Goku’s Ultra Instinct: A Symbol of Transcendence and Integration

I was one of the lucky little ones who not only witnessed, but lived the power of symbolism expressed through the legendary art of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball. I may have lost you already to the title, dear reader; you are still here, so join me for a stroll of the imagination. I ask of you one thing though: humor me. Our consciousnesses will briefly intertwine, purely oblivious to the weight of our existence. Albeit fiction, you’ll still follow through, because, you are here, and some of this will be arcane, but I hope the ethos will feel at home.

The symbol is not just a representation; it is an expression that points beyond itself to something still unknown and often beyond our comprehension. It arises from the unconscious and addresses itself to the unconscious, providing a bridge between what we cannot grasp rationally and what we can intuitively understand. Symbols serve to transform energy and give form to the chaotic, opening the door to new realms of consciousness and meaning. — Carl Jung

To call Toriyama simply an artist would be to reduce the beauty we were bestowed to experience. His creations, from the characters to their relationships and growth, unfolded over decades, blending physicality and virtuality as mediums that almost poetically intertwined.

Akira, however, was not just prolofic and profound artist — he was also a philosopher and psychologist and more, for he had to be, in order to create something as intricate and enduring as Dragon Ball. Consider the sheer magnitude: hundreds of episodes, thousands of minutes of dialogue, and a global audience that has been enchanted for decades — we, literally and figuratively, grew with Dragon ball.

Each episode, each era, each character in Dragon Ball serves as a symbol, a representation of larger, universal themes. Vegeta, for instance, embodies the complex journey of self-sacrifice and redemption. His evolution from a ruthless, prideful warrior to a figure willing to lay down his life for others speaks to the potential for change, even in the most hardened of souls. In contrast, Krillin’s tragic death at the hands of Frieza highlights the helplessness of the innocent in the face of unrelenting evil. It’s a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the relentless nature of darkness, be it via disease, nature’s wrath, or whatever millions of things our many poor ancestors had to endure. It is also a story about friendship — surely in the most eclectic forms.

“Chaos is not the absence of order, but the presence of potential order, waiting for the hand of wisdom to shape it into harmony.” — Avicenna (Ibn Sina)

Yet, from this destruction, there is always rebirth, a rise from the ashes. The Z Fighters’ resilience in the face of overwhelming odds represents the eternal cycle of death and resurrection, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually, through acts. Frieza, the embodiment of pure evil and tyranny, symbolizes the destructive power of unchecked ambition and malice, a force that seeks to impose control at any cost. But Dragon Ball also gives us the power of hope, like when Goku rises time and again, defying the limits of his strength. Each villain and hero in the series becomes a reflection of the many facets of humanity — the darkness, the light, the potential for growth, and the cost of stagnation.

From the quiet strength of Piccolo’s selfless acts to the unyielding spirit of Goku’s pursuit of greatness, every character’s journey serves as a metaphor for our own internal battles and aspirations. Each character, ethos even if you will, are deeply flawed (and how symmetrical, almost, that is? How uniting!) Indeed, no character, we learn, through the gentle way of display, is beyond fault — there is also moral indifference powerfully and beautifully displayed. Universes vanish in instants, the ecosystem itself, we are humbly and gently reminded, is inherently imploding and exploding. But so are the archetypes, the ethos — the symbolism! Indeed symbolism is the heart of culture. It transpired as itches in ancient stones, now art through mediums we have not even begin to fathom.

Now, I am limited in every capacity to go over every character, but there is something about culmination to explore. Hence, Ultra Instinct, a state where the body moves beyond thought, guided purely by instinct. In this form, reflexes are lightning-fast, and the mind is calm, allowing the fighter to react without conscious effort. It represents the pinnacle of martial mastery, where combat becomes effortless, and victory inevitable.

Admittedly, the topic is only a hungry fledgling, indeed one whose wings are broken. But it is alive and well, and worthy of exploration. Hence my ramblings about the precursors of Ultra Instinct. Am I reading too much into Akira’s work? Perhaps. But who cares. Here are some pillars I saw in Ultra Instinct.

Purity of Heart as the Foundation of Divinity

Words are tricky, so humor me for a moment (because we already agreed you would, right?) as I define ‘purity’ not as an abstract ideal, but as a force within, whose essence remains unadulterated by opposing forces — those often born from crippling fear or unchecked passions. The journey toward Ultra Instinct begins with a foundational principle: the purity of heart. This lofty ideal transcends mere moral virtue, for morality in this context, again, purely irrelevant, embodying a profound evolutionary and existential necessity. Goku’s transformation into the legendary Super Saiyan God vividly illustrates this — a divine ascension made possible only through unblemished purity. This purity stands in stark contrast to the catastrophic failure of the ancient Saiyans, who sought the same power without it, as revealed by Shenron himself: “Long ago, a small group of pure-hearted Saiyans questioned the evil committed by their race. To triumph against wickedness, they united their power to create a savior — a Super Saiyan God.” Why such an emphasis on purity? Perhaps it reflects the core of our biological and evolutionary imperatives — rooted in authenticity, guided by truth, and sustained by the interdependence crucial for survival. Goku’s very transformation into a Super Saiyan God, for instance, was only made possible through the transfer and trust of other pure-hearted Saiyans, a testament to the power of purity in uniting and elevating individuals toward a shared higher purpose. The individual is nothing without the group. And the group is therefore nothing without the individual!

In our prehistoric past, fidelity to truth was far more than an abstract ideal — it was a mechanism of survival. Picture a tribe on the unforgiving savannah, where even a single act of deceit, such as hoarding food or evading responsibilities, could endanger the entire group. Famine, disease, and predators lurked at every turn, and for the lone liar, ostracism meant near-certain death. In this existence, our ancestors developed complex psychological mechanisms to reward truth and cooperation while instinctively punishing deceit — not through imposed moral codes or religious doctrines (and how stifling can both be!), but as an organic extension of survival itself. These instincts endure in us today, surfacing as guilt, shame, or anxiety in the wake of dishonesty. Language, though limited, strove to capture this innate “feeling.” Socrates, for instance, described his daimonion — a divine voice that warned him against error — an ever-present guide central to his life as a philosopher and teacher. We see Rousseau, in his “reveries of a solitary walker,” expressing a similar, and prodigiously inexpressible ideal: “such were my rules of conscience concerning truth and falsehood. My heart followed these rules automatically before they had been adopted by my reason”.

“Become who you are when you have learned what you are. A single path lies before you — your own. Listen not to the crowd, but to the whisper within, for it is the call of your will to power” — Friedrich Nietzsche

Yet purity transcends mere acts of external cooperation; it is the internal alignment of one’s essence. Living in discord with one’s nature — through deceit, denial, or self-betrayal — exacts a heavy psychological toll, often manifesting as seemingly unrelated physical and psychological expressions. These symptoms, though diverse, share a common root — an inner misalignment that disrupts the mind-body connection.

“You say ‘I’ and you are proud of this word. But greater than this — although you will not believe in it — is your body and its great intelligence, which does not say ‘I’ but does ‘I.’”- Nietzsche

Such manifestations, far from arbitrary, serve as the instinctual (don’t you love your instinct?) signals, urging us to confront and reconcile the dissonance within. They instruct us , however subtly and almost passive aggressively, that harmony with our deeper truth is not optional but essential for holistic well-being. These painful states, far from being arbitrary, serve an adaptive function. A practical one! They force us into introspection, urging us to pause, reassess, and realign with truth. The Stoics, early pioneers of ideas now echoed in modern therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), grasped this profoundly. Their call to “live in accordance with nature” speaks to the deep interplay between the cosmos and the psyche — a fragile yet vital harmony we must preserve to truly thrive. Even in the physical realm, chaos sustains itself only through an undercurrent of order — a mysterious, ever-present amalgamation that binds the universe together.

“Observe always that everything is the result of change, and keep this constantly in mind. For the universe loves to shape order from chaos, and what seems like disorder is but a step in its grand design.” — Marcus Aurelius

This principle of alignment finds its ultimate expression in Goku’s mastery of Ultra Instinct. His fighting style embodies the harmony between inner truth and external flow, a state where every action emerges naturally and without hesitation. As Whis explains, “When every part of the body moves on its own, unhindered by thought, it can respond to any threat instantly.” Any unavoidable psychological mechanisms — doubts, fears, or self-deception — that disrupt this flow will inevitably weaken or delay one’s reactions. Watch Whis eloquently putting it here! Or, an actual and rare manifestation, by Muhammad Ali himself, here.

Ultra Instinct transcends martial technique; it reflects the ultimate attunement to truth, which can be understood as the very rhythm of the cosmos. Essentially, what is, what was and what will be! It’s the very force that propels the duck forward, nonchalantly floating on a blissful water, or the very exploding star. Things are. By surrendering to this truth and transcending mental interference, Goku achieves a state where his body becomes a seamless extension of universal order, reacting with pure instinct and unshakable precision.

But don’t take my words for it. Take none other than the Angel Whis himself, who, before the Tournament of Power, illuminated the quintessential nature of Ultra Instinct to Goku: “This overthinking is limiting your fighting speed. Messages can only travel through your nervous system so fast. When you rely on thoughts for physical action, you lose precious fighting time… The end goal should be to master the ability to have each part of your body think and move independently of the others. But I admit, this is exceedingly difficult.”

“The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for. The truth will set you free, but first, it will pierce your soul, for only through suffering and honesty can one achieve true liberation.” — Dostoevsky

Truth, thus, liberates us — not just philosophically, but practically — by saving us time. In Ultra Instinct, there is no room for hesitation or the clutter of overthinking. Every part of Goku’s being flows as one with the cosmos, the ultimate embodiment of alignment, where mind, body, and universe act in perfect unity.

Ultra Instinct: Transcending the Duality of Nature

Here lies the brilliance of Ultra Instinct: it represents not just harmony with nature but the transcendence of it. Ahh, but we are nature! Nature engendered one of its own. Aware of itself! Goku’s transformation into this state embodies what it means to align with the universe while simultaneously rising above it. To exist authentically within nature while altering its course is a uniquely human paradox. We alone, as far as we know (let’s wait a couple years…), possess the intellectual and spiritual capacity to become both observers and participants — indeed modifiers — in the grand narrative of existence.

This encapsulates the essence of Ultra Instinct: a state where thought no longer governs action, where the self becomes a pure conduit for the universe’s flow. It is not about overthinking but about transcending thought altogether.

The Integration of Chaos and Order

Soon after achieving Ultra Instinct, we finally start getting a glimpse of the magic behind that power, accessible only to the Gods.

“I can feel it. Not the chaos of consciousness, but the elegant purity of energy operating on impulse alone. Goku is focused only on Jiren now… Or rather, on the battle itself. He is throwing his whole body and soul into the fleeting moment of each strike. Allowing the flames of his power to rage freely, unrestrained by the walls of thought. Concerns for his Universe, or the gap in their powers, his hesitation, his impatience, his fear… He has given them all to the fire and let them burn. So that now there is only himself, his opponent, and the fight. Soon, he will reach a realm still faster, keener, and deeper than instinct, where even that awareness will blur and fade. And beyond that…”

To understand Ultra Instinct, we must first confront the chaos of existence — both external and internal. Our ancestors faced a relentless barrage of dangers: famine, predators, disease, and an ever-changing environment. To attempt to mention the countless nature of fears is do them injustice. To navigate this chaos, they developed abstract systems — cultural, psychological, and spiritual — that allowed them to impose order. These systems, whether embodied in myths, rituals, or collective archetypes, served as scaffolding to bridge the chasm between the raw chaos of nature and the emergent order of human consciousness.

Ultra Instinct is the next step in this evolution. It is a state where the conscious mind steps aside, allowing the body to act as an unthinking, integrated whole. In psychological terms, it mirrors Carl Jung’s concept of individuation — the integration of disparate elements of the self (the ego, the shadow, the anima/animus, etc.) into a unified whole. In practical terms, it is the culmination of training so profound that instinct and intellect become indistinguishable. Goku achieves a state of pure being — acting without hesitation, without fear, and without contradiction — wthout dissonance.

In Jungian sense, almost, in Akira Toriyama’s portrayal of Goku’s first transformation (Super Sayian God Transformation; 1:30), we witness an incessant, rapid succession of seasons and natural manifestations, each expressing its own unique essence. The shifting seasons — each carrying its beauty, destructiveness, serenity, and wrath — culminate in the radiance of the sun, as though a divine cycle of life, death, and rebirth is brought into harmony. This imagery reflects not just the external world, but the internal transformation Goku undergoes, symbolizing the natural forces of creation and destruction that reside within all of us.

The Divine Dance: Beyond Biology

Ultra Instinct is more than a biological phenomenon; it is a philosophical and spiritual ideal, however imaginery and impossbile. It embodies the ultimate union of the physical and metaphysical. Goku’s every movement in this state is a testament to harmony — not just within himself but with the cosmos. His body becomes an instrument of the universe’s will, moving in perfect synchrony with its rhythms.

The eyes tire, as does the mind; somehow we made it together, dear reader. A stroll of the imagination continues, for where we stepped on, by definition, dictates we head. I leave you with that. And you with this.

All is like an ocean, all flows and connects; touch it in one place and it echoes at the other end of the world. Everything is linked to everything else, and everything matters.” — Dostoevsky