Dragon Ball Super Gokus New Move Is A Naruto RipOff

Goku gains a brand new power-up in Dragon Ball Super, and it's a move Naruto fans will recognize as the famous Uchiha Susanoo technique.

Goku's latest Dragon Ball Super power-up might've inspired a little déjà vu for Naruto fans. While the Dragon Ball Super anime remains on hiatus, the manga is continuing Goku's story, and introduces Moro as the next major villain after Broly. After much back and forth, the final battle comes down to Goku in his mastered Ultra Instinct form against a rampant Moro, who has merged with the planet and is now delivering meaty punches by sprouting giant fists from the ground. Goku can only win by destroying the crystal embedded in Moro's forehead, and he launches one final, desperate charge towards the target.

Alas, the Saiyan's advance is halted and his Ultra Instinct energy is drained completely by Moro. In a stroke of good fortune, however, the Grand Supreme Kai locates Uub, who Dragon Ball Super reveals inherited a healthy dose of God energy during reincarnation. Uub gifts Goku a ginormous divine power-up, reigniting his Ultra Instinct form in spectacular fashion. But instead of simply revitalizing Goku, Uub's energy creates a giant Goku-shaped avatar out of God ki, with the real Goku sitting inside the figure's forehead. This over-sized Saiyan titan wrestles Moro into submission, allowing Goku to float forth and deal a decisive blow to Moro's crystal.

This strange power is a fresh new addition to the Dragon Ball franchise. Most likely, the technique is exclusive to Ultra Instinct, and can only be used while fighting at maximum power. Or maybe Goku is just a secret member of Naruto's Uchiha clan. In Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto franchise, the Uchiha are one of the most powerful clans in Konoha village, and their Sharingan eye technique offers a host of benefits. One of the highest-level Uchiha powers is the Susanoo, where the user wraps themselves in a giant cloak of chakra, sitting safely inside the forehead while the avatar does the dirty work. The only difference between Goku's version and the Uchiha original is the shape the energy takes - Goku's ki manifests as a bigger version of himself, but each Uchiha Susanoo takes the form of a noble armored warrior.

Despite this minor change, there's a clear, undeniable parallel between Goku's final attack on Moro and the move used by Sasuke and Itachi in Naruto. The similarity may not be a coincidence either; the Naruto and Dragon Ball franchises have regularly swapped ideas over the years, intentionally or otherwise. Naruto features a tailed beast called Goku (although this is as much a nod to Journey To The West), Naruto's ending adopts the plot of Dragon Ball's "Tree of Might" movie, and Kishimoto has openly admitted looking towards Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama for inspiration. Dragon Ball Super giving Goku his own version of the Susanoo is just the latest comparison between these two famous Shonen franchises. A giant specter of Goku did form in the non-canon Lord Slug movie, but this vision took the form of several different characters for dramatic effect, and didn't physically fight like the God ki manifestation in Dragon Ball Super. Goku also didn't sit within this fleeting ghost's head, which is one of the major Susanoo parallels.

It's not yet clear whether Goku's new attack will become a permanent addition to his arsenal. Due to the huge assist from Uub, it's possible that Goku won't be able to conjure a ki avatar on-command, even after training. And with the obvious similarity to Naruto's Susanoo, keeping Goku's version as a one-time deal might be best - a loving homage from Dragon Ball Super to Naruto. Goku has enough special moves of his own to call upon, and while the Susanoo-inspired attack made for an epic conclusion to the fight against Moro, it lacks the timeless quality of the Kamehameha and Spirit Bomb.