Toei Animation released a statement on Aug. 31, 2026, confirming that neither the company or any other affiliated rightsholders has granted permissions for a reported Dragon Ball theme park currently being planned in France.
This raises serious questions about the feasibility of the project, and why it was announced in the first place.
“Recently, certain media outlets have reported that a decision has been made to construct a Dragon Ball theme park in France. However, our company and the affiliated rights holders have granted no licenses or permissions whatsoever regarding this matter, and our company has no knowledge of any such facts,” Toei Animation noted in its statement.
Toei Animation also clarified that the concept images and video footage utilized in recent media reports were misappropriated.
These assets were originally released during a joint announcement for the officially licensed theme park planned for construction in Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia on March 22, 2024, by Toei and Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya Investment Company.
Toei added that these images and videos only pertained to that project and not the one in France.
In August, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a €6 billion (approximately USD 7 billion) multi-park development project northwest of Paris, which will be funded by the Qiddiya Investment Company.
“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,” he wrote on X, along with the announcement.
While the president did not officially mention the Dragon Ball franchise by name during his address, Valérie Pécresse, the president of the Paris regional council, posted a video claiming the property was coming to the capital.
“Son Goku will have his own theme park, just a stone’s throw from Paris,” Pécresse said.
Immediately following the initial French announcement, former Dragon Ball editor Kazuhiko Torishima publicly questioned the absence of any Japanese representatives at the event, raising early doubts regarding the involvement of the official rightsholders in the European project.
French media outlet Le Monde subsequently reported that the project lacked the necessary intellectual property rights to proceed.
While the Qiddiya Investment Company previously secured the rights from the Japanese owners to construct a Dragon Ball park in Saudi Arabia, that licensing agreement does not automatically extend to separate projects in France.
Securing the necessary permissions is a complex legal process, as the rights to the Dragon Ball franchise are divided among multiple corporate entities, with Shueisha holding the publishing rights, Toei Animation managing anime production, and Bandai Namco controlling video games and merchandising.
The management structure became further fragmented following the establishment of Capsule Corporation Tokyo, a new company formed by former Dragon Ball executive Akio Iyoku to oversee the franchise’s non-publishing properties independently from Shueisha.
This fragmented ownership and the resulting internal disputes over intellectual property control are among the primary reasons why even the Dragon Ball Super manga currently remains in a publication limbo.
In such a situation, it remains to be seen how France will proceed with the project and also with acquiring the rights.
Source: Toei’s official website
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