This week, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a historical project: a Dragon Ball-themed amusement park, built in collaboration with Saudi Arabia that will “rival Disneyland.” The estimated cost of the project is €6 billion ($7 billion), and the park will be built 45 minutes northwest of Paris. However, even with Saudi money and the French government’s seal of approval, it seems that the project is still lacking one major thing: permission from the Dragon Ball rights owners.
As reported by French newspaper Le Monde, “several sources familiar with the project, speaking in condition of anonymity,” confirmed that the proposal lacks approval from the Japanese entities who own the rights to the Dragon Ball franchise. Given that the project is led by Qiddiya Investment Company, some fans may actually be happy to hear the news. The Saudi government is investing massive amounts of money in sports and entertainment, including the recent purchase of EA Sports, which some as an effort to distract from the violations of human rights happening in the country. The CIA has also blamed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
However, the situation is more complex than it seems due to the peculiar distribution of rights concerning the Dragon Ball IP, which are split among several entities: the late Akira Toriyama’s Bird Studio, Shueisha (the publisher of the manga), Toei Animation (for anime adaptations), Bandai Namco for toys and merchandising, and Capsule Corporation Tokyo, a production company founded in 2023 by former Shueisha editor Akio Iyoku and Toriyama.
After the mangaka’s passing in March 2024, the waters were muddled, and sources have reported a struggle to secure control of the massively popular franchise. Iyoku has been prominently involved in recent productions such as the Dragon Ball Daima anime, but he is considered by some a controversial figure who might not operate with the full approval of the Toriyama estate or the other parties involved.
The French Dragon Ball park follows in the footsteps of a similar project taking place in Saudi Arabia, as part of the massive “Qiddiya City” project. Once completed, the Saudi park is expected to cover more than 500,000 square meters, and “feature seven different areas that recreate various iconic locales from the original series, such as Kame House, Capsule Corporation, and Beerus’s Planet,” plus more than 30 attractions.
Macron never hid his passion for Japanese entertainment. He shared a video message during the Yu-Gi-Oh! 2025 World Championship, showcasing his prized Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. He even made a Kamehameha pose together with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a meeting earlier this year. However, the Saudi involvement in the French Dragon Ball park project is making fans rightfully skeptical about calling this a passion project.