My collecting of S.H.Figuarts really took off in 2024 as I branched out into multiple new and old lines, with Tamashii Nations themselves seemingly taking their figures to the next level between character choices, sculpting improvements, and bringing new shows into the S.H.Figuarts banner! With 2024 come to a close I've put together my list of the top 5 S.H.Figuarts that stood out to me most as my favorites of the year!
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Honorable mention: Legendary Super Saiyan Goku
Dragon Ball wasn't a line I had really dived into until just recently as I've finally started the franchise myself with the original show, and have found myself addicted to picking up a lot of the series' S.H.Figuarts offerings. The Legendary Super Saiyan Goku released last year was one I had seen a lot of fans raving over and knew I had to get it for myself for what looked to be the definitive Super Saiyan Goku figure, and in hand I could plainly see what the excitement was about. This figure is great with masterful articulation, splendid detail, and truly is what has to be one of the best figures in the entire Dragon Ball S.H.F line.
5. Kaiju no 9
The Kaiju No. 8 line really hit it out of the park when it comes to their Kaiju No. 9 figure! This creepy, gangly design has been captured exceptionally well with a towering statue and a multitude of accessories to allow it many of its poses and looks from the manga/anime be it multiple arms or his beady eyes and bulbous finger blasters. Endlessly posable as well, this figure is easily the best in the Kajiu No. 8 line so far, and one of my favorites to come from 2024.
4. Gear 5 Luffy and Romance Dawn Luffy
Luffy got two separate releases throughout 2024 representing both his earliest look in the series and one of his latest! The Gear 5 Luffy is extremely fun and finally debuted Gum Gum power moves for the S.H.F line with rubberized arms. The alternate faceplates are some of the most expressive and fun to use in the line, and then was immediately followed up by the Luffy that many fans find iconic. The East Blue/Romance Dawn Luffy figure is splendid, fixing many of the articulatoin and QC issues that were present with the initial Wano Luffy, and spectacularly captures the anime look in figure form.
3. Tanjiro
The Demon Slayer line came out of the gates swinging with their Tanjiro figure. After only a few minutes of fiddling with it I knew that it was going to be one of the best figures of the year. The articulation scheme is incredible with an astounding level of knee bend for the baggy pants design, not to mention how far the butterfly joints allow his shoulders to maneuver, and all around there seems to be no limit to what you can do for sword slashing poses. He is no doubt one of the best well put together S.H.F figure designs to date, and I hope that the momentum of the Demon Slayer lines really blasts off.
2. Berserker Guts and Schierke
While the initial Guts and Griffith in the Berserk line had their share of flaws, the line seems to have left behind that stage of development as the Berserker form of Guts and Schierke from 2024 were both phenomenal figures. Berserker Guts is alarmingly articulated with fixed wrist engineering to better wield the Dragon Slayer sword, not to mention an assortment of alternate faces and helmets that truly bring Miura's artwork to life. Schierke then followed him up as the next release in the line, and she was nigh short of perfect with a well made sculpt, an impressive soft goods cloak, and a wide range of accessories even including a stone golem!
1. Naruto line (Orochimaru, Obito, Kurama link Naruto, Minato)
While it may be cheating to place an entire line at the number one spot, I had to do so otherwise most of this list would be Naruto dominated! There may be a bit of bias going on given how much I love Naruto and grew up with it, but there is also no doubting how incredible the line itself has been and how well done the figures have been. The three that really impressed me were Obito, Minato, and Kurama link Naruto! Obito Uchiha comes with a dizzying spread of accessories, real metal chain for his fan, and does a great job with its plastic cloak sculpt. Minato also does a great job with its plastic cloak, and employs a wide range of articulation and accessories that accurately represent the character with nice precision. Easily though Kurama Link Naruto is the best Naruto figure of the year for me, having an incredible sculpt, immaculate paintwork, and includes numerous effect pieces to recreate several attacks from the series. These three alone, not to mention the updated Itachi and Sage mode Naruto's use of cloth goods, dominated the year for me and I'm more than excited for what's coming this year!!
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