First-ever 'Dragon Ball' theme park to be launched in Saudi Arabia

The first-ever theme park dedicated to 'Dragon Ball', the popular Japanese anime-manga series, is going to be built in Saudi Arabia, according to Qiddiya Investment Company, the company behind the project.

The park, to be situated in Qiddiya City in Riyadh, will span 500,000 square metres of total space, as well as seven themed zones based on different characters and places in the Dragon Ball series. The park will also feature over 30 themed rides, and five major attractions, hotels, and restaurants, as per the official website of the project.

"On a scale never imagined before, the park's interactive and explorable themed experiences will allow you to live the adventures at the heart of the action, experiencing the journey from the first Dragon Ball series to the latest Dragon Ball Super," states the official website.

First serialised as a manga series in 1984, the 'Dragon Ball' series made strides worldwide as one of the most popular forms of Japanese media, eventually being adapted to TV shows, video games, and movies distributed to over 80 countries worldwide. The sequel to the original series, Dragon Ball Z, is considered by fans as the most popular anime of all time.

The creator of 'Dragon Ball', Akira Toriyama, passed away on March 1, 2024, at the age of 68 from acute subdural hematoma. Since his passing, fans around the world have been showering the internet with heartfelt eulogies and tributes to the renowned Japanese manga artist.

The development of the Dragon Ball theme park comes amid Saudi Arabia's ambitious efforts to diversify its economy by investing in entertainment-related mega projects, according to a report by Reuters. Qiddiya City, the entertainment hub where the park will be situated, is said to be more than double the size of Florida's Disney World.