Collectible figures are a popular form of merchandise that often take the form of characters from a variety of different series from pop culture. While figures for some television and video game series are also made, most Japanese figure manufacturers often focus on popular anime and manga characters. As such, hundreds upon thousands of individual figures with iconic poses are available for purchase from many different vendors like physical stores and online shops. Several different styles of figures are also available that each have their own set of perks and drawbacks. Some of the more widely available types of figures are action figures, scale figures, and chibi figures.
Action Figures
These figures are similar to what many in the Western world are familiar with, but are often taken to the next level when talking about otaku merchandise. While many often think about cheap plastic toys designed for children when thinking about action figures, these figures are of much higher quality and are often much more expensive than what you would find in a child’s toy box. Despite the notable difference in quality, however, these figures still function similarly to other action figures. Otaku merchandise labeled as “action figures” often have a great amount of articulation, particularly in the joints, allowing for a user to create a variety of different poses with the figure. Rather than playing with them, though, those that buy these figures often use their flexibility to recreate iconic scenes and poses from whichever series the figure came from. Cosplayers and artists can also use these figures as a reference to create poses that a specific character would make.
One of the most widely known lines of action figures is the figma brand, which is owned by Good Smile Company. This series of figures has released hundreds of different articulated action figures that often include various accessories as well. The figma line began in 2008 with a figure of Yuki Nagato from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya series. Today, the regular figma line has reached nearly 500 unique figures (though there are other figma lines as well). Some of these figures include blank, skin tone colored mannequins designed specifically for artists to use as a reference. One of the most prominent figma sculptors is a man named Asai Masaki (who also goes by the nickname APSY). He has contributed his talent to over 600 different figma figures.
figma Crow (Persona 5) figure
Scale Figures
Scale figures are seen much more like collector items than action figures are, as they often have no articulation whatsoever. Though these figures offer little to no customizability, they often make up for this drawback with the sheer amount of detail and design that is put into them. As the name might suggest, “scale figures” are figures that attempt to perfectly recreate a given character to the very last detail. Scale figures can often be told apart from other figures by a fraction in their names, which usually refers to how big or small a figure is. For example, a figure with the fraction “1/8 scale” notes that the figure is one-eighth the size that the character would be in real life. A particular characteristic of most scale figures is that they often portray their characters in poses or unique outfits that make them stand out from other figures. There are several scale figures that portray female characters in rather risque outfits and poses, though others with a focus on more standard poses are available as well. Due to the sheer amount of detail and work that goes into scale figures, they are often the most expensive and can sometimes cost several hundred dollars.
Kotobukiya is one of the more popular producers of scale figures. Though the company also manufactures scale mecha model kits, their ArtFX J figure series has caught the eyes of many fans. The company has created well over one hundred different figures in dynamic poses that show off their respective character’s personality. Figures of characters from many popular series have been created and include classics like Yu Yu Hakusho and Yu-Gi-Oh! to more recent hits like My Hero Academia, Fire Force, and Attack on Titan. Matsumoto Kouei is a sculptor that has worked on dozens of different figures for Kotobukiya, many of which are from the aforementioned ArtFX J line.
ArtFX J Attack On Titan Levi 1/8 Scale Figure by Kotobukiya
Chibi Figures
Chibi figures often refer to figures of various characters that take a smaller, cuter approach. This is, of course, in reference to the term “chibi”, a Japanese slang term used to call something small or cute. These figures often have much larger heads and smaller bodies than usual, putting much more significance on the character’s eyes and face. Due to their smaller size, chibi figures are usually cheaper than most action or scale figures, making them great for collectors on a tighter budget.
The most popular brand of chibi figures by far are Nendoroids, which are also created by Good Smile Company. One thing that makes Nendoroids special is that, like action figures, they have a rather impressive amount of articulation, allowing the figure to be posed in a variety of different manners. Other extra parts inspired by each figure’s respective character are also included, further increasing the amount of potential customization. These parts often come in the form of face plates with various expressions, weapons or items, and visual effect pieces. Currently, there are over approximately 1300 Nendoroid figures have been announced, an overwhelming number for fans to look through. Although there are a number of sculptors that work on Nendoroid figures, many of them are collectively credited as “Nendoron”.
Nendoroid Rem (Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-) figure
Links
Figma Persona 5 Crow figure
ArtFX J Attack on Titan Levi 1/8 Scale Figure
Nendoroid Rem Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World- figure
Table of Contents
Bursting onto the manga scene in Japan and overseas in 2014, My Hero Academia took the world by storm. With a manga still in print, four seasons of animation, and two movies, the franchise shows no sign of stopping. My Hero Academia is a manga and anime based on a modern Japanese...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
For a large amount of the western world, say anime, and people will say Dragon Ball; the terms are almost synonymous. In recent years enjoying a revival Dragon Ball is back on the radar in Japan and overseas spawning a number of spin-offs (Yamcha Gaiden), continuations (Dragon Ba...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
First serialized in Shonen not Jump in December 1984 Dragon Ball went on to become one of Jump's most successful manga and its author Toriyama Akira became a manga legend. The original Dragon Ball anime was first broadcast in February 1986 and saw a long successful run until ...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
First serialized in Weekly Shonen comics not Jump in December 1984 Dragon Ball went on to become one of Jump's most successful manga and its author Toriyama Akira became a manga legend. The original Dragonball anime was first broadcasted in February 1986 and saw a long succes...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Dragon Ball is one of the biggest names in the world of Japanese manga and anime. With a history spanning over 30 years since its first publication, Dragon Ball has been depicted in animation, games, Hollywood, and more. After ending its phenomenal run on January 31, 1996, Dragon...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Dragon Ball is one of the biggest names in the Japanese anime and manga industry. Spanning an incredible 36 years since the debut publication in Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine, the Dragon Ball franchise is still going strong. With its easily accessible comedy/martial arts style, the...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
For a large number of people, the words anime and Dragon Ball are synonymous. This simply goes to show how strongly Dragon Ball has affected popular culture the world over. Interestingly France and Latin America were among the first countries outside of Japan to receive Dragon Ba...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
The Demon Slayer series began as a manga serialization that was printed in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2016 and quickly exploded in popularity after the Ufotable anime adaptation was aired on television in April 2019. In order to satisfy fans’ desire for merchandise, a myriad of differ...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Demon Slayer is a franchise that began as a manga that was printed in Weekly Shonen Jump and authored by Koyoharu Gotoge in 2016. As the series continued its serialization, it gained a notable following by readers and eventually received an anime adaptation by studio Ufotable in ...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
The Demon Slayer franchise first began as a manga that was created by Koyoharu Gotoge and serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2016. The manga performed very well among readers of the magazine, eventually resulting in the manga receiving an anime adaptation that was produced by Uf...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Demon Slayer is a franchise that first started out as a manga series that was created by Koyoharu Gotoge and published in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2016. Due to the manga performing exceedingly well among readers, the series eventually received an anime adaptation that was produced b...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Demon Slayer is a manga series that first began its serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2016 and later had an anime adaptation produced by Ufotable that first aired in April 2019. This adaptation threw the series into the limelight and caused its popularity to quickly boom in ...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Demon Slayer is a manga series that first began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2016. It quickly garnered the attention of many readers until it eventually received an anime adaption that was produced by Ufotable in 2019. In response to the incredible praise and demand fro...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Sanji is a character in the One Piece series, created by Eiichiro Oda. The series was first published in 1997 in the Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump series. Since then, the series contains 98 volumes as of December 2020. The popularity of the series resulted in anime production by ...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Usopp is one of the main characters in the manga series One Piece, created by Eiichiro Oda. The series now consists of 98 volumes as of December 2020. The manga series was so popular that an anime version was created by Toei Animation in 1999.
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
One Piece is a manga series created by Eiichiro Oda and is about the journey to become the King of the Pirates. We follow our main hero, Monkey D. Luffy as he travels to underwater lands and even farther seas. The One Piece series was first published in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen J...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
One Piece is a manga series created by Eiichiro Oda in 1997. The story revolves around Monkey D. Luffy and his adventure to become the pirate king. Eiichiro first published the series in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump. The popularity skyrocketed to where Toei Animations made the m...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Typical of the Persona Series, the Persona 5 protagonist doesn’t have much of a standalone personality. Instead, his personality is determined by the player’s actions and dialogue choices. However, as his Phantom Thief alias, Joker, the personality of a confident, deviant prankst...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Futaba Sakura is the mid-game, standout heroine from Persona 5 who steals hearts with both her shyness and gremlin demeanor. Given her social awkwardness and their shared caretaker, Futaba fills a sibling-like role for the Protagonist in the game. However, her true fans know she’...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Makoto Niijima is one of the fan-favorite romanceable confidants in Persona 5. Fans love her prim and proper appearance contrasted with her Mad Max survival style Phantom Thief design. Makoto’s codename “Queen” fits her leader personality, but her strong characteristics don’t det...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Naruto is a manga series created by Masashi Kishimoto. The story is about Naruto Uzumaki, whose dream is to be accepted by everyone and become the Hokage. The Naruto series was first published in 1999 in Shueisha’s magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump. In 2014 the series concluded with 7...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is a manga series created by Masashi Kishimoto, Ukyo Kodachi, and Mikio Ikemoto. It is a follow-up series to the Naruto series created from 1999 to 2014. The story is about Naruto Uzumaki’s son, Boruto Uzumaki, who goes on adventures. The manga ser...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Naruto is a manga series created by Masashi Kishimoto. The story is about Naruto Uzumaki, who goes on an adventure to become the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. The manga series was first created in 1999, shortly after it was shown in Shueisha’s magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Th...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Naruto is a manga series created by Masashi Kishimoto. The story is about Naruto Uzumaki. Originally an outcast, his lifetime goal was to become the Hokage. The manga series was first published in 1999 in Shueisha’s magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump. The series completed in 2014 with ...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Naruto is a manga series created by Masashi Kishimoto. The story is about Naruto Uzumaki, whose dream is to become the Hokage. The series was first published in 1999 in Shueisha’s magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump. In 2014 the series concluded with 72 tankobon or volumes. The series i...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Overwatch is a very popular multiplayer first-person shooter game that was released by Blizzard Entertainment in May 2016 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows, and then later released in October 2019 for the Nintendo Switch. In Overwatch, there are three different class types...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Overwatch is a popular team-based multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video game that allows the players to experience a first-person perspective of the combat and action within the game. Overwatch was developed by Blizzard Entertainment which was released in May 2016 for Play...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Sword Art Online is a franchise that got its start as a web novel series penned by Reki Kawahara in 2002 and was eventually published by Dengeki Bunko in 2009, where it is still currently ongoing. The light novel series gained an incredible amount of popularity among readers, res...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
The Sword Art Online series is a popular franchise that began as a web novel series written by Reki Kawahara, though it was eventually published as a series of light novels by Dengeki Bunko in 2009. The novels grabbed the attention of many readers, resulting in the production of ...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
The Sword Art Online franchise is a popular series that spans multiple kinds of media today but began in 2002 as a web-published novel written by Reki Kawahara. In 2009, however, the series was published by Dengeki Bunko, with Reki Kawahara still being in charge of writing. The s...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
The Monster Hunter series is a collection of action role-playing games that are developed and published by Capcom and were first released in 2004. Each entry generally has the player slaying or trapping intimidating monsters that are much larger and stronger than their player cha...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
The main Monster Hunter franchise is a series of action role-playing games that are produced and published by Capcom. The first game of the series was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2004 and has players take down monstrous creatures that are many times larger than the avatars ...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Monster Hunter is a series of action role-playing games that is developed and published by Capcom. Although the first game in the series was released on the PlayStation 2 in 2004, it quickly became a hit and now has five games in the main series and numerous spin-off series. In t...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Neon Genesis Evangelion is a classic mecha anime series produced by Gainax that originally aired in late 1995. Despite its sometimes unusual storytelling methods and its often existential plot, many viewers became fans of the series, which eventually led to many different spin-of...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
The Neon Genesis Evangelion series first began as an original anime series directed by Hideaki Anno and produced by Gainax. Its original run began in late 1995 and stretched into the following year. Although it has some unusual storytelling and an incredibly existential plot, man...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
In the world of Japanese RPGs, none is more famous or widely-renowned than Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII, which was released for the PlayStation in 1997. Although the Final Fantasy series was already critically and commercially acclaimed, Final Fantasy VII took things a step fu...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Final Fantasy VII is a Japanese RPG that was developed by Square Enix and released for the Playstation in 1997. Even though the Final Fantasy franchise had already gained renown across the globe, the seventh main entry in the series brought the popularity of the series to an enti...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
While Nico Yazawa may play the part of a super popular idol in the franchise, in real life she is one of the most popular Love Live! idols across generations. Her childlike appearance, peppy persona, and contrasting abrasive personality have endeared her to the fandom. Nico’s rel...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Over the course of Love Live!’s popularity, Kotori Minami has remained a fan favorite. Even after subsequent generations of new school idols, the original designer continues to be as adored as her in-universe maid personality, Minalinsky. As with most idol properties, Love Live! ...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Love Live! is one of the largest idol-themed multimedia franchises in Japan and as a result, the cast has a large, dedicated fanbase. Rin Hoshizora is one of the first generation idols from the original franchise idol group, μ’s. While many of the μ’s idols have diehard fans endu...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Nekopara’s peppy Chocola endears fans with her constant sunny disposition and “deredere” romance style. Fittingly, Chocola ties with her twin sister, Vanilla, for most figures in the Nekopara fandom. As the series progresses and more catgirls get their moment in the spotlight, Ch...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Vanilla and her twin sister, Chocola, are the ultra-recognizable mascots of both Nekopara and the doujinshi circle NEKOWORKs. Fans love her “kuudere” style and not-so-subtle degree of siscon with Chocola. As a result, the two feature in most artwork, merchandise, and figures as a...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
The Attack on Titan franchise is an incredibly popular manga series that is authored by Hajime Isayama and was first serialized by Kodansha in 2009. The post-apocalyptic setting, thrilling action, and intriguing mysteries caught the attention of millions of readers around the wor...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Attack on Titan is a manga series that is written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama and was first published by Kodansha in September 2009. Today, several dozen readers of the manga have been captivated by its post-apocalyptic setting, intense action scenes, endearing characters, ...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
The Attack on Titan franchise began as a manga written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It was first serialized by Kodansha in September 2009 and currently has over thirty volumes published. The series has captivated millions of readers around the world with its endearing chara...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! (often simply abbreviated to Konosuba) is a popular comedy fantasy series that began as a web novel series in 2012, but was quickly published as a light novel series by Kadokawa (Yen Press in the US) the following year. As the ser...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! (often abbreviated to Konosuba) is a comedic fantasy series that first got its start as a novel series published on the internet in 2012, but was later published by Kadokawa the following year. The series quickly grew in popularit...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
Within the franchise and the fandom, Toru Oikawa is one of the breakout characters in the Haikyu!! universe. Fans love Oikawa not only as the original final boss style antagonist but for his relatable struggle in a cast filled with amazing talent. Of course, his bullying personal...
Last updated at, 02 Feb 2021
