For the past few chapters I have been really worried that Dragon Ball Super was not going to properly capitalise on the promise of this new storyline; with Goku and Vegeta joining the Galactic Patrol and such. Thankfully, the events of this chapter feel like a step back in the direction I initially wanted from this story line.
The previous two chapters teased the mysterious third wish that Moro had made on the Namekian Dragon Balls. This chapter, we learn what it was. Having escaped from the prison himself, Moro used the power of a magical wish granting dragon to break the entire population of the prison out alongside him.
And it seems like they’re all working for him now.
In my eyes, the initial promise of this entire story arc was to flesh out Universe 7. In many ways, despite the revelation that Goku and Vegeta’s Universe 7 was just one of many, it felt like we knew more about the foreign universes than we did the one our main characters hailed from.
With Goku and Vegeta becoming members of the Galactic Patrol, albeit on a temporary basis, we would get a better vision universe 7 outside of the Empire of Freeza. This chapter finally start to pay that promise off that started with the train robbery during the early stages of the story.
Most of this chapter details the prison break and introduces a number of minion characters who’ll eventually make their way to Moro’s side. How important they’ll eventually be is left up for debate right now, but it’s cool that we get to see the Universe 7 equivalent of both Hit and Magetta in a group shot.
The sudden appearance of the prisoner army on Namek throws a real spanner in Goku and Vegeta’s plan to simply overpower Moro in combat, forcing them to fight the magically empowered prisoners and eventually falling for Moro’s energy draining magic once again, losing power and their transformations before they can even get close to Moro.
Thus the story takes the direction I’ve been wanting to take for the past few chapters. Having being outplayed more than once, the Saiyans and the Patrol are forced to flee Namek and regroup. The most intriguing aspect of which is Vegeta’s growing frustration at being unable to win without brute force alone.
Thus Vegeta leaves Goku and the others who teleport back to Galactic Patrol HQ and hijacks a patrol ship, demanding he be taken to Yardrat; the planet where Goku first learned Instant Transmission between the Freeza and Android saga.
I am really enjoying Moro as a villain this arc. While Goku and Vegeta both overpower him physically, his magic makes it next to impossible for them to fight him given their approach of brute force and martial arts. Vegeta’s frustrations especially make me want to know what he’s planning.
His stubborn pride makes me wonder what his plan actually is on Yardrat, considering his disgust with Moro’s “Parlor Tricks” and even cursing the God power he possesses himself, is he going to learn instant transmission, or put his own unique spin on the technique? This story still has some ways to go, and now that we’re mercifully away from Namek, the wider universe can become a playground for the ongoing battle with Moro, especially now that Goku and Vegeta are split up,
I’ve seen some sentiment that the prisoner’s are just adding a bunch of faceless goons to the mix ala the tournament of power, but honestly. The extra muscle on Moro’s side is a welcome addition that makes him even more difficult to deal with. I like this chapter a lot and am excited to see where we go next.
A Richard Wood Text Adventure 