Key recommendations
- Vegeta's Ultra Ego is a powerful form that opposes Ultra Instinct, making attacks more powerful with damage.
- Ultra Ego lacks durability, which leads to potential interruptions mid-fight, but could improve with training.
- Fans have mixed feelings about Ultra Ego's design, preferring Vegeta to keep the black hair and look more regal.
Since then Dragon Ball Super Tournament of Power aired, fans fell in love with Goku's new Ultra Instinct transformation that allows him to use Angel 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 acted as the polar opposite of Ultra Instinct and acted as a marker to show fans that Vegeta was on a journey to gain power, but through his own means. While the form was as powerful as Ultra Instinct when it first appeared, it has a few flaws that need to be worked out before Vegeta can use it to its full potential. So let's take a look at Ultra Ego's shortcomings and how Vegeta can fix them in the future Dragon Ball.
The Flaws of the Ultra Ego
Flaws In terms of his abilities
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball SuperChapter 74, “Vegeta Vs. granola” |
|---|---|
|
use |
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 that is quite similar to what Goku does when he goes Ultra Instinct, but the effect this form has is the opposite of that. Although this state is one that the Gods of Destruction constantly remain in due to their nature as destroyers, Vegeta needs a new transformation to accommodate this destructive power.
Ultra Ego's main ability is the opposite of Ultra Instinct, where the latter requires the user to be incredibly calm in order for the body to instinctively react to attacks, so the user doesn't waste time thinking about dodging. However, Ultra Ego makes the user even stronger the higher the damage, meaning their next attack will be much stronger than the previous one.
Damage is nothing but fuel for me. Do you know what that means? I'm just getting stronger!
As the name suggests, Vegeta becomes self-indulgent in the attacks he receives head-on, dealing damage so that his next attack will be even more powerful than before. Where Ultra Instinct is the perfect defense, Ultra Ego serves to be the perfect offense. However, this is where the form's biggest flaw exists, as the user of this transformation can end up taking more damage than they can handle, which can lead to their defeat.
At this point, Ultra Ego is offensively just as strong, if not stronger, than Ultra Instinct, but since Vegeta only used the form once without training, it is very unrefined, similar to Ultra Instinct Omen. One way that Ultra Ego can be as overpowered as Ultra Instinct is if, through training, Vegeta's body 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 gains the benefits of the transformation, making his next attacks even more powerful.
It has been shown that while the main power of this transformation is the ability to become stronger with each damage taken, the amount of damage he takes can still be too much for him. This can lead to losing Vegeta mid-fight, as seen against both Granolah and Gas. However, if his durability is increased to the point where regular attacks don't hurt him, the potential for Ultra Ego goes through the roof!
Defects in design
The Ultra Ego is a shape that has a bit of a divisive design. While most fans of the series love the way Vegeta looks with his spikier hair, 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 been more regal.
First of all, many feel like the form's missing eyebrows make Vegeta look weird. While this was likely a deliberate choice, as it depicts 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 felt that he looked far too animalistic. Furthermore, many feel that the form would have looked much better if Vegeta had kept his hair black rather than going purple.
Weird girl mode…?! It's called Ultra Ego, stupid!
Many fan art and theories support the desire for Vegeta's hair to grow as long as a Super Saiyan 3, as a return to the form that the Prince never achieved. If there is in fact an Ultra Ego mastered further down the line, the look of the transformation could be significantly different than what fans have seen so far, though what they have now is still an amazing form that brings Vegeta back into the conversation of the strongest. Dragon Ball characters!
Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
