Grendizer, Gundam and Evangelion in Saudi Arabia: The Trio That Brought Us Together

2022 and 2023 were packed years: some of the world’s most iconic mecha came to Saudi Arabia: Grendizer, Gundam, Zaku and Evangelion. This trio brought us together as friends, and that is where the idea of our club began.

Grendizer: the giant of Boulevard World

The 1/1 scale Grendizer stands 33 metres tall and received an award as the world’s largest giant robot. It is the result of a collaboration between Go Nagai, creator of Mazinger and Grendizer, and Manga Productions, and was built together with Riyadh Season.

Today it is one of the most important landmarks of Boulevard World and one of the main reasons people visit. A band performed Grendizer songs and music as part of the events. Later, the Japan zone and Grendizer moved to a new spot overlooking the lake, where its towering height really shows.

Grendizer has become an icon and a legacy: a symbol of the beginning of Japanese anime in our region, and of cultural exchange between Saudi Arabia and Japan. In 2026, Go Nagai spoke about the statue in an interview. Thank you for a gift we are proud of.

Gundam and Char’s Zaku: from Osaka to Jeddah and Riyadh

The Gundam and Char’s Zaku statue came to Saudi Arabia, was shown in Jeddah and then moved to Riyadh. Interestingly, this statue was known from the Expocity area in Osaka, Japan, which some of our members had visited. It is 1/2 scale.

It left Saudi Arabia at the end of the season, but it left a big mark on us and helped inspire the idea of founding the club.

Evangelion Unit-01: a surprise from Tokyo

The Eva-01 statue was an exclusive piece displayed at a station in Tokyo, so its visit was a big surprise for us. It is 6 metres tall and came with an exhibition of many collectibles and rare original anime drawings.

From giant statues to a club

Having this trio here brought us together as friends, and we organised small events around them. Those events gave birth to Saudi Mecha Robot.