Ever sinceDragon Ball Daima’s first trailer, I was one of the foolish few who felt convinced that the series wouldbring backSuper Saiayn 4.Ieven wrote afew articles exploring how Daima could connect Super Saiyan 4toDragon Ball Super. It was just too much of a coincidence for me thatDaimawas exploringDragon Ball GT’s ubiquitous plot line where Goku transforms into a kid. But now that it has finally happened, I feel very underwhelmed and would actually have preferred it if we didn’t even get a Super Saiyan 4.
The majority of my criticism is based on howDaimadid not do a thorough enough job of setting up such a transformation, especially in relation toDragon Ball GT. Although controversial for its tone,GThad a very strong overall structure, especially in how it led up to what would be one of the most iconic transformations in the entireDragon Ballfranchise, despite not being canon. By comparison,the Super Saiyan 4 transformationinDaimareally did come out of nowhere, and, therefore, feels half-baked and hasty.
Dragon Ball Daima Bases Everything on One Character We Just Learned About
Neva Is Currently The Main Reason Why Goku Transforms in Super Saiyan 4
As ofDaimaepisode #18,the catalyzing moment derives completely from the mysterious Namekian Neva. Afterthe villain Gomahostensibly defeats Goku, Neva summons a ball of white light that engulfs Goku, which eventually culminates in Goku’s transformation. The only explanation for this is based on Neva’s incredible feats in earlier episodes.Daimaportrayed Neva as a genius, having successfully circumvented certain seemingly unbreakable rules that have served as the cornerstone for entire sagas. Much later, he even removed barriers separating entire worlds in the Demon Realm, the immensity of which was captured in Piccolo’s shocked expression.
AlthoughDaimawill likely and should explain what Neva did in later episodes, I feel like whatever it does will be too little, too late, since it would have come at the expense of minimizing the initial transformation. Although Neva is a compelling character,he isn’t important enoughto make him the basis of a transformation likeSuper Saiyan 4 that fans have been waiting to see canonized for decades. It would have been much more effective ifDaimahad laid the foundations for Super Saiyan 4 by including Neva but didn’t position him as the only catalyst.
Dragon Ball GT Chose a Better Character to Help Goku
Elder Kai’s Role Was Also Used as Foreshadowing
The basis for my reasoning comes from how effectivelyDragon Ball GTforeshadowed Super Saiyan 4. In fact,GTeven included a magical elder like Neva in its build up, but this character had actually been part of the story sinceDBZ: Elder Kai. WhatDaimahas done with Neva is akin toGTusing Sugoro, who was introduced in the Baby Saga, and making him the key to Goku achieving Super Saiyan 4. ButGTdid so much more than just involve a more established character like Elder Kai.GTimmediately connected Elder Kai’s strategy to Saiyan lore, which is pivotal in understanding GT’s genius.
GT’s solution was forElder Kai to help regrow Goku’s tail, a methodology that was also effective because it built upon the absurdity of how he awakened Gohan’s latent powers and helped him transform into Ultimate Gohan inDBZ. As fans know now, a Saiyan’s tail is a critical step in achieving Super Saiyan 4, which was an effective use of foreshadowing to help justify such a transformation. More importantly, it was one of many instances whereGTused pre-established aspects of Saiyan lore, making Super Saiyan 4, in essence, an amalgamation of everything fans love about the Saiyan race.
Dragon Ball GT Used Many Instances of Foreshadowing to Set Up Super Saiyan 4
Super Saiyan 4 Also Incorporates So Many Aspects of Saiyan Lore
During the course of Goku’s battle against Baby,GTslowly began introducing new aspects of Saiyan lore that would eventually lead to the ultimate addition, Super Saiyan 4. First,there was the concept of a Golden Great Ape, which was essentially a Super Saiyan Great Ape, where the prerequisite to transform was for the user to be able to go Super Saiyan. But because Goku had lost all control when he achieved that form, the next goal was to have him regain his humanity. Once this plan was enacted, it was then that Elder Kai revealed that Goku gaining control would result in him achieving a new level of Super Saiyan.
By comparison,Daima’s build up to Super Saiyan 4 is incredibly lackluster. In fact,GT’s strategy also better replicatesDragon Ball’s effective pre-established strategy in how the franchise has introduced new forms. Even before Goku became Super Saiyan for the first time,DBZforeshadowed his eventual transformation, with Frieza articulating his fear of the Legendary Super Saiyan and Vegeta’s obsession with ascending and defeating Frieza. Then in the Cell Saga, the Z Fighters' main strategy was to use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to help them unlock the secrets of going beyond Super Saiyan.
The only divergence at the time was howDBZdebuted Super Saiyan 3, but Goku put on such a show that the moment immediately became iconic. For Babidi and Buu, it was a major boast and an effective form of intimidation. For fans, it was an exciting buildup, where we got to witness every level in quick succession to clearly see how the form had progressed over the years before witnessing history.Superlater tried to do the same with Super Saiyan Rose. Although the explanation was fun, the moment felt completely random, like inDaima.
Making the Case For Dragon Ball Daima’s Choice
It’s Important to Take the History of Dragon Ball Into Account, But Was It Worth It?
To play devil’s advocate forDaima, I can understand why creators would have wanted Super Saiyan 4 to come out of nowhere. As I mentioned earlier, many fans, including myself, had hoped thatDaimawould replicate more ofGTbeyond making Goku a kid. Since we wantedDaimato canonize Super Saiyan 4 so badly, the creators kept it from us as long as possible until literally the last second for a surprise factor. But, in the end, was this really worth it? In return for a big surprise, what we’re left with is a less complex and nuanced version of whatDragon Ball GTdid.
The effect is very similar toDaima’s entire puzzling delivery of introducing random elements that would have benefited from a more effective lead-in. Even ifDragon Ball Daima’s version ofSuper Saiyan 4ends up being incredible, it will have come at the expense of good storytelling, and that’s not worth it.
