Saudi Arabia has announced that it will build a theme park based on the famous Japanese animated series Dragon Ball, which has received mixed reactions from fans of the series.
The company responsible for creating the park says that a 70-meter-long dragon will be built at the center of the park, and it will feature at least 30 rides.
This will be the first theme park in the world based on the animated series Dragon Ball.
However, the announcement has faced criticism from some circles, citing Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.
According to Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC), the company working on this project, the park will cover more than 500,000 square meters, and it will be fully owned by the Saudi government’s investment fund.
This park is part of a “long-term strategic partnership” between Qiddiya Investment Company and the Japanese company Toei Animation, which created Dragon Ball.
According to the official Dragon Ball website, the park will feature a roller coaster ride inside a model of a dragon, based on the Shenron dragon. In the animated series, Shenron is the dragon that grants wishes.
Qiddiya is a major entertainment and tourism project in Saudi Arabia, being built near the capital, Riyadh. It is part of the country’s plans to diversify its economy away from oil and rely on other sources of revenue.
While some Dragon Ball fans have welcomed the theme park project, others on social media have raised questions about the decision to build such an attractive park in Saudi Arabia.
The criticism is partly due to the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia, particularly the country’s refusal to recognize the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals.
This announcement about the construction of the theme park came just weeks after the death of Dragon Ball’s creator, Akira Toriyama.
Toriyama passed away on March 1 at the age of 68. According to a statement on the Dragon Ball website, only his family and a few close friends attended his funeral.
Fans around the world have paid tribute to Toriyama for creating characters that have become an integral part of their lives.
The Dragon Ball comic series began in 1984. It tells the story of a boy named Son Goku, who embarks on a quest to gather the magical Dragon Balls that can grant him superpowers.
It remains one of the most influential and best-selling Japanese comics of all time.
