Ultra Instinct is the greatest power in Dragon Ball Super, a technique of the gods and Angels that allows for a fighter’s body to move on its own, without needing willful reactions from the brain. Or at least, that’s what fans were led to believe. However, the true nature of this ability is actually better described by its Japanese name, which possess a degree of nuance that foreshadowed Goku’s own development of the technique.
While “Ultra Instinct” is an apt description of what the ability literally does, providing Goku with quick instinctual reactions, it’s completely different from the original name. In Japanese, the technique is referred to as “Migatte no Gokui,” although the “Goku” there is just a coincidence and has nothing to do with the character. This translates to something like “Secret of the Self-Centered,” but with a more positive connotation than self-centered usually has in English. “Migatte” here means “egoism” or “egotism”, a pretty specific connotation for the power, that has little to do with “instinct”. Of course, that’s a bit of a mouthful and would have a hard time fitting into dubs, so a different, catchier name was needed for English.
Ultra Instinct is All About Finding One’s Self
When Goku is initially introduced to Ultra Instinct, it’s meant to seem as if using the technique requires one to be purged of emotion, focused purely on battle. However, this is only the way that the Angels, who are already dispassionate creatures by their very nature, would use the technique. For them, a manifestation of their true self would be a being that’s completely detached from emotion. This proved incredibly hard for Goku, and for good reason. After all, channeling anger was key to Goku mastering Super Saiyan originally, and Goku is often shown to be passionate in battle, enjoying the challenges thrust upon him.
Throughout Goku’s training with Whis, however, it was made clear that Goku needed to find a way to make this power his own if he wanted to be able to use it consistently. In the Dragon Ball Super manga, Whis is shown telling Goku that he must discover his own version of Ultra Instinct, not simply copy what Whis and the other Angels do. It takes Goku a while to understand this, but eventually he comes to realize (in the Granolah the Survivor Saga, chapter #85 of Super) that a version of Ultra Instinct that works for him would have to be one that makes use of his emotions, not one that requires him to seal them away.
Once Goku realizes this, and learns more about his family and past from a recording of his father Bardock, he is able to understand himself more fully – becoming “self-centered,” as the Japanese name would suggest. To really make use of Ultra Instinct requires introspection and an understanding of one’s self. This allows Goku to unlock the “True Ultra Instinct” he uses during the final battle with Gas, so called not because it’s the one true version of the technique used by Whis (that would be the “Perfected Ultra Instinct”), but because it’s a version that makes use of Goku’s own truth. The Japanese term alludes to all of that, but “Ultra Instinct” really doesn’t convey the idea at all.
Vegeta’s Ultra Ego Is Actually The Same Technique As Ultra Instinct
Ultra Instinct is, of course, not the only technique with this naming scheme, and a similar story is true of Vegeta’s Ultra Ego. In Japanese, Ultra Ego is referred to as “Wagamama no Gokui”, roughly translating to “Secret of the Self-Indulgent”, with “Wagamama” having almost exactly the same meaning as “Migatte”. Both terms put an emphasis on the self, meaning that what fans know as Ultra Ego is in fact Vegeta’s version of Ultra Instinct. Of course, it has a slightly more sinister implication of “self-indulgence”, suggesting that the users of Ultra Ego must enjoy their battle and the pain they both receive and inflict. The user of Ultra Ego must have the mindset of a Destroyer God, or else the technique doesn’t work quite right.
In fact, this is part of why Vegeta still struggled despite using the technique against Gas. To properly utilize its power in the way a Destroyer God would, Vegeta would need to return to his old behaviors from when he was a villain, something that his character growth over the course of the series makes him reluctant to do. Vegeta simply doesn’t delight in wanton destruction like he used to, and it’s holding him back from making full use of Ultra Ego. Simply put, the nature of Destruction is no longer Vegeta’s “true self”.
However, like with Goku, this doesn’t mean that he’s failed at the technique. Vegeta will need to find himself and reconcile with who he was in order to use Ultra Ego at full strength. He could very well develop his own variation of it as well, a “True Ultra Ego” that makes use of his more heroic attributes, and it seems that Vegeta is doing exactly that currently in the series, spending all his training time meditating on Beerus’ planet. Perhaps a recognition of the importance of destruction to the balance of the universe, or his willingness to take hits in the defense of others, could form the basis of such a technique, allowing Vegeta to reach his true potential without ruining his character growth.
Goku and Vegeta’s “Ultra” Techniques Are Catalysts for Further Growth
The beautiful component of these new techniques is that, because mastery of Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego is so inherently tied to one’s self, the true way to grow these powers is by having Goku and Vegeta undergo more character development. For Goku, this has already happened. By learning about his father’s heroic actions on Planet Cereal, Goku found out that his own heroism isn’t some fluke; it runs in the family. Knowing where one came from is a big part of understanding one’s self, after all, and prior to this arc, Goku had almost no canonical knowledge of Bardock. Now, it’s Vegeta’s turn to rediscover who he is, after undergoing so much change from the man he once was. He already had an epiphany after hearing Bardock’s recording, realizing he does not need to shoulder the sins of the Saiyans, but their pride.
In conclusion, what has been translated as Ultra Instinct is, in fact, the supreme technique that a warrior can achieve, by getting in touch with their true self. This is why Goku unlocks it after remembering about his Saiyan roots from Bardock’s scouter recording. The assumption that Ultra Instinct means letting go of emotions is essentially wrong and based on the idea that the Angels’ version of the technique is the only one. Thus, Goku’s True Ultra Instinct is not “Ultra Instinct with emotions”, but Goku finding his own version of the technique, as he’s supposed to, because it’s all about “ego”.
As such, Ultra Ego and Ultra Instinct aren’t as different as it seems from their English names and presentations. Both are about focusing on one’s self and having a solid understanding of their own identity, despite the differences in their use. To use these techniques to their fullest, it’s important to mold the technique to fit the wielder, rather than the other way around. Vegeta and Goku must soon realize the truth about Ultra Instinct and master this principle if they hope to stand a chance against Frieza whenever the Dragon Ball Super manga gets back to that storyline.
