Summary
The entireDragon Ballfandom was up in a roar with the release of Chapter 101 of the manga, where the eventual spar between Goku’s strongest transformations and Gohan Beast was teased. Then, with the release of Chapter 102 in February 2024, the much-anticipated fight was finally underway, where Goku would transform into his Ultra Instinct to fight with his son in a battle to answer the question fans had been asking for months; who’s stronger?
Though the conclusion to the fight is still yet to be seen, thebattle itself is certainly living up to expectations, as the father and son destroy much of Beerus' planet in a spar where they’re giving it their all. The power scaling ofDragon Ballhas been all over the place, due to which the question of the strongest form in the series has been up in the air for quite some time. However, Chapter 102 of the official manga finally reveals which one it is.
Goku’s Strongest Form Is Finally Revealed
Just as the spar is about to start, Goku transforms into his iconic, white-haired Ultra Instinct transformation to finally take on his son’s awesome new power. Known as the Mastered or Perfected Ultra Instinct that Goku has been honing since the Tournament of Power, its true strength was confirmed by Beerus asking Whis about the form.
So Ultra Instinct is the best trick Goku’s got right now? It would seem so.
With just a single conversation between Beerus and Whis, one of the hottest debates in theDragon Ballcommunity is finally put to rest, as the end of the Granolah Arc had much mystery surrounding Goku’s power. More than everything else, his many variations of Ultra Instinct were a cause of a lot of confusion in the series.
What caused the confusion?
At the beginning of the Granolah arc, the titular character proves himself to be an extremely powerful combatant. This is because, in his fight with Goku,he was able to land a sneak hit on the Saiyan, despite Goku using his Mastered Ultra Instinct form. With this, he damages Goku’s vital points and knocks him out in just one hit, effectively ending the battle with him then and there.
As the arc goes on and the Saiyans continue to increase in strength, so do the villains. Gas' introduction to the arc proves to be far too great for the heroes to handle, due to which Goku creates the perfect version of Ultra Instinct to fit himself to finally surpass him. Goku referred to this version,called ‘True Ultra Instinct’, as something that let him surpass Gas in power, even if it was for a little bit. Since this state performed way better against the Heeter than his Mastered Ultra Instinct did against Granolah, many believed it to be superior to it.
What Are The Other Versions Of Ultra Instinct
Ultra Instinct quickly shot up the ranks as one of the most legendary and beloved forms in all ofDragon Ball. In his first fight against Jiren in the Tournament of Power, Goku unlocked Ultra Instinct Sign/Omen, an incomplete version of the Angel’s Divine Technique that had all the defensive powers of the form. However, it was very draining on the energy and stamina of the user due to its incomplete nature, and it lacked sufficient offensive output.
Later on in the same arc, Goku perfected the form, which led to the iconic white hair that he gets. With the perfect offensive and defensive capabilities in one form, this version of Ultra Instinct was far more stable and powerful, destroying Jiren with relative ease and performing very welleven against Moro and Granolah. Through rigorous training, Mastered Ultra Instinct essentially became an all-powerful, last-resort transformation that Goku could use to perform the best way against his enemies. It was this form that Beerus referred to as being Goku’s strongest in Chapter 102.
Finally, there is the True Ultra Instinct that Goku used against Gas. This form takes Ultra Instinct and mixes it with Goku’s Saiyan powers,which are based on his emotions. Because of this, he can use both powers at once to grant himself a version of Ultra Instinct that he can control perfectly and one that suits him the best. This was the form that Goku took to surpass Gas' strength, albeit briefly.
