If you grew up watching Dragon Ball, there’s a pretty good chance you have at least one childhood memory involving Goku, a Dragon Ball marathon, or at the very least screaming “Kamehameha!” in your living room. Well, Seoul has taken all of that nostalgia and turned it into a giant immersive 2-story exhibition with life-size sculptures of saiyans, nameks, and more.
Dragon Ball: Heroes Rise Asia Tour has officially landed in Seoul, and this is definitely not your average pop-up. Instead of simply displaying pieces behind glass, the exhibition takes you through some of the most iconic moments in the Dragon Ball universe with life-sized characters, recreated scenes, interactive games, photo zones and digital missions. So naturally, I had to check it out.
This particular exhibition is an immersive celebration of the massive world of Dragon Ball, from Goku’s childhood adventures all the way through the Saiyan saga and Buu saga with bits of Dragon Ball Super. Rather than focusing on one particular season or character, Heroes Rise is divided into nine different areas, that take visitors through major chapters and battles from the Dragon Ball story.
One of the biggest reasons this feels more like an exhibition than a normal pop-up is the sheer number of character installations! The exhibition features more than 40 full-scale character statues, including Goku, Vegeta, Frieza and Cell and they’re incredibly detailed. There are also villains and supporting characters scattered throughout the different sections. And because many of them are incorporated into recreated scenes rather than simply standing in a row, the experience feels much more like traveling through the Dragon Ball timeline.
What takes this to the next level is that a lot of these character installations are brought to life with light projections and accompanying iconic scenes from the anime. One of the major highlights is a project screen featuring a full-size projection of Goku’s first transformation into a super saiyan. At the end, the projection screen turns transparent to reveal a power-halo around a super-detailed, life-sized sculpture of Goku in super saiyan form.
Some highlights are the interactive games scattered throughout the exhibit. These games test your combat skills, try out the famous fusion poses and even give your best Kamehameha. The system tracks your movement and brings the attack to life digitally. So if you’ve spent the last 30 years pretending you could actually do this (like I have)… your moment has finally arrived.
There’s also a scavenger hunt you can complete by scanning QR codes throughout the different exhibition zones to collect Dragon Balls. Complete the mission by visiting the different areas and you can unlock an exclusive wallpaper for your phone. It’s a small detail, but I really like when exhibitions give you something to actually do rather than simply walking through taking pictures. It definitely adds to the experience.
Naturally, you don’t leave a Dragon Ball exhibition without at least “looking” at the merch. At the end of the exhibit there’s a small gift shop with limited edition goods, totes, t-shirts, acrylic stands, collectible cards and even a flying nimbus pillow. And visitors who purchase a ticket can also receive one random photo card from a set of 13 designs. Which means you could theoretically go for the exhibition and accidentally start collecting Dragon Ball photo cards. Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us.
If you grew up with Dragon Ball, I’d say this is the ultimate fan experience. The biggest strength of this exhibition is that it isn’t simply a collection of statues. It combines photo zones, interactive games, story telling and overall nostalgia. And honestly, I think it’s that combination that makes Dragon Ball Heroes Rise work. It’s fun for both serious fans like my husband and people who simply remember watching Goku and Vegeta growing up like me. You don’t need to be able to remember the entire Dragon Ball timeline to enjoy it. You just need to see Goku standing there and think, “Oh my God, I remember this!”
- 🗓 August 22 ~ November 15, 2026
- ⏰️ 11:00 am ~ 9:00 pm (everyday)
- 📍 Stage X Seongsu 403 (Naver Map, Google Maps)
- 🎟 ₩28,000 (available on-site)
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