Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) is partnering with Japan-based Toei Animation and Bird Studio to construct the world’s first Dragon Ball theme park in Riyadh. QIC will break ground on the project later this year. 

The park will cover more than 500,000 square meters and feature more than 30 attractions that recreate scenes from the iconic anime and manga series. The starting lineup includes a 70-meter-high roller coaster of the series’ wish-granting dragon Shenron and several themed locales, including Bulma’s Capsule Corporation, Master Roshi’s Kame House and the world tournament arena. 

The new theme park will be located in the 376-square-kilometer Qiddiya City, QIC’s entertainment and tourism megaresort in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that began construction in 2018. Outside of its Dragon Ball attractions, the “city” will also feature a Six Flags resort, a Formula One raceway and a gaming district. 

The Dragon Ball announcement comes just weeks after the death of the IP’s author, Akira Toriyama, who serialized the original manga in Shuiesha’s Shonen Jump magazine from 1984 to 1995. The franchise has since been adapted into four long-running anime series, several video games and countless licensed consumer products. 

Last year alone, global Dragon Ball merch sales totaled US$1.09 billion, beating the likes of Mobile Suit Gundam (US$944 million) and One Piece (US$620 million), according to Japanese toyco and game developer Bandai Namco.