Goku’s Ultra Instinct has been one of the most iconic transformations in Dragon Ball and the hype around it was unreal. At the time of its debut, otakus all around the world were glued to their screens.
On manifestation, Goku’s eyes and hair become a whitish silver, which has been a huge hit with fans. However, an interview with Akira Toriyama revealed how close he was to misplacing the iconic look.
Akira Toriyama Almost Used the Ultra Instinct Design Too Soon
In an interview with Toyotarou, Akira Toriyama was questioned about the different aspects of the Dragon Ball franchise. In one particular section, Toyotarou asked why Super Saiyan Blue has blue hair.
To this, Toriyama replied that since Goku’s hair was red in the Battle of Gods, he figured he should go with blue next. He did have the white transformation in his mind but he figured to save it for another form.
Undoubtedly, this white form later became Goku’s Ultra Instinct, which received worldwide praise from fans. It is one of Goku’s most powerful forms to date, and he has leveled extremely dangerous villains with it.
Ultra Instinct is also called the “State of the Gods” as individuals like Whis have mastered it. This form transcends Super Saiyan Blue and Goku was able to suppress Jiren with its help.
Akira Toriyama Reserved Ultra Instinct for one Dragon Ball Villain
In the interview, while talking about Goku’s Ultra Instinct, Akira Toriyama also let out another fact:
Well, actually I was thinking about having it be white, but then it would color-clash with the “next enemy”… so I figured I should save it for another occasion (laughs).
The next enemy that Toriyama is talking about is Zamasu, the supreme kai of Universe 10. Zamasu’s character design showed green skin, gray irises, and a white aura when he powered up.
If Goku had fought against Zamasu in his white form, both their auras would have merged to create a confusing mess. In close combat battles, it is extremely important to have distinct characters so that the two opponents can be distinguished. However, white auras for both parties would have defeated the purpose.
Zamasu was also an extremely powerful enemy who defeated Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta. Zamasu was finally defeated after a conjoined effort, but not before proving that he was an extremely strong character.
So Akira Toriyama waiting to give Goku Ultra Instinct and not stealing Zamasu’s spotlight says a lot about how strong the villain was. When Goku did conquer Ultra Instinct later, he also received the white aura and became one of the most powerful warriors in the universe.
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