Over the years, Akira Toriyama has given us some of the most powerful and imposing transformations in Dragon Ball. From Goku’s very first Super Saiyan to Gohan’s Beast form, the tension around the power-ups are still the same.
The author has outdone himself with Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego, two of the most powerful forms attained by Goku and Vegeta. Their designs are celebrated by fans worldwide. But did you know that they are not based on the usual Saiyan transformations?
Vegeta’s Ultra Ego Look is Inspired by Beerus
Ultra Ego is considered to be a divine transformation in Dragon Ball. This state is attained by only those who have received training to be a God of Destruction and have gained the abilities to become one. Vegeta gained Ultra Ego only when he was in the right mindset to become a God of Destruction, and it is often considered to be the polar opposite of Ultra Instinct.
In this form, Vegeta holds a ripped physique, with purple hair, purple aura, no eyebrows, and a sinister look in his eyes. None of the previous Saiyan transformations show a lack of eyebrows in the protagonists, so it is a curious subtraction from the character.
In a special interview commemorating the release of Dragon Ball Super‘s volume 17, Toyotarou, the artist of Dragon Ball, opened up about his inspiration behind Vegeta’s Ultra Ego Design.
“Ego” is different, and it’s a technique used by Gods of Destruction. So fundamentally, I was trying to capture Beerus’ essence.
While trying to design Ultra Ego Vegeta, Toyotarou envisioned how Vegeta would look like if he incorporated Beerus’ design into it. In this state, Vegeta gains purple hair and aura, and as you already know, it is the color of Beerus’ skin. The sphinx cat-like design of Beerus thus manifested as Vegeta’s no-eyebrow design in Ultra Ego.
The Inspiration Behind Goku’s Ultra Instinct in Dragon Ball
While Ultra Ego is inspired by the God of Destruction, Ultra Instinct is the complete opposite of it. This state allows the user to separate their consciousness from their body and fight independent of their thoughts and emotions. Angels like Whis have mastered this technique, and it is thus majorly used by angels. Toyotarou agrees that:
Ultra Instinct is a technique of the angels…Ultra Instinct Goku has silver hair because Whis has it of the same color.
So there you have it, Goku’s Ultra Instinct is inspired by none other than Whis, whereas Vegeta’s Ultra Ego is inspired by Beerus. This further solidifies their personalities as well since Vegeta is more destructive in nature while Goku is more angel-like.
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