In the world of anime, no series has a monopoly on iconic transformations the same way that Dragon Ball does. From the earliest days of the series, transformations have played a massive role in the story, to the point where the most iconic forms in the industry's history have come from this franchise alone.
As such, the main characters of Dragon Ball have come a long way, and their strength since the early days has gone up drastically due to the various transformations they have undergone, with Goku's Ultra Instinct standing as the pinnacle of this trend. However, as strong as it is, there are some anime transformations that match it, so let's take a look at which these are.
Undoubtedly a controversial pick, Gear 5 is the strongest that Luffy has ever been in the series. By undergoing a Devil Fruit Awakening, Luffy is able to imbue external objects with his rubber powers, which gives him the ability to alter and manipulate reality itself to a minor degree, as was shown throughout the various uses of the state.
In reality, a hypothetical battle between Gear 5 Luffy and Ultra Instinct Goku would be an incredibly easy win for the Saiyan, but the full extent of Luffy's insane power-up could pose a threat. By bringing his imagination into existence and changing the laws of the universe on a whim, Gear 5 could theoretically be unstoppable.
Over the course of Bleach, the protagonist, Ichigo, has undergone a fair number of powerful transformations. However, none even come close in strength to his True Bankai and Horn of Salvation state, which merges his Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy powers into a single, all-powerful package that had enough Spiritual Pressure to defeat Yhwach.
Many would argue the strength of this form against Ultra Instinct, but Ichigo's immense might allows him to use an exponential amount of power. He used this to stop Yhwach, who was merging three realms together. This insane firepower cleaved the villain in half, showing that he would theoretically have what it takes to battle against Goku's strongest state.
بەرگەکان ڕێکبخەرەوە بۆ ڕێزبەندی بڵاوکردنەوەی دروستی ئەمریکا.
The entire concept of the One Punch Man series revolves around a superhero so powerful that he can defeat any foe with a single punch, and none in the series have ever been able to come close to him in strength. However, the Monster Association arc changed this, as it introduced fans to Garou's most powerful transformation; the Cosmic Garou form.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://gamerant.com/anime-transformations-rival-ultra-instinct/