Dragon Ball Theme Park To Be Built In Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has announced that it will build a theme park based on the famed Japanese animated series Dragon Ball. This sparked mixed reactions from fans. According to the plan released by Saudi Arabia, this theme park will feature a 70m (229.6ft) dragon at its center. The firm behind this project also says that the dragon at the center will also come along with at least 30 rides. This theme park will be the first of its kind, and the number one attraction based on the popular media franchise. Citing Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, this announcement sparked some controversies, especially criticism from the fans. The Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC), is wholly owned by the Saudi Arabian government’s investment fund, and according to it, the park will cover more than half a million square meters. This plan to build a Dragon Ball theme park is part of “a long-term strategic partnership” between the QIC and Toei Animation, the Japanese producer of Dragon Ball.
The official Dragon Ball website states that the theme park will include a roller coaster inside a dragon. This center of attraction dragon will be built after Shenron, a wish-giving dragon that features in the franchise. Qiddiya, on the other hand, is a huge entertainment and tourism project that is being built near Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh. This is part of the plan by the energy-rich nation to diversify its economy away from fossil fuels. However, as stated above, this announcement collected mixed reactions from everyone on social media platforms, especially from the fans of the popular Japanese anime. While some of the Dragon Ball fans have welcomed this idea and major plans for the theme park, others on social media have questioned the decision to locate the attraction in Saudi Arabia.
The country has been criticized before for its lack of recognition of LGBTQ+ rights, and its human rights record. This announcement of a Dragon Ball-themed park comes right after the sad demise of the popular anime’s creator, Akira Toriyama. The creator died on 1 March, aged 68. His funeral was private with only his family and a handful of friends attending. This was posted as a statement on the Dragon Ball website. The news hit the fans like a wave as millions of viewers from all over the world paid tribute to Toriyama. Thousands of people online have thanked the creator for making and inventing iconic characters that have become a part of their lives. The Dragon Ball comic series debuted in 1984. The story follows a boy named Son Goku who is on a journey to collect magical dragon balls that can give him superpowers. After it was first written and illustrated, it was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995.
Dragon Ball was one of the most popular and influential Japanese comics of all time. It was originally inspired by the classical 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. The comics also include elements of Hong Kong martial arts films, along with a major variety of East Asian martial arts styles, including karate and Wing Chun (kung fu).
I am Jessica Gonzalez and i have over 16 years experience in the financial services industry giving me a vast understanding of how news affects the financial markets. She is an active day trader spending the majority of my time analyzing earnings reports and watching commodities and derivatives. I have a Masters Degree in Economics from Westminster University with previous roles counting Investment Banking.
