The cartoon character depicted as having “Ultra Instinct” in the popular 2019 meme was Shaggy. The joke reimagined Shaggy Rogers from Scooby-Doo as an absurdly powerful fighter, borrowing the transformation concept from Dragon Ball Super.
The meme’s roots go back to a video uploaded by YouTube user Midya on October 12, 2017. It edited a scene from Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur, in which Shaggy fights a biker gang, together with dramatic Dragon Ball music and Ultra Instinct-style presentation. The format became especially widespread in January 2019.
Ultra Instinct itself is a Dragon Ball technique that lets a fighter react instinctively rather than consciously choosing each movement. Meme creators exaggerated Shaggy’s normally timid, food-loving personality by claiming he secretly possessed godlike power.
A common mix-up is assuming the meme came from an official Scooby-Doo storyline. “Ultra Instinct Shaggy” is a fan-made internet joke, although its popularity later influenced official pop-culture references, including Shaggy’s portrayal in MultiVersus.