Akira Toriyama’s Sand Land Announces New Anime for Disney+

Akira Toriyama might be best known for creating the world of the Z-Fighters in Dragon Ball, but the mangaka also has another major project that has been garnering attention in recent memory. In 2023, the feature-length film, Sand Land, arriving in theaters in Japan to introduce a desert world featuring a young demon looking to right the wrongs of the world in his own unique style. Set to arrive in North America in 2024, Disney+ has announced that Sand Land: The Series will be arriving on the streaming service next year.

While the upcoming series will feature footage from the movie, it will also feature new scenes from the original manga as well as a new story that was created by Akira Toriyama himself. Considering Dragon Ball Daima will also be arriving next year, Toriyama will be busy in 2024. 

Sand Land: The Series in 2024

Earlier this year, creator Akira Toriyama discussed the creation of Sand Land following the release of the feature-length film in Japan, “After Dragon Ball ended, I experimented with various short works and one-shots, then tried to put all I had into drawing what I figured would be my final work. This was ‘Sand Land’. Thinking about it now, I’m surprised I managed to draw a weekly serialization all by myself without any assistant, even if it was only for a single comic volume’s worth. The images I’ve seen still had many unfinished parts, but I never expected this to get a visual adaptation after over 20 years, so this kind of quality is like a dream come true.”

If you wanted to check out the Sand Land manga, Viz Media has licensed it for an English-language release. They tease Sand Land‘s story as such, “In the far future, war has destroyed the entire Earth, leaving only a barren wasteland where the supply of water is controlled by the greedy king. In search of a long-lost lake, Sheriff Rao asked the king of the demons for help…and got the king’s son, Beelzebub, and his assistant, Thief. Together the unlikely trio sets off across the desert, facing dragons, bandits and the deadliest foe of all… the King’s army itself! It’s travel adventure and tank action in this new story from Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball Z!”  

Are you hyped for a Sand Land animated series? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Beelzebub.