Daima canonizing SSJ4 Goku has Dragon Ball fans thanking Toriyama for "one last masterpiece"

Modified Feb 17, 2025 03:30 GMT

Dragon Ball fans celebrate recent SSJ4 Goku appearance in Daima (Image via Toei Animation).

Dragon Ball Daima recently broke the internet with episode 18 as it was the canon introduction of SSJ4 Goku, which fans have wanted to see for decades. While some people were critical of its design and even its in-world mechanics, the majority of fans were quite pleased with this revelation, thanking author Akira Toriyama for "one last masterpiece".

As most anime and manga fans know by now, Dragon Ball author Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1, 2024, while working on the Daima anime, which is the first time he was heavily involved in a production of this type. Therefore, this SSJ4 Goku was one of the mangaka's final contributions to the franchise, which has been mostly well-received by the fandom.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and the people quoted, not Sportskeeda.

Dragon Ball fans thank Akira Toriyama for the canon version of SSJ4 Goku in Daima

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The latest episode of Daima had Goku and his friends fighting the king of the Demon Realm, Gomah, who grew stronger because of the Third Evil Eye. While getting the upper hand in the fight, the Namekian Neva stepped in and used his magic on Goku to unleash a new transformation, which ended up being extremely similar to GT's Super Saiyan 4.

While the form doesn't have a name, it is inspired by the aforementioned GT form, much to the fandom's shock and pleasant surprise. This was further emphasized by a recent interview with the president of Capsule Corporation Tokyo, Akio Iyoku, who stated that Daima was created for the generation who grew up watching GT and their kids.

Author Akira Toriyama has worked closely with Iyoku for decades, so his words hold a lot of weight. This is especially true considering the legendary mangaka was heavily involved in this product before his passing. Therefore, many fans have viewed SSJ4 Goku as one of the last gifts their favorite mangaka has given them, which is why it has received such a warm reception.

More reactions online

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The Dragon Ball franchise has had several anime series throughout the years, with GT having an odd place in the fandom because of its non-canon status. However, while elements such as the poor execution of great concepts and divisive characterization of the likes of Vegeta and Gohan have been pointed out, Super Saiyan 4 is something that most fans love.

Moreover, there have been fans who have stated that this form is now going to have an odd place in the chronology of the canon, especially considering that Daima happens before the events of Super. The same thing has been highlighted with Vegeta's Super Saiyan 3 moment, which makes his outburst against Beerus for hitting Bulma a bit more confusing because he didn't use that transformation.

"Toriyama's final gift to the fans. The gift of a canon Super Saiyan 4," someone said.

"The goat gave us final gift before passing away Thank you Akira Toriyama,my prayers has been answered," another person said.

"He’s smiling down upon us. He knows that we’re thankful for this," someone else said.

SSJ4 Goku in Daima was built as a gift by Toriyama and Toei to the fans, which is probably the best way to view it.

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Edited by Bharath S