How Ultra Instinct Works With Super Saiyan God in Dragon Ball Super Chapter 72

Dragon Ball Super manga chapter 72 added a new twist to Ultra Instinct: it can be used not only in Goku's base form but alongside his other forms, with Super Saiyan God as the example. What Goku is doing isn't necessarily stacking Ultra Instinct's power on top of Super Saiyan God; at least, it's not really implied to be a stack in power. He is using the properties of Ultra Instinct while in that form, which lets his body move faster than it otherwise would.

Some fans were confused about how this works. I'll focus here on how Ultra Instinct interacts with Super Saiyan God rather than on how Super Saiyan God works on its own.

Whis Told Goku Ultra Instinct Is Preferably Used in Base Form

Dragon Ball Super established that the angels have perfected Ultra Instinct, also called Migatte no Gokui, the mastery of self movement, in a way that lets it be used in base form. Whis tells Goku that Ultra Instinct is preferably used in base.

There is a catch. When Goku ends up in a serious pinch, he can tap into the full version of Ultra Instinct, the one with the silver hair. Some people are confused about this, and I've said it many times before: Ultra Instinct is both a transformation and a technique.

Ultra Instinct Is Both a Technique and a Transformation

I've said this many times before: "ultra instinct is both a transformation and a technique." This debate needs to stop, because it falls into both categories. It is also its own category, a league of its own, a state of being.

As a technique, the angels and now Goku use Ultra Instinct to let their bodies move on their own without thinking. This optimizes speed and the defensive side of Ultra Instinct, but it can also increase your power. That came up in Dragon Ball Super when Goku first used Ultra Instinct Omen and Android 17 noticed an increase in his power. So it isn't only defensive. It's offensive as well. Still, it does seem to work better as a defensive technique, and the Omen version, the one without silver hair, certainly does.

The silver-haired Ultra Instinct is a transformation. Goku's hair changes color, and when your appearance changes to the point where your hair takes on a new color or you gain a new aura, that constitutes a transformation. So mastered, completed Ultra Instinct with the silver hair is a transformation, while Ultra Instinct as a state of being is something different.

In Chapter 72, Vegeta Explains Goku Can Use Ultra Instinct's Properties as Super Saiyan God

Goku uses that state of being in chapter 72 while in Super Saiyan God. Vegeta explains that in Super Saiyan God, if Goku can focus, he can use the properties of Ultra Instinct as a technique in battle. That enhances his body's ability to move on its own.

Primarily, this could be a way for Goku to tap into higher speed without going into the silver-haired Ultra Instinct. That form presumably has some kind of drawback, since Whis tells Goku to only use it when he's in a pinch. Mastered Ultra Instinct is the ultimate form of Goku, at least for now, because who knows what else Toyotaro will come up with for him in the future.

Goku Isn't Necessarily Stacking Ultra Instinct's Power on Super Saiyan God

Some fans have said that Goku is stacking Ultra Instinct's power on top of Super Saiyan God, or the other way around. When it comes to the power of Ultra Instinct, meaning the strength and force behind his strikes, that's primarily something we see Goku use in the silver-haired form. I'm not saying that Omen, or Ultra Instinct in base, doesn't give a power up. But the max power version of Ultra Instinct is the silver-haired form.

What happens in chapter 72 is not necessarily a stack in power. At least, it's not really implied to be one. Goku can now use the properties of Ultra Instinct while in Super Saiyan God.

Think about it like this. Goku transforms into Super Saiyan God and taps into his god ki to fight his opponents. While fighting, he chooses not to use his brain, allowing his body to move even faster. That's why this version of Super Saiyan God is a bit faster than it would be if he didn't tap into Ultra Instinct. His legs, his arms, his head, everything moves faster because he lets his body move on its own.

The Same Enhancement Could Apply to Super Saiyan Blue and Other Forms

Super Saiyan Blue has been stated to be faster and stronger than Super Saiyan God, but it may have a problem because it drains stamina. If Goku uses the mastery of self movement in Super Saiyan Blue, he's enhancing that form, making it work better than it would without the add-on. The same goes for Super Saiyan God and everything else, even regular Super Saiyan.

To reach his absolute maximum power, though, Goku would have to transform, and transform is the key word, into completed silver-haired Ultra Instinct. Using Ultra Instinct in God, Blue or any other form is him enhancing the movement of his limbs in those forms. The true version of Ultra Instinct for Goku would be the silver-haired one. This is him doing what he was taught to do: becoming faster by letting his limbs move on their own.

Ultra Instinct Is a State of Being and a Transformation

As the story arc progresses, we may learn even more about Ultra Instinct. For now, this appears to be the best way to explain how Super Saiyan God can be enhanced by it.

Ultra Instinct is a state of being, a technique that can be used even in base form. But it's also a transformation when Goku goes into silver-haired Ultra Instinct, whether you call it max power, ultimate, final, completed or perfected.