Does Whis Have Ultra Instinct? (& Is He Always Using It)
One of the things that we know about the Dragon Ball Super manga and anime is that Goku is now treading the realm of the gods in terms of his power level as he tries to become strong enough to eventually surpass Beerus and even reach the level of Whis, who is the strongest character residing in Universe 7. In that regard, Whis undertook the opportunity to train not only Goku but also Vegeta in an attempt to allow them to learn Ultra Instinct as well. So, does that mean that Whis has Ultra Instinct?
Like all of the Angels in the Dragon Ball multiverse, Whis has Ultra Instinct, which allows him to instinctively dodge, block, and parry attacks without showing any effort at all. In fact, he and all of the other Angels in the multiverse have reached a level that allows them to always be in Ultra Instinct at all times.
It has been stated by Toyotaro, one of the people working on the Dragon Ball Super manga and anime, that Goku’s ultimate goal is to reach Whis in terms of the level of his Ultra Instinct. In that regard, Whis has become the ultimate measuring stick when it comes to Goku’s progression in his own Ultra Instinct master. Now, let’s look at what we know about Whis and Ultra Instinct.
Does Whis Have Ultra Instinct?
When the Dragon Ball Super anime began, one of the things we saw was how unassuming of a character Whis is, especially when compared to the more boisterous and hot-headed Beerus, who was introduced as the God of Destruction of Universe 7. In that regard, it was easy to think that Whis was simply a lackey working for Beerus, who is the mightiest of the mightiest in the entire universe.
Nevertheless, after Goku was able to give Beerus the fight he wanted upon achieving Super Saiyan God, the God of Destruction revealed that his own power paled in comparison to Whis, who is his personal Angel attendant for Universe 7, as this Angel was far ahead in terms of its power and was the one who was training him to become stronger. As such, out of all of the characters residing in Universe 7, Whis is the strongest.
Considering that he is the strongest in Universe 7, Whis undertook the task of training both Goku and Vegeta, who both became so strong under his supervision and training. At first, the goal was for the Saiyans to become strong enough to challenge and defeat Beerus sometime in the future. Of course, they both became strong enough to achieve incredible power levels and transformations, such as their Super Saiyan Blue form, even though they still weren’t strong enough to defeat Beerus.
However, during the Tournament of Power, Goku achieved an incredible transformation that was brought about by Jiren pushing his Spirit Bomb back to him. As such, the incredible power of the Spirit Bomb forced Goku to break through his limits and unlock a transformation called Ultra Instinct. That was when Whis revealed what he was trying to achieve while training Goku and Vegeta.
Whis said that Ultra Instinct is the ability to instinctively react to an opponent’s attacks in battle as the body itself seems to be able to move faster than the mind can think. In this form, Goku was able to quickly react to Jiren’s attacks while also mounting his own counterattacks as well. And when Goku reached his Perfected Ultra Instinct, he was able to move and react fast enough that it looked like he wasn’t even moving at all.
Considering that Whis said that he wanted both Goku and Vegeta to reach this level while he was training them, does that mean that Whis also has access to Ultra Instinct?
In fact, Whis does have Ultra Instinct, and it was obvious that he always had Ultra Instinct because he was never hit by anyone throughout the entire Dragon Ball Super anime. Throughout all of the different encounters that Whis had, he showcased his ability to instinctively dodge, block, or parry attacks without even showing any effort at all.
During the training sessions with Goku and Vegeta, the two Saiyans always ganged up on him. However, Whis nonchalantly dodged and blocked all of their attacks. While dodging, he wasn’t even paying attention to the attacks of the Saiyans, as it was clear that his body was moving instinctively and reacting to the attacks thrown by Goku and Vegeta. And when he was blocking their attacks, he was only doing so with a single finger.
In that regard, it was needless to say that Whis was using Ultra Instinct during the few times that he got attacked by different characters. And the ultimate showcase of his Ultra Instinct, as far as the anime is concerned, was in the Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie, wherein Broly took Whis by surprise and tried to fight him, only to realize that the Angel was simply instinctively dodging all of the brute’s attacks without even showing any effort in doing so.
Whis, during the Tournament of Power, revealed that he wanted Goku and Vegeta to achieve this form because he believed that it was the only way for them to become strong enough to match Beerus in power and eventually defeat him. And that’s because he said that not even Beerus was able to achieve and master this power.
The fact that Whis can use Ultra Instinct makes him the perfect character to teach the technique to Goku, who is more of an instinctive fighter compared to Vegeta, who relies more on his passion and emotions. And this is why Goku has Ultra Instinct while Vegeta underwent God of Destruction training to reach Ultra Ego.
Is Whis Always In Ultra Instinct?
During the Tournament of Power, Goku was enveloped in a white aura when he first achieved Ultra Instinct. After mastering it, his hair turned white while the same white aura was still around him. In fact, Goku needs to know how to enter Ultra Instinct whenever he needs to access this form, as he told Vegeta during their sparring match after the Tournament of Power that he didn’t know how to enter it at will at that time.
On the other hand, Whis seems to be a different breed because of the fact that we never saw him transforming or even changing his appearance whenever he was training Goku and Vegeta. That is because Whis and all of the Angels in the Dragon Ball multiverse are able to use Ultra Instinct without having to transform. This means that they are always in this state no matter what they do.
Toyotaro, one of the people working on Dragon Ball Super, once said that Goku’s ultimate goal when it comes to Ultra Instinct is to be able to use it without having to transform. In the anime and manga, Goku has to transform to enter Ultra Instinct. And after doing so, the transformation takes a toll on his body, but that was never the case for Whis, who is always in this form.
“For example, Whis is able to constantly use Ultra Instinct without any special transformation. So, if you can stay in the Ultra Instinct state at all times, whether you’re asleep or awake, that would be optimal. I want fans to see that Goku is getting closer to that level,” Toyotaro said.
In that regard, Goku’s next goal is to be able to achieve a level of Ultra Instinct that makes it possible for him to always be in it at all times. Simply stated, he has to be in Ultra Instinct even when he is at his base level because that is what Whis is capable of doing.
Whis even showcased his dominance over Goku in the manga when they sparred. Goku entered his Perfected Ultra Instinct but couldn’t even land a single hit on Whis, who didn’t even have to put much effort because his base form is already his Ultra Instinct form.
The fact that it is even called Ultra Instinct means that the user should be able to use it instinctively, without the need to enter a transformation. It will only be an instinctive state if it is truly part of the user’s instinct already, much like how Ultra Instinct has become a part of Whis’s very nature as a character and fighter.
As such, when Goku finally achieves this state, there is a good possibility that his power level will also increase to a point where he could match Beerus and finally defeat him. But the best part is that being able to access Ultra Instinct in his base form will allow him to practically make the toll on his body and stamina non-existent, considering that he no longer has to over-exert himself to achieve that power level.
