Despite being one of the most controversial and criticized series in Dragon Ball franchise, there is one point that fans and critics of Dragon Ball GT have always agreed on: Super Saiyan Gogeta 4 is one of the most interesting characters in the Dragon Ball universe. In this gorgeous new piece of fanart, Gogeta once again shows why he's one of the stars of Dragon Ball's stellar cast.
The fanart, created by artist and Dragon Ball fan @TheTurkishhtank and posted to the Dragon Ball Reddit page Daima, pays special attention to all the elements in Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta's design that make him unique between both his Super Saiyan and Fusion forms. He has an odd two-tone hairdo that combines Goku's bangs with Vegeta's spiky hairstyle.
He has serious eyes, but a mischievous smile – and of course, in a nod to traditional forms – a red, furry tail. Indeed, @TheTurkishhtank’s depiction of Gogeta looks as terrifying as you’d imagine if you combined the two strongest warriors in the universe into one person – and then powered them up to their maximum potential.
Fanart recalls Gogeta's huge influence in the Dragon Ball story
Not only is Gogeta an iconic character, he also helped create another character
Although Vegito appeared in the Dragon Ball series before Gogeta, creatively, Gogeta was the original fusion of Goku and Vegeta. Gogeta first debuted in the 1995 film Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn. While the film is not part of the original Dragon Ball timeline, it still influenced series creator Akira Toriyama. In fact, Gogeta's appearance in the film inspired Toriyama to create his own fusion form for the two Saiyans, which eventually led to the creation of Vegito for Dragon Ball.
According to an interview with Akira Toriyama, recorded and published in Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 6, the concept of fusion forms did not originally come from Toriyama himself. Instead, it was suggested by his friend, artist Masakazu Katsura, as a joking response to how Goku and Vegeta could achieve their next 'power'. Toriyama liked the idea and decided to use it, but not initially for Goku and Vegeta. Instead, he applied the concept to Goten and Trunks, leading to the creation of the infamous Gotenks.
However, before Toriyama could figure out how to make the fusion concept work for Goku and Vegeta, Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn came out, and with it, Gogeta. With the movie already taking up some of the spotlight, Toriyama found himself struggling with ideas. He knew he wanted to create a Goku-Vegeta fusion, but he didn't want to use the same Fusion Dance method that Goku and Vegeta used to create Gogeta in the movie.
Simply put, since Fusion is a plot point that has already been done by one of the other movies, I wondered what I should do.
Vegito is Toriyama's answer to Gogeta
In order not to be overtaken by the movie, Toriyama eventually decided to use earrings as a vehicle for his Goku-Vegeta fusion, namely Vegito. He's been fond of drawing earrings in the series lately. Of course, his Vegito would continue to dominate the fusion space until Gogeta officially entered the Dragon Ball canon in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. However, as fanart by @TheTurkishhTank makes clear, even before Dragon Ball Super Saiyan 4 Released Gogeta still a very epic character.
Source: @TheTurkishhTank, Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 6
