Review - S.H. Figuarts Ryu (Street Fighter)
S.H. Figuarts Ryu is my first experience with the Figuarts Fighting body first developed (to my knowledge) for the Kinnikuman line of figures. I am very impressed with how heavy and robust the figure feels, it has a lot more mass and physical size to it than I am used to with Figuarts or Figma style toys. That being said there is no discernible effect on articulation or balance as I've been able to achieve almost any pose I set out to with Ryu.
Ryu's look is derivative of his anime and video game appearances, creating what I would consider to be an evergreen style, recognisable to anyone who has experienced the franchise regardless of which version you are most familiar with. It's a very anime styled look and avoids the use of digital paint for the faces much to my satisfaction. The details in Ryu's face and gloves are well painted and crisp, and there's a nice texture given to his gi as well. There's subtle shading and the sculpted lines and folds of his body and clothing cause natural shading to occur quite effectively as well. If I had one nitpick with the paint, it would be his teeth on the open mouth screaming face. He's got a serious case of Pirates of the Caribbean going on that's quite off-putting.
Articulation
From the top:
- Ball joint at the base of the head and one at the base of the neck.
- Dedicated butterfly joint inside chest.
- Multi-jointed shoulders, Ball joint in body on a stem to disk hinge at shoulder w/ bicep swivel.
- Double jointed elbows w/ swivel and a locking ratchet at 90º.
- Ball/Swivel at the wrist, can be oriented to allow for up/down or left/right.
- Ball jointed waist for left/right swivel as well as ab crunch and back arch.
- T-joint style hips w/ thigh swivel.
- Hinged knees that go just past 90º.
- Shin cut under the pants to allow foot swivel.
- Disk hinge w/ peg for the feet, tilts in 4 directions.
- Single hinge at the toe.
Articulation on Ryu leaves very little to be desired. I pulled a few poses from one of my Street Fighter art books and he was able to achieve them all with no issues. The fighting body has a few points of articulation that are unique to it such as the combined double elbow/swivel that allow you to pull off some interesting moves. I particularly like the large joints in the knees as they feel very robust and hold positions incredible well. His belt and bandanna are also adjustable to add a nice sense of movement to even the most simple of poses.
Accessories
Accessory count is a bit light on Ryu. He ships with 2 sets of hands; closed fists and opening grappling hands. He's got 3 total faces, one stoic, one grimacing, and one shouting. There is also a fireball with a clear stand. The packaging also includes a backdrop that can be used to display Ryu.
I would have liked to see a couple more hand options, in particular a pair of straight "chop" hands, and maybe a couple pairs of more stylized hands for more relaxed poses or different stances. The included Hadouken effect is executed beautifully with a clear plastic and gradient paint job. The inclusion of a stand is a major plus!
Final Thoughts
All in I feel like Figuarts Ryu is an excellent representation of the character for anyone who isn't more interested in the Streetfighter V aesthetic. I'm a big fan of the Alpha series so seeing a more toon styled Ryu makes me happy. This figure is on loan from a friend of mine but handling it has convinced me to pick up the Akuma variant for my own collection, so look forward to seeing him some time soon! Thanks for checking out my review. Check out the rest of the gallery below and let me know what you think in the comments!
