Sand Land
Sand Land is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from May to August 2000, and was collected into a single volume in November of that same year. Sand Land was first serialized in North America by Viz Media in their English Shonen Jump magazine in 2003, then later released in one graphic novel in December of that same year.
A CGI anime film adaptation co-produced by Sunrise, Kamikaze Douga, and Anima was released in August 2023, while an original net animation series was released worldwide on Disney+ and Hulu from March to May 2024. An action role-playing video game adaptation, also titled Sand Land, was released in April 2024.
Plot
After enduring years of natural disaster and war, the world is left without its main supply of water; the river that provided water to the country dried up long ago. With the greedy king of the land's personal water supply becoming increasingly more expensive for the citizens of Sand Land to buy, the people begin robbing one another for water and money. Sheriff Rao, tired of the king's greed, approaches the demons of Sand Land for help in searching for a new water supply. Demon prince Beelzebub and his friend Thief agree to join Rao.Soon after their quest begins, their car breaks down and they are forced to steal a tank from the king's army. This attracts the anger of the king and he mobilizes his forces to stop them. Sheriff Rao, a former legendary general of the king's army, is able to quickly deal with all of the current army's attempts to hinder their progress. Once they reach the supposed water supply at the end of the now dried up river bed, they find a lake that now acts as the king's private reserves. With the water sealed away behind a dam to give the king a monopoly over water, Rao, the demons, and those sympathetic to their cause tear it down. With the water returned to the world as a result, the king's oppressive rule is brought to an end.
Characters
;Beelzebub;Rao
;Thief
;General Are
;General Zeu
;King
;Lucifer
;Papa
;Pike
;Shark
;Guppy
;Ann
;Muniel
;Bred
;Lilith
Production
Following the conclusion of Dragon Ball in 1995, Akira Toriyama created short stories and one-offs. However, he decided to write one more work that would be his last, and in which he would put everything he had. He intended for Sand Land to be a short story about an old man and a tank that he wrote for his own enjoyment. However, he had difficulty drawing the tank and, as he insisted on drawing everything himself, soon regretted it. Although he became frustrated, Toriyama had already devised the plot to involve the tank and thus grudgingly went through with it. While he personally preferred lighthearted content, he was aware most readers did not, and therefore tried his best to tone down the light parts and make it a serious story. However, Toriyama said he ultimately ended up prioritizing his personal preferences and should have thought about the readers more. He inked the manuscripts on paper before scanning them into a computer and using software to paint in solid colors and apply tones. After drawing the pages for Sand Land, he lost the pen holder that he had used since before his debut. Toriyama later quipped that this was the reason he hardly drew any more manga. Looking back on the series 23 years later, he found that his drawing ability and energy were incredible at the time it was made.Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama, Sand Land was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from May 9 to August 8, 2000. Its 14 chapters were collected into a single volume that was released on November 2, 2000. A edition was published on August 4, 2023. That same day, a "full color" version of the manga began serialization in Shueisha's monthly Saikyō Jump magazine. It ended in the October 2024 issue on September 4, 2024.In 2003, Viz Media licensed Sand Land for English release in North America. It was first serialized in their manga anthology magazine Shonen Jump for eleven issues, from the January to the November 2003 issues. The collected graphic novel was released later in paperback on December 24, 2003, and digitally as an ebook on June 4, 2013.
Anime
On December 8, 2022, Bandai Namco opened a website for "Sand Land Project" and uploaded a teaser video featuring Toriyama's art from the manga. The website featured a countdown that ended on December 17. On that date, it was announced that the series would receive a CGI anime film adaptation co-produced by Sunrise, Kamikaze Douga, and Anima. The film was directed by Toshihisa Yokoshima, with Hiroshi Kōjina serving as directing advisor, Hayashi Mori writing the screenplay, Yoshikazu Iwanami directing the sound, and Yugo Kanno composing the music. Imase performed the film's theme song "Utopia". The film had its world premiere screening at San Diego Comic-Con on July 22, 2023. It was then officially released in Japanese theaters on August 18, 2023, by Toho, with a North American release following in 2024.An original net animation series was announced on November 14, 2023. The cast and staff members from the film reprised their roles. The opening theme is "Water Carrier" by Kroi, while the ending theme is "Drive My Idea" by Tempalay. The first seven episodes of the series began streaming worldwide on Disney+ and in the United States on Hulu on March 20, 2024. The remaining episodes were released once a week. The first six episodes comprise "The Story of the Fiend Prince" arc and retell the story of the film with some new scenes, while the final seven episodes comprise "The Story of the Angel Hero" arc, which Toriyama newly wrote for the ONA. Toriyama also named the two arcs and designed the new characters such as Ann and Muniel. However, he died before the ONA premiered on March 1, 2024.
A televised broadcast of the series premiered in Japan on NHK General TV on June 28, 2025.