Toriyama, who achieved worldwide success with the manga Dragon Ball, passed away on March 1 at the age of 68, causing grief to millions of fans worldwide. Now we have news that would surely have brought a smile to his face.
And it is that, just a few weeks after the death of its creator, Akira Toriyama, the first theme park in the world is going to be built in Saudi Arabia dedicated to the universe of comics, movies and games of “Dragon Ball”.
The Dragon Ball park, focused on Son Goku’s world, will be built in Qiddiya, the entertainment and tourism project on the outskirts of Riyadh, the Saudi capital, as announced on Friday by Qiddiya Investment Company and Toei Animation.
This is how the Dragon Ball amusement park will be
Manga and anime are becoming increasingly popular in Saudi Arabia, where it is estimated that there are 13 million fans of the Japanese genre and around 85 million in the entire Arab world, according to the Saudi anime production and distribution company Manga Productions.
The enormous “Dragon Ball” theme park planned will span over 500,000 square meters and will feature seven different areas that will recreate various iconic locations from the original series, such as the Kame House, the Capsule Corporation, and Beerus’ Planet. Qiddiya is being built on a land that is more than twice the size of Disney World in Florida.
According to a statement from Toei Animation, the theme park will feature five state-of-the-art attractions and over 30 rides. The plan also includes “Dragon Ball” themed hotels and restaurants.
