Super Saiyan 4’s Shocking Return in Dragon Ball Super Revealed!

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Summary

  • SSJ4 was considered non-canon until Dragon Ball Daima introduced it, possibly challenging its status as a non-canon transformation.
  • Daima’s reveal of SSJ4 raised questions about its potential introduction in Dragon Ball Super.
  • Fans speculate whether Toyotaro will introduce SSJ4 in Super, especially considering Goku’s ability to achieve stronger forms.

Dragon Ball Daima sparked 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 with Dragon Ball Super, SSJ4 was mostly ignored by many fans until Daima.

So far, no character has turned into SSJ4 in Dragon 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 of Super. Could SSJ4 find its way into DBS?

Why SSJ4 in Dragon Ball Daima Changed Everything

Until the release of Dragon Ball Daima was 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 in Dragon Ball GT, but, as far as we know, Toriyama wasn’t that much involved in DBGT. Since many fans dislike GT, most of them have never taken it as canon.

Secondly, SSJ4 hasn’t appeared in Dragon Ball Super, which is considered the canon sequel to Dragon Ball Z, especially since Toriyama was deeply involved in it. Toyotaro stated in an interview that 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 the Dragon Ball universe.

“At The Cost of Dragon Ball GT”

Everything changed in Dragon 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 was Neva’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 consider Daima as part of a different timeline than Super, but Super Saiyan 4 is now undeniably “canon” in Toriyama’s Dragon Ball universe.

According to Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, Toriyama created most of the SSJ4 design in Daima (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 from GT‘s design, and it would be even easier to say now that GT is 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 (and that’s a healthy way to see it).

What Could Toyotaro Be Planning For Super?

Dragon Ball Super is once again on indefinite hiatus, but the cover of the upcoming Volume 24 features 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 consider Daima and Super to 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 in Super — 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.

If Daima and Super are not part of the same universe, there are even more ways to introduce SSJ4 in the Super timeline. While Toyotaro hasn’t revealed his plans for the series, it is quite possible that we may end up seeing Super‘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, so Toyotaro has the perfect chance to introduce SSJ4 now if he wants it.

When Will Dragon Ball Super Return?

Since February 2025, we haven’t heard anything about the release of Chapter 105. It is anticipated that a release date might be announced when Volume 24 comes out on April 4th. However, there hasn’t been any official confirmation regarding this yet.

Dragon Ball Super latest chapters are available to read on MANGA Plus.

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2025-03-18 18:37