Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DLC 2 is giving Goku and Vegeta another major power boost, moving them past Super Saiyan God and giving players access to Super Saiyan Blue. This was an expected move for the most part, but what comes next still bewilders many. There are a number of ways that the game could handle the next transformation available for Goku and Vegeta, but the idea of Ultra Instinct making its way into the game is too enticing to not entertain, and recent screenshots suggest that it could be possible. Despite all this, it may be a bad idea to add Ultra Instinct to the game, at least this early on.
Currently, Goku and Vegeta are the strongest characters in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, and rightly so. Their access to God Ki, the Super Saiyan God from, and (soon) Super Saiyan Blue transformation make them leagues above other characters. For many, Ultra Instinct is the next logical step in terms of new transformations, but including it in DLC 3 would have a lot of unintended side effects that may not be worth it. Because of this, there's a lot to consider when looking at the potential for Ultra Instinct in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.
Tournament of Power in DBZ: Kakarot
In order for Ultra Instinct to be added to Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, the Tournament of Power would have to be included as well. While it isn't impossible that this will happen in DLC 3, it is highly unlikely for a couple of reasons. For one, this is the final arc of Dragon Ball Super barring the Broly movie and the ongoing Galactic Prisoner manga arc, meaning making this DLC 3 would likely make it the end of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DLC as a whole.
Likewise, there's a ton of content that would have to be skipped in order to include the Tournament of Power in DLC 3, including the Universe 6 Saga and the Future Trunks Saga. Both of these arcs set up important information about the multiverse and provide character development for Goku, Vegeta, and other characters as well. All of this said, fans have noticed that the screenshot showing Goku and Vegeta battling 50 Freiza Force soldiers shows quite a few enemies in battle at once. Because of this, it seems like it may be possible for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot to handle something as massive as the Tournament of Power in terms of technical limitations.
Goku and Vegeta's Power Balance
Before DLC 1 introduced Super Saiyan God, Goku and Vegeta were at different power levels. With Goku having access to Super Saiyan 3 while Vegeta was capped out at Super Saiyan 2, there was little incentive to play as Vegeta without feeling like one was self-imposing a handicap. Thankfully, DLC 1 leveled the playing field between Goku and Vegeta, but the Tournament of Power would likely upset that balance yet again. By the end of it, Vegeta obtains Super Saiyan Blue Evolution, but this form is said to be about as powerful as Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken, not on the level of Ultra Instinct.
Finally, there is also a question of how Ultra Instinct would be handled in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. Making it a straight up stat boost would seem odd since it is more about Goku tapping into his natural reflexes, but that is difficult to emulate in a video game. Assuming it did follow the same pattern of transformation power ups, it would likely provide a staggering 350% boost to stats, as Super Saiyan Blue would give 250% and Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken/Evolution would give 300%. Furthermore, it would be more canonical if it drained health similar to Kaioken rather than draining Ki like other Super Saiyan forms.
Ultimately it would be best if Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot saved Ultra Instinct for future DLC, perhaps in a second season pass containing the Future Trunks Saga, Tournament of Power, and the Broly movie as DBZ: Kakarot DLC. There is simply too much that would have to be skipped and explained away to make it happen now.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.