France and Saudi Arabia have agreed on plans for a $7 billion manga-themed amusement complex near Paris, inspired by the hugely popular Japanese franchise Dragon Ball Z.
The development, backed by Saudi entertainment group Qiddiya, is expected to create around 22,000 jobs and will be built near Cergy-Pontoise, north-west of the French capital.
The project was announced by the Élysée Palace during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Paris on Monday (24 August).
The unusual idea reportedly grew from a shared enthusiasm for Dragon Ball Z between French President Emmanuel Macron and the Saudi Crown Prince.
Macron’s advisers said the two discovered their common interest in the franchise during the French president’s visit to Saudi Arabia in 2025.
The planned development would be one of Europe’s biggest theme park projects, although construction is expected to take several years and no opening date has yet been announced.
French officials presented the project as another sign of the country’s appeal to international investors.
The investment is also part of Saudi Arabia’s wider effort to diversify its economy away from oil and build a global entertainment and tourism industry.
Qiddiya, which is financing the project, is developing a range of large-scale leisure and entertainment ventures as part of the Kingdom’s economic transformation plans.
The French project would reportedly include three separate theme parks, although several details of the development have yet to be finalised.
The announcement came during a high-profile visit by Prince Mohammed to France, where he appeared alongside Macron at the closing ceremony of the Esports World Cup in Paris on Sunday.
The Saudi Crown Prince, who owns a chateau near Paris, rarely makes official overseas visits, giving the trip added significance for the relationship between the two countries.
For France, the proposed Dragon Ball Z complex offers more than a dose of popular culture: it represents a major foreign investment and a potential boost for jobs, tourism and the regional economy.
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