Figuarts ZERO Release Announcement: Keep Out! This is a Spoiler! (Duh!)

Warning! Spoiler Alert! If you are a One Piece "anime-only" follower, have no ideas of the current events in the manga whatsoever, and want to keep it that way, you better stay away from this news and just check out some other posts in this blog. You have been warned!.... (Duh!)

Better Late than Never: Figuarts ZERO Trafalgar Law Release Announcement

There may have been a lot of released and to be released figures of Trafalgar Law in his Dressrosa attire. This time it's Bandai Tamashii Nations' turn for their Figuarts ZERO - Trafalgar Law (Dressrosa Edition). With the announcement of Figuarts ZERO - Issho Fujitora and Figuarts ZERO - Donquixote Doflamingo (Dressrosa Edition), this figure completes the awesome three-way confrontation of Green Bit.

This figure release is not much of a surprise actually, since we are expecting more upcoming Dressrosa characters from Figuarts ZERO. We already saw two of the Mugiwaras - Luffy and Robin. And since Trafalgar Law has a big role in the Dressrosa Arc aside from the fact that every One Piece fanboy cares for him, it's only obvious that he'll be given priority. Though this is an expected release, it's always nice to see a new Trafalgar Law figure specially if you're a huge fan.

The pose isn't too battle ver-ish, but it's much more dynamic than the earlier announced POP version by Megahouse. He's in the midst of unsheathing his sword and having a little smirk on his face. I like how his long coat is being blown by the air. He comes with an alternate head without the hat and with a bigger smirk exposing some of his teeth. It's really great to see him face-to-face with Doflamingo in this pose.

Figuarts ZERO - Trafalgar Law (Dressrosa Edition) will be a December 2014 release for 4,104 yen. No preorder dates announced yet to stay tuned for future announcements.

Update (2014-08-26): Preorders for Figuarts ZERO - Trafalgar Law (Dressrosa Edition) will start next Monday, 1st of September 2014 at 16:00 (JST).

Get Ready for Gladiator Lucy, Robiland & Joker's Exciting Figuarts ZEROs

I never thought that we will be feasting with our eyes so soon with these official photos of the three new Figuarts ZEROs. We just broke the news for the upcoming release of these three figures about two weeks ago. Today, Bandai Tamashii Nations has already unveiled the official photos of Figuarts ZERO of Dressrosa editions of Luffy (a.k.a. Gladiator Lucy), Robin and Doflamingo. And I must say, I am totally happy as well as excited on these three figures. I'll just share some few thoughts about them.

Gladiator Lucy, Robiland & Joker's Figuarts ZEROs, Adding to the Dressrosa Line-up

Bandai is ending the year with a trio of Dressrosa Figuarts ZEROs. We got a fresh new announcement that Dressrosa versions of Doflamingo, Luffy & Robin's Figuarts ZEROs will be released in October (Luffy & Robin) and December (Doflamingo). That's right! Bandai is really serious in giving us a series of Dressrosa line-up under this product line. See the details below.

Figuarts ZERO - Gladiator Lucy

• Release Date: October 2014
• Price: 3,024 yen

Figuarts ZERO - Nico Robin (Dressrosa Edition)

• Release Date: October 2014
• Price: 3,780 yen

Figuarts ZERO - Donquixote Doflamingo (Dressrosa Edition)
Tamashii Web Exclusive

• Release Date: December 2014
• Price: 3,780 yen

She's So Beautiful, But Somehow She Doesn't Look Like Violet

It's just a couple of weeks ago since we got a news that a Figuarts ZERO - Violet is expected to be released. Now we are looking at the official promo photos and before I say anything else, I'll just tell you first that she looks so gorgeously beautiful.

A Beautiful Assassin Will Dance On October

We got a great news that beautiful assassin Viola (or Violet) will have a Figuarts ZERO treatment. The figure is set to be released on October of 2014 with a price tag of 3,780 yen. No photos of the prototype figure available yet, so let's hope that we're getting a lovable Viola in Figuarts ZERO format. I'll be posting the photo on this blog or on my Facebook page as soon as it becomes available. Till then, let's just dream of her gorgeousness.

This Gladiator Looks So Lovely In Figuarts ZERO

Just about a week ago, we get to see the prototype of this figure from the Tamashii Nations Summer Collection 2014 event. Today, the official promo shots of Figuarts ZERO - Rebecca had made it online. We can now get a full view of the beauty of this figure. As I have guessed, it seems that it will come with helmeted and unhelmeted head as what is apparent on these photos. And I am pleased to say that the unhelmeted head is so lovely.

Bandai Figuarts ZERO's Take on the Curvaceous Gladiator

Last Saturday, the Tamashii Nations Summer Collection 2014 event was held at Bandai's Akiba Showroom. There's lots of new and upcoming Bandai figures. One of the freshest figure that debut there is the Figuarts ZERO - Rebecca from One Piece. Remember that we just broke the news about this release earlier this month? I thought we'll have to wait till June to see her, but here she is.

The Sexy Gladiator will get a ZERO Treatment

We got an announcement that the sexy gladiator Rebecca will get a Bandai Figuarts ZERO treatment. That's a great news for us Figuarts ZERO collectors. It will be a September 2014 release for 3,780 yen. No photos of the prototype yet, so the question is, will it be a good representation of the character's alluring beauty? 

It's Going To Rain Meteors On August

It's going to rain meteors on August. Not on the One Piece anime or manga but on your wallets and on your display shelves. We got an info that Figuarts ZERO - Fujitora-Issho is expected to be released on August 2014. Priced only for 4,104 yen, but sadly, it is a Tamashii Web/Premium Bandai Web exclusive. I don't know what's the reason behind this exclusivity but I find it totally absurd.

Anime-only followers, watch-out for spoilers ahead.

A Sexy Addition To Your Punk Hazard Collection

The second Figuarts ZERO that was revealed during the Jump Festa 2014 event has already been given a pricing and release date. Figuarts ZERO - Baby 5 will be a June 2014 release and it will cost you 4,104 yen should you decide to own this sexy looking figure.

Baby 5 must be popular to be getting a Figuarts ZERO treatment rather than giving us Kinemon. Or maybe they are just simply continuing the Punk Hazard characters. They have already released Trafalgar Law, Caesar Clown, Smoker and Tashigi. Anyway, this figure seems to look nice. It's just that I'm not totally contented.

I'm Still Unimpressed

Bandai officially announced the Figuarts ZERO - Shanks (Battle ver.) (see the previous announcement here) in their Tamashii Web by giving us these official promo photos. I am actually expecting that they would show us a much better look of the figure than what we've seen before, but no, I'm still not impressed.

What they did is that they gave us shots in limited angles which would not make the unimpressive face too obvious. As you can see, there's not even a single close-up shot on the face. There's one front shot but I can't even see the eyeballs. I'm actually thinking that they are planning to redo the face sculpt that's why there held back on giving us a close-up shot.

The Return of the Red Hawk

Figuarts ZERO - Monkey D. Luffy (Gomu Gomu no Red Hawk - Battle ver.) is getting a re-release on April 2014, coinciding with the release of Figuarts ZERO - Shanks (Battle ver.). This is inevitable. Not only because this the main character's figure, but this is the best looking Figuarts ZERO Battle ver. release so far.

It will now be retailing for 3,456 yen, a slightly higher price tag than the first release (which is 3,360 yen). So if you missed the first release, this is a great chance for you.

No preorder schedule announcement yet, so be sure to keep an eye for further updates.

A Not So Exciting Figuarts ZERO Release for April

Bandai's first Figuarts ZERO release announcement for 2014 is now out. And this is none other than Figuarts ZERO - Shanks (Battle ver.) which was seen during the Jump Festa 2014 event last 26th of December. It is set to be released on April 2014 for 4,320 yen.

I was really excited the first time I got an info about this release. It is Shanks, it should be awesome, how bad can it be? But when I actually saw these shots, I totally felt disappointed. If you have read my thoughts about the Figuarts ZERO - Trafalgar Law (Battle ver.), this is worse. Yeah, it's worse than I expected

Looking at the face alone, there isn't any resemblance to Shanks. I can't even make what a lifeless looking facial expression is that. The only defining expression are the eyebrows, which is absolutely offensive looking. They should have used the Figuarts ZERO - Shanks (Showdown at the Summit ver.) head sculpt which look way a lot better than this.

The pose is also non-flattering. They didn't even thought of some unique and cool looking battle stance. The effect parts are also lame. It's nothing we haven't seen before. C'mon Bandai, this is Shanks. One of the most epic character in the world of One Piece. He deserve a better Battle ver. treatment than this.

I suppose this figure would look a lot better when we see the official promotional photos, which were normally post processed to make the figure look nice, a common technique for Figuarts ZEROs. But since we already saw this prototype, Bandai won't be fooling us. Well, I still do hope that it will look better upon release. If only they can make the face look right, then it's fine for me. But for now, I'll say "pass".

No preorder schedule announcement yet, so be sure to keep an eye for further updates.

The Attack That Cuts Vergo

This is earlier than I expected. Remember the Figuarts ZERO release announcement that we talked about three weeks ago? Well Bandai Tamashii Nations didn't let us wait for too long and revealed today the official photos of their Figuarts ZERO - Trafalgar Law (Battle ver.). It wasn't as awesome as I have expected but it's not bad, not too bad at all.

Well, I was expecting more like their past releases and announcements like the Luffy (Red Hawk), Zoro (Rengoku Onigiri) and Sanji (Flambage Shot). Those three we're out of this world kickin' in style, with all those nice looking effect parts. This Trafalgar Law Battle ver. doesn't look as great as those three.

But don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that this isn't a nice figure. It's also looks like a really good figure in its own way. I do prefer this one over the previously released Schichibukai ver. Notice that they didn't give any attack title. It's simply because it isn't a devil fruit ability and there isn't any attack name. But for a real fan of One Piece and Trafalgar Law, this attack is epic, as it reminded us of how he cuts Vergo, as well as the whole laboratory and the surrounding mountains into two. Now that's something. I just wish it comes with a Vergo figure that was split into two :)

The effect parts that comes with it are just the cloud of dusts on his two feet and the swoooshing effect part on the sword, more like the one on the Dracule Mihawk (Battle ver.) sword effect. Another thing that I kinda dislike is the facial expression. It's nice to have that smirk but I prefer him to be in a more serious expression. I think it would look a lot better in this attack pose to relive that scene with Vergo. There aren't any photos telling that there is an optional head or face to swap, something that I'm hoping to be in the final production release.

Price wise, for 3,780 yen, I think it's quite expensive considering the lesser amount of effect parts compared to Luffy (Red Hawk) and Zoro (Rengoku Onigiri) which has a lower SRP of 3,360 yen and 3,675 yen respectively. Well, that might be caused by Japanese yen inflation rate or some other reasons whatsoever. Anyway, for every fan of One Piece, fan of Trafalgar Law and serious collectors alike, 3,780 yen isn't that much.

Below are the details.

Figuarts ZERO - Trafalgar Law (Battle ver.)

• Price: 3,780 yen
• Release Date: February 2014

No preorder schedule announcement yet, but I'm assuming that it would be on the 1st week of November. Keep an eye on this post or on my Facebook page for further announcements.

Update (2013-10-30): Preorders for Figuarts ZERO - Trafalgar Law (Battle ver.) will open tomorrow, Thursday, 31st of October 2013 at 16:00 (JST).

Bandai Introduces A 1/8th Scale Figuarts ZERO

Nope, I'm not a fan of Sailor Moon and I'm not into collecting Sailor Moon figures. But as a huge One Piece Figuarts ZERO follower, I find this latest Figuarts ZERO announcement from Bandai interesting. So what's interesting with this Sailor Moon Figuarts ZERO you ask? Well, it's just going to be the first 1/8th Scale Figuarts ZERO.

Not that I'm interested in getting these Sailor Moon figures. I'm just surprised that they went to a standard 1/8th scale (about 220 mm height) instead of the regular Figuarts ZERO 1/10th-ish scale. This maybe some kind of Bandai's marketing strategy. They could just be testing the waters for possible production of more 1/8th scale Figuarts ZEROs. Now think about it, if this one becomes successful, they might start producing 1/8th scale One Piece Figuarts ZEROs. That will be a direct competition against MegaHouse's Portrait of Pirates.

Notice that the One Piece Figuarts ZERO is inclining towards their successful Battle ver. line. They might move their non-Battle ver. figures to 1/8th scale. I'm not predicting, this is completely just my worries. I don't like this idea since the things that I loved about Figuarts ZEROs are the size, price and range of characters. I'm a collector of both One Piece Figuarts ZERO and POP. I don't think I'll be needing a 1/8th version of the same character from both manufacturer if they're all going to be 1/8th scale. I prefer the current Figuarts ZERO size as it is. I hope this 1/8th scale will only be for their Sailor Moon line.

Anyway, if you happen to be a fan of Sailor Moon and planning to get this. Figuarts ZERO - 1/8th Sailor Moon, it will be released on March 2014 for 8,800 yen. Yah, the price isn't Figuarts ZERO-ish :)

The Surgeon Of Death Will Take You To His Operating "ROOM"

It seems like there isn't any other Figuarts ZERO release for January 2014 aside from the limited edition Portgas D. Ace (Cross-fire - Battle ver). which can't be considered as a regular monthly release since it is a web exclusive. Bandai must be slowing down a little since 2013 has been a big year for their Figuarts ZEROs.

They may be slowing down for the first month of 2014, but they sure know how to keep the new year sparkling 'til February. We got an early teaser announcement for February 2014, a follow-up to their battle ver. line-up - Figuarts ZERO - Trafalgar Law (Battle ver.). No official promo photos available yet as this is just tentative announcement.

I know some of you are wondering, why follow-up Figuarts ZERO - Trafalgar Law (Shichibukai ver.) so soon. This is going to be the third Figuarts ZERO version Trafalgar Law. I believe that Trafalgar Law is nearly as famous as Portgas D. Ace. Notice that there's also already three versions of Figuarts ZERO Ace. It's not surprising that Bandai is giving priorities to famous characters as these are 100% sure not be left out on store shelves.

Note the absence of the attack name like other battle ver. so we aren't sure if this will be a pre-timeskip or post-timeskip version. But I do hope that this is going to be a post-timeskip version because he is wickedly awesome in that look. It's exciting to think how his attack pose will look like. Is it going to be Shambles, Tact, Scan, Mes or Counter Shock? Is he going to wield his sword? What pose and effect parts its going to be? Really exciting just to think of it. Let's see later if it's going to be as exciting as I think it would be.

Check out the details below

Figuarts ZERO - Trafalgar Law (Battle ver.)

• Price: 3,870 yen
• Release Date: February 2014

Here's hoping for the best Figuarts ZERO - Trafalgar Law release. Please take note that this is just a tentative release announcement and may change before the it is officially announced for preorder.

Keep an eye on this blog, or on my Facebook page for further announcement.

New Release Photo Review: Figuarts ZERO - Roronoa Zoro (Rengoku Onigiri - Battle ver.)

Bandai Tamashii Nations released the much awaited Figuarts ZERO - Roronoa Zoro (Rengoku Onigiri - Battle ver.) last Saturday, 21st September. Every Figuarts ZERO junkie out there are probably crossing fingers for final production release. Thanks to http://blog.livedoor.jp, we get see these early shots that we can examine and review.

So what do I think? I thinks it is one helluva awesome looking figure. You can check out the promotional images and compare it to this final production release photos, but as a Figuarts ZERO collector, we already knew that the prototype figure on those promo images won't be the one on our display shelves. So to make things fair, let's look at this production release first and try not to compare it on the promotional images yet.

Let's start with the face. It got that Roronoa Zoro essence there with that expression, the bandana on his head and the Wado Ichimonji on his mouth. The eyes, which is one of  the important feature was done nicely. I just find the nose a bit less appealing, but it's probably the lighting of the shots that it doesn't cast shadows much.

The arms and the body is kinda yellowish on these shots, but I can assure you that it's only the lighting. The skin tone is probably the same as the Figuarts ZERO - Monkey D. Luffy (Gomu Gomu no Red Hawk - Battle ver.). The shading is quite acceptable for a Figuarts ZERO standard. The overall sculpt is topnotch.

The green coat also looks nicely painted with all the shading and that frozen in air feel. There are some noticeable paint smudges but not really very obvious. The swords were finely sculpted and detailed even at this size. And those effect parts really makes this figure an eye-catcher. The base follows the same style as Figuarts ZERO - Monkey D. Luffy (Gomu Gomu no Red Hawk - Battle ver.). It is an octagonal shaped base, looks like all the upcoming Figuarts ZERO Battle ver. will have that kind of base.

Now, getting at the promo images. If you compare, you will notice that the skin tone and the shading looks different. But the overall sculpt is exactly the same. At first I was worried about the outcome of the production releases, but it turns out really fine. I hope that all the production releases will be as good as this one.

For the price of 3,675 yen, Figuarts ZERO - Roronoa Zoro (Rengoku Onigiri - Battle ver.) is a must get collectible for every One Piece fan even if you're not into Figuarts ZEROs. Displaying it side by side with Figuarts ZERO - Monkey D. Luffy (Gomu Gomu no Red Hawk - Battle ver.) and the upcoming Figuarts ZERO - Sanji (Diable Jambe Flambage Shot - Battle ver.) will really look great on display shelf. Can't wait to get mine.

If for some reason you missed out the preorder of this figure, or you just didn't preorder on purpose cause you're worried about the production release, well don't' fret, act now and get it while you still can. If this figure won't get a re-release in the future, it will become a rare collectible and price will soar up high over the coming years.

Flaming Hot Black Leg, Coming Up!

About three weeks ago, we broke the news about this upcoming Figuarts ZERO - Sanji (Diable Jambe Flambage Shot - Battle ver.). And after much anticipation, this morning, Bandai Tamashii Nations finally made its official promotional photos available on their official website Tamashii Web. And we're not disappointed.

It turns out to be a post-timeskip battle ver as we expected. It looks insanely cool and its really a lot better than the pre-timeskip Figuarts ZERO - Sanji (Battle ver.) which was earlier released. It may look a bit simpler next to Luffy's Red Hawk - Battle ver and Zoro's Rengoku Onigiri - Battle ver. Figuarts ZEROs, but hey, it's Sanji, and this will complete the monster-trio.

Its flaming effect parts with different color tones really made it look fantastic. Both legs are flaming and the pose is just what we expect for Sanji in this new breed of battle versions. It's looks a little weird on some angles but totally rocks on some. I can't wait to have the monster-trio on my display shelf. Or better yet, have all mugiwaras in their post-timeskip battle versions.

Details are as below:

Figuarts ZERO - Sanji (Diable Jambe Flambage Shot - Battle ver.)

• Price: 3,675 yen
• Release Date: December 2013

No preorder schedule announcement yet, but I'm assuming that it will be next Monday, 2nd of September 2013 at its usual time of 16:00 (JST). Take note that this just an assumption so keep an eye on this blog or on my Facebook Page for future updates.

Update: We just got a confirmation news that the preorders for this Figuarts ZERO will indeed start on Monday, 2nd of September 2013 at 16:00 (JST).

Get a Taste of Sanji's Flaming Recipe for Christmas

Get ready for another one of Sanji's flaming attack in a form of Figuarts ZERO Battle ver. Announced to be released on September is the second battle ver of Sanji - the Figuarts ZERO - Sanji (Diable Jambe Flambage Shot - Battle ver.)

It sounds really awesome and I can't wait to see how it will look like (no photos available yet). Sanji's "Diable Jambe Flambage Shot" was first seen being used to finish off Jabra, meaning, during pre-timeskip. In that case we're not sure if this figure will be a pre-timeskip or post-timeskip. But since the first Figuarts ZERO Battle ver treatment for Sanji was a pre-timeskip (Water 7 outfit), I'm assuming this to be a post-timeskip figure for Sanji, following Luffy's Red Hawk - Battle ver and Zoro's Rengoku Onigiri - Battle ver. Figuarts ZEROs.

Check out the details below

Figuarts ZERO - Sanji (Diable Jambe Flambage Shot - Battle ver.)

• Price: 3,675 yen
• Release Date: December 2013

Great to see this battle ver line-up continues. We may probably see all the Mugiwara's post-timeskip battle ver. treatment. I'm really thrilled about this news, but please take note that this is just a tentative release announcement and may change before the it is officially announced for preorder.

Keep an eye on this blog, or on my Facebook page for further announcement.