Tamashii Effects Series - Effect Thunder Green Ver. fir S.H. Figuarts

These have been sitting on the back burner for a while now, so this week will be all about the effects pieces! The Effect Thunder is a set of three clip-on lightning pieces, including a large base lightning piece, an attaching columnar lighting piece that plugs into the base, and a single straight lightning piece that plugs into the top of all three. They did a good job here, making the lightning erratic in direction. I love the clear green on it, though sometimes I feel the white translucent plastic highlighting might take away a little too much in some cases. The pieces are very pokey! The figure attachment pieces are a little more difficult to put on than the fire ones, but overall, this is very cool! If you have a Deku figure or anyone else with a greenish lightning effect, this is a solid must-have! It does work for some of my Blue Lightning users, but I will probably get that specific set in the future anyway.

Tamashii Effects Series - Burning Flame RED Version for S.H. Figuarts

 I recently acquired quite a few Tamashii Nations effects pieces as well as the new Ichiraku Ramen diorama so this week I'll be trying to review them all! That said it may not all happen at once. Anyone who knows anything about action figure photography knows that with diorama or effects you can have multiple figures, using multiple accessories with a variety of poses to get some good range of shots, so it takes quite a bit of time to set up everything! 

This time I'll be doing the Red version of the Burning flame effects. These are honestly so cool and work well with all the flame based heroes. The reflection and translucency of the fire parts is awesome. With four smaller flame parts that can fit around figure limbs and three larger aura-like fire effects, these pieces work well on many levels. 

I realized I had to make an all new system to review effect parts and dioramas because the model for figures doesn't quite fit the bill. 

S.H. Figuarts Naruto Uzumaki - [Kurama Link Mode] Courageous Strength That Binds

The Naruto show goes through a ton of instances of power scaling, a term in anime (especially Shonen anime) that refers to determining a character's power by comparing them to other characters. Specifically, this is often a power race between Naruto and his rival, Sasuke. 

Near the end of the series, Naruto and Sasuke get a massive power boost. In this case, for Naruto is finally can win over the heart and the chakra Nine-Tailed beast imprisoned inside him by his father, and bond completely in a symbiotic synchronicity. The nine-tailed demon fox, Kurama, has learned over time the value, loyalty and determination of the human being he is locked inside and decides moving forward that Kurama is now on Naruto's side, creating a new power blend resulting in the Kurama Link Mode. Naruto is now surrounded by a yellow-orange chakra and black outlines surround him to show how completely enveloped by Kurama's chakra. In this mode, Naruto has incredible, previously unheard-of power. He can also create clones with insane power and throw on chakra cloaks to an entire army. It's a lot! 

This special figure release is amazing and a bit of a holy grail for me. It was NOT cheap to acquire and yet it's a pretty awesome version of Naruto while not being a repeat of previously produced Naruto versions in the line (I'm looking at you Sage mode!)

S.H. Figuarts Orochimaru - Seeker of Immortality

 Orochimaru is one of my favourite villains in the Naruto series. He has the mad scientist-type vibe and has no qualms about experimenting on people and killing those who stand in his way. He is based on a Japanese myth with a character of the same name, a robber who was blessed with snake magic that allowed him to spit venom at his victims. He is in love with Tsunade, the slug princess, who is Jiraiya's bride. A lot of names were taken in by the show! 

Orochimaru plays a fairly big part in part 1 of the show, being the main antagonist for a good chunk. He has acquired a ton of ninja techniques but is often seen using summons and powers involving snakes and poisons. Early on, he takes on Sasuke and Naruto in the Forest of Death and sinks his fangs into Sasuke, giving him the Curse Mark. This painful seal allows him to draw on power from outside his body but causes transformations of his physical body into something a bit more sinister. The sub title of the figure is Seeker of Immortality, but I'm not sure he isn't already. As long as he has access to a new body to inhabit, he continues living. Maybe it's a pseudo/viral type of immortality. 

Given that I didn't know this figure was coming (I was expecting maybe some of the other Konoha 12 from part 1), it's pretty cool that there's another villain! The figure is pretty great, and if you're waiting for me to put one of these figures on blast for something it's probably not going to happen. I love the accessories and completely forget it ALSO included another faceplate for Sasuke! A part of Sasuke's curse mark 1! The figure is very well articulated, and even the back of the hair flips up on a hinge to allow some movement. The only odd thing I could say here is there is some messy shading on the front and back of the bottom robe, but nowhere else. It's a little visually off. 

S.H. Figuarts Kid Sasuke Uchiha - Ninja Prodigy of the Uchiha Clan Bloodline

 The way Sasuke is written in Shippudden leaves a lot to be desired. I understood his character a lot more in Part 1. He wants vengeance on his brother, he's an emo kid who doesn't want anyone to truly understand him or be his friend. I get it! Despite that, Naruto perseveres in trying to make him part of the ninja family that Naruto has built up over the series. 

This figure is once again very well executed. The sculpt and engineering are great, allowing a wide range of flexibility. The accessories are almost everything you would want from his combat in Part 1minus his transformation into Curse Marks 1 and 2.  To get that done though it feels like you'd need a fully different sculpt for the wing hands, and a distinct head and face plate. Even if you wanted to execute Curse Mark 1, the arms legs and face would also need a switch. This figure definitely covers his moves including and past the Chunin exams. 

S.H. Figuarts Kid Naruto Uzumaki - Unexpected No. 1 Slapstick Ninja

 

Ever since they restarted the Naruto line for S.H. Figuarts, I have been more or less all in! I missed out on some web exclusives like Jiraiya, but they are doing so well at releasing new figures for this line, I am preordering things left, right, and center. I got this version of Naruto a while back, and am finally ready to review it. 

This version of Naruto is featured in Part 1 of the anime, preceding Shippudden and running for roughly 220 episodes. It had some missable filler, but I did enjoy it when it featured other members of the 12 main Konoha kid ninjas. This Naruto is 12-13 years old here, and is still coming into his own, learning from his teachers and trying to reckon with the demon fox creature sealed inside of him by his parents before their death. 

He is a lot more comedic in this part, pulling pranks, being loud and boisterous, and really letting out his feelings! This is well represented in this action figure. He comes with tons of hands, his rasengan energy effect, a kunai knife, and the best face plates featuring expressions and includes his fox cloak face form and hands. As per the other figures in this renewed line, Naruto has amazing articulation aided by hollow caps and waist areas to allow a lot more posing and flexibility. Also, they've managed to hide the jarring hip swivels a bit better here. 

S.H. Figuarts Naruto Uzumaki - Naruto Shippuden

 Naruto is the title character, so here's the best for last! I love the character, and even though the latest show is about Boruto, his son, they put so much of him in it anyway cause they know what the fans want! If you don't know about Naruto, he had one of the most powerful chakra creatures in the world sealed inside of him as a baby, was ostracized by his village and yet kept under watch at the same time. Through trials and the irresistible power of his friendship, he managed to overcome and rise to become a hero of the village. 

 This version is the base form of the Shippudden character: the teenage, pre-Kurama and pre-Sage mode versions. Don't let that deter you though, this is my current favourite Naruto figure and the best engineered and proportioned in my collection! This one comes with a lot of great options and does so many things very well. Believe it! 

S.H. Figuarts Kakashi Hatake - Naruto Shippuden

 Kakashi is definitely one of my top 5 favourite Naruto characters. He's cool, extremely knowledgable, calm to the point of seeming catatonic, and has some interesting parts to his backstory. Add to that that he became Hokage, the leader of the Hidden Leaf Ninja village for a period of time. He's capable of taking down nearly any character in the Naruto universe with the exception of Moon people and Tailed beasts, though I reckon at the height of his power he could give them a pretty good run for their money solo. Here I though the previous SH Figuarts Kakashi was super well done, this one is better in most every way! 

He's got superior articulation and range as well as some more interesting face swaps. I have one minor issue with the articulation and one major one with the accessories. I love that they extended the shoulder pads out and gave you more posing options here. 

S.H. Figuarts Sasuke Uchiha - Naruto Shippuden

 I didn't love Sasuke's character in Shippuden. He seemed more irrational and less relatable than ever before. In Part 1 you could understand his motivation and really get it even though he wasn't particularly likeable. He had episodes where he showed a more childlike or human side to himself that made you understand, even in the battle at the end. 

Shippuden's writing needs to make more sense. That said, the character grows and he does get some pretty sweet lighting and doujutusu (eye) abilities that make him an intense force to be reconned with. This figure is of him post-Itachi fight, in his gray collared shirt, armbands, blue robe and purple obi rope belt. 

They did kind of an amazing job with all this clothing junk he has on his outfit. First of all, amazing range for the arms, neck, diaphragm and legs, especially when you consider how the robe restricts movement. The belt bows move independently which is nice! He has a very clean place to put his sheath, with or without the sword in it. His chidori effect is pretty good, though not any better or worse than the previous release. There's quite a few differences between this release and the last Sasuke release they had (Itachi Battle ver.). He comes with a lot more face options, and some nice sword options to go along with his chidori (lightning). I'll be comparing the other Sasuke by SHF which I'll refer to herein as SFB (Sasuke final battle). 

S.H. Figuarts Sakura Haruno - Naruto Shippuden

 

I'm super excited to reintroduce new figures for the Naruto line! I didn't know this would ever happen, so thanks to one of my readers for alerting me to this earlier last year. To be fair, most of them are figures we've seen before, but with entirely new engineering, facial expressions, and prices. They initially released Shippuden versions of Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, and FINALLY SAKURA. It only took forever to release female character. With this, I finally complete an original team 7. I don't know why it took so long to make a female figure, especially considering how easy it is for some of their builds and accessories, but here we are. SH Figuarts ALSO is making kid versions of Naruto and Sasuke, which I have preordered out of Japan. 

This is fantastic stuff, and the very first I want to go over is Sakura Haruno. Sakura's parents and origins aren't featured much in the original two parts, and this is mostly because Kishimoto is 1) Bad at writing female characters and 2) Thinks they are secondary to males, so they never get as much screen time or good fights. Sakura DOES get one or two good fights in Shippuden, but mostly she's around to beat up Naruto, have interrelational conflicts with Ino, and swoon over Sasuke. Gross! This is a shame because as one of the new Sanin, Sakura is absolutely a powerhouse. 

Early in the series, she is a genjutsu sensory expert and learns early on from Tsunade the art of healing and concentrating chakra so pointedly she can break through the earth with her punches and kicks. Later on, in the Boruto series and the light novels, it becomes clear Sakura is even stronger than that, and can completely regenerate using the same principles as Tsunade by banking chakra into a diamond seal on her forehead. They definitely do female characters dirty in Shippuden and Part 1, but at least Sakura is featured more than most, what with being a crush on Naruto and a main team member of Team 7. 

The figure is fairly simple, but very well done. The proportions are nice, and the articulation they've put on all these figures is also very well done. Sakura has some good engineering, and while she doesn't have a ton of accessories, it's enough for her character and what she does in the show.