One of the most rewarding elements about Dragon Ball’s lengthy run is how certain ideas have been given a lot of room to experiment and evolve over the years. Dragon Ball would have been able to survive if there was only a singular tier of Super Saiyan, yet it’s turned the transformation into a graduated system that features increasingly powerful levels. Super Saiyan 4 is one of the more obscure Super Saiyan transformations, due to its introduction in Dragon Ball GT and then subsequently being ignored in Dragon Ball Super in favor of Super Saiyan God and beyond.
Super Saiyan 4 has always been the underdog of transformations, which is why it was particularly exciting to see Dragon Ball canonically bring Super Saiyan 4 back in Dragon Ball DAIMA. Super Saiyan 4 has also had a rich life in Dragon Ball video games and other expanded universe non-canon material. With more Super Saiyan 4 love possible in Dragon Ball Super’s future, it’s the perfect time to reflect upon the franchise’s strongest Super Saiyan 4 characters – canon and non-canon alike.
9 Beat & Note Are Versatile Saiyan Avatars Who Achieve This Acclaimed State
Super Saiyan 4 Becomes One Of Beat & Note’s More Recent Revelations
Dragon Ball Heroes has become such a popular non-canonical video game expansion of the franchise that it’s gone on to receive manga adaptations and a corresponding promotional anime, Super Dragon Ball Heroes. Part of the fun of the Dragon Ball Heroes series is that it really just throws everything possible at the audience as it indulges in new transformations for classic characters that feel more like fan fiction than logical storytelling. Dragon Ball Heroes also introduces two original characters, Beat and Note, as malleable Saiyan avatars that the audience can customize.
Accordingly, Beat and Note experience every transformation that Goku does – including Ultra Instinct – as these powerful analogues that the audience feels agency over. Super Saiyan 4 is one of the transformations that Beat and Note experience, albeit not until Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission. They’re both still tremendously powerful in this state and proceed to access the upgraded Super Full Power Saiyan 4 Limit Breaker transformation. However, they’re still the weakest of the franchise’s Super Saiyan 4 fighters due to their inexperience and operating as blank slate audience avatars.
8 Fin Is A Majin Android Who Gains Access To Super Saiyan 4 Genetic Data
Fin Perverts Super Saiyan 4’s Power To Sinister Places
Towa is a deadly Demon who becomes one of the most important antagonists in Dragon Ball Online, Dragon Ball Heroes, and Dragon Ball Xenoverse. Towa is a brilliant scientist who is responsible for some especially deadly creations, including Fin, a chaotic Android Majin abomination. Fin already has a powerful baseline strength, but he also benefits from other Majin perks, such as absorption. Fin uses this power to absorb Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta. Buu’s absorption gives him the powers of his victims, but Fin actually steals his absorbed targets’ DNA so that he can use their powers even after they’ve left him.
This leads to Fin technically demonstrating Super Saiyan 4 power in his «Dark Gogeta» form. He squares off against Super Saiyan 4 Xeno Gogeta and Xeno Gohan before he sets his sights on the Demon God Chamel. However, it’s hard to believe that Fin is stronger than a real Saiyan. Curiously, Fin’s absorption and mimicry here could be referenced in Dragon Ball DAIMA when Majin Duu exhibits his own version of Super Saiyan 3.
7 Bardock Receives A Surprising Super Saiyan 4 Boost In Dragon Ball Heroes
Bardock Becomes a Natural Fit In This Ascended State
Bardock’s non-canon glow-up has been particularly fascinating and fans have really banded behind this character whose history was limited to flashbacks. Dragon Ball goes so far as to release an OVA side-story Episode of Bardock, that elevates Bardock to Super Saiyan status when he travels through time and faces Frieza’s ancestor. Dragon Ball Heroes introduces Super Saiyan 2 Bardock, which is then pushed to greater heights in Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 when he ascends to Super Saiyan 3 status during his fight against Mira.
Dragon Ball Heroes helped spread the Super Saiyan 4 love by giving the transformation to Gohan, Xeno Vegito, but also Bardock. Bardock also gains a new signature skill, Rebellion Hammer, in this state. It’s so interesting to see Dragon Ball video games push weaker Saiyans like Bardock, Raditz, and Nappa to heights that would be impossible in the anime. That being said, Super Saiyan 4 Bardock’s strength is going to be limited to the canonical, more powerful characters.
6 Goku Experiences A Super Saiyan Epiphany During His Demon Realm Escapade
Super Saiyan 4 Goku Leads The Charge Against Gomah
There were initially reservations around Dragon Ball DAIMA, the franchise’s newest series, due to its unusual placement in the franchise’s grander timeline. Dragon Ball DAIMA takes place before Dragon Ball Super, which led many to believe that Goku and company wouldn’t be able to access any new transformations. Dragon Ball DAIMA decides to not be so precious about continuity and indulges in both Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta and Super Saiyan 4 Goku. Both transformations are experienced by the smaller Mini versions of the characters, as well as their proper adult selves. It’s Goku’s Super Saiyan 4 transformation that’s particularly exciting to see, not just for how it’s incorporated into the canon, but also because it’s a slightly different version of the form than what’s seen in Dragon Ball GT.
If anything, it looks like a hybrid between Super Saiyan 4 and Super Saiyan God, as if the transformation does have some divine godly ki connection. Super Saiyan 4 Goku’s power is out of control and his conclusive Kamehameha literally blows a hole through the Second Demon World. That being said, Dragon Ball DAIMA’s power levels are much lower than where the characters are in Dragon Ball GT due to how it’s set so close to Dragon Ball Z’s conclusion. Super Saiyan 4 Goku from Dragon Ball DAIMA looks like he’s the strongest of the lot, but much of this has to do with the weaker world he’s in.
5 Vegeta Joins His Super Saiyan 4 Peer During The Final Fight Against Omega Shenron
Vegeta Ends Dragon Ball GT Stronger Than Ever
Goku’s Super Saiyan 4 transformation in Dragon Ball GT becomes a crucial turning point in the series. Moving forward, it becomes rare for Goku to engage in a major fight without the safety of this transformation. Goku is used to his Super Saiyan 4 power being enough to get the job done, but he properly meets his match when he squares off with Syn Shenron’s ultimate form, Omega Shenron.
Dragon Ball GT’s final battle gives Vegeta a long-overdue showcase when Bulma’s Blutz Wave Generator helps him become the series’ second Super Saiyan 4. Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta’s skills are slightly inferior to Goku because of their natural power discrepancy and how Vegeta has less experience with this form. Nevertheless, he’s strong enough to retaliate against Omega Shenron and help Goku survive.
4 Goku Channels A Saiyan’s Power & Pride As A Super Saiyan 4 Savior
Super Saiyan 4 Goku Is Dragon Ball GT’s Greatest Hero
It takes some time for Dragon Ball Z to introduce Goku’s inaugural Super Saiyan transformation, but after this breakthrough they became considerably more formulaic occurrences. Dragon Ball GT only features one new Super Saiyan transformation. However, Super Saiyan 4 is a lofty production that involves a Saiyan’s tail and taming Golden Great Ape strength.
Super Saiyan 4 also has a demonstrably different design that looks like a proper cross between a Saiyan and a Great Ape. Goku’s Super Saiyan 4 breakthrough leads him to success against Baby Vegeta, but it becomes essential to most of his major victories as Dragon Ball GT moves forward. Super Saiyan 4 Goku’s 10x Kamehameha is one of the franchise’s strongest attacks.
3 Super Saiyan 4 Gohan’s Power Is Almost Too Much For Him To Contain
Goku & Vegeta Struggle To Match Super Saiyan 4 Gohan’s Strength
Gohan’s power has had its highs and lows over the years. Dragon Ball Super has recently elevated Gohan to unprecedented power with his Beast mode upgrade, but he previously spent years on the sidelines and is content to take a step back from combat. For instance, Gohan doesn’t experience any new transformations in Dragon Ball GT while Goku and Vegeta are fighting with Super Saiyan 4 power. Dragon Ball Heroes is a little more generous with Gohan’s power, and he ascends to both Super Saiyan 3 and 4 status.
There’s an interesting mentality to this stronger version of Gohan because it’s supposed to be an interpretation of the character who continued to train under Piccolo during the seven years that separate the Cell and Buu Sagas. Accordingly, Super Saiyan 4 Gohan is unreasonably strong and returns to the idea that Gohan’s incredible potential can also make him an unstable threat. In fact, Super Saiyan 4 Gohan temporarily loses control of himself in Dragon Ball Heroes and Super Saiyan 4 Goku and Vegeta both have to combine their strongest attacks to curb Gohan’s power so that it doesn’t destroy the Earth.
2 Gogeta & Xeno Vegito Celebrate Fused Super Saiyan 4 Ferocity
Fusion Helps Super Saiyan 4 Attain Unbelievable Power
Dragon Ball GT’s final fight against Omega Shenron triumphantly features Goku and Vegeta fighting by each other’s side as Super Saiyan 4 heroes. However, this battle strives for an even greater spectacle when the two perform the Metamoran fusion dance to become Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta. Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta’s power seems practically invincible and he at least appears to be as strong as Dragon Ball Super’s Gogeta Blue analogue. Xeno Gogeta even utilizes Super Saiyan 4 Kaio-Ken in Super Dragon Ball Heroes, which is going to put any standard Super Saiyan 4 transformation to shame.
One drawback to consider here is that Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta is so powerful that the fusion is only able to hold for a fraction of the standard 30 minutes. This means it’s not an ideal form for prolonged battles, but will still likely be able to get the job done. Alternatively, Dragon Ball Heroes’ Xeno Vegito also achieves Super Saiyan 4 status, although his power level differs between the anime and manga. The Super Dragon Ball Heroes anime indicates that Super Saiyan 4 Xeno Vegito is stronger than Super Saiyan Blue Vegito, while the manga argues the opposite.
1 Super Saiyan 4 Broly Could Topple A God Of Destruction
Broly’s Strongest Form Represents Incomparable Strength
Broly, Universe 7’s Legendary Super Saiyan, has always been an incredibly popular character, but largely because of his ridiculous power and not some nuanced backstory. Dragon Ball video games love to make Broly even more apocalyptic through the introduction of Legendary Super Saiyan 2 and 3 forms. Broly’s initial Legendary Super Saiyan form is almost too much to handle, so the prospect of stronger versions of it is genuinely frightening.
Dragon Ball Heroes goes for broke with Super Saiyan 4 Broly, who becomes a central threat throughout Victory Mission. In fact, Super Saiyan 4 Broly’s power is so immense that he’s able to stay strong against Super Full Power Saiyan 4 Limit Breaker Xeno Vegito, despite that being a fusion. This is just a reminder that Broly’s power is in a league of its own and exponentially higher than everyone else’s best work.
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