Dragon Ball’s most controversial transformation, Super Saiyan 4, now has its first official female form, thanks to Super Dragon Ball Heroes.
The first-ever female Super Saiyan 4 has made her debut in the Dragon Ball franchise. Announced as part of the fifth chapter of the popular videogame Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultra God Missions, the Super Saiyan 4 version of the character Note marks the first appearance in an official product for a female version of the famous but controversial transformation that made its debut in Dragon Ball GT.
Super Saiyan 4 is perhaps the most debated transformation in the entire history of the Dragon Ball franchise. It's the prominent feature in the controversial Dragon Ball GT anime series, whose canonicity is still debated today among fans. Considering that the official sequel to the original series, Dragon Ball Super, has moved on to other transformations and power-ups for its protagonists, Super Saiyan 4's status remains controversial. However, this unique transformation is also the only aspect of Dragon Ball GT that translated into other media and products, most prominently the Super Dragon Ball Heroes video games and their manga adaptations.
Dragon Ball Heroes is a Japanese arcade trading card game that features characters from the Dragon Ball franchise. The series is very popular and has spawned a manga and anime adaptation too. While the events of these are not in continuity with the Dragon Ball Super manga and anime, the video games are still official products and have become notorious for introducing what-if characters and transformations (such as Super Saiyan 4 Gohan) and for exploring concepts, scenarios, and stories never seen before. In line with this tradition, chapter 5 of Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultra God Missions will give one of its characters, Note, the first female Super Saiyan 4 transformation, as reported by the Japanese magazine V Jump, and shared by the Dragon Ball news reporter and Youtuber, Hype, through his Twitter account (@DbsHype).
This is actually not the first time that a female Super Saiyan 4 form appears in a video game. In Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, as part of the Super Pack 4 DLC, players can obtain an accessory based on Super Saiyan 4 Goku that can be worn by all races and genders. However, that was just a skin for players, while Note's transformation in Ultra God Missions 5 is an actual original character. Considering that Dragon Ball GT is actually considered canon by both series creator Akira Toriyama and its publisher Shueisha, this new version of Super Saiyan 4 has a chance to appear in other canon stories too in the future. It's interesting to note that the design has been changed considerably from the male Super Saiyan 4 forms, who have their chest exposed.
Dragon Ball has spawned a huge universe that embraces many different media, and video games are an important part of that too. Fans of Dragon Ball GT will surely appreciate this announcement that puts the spotlight on Super Saiyan 4 again, and everyone can hope that, in the future, Dragon Ball will introduce more interesting female characters.
