What is SAND LAND About?

SAND LAND was first published as a 14-chapter manga by Akira Toriyama, and in recent years, it’s had quite a resurgence in popularity. In the summer of 2023, the movie adaptation came out to critical acclaim, and an animated series is on the way in March of this year. 

Now, before I go into detail about what SAND LAND is about, let’s talk about why it might look familiar to you. Akira Toriyama was also the creator of Dragon Ball and the artist behind Dragon Quest and CHRONO TRIGGER. SAND LAND is one of his more recent works, first published in the year 2000 and was met with success. Many critics praised it, but why?

Well, SAND LAND is, at its core, a story about not jumping to conclusions. In a world where water has become so rare that no one can easily access it, a man named Sherriff Rao approaches the demon king, Lucifer, to get help. While he never met the king, he met the demon prince Beelzebub, who, despite being a demon, is known for his kindness. In the manga's first chapter, he gives a small human boy water, claiming that a world without humans would be boring for demons.

Since war has ravaged the Earth, Rao convinces Beelzebub to help him by offering him a peace offering: the fabled PlayStation 6 and Dragon Quest 13. Lucifer allows his son to help the human, and Beelzebub goes to help with his wise old friend, Thief, who, as his name suggests, is skilled in the art of thievery.

While they weren’t after the king’s water supply at first, they chose to find the Phantom Lake, a water supply that Rao is confident exists. However, while on the journey, they are met with a challenge: after losing their car to a Geji Dragon, they have no fuel and water, meaning they need more transport. Naturally, they steal a tank from the King’s army, as Rao has no issues with taking from the King if it means he can give water back to the people.

As they travel, the King’s army hunts for Rao and the prince. The issue becomes more complicated when they discover that Rao’s true name is General Shiba. He was a hero who was believed to be dead after he and his men stopped the production of a deadly weapon. However, as they search for the lake and Rao befriends the demons, they reveal that the weapon was a lie and that the king had manipulated Rao, which led to the deaths of his loved ones.

Upon discovering that the Phantom Lake belonged to the Pichii people, Rao refused to take more from them and instead chose to search for the King’s water supply; this was made possible by discovering where it was hidden by General Are, who had believed that his father’s death was due to Rao, but upon learning the truth, decides to help them take down the King.

Of course, while it looks like SAND LAND will follow the same plot as the manga, it looks like there will be even more insight into the world. There will be additional characters, including the mechanic, Ann, and even a new land, known as Forest Land, for Beelzebub and the others to travel through.