Goku has more than a few powerful transformations in Dragon Ball lore, and his Ultra Instinct form being hinted at years before its official debut.

Against all expectations and odds, Goku has transcended to levels of power unheard of on his home planet as well as across multiple worlds and universes, finally reaching his ultimate fighting form after perfecting his Ultra Instinct technique during the epic events of Dragon Ball Super. But in an interview given during Super’s initial manga release, series creator Akira Toriyama lets slip information that alluded to Ultra Instinct’s debut two years before its official introduction.

First seen in episode #129 of Dragon Ball Super’s anime, titled “A Transcendent Limit Break! Autonomous Ultra Instinct Mastered!”, the Ultra Instinct technique premiered in all of its perfected glory in 2018, and immediately became Goku’s most powerful transformation yet.

Allowing Goku to act on pure instinct in battle, this form gave him a rippling silver aura and white hair. Not many fans know, however, that a 2016 interview featuring Akira Toriyama and Dragon Ball Super artist Toyotaro revealed that Toriyama was initially going to use this hair color for Super Saiyan Blue, but instead decided he should save it “for another occasion.”

Ultra Instinct is already an incredibly powerful transformation, but when paired with one of Goku’s most classic techniques, it can reach new heights.Akira Toriyama Originally Saved Goku’s White-Haired Look For “Another Occasion”

According to a translated interview (presented in full on Kanzenshuu) coinciding with the release of Super’s first manga volume, Ultra Instinct’s foreshadowing came about when Toyotaro asked Toriyama about the origin of Super Saiyan Blue. The answer was: “In Battle of Gods it was red, so I figured for Revival of ‘F’ I should go with blue.” Toriyama goes on to say: “Well, actually I was thinking about having it be white, but then it would color-clash with the ‘next enemy’… so I figured I should save it for another occasion (laughs),” revealing that since Zamasu, the next arc’s villain, was going to have white hair, Toriyama saved the color he envisioned for Goku next transformation, Ultra Instinct.

Flat out telling fans he was saving a white-haired version of Goku for an upcoming transformation, Toriyama deciding to follow his gut and not use the color for Super Saiyan Blue essentially became a blessing in disguise for Goku’s character as the all-white Ultra Instinct look is one of his most iconic designs yet. In fact, the episode of Ultra Instinct debut famously broke Crunchyroll’s servers, showing how much hype surrounded it. Notorious for not always planning out his stories, the fact that Toriyama even had an inkling to save this look for yet another form that was to come years later is a fun Dragon Ball fact to know.

Ultra Instinct’s White Hair Was Almost Used For Super Saiyan Blue

So while it’s unclear if Toriyama had already decided on repurposing Goku’s white hair specifically for Ultra Instinct before this interview or was simply thinking out loud about using it in general for some new future form, it’s still interesting to see the seeds of Ultra Instinct planted way before it ever officially premiered on screen. Knowing Goku, his perfected Ultra Instinct technique won’t be his final nor his strongest form in Dragon Ball Super for long, so now the real question becomes what color will Toriyama use for his most popular character’s next transformation.

Source: Kanzenshuu