Sand Land (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from May to August 2000, and was collected into a single volume in November of that same year. Sand Land was first serialized in North America by Viz Media in their English Shonen Jump magazine in 2003, then later released in one graphic novel in December of that same year.
A CGI anime film adaptation co-produced by Sunrise, Kamikaze Douga, and Anima was released in August 2023, while an original net animation (ONA) series was released worldwide on Disney+ and Hulu from March to May 2024. An action role-playing video game adaptation, also titled Sand Land, was released in April 2024.
Plot
After enduring years of natural disaster and war, the world is left without its main supply of water; the river that provided water to the country dried up long ago. With the greedy king of the land's personal water supply becoming increasingly more expensive for the citizens of Sand Land to buy, the people begin robbing one another for water and money. Sheriff Rao, tired of the king's greed, approaches the demons of Sand Land for help in searching for a new water supply. Demon prince Beelzebub and his friend Thief agree to join Rao.
Soon after their quest begins, their car breaks down and they are forced to steal a tank from the king's army. This attracts the anger of the king and he mobilizes his forces to stop them. Sheriff Rao, a former legendary general of the king's army, is able to quickly deal with all of the current army's attempts to hinder their progress. Once they reach the supposed water supply at the end of the now dried up river bed, they find a lake that now acts as the king's private reserves. With the water sealed away behind a dam to give the king a monopoly over water, Rao, the demons, and those sympathetic to their cause tear it down. With the water returned to the world as a result, the king's oppressive rule is brought to an end.
Characters
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:Beelzebub, named after the biblical demon of the same name, is the son of Lucifer and the prince of demons. Generally referred to only as "Prince" by his fellow demons and nicknamed "Beelz" by Rao, Beelzebub tries to live in relative harmony with the humans. Although he regularly steals water from them, he only takes as much as he and the demons need to survive. Simply joining Sheriff Rao out of boredom, Beelzebub lends his enhanced sight and demonic strength to fight against the tyrannous king. By basking in moonlight, Beelzebub can absorb the "power of darkness," which he can unleash to temporarily boost his strength and demonic powers.
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:As the current ruler of Sand Land, the king makes enormous profit by selling bottled water at high prices. He tries to eliminate Rao to make sure nobody finds out about his personal water supply or the water-creating machine he had destroyed. After water is returned to Sand Land, he is forced by Rao to give his wealth to the people. A cowardly hedonist, the king cares only about maintaining his power and profits and is quick to abandon his people when Sand Land is threatened by the flying fortress Garam.
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