Ultra-Instinct vs Super Saiyan

Hey all,

For those who didn't know, I've been writing episode reviews of Dragonball Super on My Looney Bin, check them out and take a look at what else is there, it's good stuff. Anyway, the latest two-parter put me in the mindset to compare the origins of Super Saiyan against what we're seeing so far in Ultra-Instinct.

Super Saiyan first appeared in as Goku was fighting Freiza on planet Namek. On the upside, there was a lot of build-up in the lore. We probably heard the phrase Super Saiyan at least half a dozen to a dozen times before we saw one, which made the power-up feel like a part of the world that predated this incident and didn't feel like a deus ex machina. Ultra-extreme on the other hand has really only been built up in the audience's meta-understanding of things, i.e. Goku didn't get a new form last arc, so it's bound to happen. I think Android 17 said it best when he said, "But, somehow Goku instantly overcame that overwhelming difference in power." Rinse, and repeat. Super Saiyan felt like something brand new, and, while I can't rag too hard on how absolutely amazing Ultra-Instinct looks, these power-up forms are less incredible and more routine.

So, if Ultra-Instinct is a little routine, and kind of out of the blue at the same time, what's it got going for it? For starters, the aesthetics of both the character design and the fight choreography are absolutely amazing. These fights might have surpassed the high points of the Zamasu arc as the best fighting in Super so far. What's more, Ultra-Instinct is doing what Super Saiyan should have done as far as slowing down the future power creep a little. Once Goku powers down from Ultra-Instinct, he can't just hop right back in, and he genuinely seems to have some trouble understanding what he's achieved, and it suggests he might not know how to turn it back on, even when he has the energy again.

So, some pluses and minuses; but enough still here that, no question, I'll be coming back to see where this arc's going.