Was Moro wasted potential? His introduction was really ominous.

[Peach]

I would have personally liked to have seen a backstory.

But Moro does have a backstory that we see: we see it in Chapter 43. He's an evil wizard from 10 million years ago who destroyed hundreds of planets to feed himself, and was eventually stopped by Dai Kaioshin and imprisoned.

It's a fairly spare backstory, and it might not be the backstory you wanted to see (which would be fair enough if you mean to say you would have liked to see a different backstory), but it is nevertheless clearly a backstory, and moreover, it's not really any less of a backstory than Majin Buu got.

I would love to actually SEE that though. Him eating his first planet or soul. And the insatiable hunger that followed.

SHOW, don't TELL.

We got no origin story and got a bunch of cliffnotes about who this guy really was. Moro was a one dimensional character in the end.

[SupremeKai25]

A backstory is only meaningful if it's shown, not told. So in other words, indeed show, don't tell. With Majin Buu we actually saw him laying waste to the universe and kill the various Supreme Kais. No one cares about 2 lines of exposition.

Even Granolah already has more backstory than Moro since at least there was a flashback to the invasion of Planet Cereal, so let that sink in.

[Magnificent Ponta]

I would love to actually SEE that though. Him eating his first planet or soul. And the insatiable hunger that followed.

SHOW, don't TELL.

We get 15 pages of backstory pretty directly showing us what Moro does and why he's so dangerous; what more is really needed? Surely the main story should be bearing the main weight of showing us what Moro is about, not the backstory. In my opinion, it does.

But insofar as you wanted to see the first feeding, I guess I'd ask why Moro's hunger is fundamentally different than the hunger of any other being? It's a basic instinct that doesn't necessarily admit of deeper psychological investigation. He's a magical monster operating on a higher (planetary) level of consumption, sure, but at base, Moro eats planets because he eats planets, just like you and I eat our food because we eat our food. One doesn't impute character-building significance to a baby's first meal; in that case, why would Moro's first meal necessarily be distinctly different from his three hundredth in trying to figure out what he's all about?

A backstory is only meaningful if it's shown, not exposed. With Majin Buu we actually saw him laying waste to the universe and kill the various Supreme Kais. No one cares about 2 lines of exposition.

Not in the manga, we weren't. We were told everything about Majin Buu's origins and backstory by Shin in passing, and shown almost literally nothing (2 panels, I believe - one depicting some dead people from his rampages across the galaxy while Shin is expositing on the subject, and later one showing Buu after he'd absorbed the Dai Kaioshin, thus explaining how Kid Buu is prior to Fat Buu and why they are different - again, more exposition), and that absence caused his character depiction in the arc basically no issues whatever. Cell's origins and reason for being, by contrast, are basically all there is to the character, and he's seriously uncompelling (just to use a random villain example).

Origin stories and backstories are seriously overrated, in my opinion. They mean nothing next to the thoroughgoing depiction of the character as depicted in the main context of the story being told.

Even Granolah already has more backstory than Moro since at least there was a flashback to the invasion of Planet Cereal, so let that sink in.

This simply isn't accurate - Moro has 15 pages of depicted backstory in Chapter 43, and currently Granolah has about 3 pages in Chapter 69, plus snippets of exposition here and there relating him to Monaito and the Heeters.

[WittyUsername]

Moro was initially built up as being this hellish-sorcerer who was to be feared by all; DB's(possible) journey into eldritch horror. Unfortunately, what we got descended back down into typical DB fashion by being just another strong guy who fought with his fists.
Very much so-wasted potential.

The Eldritch Horror stylings of, say, Lovecraft, is fine for what it is. But I must confess I can hardly think of a type of fiction less suited to Dragon Ball's tone and ethos than that brand of deranged nihilism, so I find it mystifying that it can count as a mark against Moro's depiction that it doesn't follow this route.

Dragon Ball Super is, for all its arc-specific trappings, a relatively straightforward battle comic in the style of its predecessor; it should be allowed to be true to itself without incurring negative judgements for not trying to be something else, in my opinion.

I don’t see why it would be a bad idea for Dragon Ball to go outside of its comfort zone. If they couldn’t be bothered to make Moro something other than a primarily physical fighter, then they should’ve at least given him some personality. Freeza is a pretty straightforward villain, but he has an effeminate and aristocratic personality that makes him distinct. By the end of the arc, Moro is just Perfect Cell all over again, right down to the design. There’s almost nothing to set him apart from past Dragon Ball villains.

[SupremeKai25]

I would love to actually SEE that though. Him eating his first planet or soul. And the insatiable hunger that followed.

SHOW, don't TELL.

We get 15 pages of backstory pretty directly showing us what Moro does and why he's so dangerous; what more is really needed? Surely the main story should be bearing the main weight of showing us what Moro is about, not the backstory. In my opinion, it does.

But insofar as you wanted to see the first feeding, I guess I'd ask why Moro's hunger is fundamentally different than the hunger of any other being? It's a basic instinct that doesn't necessarily admit of deeper psychological investigation. He's a magical monster operating on a higher (planetary) level of consumption, sure, but at base, Moro eats planets because he eats planets, just like you and I eat our food because we eat our food. One doesn't impute character-building significance to a baby's first meal; in that case, why would Moro's first meal necessarily be distinctly different from his three hundredth in trying to figure out what he's all about?

A backstory is only meaningful if it's shown, not exposed. With Majin Buu we actually saw him laying waste to the universe and kill the various Supreme Kais. No one cares about 2 lines of exposition.

Not in the manga, we weren't. We were told everything about Majin Buu's origins and backstory by Shin in passing, and shown almost literally nothing (2 panels, I believe - one depicting some dead people from his rampages across the galaxy while Shin is expositing on the subject, and later one showing Buu after he'd absorbed the Dai Kaioshin, thus explaining how Kid Buu is prior to Fat Buu and why they are different - again, more exposition), and that absence caused his character depiction in the arc basically no issues whatever. Cell's origins and reason for being, by contrast, are basically all there is to the character, and he's seriously uncompelling (just to use a random villain example).

Origin stories and backstories are seriously overrated, in my opinion. They mean nothing next to the thoroughgoing depiction of the character as depicted in the main context of the story being told.

Even Granolah already has more backstory than Moro since at least there was a flashback to the invasion of Planet Cereal, so let that sink in.

This simply isn't accurate - Moro has 15 pages of depicted backstory in Chapter 43, and currently Granolah has about 3 pages in Chapter 69, plus snippets of exposition here and there relating him to Monaito and the Heeters.

Of course a backstory is extremely important, the most popular villains in fiction and even anime have extremely detailed and complex backstories. A backstory is an integral part of a villain because it explains their motivations, their personality, why they think the way they do, how they got their powers, how they ended up like that, etc. etc. etc.

Also are there actual flashbacks to Moro eating planets or fighting Supreme Kai or is it just exposition? Because, again, flashbacks are simply better than just exposition. SHOW, don't tell.

[Magnificent Ponta]

I don’t see why it would be a bad idea for Dragon Ball to go outside of its comfort zone.

In theory, perhaps (depending on what the specific direction is), but in my personal opinion, derivatively cribbing from Lovecraft gives Dragon Ball nothing worth having.

Eldritch/Cosmic horror is about the incomprehensible, deranged otherness of certain aliens who, when they wake, will make the World die screaming, end of. What bit of that is applicable to a battle manga about the virtues of repeated hard work of the sort that Goku is shown to embody, in any edifying sense? How can you tell a good Dragon Ball story with that, unless you change it so markedly that it either isn't really using Eldritch Horror in any meaningful sense, or else isn't really Dragon Ball in any meaningful sense? It seems quite unpromising, to me.

Some things just are what they are, and aren't what they aren't. Trying to make them what they aren't doesn't necessarily serve them well.

By the end of the arc, Moro is just Perfect Cell all over again, right down to the design.

I don't agree with this take at all. the things that make Moro tick are fundamentally different from the things that make Cell tick. Moro is about consumption and predation, but is at base a petty and incorrigible thief who will never change (and so is brought into direct contrast with the similarly unchanging but virtuous Goku, and the changing Vegeta). Those things aren't like Cell at all.

Also are there actual flashbacks to Moro eating planets or fighting Supreme Kai or is it just exposition? Because, again, flashbacks are simply better than just exposition. SHOW, don't tell.

It's a 15-page flashback that shows us everything we need to know, including the consumption of planets and fighting Dai Kaioshin and South Kaioshin, getting his magic sealed away, and being imprisoned. It's the first third of Chapter 43.

Again, Moro has a backstory that we see; he simply lacks a dedicated origin story, which is a different thing, which it also isn't clear he needs in order to serve his character or the story being told, and which many other characters lack, to boot (certainly in terms of on-the-page depiction).

[SupremeKai25]

It's a 15-page flashback that shows us everything we need to know, including the consumption of planets and fighting Dai Kaioshin and South Kaioshin. It's the first third of Chapter 43.

Again, Moro has a backstory that we see; he simply lacks a dedicated origin story, which is a different thing, which it also isn't clear he needs in order to serve his character or the story being told, and which many other characters lack, to boot (certainly in terms of on-the-page depiction).

That doesn't explain anything though?

For instance, why is Moro so crazy and evil, where does he come from, are there any others like him (so does he come from an entire species of planet eaters), why does he hate life so much, how did he get those powers (was he born with them, or did he train under someone), etc. etc. etc. You know, stuff that a backstory is supposed to explain.

For example, Cell isn't a complex villain, but he does have a complex backstory that explains everything about him. It explains his origins, his motivations to become perfect, his unique powers/gimmick, why and how he ended up in the Present timeline, etc.

So honestly it's unfortunate that Moro copied Cell's face but couldn't copy his backstory, I'll leave it at that

[theherodjl]

The Eldritch Horror stylings of, say, Lovecraft, is fine for what it is. But I must confess I can hardly think of a type of fiction less suited to Dragon Ball's tone and ethos than that brand of deranged nihilism, so I find it mystifying that it can count as a mark against Moro's depiction that it doesn't follow this route.

Dragon Ball Super is, for all its arc-specific trappings, a relatively straightforward battle comic in the style of its predecessor; it should be allowed to be true to itself without incurring negative judgements for not trying to be something else, in my opinion.

I was simply hoping to have seen Moro break the limits of the usual formula of "the strong guy" humanoid and tap into powers that were totally beyond what the Z Senshi knew how to deal with, with the end goal being them learning something completely new that could certainly aid in the future against other eldritch threats. Unfortunately, DB wasn't willing to step into uncharted territory and went with the traditional approach of simple Ki saving the day as usual.
I guess the closest we'll get to that is Zamasu. It's a shame, in my opinion.

[Magnificent Ponta]

That doesn't explain anything though?

It explains who he is, what he does, why he's a threat that needs to be stopped, and feeds into further depictions in the present of what he's initially trying to do in the story being told, and why. Further, it links back to original Dragon Ball and the destruction of Buu giving him his magical power back (i.e., why he's a threat again despite what Dai Kaioshin did), why the heroes are responding as they are in kidnapping Buu, and feeds into the resolution of the arc later since Uub has the power that Dai Kaioshin lost in the original confrontation.

That seems to be plenty, frankly.

For instance, why is Moro so crazy and evil,

He's evil because he's a callous scumbag who eats planets full of living creatures, which is kind of obvious and doesn't really need some trite piece of psychologising or identikit 'critical past incident' layered atop it to give it false depth.

where does he come from, are there any others like him (so does he come from an entire species of planet eaters),

But why should anybody care about any of that stuff? How is it relevant? What does it do for the telling of the story or the depiction of his character in the telling of said story? Should we also want to know his shoe size, past girlfriends, or tax returns? This is all extraneous detail.

why does he hate life so much, how did he get those powers (was he born with them, or did he train under someone), etc. etc. etc.

Who said he hates life? He just eats it, and considers it his unquestioned right to do so. In a character sense, the fact that he can eat anything and everything feeds into his clearly-depicted superiority complex and self-conception as the "supreme life form", even above the Gods, since he feeds on their creations (and so is top of the food chain). Knowing where the powers came from is nothing next to what the attitude he has toward what he does says about his character, particularly when brought into contrast with his pettiness as a thief, which is what undercuts his bombast, particularly when he's put on the back foot in the story. What about that character work would be served by knowing specifically how he started eating things? He eats. Everything does. But the things he eats, and the attitude he has to it (and them), are what really matters. It runs through all his character work for the whole arc.

For example, Cell isn't a complex villain, but he does have a complex backstory that explains everything about him. It explains his origins, his motivations to become perfect, his unique powers/gimmick, why and how he ended up in the Present timeline, etc.

And as a character and obstacle to the heroes, Cell is still pretty boring. What advantage did a fuller origin story convey, then? None that matters very much, in my opinion. Would he have been even more boring with less background detail? Possibly. But the critical thing is his depiction as a character in the story being told. If that doesn't do it for the reader, even a really good origin story probably won't save the character. I'm not saying origin stories can't convey advantages to the depiction of a character, mind you, but it has to be obviously applicable and appropriate to the story being told, else it's just random data, not story or craft.

I simply think that expecting one for Moro is wide of the mark, because I haven't seen a suggestion yet that I believe would materially serve the storyline or Moro's character. The fan desire for 'more backstory' here just seems to be a wish that would only generate extraneous data, while simultaneously ignoring that he already has a shown backstory that is perfectly serviceable for what he is like as a character in the main story. The issues around Moro aren't in his 'backstory' or supposed lack thereof, in my opinion (which, again, is depicted more fully than for other - well-established and iconic - Dragon Ball villains, for whom that paucity seems to not even be an issue, like Majin Buu), but in his use in the main story.

I was simply hoping to have seen Moro break the limits of the usual formula of "the strong guy" humanoid and tap into powers that were totally beyond what the Z Senshi knew how to deal with

In and of itself, I think that's fair enough. But I guess when reflecting on how problem-solving works in Dragon Ball on the whole (basically, Goku works really hard, learns something new, and uses it in a fight to win the day), the basic character of Eldritch Horror seems to lack direct applicability to the kind of things Dragon Ball does.

For instance, say the problem were that the villain is so impossible and horrifying that anyone looking at him goes instantly insane (a common feature of Eldritch/Cosmic Horror). What's the 'Battle Comic' solution to that? Ultra Instinct, maybe (not thinking about anything and letting your body do what it needs to)? Okay, fine. But then what's the villain got to turn the tables and provide escalation that is still true to the horror stylings of his concept and to the nature of Dragon Ball where hard work and a bit of imagination (and teamwork, for Super specifically) wins out in a contest against a thing like that? No doubt the line could be trodden by a more gifted storyteller than me, but it seems tricky, to say the least.

I'm not saying it can't happen, or that the desire for 'something different' is fundamentally flawed, or anything; merely that, when I compare it with Moro's shtick, I come away pretty happy with what we got. Moro's magic works with his character (as I said earlier, the predation and theft aspects are prime character vehicles, for him - that's kind of rare in itself in Dragon Ball, since the moves therefore serve to directly characterise this villain), while giving an obstacle that can be directly contended with in a true Dragon Ball style, and yet is open enough to twist the story as it went on. I'm counting my blessings, I guess is what I'm saying.

[SupremeKai25]

But why should anybody care about any of that stuff?

I care because it enriches a character when you know their past and see their experiences and struggles before they became the main villain. It's a shame you can't see it the same way.

If a villain backstory were meaningless then the Prequels (Darth Vader's backstory) wouldn't have made so much money and success.

[WittyUsername]

I don’t see why it would be a bad idea for Dragon Ball to go outside of its comfort zone.

In theory, perhaps (depending on what the specific direction is), but in my personal opinion, derivatively cribbing from Lovecraft gives Dragon Ball nothing worth having.

Eldritch/Cosmic horror is about the incomprehensible, deranged otherness of certain aliens who, when they wake, will make the World die screaming, end of. What bit of that is applicable to a battle manga about the virtues of repeated hard work of the sort that Goku is shown to embody, in any edifying sense? How can you tell a good Dragon Ball story with that, unless you change it so markedly that it either isn't really using Eldritch Horror in any meaningful sense, or else isn't really Dragon Ball in any meaningful sense? It seems quite unpromising, to me.

Some things just are what they are, and aren't what they aren't. Trying to make them what they aren't doesn't necessarily serve them well.

By the end of the arc, Moro is just Perfect Cell all over again, right down to the design.

I don't agree with this take at all. the things that make Moro tick are fundamentally different from the things that make Cell tick. Moro is about consumption and predation, but is at base a petty and incorrigible thief who will never change (and so is brought into direct contrast with the similarly unchanging but virtuous Goku, and the changing Vegeta). Those things aren't like Cell at all.

Are you saying that Cell isn’t a petty thief who will never change? He tried to blow up the Earth because he was losing in a battle that he started.

[Skar]

I care because it enriches a character when you know their past and see their experiences and struggles before they became the main villain. It's a shame you can't see it the same way.

If a villain backstory were meaningless then the Prequels (Darth Vader's backstory) wouldn't have made so much money and success.

Some people like backstories and some don't feel they're necessary. The prequel trilogy came out almost two decades after the original trilogy so it didn't seem like something George Lucas deemed necessary at the time. Same with many comic book villains who have their backstories explored decades later. There's still a lot of time for Toyotaro to reveal Moro's backstory years from now .

[capsulecorp]

But why should anybody care about any of that stuff? How is it relevant? What does it do for the telling of the story or the depiction of his character in the telling of said story? Should we also want to know his shoe size, past girlfriends, or tax returns? This is all extraneous detail.

I think this is a really important point. It's true that a lot of manga and anime tend to include "flashback scenes" where they explain, in painful detail, the motivations and history of their characters. However, at least for me, these scenes tend to be formulaic, total momentum killers and mostly just slow down the progress of the plot. This is something I LIKE about Dragon Ball compared to something like One Piece.

Apart from that, I appreciate how much room my mind has to roam about questions like... what's up with Tien? Why is Chaotzu the way he is? This spaciousness and light touch is part of what makes Dragon Ball so unique and beloved, in my opinion.

[Mr Baggins]

"Missed potential" would imply that Moro had the capacity to be more compelling than he actually was. I disagree. As a thematic obstacle (Magnificent Ponta's posts and some of my old ones lay all of this out) he gets the job done. Whether it's the parallels with Vegeta, especially old Vegeta, or him being a disappointment to Goku, there's enough chemistry with the protagonists that he isn't vastly outside the realm of other DB villains.

My issues with Moro are solely in how derivative he becomes in the arc's final act, specifically after absorbing Seven-Three. I wouldn't say any of this is related to his potential, however. He's just a bit boring and underwhelming after fulfilling it, and definitely overstays his welcome in the story.

Giving him some tragic backstory would have almost certainly undermined his role and wouldn't have suited the arc's themes. Some antagonists are just evil and that's fine.

[Magnificent Ponta]

Are you saying that Cell isn’t a petty thief who will never change? He tried to blow up the Earth because he was losing in a battle that he started.

I'm saying that the idea of theft, as such, isn't central to Cell's character in the way it is to Moro's; nor is the idea of changing or refusing to change central to the themes of the story arc or his character arc, in the way it is to Moro, and the way these ideas are used in the story and in his character marks Moro out as a villain.

Cell is a sci-fi monster whose character arc is about becoming complete/perfect. That's his whole raison d'etre, and the successful challenge to his perfection brings out an adverse reaction as a matter of course (perfection is his deal; he can't handle a world where that isn't true), as opposed to Moro, who tries to steal things like Ultra Instinct for himself so he can simply continue to feed, even though he can't handle them (predation/theft is his deal; the vice ruins him in the end when he tries one audacious theft too many).

Cell bears no obvious resemblance to Moro as a character, in my opinion, and the story arcs are doing fundamentally different things with their respective characters. Superficial similarities are just that.

I care because it enriches a character when you know their past and see their experiences and struggles before they became the main villain. It's a shame you can't see it the same way.

If a villain backstory were meaningless then the Prequels (Darth Vader's backstory) wouldn't have made so much money and success.

To say that I think backstories as such are meaningless ignores much of what I have said and misrepresents my argument. As I have made quite clear (and will reiterate),

• Backstories and origin stories are not necessarily the same thing;
• These things aren't necessarily goods in and of themselves; they need to serve the character and the story being told in a clear fashion - only then are they goods. An origin story/backstory simply for the sake of knowing a character's past doesn't necessarily do what you're saying it does;
• Moro actually has a backstory which establishes everything you actually need to know about the character for the story being told;
• Other Dragon Ball villains have either as little backstory as Moro or less (certainly shown backstory), but this doesn't necessarily do their depictions as characters any real harm (again, Majin Buu), so it's unclear why it should be a problem for Moro;
• More important than any backstory or origin story is what the villain is doing in the story proper, what that reveals about their character, and how their character is used. A good backstory will do good things for a character, obviously, but if the story doesn't do anything much with the character in the story proper after that, a good backstory can't do all the work required to make a truly compelling character;
• The problems with Moro aren't in a backstory or lack thereof (which again, is both present and serviceable for his character), but how he is used in the story proper (where he takes a backseat to his characterless mooks for a third of the arc).

In short, the point of storytelling and character building is for the sake of the story as a whole and the character's use therein, not merely to satisfy idle curiosity or splurge data all over the place. Accordingly, efficient use of the necessary elements to that end is not in and of itself a problem, in my opinion.

[WittyUsername]

Are you saying that Cell isn’t a petty thief who will never change? He tried to blow up the Earth because he was losing in a battle that he started.

I'm saying that the idea of theft, as such, isn't central to Cell's character in the way it is to Moro's; nor is the idea of changing or refusing to change central to the themes of the story arc or his character arc, in the way it is to Moro, and the way these ideas are used in the story and in his character marks Moro out as a villain.

Cell is a sci-fi monster whose character arc is about becoming complete/perfect. That's his whole raison d'etre, and the successful challenge to his perfection brings out an adverse reaction as a matter of course (perfection is his deal; he can't handle a world where that isn't true), as opposed to Moro, who tries to steal things like Ultra Instinct for himself so he can simply continue to feed, even though he can't handle them (predation/theft is his deal; the vice ruins him in the end when he tries one audacious theft too many).

Cell bears no obvious resemblance to Moro as a character, in my opinion, and the story arcs are doing fundamentally different things with their respective characters. Superficial similarities are just that.

Bad guys who absorb things to get stronger is hardly unique to Moro.

[Magnificent Ponta]

Bad guys who absorb things to get stronger is hardly unique to Moro.

And I'm saying that's a reductive (in fact, totally inadequate) assessment of both Cell and Moro and what their respective characters are about.

[WittyUsername]

Bad guys who absorb things to get stronger is hardly unique to Moro.

And I'm saying that's a reductive (in fact, totally inadequate) assessment of both Cell and Moro and what their respective characters are about.

Neither of them have much to their characters beyond being evil. You say that his similarities to Cell are superficial, but I say the differences you’re referring to are pretty superficial. Dragon Ball villains in general aren’t exactly multi-faceted.

[capsulecorp]

The more I read this forum, the more I see conversations derailed by this meta-topics like... "what makes a good story" or "how should characters be introduced and developed". Apart from the limited and repetitive nature of these topics, they are clearly unproductive, countless threads (such as this one!) end up being derailed by petty, pointless bickering about matters of taste.

Ultimately, at this point, we know what kind of story Dragonball is, and we know Toriyama's tropes and tendencies. Wouldn't it be a better use of our time to talk about the work itself, instead of debating about "rules of fiction" and other topics that, frankly, don't exist?

[Magnificent Ponta]

Neither of them have much to their characters beyond being evil. You say that his similarities to Cell are superficial, but I say the differences you’re referring to are pretty superficial. Dragon Ball villains in general aren’t exactly multi-faceted.

They don't need to be multifaceted to just be about different basic things - all that needs to happen is for Moro to be about certain things, and for Cell to not really be about those things. Moro is about theft and predation for its own sake, and Cell is about attaining perfection according to the plan that has been laid out for him by Gero, and simply enjoying the fact of it and making people die in terror because that's "the best fun". Those things aren't really similar, to me.

On which note, if you want an extensive treatment, here's what I wrote some time back about Moro's character and what he's about:

Spoiler:

• In short, Moro sees himself as the Apex Predator of creation, and thinks this makes him superior. However, as befits a Thief, which is all he is, he's really just (as Goku puts it) a "sneaky coward", and his Serpentine Cunning throws this into clear view:
  • Fundamentally, Moro believes he's the "supreme life-form" because he is capable of consuming everyone and everything, and compelled to do so. He's the Apex Predator of existence, and this makes him Insatiable. He'll even say that "I do not fear divine power!" (超 #64), because "The Gods' creations are mine to devour!!" This predatory aspect to Moro's character is such that it's not too much to say that he looks at everyone and everything as either a meal, or else as accessory to the creation of a meal - literally everything he does and says has to be parsed through this fact. He says the main reason he consumes energy is "to fill my stomach", which is "the primary goal", rather than becoming stronger or anything else (超 #59), and everything else he says reinforces this outlook: for instance, he notes Planet Namek has power remaining in 超 #49 and says "What a waste to leave food on my plate"; he also evaluates planets like Zoon on the basis of how good a meal it is (超 #51), and calls Goku and Vegeta "livestock" in 超 #51 (and tells Vegeta "You will make for my finest meal yet" in 超 #61); his interest in them expires as soon as he's eaten all of their energy in 超 #46 ("Those drained of their energy will perish on their own in short order. Their lives no longer concern me"). That this consideration overrides all others shows up when Moro merely concludes from the loss of some of his scouts that a planet that can do this is probably a good meal (超 #52), and declares Vegeta's defeat of Yuzun (and that Vegeta must have become stronger) as a "delightful development" (超 #55), and he says he's "in high spirits" to have chanced upon the high number of powerful individuals on Earth (超 #57). Even as his team gets defeated by Earth's warriors, he simply muses on who might be first on the menu (超 #56), and his followers play up to this single-mindedness: Saganbo, for instance, quite literally offers to "cook" Moro's foes "to your liking" in 超 #57. In this sense, this is pretty much all there is to Moro. It's very straightforward, and one might wish there were some other twist (or even a gag) to this aspect of the characterisation, but there really isn't; it's played totally straight, which is probably why Moro comes across as a 'generic Doomsday villain' to a lot of people, even when one puts aside his conceptual reliance on Piccolo Daimao - he says what he's about, he does stuff that reemphasises this...and that's about it.
  • Moro introduces himself by trying to eat Esca (超 #44), but says, "Worry not. This one is merely food", which indicates that he also thinks of consuming the lives of others as fairly natural and undramatic; in fact, he seems to regard it in a philosophical, detached manner - as he tells Tsuburi, "You are all fated to die in due time" (超 #46), and he thinks of the Galactic Patrol's opposition, and peace-keeping attempts, as "nonsense" and they should be "eradicated" (超 #50). Goku will throw all this back in his face in 超 #64, where he asks Moro if he can understand the pain of all those he killed, now the shoe is on the other foot. Clearly, this never really occurred to Moro - like a Shark (his namesake) devours its prey and keeps moving forward without any difficulty, hesitation, or regret, that's the way Moro is too.
  • Despite the compulsion to devour, there's not much in Moro's character that points towards any intention to husband and secure these resources, irreplaceable as they are (though Moro does not think so, as we'll see). The closest he gets to such a sentiment is in 超 #54, where he consents to wait until Goku and Vegeta have trained, so that he will get a better meal out of it, and in 超 #62, where he refrains from killing the heroes outright because "You people are my meal, you know". The only time he actually passes up the opportunity to consume energy is with Jaco - but only because it's "Such a small portion...and probably foul-tasting" (超 #62). Otherwise, his consumption of others appears always to be total and final - we never get the sense that Moro might take the view of securing his food sources for the long term (say, draining people like Earth's heroes to feed himself, allowing them to recover, and coming back to repeat the process) - it's always simply annihilatory, even though he admits that there aren't many planets "teeming with so many high-energy individuals" (超 #57); all it means is that he doesn't want to eat it all in one 'gulp', but to "prepare this dish" in a way that's to his liking. This cements the characterisation of Moro both as Apex Predator and as Thief, as he has no view of allowing what he steals to be restored to his victims, and he predates on them insatiably.
  • Being able to consume everything and anything has given Moro a misplaced sense of superiority, as a limitless being who should properly inhabit some sort of rulership function (albeit just one that sustains his habits) - he says his goal is "To create an ideal Galaxy where I am free to consume Planets as I wish" (超 #50); and later specifies that this means he will be "ruling over the Galaxy for all eternity" (超 #61). Even as his ambitions are limitless (in service of a base urge though they are), so is his self-conception: when he resolves to eat until he hits the limits of his power, he questions whether he even has such limits (超 #55), and later scoffs at the idea, even while Merus's Angelic power is destroying his body, on the basis of the Life Force he has consumed (超 #65); even self-improvement is unnecessary, as with training, which Moro despises as "a crutch for the weak" - hardly fitting for the limitless predator of all. He also refuses to receive judgement from others - as in 超 #64, where he tells Goku that to "presume to lecture me", he must "think yourself a God" - only the Gods might judge, and the greatest of them is Moro's hated enemy (超 #43, 48, 49); others aren't fit to do so.
  • Conversely, in keeping with this conviction of superiority, Moro regards other beings as lower life-forms. That's not particularly unique to Moro; most Dragon Ball villains have a similar outlook (See: Piccolo Daimao, DB #159; Vegeta, DB# 237; Freeza, DB #291; Cell, DB #388); however, Moro's seems drawn specifically from his position as a predator. Moro has no difficulty in killing his own men (Cranberry, 超 #48; Saganbo, 超 #58 - he calls him "pathetic" for dying, into the bargain, and his death comes from Moro's insatiability, as his curiosity essentially drives him to kill Saganbo; Shimorekka, 超 #61), and disavows the notion that he might have "friends", as while his followers might die, "I can always collect more". He also calls Goku a "lowly life-form" (超 #59), Earth's fighters "worms" (超 #60, #64), and generally acts in a condescending manner to those he encounters (see, for instance, the way he toys with the "insect" Vegeta in 超 #45, or that he kills the Namekian "saviour" without bothering to look at him in 超 #46, or that he declines battle in 超 #48 because he doesn't see the need, or when he condescendingly says to Goku "consider me shocked that you amassed such power" in 超 #60). He also doesn't accept that other beings might have goals that don't align with his own; even if they don't necessarily work against him, it is likewise unacceptable - as with his order to kill the Macarenis, on the grounds that "Traitors acting on their own are dispensable" (超 #53). Only Moro's goals matter.
  • Moro always seems intent on having some sort of back-up plan or cautious, hidden approach (artistically pointed up by his serpentine eyes), despite the very straightforward goals he has - or, as Goku puts it in 超 #65, he's "a sneaky coward". He hides his "true intent" of devouring Vegeta and Goku's power in the first battle, slowly whittling their power away in 超 #45; he also keeps the fact he has another wish secret until his first is granted, and doesn't reveal its contents until it's too late and his convict allies have arrived (超 #48-50). He lets his pawns do the fighting in 超 #50, siphoning energy from Vegeta and Goku and gifting it to his goons, and he uses the abilities of one particular goon (OG73-I) to "create a complete back-up" of himself in case things go wrong (as they do, in 超 #61), which enables him to gain the upper hand once again. But in battle, his approach is rarely straightforward: He waits for Goku to wear himself out in the first phase of their battle (超 #59), and then when he sees the full extent of Goku's power, says simply he "approached you too cautiously" (超 #60). Even though he is confident Dende poses no threat, he makes sure by sealing off the battlefield with a barrier (超 #62). Once Goku attains True Ultra Instinct, however, there aren't any obvious ploys left - only fear (超 #64) - and begging for his life, which he tries to use to provide one last opening to kill Goku, which fails (超 #65); and his final, improvised move, stealing Merus's Angelic power, proves his undoing because he succeeds beyond his wildest dreams: the power of the technique begins to destroy him, and he tries a last-minute manoeuvre to merge with Earth to contain it - it's not planned, simply desperate: Goku backs him into a corner and he throws caution to the wind, as the cunning that has served him so well eventually proves to be his undoing in 超 #66 - his eyes are too big for his belly.
  • For anyone with eyes to see, Moro is ultimately just a Thief, whatever his grandiose self-conception - and he is Incorrigible. He's the main villain in an arc that deals strongly in the theme of Stealing, and it's stated at the outset (超 #44) that his power is an aggregation of souls, which have been slaughtered and stolen by his magic. He steals the Dragon Balls from the Namekians (超 #46-48), and liberates his fellow-convicts - bandits all - to engage in an orgy of rapine across the Galaxy; his goons steal tangible treasures, and Moro steals the very life-force of the planets once they're finished. Ironically, when he "gifts" what he has stolen (Giving and Earning being two major related themes), it kills his henchman Saganbo, who has not earned the wherewithal to handle Moro's stolen gifts. And, of course, he thieves one of his own thieves: he consumes OG73-I to regain his own stolen power (once Vegeta has given that back to its true owners), and gains his "Copy Ability", which (as Jaco describes it) "steals" the abilities of others, and he uses it with abandon. In fact, all the underhanded ploys mentioned above are pressed into service to allow Moro to do what he does best - "stealing lives". Goku puts his finger on this in 超 #65, where he calls what Moro does just that. Goku also points out that this makes Moro much less than he might be otherwise; but he's an incorrigible scumbag - he resists even a token gesture of reformation when Goku offers the chance, and spurns it in favour of stealing anew, using the stolen Copy Ability to steal Merus's abilities. But he is undone by his own compulsion to steal, as he cannot handle the power either, and tries, in his most audacious (and desperate) caper, to steal the whole Earth so he can hang on to his ill-gotten gains. Even then, he doesn't stop stealing, consuming the energy of all on Earth - he even steals energy quicker than Vegeta can take it back, even though it is driving him insane and killing him.
  So, that's what I get of Moro's character. He's a thief to the end, and that (his incorrigibility), mixed with his compulsion to devour and predate on others (his insatiableness), overrides his natural serpentine caution and cunning to steal things he can't handle, hastening his own end. While the inspirations drawn from Piccolo Daimao are many and obvious, I think there's enough here to say that Moro has his own, relatively satisfying and well-constructed arc that make his vices both the centre of his strength and yet the key to his undoing.

Re-reviewing it now, I still don't see there being any real points of contact between any of this stuff and what Cell is fundamentally about, except for the extremely general conviction of their own superiority (which is shared by almost all Dragon Ball villains). I don't see anything meaningfully "Cell-like" about what Moro is like as a character, or vice-versa.

Now, if you want to talk about Moro and his indebtedness to Piccolo Daimao, that's a whole other conversation.

The more I read this forum, the more I see conversations derailed by this meta-topics like... "what makes a good story" or "how should characters be introduced and developed". Apart from the limited and repetitive nature of these topics, they are clearly unproductive, countless threads (such as this one!) end up being derailed by petty, pointless bickering about matters of taste.

Ultimately, at this point, we know what kind of story Dragonball is, and we know Toriyama's tropes and tendencies. Wouldn't it be a better use of our time to talk about the work itself, instead of debating about "rules of fiction" and other topics that, frankly, don't exist?

This is a fair point, but I guess I'd say that with a character like Moro, a lot of what he's about as a character is inextricably bound into the way the overall story arc is told and what its themes are, so assessing whether he had more potential than what we saw, and whether he was a well-used character (and if so, on what level, but if not, then what might have helped that) is understandably likely to draw in some of these wider considerations, and matters of taste, to boot.

And you can always throw in your two penneth, and see who bites - what do you personally think of Moro?