Hasbro has been on a roll lately releasing awesome GI Joe figures one after another, and this year’s SDCC exclusive Kim Arashikage—better known to Joe fans as “Jinx”—is no exception. In fact, she may be one of the better figures to be released recently, which is really saying a lot. Hasbro knocked it right out of the park and I simply can not imagine a better modern interpretation of this character. Am I over-selling it? Maybe, but I truly think she’s in the same league as Storm Shadow—yes, THAT Storm Shadow—in terms of simply awesome Joe figures.
Jinx was introduced in 1987 and immediately stood out because she was a female ninja decked out in a bright red ninja suit. In 1987 this was quite the revelation. Girls could be ninjas? Holy crap! Hasbro even painted her fingernails red so there was absolutely no mistaking Jinx for anything but a butt-kicking lady in red. She quickly became one of my favorite figures back then, and this new figure reminded me within two seconds of opening her why I loved the original so much: she is simply loads of fun to play with.
Her card is in the vintage Joe style that fans know and love. It’s kept safe from harm in a Joe clamshell, for all you MOC enthusiasts.
Her card reads: “Kim ‘Jinx’ Arashikage studied and competed in three forms of martial arts from the time she was seven until she graduated from Bryn Mawr. Upon arriving in Japan for a vacation, she discovered that her family had been ninjas for generations, and she was officially initiated into the clan. Jinx was recruited for the GI Joe team by Snake Eyes.”
In terms of accessories, Jinx comes with two swords, two sheaths, a staff, and a stand with her name emblazoned upon it. It’s a pretty sparse assortment of weapons compared to what we’ve become accustomed to, but for her it’s perfect because she can actually hold everything in a way that isn’t awkward at all and actually looks good—that’s a huge plus for me. Often I feel that Joes come with almost too much gear, so this is refreshing in a way.
Her uniform is a very close match to the suit and mask she was fitted with in 1987, with a few tweaks. There’s no nail polish this time, and her footwear has been upgraded from a pair of little slippers to a pair of legit split-toed ninja boots, perfect for delivering hard kicks to the face. What’s important here is that she is immediately recognizable as Jinx, so Hasbro’s faithfulness to the original figure is very evident.
As far as articulation goes, Jinx has it where it counts, and then some. What jumped out at me almost instantly was her rocker ankles. Not even Storm Shadow can boast those, so this little touch makes her an exceptional figure amongst exceptional figures. The only possible drawback here is that her ankles have no swivel point, but you know what? Neither do mine. And to be perfectly honest, I don’t miss the ankle swivel at all, and if I had to choose between the two, I would definitely choose the rocker ankle. Everything else is pretty standard articulation-wise, and it’s easy to pose her like the bad-ass ninja she is.
At the end of the day, I really can’t say enough good things about this figure. She has so much going for her that any GI Joe fan will appreciate and find simply awesome. Again, Hasbro really knocked it out of the park with this one, so if you are able to get one, DO IT.
Be aware, however, that she is an SDCC exclusive, so like all past SDCC GI Joe exclusives, she is sure to be both very popular and very hard to get. She should be available on hasbrotoyshop.com, along with the rest of Hasbro’s SDCC exclusives, any time now, so if you want her, you’re going to have to be on your toes.
Thanks to Hasbro for sending along this sample for review.
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