Summary
Although it got off to a very slow start,Dragon Ball Daimaeventually picked up dramatically. The latter half of the series was filled to the brim with incredible action and even more amazing reveals that went on to change the entire power hierarchy of the franchise. However, of all the reveals made in the series, none came close to being as huge and garnering as great of a response from the fans asGoku going Super Saiyan 4.
This form had been introduced before but was only officially brought into the canon of the franchise in Episode 18 ofDragon Ball Daima. After seeing the form again after over 2 decades since its last appearance inDragon Ball GT, fans were ecstatic. However, this version of the transformation is notably different from theGTone, so let’s look at how this special form works.
Debut Date
August 02, 2025
In the climactic battle against Gomah, the heroes found that nothing that they could do could stand up to the empowered Demon King. Using the Tertian Oculus,Gomah’s power reached an unprecedented stateas he was able to defeat every single fighter present against him, which included defeating Super Saiyan 3 Goku, Evolved Majin Duu, and Tamagami 1, all at the same time.
While the heroes did get some good hits in, they were ultimately overpowered, with Gomah hitting Goku so hard that he knocked him out. As Goku lay there, bruised and fatigued, the legendary Namekian Neva went over to him and bestowed some of his energy onto the Saiyan, causing a chain reaction that shook the Demon Realm with the reveal of an even stronger transformation. This state was shown to be the much beloved Super Saiyan 4 form fromDragon Ball GT, only that it was now made into a canon version.
In its original appearance in the non-canon show, the Super Saiyan 4 state can only be reached by a Saiyan who has had prolonged exposure to Blutz Waves, which Goku had gotten through Earth’s moon. Moreover, theGTtransformation makes it a point to show the power of this form by equating it toa Super Saiyan Oozaru form, only fitting back into the Saiyan’s frame once they have tamed their outrageous strength and regained their calm mind.
However, both of these aspects seem to be missing fromDaima’sversion of the form. In place of Blutz Waves coming into contact with the Saiyan’s cells, it seems that Neva’s energy seems to garner the same response from them as it causes a chain reaction within Goku’s body that sends his cells into overdrive. These cells also seem to unlock the Saiyan’s inherent nature and somewhat the appearance of the Oozaru form, giving Goku fur all over his body.
Power comes in response to a need, not a desire. You have to create that need.
In the fight against Gomah, Super Saiyan 4 proved to be an incredibly powerful and useful form, far eclipsing anything that Goku could have done while he was a Super Saiyan 3. Even though the overpowered nature of theTertian Oculus kept King Gomahlargely safe from harm, Goku’s Super Saiyan 4 was an exceptionally powerful form that did the best against him by a long shot.
Furthermore, there are many theories among the fandom about the nature of this transformation, namely having to do with the fact that it was born in the Demon Realm. Because of this and the Demon Realm’s laws being different from those of the surface world, some believe it to be some sort of a demonic transformation, while others think that it can only really be used in this realm. Although fans have to wait for the finale to get any sort of answer, it’s clear that, without Neva’s intervention, Goku wouldn’t have been able to achieve this on his own.
The Future Of Super Saiyan 4
How Will This Form Survive In The Franchise?
At the current stage, there is a lot that can be done with this transformation. The most common belief is that, somehow, Vegeta may also use Neva’s energy to unlock this state, leading toa potential Super Saiyan 4 fusionin the series finale due to the currently unused Join Bugs in Goku’s pouch. Because of its awesome power, Super Saiyan 4 is definitely going to be a mainstay going forward in the franchise.
However, a problem arises when thinking aboutDragon Ball Super. Although this form is unanimously loved and fans are excited about the prospect of seeing it in use in canon, many fear that, due toSuper’sinsane boost in power scaling, the form will largely be useless in the modern era. However, they still hold out hope for it to work its way into the franchise again somehow.
Dragon Ballcan be streamed onCrunchyroll.
Dragon Ball DAIMA
Dragon Ball Daima is the latest anime in Akira Toriyama’s legendary franchise. After being transformed into a child, Goku must travel to a new world to try and turn things around.
