RIYADH: Manga fans are eagerly awaiting the launch on Friday of the latest “Dragon Ball” video game, the first since the death in March of Akira Toriyama, the legendary Japanese artist who created the series 40 years ago.

Among them are leisure chiefs at Qiddiya, the entertainment and tourism project being built near Riyadh, who revealed plans this year for a massive “Dragon Ball” theme park.

“Dragon Ball” recounts the adventures of a monkey-tailed boy called Son Goku through fantastical universes. Over more than 500 chapters, the hero with spiky black hair fights otherworldly enemies in his quest to find seven mystical dragon balls. It is one of the bestselling manga franchises of all time, spawning countless anime series, films and video games.

The new game, “Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO,” will feature a record 182 characters doing battle.

A new animated series, “Dragon Ball Daima,” will also be released to mark the 40th anniversary of the franchise.

The Saudi “Dragon Ball” attraction, the Kingdom’s first theme park, will cover more than half a million square meters with at least 30 rides, including a roller coaster inside a dragon modeled on Shenron, a wish-giving dragon that features in the franchise.