Summary
For fans ofDragon Ball Zcreator Akira Toriyama, there’s a new project to build hype for,Sand Land, a manga, film, and upcoming video game. While the manga is nothing new, originally released in 2000, the short manga has been enjoying a revival in recent years.
While Sand Land might not be the most well-known of Toriyama’s projects, it is hard to overshadow something as popular and influential as the Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump franchises, there is still plenty to love in this short and original manga.
What Is Sand Land?
Not Just A Land Of Sand
Sand Land is a short, thirteen-chapter, single-volume manga that Akira Toriyama published over the course of three months in Weekly Shonen Jump in the year 2000, roughly four years after the end of Dragon Ball Z. It would eventually be released in North America in Viz Media’s Shonen Jump in 2003, which would then be collected in a single volume later that year.
Sand Land follows a small trio of adventurersthrough a drought-stricken world, trying to help the struggling survivors as they attempt to survive under a tyrannic king. Fifty years after the world has been raged by war and natural disasters, water has become the rarest resource in the world, transforming it into a wasteland that locals now call Sand Land. What little water can be found is almost entirely controlled by the king, who sells it to the people living under his rule at exorbitant prices.
In this world, humanity coexists with demons peacefully. The story follows Beelzebub, the son of the demon king, after he learns of a rumored hidden lake filled with water by the old town sheriff Rao. Together with another demon named Thief, who has all sorts of wisdom to dispense, the trio head off in a stolen tank to find the mythical source of water. Together they find a lot more than what they expected, including a way to help save everyone in Sand Land.
Is Sand Land Related To Dragon Ball Z?
Don’t Stop, Don’t Stop, We’re In Sand Now
Thanks to Akira Toriyama’s iconic style, and some of the many side projects Dragon Ball Z has had over the years, it can be understandable to question whether or not Sand Land is related to Dragon Ball Z, especially when other characters from across Toriyama’s various works have found themselves included in Dragon Ball Z related stuff over the years.
Characters from Dr. Slump likeArale Norimaki have made a number of appearancesin various Dragon Ball content, having been retroactively added to the Dragon Ball canon after its completion. There’s even an episode of Dragon Ball Super, episode 43, where Goku accidentally uses Instant Transmission to teleport to Penguin Village.
Then there’s the case of Jaco Teirimentenpibosshi, a Galactic Patrol member from the series Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, which debuted in 2013 and takes place ten years before the events of the original Dragon Ball manga. Jaco would later return in Dragon Ball Super as a minor protagonist and something of a guide to the greater galactic community for the Z Warriors.
So where does Beelzebub and the company fit in to the continuity? Well, it doesn’t. Despite sharing a lot of similarities with other Toriyama projects, including an even older one shot manga called Pink, Sand Land doesn’t seem to be connected to the greater Dragon Ball universe other thank sharing Akira Toriyama’s distinctive art style and humor.
So Where Does The Connection Come From?
Twins? Cousins? Devilishly Handsome Coincidence?
That said, there is some basis for the confusion and potential room for the two to collide. Beelezebub is the son of the demon king, the Prince of the Underworld and there’s a scene early on in the manga where he meets his father. While the scene is mostly just setting up the adventure the Prince is about to embark on, Dragon Ball Z fans immediately notice a familiarity with a somewhat minor villain from the Buu Saga.
Beelezebub’s father bears an uncanny resemblance to the King of the Demon Realm, Dabura, who Dragon Ball Z fans meet while he is under the control of the wizard Babidi. Both are
In Sand Land, the demon king is referred to as Lord Lucifer by Beelezebub, seemingly confirming that the two have different names. The two characters share everything from matching outfits, with boots, shirt, and cape, to the iconic beard/goatee unique to pretty much only Dabura in the Dragon Ball Z universe.
The main difference between the two is the size and shape of the two characters' horns and ears, with Dabura boasting much larger ears, more alien-like than demonic, with two stubby horns. Meanwhile, Lord Lucifer’s horns are more of a bull’s shape, with his ears much smaller.
This isn’t the first time Akira Toriyama has reused character designs throughout his time as an artist. Just take a look at Goku, his father Bardock, his son Goten (who looks almost exactly like Goku did as a child), and the completely unrelated character Turless who looks like someone wasted a dragon ball wish to look just like Goku.
What Else Is Coming With Sand Land?
The Sand Land Expanded Universe
Sand Land has been enjoying its time in the spotlight with a whole slew of new projects. There’s the upcoming Sand Land original net animation (ONA) called Sand Land: The Series, which is going to be just like the recently released Sand Land film but with some additional scenes that had to be cut from the film. The Series will also expand on the Sand Land world, telling more stories based on where the film ended, potentially linking the Sand Land universe with the Dragon Ball one, but that’s just speculation at this time.
Perhaps the biggest bit of news surroundingSand Land is the upcoming action role-playing adaptation of the manga, currently in development by ICLA. The studio previously worked on Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age as well as Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl. The RPG does not yet have a release date as of this writing but is expected to release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.
