Dragon Ball DAIMA had the chance to reintroduce one of the franchise’s most beloved and iconic transformations, the Super Saiyan 4, into the main lore. It took the opportunity and did so, which was great to some extent. The part that DAIMA failed to consider is that the transformation had to be in the main timeline.
It could not be after Super (Ultra Instinct would be mastered by then, and who knows what powers would be unlocked), so they placed it before Super. To be precise, a few years after the battle with Buu. Yet, the transformation causes many issues with continuity.
Disregarding SSJ4, fans were surprised when Vegeta’s SSJ3 showed up, arguing that it had never been seen in the franchise, much less a transformation that could cause a major imbalance in the power scaling (not to mention spoil all the future battles).
It felt like Super Saiyan 4 was pulled out of a hat
Fans have long debated whether Super Saiyan 4 would ever become canon (although designed by Toriyama, it was created by Takao-sensei), and DAIMA finally made it happen. It was supposed to be an unforgettable moment for the franchise, but instead, the execution fell flat.
The transformation came out of nowhere, usually, if we take a look at the major transformations, even fusions, there is pressure being exerted on the Z fighters, which pushes them to improve, thus unlocking new power levels (through a sheer sense of crisis or a lot of closed-door training).
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byu/GeezeCalmDownKaren from discussion
inDragonBallDaima
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byu/GeezeCalmDownKaren from discussion
inDragonBallDaima
Dragon Ball DAIMA skipped this and got to the good part, which is why the transformation lacked buildup and failed to impact the story in a meaningful way. Moreover, the many inconsistencies it caused and the explanation provided are not at all satisfactory.
Goku simply pulled the transformation out of thin air as if he had been able to do it all along. This is not true, and even the future events do not remedy this, making it all the more confusing. The lack of buildup made the transformation feel underserved, especially because Dragon Ball is all about using hard work to reach the pinnacle of power,
Cool moment but a weak execution
In the Dragon Ball series, transformations like Super Saiyan and Ultra Instinct were built up slowly but surely. They felt necessary, meaningful and like the natural next step. But the process always involved struggle and many emotional encounters or events.
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byu/GeezeCalmDownKaren from discussion
inDragonBallDaima
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byu/GeezeCalmDownKaren from discussion
inDragonBallDaima
In contrast, DAIMA treated Super Saiyan 4, which is supposed to be the epitome of Super Saiyan transformations like a casual power-up, completely missing out on the dramatic weight that makes the power-up (transformation) moments so memorable.
There is no doubt that the form is very impressive and visually striking, but all that makes it harder for the fans to swallow this pill. Instead of being the highlight of the series, it is being remembered as one of the biggest question marks and fails in the franchise.
Dragon Ball DAIMA is available to watch on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
