Good news, anime fans! Saudi Arabia is planning to build a “Dragon Ball”-themed park near Riyadh, making it the first and only country to have such a theme park. The idea was announced publicly during Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 project in which the Saudi ruler aims to expand the nation’s economy by combining the phenomenon of gaming and tourism.
According to Abdullah bin Nasser Aldawood, the managing director of Qiddiya Investment Corporations, he stated that the citizens of Saudi Arabia enjoy anime, leading them to an opportunity to sign a partnership agreement with Toei Animation Studio– also home to “One Piece”, “Sailor Moon” and “Slam Dunk”, as means to give anime fans to live out their childhood dreams! So, what can we expect of this theme park? Here are some fun facts for you to know before flying all the way over with your habibi!
1. Bring Your Finest Sneakers Because It’s Going To Be A Walk-A-Thon!
Source: MSNAccording to several reports, the theme park is planned to be more than 500,000 square feet–which is about half a million square meters! It is claimed that this is to ensure every part of the series gets a space of its own, allowing visitors to immerse into the world of the late Akira Toriyama (鳥山明).
Apart from the fact that your feet will most likely ache by the end of the day, the park’s map will be designed to look like the quest as set in the anime, which also means the themes of the attraction rides will follow the flow of the story. There’s no doubt that die-hard fans are going to love this!
2. When They Say Themed, They Weren’t Lying – Not Even Vegeta!
From Capsule Corporations to Beerus’ Planet, there will be a total of seven themed lands included–yes, SEVEN! Based on the concept board above, the most iconic Dragon Ball landmarks such as Master Roshi’s infamous Kame House and The Tree Of Might will serve as attraction rides.
Well, it is common knowledge that the anime has been running for almost 40 years, surely they wouldn’t want to miss a speck of detail which can ruin the purpose of Vision 2030.
3. Easy Travel To Entertainment City, for sure!
The plan included how the theme park would be accessible by car as it would take a 40-minute drive from Riyadh to reach Qiddiya. However, further transportation is yet to be confirmed. Don’t fret because when in Saudi, you can have a Toyota Camry taxi to drive you all the way to meet the beloved Goku!
4. Super Big, Super Large For The Super Saiyans!
Of course, everything will be life-size, perhaps bigger! Qiddiya Investment Company shared that we should be expecting a 70-meter-high rollercoaster with a huge “Shenron”, the wish-granting dragon in its powerful form as the ride goes around it! Phew! Can’t imagine what the drop would look like from that height!
As you can see in the picture above, the huge magical Dragon Balls will be placed in the heart of the theme park–serving as one of the main attractions!
5. Ride Until Dawn, Literally.
Aside from the possibly near-death-experience “Shenron” rollercoaster, it is expected that the theme park will include over 30+ rides with 5 main attraction spots followed by several hotels, and restaurants across the place. So, to live out your childhood fantasy to the fullest, it is best to try them all out!
The opening date is yet to be announced. However, this is the perfect time to start planning your budget before your quest to find the legendary Dragon balls in Saudi begins!
Check out the official promotion video from Qiddiya’s YouTube page below!
Sources: IGN Southeast Asia, Nikkei Asia, CNBC, Business Insider.
Ariani Soraya contributed to this article.
