Could Ultra Instinct and Super Saiyan 4 Combine to Create Super Saiyan 5 in Dragon Ball?

A popular theory, or at least a desire, from some of the fandom is the idea that Super Saiyan 4 from Dragon Ball Daima could someday return in a future storyline and, if combined with Ultra Instinct, could resemble the fan-made Super Saiyan 5 form. I first saw this idea discussed on multiple livestreams, and I think people are putting it together because Ultra Instinct has silver hair while the Daima version of Super Saiyan 4 has longer hair than the traditional Super Saiyan form or Ultra Instinct. But is this actually possible? Is there a way to take how Super Saiyan 4 works and combine it with Ultra Instinct? There may be, so let's talk about it.

Super Saiyan 5's Origins in Fan Art and Dragon Ball AF

Super Saiyan 5 started as fan art back in the early 2000s and would later become part of a popular fan manga called Dragon Ball AF. The current writer of the Dragon Ball Super manga, Toyotaro, has his own version of Dragon Ball AF that he worked on before eventually collaborating with Toriyama on Dragon Ball itself.

Why Ultra Instinct's Angelic Power and Super Saiyan 4's Demon Magic Might Not Actually Conflict

Can Ultra Instinct work with Super Saiyan 4? It's possible. In Daima, Super Saiyan 4 is a magic-based form. A demon realm sorcerer used ancient demon realm magic to trigger a mutation in Goku's biology, and that turned him into Super Saiyan 4. Ultra Instinct is different. Starting with the Tournament of Power arc, Ultra Instinct became the centerpiece form in Dragon Ball Super, and Goku had to learn to control it because the power of Migatte no Gokui, the Mastery of Self-Movement, is angelic power.

So you have a form used by angels and a form triggered by demonic magic. Is that a contradiction? Maybe, but maybe not. Traditionally we think of angels as righteous and demons as evil based on Judeo-Christian tradition, but Toriyama often flips what we think about things. In Dragon Ball Daima, the demons in the demon realm are not all evil. In fact, there are a lot of good, benevolent beings there.

The Demon Realm Reportedly Predates the Multiverse

According to Dragon Ball Daima, the grand demon realm existed prior to the multiverse, it predates the Dragon Ball multiverse. That would mean the beings in the old demon realm predate the angels, because the god hierarchy of the multiverse would not have been established until after the multiverse was created. This is explained in Dragon Ball Daima episode 10, when Shin went into the history of the multiverse.

Since the god hierarchy was clearly established after the multiverse was created, the demon realm predates the multiverse, and demon realm magic would probably predate it too. Did whoever created the multiverse use a form of demon realm magic to do it? I think that's logical, I think that makes sense, I think that's a strong possibility. Because of that, it could be that angels and the entire god hierarchy were born from the demon realm, though I say could because we have a lot of unanswered questions Toriyama may never answer now that he has passed away, and we might never truly know.

In Toriyama's cosmology, demons don't function the way they would in traditional Western religion, so demon magic can be used for good or for evil. To my point, does that mean Ultra Instinct can be used with Super Saiyan 4? The only way it makes sense to me is if Goku somehow learns to harness magic instinctually.

For Goku to Combine the Forms, He Would Need to Use Magic Instinctually

Ultra Instinct works on the concept that you allow the body to move on its own instinctually, blocking and countering blows without conscious thought. In real life, human beings can do things like this too, obviously not on Goku's fictionalized level, but if you practice something enough you become more instinctual at it. That's why some people can play video games blindfolded once enough repetition locks something into the brain, and it's where the phrase practice makes perfect comes from.

With that in mind, in order for Goku to even access the Super Saiyan 4 form in Daima, he would have to learn magic not just at a high level but at an instinctual level. I would say that's possible, but it would require one of two things: either years and years of training, or something like the demonic third eye.

The Third Eye's Role: A Clue From a Sorcerer's Powered-Up Battle

You may wonder why the third eye comes up here, since Goku didn't use it in Daima to become Super Saiyan 4 or Ultra Instinct. Here's the thing though: when a sorcerer used the third eye to transform into his powered-up king form, he was able to battle a multitude of opponents, including Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Shin all teaming up against him, and he was able to instinctually and quickly protect himself.

Based on how fast that character became and how quick his telekinesis was, able to counter attacks from any angle, that tells me the third eye amplifies not just magic but the ability to use magic. So there could be a connection between the power of the third eye and instinctual use of magic.

A Hypothetical Super Saiyan 5 Would Combine Physical Mastery With Magical Power

If Toyotaro ever decides to write Super Saiyan 5 into Dragon Ball, Goku would have to figure out some way of infusing magic into his Ultra Instinct, mutating him into Super Saiyan 4 or, in this case, Super Saiyan 5. Hypothetically, he would then access the speed and power boost of Ultra Instinct, having his limbs move instinctually through the Mastery of Self-Movement, while also being able to use magic instinctually.

What we'd be talking about is a Goku who is not only unbelievably strong physically but who also has an unbelievably high, potent level of magic ability, making him even more fearsome than Ultra Instinct on its own. I do wonder if we'll someday see it. "I can't predict the future," and I would never assume they'd actually take Super Saiyan 5, or at least borrow elements from it, to make a new form. But look at all the things Dragon Ball has done that we couldn't predict. When it comes to Dragon Ball, expect the unexpected, because anything can happen.

Do you want to see Super Saiyan 5 make it into Dragon Ball someday?