Super Saiyan 4

From Dragon Ball Encyclopedia

This article is about a subject that only appeared in the Anime. Anime only.png

"That's right, you may have anticipated my attacks so far, but you have no idea what I am capable of now... and what you don't know... could hurt you."
— Son Goku in "Raising the Stakes"

Super Saiyan 4 (超 サイヤ人 四, Chō Saiya-jin Shi) is a Super Saiyan transformation in Dragon Ball GT. The only way a Saiyan can attain Super Saiyan 4 is if he is already a Super Saiyan, can transform into a Golden Great Ape, and regain conscious control over the form. This transformation is the ultimate combination of both the humanoid Super Saiyan and the Golden Great Ape. After this form is attained once, it can be accessed at any point. It is also hinted that only pure-blooded Saiyans can achieve this final and ultimate Super Saiyan transformation, as Baby had full consciousness while as a Golden Great Ape, but he still did not transform. However, Baby was a parasite, possibly halting the final evolution. Another possible reason for Baby's inability to transform is that since it was Vegeta's body, Vegeta needed to be fully conscious, which he was not because of Baby's control over him. It is unknown if Gohan or any of the other Human/Saiyan hybrids could ever reach this form, as they too had tails at birth. Somehow, the Elder Kai already knew about the Super Saiyan 4 form and its abilities. It was unknown if the transformation is possible to use if the tail is removed until Vegeta transformed to SSJ4.

Appearance and power

Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta

In this form, the Saiyan's hair color differs, the same goes for the tail and the body is covered in red fur. A Saiyan in this form also possesses a shadow trim around the eyes and over the eyelids that varies in color, such as crimson. The hair is lengthened, but not nearly as long as a Super Saiyan 3's. The aura in this form loses the arcs of electricity, instead becoming pure fire. However, in the case of the Fusion warrior Gogeta, the coloration of the aforementioned features seemingly switch, as Gogeta's hair became a bright shade of red whereas his fur became a dark shade of brown and the trim around his eyes were black instead of red. The massive power and speed enhancements brought on by this form easily make it the strongest Super Saiyan form in the series. For example, while Super Saiyan 3 Goku was almost unable to even phase Baby Vegeta, as soon as Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan 4, their roles in power became polar opposites, with Baby Vegeta being almost unable to hurt Goku at all. The users of this Super Saiyan transformation have signature techniques. For example, Goku develops an attack he calls the 10x Kamehameha, as it is ten times (10x) stronger than the average Kamehameha Wave, while Vegeta, in his Super Saiyan 4 state, uses an attack he calls the Final Shine Attack, which is a more powerful version of his Final Flash attack, although he is first seen using this attack against Super 17 with one hand. Goku and Vegeta in this form outclass all the previous feats of power: they can destroy planets in their fingertips just like Vegeta in the Saiyan Saga; they can destroy the whole entire solar system like Cell;they can also destroy the entire universe in seconds just like Super Buu. These were all characters whose powers have been dwarfed compared to that Super Saiyan 4. Giku for example, gives an example of his gigantic power by counter-attacking Golden Great Ape Baby Vegeta Galaxy Buster which was aimed to destroy planet Earth. SJJ4 shows also incredible physical strength: Goku in fact is shown lifting nearly an entire city during the Shadow Dragons Saga. The speed of a SSJ4 is also incredible: when walking towards Baby Vegeta, he is shown disappearing and appearing because of his enhanced speed. The fastest character in the entire franchise is Gogeta SSJ4 who hits Omega Shenron, who is more powerful then Goku SSJ4, three times in a row without the dragon even be able to see them. In fact not even the viewer can see the Super Saiyan 4 move. Unlike the Super Saiyan 3's strain due to the utilization in ki, this form does not require as much energy consumption as Super Saiyan 3's, allowing the user to stay in the state at a much longer duration. It also appears that the form makes the individual larger in height and muscularity. In scenes with Goku standing next to others such as Gohan, Goten and Trunks, Goku appears much taller and bulkier than all of them, even though in his normal state, he is relatively the same size. A highly debated subject, many fans believe the Super Saiyan 4 form to be the true form of the Legendary Super Saiyan, first spoke of by Vegeta in the Namek Saga. Vegeta states in his monologue, that "the Super Saiyan could only maintain his maximum power in the transformed state". Also, Elder Supreme Kai appears to know of the Super Saiyan 4 form, cementing the thought that Super Saiyan 4 has existed before Goku attained it, most probably by a previous "Legendary Super Saiyan". The Super Saiyan 4 form even has enough power to break through a wish made with the Dragon Balls as it turned Kid Goku into an adult again.

Usage

Goku reaching Super Saiyan 4 for the first time.
Vegeta reaching Super Saiyan 4 for the first time.

The Super Saiyan 4 form was first achieved by Goku after transforming into a Golden Great Ape and witnessing his granddaughter Pan crying to calm him down. In this new form, Goku had enough strength to dominate Super Baby Vegeta, whose attacks (including the Revenge Death Ball) had no effect on Goku. Goku even told Baby that his punches were like feathers. However, after Baby transformed into a Golden Great Ape, thanks to Bulma, things were far more even but despite Baby's new power (Even gripping Goku between his hands Goku still broke out of it with minor difficulties). Eventually the two had a Double Knock-out. Baby was rejuvenated by Bulma's Blutz waves however, Goku borrowed energy from his friends and family and gained enough power to defeat Great Ape Baby, and finally finished the Tuffle with a powerful 10x Kamehameha, forcing Baby to flee Vegeta's body, and try to escape inside a spaceship. Just before Baby could escape, Goku fired a powerful Kamehameha wave up at the spaceship, hurdling Baby into the sun and finally killing the evil Tuffle parasite in few seconds.

Goku's next opponent would be Super No. 17, who proved to be Super Saiyan 4's first real challenge. Because of his energy absorbing abilities, Super 17 was able to turn all of Goku's energy attacks into his own power, making him stronger with each attack. Eventually, Goku reverted to his base form and killed the android (with the assistance of No. 18) using his Dragon Fist attack followed by a combo of Kamehamehas).

Super Saiyan 4 proved to be incredibly helpful when Goku used it to take down most of the evil Shadow Dragons. However, he met his match in Syn Shenron, the strongest of the seven dragons, who had absorbed all of the Dragon Balls becoming Omega Shenron. Omega's power proved to be far greater than that of a Super Saiyan 4's, and Goku was thrashed around for most of the fight. Seeing how bad this situation had become, Vegeta used Bulma's Blutz Wave Amplifier to become a Golden Ape like Goku without having to wait for a tail to grow. When he finally gained control, Vegeta was successful in becoming a Super Saiyan 4. Even as a team, Goku and Vegeta still stood no chance against the Dragon even though their power was considered overwhelming. It was not until they fused into Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta that their power finally surpassed Omega Shenron's: Gogeta SSJ4 is in fact considered the most powerful character ever shown in the series. According to the second Dragon Ball GT Perfect Files, Gogeta SSJ4 is a dozen times more powerful then the average SSJ4. However, Gogeta spent too much time playing around with Omega Shenron and the fusion wore off in minutes due to his own gigantic power, and he ultimately failed to finish him off in time (but managed to land a Big Bang Kamehameha on Omega which made him regurgitate the Dragon Balls, reverting him back into Syn Shenron). Goku eventually killed Omega Shenron with the Universal Spirit Bomb. It is unknown if, with proper training, Goku and Vegeta could have become powerful enough to match Omega Shenron without needing to fuse, as the saga ends with Omega's defeat and Goku leaving with Shenron.

Video games

Goku, Vegeta, and Gogeta in their Super Saiyan 4 transformation, also their strongest, have appeared in several video games:

Trivia

  • When transforming into Super Saiyan 4, both Goku and Vegeta lose their shirts, but when they revert back to their base forms, their shirts can be seen again (however, Gogeta still has his vest on when he is a Super Saiyan 4). The clothes are even repaired; in the Super 17 Saga, when Goku attempted to sacrifice himself, he reverted to his child state, and his gi was fully intact, when previously, it had been blasted off.
  • Goku rapidly ages back to an adult whenever he becomes a Super Saiyan 4. Upon transforming for the first time, Goku says, "This body and its amazing power is needed right now to defeat Baby."
  • When Goku goes Super Saiyan 4, his clothes change compared with his child clothes, including his size and his shirt part is removed by the transformation leaving him only with clothes up to the waist.
  • When Goku reverts back to his base form from Super Saiyan 4, Goku still has his tail yet, when Vegeta reverts back to his base form from Super Saiyan 4, his tail vanishes. This is most likely due to the fact that he achieved this form via non-natural means, i.e. the Blutz Wave Amplifier, and not via the usual method of absorbing Blutz rays through his tail due to him not having a tail.
  • Only Goku and Vegeta (and Gogeta) were able to achieve this transformation.
    • It is hypothesized by Bulma that only full-blooded Saiyans can achieve the Super Saiyan 4 form; however, it is equally plausible that the part-Saiyan children of Goku and Vegeta merely never became Golden Great Apes by sheer coincidence, and that Vegeta did not originally transform in the Baby Saga because it was Baby himself, not Vegeta, that was in control. This would mean that any Super Saiyan that could obtain Golden Great Ape status could theoretically become a Super Saiyan 4.
  • It could be possible that Goku is not the first Saiyan to achieve Super Saiyan 4. This is due to the fact that Elder Kai already knew about the form. Though Elder Kai could have just known about the existance of the form.
  • There are three variations of Super Saiyan 4.
    • Goku's variation is the first to be seen. When he transforms into a Super Saiyan 4, he has scarlet red fur on the top half of his body, his hair turns black, and his eyes change to golden-yellow.
    • Vegeta's variation is the second to be seen. When he transforms into a Super Saiyan 4, his hair turns dark brown, the fur on the top half of his body turns crimson red, and his eyes turn green.
    • Gogeta's variation is a completely different coloration from that of Goku and Vegeta. In this form, Gogeta's hair is red, the fur on the top half of his body is brown, and the eyes change to a blue color. The reasons for these alterations in Gogeta's Super Saiyan 4 form from Goku and Vegeta's forms are unknown.
  • Super Saiyan forms 1-3 have golden hair, while the Super Saiyan 4 form does not. This could be a different type of Saiyan transformation though, but it has been officially stated to be part of the Super Saiyan line.

 
Saiyans
Pure Saiyans
Hybrid Saiyans
Saiyan fusions
Saiyan transformations
Related articles
Retrieved from "/index.php?title=Super_Saiyan_4&oldid=468446"
  • Improve Dragon Ball Encyclopedia by <a id="fe_edit_link" href="/index.php?title=Super_Saiyan_4&action=edit">editing this page</a>