Warning: Spoilers for Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 102
Summary
Beerus suggests that Goku’s power could surpass Ultra Instinct, hinting at a potential new form on the horizon. Gohan’s Beast Mode may have finally surpassed Goku and Vegeta, raising the bar for their next battles. Goku’s next transformation remains a mystery, with abilities ranging from a giant form to those inspired by the gods.
Latest chapter of Super Dragon Ball includes an interesting comment from Beerus, suggesting that Goku has even greater heights to achieve beyond the godlike power of Ultra Instinct. When Beerus witnessed Goku clash with his son Gohan in a match, the God of Destruction certainly didn’t seem as impressed with Goku’s Ultra Instinct as he was before.
In chapter 102 of Dragon Ball Super, Goku takes Gohan, Goten and Trunks (along with two goons of the Red Ribbon Army) to Beerus’s world, intending to stage an all-out battle there that will allow him to defeat Gohan’s new Beast power price. Switch mode. After first allowing Goten and Trunks to fight Gohan, Goku decides that during their match, they should immediately power up to their strongest forms. To Goku, that means Ultra Instinct, but Beerus remarks dismissively, noting that “Ultra Instinct is the best trick” Goku currently has.
The fact that Beerus phrased it in such a way suggests that he expected Goku to achieve a state even greater than Ultra Instinct – and perhaps soon.
What lies beyond Goku’s super instincts?
With the threat of Black Frieza looming, Goku will definitely need a greater power at his disposal., as Frieza defeated both him and Vegeta in their Ultra Instinct and Super Ego forms at the same time. To catch up, Goku will have to push his limits even further, but in the story so far, there’s been no indication of any form greater than Ultra Instinct that Goku could aim for. However, Goku has twice demonstrated the power to create a Giant form, so perhaps this ability could be Goku’s next focus.
The Giant form manifests as a giant energy being resembling Goku that appears behind him and mirrors his movements. He previously used this power to defeat Moro at the end of the Galactic Patrol Prisoner story arc, as well as defeat Gas at the end of the Granolah the Survivor story arc. Technically, Beerus hasn’t seen Goku use this power yet, so maybe this is what he was hoping to see. However, it is very possible that there is some divine technique that goes beyond Ultra Instinct.
Since Ultra Instinct is already a technique of the Angels, it’s hard to say what Goku’s next transformation might be. It could draw on the God of Destruction training they did with Beerus and channel some of the destructive energy used by gods, like Top, though that risks stepping on his toes. Vegeta’s Ultra Ego, which hasn’t had much of a presence yet, gets its time to shine in the manga.
Whatever Goku’s next step is, it seems that Beerus is already planning for the day Goku achieves it, though exactly why he looks forward to it has yet to be revealed. Since the battle between Gohan and Goku is still going on at the end of chapter 102, it’s possible that Goku could demonstrate potential for the next stage when fighting his son’s new Beast form in the next chapter. However, one thing is certain: Super Dragon Ball always finding new and greater heights for Goku to achieve.