Warning: Contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Super chapter 84
The Prince of Saiyans, Vegeta, finally got an edge over his eternal rival Son Goku in Dragon Ball Super. During the merciless battle against Gas, the strongest warrior in the universe, Vegeta’s Ultra Ego form proves to be much better than Goku’s Ultra Instinct to deal with such a powerful foe.
Vegeta was introduced in Dragon Ball as an enemy who invaded Earth and had to be defeated. His power level was way above anything seen until then, and only a collective effort by Goku and his friends managed to just barely defeat the Prince of the Saiyans. After that, Vegeta slowly transitioned into an ally, moved to Earth, started a family there, and became Goku’s best friend/rival. The character is incredibly popular as a brooding antihero who is the perfect foil for Goku’s oblivious and carefree attitude. However, despite many fans wanting Vegeta to be the strongest, until now he had to settle for second place, because no matter how powerful Vegeta gets, Goku always surpasses him quickly. At least, that’s until Ultra Ego came around.
Ultra Ego and Ultra Instinct are the current ultimate transformations of Vegeta and Goku, respectively, taught to them by their current masters, the angel Whis and the God of Destruction Beerus. While similarly powerful, the two forms are polar opposites: Ultra Instinct relies on emptying one’s mind and letting the body react on its own, while an Ultra Ego user’s power grows without limit through instinct as their fighting spirit increases. In Dragon Ball Super chapter 84, written by Akira Toriyama and drawn by Toyotarou, the difference between Ultra Ego and Ultra Instinct proves to be fundamental to put up a fight against Gas, the warrior who, through a wish expressed by his brother using the Dragon Balls, has become the strongest in the universe. Ultra Ego is, in fact, way more efficient against a superior opponent, such as Gas.
When the Ultra Ego transformation is in use, the user becomes exponentially more powerful and gains the ability to use Power of Destruction, the trademark ability of the Gods of Destruction. Ultra Ego draws upon self-indulgence and battle lust, making it perfect for the Prince of Saiyans. Whereas Ultra Instinct makes the users more efficient in battle as they continue to evade and counterattack, Ultra Ego allows the users’ overall power to increase as they take more damage and delve more into their lust for battle. This is perfect for Goku and Vegeta’s current predicament. Goku has been unable to avoid Gas’ attacks for long, even in his Ultra Instinct form, because his opponent’s power has been “set” by the wish to be greater than Goku’s. Ultra Ego, on the other hand, constantly increases the user’s power, making him stronger the more damage he takes.
Despite this advantage, the fight is still not over. Vegeta has to be careful, because Ultra Ego does nothing to stop the damage he takes, so he has to avoid getting hit too much. However, this technique still proves to be more effective than Ultra Instinct when fighting against a superior opponent (something that Goku and Vegeta do quite often). Fans of Vegeta can rejoice: Dragon Ball Super has finally given the Prince of Saiyans an edge over his eternal rival, Goku.
