Toriyama Didn't Design SSJ4 According to Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru and Chikashi Kubota

[Izanagi]

If there’s one thing that recently excited Dragon Ball fans, it was the final stretch of Dragon Ball Daima. Not only because it was the last project Akira Toriyama worked on before his passing, but also because Super Saiyan 4 was finally made canon, a legendary transformation that had previously only existed in Dragon Ball GT.

But despite repeated claims that Akira Toriyama was involved in every aspect of the production, here’s the surprise: Toriyama never designed the Super Saiyan 4 transformation we saw in Dragon Ball Daima. This revelation came from animators Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru and Chikashi Kubota at the Made in Asia event in Brussels, leaving many fans stunned.

During a Q&A session, Nakatsuru explained the design process of Super Saiyan 4. To the surprise of many, when he started working on Dragon Ball GT, he was told that this transformation already existed… but that Toriyama wouldn’t be responsible for its design. “What I remember most about that process was the stress and responsibility I felt,” he admitted.

Essentially, everything depended on him. So he spent 24 hours nonstop thinking about how to make this new Saiyan form convey a sense of sheer power. He drew inspiration from the strength of the Ozaru (Great Ape), aiming to merge that primal savagery with a sleeker and more powerful appearance. “I really threw myself into this because I knew how important it was,” he explained.

When asked about his memories of working with Toriyama, Nakatsuru mentioned that Super Saiyan 4 has always been a recurring topic among fans. In fact, he fondly recalled that Toriyama once drew fan art of this transformation for a Dragon Ball GT box set, something he considered a great honor. But what impacted him the most was revisiting this transformation in Dragon Ball Daima. “I felt very proud and happy because I felt that Toriyama recognized me even more,” he said.

For Dragon Ball fans, this revelation is a bombshell. For months, it was assumed that Toriyama was behind Super Saiyan 4, but now we know that all the credit goes to Nakatsuru. With its inclusion in Dragon Ball Daima, this transformation has now officially become part of the story, closing a cycle and paying tribute to Toriyama’s incredible legacy.

But what do you think about this revelation?

https://somoskudasai.com/noticias/toriy ... saiyain-4/

[JulieYBM]

I'll assume that this is a valid report, so: It would make sense, of course. Super Saiyan 4 has always been Nakatsuru Katsuyoshi's baby, he should be the one to give it a new spin, most especially considering that he was asked to be the animation character designer of Dragon Ball Daima.

[Vegeta th3 4th]

"To the surprise of many, when he started working on Dragon Ball GT, he was told that this transformation already existed… but that Toriyama wouldn’t be responsible for its design."

This report is talking about Ssj4's design in GT, not Daima. I wouldn't have an issue if Toriyama didn't design Daima's as well, but that's not mentioned here. In fact, it seems like Nakatsuru hints at Toriyama designing it:

"I felt very proud and happy because I felt that Toriyama recognized me even more,”

[Mr Baggins]

Yeah, whoever wrote that article misinterpreted what Nakatsuru was actually talking about. It's clear from the context that he was referring to the original GT iteration, then went on to imply that Toriyama designed the version in Daima.

Nothing to see here.

[Izanagi]

"To the surprise of many, when he started working on Dragon Ball GT, he was told that this transformation already existed… but that Toriyama wouldn’t be responsible for its design."

This report is talking about Ssj4's design in GT, not Daima. I wouldn't have an issue if Toriyama didn't design Daima's as well, but that's not mentioned here. In fact, it seems like Nakatsuru hints at Toriyama designing it:

"I felt very proud and happy because I felt that Toriyama recognized me even more,”

For SSJ4 GT, Nakatsuru designed it alone. For SSJ4 Daima, Toriyama provided notes in the form of description and specific elements which should be included in SSJ4. But outside of that, Toriyama never came to present a final design of how the new SSJ4 should look like, so it all came to Nakatsuru and Kubota who had to come up with how the final product looks like.

There's a whole thread about Nakatsuru and Kubota's interview that you can find on Twitter.
https://x.com/vondbz/status/1898377541074784503

[Mr Baggins]

I should note the translator in question admitted that the conference Q&A was just talking about GT's version of SS4. They're also the source of this Daima SS4 rumor (i.e. Toriyama provided notes, Naka drew it) but now they're claiming it was mentioned during the autograph signing at the same event. They've further gone on to say they're unsure of his exact phrasing, and can't confirm that was actually said.

Not to say that any of this is untrue, but it's completely unsourced/unverified information. There's not even a specific quote you can attribute to it. I'd rather wait for official info or some additional party that can vouch this is indeed the case; maybe someone familiar with production behind the scenes.

That being said, it's admittedly semantics. One could argue that this is pretty much still Nakatsuru's baby at its core, given that it's not all that heavy a departure from the GT design.
____________________

EDIT: Here's another interview with Nakatsuru categorically saying Toriyama designed Daima's SS4, with no particular mention about the latter being uninvolved in the art.

Be wary of internet claims, folks.

[supershonen]

Ssj4 is the strongest transformation, god forms are non-canon, and we are back to believing rumours/mistranslation. This is 2000s once again.

[Von]

"To the surprise of many, when he started working on Dragon Ball GT, he was told that this transformation already existed… but that Toriyama wouldn’t be responsible for its design."

This report is talking about Ssj4's design in GT, not Daima. I wouldn't have an issue if Toriyama didn't design Daima's as well, but that's not mentioned here. In fact, it seems like Nakatsuru hints at Toriyama designing it:

"I felt very proud and happy because I felt that Toriyama recognized me even more,”

For SSJ4 GT, Nakatsuru designed it alone. For SSJ4 Daima, Toriyama provided notes in the form of description and specific elements which should be included in SSJ4. But outside of that, Toriyama never came to present a final design of how the new SSJ4 should look like, so it all came to Nakatsuru and Kubota who had to come up with how the final product looks like.

There's a whole thread about Nakatsuru and Kubota's interview that you can find on Twitter.
https://x.com/vondbz/status/1898377541074784503

Hey that's my thread! Thank you for mentioning me <3


I've offered Kanzenshuu my full notes and the raw footage of the conference and everything, but they've not answered my message, or have, but didn't follow through (as the contact form is kinda broken and I can't DM anyone anything).
Hell I even offered to ask questions on their behalf, but same, never heard back. And I suppose I won't hear back about being their "journalist" should I get an interview with Torishima.

REACH OUT TO ME, DUDES!!

[GurixDr34]

Maybe Toriyama didnt design the Super Saiyan 4 form in Daima but I'm sure he considered including it since I'm sure he watched GT at some point look at this scene its almost very similar to the Super Saiyan God ritual I'm sure Toriyama took inspiration from GT for Super and ultimately made the Super Saiyan 4 transformation Canon in his own work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFT-mrM7h5E&t=39s

[PhantomSaiyan]

Maybe Toriyama didnt design the Super Saiyan 4 form in Daima but I'm sure he considered including it since I'm sure he watched GT at some point look at this scene its almost very similar to the Super Saiyan God ritual I'm sure Toriyama took inspiration from GT for Super and ultimately made the Super Saiyan 4 transformation Canon in his own work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFT-mrM7h5E&t=39s

It's confirmed that Toriyama designed the SSJ4 in Daima, there are character design sheets done by him readily available online after the Genkidamatsuri event.
And Nakatsuru confirmed it months ago regardless

[super michael]

Regardless who designed SSJ4 my opinion still remains the same, I like both Daima and GT SSJ4. I think they are both creative when it comes to their design.

[BernardoCairo]

It's a visually stunning form, and I like both versions equally. However, it's a form I usually overlook when I think about Goku's transformations.