Directory: Techniques → Supportive Techniques → Transformations

Ultra Instinct Sign ( 身 み 勝 がっ 手 て の 極 ごく 意 い ” 兆 きざし ”, Migatte no Goku'i "Kizashi", lit. "Secret of selfishness "Omen""),[1] is an incomplete transformation used by Goku during the Universe Survival Saga. When completed, the transformation takes on an even more powerful form.

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Overview

Appearance

When Goku enters this state, his hair is slightly spikier and more solid, with silver highlights and oftentimes having loose strands. His eyes take on a more stern, defined shape, sporting silver-colored irises and visible pupils (similar to Super Saiyan 3 and Super Saiyan God). He also gains a complex silver, purple and blue aura consisting of rippling, fire-like energy, complete with sparkling particles traveling upwards much like Super Saiyan God before it. In the manga, the user also slims down in the same way Super Saiyan God does. In a promotional art for Dragon Ball Super depicted the aura as red while the other in conjunction with blue. In the art, the auras are surrounded by a halo of energy.

When powering up, he generates an explosive glowing blue aura around him and another straight transparent one that shoots upward, this generates an incredibly strong tremor and blows away its surroundings due to the overwhelming raw energy emitted. Similar to other forms, the more intense the power-up, the greater the aura, until it stabilizes. Goku's voice also becomes deeper and rougher like his Super Saiyan 3 and Super Saiyan 4 forms.

Unlike other forms, even when not powering up, Goku is still surrounded by an aura, a blue and very thin one that outlines his whole body.

Usage and Power

Goku achieves this state by breaking his "self-limiting shells" and tapping into the deeper potential within. This is achieved in the anime through resisting an exceptionally powerful attack, while in the manga it is the culmination of all of Goku's martial arts training by various masters. Initially the form can only be used for a short time, mere moments in the manga.

It is unknown if this form gets stronger along with it's user's ordinary power level like the Super Saiyan forms do, as when Goku unveiled this form against Moro, Piccolo was unable to tell if he was stronger than the last time he had used it, while he could clearly see that Goku's Perfected Super Saiyan Blue was stronger than it has been on prior occasions.

In the anime, this state increases his capabilities to godly levels vastly greater then the X20 Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-ken state, and his augmented mental parameters allow him to quickly and noticeably imprint on the battle without really thinking about it. In the anime, it grants him might on the level of a Destroyer, as shown by his ability to combat Jiren, initially the only known mortal a Destroyer cannot beat in combat. In promotional material for the anime, Goku (in either Ultra Instinct Sign's final usage or its complete state) is recognized by even Beerus to be possibly superior to him in power.[2] In the manga this state is superior to Super Saiyan Blue with the Kaio-ken's principles applied, and is compared to Vegeta's Super Saiyan God SS Evolved by Jiren. Much like Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue, this form uses god ki, and can only be sensed by other deities.

In the anime, in addition to the instinctive fighting style, the Ultra Instinct Sign state increases Goku's Saiyan Power ability considerably, allowing him to steadily evolve his power and efficiency with each exchange as he continues to fight an opponent of rivaling or greater power. However, Ultra Instinct Sign's greatest strength is that it gives Goku the Autonomous Ultra Instinct ability, granting him an automatic and instantaneous reaction to any threat, with the most suitable and seamless means to defend and attack.

In the anime, midway through the Tournament of Power, Goku enters the Ultra Instinct Sign state, which neither the Grand Minister nor Whis is certain about. They speculate that it is a form of Autonomous Ultra Instinct after watching Goku fight; Beerus and the other gods later agree. According to Whis, Goku accomplished this by breaking the "shell" (his utmost limits to be exact) to his deeper potential, after his willpower collides with the Universe 7's Spirit Bomb.

In the anime, Goku's ki in this state is stated by observers to be very hot yet frighteningly calm and is vast enough to shake the entire Null Realm. Goku's dramatically increased speed allowed him to effortlessly attack even both Dyspo and Top at once unnoticed, with many of the spectators and fighters unable to perceive Goku's movements except for Jiren, who was the only one to dodge his attack. He could both dodge Jiren's attack and attack him with enough force to graze him, shocking Piccolo as previously Goku was no match for Jiren even with Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-Ken. After effortlessly catching and repelling both Top and Dyspo, Goku casually avoids Top's Justice Flash while walking, so fast that no extra movements are seen. He could then easily neutralize Jiren's Invisible Strikes and although his initial attacks were fended off with only mediocre effort, he steadily increased his prowess to force Jiren to fight seriously. Not only remaining toe-to-toe with the mightiest Universe 11 fighter, Goku is even able to slowly gain the upper hand due to constantly evolving to the point of having a slight advantage over the mighty Pride Trooper according to Piccolo, shocking Khai and Belmod on how quickly Goku was able to gain on Jiren, landing blows powerful enough to rattle Jiren. His movements are noted by Vegeta to be unreal even though he is able to perceive it and Piccolo, Gohan and Tien notes that Goku moves unusually in the form. This state, however, is only temporary as just as Goku is about to deliver the finishing blow, having managed to knee Jiren and blast him away with a massive Kamehameha, he burns through this mysterious new power and loses his abilities, resulting in Jiren easily blocking his final attack and swiftly knocking him away with a Power Impact.

Throughout the tournament, while slowly regaining his stamina, Goku realizes that in order to defeat Jiren, he will need to access this form again. In the anime, while fighting the newly fused Kefla in her Super Saiyan form, her power rivaled the Universe 7's Spirit Bomb, causing Goku to break through his "self-limiting shell" once again and re-attain Autonomous Ultra Instinct. During this usage, it is revealed Goku has far more control of his consciousness in the form, as he is able to freely talk and power up unlike before. While fighting Kefla, Goku informs about his control of the state, easily dodging all of her attacks and swiftly counter-attacking with enough force to easily send her flying. He could even bombard her with a flurry of punches capable of inflicting visible pain upon her. However, his attack damage was still not adequate enough to truly incapacitate Kefla, as Goku is revealed to be not able to fully utilize Autonomous Ultra Instinct. Without the bolster from the Spirit Bomb enabling him to access this state independently, he is still focusing his thoughts on attacking instead of attacking on instinct. While unleashing his final attack before he would run out of stamina, Goku used the Divine Kamehameha to defeat Kefla, as he could focus on charging the attack while his body instinctively dodges any threat and catch Kefla off guard, with this attack finally launching her off the stage and destroying the Potara earrings as well. This newfound control of Autonomous Ultra Instinct was what finally made Jiren break out of his meditation. After Kefla's defeat, noticing how exhausted Goku is, Frieza realizes that one has to bear overwhelming physical stress as the cost for such a gain in power.

After witnessing Kefla's defeat, Vegeta attempts to mimic Goku's Ultra Instinct Sign, by acting unconsciously. This, however, does not work, as Vegeta takes several, ineffective blows from Catopesra's attacks and resorts to using his preferred style of combat, then proceeds to overpower Catopesra with ease. Whis said that it would be harder for Vegeta to attain this state due to him always thinking in a fight rather than just moving.

"I can feel it. Not the chaos of consciousness, but the elegant purity of energy operating on impulse alone. Goku is focused only on Jiren now, or rather on the battle itself. He's throwing his whole body and soul into the fleeting moment of each strike, allowing the flames of his power to rage through him. Unrestrained by the walls of thought, concerns for his universe or the gap in their powers, his hesitation, his impatience, his fear! He has given them all to the fire and let them burn. So that now there is only himself, his opponent, and the fight...Soon he will reach a realm still faster, keener and deeper than instinct, where even that awareness would blur and fade. And beyond that..."

— Whis elaborating on Goku's deeper dive into instinct in "A Transcendent Limit Break! Autonomous Ultra Instinct Mastered!"

Goku awakens this form during the final battle against Jiren, when the latter prepared to deliver the final blow to him. With the voices of his friends begging him to fight, Goku immediately dodges all of Jiren's attacks with such speed that not even Jiren could follow him initially and lands a blow on Jiren that was strong enough to visibly hurt him. This display visibly awed the bystanders. In their resultant exchange, Goku was able to match Jiren now at full power evenly, blocking and trading blows. The increase of power is such that when fighting Jiren the clash of their attacks not only generates the usual flashes of lightning and shockwaves but actual explosions, destroying anything around them.

Goku was also able to generate explosive shockwaves with a single punch and a swipe of his leg, both of which were evaded by Jiren. However, while his reflexes have gotten sharper, Goku was unable to land a finishing blow as Whis notes he has yet to achieve true Autonomous Ultra Instinct due to still having some thoughts behind his attacks but can defend well. Despite this, while Imperfect Instinct was blocked by Jiren with a concentrated Power Impact and Goku was blasted away, Goku was able to continue fighting after hearing Vegeta's inspiration and repel Jiren's charge with a burst of energy. He continues to maintain this form during the fight and gradually allows his heart and soul to forget everything that is going on and finally allowing his body to just react fully, eventually culminating with Goku being able to not only block a hailstorm of Jiren's Infinity Rush, but he was also able to start attacking and eventually hit Jiren with enough force to cause him to reel in pain. After this, Goku finally managed to fully awaken the true Autonomous Ultra Instinct.

In the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, while training with Merus, Goku briefly tapped into the Ultra Instinct Sign state but fell out of it the moment Whis halted their training. By the time he finished training with Merus, he gained the ability to access this form instantly and uses it against Saganbo, easily toying with him and moving at such speeds that neither Gohan or Piccolo can see his movements, and prepares to use it against Moro when the villain tells him to reactivate it. When Goku battles Moro, Gohan believes the fight to be evenly matched though Piccolo corrects him to say that Goku is actually the faster of the two, and appears to have an advantage throughout most of the fight until Moro further powers up. When Whis and Merus watch the battle taking place, they describe the Sign level as a gateway to the mastered state and that Sign is an unstable state where attempting to keep it stable consumes an enormous amount of energy.

Ultra Instinct Sign is pushed to new limits when Moro begins to outmatch Goku further, the latter resorting to using sheer force to overpower Moro as best he can. Though Goku was able to land a few hard hits, Moro's Mouth Energy Wave and successive blows managed to force Goku out of the form, leaving him at the wizard's mercy until Androids #17 & #18 stepped into fight him.

In the Universal Conflict Saga, Goku gained control over the Sign form, being able to access it instantly at will in the early stages of battle without needing a specific trigger, impressing even the Grand Minister. In the anime, when arriving at Universe 11 with the Grand Minister's help, Goku immediately awakens the form and save Future Trunks from Oren's attack. This display surprises Fused Zamasu while Hearts marvels at Goku's apparent godly power. An agitated Oren attempts to attack Goku but he is easily overpowered and unable to land a single attack. With a single punch, Goku is able to separate Oren from Vegeta and then blast away an incoming Kamin. In the manga, Goku takes this form upon arrival to save Shin from Hearts and then promptly throws Super Saiyan 3 Cunber aside, however the surprise of seeing Vegeta under the control of Oren causes Goku to drop out of the form.

Enhancements

Powerhouse

Main article: Powerhouse

A Saiyan is able to power-stress their Ultra Instinct Sign form, sacrificing its true strengths in exchange for raw power.

When using this power-up, the form becomes more muscular and gains the aura of the Super Saiyan Blue form.

Completion

Main article: Autonomous Ultra Instinct

Completing the Autonomous Ultra Instinct technique results in the user being able to transform into a more powerful form, referred as an "ultimate" and "peerless form" (形態) of Autonomous Ultra Instinct.

Completing Ultra Instinct Sign not only gives the user more power, but also further refines the Autonomous Ultra Instinct to its highest degree, allowing the user to dodge and counterattack without hindrance. The drawback is the heavy toll it takes on the body, similar to the Kaio-ken and its Super Saiyan Blue counterpart.

Video Game Appearances

Ultra Instinct Sign makes its debut appearance in Dokkan Battle where the form has been announced just a few hours after it's debut in the anime.

In Dragon Ball Heroes, Ultra Instinct Sign Goku's Super Attack is also called Ultra Instinct Sign.

In Xenoverse 2 DLC 6, Ultra Instinct Sign makes an appearance in the Infinite History Saga cutscene when Goku, after being almost beaten by Future Warrior, turns into it before transforming into the completed form.

In World Mission, it appears as a form and transformation for Goku. Additionally the Ultra Instinct Sign Super Attack that can be utilized by Goku in his Ultra Instinct Sign form appears as well and involves Goku powering up before delivering a powerful punch then firing a Ki Blast at point black range that sends the opponent flying. Additionally by maxing out Ultra Instinct Sign Goku's Camaraderie Level (which maxes out at Lvl 3 Camaraderie) the Super Attack can be learned by Berserker type Hero Avatars. However when used by the Hero Avatar the Super Attack does not give them access to the form itself.

Ultra Instinct Sign makes a brief appearance in FighterZ as Super Saiyan God SS Goku's dramatic finish against Kefla as well as Ultra Instinct Goku's intro, where he's briefly seen in said form before quickly transitioning into the complete form.

Trivia

During any moment when Goku makes a guttural grunt, yell, or scream during this state, his voice experiences a dual-voice, similarly to how he first transformed into a Super Saiyan in the original, Japanese version of "Tsui ni Henshin!! Densetsu no Sūpā Saiya-jin Son Goku". During his second awakening of the form, Goku is largely able to speak with a more calm and cleaner voice as he adjusts to the form. This applies to even subtle grunts, such as when he used his Kiai to send Kefla flying into a nearby "mountain." This is also the case during the Japanese version of Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! , when Goku becomes a Spirit Bomb Super Saiyan, which was a transformation that was similar to Goku's first awakening of Ultra Instinct Sign in that he was in an unconscious state with power given through the use of the Spirit Bomb.

Given that Autonomous Ultra Instinct is based on the Martial Arts discipline and practice of , or "No Mind", Goku gives off signs of a distinct personality change that is attributed to real life practitioners, during combat, such as: Goku's absence of ego when egged on by Kefla and asks "Is that all you got?" and "I don't like that attitude", which indicates his change in demeanor, as he did not retort nor humor her statements, and only proceeded to fight when she was done talking. Even during that confrontation, Goku seemingly appears without fear or anger, which also ties into its real-life counterpart.

The original English name for the form was just called "Ultra Instinct". However, to make the lip sync work for the English dubbed Funimation versions, they had to lengthen it and added "Autonomous" to it. Though, Funimation now uses the terms Ultra Instinct and Autonomous Ultra Instinct interchangeably.

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References