Golden Knight Garo was released this month as part of Bandai’s Makaikado line of figures, featuring S.I.C (Super Imaginative Chogokin) sculpting with S.H. Figuarts style of articulation. Garo is from the Tokusatsu series Garo, featuring characters that transform into knights “horrors” or knights that fight some seriously bloody and violent fights. I’ve seen one episode and never got further into the series, but it’s on the list of revisits.
The real reason that I bought this figure is that he is as close as I’ll get to a Dark Souls Ornstein, who fights with Smough in one of the toughest battles in the game. Placed in Anor Londo, this is a boss fight that is critical to progressing through the game and fighting the golden armored knight with a lion’s mask and spear and his fat friend can be frustrating, but is worth the challenge. I bought Figma’s Guts for the same reason; he’s as close as I’ll get to having a “warrior” from the game. Garo has a wolf’s head but I’ll take it.
The sculpt on this figure is amazing. It’s so full of detail and artistry that it’s another one of those figures that you can spend hours staring at. The figure is tall, he’s a 7 incher, but for the purposes of displaying him as an over-the-top bad guy, he is perfect. There’s nothing to complain about on the sculpt of the figure — it’s beautiful.
The articulation is also fantastic. It’s S.H. Figuarts articulation all the way through, minus the articulated t-joint for the ball hips. This is a static joint and the ball hips are just balls and sockets. It lacks the construction of the S.H. Figuarts or Figma hips, and as a result, it has a very limited range of movement. I know the armor would inhibit some movement, but not enough to give the hips the full package.
As usual, this Bandai figure comes chock full of accessories: a sword and sheath, extra hands, and a cape. The cape is poseable, but it’s heavy and doesn’t pose well. The hands are all great, but I’ll only wind up using the right-hand sword hand and the left-hand sheath-holding hand. And the sword? One of the best swords ever. This this is beautiful and I’m tempted to get a casting as this would be the perfect sword for Elric.
Should you get this figure just because? No. Most people won’t know where to put it or what to do with it. I have a clear use, but it’s not certain the average collector would. But if you are a collector looking to fill out a fantasy display or you just want really beautiful artwork to display, then yes, you should pick this piece up. It’s expensive, but worth every penny.
You can pre-order it up today at:
And think about ordering this badboy as well:
Makaikado Makai no Hana – Kokaku Jushin Garo Exclusive
