'Dragon Ball Super' Reveals the Reason Behind Goku's Ultra Instinct Troubles

After trigging Ultra Instinct not once, but twice so far in the Tournament of Power, fans have been anxious to see Goku in the state again. But after a new revelation in the latest episode of Dragon Ball Super, activating it a third time is not going to be so easy.


Fending off the love-filled attacks of the remaining Universe 2 fighters with the help of Android 17 and 18, Goku only goes as far as Super Saiyan Blue and it might be because he's getting adjusted to the constant pressure of the competition.

After knocking away Sirloin and co.'s final attack, Pretty Black Hole, an attack that put an incredible amount of gravity pressure on Goku, Goku transforms into Super Saiyan Blue and knocks them out of the ring with a Kamehameha Wave.

Soon after their elimination from the tournament, Freeza is shown to be watching from afar. While Freeza is glad Goku was able to win - most likely so he could use Goku as a pawn later in the tournament for some nefarious plot - he also mentions that Goku didn't go Ultra Instinct this time.
This posits that Goku doesn't reach the state yet again because Goku's body is getting too used to fighting in extreme conditions, so the amount of pressure needed to trigger the state is higher and higher. Goku somehow needs to struggle more in battle than he did with both Jiren and Kefla in order to reach the state again.

There is a fan theory going around that states Goku is drawing energy from the World of Void, much as he has done in the past since Ultra Instinct first occurred when he was caught in the explosion of his own Spirit Bomb.

The fact Goku now must struggle harder for Ultra Instinct also seems like another proper way to balance his power. Ultra Instinct is Goku's strongest statement yet, but this drawback coupled with its incredible draining of stamina means it's going to be a great sight when he finally reaches it again.
Dragon Ball Super's “Universal Survival” arc is part of the recent simulcast agreement that sites like Crunchyroll and Funimation have scored. Dragon Ball Super airs on Crunchyroll Saturday evenings at 7:15 p.m. CST. Adult Swim airs the English dub during its Toonami block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m, and it will soon be available to stream on Funimation now.