"It's a reaction time boost": Akira Toriyama Never Explained in Detail How Goku's Ultra Instinct Worked, So a Dragon Ball Fan Used Science to Do it for Him (2024)

A Dragon Ball fan theory uses science to explain Goku's Ultra Instinct as a reaction time boost, linking it to real-world concepts like muscle memory.

Despite Akira Toriyama’s sad demise at the age of 68,Dragon Ballcontinues to set a notable example for many new-gen animes. For the past seven years, Dragon Ball has been Toei Animation’s most profitable anime franchise, highlighting its immense popularity among the audience.

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Not to forget, Goku’s signature attack, Kamehameha, has become a global sensation, featuring numerous references in the 2024 Olympics. On top of that, Goku’s Ultra Instinct transformation broke several records, leaving a long-lasting impression on the viewers.

Though Akira Toriyama didn’t delve deeply into the details of the Ultra Instinct transformation, one Dragon Ball fan took matters into his own hands, providing a scientific explanation for UI.

Dragon Ball Theory: Science Proves the Reasons Behind Goku’s Ultra Instinct Transformation

Although Dragon Ball Super had its own flaws, Goku’s Ultra Instinct transformation played a key role in re-establishing the anime’s legendary status within the community. Goku’s UI left fans awestruck as their childhood favorite character pushed beyond his limits once more.

Despite Dragon Ball’s immense popularity, many critics take issue with the series’ simplistic power scaling. Akira Toriyama takes a straightforward stance, portraying Saiyans as the most powerful beings.

In Dragon Ball, characters like Goku and Vegeta attain new transformations through their Saiyan heritage. However, Ultra Instinct deviates from this pattern, as it is described as a God-like transformation that is beyond the reach of mortals.

Surprisingly, Goku is the only mortal to achieve such a divine level. Unfortunately, Akira Toriyama provided fans with only limited insights into Goku’s most powerful transformation. Recently, a fan theory has gained attention online, where a Dragon Ball fan uses science to explain and justify Goku’s Ultra Instinct transformation. The theory states:

That is, the body moves by itself instantly with no input from the brain or spinal cord at all! This is what is colloquially known as “muscle memory”. In real life, muscles can’t store memory. It’s our brain that stores it but through repetitive action and practice, we react faster which gives the illusion that the body moves on its own.

If we agree to this, this allows any person regardless of their opponent’s strength and speed, to dodge any attack because 0 ms will always be faster as it is instantaneous.

The theory also put light on Roshi vs Jiren fight scene, where Master Roshi was able to dodge Jiren’s powerful-deadly punches thanks to his swift reaction. It states that the entire principle behind Roshi VS Jiren fight was to demonstrate the utility of UI. They add:

It’s a reaction time boost. To give you an example, if Jiren and UI Goku were to race each other in a 100 m dash, Jiren should still win because he’s still faster in raw speed. On the contrary, if Jiren and Goku have to press a button when a light turns from red to green, Goku would press it faster because there’s no delay for him to react.

That is the difference between speed and reaction time. Please do not get them mixed up! Though again, for the sake of the DB verse, which has already shown us that UI is also a speed and power boost, not just a reaction time boost, in all cases, Goku would also win that race against Jiren.

In short, the theory states that Goku’s UI isn’t a power or speed boost; however, it highlights the principle of movement and reaction speed.

Toriyama illustrated the UI transformation as severing the link between consciousness and body, allowing the user to dodge any attack subconsciously. This description resembles the DB fan’s scientific explanation of muscle memory, leaving fans astonished by the rumored revelation.

Why Gohan Stands as the Strongest Character in Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball Z never hesitated to showcase Gohan’s immense strength, surpassing the likes of Goku and Vegeta. After the end of the Cell Saga, Toriyama had to cripple Gohan’s character as it was restricting the plot progression.

Many fans believe the secret behind Gohan’s immense strength is his Saiyan heritage. Surprisingly, a recent theory confirms it’s actually Chi-Chi’s fiery genes at play.

The theory states that thanks to Chi-Chi’s special heavy-temper genes, Gohan witnessed several rage moments resulting in powerful transformations such as the Gohan Beast. This would explain Gohan’s strength, surpassing other Hybrid Saiyans, such as Trunks and Goten.

Dragon Ballis available for streaming on Crunchyroll.