Super Manga Chapter 64, Goku learnt how to access Ultra Instinct at will. But I am not sure if this is the right direction for the series.
Where do we go from here?
Goku can now tap into Ultra Instinct at will, a form that not even Beerus, a God of Destruction has mastered (as stated by Whis). This puts Goku on par with a God of Destruction. As seen in the series and rightly said by Vision in Captain American: Civil War, “Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict breeds catastrophe”. Does that mean that the next villain we see in Dragon Ball Super is on par with the angels?
It seems to me that Dragon Ball is writing itself into a hole with the pace at which they are making the protagonist stronger. We don’t know if this was Toyotarou’s decision or Toriyama’s instructions to allow Goku to tap into Ultra Instinct at will. But as a fan of the series, it felt like Ultra Instinct should be the Saiyan’s final form.
Most fans even speculated that it would be at least a couple of arcs before Goku can completely master this form. Introducing angel level threats would make other characters more obsolete than they already are.
Too fast, too soon
Whis was trying to teach Goku and Vegeta Ultra Instinct back in Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’. The angel emphasised on the importance of the body reacting by itself during a fight. It was only after a few arcs in Dragon Ball Super where we saw Goku tap into UI by breaking his limits.
The first time we saw a glimpse of Ultra Instinct was as Ultra Instinct Omen. The one-hour special (Episode 109 & 110) during the Tournament of Power arc was a talking point among the fans when it first aired. By the end of the ToP, we saw Goku tap into Ultra Instinct and defeat Jiren. However, at this point, Goku was unable to tap into either of those two forms willingly.
The ToP was followed by Dragon Ball Super: Broly and the Galatic Patrol Prisoner Saga. After facing defeat at the hands of Moro, Goku decides to train with Merus – a trainee angel to become stronger. After training for 6 months under Merus, Goku was able to tap into Ultra Instinct Omen at will. However, due to the instability of the form, Goku lost to Moro.
After Merus sacrificed himself trying to fight Moro, he was able to give Goku one last push to help him finish his training. Goku then tapped into Ultra Instinct and easily defeated Moro. At one point, the Saiyan even turned to his regular form during the fight, and then immediately switched to Ultra Instinct when provoked by Moro. This clearly shows Goku’s ability to master Ultra Instinct at will, that too in such a short time.
From my standpoint, Goku should have gone through a couple of more arcs before mastering UI. This would have allowed more character development and added to the drama of the series. With this technique in Goku’s back pocket, it will be interesting to see who the next villain will be in the upcoming arc of the Dragon Ball Super manga.
