Dragon Ball Super Moro Arc: 5 Good and (5 Bad Things)

Image: Shueisha

Dragon Ball Super Moro arc has had its share of ups and downs. The two-year-long stint of the arc ended with chapter 67. In this article, we breakdown five good things we saw in the Moro arc and five things we wish were different. 

The 5 Good Things

5. The Fights Scenes

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Say what you want about Toyotarou, but you have to give him credit for his fight scenes artwork in the manga panel. The Moro arc gives us some of the best fight scenes in the Dragon Ball Super manga. Toyotarou also made use of the original Dragon Ball Z violence with blood and gore, something that Dragon Ball Super has been missing for a long time. 

4. Different Training Roads

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It was a relief to see Goku and Vegeta go down different training roads. Dragon Ball Z and Super have always shown Goku and Vegeta chasing each other to gain similar forms. But this time, instead of Vegeta achieving Ultra Instinct Omen, he trained with the Yardrats to learn new techniques. By the time Vegeta finished his training, he was almost on par with Ultra Instinct Omen and had also learnt the Forced Spirit Fission technique. 

3. Moro as a Villian

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The character of Moro is possibly the best villain that Dragon Ball Super has introduced. The designs of the character looking menacing, which is apt since he is based on western demons. The wizard brought with him magic, which was better than just another brute force like Jiren or Broly. The character challenged our heroes to great extents and forced them to seek out unique ways to defeat him.

2. Yardrats and the Forced Spirit Fission

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The Yardrats were first mentioned as the people who taught Goku the Instantaneous Movement, a move which Goku uses in every situation. We were, however, never introduced to the Yardrats or their techniques. Vegeta going to Planet Yardrat to learn their techniques was spot on. Not only were we introduced to the Yardrats, but we also saw Vegeta heading towards a different training path. Vegeta’s newly learnt Forced Spirit Fission technique was crucial in defeating Moro, and its relevance may still hold in upcoming battles. 

1. Giving Uub God Ki

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Ever since Dragon Ball Super was introduced, fans kept wondering when Uub, the reincarnation of Kid Buu would be introduced in the series. Dragon Ball Z ended with Goku leaving his friends to train Uub. However, when Goku and Vegeta achieved God forms, many fans questioned why would Goku train Uub, since the newer characters like Jiren or Broly are way stronger than Kid Buu.

Dragon Ball Super manga chapter 66 established that Uub has untapped God Ki within him. It now makes sense that Goku wanted to train Uub so that he can tap into God Ki and use it efficiently in battle. This not only makes Dragon Ball Z’s ending more befitting but also added Uub to one of the most powerful fighters in the series.

The 5 Bad Things

5. Prolonging the Arc

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The Moro Arc ran for two years and is the longest arc in the Dragon Ball Super manga. There were several moments in the arc when Moro could have been defeated but it was always extended, almost unnecessarily. Vegeta and Ultra Instinct Goku both had their chances of defeating Moro, but for some reason or the other, they didn’t. Dragon Ball fans love twists in the story, but the number of twists and turns in this arc was getting pretty tedious. 

4. The Senzu Bean

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When Goku gave Cell a senzu bean before his fight with Gohan, fans thought it was an irrational decision that hopefully, the character won’t make again. In Dragon Ball Super manga chapter 65, Goku gives Moro a senzu bean. This was a repetition of the same event, only this time, the stakes were much higher. This is character regression and was worthy of the backlash it received from fans. 

3. The Change in Moro’s character

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When Moro was first introduced, he brought in a new component of magic in him. The sole reason why Moro could beat Goku and Vegeta in their first battle was due to his magic. However, as the arc went on, his character relied less on his unique magic abilities and more on his physical power. 

As the arc progressed, Moro became less interesting as a character and became another generic villain that we have seen multiple times in the Dragon Ball franchise.

2. Goku Mastering Ultra Instinct

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It’s my personal opinion that Goku mastered Ultra Instinct too soon. UI was a technique that was teased way back in Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection of F and we only saw it in action only in the Tournament of Power arc. Having Goku master it in the next arc itself was a bit of let down, considering many fans thought Ultra Instinct will be Goku’s trump card.

Now that Goku has mastered it, the next villain who will pose a threat to the fighters will be mid-tier angel level. Dragon Ball Super may be writing itself into a corner because of the pace at which the characters are getting stronger.

1. Throwbacks to the Dragon Ball Franchise

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Dragon Ball Super Moro Arc is filled with concepts or things that we have already seen in the Dragon Ball franchise. From killing the Namekians for the Dragon Balls to absorbing androids, the arc repeats these throwbacks time and time again. This article gives an in-depth list of all the throwbacks we have seen in the Moro Arc

Dragon Ball Super is known for using nostalgia to hook in fans which is why Trunks and Broly made a comeback to the series. However, at this point, it’s getting redundant and fans will be hoping that Toyotarou will come up with some original ideas to surprise us.