8 Years Ago Today, Dragon Ball Unleashed Goku’s Strongest Form (& It’s Returning to the Anime Soon)

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Today marks eight years since Dragon Ball Super revealed Goku’s most powerful transformation yet, instantly creating a huge buzz online. Though the anime series finished airing eight years ago, it was incredibly popular. The introduction of Ultra Instinct took the show to a new level of success, exceeding even the high expectations fans already had. While glimpses of this incredibly strong form appeared earlier, it wasn’t until the final episodes that viewers saw its full power.

The last episodes of Dragon Ball Super were a global phenomenon, causing streaming services to crash and having a huge impact on fans. It was the first new Dragon Ball anime in years, and the Tournament of Power showed Goku striving to reach his absolute peak. When Episode 130 first aired in Japan on March 18, 2018 – eight years ago today – fans witnessed the incredible power of Mastered Ultra Instinct Goku, and things haven’t been quite the same since.

Dragon Ball Super Unleashed Mastered Ultra Instinct Goku 8 Years Ago Today

Episode 130 of Dragon Ball Super is often remembered as a highlight of the series, aside from the finale. It’s when Goku first used Ultra Instinct during the Tournament of Power, in a special hour-long episode that even surprised the gods. It was a huge achievement for a human to reach this state, but initially, Goku couldn’t maintain it for very long. This meant he struggled with stamina for the remainder of the tournament.

Goku had a brief experience with Ultra Instinct earlier, which gave him some familiarity with the form. Throughout the tournament, he worked to unlock its full potential. This effort pays off during his fight with Jiren, and in Episode 130, he achieves a perfected “Mastered” Ultra Instinct, signified by silver hair. With this mastery, Goku becomes incredibly skilled at both attacking and defending, quickly closing the power gap between himself and Jiren.

What’s most disappointing for fans is that Mastered Ultra Instinct Goku appears on screen for only a short time overall. Despite how popular the form has become, it was only active for a portion of the fight against Jiren because Goku couldn’t maintain it. It hasn’t been seen in the anime since, even though several movies have continued the story. Thankfully, that’s about to change.

Ultra Instinct Goku’s Finally Coming Back to the Anime

A new anime adaptation of the ‘Galactic Patrol Prisoner’ arc from the Dragon Ball Super manga is officially in production. This story takes place after the Tournament of Power and before the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie. While a release date hasn’t been announced yet, fans are especially excited because the arc will showcase more of Goku’s Ultra Instinct form.

With the anime continuing after the events of Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Goku will be intensely training to perfect his Ultra Instinct ability. This training is the central focus of the new arc, and he’ll demonstrate different levels of mastery as he progresses. However, the arrival of a formidable new enemy, Planet Eater Moro, will give Goku plenty of chances to utilize this powerful, god-like power to defeat a truly strong opponent.

As a huge Dragon Ball fan, I’m seriously hyped for what’s next with the anime! We’ve been waiting almost ten years to see more of Goku fully mastering Ultra Instinct, and it’s going to be amazing. Sure, we’ve seen glimpses of the form in games and movies, but seeing the real deal animated is something else entirely. Ultra Instinct wasn’t just a power-up for Goku, it completely changed the game, and honestly, it feels even more impactful now than it did before!

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2026-03-18 20:13