Important takeaways
- Vegeta's Ultra Ego is a powerful form that counters Ultra Instinct, making attacks stronger with damage.
- Ultra Ego lacks durability, leading to potential blackouts mid-fight, but can be improved with training.
- Fans have mixed feelings about Ultra Ego's design, preferring Vegeta to keep black hair and look more regal.
Ever since then Dragon Ball Super's Tournament of Power airs, fans had fallen in love with Goku's brand new Ultra Instinct transformation, which allows him to use angelic techniques. Since then, however, fans have been eagerly waiting for Vegeta to unlock a divine technique that would once again put him on par with his rival, which was answered in the Granolah arc when Vegeta unlocked the incredible Ultra Ego!
This form essentially served as the polar opposite of Ultra Instinct and served as a marker to show fans that Vegeta was on a journey to achieve strength but through his own means. Although the form was as strong as Ultra Instinct when it first appeared, it has some flaws that need to be addressed before Vegeta can use it to its full potential. So let's take a look at the flaws of Ultra Ego and how Vegeta can fix them in the future Dragon Ball.
The flaws of Ultra Ego
Flaws in terms of its capabilities
|
First appearance |
Dragon Ball SuperChapter 74, “Vegeta vs. Granolah” |
|---|---|
|
User |
Vegeta, Beerus, Gods of Destruction |
Ultra Ego is the most powerful transformation Vegeta has ever undergone. Being the divine technique favored by the Gods of Destruction, it puts Vegeta into a special state quite similar to what Goku does when he goes Ultra Instinct, but the effect this form has is the reverse of it. Although this state is one that the Gods of Destruction stay in constantly due to their nature as destroyers, Vegeta requires a new transformation to house this destructive power.
The main ability of Ultra Ego is the opposite of that of Ultra Instinct, with the latter requiring the user to be incredibly calm in order for the body to instinctively react to attacks so that the user does not waste time thinking about dodging. However, Ultra Ego makes the user even stronger with the more damage they take, meaning their next attack will be much more powerful than the previous ones.
Injuries are nothing but fuel for me. Do you know what that means? I'm only getting stronger!
As the name suggests, Vegeta becomes complacent about the attacks he takes straight out, inviting damage so that his next attack is even stronger than before. Where Ultra Instinct is the perfect defense, Ultra Ego serves to be the perfect offense. However, this is where the biggest flaw of the form resides, as the user of this transformation can end up taking more damage than they can handle, which can lead to their defeat.
Right now, Ultra Ego is offensively as strong, if not stronger, than Ultra Instinct, but since Vegeta has only used the form once without training, it is very unrefined, similar to Ultra Instinct Omen. One way that Ultra Ego can be made as overpowered as Ultra Instinct is if Vegeta's body through training becomes extremely durable, similar to how Goku's body was in his mastered Ultra Instinct form. That way, the damage he takes won't hurt him while he still gets the benefits of the transformation, making his next attacks even more powerful.
It was shown that while the main power of this transformation is the ability to grow stronger with each damage he takes, the amount of damage he takes can still be too much for him. This can cause Vegeta to darken mid-fight, which was seen against both Granolah and Gas. But if his durability increases to the point where regular attacks don't hurt him, the potential for Ultra Ego goes through the roof!
Flaws in terms of design
Ultra Ego is a shape that has a slightly split design. While most fans of the series love how Vegeta looks with his spikier hair, more destructive aura, and overall feral appearance, there are some detractors who feel that the look of the transformation leaves a lot to be desired. Some fans of the series feel that Vegeta's long-awaited foray into the realm of Divine Techniques as a God of Destruction should have felt more regal.
First, it feels like the missing eyebrows in the mold just makes Vegeta look weird. While this was likely a deliberate choice as it portrays him as an extremely powerful and dangerous character with the ability to destroy entire planets on a whim, as all Gods of Destruction are, some thought he looked far too animalistic. Also, many feel that the form would have looked much better if Vegeta had kept his signature black hair rather than turning it purple.
Freaky Face Mode…?! It's called Ultra Ego, you idiot!
Many fan art and theories express the desire for Vegeta's hair to grow as long as a Super Saiyan 3 as a callback to the form that the Prince never achieved. If there is indeed a mastered Ultra Ego further down the line, the look of the transformation could be significantly different from what fans have seen so far, though what they have now is still an awesome form that brings Vegeta back into the conversation of the strongest. Dragon Ball characters!
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