Dragon Ball Super: What is Ultra Instinct's weakness? Explained

Dragon Ball Super has never been extremely well-received by the fandom but Ultra Instinct has had a much more positive reception. Most fans have enjoyed the nature of this power-up, which focuses on movement and peace of mind rather than Goku just getting stronger, thus working as a path for him to follow and learn from, giving the character more to work with.

The Ultra Instinct has shown to be a very useful transformation since making its debut in the Tournament of Power in Dragon Ball Super, although there are some discussions surrounding its weaknesses and what it could be.

This is something that is going to be covered as it has some weaknesses but it goes beyond a mere blind spot or something of the sort.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Dragon Ball Super series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda.

---

Dragon Ball Super: User has to be calm for Ultra Instinct to be effective

It is safe to say that Ultra Instinct has been one of the most powerful and successful transformations in Dragon Ball Super, although it does have its own set of weaknesses. For example, it takes a massive toll on the body, especially if the user has not mastered this transformation, which leads to having very minimal control of it when push comes to shove.

It also takes a considerable amount of time to master it, which is something that Goku has been going through in the manga, making it a much more uneven tool in his arsenal.

And since Ultra Instinct can't just be activated, as the user has no real control of when it's going to appear, it makes it unreliable when it comes to a life-or-death situation.

It is also worth pointing out that Ultra Instinct is not really about growing stronger physically but rather reaching peace of mind and thus being able to read the opponents' attacks and move without actually having to think to do so.

Another weakness is that the user has to be in total calm, so a considerable amount of distress can lead to the transformation losing its effectiveness, thus becoming a much more unstable power-up.

---

Ultra Instinct in Dragon Ball Super

Goku using Ultra Instinct in the anime (Image via Toei Animation).

The inclusion of Ultra Instinct in the Dragon Ball Super series was probably one of the best decisions the franchise has made in quite some time.

Not only does it give Goku a new transformation that is different in terms of execution and the abilities it grants, but it also does something a lot more meaningful, which is giving his character something to strive for.

Ever since this transformation arrived in the manga, Goku has been trying to master it and this has resulted in several training arcs that have pushed his character even further.

It is also worth pointing out that this meant understanding what makes him tick and what he can achieve with his abilities, which is something that the franchise hasn't done for quite some time.

Ultra Instinct also served to understand a bit more about God Ki and how the Angels fight, which is something that the story wasn't able to develop in the earlier arcs. It adds a bit more scope to the Dragon Ball mythos, which is always welcome as well.

---

Final thoughts

Ultra Instinct in Dragon Ball Super has a set of weaknesses, such as taking a huge toll on the body, needing constant peace of mind to work, and needing a lot of time of learning and training to master it.

It is also worth pointing out that the user's power levels don't increase but rather give much better movement and ability to read the opponent's attacks.