"Dragon Ball Super (Manga)" Official Discussion Thread

[Alruneia]

I think that most of the "it's filler" sentiment comes from people who heard it from other people at one point and haven't actually read the manga themselves.

It mostly has to do with the idea of Toriyama not being involved with it (despite that being proven wrong time and again). This arc was receiving negative comments way before we really knew what it was about, as fans unfortunately made up their minds about it based on who they thought was writing it. Don't get me wrong, it has issues, but the negativity started way before those issues started showing up.

That's true too. Not sure why it didn't cross my mind. Still, that is a kind of gossipy thing to say, like "I heard that Toriyama isn't even involved", and stuff like that mainly only grows big because people hear it from other people and then tell it to yet other people. Generally speaking, and I realise that I should've been clearer on this in the original post, what I think is that these beliefs/stances are only as common as they are due to updated/corrected information never reaching most of the people that hold them. (I think I'm gonna make a poll on my page later and ask how many people actually read the manga. The last two times, the results were 45 % yes and 55 % no, if I recall correctly.) I'm not sure exactly why new information doesn't always get around, I'll admit, but a good way to not know what actually happens in the manga is to never read the manga. I think you get what I'm getting at.

[The Undying]

I think the plot beat is meant to land very differently. When Cell becomes Perfect, it's meant to be the dreaded culmination of his being, now achieved and revealed. When Moro eats OG73-I, it is, as Goku says, "one thing after another", a turning of the tables and a snatching of victory from the jaws of defeat to make the heroic struggle futile again.

There are differences as far as the plot is concerned. My position is one of presentation, though, and how that specifically feels derived from prior foes. I'm hard pressed to see how any villain that becomes more humanoid after absorbing other fighters, obtains earth's heroes' signature abilities in doing so (and actively boasts about it), and exhibits a number of art/design references to villains that did the same wouldn't bank on familiarity in some sense.

I don't see any of this as a "rip-off", however. I think it's a detriment to Moro's more unique qualities, but also think the decision to make him an amalgamation of sorts was intentional for storytelling. Look no further than Goku's conversation with Merus - or his 'talking down' of Moro into leaving peacefully so he can one day fight him again - to glean a bit of subtext there.

That's not to say that people aren't sometimes reaching to draw parallels where none exist. Moro's body parts might grow enlarged because he can't handle UI, but none of that feels especially borrowed from Cell ballooning his body to blow himself up.

[DiscountDabi]

So given the current topic and the comparisons with Cell, Why is it that we all just go with the thinking that Seven-Three is an Android. Because honestly, he shares more characteristics to Baby than any of the Android characters we’ve seen so far. The only exception being Anilaza. And he was simply called an “Artificial Creation”.

[VegettoEX]

So given the current topic and the comparisons with Cell, Why is it that we all just go with the thinking that Seven-Three is an Android. Because honestly, he shares more characteristics to Baby than any of the Android characters we’ve seen so far. The only exception being Anilaza. And he was simply called an “Artificial Creation”.

Oh, here's something I can chime in on! I wrote a note for his wiki page!

He's described by Jaco as 人工生命体 ("artificial lifeform"... would that be jinkō seimei-tai...?). I don't know if that exact phrasing has been used for other characters (particularly previous Super ones), but it doesn't strike me as something I've heard before.

[Magnificent Ponta]

I wouldn't argue that Imperfect or Semi-Perfect Cell are anything like Moro's frail old goat form, but not to belabour the same point yet again, the process of him "refining" his animalistic features into a more humanoid form is similar to Cell, who did the same thing over the course of his transformation cycle. With Moro, the lines on his face were meant to resemble a muzzle on a goat, but once he lost the bovid facial structure, they made him look like a dead ringer for Perfect Cell.

For sure, it's an overused talking point but it's not without merit, and not everyone even views it as a bad thing. I've seen quite a few people praise Moro-73 on a design level, and I can say that even though I like it, the context behind the form (plus the face) is very reminiscent of Perfect Cell, just as how Moro's overall personality is very derivative of Piccolo Daimao, just as how his pleas for help were reminiscent of Freeza on Namek, etc. I don't see the point in denying this one clearly visible comparison with Cell when so much else about Moro was derived from past villains. You brought up Majin Buu but his M.O. as Super Buu quickly became derivative of Cell too; the imagery of a towering, indestructible monster going around eating/absorbing people then fully merging with other beings to become more humanoid owed just as much to Cell. But again, that's not even necessarily a bad thing.

It's like, for a random example, Darth Malak from Knights of the Old Republic -- the guy is clearly his own character, has a fairly distinct design and storyline, but he clearly owes a lot to the OG Sith Lord Darth Vader as an imposing dark lord with metal prosthetics to cover his horrific disfigurements. Him being based on Vader doesn't entirely devalue him as a character but it's okay to acknowledge his inspirations.

So, this is one of the things I'm objecting about, which is the difference between 'similarity'/'parallels' and actual derivation, which seems to be constantly elided here in the claims being made - people seem to treat superficial similarity as though it is direct derivation, and I don't accept that this is actually the case (this likewise applies to TheUndying's comments on presumed familiarity).

Dragon Ball operates with a relatively limited number of artistic and narrative 'tropes' generally, so it's quite unsurprising to see shared general characteristics, whether of design, ability, or action to create a narrative turning-point. For instance, Cell, Buu, and Moro all become more human-esque when they integrate other human-looking characters into their base design. But are Buu and Moro, therefore, specifically based on the concrete earlier iterations of the process that we've seen? Or do they simply draw from the same basic tropes (which have some rather obvious logical foundations) to do what is still fundamentally their own thing? I think the latter.

Like you say, Moro is based on (derived from, even derivative of) Piccolo Daimao specifically - Toyotarou has said as much; the point of Moro is to be Dragon Ball Super's take on the basic character type of Piccolo Daimao; he has a Piccolo Daimao background and does Piccolo Daimao things in a Piccolo Daimao way, albeit with his own personal emphasis on stealing lives/eating people. Fine. But is Moro really based on Cell? Or does he simply share small yet perceptible similarities with him, also borne by other characters because Dragon Ball trades on this stuff generally? I think there's a significant difference there. You refer to the parallel of consuming an artificial being to gain power, but one can twist the parallel to say it's actually about something else (e.g. my contention that since he's actually eating a version of himself, the parallel is closer to Buu, narratively); the parallels can be said to exist, in whatever formulation one can be ingenious enough to identify. But is either parallel particularly illuminating? Is either pattern really drawn from those previous occurrences? Drawing a parallel with something else is not the same thing as postulating derivation specifically from that thing.

(TL;DR: as far as I'm concerned, Parallel ≠ Derivation; the former can be perceived almost at will but isn't necessarily significant; the latter is surely significant, but requires actual substantiation).

That's not to say that people aren't sometimes reaching to draw parallels where none exist. Moro's body parts might grow enlarged because he can't handle UI, but none of that feels especially borrowed from Cell ballooning his body to blow himself up.

This is also the case, and my other basic problem - that is, the inappropriate emphasis of these basic similarities, irrespective of context, to say that they are specifically retreads/rehashes/copies of previous iterations, and wilfully ignoring the clear and obvious differences of presentation to uphold the assertion, when there's no real connection.

Does Moro's OG73-I design bear any similarities to Perfect Cell's? Yes. Obviously. It's his face. Is it significant in the context of the whole design? No. Is the design as a whole derived specifically from Cell's? Not really.

(TL;DR for the whole thing: I think a lot of people are mischaracterising general similarity as specific derivation, or else imagining a similarity where substantively there isn't one. I think a lot of the stuff to do with Moro applies to one or both of these. I object. That's pretty much it.)

[marumuju]

I found Goku's "God Ki Giant transformation" interesting. This type of transformation might bring more scale into the god-class fights, or one at least hopes so.

I think it was a one time technique, as he was only able to pull it off due to the massive amount of energy he gained from Uub.

A-ha! Well, if that is one-time technique then it does make sense for it to be special!

[LoganForkHands73]

I wouldn't argue that Imperfect or Semi-Perfect Cell are anything like Moro's frail old goat form, but not to belabour the same point yet again, the process of him "refining" his animalistic features into a more humanoid form is similar to Cell, who did the same thing over the course of his transformation cycle. With Moro, the lines on his face were meant to resemble a muzzle on a goat, but once he lost the bovid facial structure, they made him look like a dead ringer for Perfect Cell.

For sure, it's an overused talking point but it's not without merit, and not everyone even views it as a bad thing. I've seen quite a few people praise Moro-73 on a design level, and I can say that even though I like it, the context behind the form (plus the face) is very reminiscent of Perfect Cell, just as how Moro's overall personality is very derivative of Piccolo Daimao, just as how his pleas for help were reminiscent of Freeza on Namek, etc. I don't see the point in denying this one clearly visible comparison with Cell when so much else about Moro was derived from past villains. You brought up Majin Buu but his M.O. as Super Buu quickly became derivative of Cell too; the imagery of a towering, indestructible monster going around eating/absorbing people then fully merging with other beings to become more humanoid owed just as much to Cell. But again, that's not even necessarily a bad thing.

It's like, for a random example, Darth Malak from Knights of the Old Republic -- the guy is clearly his own character, has a fairly distinct design and storyline, but he clearly owes a lot to the OG Sith Lord Darth Vader as an imposing dark lord with metal prosthetics to cover his horrific disfigurements. Him being based on Vader doesn't entirely devalue him as a character but it's okay to acknowledge his inspirations.

So, this is one of the things I'm objecting about, which is the difference between 'similarity'/'parallels' and actual derivation, which seems to be constantly elided here in the claims being made - people seem to treat superficial similarity as though it is direct derivation, and I don't accept that this is actually the case (this likewise applies to TheUndying's comments on presumed familiarity).

Dragon Ball operates with a relatively limited number of artistic and narrative 'tropes' generally, so it's quite unsurprising to see shared general characteristics, whether of design, ability, or action to create a narrative turning-point. For instance, Cell, Buu, and Moro all become more human-esque when they integrate other human-looking characters into their base design. But are Buu and Moro, therefore, specifically based on the concrete earlier iterations of the process that we've seen? Or do they simply draw from the same basic tropes (which have some rather obvious logical foundations) to do what is still fundamentally their own thing? I think the latter.

Like you say, Moro is based on (derived from, even derivative of) Piccolo Daimao specifically - Toyotarou has said as much; the point of Moro is to be Dragon Ball Super's take on the basic character type of Piccolo Daimao; he has a Piccolo Daimao background and does Piccolo Daimao things in a Piccolo Daimao way, albeit with his own personal emphasis on stealing lives/eating people. Fine. But is Moro really based on Cell? Or does he simply share small yet perceptible similarities with him, also borne by other characters because Dragon Ball trades on this stuff generally? I think there's a significant difference there. You refer to the parallel of consuming an artificial being to gain power, but one can twist the parallel to say it's actually about something else (e.g. my contention that since he's actually eating a version of himself, the parallel is closer to Buu, narratively); the parallels can be said to exist, in whatever formulation one can be ingenious enough to identify. But is either parallel particularly illuminating? Is either pattern really drawn from those previous occurrences? Drawing a parallel with something else is not the same thing as postulating derivation specifically from that thing.

(TL;DR: as far as I'm concerned, Parallel ≠ Derivation; the former can be perceived almost at will but isn't necessarily significant; the latter is surely significant, but requires actual substantiation).

That's not to say that people aren't sometimes reaching to draw parallels where none exist. Moro's body parts might grow enlarged because he can't handle UI, but none of that feels especially borrowed from Cell ballooning his body to blow himself up.

This is also the case, and my other basic problem - that is, the inappropriate emphasis of these basic similarities, irrespective of context, to say that they are specifically retreads/rehashes/copies of previous iterations, and wilfully ignoring the clear and obvious differences of presentation to uphold the assertion, when there's no real connection.

Does Moro's OG73-I design bear any similarities to Perfect Cell's? Yes. Obviously. It's his face. Is it significant in the context of the whole design? No. Is the design as a whole derived specifically from Cell's? Not really.

(TL;DR for the whole thing: I think a lot of people are mischaracterising general similarity as specific derivation, or else imagining a similarity where substantively there isn't one. I think a lot of the stuff to do with Moro applies to one or both of these. I object. That's pretty much it.)

Well I think it's important to consider these tropes' pre-eminence in Dragon Ball specifically. It's no cardinal writing sin in sci-fi or fantasy to have a villain slowly gain characteristics by absorbing others, but Cell is probably the most famous example, not just in Dragon Ball but pop culture generally. I somehow forgot to add that Moro-73 also gains rapid cellular regeneration and other characters' techniques (thanks Undying), which are also highly famous hallmarks of Cell's character (and Buu's, but I'd argue to a lesser extent since Super Buu is by-and-large the least exposed form of the character and the segment of his arc where he starts absorbing people is not as well regarded by the fanbase or casual audiences). I don't think it's out of the question that there is a presumed familiarity to his character specifically in this case rather than the broader trope, just as Dragon Ball Super generally banks on familiarity with specific past concepts, characters, iconography and locations. I'm not usually one to argue populism, but there's some evidence it worked as so many fans instantly drew comparisons to Cell.

I'm not arguing that Moro is overall solely derivative of Cell either, he takes pieces from all the major past villains. It's just that specific narrative beat for his character was, in my view, a telegraphed derivation to Cell. Later in the arc, him taking a giant ugly form with the threat of planetary/galactic self-destruction at play is reminiscent of Cell, though rejigged a bit as Moro gains a 'Super Perfect' state beforehand rather than after. None of this is inherently offensive in any way, because Toyotaro handles it all well and with enough deviation where I can find some enjoyment, but I can 100% sympathise with those who look at the Moro arc's veritable catalogue of gratuitous callbacks to the past and eventually decide to call it a day.

[Magnificent Ponta]

Well I think it's important to consider these tropes' pre-eminence in Dragon Ball specifically. It's no cardinal writing sin in sci-fi or fantasy to have a villain slowly gain characteristics by absorbing others, but Cell is probably the most famous example, not just in Dragon Ball but pop culture generally.

Perhaps. But say I accept the idea that Cell is pop culture's most famous absorber. That fame could just as easily prompt the fandom to draw the conclusion that he is relevant (even if inappropriately and irrespective of authorial intention) just because it's the most famous example of the ability, couldn't it? A number of people identifying a connection is not necessarily tantamount to a deliberate derivation.

I somehow forgot to add that Moro-73 also gains rapid cellular regeneration and other characters' techniques (thanks Undying), which are also highly famous hallmarks of Cell's character (and Buu's, but I'd argue to a lesser extent since Super Buu is by-and-large the least exposed form of the character and the segment of his arc where he starts absorbing people is not as well regarded by the fanbase or casual audiences). I don't think it's out of the question that there is a presumed familiarity to his character specifically in this case rather than the broader trope, just as Dragon Ball Super generally banks on familiarity with specific past concepts, characters, iconography and locations. I'm not usually one to argue populism, but there's some evidence it worked as so many fans instantly drew comparisons to Cell.

It's true that one can't definitively rule out Cell as a referent here, but the fact of the matter is that nothing prior to his consumption of OG73-I indicates a clear and obvious dependency on Cell's design, capabilities or tendencies in Moro's depiction in this arc, and the story after this doesn't give us much to indicate this either - unless, of course, people are predisposed to perceive the similarity and assume it is derived from Cell specifically. In general, I just don't think it's warranted, no matter how many people draw the connection. People saw the face, cried 'rip-off of Perfect Cell', and then proceeded to read Cell-type characteristics and narrative beats into various other things, and I don't think they've been particularly justified, by and large.

As another note, it should also be mentioned that Cell never gained other characters' techniques from absorption of anything - he had those abilities from the very beginning because he's created from the characters who have them. This isn't at all the case for Moro. And to argue that Moro's gaining cellular regeneration is a thing derived from Cell specifically leaps right over the character both he and this ability are actually derived from (Piccolo) to get to that conclusion, and likewise over the arc theme of 'stealing' in order to posit that the prime motivation is simply prodding at fan familiarity for the sake of a callback. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to claim Toyotarou is above that - I just think the connection's too weak to convince, in this instance.

I'm not arguing that Moro is overall solely derivative of Cell either, he takes pieces from all the major past villains. It's just that specific narrative beat for his character was, in my view, a telegraphed derivation to Cell. Later in the arc, him taking a giant ugly form with the threat of planetary/galactic self-destruction at play is reminiscent of Cell, though rejigged a bit as Moro gains a 'Super Perfect' state beforehand rather than after. None of this is inherently offensive in any way, because Toyotaro handles it all well and with enough deviation where I can find some enjoyment, but I can 100% sympathise with those who look at the Moro arc's veritable catalogue of gratuitous callbacks to the past and eventually decide to call it a day.

I guess at the end of the day, you see what you see; but when the designs, the narrative progression, and the actions are all markedly different from, and deployed in a way that isn't like, its supposed comparator, then I think I can't do other than dissent from claims like that.

And it's worth reiterating that I'm not even saying that Moro isn't derivative (clearly, he is); I'm just saying that the fandom pushes past the thing he is actually derivative of (Piccolo) to repeatedly assert that he's derivative of something that I don't think stands up very well as a claim when exposed to scrutiny (Cell). And that puzzles me.

[VegettoEX]

And it's worth reiterating that I'm not even saying that Moro isn't derivative (clearly, he is); I'm just saying that the fandom pushes past the thing he is actually derivative of (Piccolo) to repeatedly assert that he's derivative of something that I don't think stands up very well as a claim when exposed to scrutiny (Cell). And that puzzles me.

I think we have a fairly easy, albeit unfortunate, answer for this one:

The traditional stereotype that English-speaking fans didn't read the first 194 chapters / watch the first 153 episodes.

(Or, at best, don't have them as committed to their deepest, long-term, primal fandom memory as the "Z"-era material.)

[The Undying]

As another note, it should also be mentioned that Cell never gained other characters' techniques from absorption of anything - he had those abilities from the very beginning because he's created from the characters who have them.

True, but I think that's missing the forest for the trees.

References generally aren't going to be identical copies of the things they're referencing. As I said above, you can make any callback, including confirmed callbacks, sound distinguished enough by citing basic plot facts. Piccolo Daimao is no different.

But when you look at the bigger picture and note all of those individual similarities, the inspiration from Cell, Boo, etc. seems heavy-handed even just at an immediate glance. With Perfect Cell alone, his face becomes more humanoid, his facial markings are strikingly similar to Cell's, he absorbs other characters like Cell, he uses the protagonists' abilities like Cell, his panel composition when introduced is also strikingly like Cell's (and Super Boo's to a lesser extent, though I'm pretty sure it started with Cell) and so on.

I think it's actually more of a stretch to claim all of those similarities in tandem, especially given their specificity, are purely coincidental. I definitely don't agree that this is all limited to Piccolo Daimao.

[LoganForkHands73]

Perhaps. But say I accept the idea that Cell is pop culture's most famous absorber. That fame could just as easily prompt the fandom to draw the conclusion that he is relevant (even if inappropriately and irrespective of authorial intention) just because it's the most famous example of the ability, couldn't it? A number of people identifying a connection is not necessarily tantamount to a deliberate derivation.

It's true that one can't definitively rule out Cell as a referent here, but the fact of the matter is that nothing prior to his consumption of OG73-I indicates a clear and obvious dependency on Cell's design, capabilities or tendencies in Moro's depiction in this arc, and the story after this doesn't give us much to indicate this either - unless, of course, people are predisposed to perceive the similarity and assume it is derived from Cell specifically. In general, I just don't think it's warranted, no matter how many people draw the connection. People saw the face, cried 'rip-off of Perfect Cell', and then proceeded to read Cell-type characteristics and narrative beats into various other things, and I don't think they've been particularly justified, by and large.

As another note, it should also be mentioned that Cell never gained other characters' techniques from absorption of anything - he had those abilities from the very beginning because he's created from the characters who have them. This isn't at all the case for Moro. And to argue that Moro's gaining cellular regeneration is a thing derived from Cell specifically leaps right over the character both he and this ability are actually derived from (Piccolo) to get to that conclusion, and likewise over the arc theme of 'stealing' in order to posit that the prime motivation is simply prodding at fan familiarity for the sake of a callback. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to claim Toyotarou is above that - I just think the connection's too weak to convince, in this instance.

I guess at the end of the day, you see what you see; but when the designs, the narrative progression, and the actions are all markedly different from, and deployed in a way that isn't like, its supposed comparator, then I think I can't do other than dissent from claims like that.

And it's worth reiterating that I'm not even saying that Moro isn't derivative (clearly, he is); I'm just saying that the fandom pushes past the thing he is actually derivative of (Piccolo) to repeatedly assert that he's derivative of something that I don't think stands up very well as a claim when exposed to scrutiny (Cell). And that puzzles me.

The question of whether or not it was intentional derivation (and I severely doubt it wasn't, seeing as Toyble is a bigger Dragon Ball nerd than most people here and the arc is full of homages) shouldn't really matter that much since we can't know for certain Toyotaro's, or any artist's intentions anyway. We can only interpret what's presented to us.

Moro's biggest inspiration is Piccolo, there's no question about that, even Toyotaro has blatantly admitted it in an interview. But just because he is the only inspiration Toyotaro has publicly admitted to doesn't mean he's the only inspiration period. I think there's sprinklings of most Dragon Ball villains in Moro. I haven't seen anyone claim Moro was always purely based on Cell all along which really would be a huge reach, but that's not what I was arguing at all. The nitpick only sprang up after the Seven-Three development and has mostly been relegated to that point in the story alone, as far as I'm aware.

I see a misunderstanding from my own poor wording about gaining techniques, I should've made it clearer that's not what Cell did. Stealing Piccolo's regeneration kind of brings a circularity to it all, since both Cell and Moro stole from Piccolo (though the original Demon King never demonstrated the ability). If you can take some solace in Moro stealing from both another villain and another villain who stole from that other villain, I guess...

And what Mike said is ultimately the truth. Most people aren't as familiar with Piccolo Daimao and just home in on the obvious DBZ-era homages, ignoring some of the even more blatant visual homages to Piccolo (wishing for youth, holding Seven-Three by the head with the exact same composition as that shot of Piccolo Daimao holding Tenshinhan, just to name a couple). Can't be helped.

[Gligarman]

And it's worth reiterating that I'm not even saying that Moro isn't derivative (clearly, he is); I'm just saying that the fandom pushes past the thing he is actually derivative of (Piccolo) to repeatedly assert that he's derivative of something that I don't think stands up very well as a claim when exposed to scrutiny (Cell). And that puzzles me.

I think we have a fairly easy, albeit unfortunate, answer for this one:

The traditional stereotype that English-speaking fans didn't read the first 194 chapters / watch the first 153 episodes.

(Or, at best, don't have them as committed to their deepest, long-term, primal fandom memory as the "Z"-era material.)

Admittedly this has caused me to derail many a conversation about Dragon Ball once people start spewing false facts based on what they remember from the old-school Toonami broadcast.

[Ziegander]

Regardless of faulty Dragon Ball memory or Moro being/not being a pastiche of all Dragon Ball villains, can we not all agree that once Moro absorbed 7-3, that's all his power was about?

It got so problematic that an angel had to seal his power. And by his power, I mean the android's copy power. The entire universe was suddenly in danger because the badguy ate a henchman that Piccolo and Gohan had dealt with. The entire universe continued to be in danger because of the power that henchman granted the main badguy, a henchman by the way with no personality or connection to ANYONE not the heroes and not Moro.

Cell parallels drawn or not (and remove 7-3, and these parallels vanish), this development really took the wind out of the entire arc's sails, but out from Moro's originality in particular.

[AndLad92]

The spine art for DBS manga volume 14 has been revealed:

Spoiler:

It's Marcarita from universe 11! It's only natural, since the angels from universe 7 and 6, Whis and Vados, have been represented along their God of destruction and characters from their universe on the previous volumes.

This also confirms that the manga continues until at least chapter 72 (volume 16) as each character on the spine art consists of 3 volumes.

[Xeogran]

The spine art for DBS manga volume 14 has been revealed

Spoiler:

Where did the yellow bar that we thought to be Kinto'un go to? The one from here:

Spoiler:

[AndLad92]

If you look closely, you can see that it's hidden behind Belmod

[marumuju]

The spine art for DBS manga volume 14 has been revealed:

Spoiler:

It's Marcarita from universe 11! It's only natural, since the angels from universe 7 and 6, Whis and Vados, have been represented along their God of destruction and characters from their universe on the previous volumes.

This also confirms that the manga continues until at least chapter 72 (volume 16) as each character on the spine art consists of 3 volumes.

銀河パトロール孫悟空！Ginga Patorōru Son Gokuu!

After 56 volumes… He has finally got a steady company job!

[OLKv3]

So we're definitely getting more than 16 volumes. How long will this series last? Though V-Jump series have a habit of getting sudden cancellations out of nowhere leading to rushed endings

[DiscountDabi]

Its funny how we never get to see what the emblem on Moro’s belt means. I mean, it might as well be the Dragon Ball Equivalent to Gucci since Saganbo wears it when he bursts out of his prison garb

[Xeogran]

Though V-Jump series have a habit of getting sudden cancellations out of nowhere leading to rushed endings

DBS is too popular for that. Heck, even it's Heroes would be still on-going if they didn't call Toyotaro to work on the main manga.