Sand Land, also known as Sand Land: The Series, is an anime television series. It is an adaptation of the 2000 manga series of the same name by Akira Toriyama. It premiered on Disney+ and Hulu on March 20, 2024.
The manga was previously adapted into a feature film by Bandai Namco that was directed by Toshihisa Yokoshima and was released on August 18, 2023. A couple of months later, the television series went into development with Yokoshima returning to direct the whole series. Series creator Akira Toriyama aided in adapting the series by adding a whole new story, but died only a couple of weeks before it premiered.
Synopsis[]
Following years of war, water has become scarce after the local river dried up. The greedy king of Sand Land has kept his own personal water supply to himself and has increased the price of it, causing much turmoil among the citizens. Local sheriff Rao decides to get the water back by teaming up the demon prince Beelzebub and his friend Thief.
The second half of the series has the three heroes encounter a young mysterious woman named Ann who hails from a kingdom called Forest Land and face off against a self-proclaimed angel named Muniel who not only wants to eradicate all demons, but have the humans worship him.
Voice cast[]
| Character | English voice | Japanese voice |
|---|---|---|
| Beelzebub | Risa Mei | Mutsumi Tamura |
| Rao | Jonathan Lipow | Kazuhiro Yamaji |
| Thief | Owen Thomas | Chō |
| General Are | Andrew Lander | Satoshi Tsuruoka |
| Commander Zeu | Shawn Smith | Nobuo Tobita |
| King of Sand Land | Alan Adelberg | Chafurin |
| King Lucifer | Keith Silverstein | Akio Otsuka |
| Papa | Erik Braa | Tomokazu Sugita |
| Pike | Pranshu Mishra | Kōji Yusa |
| Shark | Rick Zieff | Hiroyuki Yoshino |
| Guppy | Bobby Foley | Masafumi Kobatake |
| Ann | Kira Buckland | Mikako Komatsu |
| Muniel | Seth Fuentes | Ayumu Murase |
| Commander Bred | Mike Smith | Tesshō Genda |
| Lilith | Sasha Sloan | Yūko Kaida |
| Lango | Bryan Daniel Porter | Yôji Ueda |
| King Jam | Byron Patrick | Shoto Kashii |
Episodes[]
| No. | Title | Director | Air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Story of the Fiend Prince | |||
| 01 | "Departure" ("The Journey of the Devil and the Man") (Akuma to Ningen no Tabidachi; 悪魔と人間の旅立ち) |
Toshihisa Yokoshima Wakiko Kume |
March 20, 2024 |
| In the kingdom of Sand Land, Sheriff Rao learns that the King is once again altering the price of water for its inhabitants. While thinking of what to do, he spots a water finch. After hearing that a kind demon gave a boy some water, Rao ventures to the demons' home and meets Beelzebub the Fiend Prince and deduces that he gave water to the boy. He ask that he help accompany him to look for the hidden springs within the desert and after some hesitation, and the support of his father Lucifer, Beelzebub agrees to join Rao, along with his friend and assistant Thief. The trio ride off into the desert, but are forced to drop their things after encountering a giant sand lizard. They soon fall into a trap by some bandits, forcing Beelzebub to fight them off. | |||
| 02 | "The Royal Army's Secret" ("Secrets of the King's Army") (Kokuōgun no Himitsu; 国王軍の秘密) |
Wakiko Kume | March 20, 2024 |
| After defeating the gang, the trio continue on their journey on foot before arriving at a town. Due to how demons are perceived, Thief sneaks into town to get supplies, but comes up empty handed. They quickly find a tank and successfully steal it. Rao, having been a soldier who drove tanks, is able to get it work properly. They are found out by General Are and his men in a flying machine and chase the trio down. While firing back, they discover that the air ship was containing water. Using the tanks gravity stones and Beelzebub and Thief's strength, they are able to shoot the ship down. While driving away, they pick up on radio that Are is working for Supreme Commander Zeu, a hated figure from Rao's past who is in charge of Sand Land's army. | |||
| 03 | "A Man Called Legend" (Densetsu to Yoba Reta Otoko; 伝説と呼ばれた男) |
Kōji Sasaki | March 20, 2024 |
| The trio make it to a safe place where they discuss the Picci, a race of beings that to Rao was said to be terrorists, but Thief reveals were a kindly race developing a machine that could make water. This causes Rao to reveal that when he was a general, he was the one who destroyed them. A gang called the Swimmers manage to identify Rao and the stolen tank and a bounty is put on his head. It is revealed that Rao's real name is Shiva and the destruction of the Picci, also resulted in the death of his wife Terrier. A reluctant Are is ordered to chase down Rao (his father was among some of Rao's men), but the trio manage to outmaneuver Are's soldiers. Rao sends a message to Sand Land announcing his true intent and promises to go after Zeu. | |||
| 04 | "Beyond the Sandstorm" (Sunaarashi no Mukō ni; 砂嵐の向こうに) |
Masatoshi Hakata | March 20, 2024 |
| The trio continue to take out Are's tanks with precise accuracy, thanks to Beelzebub's ability to communicate via telepathy. After narrowing it down to one tank with Are, they manage to corner him so they can talk. Rao confers with him that everything he said was true and that the King and Zeu have been lying to them. When the Swimmers attempt to attack them, Beelzebub chases and takes them out one by one. He sympathetically tells Papa that once they find the spring, they will allow him and his sons to swim in it. Are starts to believe Rao when the King confirms that Zeu made the order to exterminate the Picci. Beelzebub fights through a sand storm before finding the spring hidden in a bluff. He directs Rao and Thief to it. | |||
| 05 | "The Terrifying Insect Men" (Kyōfu no Mushi Ningen; 恐怖の虫人間) |
Ayumu Ono Kōji Sasaki |
March 20, 2024 |
| At the spring, Beelzebub discovers that a whole community of Picci live there and the group decide to act like they never found this place. Are gets chewed out by Zeu and decides to betray the kingdom by revealing the location of the King's personal water supply. The trio hear this and head out by following the dried up spring towards the south. Zeu, realizing that his plans are falling apart, tells his lead scientist Dr. Posé to release the Insect Men, creatures of his own design. The trio discover that the King's personal water supply is a whole other land that has been dammed up (they were told that the water simply dried up). Zeu releases the Insect Men on the group. While knocked out at first, Beelzebub gains his second wind. | |||
| 06 | "The Fiend Beelzebub" (Akuma no Beruzebubu; 悪魔のベルゼブブ) |
Ayumu Ono Kōji Sasaki |
March 20, 2024 |
| Beelzebub battles the Insect Men, but is gravely injured. He suddenly gains a boost of energy due to his demon powers and manages to defeat them. Rao and Thief enter the flying ship above the dam and make their way through with Rao coming out on top. He and Zeu battle one another with the former getting help from Are. He takes Zeu down and angrily threatens him, but spares him. Zeu attempts to detonate the remaining Insect Men, only for Beelzebub to run up and punch him far into the distance. The group, plus the Swimmers destroy the dam and return the water to Sand Land, with the King forced to distribute his wealth accordingly. Are becomes the new supreme commander as Beelzebub, Rao, and Thief head back home In a post-credits scene, a mysterious girl sees the flying ship and follows it. | |||
| The Story of the Angel Hero | |||
| 07 | "On to a New Adventure" ("Let's Go On a New Adventure!") (Iza! Aratana Bōken e; いざ!新たな冒険へ) |
Hiroshi Kōjina | March 20, 2024 |
| Rao, Beelzebub, and Thief continue their efforts to restore Sand Land to its glory. While buying supplies for the Picci, Beelzebub encounters a wingless angel named Muniel who picks a fight with him, though Beelzebub has no issue defeating him. Muniel runs of with a mysterious urn. After getting gifts from the Picci, the trio find a girl named Ann being attacked by drones who steal her aquanium, the element the Picci use. They learn that she is from Forest Land and after conversing with Are, realize that Zeu was dealing with their issues before he was defeated. Muniel is in league with the usurping leader Commander Bred and wants to use the urn on demons. Ann takes the trio to Forest Land and take in their new surroundings. | |||
| 08 | "Operation: Sneak Into the Capital!" ("Infiltration Operation!") (Sen'nyū Dai Sakusen!; 潜入大作戦!) |
Nozomu Kamiya | March 27, 2024 |
| Ann shows the trio Forest Land and have fun in their new surroundings. They quickly meet the rest of the resistance lead by former Sand Land soldier Lango, and learn that Ann is the princess. Her father, King Jam, is expected to be executed in the morning by Commander Bred and Muniel. The group split in two with Rao and Thief breaking into the castle to steal the aquanium while Beelzebub and Ann (who constantly bicker with each other) go and try to stop the execution. Rao and Thief manage to steal the aquanium, only to run into Bred who recognizes Rao as Shiva. Ann watches the execution take place as Beelzebub sneaks behind the stage to save Jam, only for Muniel to reveal himself and angrily challenge Beelzebub to a fight. | |||
| 09 | "Fiend Power" (Akuma no Chikara; 悪魔の力) |
Masatoshi Hakata | April 3, 2024 |
| Rao and Thief manage to escape Bred while Muniel uses his staff to control soldiers to attack Beelzebub and the shocks him with a lightning bolt. Ann discovers that she has powers and Muniel reveals that she is the daughter of a demon. The execution turns out to be a fake, meant to lure Ann home, but Beelzebub recovers, insults the people attending and escapes with her. The heroes meet up and are soon surrounded by the army who shoots at them, but Beelzebub uses his metallic skin ability to protect them. They end up falling into the river, but are rescued by the Swimmers who had come at the behest of Lango, who was part of the rebel army with Papa. The aquanium turns out to be fake while the real one is with Bred and Muniel. | |||
| 10 | "Muniel's Urn" (Munieru no Tsubo; ムニエルの壺) |
Wakiko Kume | April 10, 2024 |
| In flashback, Muniel, tired of menial work in the heavens, decides to go down to Earth to get rid of demons using a demon trapping urn. Upon confronting Lucifer, his wings are stripped and he is sent careening towards Forest Land. He learns that the ruler's Queen, Lilith is a demon, and with Bred's help, gets the people to turn on their rulers and traps Lilith in the urn. Lango is forced to get Ann to safety. In the present, Beelzebub learns that Ann is Lilith's daughter, meaning that he is her uncle and that Lilith left some aquanium with Lucifer for safekeeping. As the heroes rush back to Sand Land to warn the demons, Muniel and Bred arrive and use the magic urn to entrap Lucifer. The heroes watch helplessly as Muniel savors his victory. | |||
| 11 | "Flying Fortress Garam" (Kūchū Yōsai Garamu; 空中要塞ガラム) |
Fumito Yamada | April 17, 2024 |
| With the aquanium collected, Muniel and Bred launch their flying fortress Garam. Muniel slowly becomes more unhinged in front of Bred when he suggests blasting the area where the rebels are said to be, despite the damaging implications. Luckily, the Swimmers warn them just before the attack. Are informs the heroes that Forest Land is officially declaring war on Sand Land. The Swimmers and the Rebels unite with everyone and Beelzebub, poorly, plans an attack. The group attack Garam, which sends drones and large walkers to attack the heroes. Using their skills, as well as the Genji Dragon in the sand, the heroes manage to outmaneuver all the dangers as Beelzebub, Rao, Thief, and Ann successfully launch themselves onto Garam. | |||
| 12 | "The Final Battle!" (Saishū Kessen!!; 最終決戦!!) |
Kōji Sasaki | April 24, 2024 |
| The Quartet venture through Garam before entering a warehouse room. Despite Bred's objections, Muniel wants to use the laser to destroy Sand Land. Bred, in a large armored body, attacks the heroes. Beelzebub runs to the engine room with Ann soon following closely behind him. Rao and Thief manage to outmaneuver Bred and destroy his robot suit. Beelzebub enters the main engine room and battles Muniel as the laser charges. Ann sneakily manages to deactivate the laser in time, but Muniel catches her and threatens her life. Beelzebub powers up and beats up Muniel by tossing him face first into the aquanium. This ends up being a mistake as Muniel increases in size and regrows his wings. Beelzebub prepares for battle as Garam begins to fall. | |||
| 13 | "The Battle Comes to an End" (Tatakai no Hate ni; 戦いの果てに) |
Ayumu Ono | May 1, 2024 |
| Beelzebub is severely beaten by Muniel, as Ann attempts to slow the descent of Garam while telling the soldiers to leave. Bred, witnessing this, redeems himself by aiding her. Rao and Thief use the tank to shoot a hole in the roof and let the moon heal Beelzebub who punches Muniel off Garam, draining him of the aquanium and freeing Lucifer and Lilith. Ann manages to alter the aquanium's mixture so that the damage is minimal as the heroes escape Garam. Lucifer and Lilith aid them the crashed aquanium causes it to rain all over Sand Land for the first time. Muniel vows revenge, but his superiors bring him back to heaven where he is demoted for 1000 years. Jam and Lilith return as rulers of Forest Land where Bred and Lango reinstated and vow to improve relationships with Sand Land. Ann decides to join Beelzebub, Rao, and Thief on more adventures as the series comes to an end. | |||
Videos[]
鳥山明原作『SAND LAND- THE SERIES』｜本予告｜世界の映画祭で絶賛された冒険ファンタジー超大作が待望のシリーズ化｜Disney+ (ディズニープラス）
Sand Land - Official Trailer - Hulu
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- While the first six episodes are a direct adaptation of the original manga, the seven episodes afterwards were newly written by Akira Toriyama.
- Sand Land also received a video game adaptation that was a retelling of the entire anime series, but included even more additional story material to expand the game's length.
- Akira Toriyama initially intended Sand Land, at least the original manga, to be his last work, but he would later produce Dragon Ball Super after the failure of the 2009 film adaptation Dragonball Evolution.
External links[]
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