Highlights
- The debut of Autonomous Ultra Instinct in Goku's fight against Jiren was a landmark moment in Dragon Ball Super, surpassing any of Goku's previous forms.
- Autonomous Ultra Instinct is a mental state associated with the Angels, allowing them to instantly respond to any threat without premeditated thought.
- Achieving and mastering Ultra Instinct comes at a cost, as it exerts immense strain on a mortal body, with potential consequences such as fatigue and even death.
By far one of the most recognizable transformations in Dragon Ball, and perhaps even in anime history, the debut of Autonomous Ultra Instinct in Goku's first fight against Jiren during the Tournament of Power was a landmark moment in Dragon Ball Super. Far exceeding any of the earlier forms Goku had achieved over the course of Dragon Ball Z or even Dragon Ball Super, Ultra Instinct Sign, the initial form of this transformation allowed Goku to face off against the mighty Jiren on even terms for the first time.
Later on, during his second clash with Jiren, Goku achieved the completed version of this state, known as Perfected or Mastered Ultra Instinct. This form was accompanied by an even greater surge in strength, allowing Goku to evade, block, or absorb virtually any attack directed towards him, and respond with the ideal countermeasure while exerting tremendous amounts of power in the process. Unfortunately, the incredible benefits of this form were weighed down by equally severe consequences, proving that great power always comes at a cost in Dragon Ball.
What Is Autonomous Ultra Instinct?
A divine form that is said to embody the absolute peak of what a martial artist can achieve, Autonomous Ultra Instinct is a mental state associated with the Angels, which allows them to instantly respond to any threat without premeditated thought. This includes defending against and evading attacks, as well as executing offensive maneuvers. Furthermore, Angels are perpetually in a state of Ultra Instinct and do not require any transformation to attains.
In contrast, mortals, including Saiyans such Goku need to achieve the transformation known as Ultra Instinct Sign to tap into this state, before honing their control of it further to achieve its completed form known as Mastered Ultra Instinct. This process also requires an individual to attain complete command over their emotions, eliminating any stray thoughts to concentrate purely on their exploits in combat.There are some cases in which intense emotions can enhance the power level of an Ultra Instinct user, as observed when Goku's power surged during his enraged response to Jiren's attack that was directed toward the spectators at the Tournament of Power.
The Limits Of A Mortal Body
Once the perfected form of this state is attained, a user will have to train even more to be able to harness its benefits efficiently. Due to the monumental increase in speed, strength, and accuracy granted by Mastered Ultra Instinct, it demands an equally high amount of godly ki to maintain, and this is where the problems start. As Autonomous Ultra Instinct is an ability used by divine beings such as Angels, it exerts an immense strain on a mortal body, pushing it far beyond its physical limits.
Even Goku was initially unable to tap into at will, hinting at the fact that he achieved it through a combination of his intense dedication to training and a fair degree of dumb luck, triggered by a situation where he was in grave danger. For starters, there is an in built time limit on how long a user can use Mastered Ultra Instinct, which is directly tied to the volume of ki used up in each of their exertions.
Against extremely powerful opponents, an Ultra Instinct user will be forced to dodge and counterattack in rapid succession, until they completely run out of ki and the transformation fades, due to how the form pushes the body to react independently of the user's premeditated thought.
This introduces the additional risk of the transformation fading in the middle of the fight, where the user will be left completely defenseless and fatigued against a vastly stronger adversary. Moreover, even if it conveys an aura of invincibility, if an individual comes against a user of Ultra Instinct whose mastery is superior to theirs, they will be easily overpowered and left even more fatigued when the transformation fades.
The Pitfalls Of Divine Transformations
This brings in the greatest drawback of this immensely powerful form, which is the fact that it is not inherently meant for use by mortals such as Saiyans or humans. Even Gods of Destruction have a difficult time attaining or perfecting the form, due to the degree of concentration and control required over one's mind. For mortals, this is doubly enhanced by the effect it has on their bodies. The most prominent instance of this occurred during Goku's climactic showdown with Jiren at the Tournament of Power.
After fighting on even terms with his virtually invincible adversary, and even gaining the upper hand at the end of the fight, Goku had finally backed Jiren into a corner after attaining Mastered Ultra Instinct. Unfortunately, just before he was about to bring the battle to an end, his body gave in, and the transformation faded in the most harrowing way imaginable. In the anime, this was depicted as an eruption of blood from Goku's back, followed by the release of black ki with purple electricity, as he endured unimaginable pain from pushing his body to keep up with the level of a divine being.
With this dramatic break down, Goku was left immensely fatigued and almost entirely incapacitated, unable to access his Super Saiyan forms or even move some of his limbs. In more extreme cases, overuse of Ultra Instinct could even potentially culminate in the user's death from overexertion. This bears a lot of similarities to the consequences of recklessly using a power multiplier such as the Kaio-ken, highlighting how mortals must train intensely to negate the risks of straying into the domain of the gods.
Dragon Ball Super is available to stream on Crunchyroll.