Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts line continues its Kinnikuman deluge with Akuma-Shogun, the largest figure yet in this particular subline. With some shiny silver and reds this is also the most visually perky figure that has been produced under the Kinnikuman umbrella.
Akuma is the fifth figure in what I hope is a never-ending effort to bring us fully articulated M.U.S.C.L.E. Figures. With several more on the way, it looks like they’re really invested in this theme. With Figuarts putting out both these and Star Wars figures, they’re getting a ton of my money lately.
Akuma is a larger figure; therefore, there was no way to reuse the tooling, so he was also more expensive, but totally worth it. He’s a beautiful figure. Beautiful figure only goes so far, however, but his articulation more than backs him up. As with the rest, he has a ton of articulation to get him into those super-wrestling moves of the source material. I really like those mid-elbow swivels that all of these figures have had so far, it’s such a small thing but it adds a ton to his motion. I don’t have a ton of Figuarts figures but none of the others I have feature that specific articulation point.
Unavoidably, those huge disks on his shoulders do inhibit his motion there, but I don’t think there’s any way getting around that specific design element. The panels on his hips seem like they would corrupt his ability to get into wide-legged stances, but they’re on tiny ball-joints, so they don’t interrupt anything. Overall, other than the slight concession to those shoulder disks, he can do anything the other less-encumbered figures can. He’s articulated at the mid-torso and waist, at the hips, knees, ankles — all of them are well-engineered for maximum movement.
Akuma comes with a cape that’s made of a pretty stiff plastic, so it’s really only for show, if you want him to move around, you’ll have to ditch that, but that’s probably the point of it anyway: showpiece.
Akuma comes with three sets of hands, all of which snap on and off easily. He has a set of fists, a set of menacing hands, and a set of open hands, all for a variety of expressive posing. Both of the open hands are jointed at the palm for maximum effectiveness.
He comes with a total of four different heads, two of which can be mounted on the small gravestone/monument piece that he comes with at any time. There are two standard heads that offer slightly different expressions, and then the two extra heads that are meant for the monument. I am not totally familiar with the source material (yet), but some quick research says these heads represent the sliced-off heads of Goldman (his former identity) and his brother Silverman. So yeah, the two brothers simultaneously sliced off each others heads. Hardcore stuff. All of these heads are fully swappable with every other figure in the line.
This is a long, long way from tiny peach colored eraser-like things from the ’80s (of which I don’t have the little Akuma).
He comes with a pair of detachable wrist blades because that pretty much makes everything better. Akuma Shogun always brings a pair of blades to a fistfight. He’s the smart one. When the blades aren’t in use you have a pair of just the red hilts that can be used. All of these pop in place with a tiny peg; they’re not perfectly secure but they work well enough.
With his imposing size and triple-horned head, Akuma is, frankly, an awesome-looking figure that just doesn’t stop looking badass. My Kinnikuman/M.U.S.C.L.E. Collection is filling in nicely.
