Dragon Ball creator teases “intense action” in new anime show

Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama’s Sand Land is finally arriving in English-speaking territories soon, with an expanded story, and he’s commented on just what fans can expect.

Based on his manga from the early 2000s, Sand Land is the first non-Dragon Ball anime show from Toriyama in decades. A slightly different speed from Goku saving the universe, it’s more akin to Mad Max and Tank Girl, following a bunch of rogues in a dystopian future where the world has become a desert landscape.

An anime movie came out last year, and that’s now been recut into episodes, with a few hours of extra storytelling on top. Disney Plus will be hosting Sand Land starting March 20, and now Toriyama’s commented on what’s coming.

Sand Land anime show will have “intense action”

In an interview posted on the official Sand Land site, Toriyama explained how the second narrative was added. “The outline I received was full of dramatic content and fast-paced developments from the start,” he says. “I came up with the background information and design for a new character, Muniel, designed other characters like Ann, and also suggested various episodes and whatnot. And so this sequel was completed.”

He teased that there’s a lot of energy in new episodes. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy the new world-building and intense action,” he explains. “The trio of Beelzebub, Rao, and Thief have a new adventure and encounter new characters.”

The Sand Land anime stretches 13 episodes. The premiere contains seven; the movie recut into chapters with new scenes. The proceeding six episodes, then, are all new for everyone. This isn’t especially unusual anime, with compilation films turning episodes into movies. In this instance, it gives everyone a reason to watch each iteration.

Sand Land serves as a nice preamble to Toriyama’s other big project this year – Dragon Ball Daima! The sequel to Dragon Ball Super that has Goku and the Z Fighters turned into children by some ominous villain. We’ll keep you informed on when you should be able to see that. It’s a good year to be a Toriyama fan!