For years, Super Saiyan 4 stood in a strange place within the Dragon Ball franchise. Introduced in Dragon Ball GT, it became one of the most visually striking transformations—but it never quite fit the established Super Saiyan power progression. With Dragon Ball Super shifting focus to Super Saiyan God, Blue, and Ultra Instinct, SS4 seemed destined to remain an outlier.

Until Dragon Ball Daima.

In Episode 20, Goku outright confirms what fans have speculated for years: this is Super Saiyan 4. But it’s different—both in appearance and how he achieves it. Does this mean SS4 is finally canon? And if so, what does that mean for GT, Super, and the future of Dragon Ball?

How Super Saiyan 4 Works in GT vs. Daima

To break this down, let’s compare Super Saiyan 4’s mechanics in GT and Daima:

Super Saiyan 4 in Dragon Ball GT

• Goku regrew his tail.
• He transformed into a Golden Great Ape after looking at Earth.
• Regaining control of himself triggered Super Saiyan 4, reverting him to an adult form.
• His fur was red, his hair was black, and his eyes were yellow with red outlines.
• When he powers down, he reverts to Kid Goku because he had been wished back to his child state earlier.

Super Saiyan 4 in Dragon Ball Daima

• Goku transforms into Super Saiyan 3 first.
• Instead of a Great Ape transformation, he directly evolves into SS4.
• His hair is red, his eyes are red, and his fur remains red.
• This direct progression from SS3 solidifies SS4 as part of the Super Saiyan transformation tree.

This single change completely shifts what we thought we knew about SS4.

My Theory: Super Saiyan 4 Was Never a True Super Saiyan Form

For years, I’ve believed Super Saiyan 4 was never a direct evolution of SS3, but rather the third stage of the Great Ape transformation.

1️⃣ Stage 1 – Great Ape (Oozaru) 2️⃣ Stage 2 – Golden Great Ape (Super Saiyan power mixed in) 3️⃣ Stage 3 – Humanized form = Super Saiyan 4

Dragon Ball GT heavily leaned into the ape connection, which is why SS4 felt so different from the traditional Super Saiyan forms. However, in Daima, Goku achieves SS4 without any Great Ape influence, implying that it’s a true successor to SS3.

This connects SS4 directly to the traditional Super Saiyan lineage, removing the Great Ape requirement and making it a form that can be unlocked through training.

Why Goku Never Used SS4 in Dragon Ball Super

This brings up a massive question: if SS4 was achievable, why didn’t Goku use it in Super?

• In Battle of Gods, Goku tells Beerus that Super Saiyan 3 is his strongest form.
• If SS4 existed, shouldn’t he have used it against Beerus?
• Super Saiyan God became the natural next step instead.

My theory? Goku simply couldn’t access SS4 at that time.

• SS4 in GT required an external trigger (his tail + the moon/Earth reflection).
• Daima suggests SS4 wasn’t an easy form to control, he only gained it due to outside energy.
• At the time of the Battle of Gods, SS3 was his most stable, accessible form.
• He wasn’t hiding SS4—he just couldn’t reliably tap into it.

This makes sense when we look at another major change in Daima—

Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta – Another “Non-Canon” Form Becomes Canon

For years, fans debated whether Vegeta could go Super Saiyan 3. He skipped it entirely in Super but achieved Super Saiyan God and Blue without it. Yet, Daima officially introduces SS3 Vegeta.

If SS3 Vegeta can suddenly exist, then SS4’s return isn’t just fan service—it’s canon integration. Why didn’t he use it in Super? It’s the same reason that Goku didn’t use SS4; he may not have been able to use it for very long. After all, Goku had far more time to perfect SS3 than Vegeta. We don’t know how long ago in the afterlife that Goku learned SS3. Also, Goku explained that it was harder for him to use his living body than his dead one in the Buu arc.

Battle Gods may happen a few months after Diama, giving Vegeta no real chance to test or train SS3 like Goku had. There is also the gag that Vegeta says it’s not SS3 but Ultra Vegeta 1, which may also explain why he didn’t bother to use it.

 Could Super Saiyan 5 Be Next? The Black Frieza Theory

We know the Dragon Ball Super manga is returning, and the next major threat could be Black Frieza. But what if Daima is setting up something even bigger?

• Daima made SS3 Vegeta canon.
• Daima reintroduces SS4 as a natural Super Saiyan evolution.
• Could we finally get Super Saiyan 5?

For years, fans imagined SS5 as an evolution of SS4, most notably with silver fur and white hair. Someday, that Beast Gohan was a nod to this fan-made form. Even when, in GT, both Vegeta and Bulma bring up the idea of Super Saiyan 5. What if Daima lays the groundwork for Goku to combine SS4 with Ultra Instinct?

Imagine Super Saiyan 4 (available on Amazon) with UI’s silver hair and aura—it would mirror SS5 fan designs while staying true to Dragon Ball’s modern power structure.

Final Thoughts – The Canon of Dragon Ball Is Changing

Dragon Ball Daima is doing something we never expected—bringing back long-debated, non-canon elements and making them official.

• Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta is now canon.
• Super Saiyan 4 is now a true Super Saiyan transformation.
• Daima breaks the timeline, forcing us to rethink GT, Super, and what’s next.

Editor’s Note: Officially, I have not found a real interview on Dragonball Daima being canon to anything other than being its own story within the Dragon Ball Universe. I’m okay with this. It’s the same as GT existing and Dragon Ball/Super Heroes. That being said, anything that was directly created and worked on by the original creator, be it anime or manga, is his canon. That would include Dragon Ball Manga, Battle of Gods, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F, ‘ Dragon Ball Super Broly, Dragon Ball Super Super Hero, and both the Dragon Ball Super anime/manga, up to his death.

The reason I see Super (Manga and anime) as canon is because Akira Toriyama wrote the outlines and overall bases of the story and sent those outlines to both the animation studio and Toyotarou, who I would by all means accept anything that Toyotarou does going forward as also being canon. He is the rightful successor chosen by the original creator to take over his work in his stead.

The real question? What’s coming in the future? If Daima is willing to pull from GT, Super Saiyan 5 might not be as far-fetched as we thought.

Until Next Time!