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Dragon Ball Daimasparked many discussions among fans after it introduced Super Saiyan 4. While Vegeta turning into SSJ3 a few episodes earlier could also be considered a minor inconsistency withDragon Ball Super, SSJ4 was mostly ignored by many fans untilDaima.
So far, no character has turned into SSJ4 inDragon Ball Super. However, as the manga should eventually return from hiatus, many fans are wondering if there is still time to introduce this transformation into the story ofSuper. Could SSJ4 find its way intoDBS?
Why SSJ4 in Dragon Ball Daima Changed Everything
Until the release ofDragon Ball Daimawas out,a good portion of fans didn’t consider Super Saiyan 4 as a canon transformation. There were two main reasons for this. The first is that SSJ4 first appeared inDragon Ball GT, but, as far as we know, Toriyama wasn’t that much involved inDBGT. Since many fans dislikeGT, most of them have never taken it as canon.
Secondly, SSJ4 hasn’t appeared inDragon Ball Super, which is considered the canon sequel toDragon Ball Z,especially since Toriyama was deeply involved in it. Toyotarostated in an interviewthat Toriyama would write plot outlines and would later revise the final storyboards. As Goku and the other Saiyans achieve new forms that seem to be even stronger than SSJ4 without ever turning into SSJ4, most fans thought that Toriyama didn’t think of SSJ4 as part of theDragon Balluniverse.
“At The Cost of Dragon Ball GT”
Everything changed inDragon Ball Daima, which was mostly written by Toriyama himself, according to producer Akio Iyuko. In the last episodes, Goku turned into Super Saiyan 4. Despite the character teasing in-story that he could mostly do it because of his training, Aya Komaki (co-director of the series) stated that it wasNeva’s magic that allowed Goku to unlock this form, as most fans first imagined.
Anyway, regardless of how Goku was able to achieve SSJ4, now that the form has now been introduced in a series written by the creator of the franchise,it is hard to consider SSJ4 as a non-canon transformation. It is possible to considerDaimaas part of a different timeline thanSuper, but Super Saiyan 4 is now undeniably “canon” in Toriyama’sDragon Balluniverse.
According to Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, Toriyama created most of the SSJ4 design inDaima(via Venixys):
For Dragon Ball GT, Toriyama-sensei only provided a few guidelines for the character’s creation, whereas for the DAIMA version, he was much more involved. We really wanted to create a character that fully reflected Mr. Toriyama’s vision.
However, not everyone is happy with this.Daima’s SSJ4 design is a bit different fromGT’s design, and it would be even easier to say now thatGTis definitely not canon, as two series by Toriyama disregard its events. Of course, fans can see whatever they want as canon, and they could consider all stories as part of the universe (andthat’s a healthy way to see it).
What Could Toyotaro Be Planning For Super?
Dragon Ball Superis once again on indefinite hiatus, but thecover of the upcoming Volume 24features Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Broly and Piccolo in some of their most powerful transformations. As soon as the cover was revealed,fans began discussing whether Toyotaro was planning to introduce SSJ4 into Super’s universe.
If we considerDaimaandSuperto be part of the same timeline,ignoring the minor inconsistencies between them, at least Goku is able to turn into SSJ4, so he could do it at any time inSuper— the odd thing is precisely the fact that he hasn’t done it yet. But since Goku can now achieve even stronger forms, why would he transform into SSJ4?
Well, Goku still uses “weaker” forms as he sees fit, so there could be a situation where he thinks SSJ4 is the best transformation to use. Also, it could be other characters who become SSJ4, like Gogeta (since almost everyone wants to see Gogeta SSJ4 after Daima), or even Vegeta, Gohan, Goten or Trunks.
IfDaimaandSuperare not part of the same universe, there are even more ways to introduce SSJ4 in theSupertimeline. While Toyotaro hasn’t revealed his plans for the series, it is quite possible that we may end up seeingSuper’s SSJ4 in the near future.
Chapter 103 seemingly concluded the Super Hero Saga (and Chapter 104 was mostly a bonus chapter to it), so a new arc should begin in Chapter 105, soToyotaro has the perfect chance to introduce SSJ4 now if he wants it.
When Will Dragon Ball Super Return?
After a new chapter was released in February 2025, nthere has been no news about when Chapter 105 will be out. There is an expectation that a date will be announced when Volume 24 is released on April 4, but there is no official information about it.
Dragon Ball Superlatest chapters are available to read on MANGA Plus.
Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball is a franchise by Akira Toriyama which follows the adventures of Goku, a powerful warrior who protects the earth with his group of friends. A recent title from the series is Dragon Ball: The Breakers, an action style game where 7 players have to survive being hunted by the Raider.
