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Warning: The following contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Daima, Episode 18, “Awakening”, now streaming onCrunchyroll.
After two long decades, Goku’s Super Saiyan 4 transformationfromDragon Ball GTis finally canon, thanks toDragon Ball Daima. Now it’s time to compare the two because, while they may seem like the same transformations on the surface, there are some distinct differences in how they look, how they’re activated, and how Goku uses them.
Daima’s transformation came in the midst of the fight with Gomah. They were hyping upthe Evil Third Eyeever since episode 1 of Daima, but who could’ve expected it would make Gomah so strong? Gomah, who was stated to be weaker than Dabura, who was weaker than the Tamagami, is suddenly now fighting the entire cast all at once and is barely even breaking a sweat. However, his immense power only served to hype up the coming of Super Saiyan 4 even more, as Goku is now able to keep up with him.
The Triggers for the Super Saiyan 4 Transformation
From Natural to Magical
One of the biggest differences between the two transformations is their triggers or what Goku needs to do or getto achieve the form. InGT, Goku achieved Super Saiyan 4 in episode 34, “Back in the Game”, after regaining control of himself in his Golden Great Ape form. Golden Great Ape is basically what you get when a Saiyan with access to Super Saiyan becomes a Great Ape. Then, if that Saiyan overcomes the violent urges that come with the Great Ape form, they will shrink back to human size, only now covered in magenta fur and wielding unbelievable power.
““Light breaks the darkness! This form is my instrument - I have no limits.” - GT Goku
Vegeta’s transformation inGTis far more artificial than Goku’s. Since he didn’t have a tail at the time, he useda device Bulma made, known as the Blutz Wave Generator, that can force tail-less Saiyans to transform into their Great Ape forms. Blutz Waves are the energies produced when a celestial body, like the moon, reflects the light of a star, like the sun.
InDragon Ball Daima, the form is achieved in episode 18, “Awakening”, by Neva performing some sort of spell or technique on Goku. It has yet to be explained if that wasa unique Demon Realm spellor if it’s something more akin to the drawing-out-your-potential powers shown by the Namekian elder Guru and the Elder Supreme Kai. This trigger is also the most likely reason why Goku doesn’t use the form inDragon Ball Super. It might be a form that Neva has to “replenish” everytime Goku uses it up. Goku could still use the form as an adult, though, so the true explanation is yet to be seen. Neva will most likely stayin the Demon Realmat the end ofDaimaif nothing bad happens to him, of course, which is why he hasn’t made an appearance inSuper.
Daima’s Super Saiyan 4 doesn’t Age Goku Up
The reasoning behind Goku aging up upon transforming into Super Saiyan 4 inGTis that the transformation brings its user to their prime form to maximize the power it grants. This isn’t the case inDaima, asGoku is still very muchin the body of a child, only now furrier and far, far stronger.
Apart from not growing up, there are some other slight differences in appearance betweenGTandDaima’s transformations. For one thing, Goku’s hair is now magenta, like his fur. And speaking of his fur, they only reach up to his forearms now, unlike inGT, where they went all the way up to his wrists. Their eyes are alsodifferent, withGTGoku’s eyes being lined with red and having yellow pupils.DaimaGoku’s eyes are lined with black with magenta pupils.
The Difference in Fighting Styles
Goku Goes Primal
One of the coolest changes they made to the Super Saiyan 4 transformation is that Goku now fights like a monkey kid in this form. In his fight against Third Eye Gomah, Goku uses his legs and tail toparry and weave aroundGomah’s attacks. He even uses his arms when running, like how certain primates do. Playful isn’t really the right word to describe it, but Goku’s fighting style while in Super Saiyan 4 is certainly more aloof than usual. The Saiyan race has always been a mix between monkeys and men since Goku himself is loosely based on Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.
The Super Saiyan 4 transformation seemed like it wasa return to rootsof sorts inGT, but aside from Goku looking more like a monkey, his fighting style stayed largely the same. He fought more seriously than normal, but that could be attributed to him just having to concentrate more or because he didn’t want to underestimate his opponent. He may have gained some cool new moves like the 10x Kamehameha, but that was about it.Super Saiyan 4 Gogetafought with his arms folded on his chest for a little while, but that was less of a new fighting style and more of him just showing off.
Which Super Saiyan 4 Version Is Stronger?
It’s a Little Too Soon to Tell
Daima’s version of Super Saiyan 4 has only beenout for two episodesat the time of writing this article, so it’s a little tough to judge just how strong it is. It completely overwhelmed Third Eye Gomah for a little while, but it seemed that as the fight went on, Gomah managed to power up and be on par with, and possibly even stronger than, Goku’s new form.
Even if their Ki levels were relatively equal, you could argue thatGTGoku’s adult formgives him an advantage because of the extra reach. However, you could also argue thatDaimaGoku’s unique fighting style is perfectly suited to fighting bigger opponents.
Dragon Ball Daima is now available to stream onCrunchyrollandNetflix. The release date for Dragon Ball Daima, episode 20 is set to be June 08, 2025, at 10:00 AM PT.
