(Tokyo) The world’s first amusement park inspired by the world of the famous Japanese manga and animated series Dragon Ball must be built in a future city in Saudi Arabia dedicated to leisure, the promoter of this colossal project announced on Friday.
The planned opening date of this 500,000 m amusement park2 was not specified, nor its cost, as is generally the case for tourism megaprojects in the Saudi kingdom.
Located in Qiddiya, near the capital Riyadh, the park will feature seven different areas from the Dragon Ball universe, around 30 attractions as well as hotels and restaurants, according to a press release from Qiddiya Investment Company, also published by the studio Japanese Toei Animation, producer of the franchise’s cartoons.
Death, 1er March, of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, at the age of 68, caused a wave of global emotion, reflecting the immense popularity still intact of his work.
PHOTO ARCHIVES AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Akira Toriyama, in 1982.
First published in 1984, Dragon Ball is one of the best-selling manga of all time and has spawned countless anime series, films, and video games.
It tells the adventures of Son Goku, a young martial arts prodigy in search of seven crystal balls to help him and his allies protect the Earth from evil enemies.
The new city of Qiddiya is one of the pharaonic projects of Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030” program to develop the tourism industry on its territory and reduce the great dependence of its economy on hydrocarbons.
Qiddiya will eventually host several theme parks, sports facilities and cultural venues. Construction work on the city began in 2019, but its completion date is not known.