Dragon Ball Super Ultra Instinct: 8 Best Users, Ranked by Power

Ultra Instinct is the signature transformation/technique of the Angels in Dragon Ball Super—an advanced state that turns calm focus into combat speed. First set up in Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F, it later becomes a centerpiece in the Tournament of Power, giving its user lightning-quick reaction time that can slip past or counter virtually any strike. Once the form is truly mastered, it also delivers a major jump in power, defense, and movement speed—levels that can stand toe-to-toe with the franchise’s most formidable power-ups.

To execute Ultra Instinct, the character needs a clear mind, a steady heart, and a deep grasp of core martial arts fundamentals. Even among Dragon Ball’s elite, only the strongest fighters can access Ultra Instinct—and far fewer can learn to sustain its full capability without burning themselves out. From Goku to the Grand Priest, the best-known Ultra Instinct users are portrayed as God-Tier combatants: beings positioned as some of the most dangerous forces across the multiverse.

Dragon Ball Super 2 will settle, once and for all, who the most powerful Saiyan is between Goku and Vegeta.

Ultra Instinct’s key story milestones (manga + anime releases)

8 Honorable Mention: Bardock Unlocks His Own Version of Ultra Instinct

In the Dragon Ball Super manga, the Granolah the Survivor Saga takes a step back to show Bardock’s final assignment before his death. In that flashback, Bardock is ordered to wipe out the residents of Planet Cereal, but he turns away from his instincts as a Saiyan after learning he must shield a young Granolah. This decision pulls him into conflict with the Heeter Gas, a foe who later becomes the arc’s main villain in the modern timeline.

While Bardock fights Gas, he triggers a Zenkai boost and develops a temporary pseudo-transformation that strongly resembles Ultra Instinct. Toyotarou even draws Bardock’s power-up with the same visual approach used for True Ultra Instinct Goku in the manga. In that imitation state, Bardock receives a huge power surge and can trade blows evenly with Gas. His reaction speed also improves, though it still falls well short of the genuine Ultra Instinct experience.

7 Honorable Mention: Master Roshi Understands the Basics of Ultra Instinct

Master Roshi is an old-school martial arts authority who trained Goku—often framed as the greatest fighter of all time—during his development. In the Dragon Ball Super manga, Roshi demonstrates that Power Level isn’t the only measure of dominance when he casually dodges most of Jiren’s attacks, stepping in as he tries to help Goku reach Ultra Instinct. Roshi’s lesson is tied to the habits he built from childhood: watch the battlefield, clear the mind so you’re fully present, and avoid wasting motion.

Roshi isn’t using the real Ultra Instinct. Instead, Whis explains that Roshi understands the underlying principles so well that he can apply an effective personal version. That fits Roshi’s long-standing reputation and legacy. Even so, Roshi is ultimately beaten by Jiren—just not before he gives Goku the crucial insight needed to unlock Ultra Instinct Sign for the first time.

Across the multiverse, only a small set of Dragon Ball characters possess the kind of strength that can rival Zeno.

6 Merus Can’t Use Ultra Instinct’s Full Power Without Erasing Himself

Merus is an Angel attendant who disguises himself as a Galactic Patrol officer to learn more about the wider universe. In the Moro Saga, Merus takes Goku as a student with the goal of helping him finally master Ultra Instinct. Ahead of the last confrontation with Moro, Goku and Merus train together inside a Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

Training is cut short when Moro attacks Earth. During the chaos, Merus shows how to use Ultra Instinct while fighting Moro so Goku can observe the technique in action. But because Merus is an Angel, using his full strength would erase him from existence. Still, while he was present, Merus was able to use Ultra Instinct with strong results against Moro.

5 Moro’s Body Cannot Handle Ultra Instinct

After Goku achieves Perfected Ultra Instinct with Merus’s support and defeats Moro, he makes a risky choice: he hands Moro a Senzu Bean. The plan backfires immediately. Moro recovers his full strength and manages to absorb Merus’s abilities. By bringing Merus’s power into himself, Moro gains access to both God Ki and Ultra Instinct.

Moro’s Ultra Instinct state makes him fast and strong enough to keep pace with PUI Goku as the two fight across the world. However, Moro’s mortal body can’t fully contain Angelic Ki. Little by little, he starts to rupture from the inside out. To avoid being destroyed, Moro fuses himself to the Earth, becoming even more dangerous as he drains energy from every living thing around him.

4 Goku’s Mastery of Ultra Instinct is Perfect

Goku might not always be framed as the most powerful Ultra Instinct user in Dragon Ball, but he’s positioned as the most gifted. His Ultra Instinct usage may even be superior to what the Angels can do, given how far he has pushed the form since learning it during the Tournament of Power. By the time of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Goku can activate Ultra Instinct on demand, astral project his Ki, and layer his God forms on top of True Ultra Instinct.

Goku can also access more Ultra Instinct variations than any other character in the series, and each variant serves a purpose in his fights. In Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103, he’s shown re-enabling Perfected Ultra Instinct even after taking enough damage to knock him out of the form. With the Black Frieza Saga approaching, there’s no clear limit to how much more Goku might refine Ultra Instinct.

The strongest Pure-Blood Saiyans in Drago Ball are destined to eventually surpass the Gods and Angels, thanks to how much power they’ve kept hidden.

3 Beerus is the Only God of Destruction Who Knows Ultra Instinct

Beerus stands out not only because he’s strong, but because he’s shown to be versatile. He’s described as the most powerful God of Destruction—and the only one who can actually use Ultra Instinct. In the Dragon Ball Super manga, Beerus applies Ultra Instinct to dodge attacks from the other Gods of Destruction, then takes control of the exchange quickly after.

Even if Goku’s mastery is portrayed as superior, Beerus’s rougher, less polished version would still be enough to beat even Perfected Ultra Instinct Goku—at least for now. For the moment, Beerus and Goku are the only beings in the multiverse who can use Hakai alongside Angel-style techniques like Ultra Instinct.

2 Whis & The Angels Are Ultra Instinct Masters

As Goku’s teacher, Whis was the first character to use Ultra Instinct on-screen in Dragon Ball Super. While he’s often treated as the face of Ultra Instinct once Goku takes the spotlight, Whis is only one member of twelve Angels who are all capable of using UI. Ultra Instinct is presented as an Angelic technique that every Angel can naturally perform.

Other Angels haven’t shown their Ultra Instinct mastery as extensively, but Whis has plenty of notable demonstrations. In Resurrection F, he cleanly avoids every strike Goku and Vegeta throw at him. In the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, Whis catches a punch from Planet Moro as if it’s nothing. And in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Whis moves through Legendary Super Saiyan Broly’s attacks without even breaking a sweat.

1 The Grand Priest is the Strongest Angel Who’ve Ever Lived

The Grand Priest is among the rare characters in the Dragon Ball franchise who can genuinely rival Zeno’s Power Level. As the Omni-King’s right-hand and the father of all Angels, the Grand Priest is treated as the second-most powerful person in the multiverse. In the Dragon Ball Super manga, the Grand Priest casually blocks strikes from Beerus and Quitela—two of the strongest Gods of Destruction—while they fight at near full power.

The Grand Priest trained every Angel himself. Since he’s an Angel, he can naturally use Ultra Instinct, and that’s the ability he employs to stop Beerus and Quitela’s conflict. With his immense Power Level—and the neutrality rules Angels must follow—he hasn’t faced a truly serious fight for as long as he’s been shown. However, that situation could shift if Black Frieza’s power continues to rise.

Dragon Ball Super

Cast

• Masakazu Morita — Whis (voice)
• Masako Nozawa — Son Goku / Goku Black / Son Gohan / Son Goten (voices)