Dragon Ball Super Teases a New Villain That Could Eclipse Perfect Cell
Dragon Ball has delivered some of the anime medium’s most memorable antagonists, and it’s no surprise that many fans treat its villains as a template other series try to measure up to. From towering personalities to terrifying power systems, the franchise has repeatedly set a standard for what makes a villain feel iconic rather than forgettable.
For a lot of viewers, the benchmark is Perfect Cell, the central threat of the Cell Saga. Cell’s strength is undeniable, but what keeps him lodged in people’s minds is the way his personality drives everything—confidence, cruelty, and a constant need to put himself on display. With Dragon Ball Super 2 teasing the arrival of the best villain since Perfect Cell, fans are already asking who could fill that same role for a new era. And to understand the likely answer, it helps to look at one of the franchise’s most chilling candidates: Moro.
Power scaling in Dragon Ball has shifted dramatically since Super, so it’s worth walking through who stands out as the strongest “God-level” style heroes—and, more importantly here, which villains match that kind of threat.
Moro Was The Greatest Threat Millions Of Years Ago
The Legendary Villain of Universe 7 is Coming For Goku & Vegeta
Long before the story even begins in the original Dragon Ball, Universe 7 wasn’t the same place fans come to recognize. In that older, stranger era, a few names became part of legend and fear—figures like Majin Buu and Beerus. Yet one terrifying presence faded almost completely from memory: Moro.
That disappearance wasn’t accidental. Moro was the kind of power that made people want him buried—one of the multiverse’s most dangerous and unstable villains, feared even before he returned. When he was finally released from imprisonment inside the Galactic Patrol Prison, the audience immediately understood why his name had been treated like a problem best left alone.
Moro Had Some Of The Most Terrifying Forms And Abilities
Moro Is A Deadly Opponent
One reason Moro stands apart from many Dragon Ball villains is that his look alone signals menace. Toyotaro designed him as a tribute to demon imagery found in traditional Western folklore, and the character’s goatlike features are deliberate—meant to communicate “pure evil” at a glance. Just as important, the design also reinforces that Moro isn’t a villain with a redemption arc waiting in the wings. Where past enemies sometimes found a new path—like Vegeta or Piccolo—Moro is framed as something far more irreconcilable.
That same design language follows him through every stage of his evolution. Moro is also an energy absorber, a power type that fans associate with other major antagonists like Cell, but his version goes much further. He isn’t just draining a fighter or siphoning a portion of strength—Moro can take the energy and life force out of entire worlds, leaving them empty and lifeless while he grows even stronger at an accelerating pace. As the arc moves forward, that method of survival and domination is exactly how he regains youth and power over and over again.
“I’ve consumed countless planets since our previous encounter. All of which have filled me with enough power to transcend the very Gods!”
He begins as an old, frail wizard figure, then steadily stacks energy through his absorption abilities. The result is a dramatic transformation into a more youthful, far more intimidating presence—stronger than he was before, and more capable of matching the scale of the threats he creates. Even when his most powerful form receives criticism for leaning into a more traditional “villain look,” the actual level of power it represents is genuinely horrifying.
That terror spikes when Moro absorbs Merus—an Angel in training. The gain isn’t just a simple stat boost. The villain receives an exponential increase in power and, crucially, the ability to use Ultra Instinct. That makes Moro the first villain shown with access to that technique, putting him in direct comparison with Goku’s most powerful condition: Mastered Ultra Instinct. It sets up a showdown that feels like it could only happen once the story is ready to go that far.
Ultra Instinct is the legendary method associated with the Angels of the multiverse, meaning it’s typically reserved for only a select few who could truly wield it. Seeing a villain replicate it is part of why Moro’s arc hits so hard.
Ultimately, the surge of power becomes too much for him to contain. Moro snaps mentally and undergoes a final transformation—one that isn’t only stronger than what came before, but also completely unhinged. He swells to gigantic proportions and merges with the Earth itself, becoming a force so overwhelming that the survival of the entire planet is put at risk. In that state, Moro threatens not just the world, but the Z-Fighters themselves, turning the conflict into something bigger than a single battle.
By the end of the arc, Moro has already cemented his place as one of the strongest characters in Dragon Ball history and one of the most evil threats the heroes have had to face. His power climbs to a point where defeating him takes coordination from all the Z-Fighters, working together in whatever way they can manage to bring him down.
And while Frieza continues to terrorize fighters across the multiverse, there’s still one variant many fans consider the most powerful expression of what Dragon Ball villainry can become.
Moro’s Personality Was Arrogant And Incredible To Behold
Moro is Cell’s True Equal
Perfect Cell’s legend is built on more than raw power during the Cell Saga. The reason so many people still call him the franchise’s greatest villain is his personality—an arrogance so infectious it becomes part of the entertainment. His belief that he is the perfect being fuels a relentless drive to prove himself against Goku and everyone else. And the way he constantly belittles others with a steady, smug rhythm makes his presence feel both intimidating and oddly fun.
Moro operates in a similar psychological lane. He sees himself as the superior life form, and he believes that his strength grants him the right to commit atrocities on a massive scale—draining entire planets of their energy, for example. Anyone who attempts to oppose him is treated like nothing more than an annoyance. That mindset is a big reason Moro resonates with fans who loved Perfect Cell’s brand of villain confidence.
“Such power… it’s almost a shame I can’t steal it.”
Of course, this kind of megalomaniacal villain energy isn’t unique to Moro. Dragon Ball has leaned on that trope plenty of times with other antagonists who carry similar attitudes. Still, Moro’s specific style of cruelty and self-belief feels distinct. It also lands the “unredeemable” angle Toyotaro appears to be aiming for with the character—an insistence that some villains aren’t meant to be saved, only stopped.
Even though Moro meets his end at the conclusion of the Galactic Prisoner Patrol arc, he remains a major highlight of Dragon Ball Super. In a series where several top villains eventually get redeemed and move into hero territory, it feels refreshing when a powerful character stays rotten to the core—without any apology and without any intention of changing.
Dragon Ball is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
