Toei Animation Denies Reports of Dragon Ball Theme Park in France
The denial leaves the French project's status uncertain because rights to the Dragon Ball franchise are divided among multiple corporate entities, including Shueisha for publishing, Toei Animation for anime production, and Bandai Namco for games and merchandising.
Key Facts
- Toei Animation issued a statement on August 31 denying that licenses were granted for a Dragon Ball theme park in France.
- The concept images and footage in the reports originated from the Dragon Ball theme park project announced with Qiddiya Investment Company on March 22, 2024, for Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia.
- French President Emmanuel Macron announced on August 24 that three manga-related theme parks were planned for Cergy-Pontoise, France, involving EUR 6 billion in investment and 22,000 jobs.
- Rights to the Dragon Ball franchise are divided among Shueisha for publishing, Toei Animation for anime production, and Bandai Namco for video games and merchandising.
Reporting from 2 sources: Anime Corner, Animehunch.
Toei Animation issued an official statement on August 31 denying media reports that a Dragon Ball theme park is planned for construction in France. The company said that neither Toei Animation nor the relevant rights holders have granted any licenses for such a project, and that the company is not aware of any facts supporting the reports. Toei Animation also addressed concept images and footage circulated alongside the claims, stating that all of the material originated from the Dragon Ball theme park project announced with Qiddiya Investment Company on March 22, 2024. Those visuals are for the planned Dragon Ball theme park at Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia and have no connection to the reports concerning France. The reports began circulating after French President Emmanuel Macron announced on August 24 that three manga-related theme parks were planned for Cergy-Pontoise, France, involving EUR 6 billion in investment and the creation of 22,000 jobs. Macron did not name Dragon Ball or any other specific franchise in his announcement. Valérie Pécresse, president of the Paris regional council, later posted a video claiming the property was coming to the area.
Toei Animation's August 31 statement was issued under the name of President and CEO Katsuhiro Takagi and came from the company's headquarters in Nakano-ku, Tokyo. The company said the concept images and videos used in the French reports were "misappropriated" and had "no connection whatsoever" to the claims. The French project traces back to President Emmanuel Macron's August 24 announcement, in which he wrote on X: "You know my interest in manga. You also know how determined I am to bring investments to France that create jobs and make the most ambitious projects possible." Valérie Pécresse, president of the Paris regional council, said in a video: "Son Goku will have his own theme park, just a stone's throw from Paris." Early doubts emerged immediately after Macron's announcement. Kazuhiko Torishima, the former Dragon Ball editor, publicly questioned why no Japanese representatives were present at the event. French outlet Le Monde later reported the project lacked the necessary intellectual property rights to proceed. The rights situation is complicated by the franchise's ownership structure. Shueisha holds publishing rights, Toei Animation manages anime production, and Bandai Namco controls video games and merchandising. That structure fragmented further with the formation of Capsule Corporation Tokyo, a company created by former Dragon Ball executive Akio Iyoku to oversee the franchise's non-publishing properties independently from Shueisha. Those internal disputes over intellectual property control are cited as a reason the Dragon Ball Super manga remains in publication limbo.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.