Dragon Ball Daima has become controversial due to its use of the Super Saiyan 4 transformation, but it turns out the truth behind Daima‘s Super Saiyan 4 is that Toriyama did it himself. The reveal has overturned a popular fan theory that the transformation’s design was done by others, and not Toriyama.
Daima surprised fans by including the seemingly forgotten transformation, although its inclusion in the series has created a number of continuity issues with Dragon Ball Super. Because of this, some fans suspected that Super Saiyan 4’s inclusion may not have been Toriyama’s decision, but rather one made by the studio to ensure there was a climactic new transformation moment for the series. The version of Super Saiyan 4 seen in the series is slightly different from the version seen in Dragon Ball GT, as Goku has red-colored hair, similar to the fur of the form, and seemingly has much bigger hands.
Daima’s Super Saiyan 4 Was Toriyama’s Decision
For Better or Worse, Super Saiyan 4 Was Exactly as Intended
In a recent interview about Dragon Ball Daima, which had been clipped and shared to X (Formerly Twitter), animator and character designer Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru clarified that the Super Saiyan 4 form seen in Daima was in fact designed by Akira Toriyama. Continuing on, Nakatsuru said that he had designed it specifically to be the “Super Saiyan 4 of Daima,” explaining the differences from GT‘s design. This certainly makes sense when looking at the Super Saiyan 4 design, as its use of a reddish color palette is a good fit for the Demon Realm where the transformation takes place.
Fan reactions to the new version of Super Saiyan 4 were mixed, with some quite disliking the red hair and large hands, while others felt that the large hands gave Goku a more feral, gorilla-like look that’s fitting for Super Saiyan 4’s lore. That led to fans who disliked the changes (or the use of the form at all) to blame the studio instead of Toriyama, but now it’s clear that Toriyama really did decide on the look and use of Super Saiyan 4 in Daima. This would suggest that many of Daima‘s continuity issues were also Toriyama’s responsibility.
Toriyama Was Never One for Continuity
Goku’s Use of the New Transformation Changed Everything
While some fans have been willing to be lenient with Dragon Ball‘s canon and are willing to reconcile Daima with Super, many are still upset by the apparent lack of care put into Daima‘s writing from a continuity standpoint. Toriyama himself was notorious for forgetting his own plot twists and transformations; he famously forgot Super Saiyan 2 existed, and tried to name Super Saiyan 3 as 2 before someone corrected him. Toriyama was a man who often wrote with no outline, and no plans to resolve this week’s problems until next week’s chapter is due, so perhaps it’s to be expected he wouldn’t put much thought into continuity.
Fans will have to face the truth that Dragon Ball Daima‘s Super Saiyan 4 really was up to Toriyama, and so the complications of its inclusion are also his.