One of the most exciting moments in Dragon Ball DAIMA was Goku’s transformation into Super Saiyan 4. Dragon Ball GT gave the fans a taste of the massive amount of power that this form holds. After many years of waiting and no mention of this form in any major Dragon Ball series (since GT is not canon), its return was met with massive hype and appreciation.
Fans believed this was the moment DAIMA solidified Super Saiyan 4 as part of the official canon. There were definitely many who were asking why it wasn’t seen in the later part of the timeline, like in Super.
But to counter all this, Aya Komaki (the director) gave an explanation of the scene that further muddies fans’ understanding of what is canon and what is not when it comes to DAIMA.
Super Saiyan 4 was created to be limited to DAIMA
Aya Komaki revealed the intent behind Goku’s transformation when there was a large hue and cry and a lot of debate amongst the fans as to how the transformation fits in with the canon timeline leading to Super. It wouldn’t make sense that Goku could unleash such a powerful form and just choose not to.
According to Komaki, the scene was designed to reflect the birth of a new power, and it was specifically meant for DAIMA. She indicated that the outburst was not the unlocking of something Goku already possessed but something entirely different.
The director of the episode where Goku’s new Ssj4 form is Awakened for the FIRST time (thus the term awakening) confirms that the form is new (he was not hiding it from Vegeta) and they also expanded on what they were thinking for the portrayal of how the form was “Born” meaning… pic.twitter.com/N0bZwvRUgn
— Jordan Lee (@JordanLDurham) March 3, 2025
She described how the energy flowing around him symbolized his Saiyan instincts fusing with his Great Ape heritage to create an entirely new form. This makes sense considering the Great Ape characteristics that the form showcases and is a hint that they are going to reveal another version of the Super Saiyan 4.
Instead of relying on the decades-old art style of Dragon Ball GT, it may be that Toyotaro wishes to utilize his own creativity in the unveiling of the ‘true’ and ‘canonical’ Super Saiyan 4 form.
The Dragon Ball canon contradicts itself again
This contradicts the common belief that Goku had access to Super Saiyan 4 before this moment. Goku’s dialogue in episode 20 of DAIMA, where he mentioned training after the Buu Saga to unlock something beyond SSJ3, was a hint that he had been developing the form for years. Komaki’s statement, however, makes it clear that DAIMA magically induced the transformation.
This revelation raises a major issue: the anime itself suggests that Goku had been training to awaken a hidden power. His conversation with Vegeta in episode 20 gave the impression that Super Saiyan 4 had been lying dormant inside him.
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Yet, Komaki (the highest authority on this) says that it was an external power-up from Neva. This isn’t the first time Dragon Ball has contradicted itself. Power scaling has always been inconsistent, and dialogue often misleads fans.
The Dragon Ball DAIMA anime tells one story while its creators tell another. Whether Super Saiyan 4 was unleashed or induced, the only thing that the fans have to focus on is that there will be a new form for SSJ4 in Dragon Ball Super, and the hype is worth waiting for.
Dragon Ball DAIMA is available on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
