Dragon Ball Creator's Sand Land Gets Anime Series On Hulu

Hulu is set to debut Sand Land: The Series in Spring 2024, according to a release from the streaming service. The anime, an extension and expansion of the 2023 movie Sand Land, takes viewers on an exploration of a world grappling with water scarcity and tyrannical rule.

With Mutsumi Tamura voicing Fiend Prince Beelzebub, Kazuhiro Yamaji as Sheriff Rao, Chō as Thief, Satoshi Tsuruoka as General Are, and Nobuo Tobita as Supreme Commander Zeu, the series is directed by Toshihisa Yokoshima and adapted by Hayashi Mori from the original story by Akira Toriyama--the creator of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump. A synopsis in part reads: "Tired of suffering under the king's rule, Sheriff Rao reaches out to Sand Land's demons for help, and together they set off on a journey to discover the 'Legendary Spring.'"

The anime adaptation for Sand Land was announced after this past summer's Summer Games Fest 2023 reveal of Bandai Namco's action-adventure game of the same name. The game invites players to navigate and survive a vast desert environment, relying on their grit, strength, and vehicles to defend against the world's many threats. Further details about the game, including a hands-on play session by GameSpot, can be found here.

The original manga was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from May to August 2000, and Shueisha compiled it into a standalone volume in November 2000. Viz Media then serialized Sand Land in North America through its English Shonen Jump magazine in 2003, subsequently releasing it as a graphic novel in December of the same year.