Goku's new ability is his most unique Dragon Ball skill ever

Goku's new ability

Dragon Ball Super's fight against Gas and the Heaters has been resolved in a typically Dragon Ball manner by giving Goku a new ability. This time, though, it's far more than just a new hairstyle; in fact, it might be the most distinctive power in any Z Fighter's arsenal.

Flashbacks

For several chapters, the battle against the Heaters, and in particular Gas, has been ongoing, with sporadic flashbacks to Goku's father Bardock and his own time on Planet Cereal. It turns out that Bardock not only engaged Gas at that time but also prevailed against him, though the "how" was not captured on camera.

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Battle

However, the film spurred Goku and Vegeta to resume their battle, and even Granola, who was comatose but was gradually coming to, saw that his wrath didn't have to be directed at the Saiyans.

Green Lantern

The first scene of Chapter 86 shows Gas and Goku engaged in combat, with Gas displaying all of his strength, including the liberal deployment of energy to construct a  Green Lantern. As Goku repelled the wish-enhanced foe, Granola awoke and came to assist. He powered up a single shot to put an end to this.

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Goku's approach

Elec, the commander of the Heaters, rejects the idea because the energy required to vanquish Gas in a single blow would also be sufficient to wipe off the Earth, which was also the home to millions of innocent people.

Goku's approach is simple: launch Gas high enough in the air to prevent any shot's blowback from endangering the ground. To do this, Goku instantly emitted a huge image of himself, which grabbed Gas and sent him into the upper atmosphere with all of his might.

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The new aspect of Ultra Instinct

This new skill is another departure from even Goku's ki-based energy assaults in a series that is primarily recognized for lightspeed-paced martial arts.

Although Goku was on the ground when it activated and his hair briefly flashed as if Ultra Instinct had activated, the precise nature of this power-up is still unclear. It could simply be a new aspect of Ultra Instinct.

Mimic his enemies

It's also plausible that Goku learned this from Gas during their battle; after all, Gas frequently employed enormous energy constructs, as seen in the panel when he produced enormous energy "shoes" from the beginning of the chapter.

Both possibilities are possible, with Ultra Instinct enabling Goku to not only study but also mimic the moves of his enemies. Whatever the case, if Goku has the ability to instantly conjure a kaiju-sized form of pure energy, this might completely alter the course of the series.

And even if it appears doubtful, there's always a chance that Bardock employed this strategy in order to triumph.

40th anniversary

Big alterations to the characters' abilities are undoubtedly one method to keep Dragon Ball Super feeling new, especially as the series approaches its 40th anniversary (in 2024). Even though the threat has been eliminated, for the time being, Goku will undoubtedly have some questions regarding this new power in the chapters to come.