Dragon Ball Super‘s new “Galactic Patrol Prisoner” arc has introduced the fearsome fighter/sorcerer “Planet-Eater Moro” to the Dragon Ball universe, and it’s not at all an understatement to say that he is a major game-changer, as far as Dragon Ball villains go.

The latest chapters of the Dragon Ball Super manga have revealed just how powerful Moro really is – both as a fighter, and as a sorcerer whose dark magic gives him the unique ability to absorb the life forces of living things, and wield them as fearsome forms of energy. In fact, Moro’s energy absorption powers are so strong that they are able to siphon off enough of Goku and Vegeta’s energy to stop them from going Super Saiyan!

If that wasn’t enough of a major twist in the usual Dragon Ball Super blueprint, there’s also the ominous fact that in order to stop Moro’s reign of terror ten million years ago, Daikaioh had to sacrifice a significant portion of his godly ki to seal Moro’s magic away. It all points to one very harrowing reality for the Saiyan heroes: Moro may be the first opponent since Dragon Ball Z that Goku and/or Vegeta can’t defeat via Super Saiyan transformation. Taking that major power-up off the game board has led to a significant discussion within the Dragon Ball fandom, centered around one key question:

Could Ultra Instinct be the key to defeating Moro?

What Is Ultra Instinct?

Obviously any Dragon Ball Super fan has by now learned about “Ultra Instinct,” the unique state of focus, power, and speed that Goku mastered during the latter half of the Tournament of Power Arc, most notably in his final bout with Jiren of Universe 11. Dragon Ball Super‘s anime was a little bit vague about the nature of Ultra Instinct – namely, whether it was a kind of transformation, or (as stated) a higher state of focus a fighter can tap into, in order to move and fight faster than the conscious mind can control.

The Tournament of Power arc in the manga explains Ultra Instinct in much more conceptual detail, with the notable distinction of emphasizing that any fighter can potentially tap into Ultra Instinct (like Master Roshi), suggesting that it’s not a skill set reserved only for those who possess godly ki. That distinction may be crucial given where the “Galactic Patrol Prisoner” arc seems to be headed…

Back to Basics

If Moro can stop the Super Saiyan transformation process, and higher forms like Super Saiyan Blue or Super Saiyan God may have to be sacrificed to stop the villain’s magic, then Goku and Vegeta are not going to have any of the usual weapons that they’ve had at their disposal since Dragon Ball Z. Given Moros’ level of power, the Saiyans may have to push forward to unlock Ultra Instinct once again (or for the first time, in Vegeta’s case), in order to utilize a power that Moro’s magic can’t stop.

Hints & Foreshadows

There are already some foreshadows and hints that the Dragon Ball Super manga has dropped, suggesting that Goku and Vegeta will need to tap into some kind of power that (if not Ultra Instinct) would have to be very different than the traditional SSJ process.

First are the aforementioned ways that Moro is being positioned as a sort of “Super Saiyan-killer” villain in the Dragon Ball Super universe. Literally every detail about the villain’s history and powers foreshadow a total shutdown of SSJ, SSG, and SSB. Secondly, as explained, the Dragon Ball Super manga has cone to great lengths to distinguish its version of Ultra Instinct as a power that even someone like Master Roshi can tap into, through practice and focus. There has to be a reason for that distinction – something that Akira Toriyama and Toyotaro were setting up for later reference?

Another clue that is unique to the manga is Whis’ reveal during the Tournament of Power that he has been secretly training Goku and Vegeta to fight together in perfect sync. Unless that’s a setup for something like Gogeta’s manga debut in a battle against Moro, then getting Goku and Vegeta tag-team fighting using Ultra Instinct seems like a pretty epic way to ultimately beat Moro.

Do you think Ultra Instinct will make a comeback during the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Arc? Is it the key to defeating Moro if Super Saiyan isn’t? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Dragon Ball Super: Broly is out now. Dragon Ball Super currently airs its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami block Saturday evenings. It is also available to stream on Funimation and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release is available to stream on FunimationNOW, VRV, and Crunchyroll.

—–

Have you subscribed to ComicBook Nation, the official Podcast of ComicBook.com yet? Check it out by clicking here or listen below.

In this latest episode, we talk about the newest Detective Pikachu trailer (and the appearance of Mewtwo!), the Oscars, and so much more! Make sure to subscribe now and never miss an episode!