Over the last few years, anime and gaming fans have been spoilt with theme park experiences for their beloved franchises. Super Nintendo World opened as part of Universal Studios Japan in March 2021, featuring the universe of famous plumber Mario and friends. After much anticipation – and a pandemic – the Studio Ghibli theme park in the Aichi prefecture began welcoming visitors in November 2022. There’s also a Naruto theme park in Awaji Island, off the coast of Kobe. Meanwhile, Universal Studio Japan’s annual ‘Universal Cool Japan’ and summer events host gaming- or anime-themed attractions and experiences with a changing roster of titles every year. However, the world’s first Dragon Ball theme park will be making its home in the upcoming giga-land of Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia.
What to Expect
Set against the backdrop of the Tuwaiq mountains, the Dragon Ball theme park, spanning over an expansive 500,000 square metres, will have seven themed zones based on the seven dragon balls. For comparison, Tokyo Disneyland is 465,000 square metres, while Universal Studios Japan is approximately 526,091 square metres, though Super Nintendo World is merely one of the many lands on the property. Hence, for a theme park dedicated to one franchise alone – even if it covers from the first Dragon Ball season to the last saga, Dragon Ball Super – it will undoubtedly be massive.
According to the website, you’ll need more than a day to experience the park entirely. The good news is that the Dragon Ball theme park will include themed hotels and “exotic cuisines”, so everything is taken care of for a total fan getaway. For the ultimate immersion, fans can explore several iconic landmarks from the series, such as Kame House Island, Capsule Corporation, and Beerus Planet. There will be more than 30 rides offering interactive and themed experiences, including five “groundbreaking attractions”. The centrepiece, and possibly the most thrilling attraction, will be a jaw-dropping 70-metre Shenron (the franchise’s iconic dragon) rollercoaster.
As with any theme park experience, and based on the concept images, fans can expect a spectacular drone show when night falls. It comes as no surprise as Saudi Arabia has put on extravagant drone shows in the past. The Dragon Ball theme park is set to become the “landmark asset in Qiddiya city”. It will be the start of a long-term partnership with Toei Animation, with potential for further collaboration. The master planner for the Dragon Ball theme park will be the leading themed entertainment design firm Falcon’s Creative Group. The company’s past clientele and work include crafting immersive attractions for IMG Worlds of Adventure, Lotte World Adventure Shenyang, SeaWorld and National Geographic Museum.
To coincide with the announcement, Falcon’s Creative Group released a new behind-the-scenes video with more snippets of what to expect from the park.
What and where is Qiddiya City?
Covering a massive 360 square kilometres of land, Qiddiya City is part of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 plan to boost tourism and residents’ quality of life. Located 40 minutes away from downtown Riyadh, it’s designed to be the capital of entertainment, sports, and culture.
It will play host to a video gaming HQ, theme parks and attractions, an esports arena, motorsports area, Formula 1 racetrack, golf courses, music festivals, and various sporting events. More notably, the first phase of the 12 branded theme parks is already well underway, per the last update on their website. Six Flags Qiddiya City, the first Six Flags park outside of North America, has a 59 per cent project completion rate, while Aquarabia, Saudi Arabia’s first water park, is at 61 per cent completion.
As for the Dragon Ball theme park? No opening date has been announced, but if the 2025 scheduled launch dates for Six Flags Qiddiya City and Aquarabia are any indication, it’ll be a few years more before anyone can become ‘Super Saiyan’.
Follow the Qiddiya’s Dragon Ball theme park page for the latest updates.
