Movie REVIEW: Kamen Rider Gavv: Guilty Parfait

Whilst one could argue that Kamen Rider Gavv ended on a fairly satisfying note, there were still plenty of plot threads left open to be explored in future instalments. Something that's been mandatory for Kamen Rider for well over a decade now, as there needs to be something to cover in the obligatory V-Cinext epilogue movie. As also tends to be the standard for these films, Kamen Rider Gavv: Guilty Parfait shines the spotlight on the series' secondary and only (heroic) human Rider - Hanto Karakida, aka Kamen Rider Valen. The one-hour film was written by Gavv's main writer Junko Komura, and directed by Takayuki Shibasaki.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Sanji -Romance Dawn-

Release Date: January 2026

RRP: 7700 yen

Given both the overwhelming popularity of One Piece and how long the S.H. Figuarts line has been going for, it’s amazing (but ultimately not all that surprising) that Bandai Tamashii Nations haven’t given fans a full Straw Hat lineup yet. 2026 is the year all that changes though, with the release of S.H. Figuarts Sanji -Romance Dawn- completing the crew from that initial arc of the story. Sure it may be doing it on a technicality as only half of them were around during that time, but it’s still the closest Bandai have ever got. The Straw Hats’ faithful cook and lover of women everywhere kicks off the 2026 slate of One Piece releases as a general retail figure, and is actually the third release of the character – not only following on from the Raid on Onigashima from 2023 but also an Enies Lobby version released all the way back in 2011.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Char Aznable

Release Date: October 2025

RRP: 9900 yen

There are a lot of characters famous for their time spent in "Bandai Purgatory" (the fabled place prototypes go after being displayed at Bandai Tamashii Nations events and then never seeing subsequent release), but certain figures are particularly legendary - especially when they manage to finally escape. S.H. Figuarts Master Asia is one example that immediately springs to mind, first appearing at an event in 2008 before finally being released in 2014. Kamen Rider Saga is another one - first appearing as a standard S.H. Figuarts in 2011 before being revitalised as a Shinkocchou Seihou in 2024. Then in 2025 another one joined their ranks, and arguably it might be the most significant one of them all. After first being seen at a Tamashii Nations event all the way back in 2014, S.H. Figuarts Char Aznable is finally a reality. With the appearance of more and more Gundam characters in the line the iconic Mobile Suit Gundam antagonist was long overdue, and marks the first release from that original series.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Dracule Mihawk -Hawkeye-

Release Date: December 2025

RRP: 13,200 yen

Whilst the One Piece S.H. Figuarts range is taking its sweet time completing the full Straw Hats line-up, it's nice that Bandai Tamashii Nations are providing a good selection of key side characters from various arcs in the meantime. The initial "Romance Dawn" section of the story has been of particular interest, and the release of S.H. Figuarts Dracule Mihawk -Hawkeye- compliments the current selection rather nicely. Known as the strongest swordsman in the world and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Mihawk first appeared to the Straw Hats during the Baratie Arc. Zoro challenged him to a duel and was swiftly defeated, leading the Straw Hats' first mate to vow that he would never lose in battle again until he became the strongest swordsman. Directly based on his appearance during this arc, Mihawk was released as a Tamashii Web exclusive at the very end of 2025.

Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series Soundwave (with Buzzsaw, Laserbeak & Ravage)

Release Date: December 2025

RRP: $59.99/£55.99

Transformers: The Movie may have introduced fans to a whole new selection of Autobots and Decepticons, but that doesn't mean that the veteran cast was completely forgotten about. The opening battle on Autobot City in particular was a showcase of previously established characters, earning them a place in the Studio Series "86" line. Among the figures to kick of the 2026 assortment (even if they were technically released at the end of 2025) to celebrate the film's 40th anniversary is Studio Series Soundwave, the Decepticon Communications Officer and one of Megatron's most loyal soldiers. Of course no Soundwave figure would be complete without some of his cassette minions to go with him, and this release has been bumped up to Leader Class status partly thanks to the inclusion of Buzzsaw, Laserbeak and Ravage.

First Impressions: Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity

The age of Super Sentai is over, and so begins the time of Project R.E.D.! Overall details on Toei's newest tokusatsu franchise are still somewhat vague, but what we do currently know about Project R.E.D. (which is an acronym for Records of Extraordinary Dimensions) is that while it will primarily feature red-coloured heroes (no surprise there), the shows themselves won't necessarily follow a specific pattern. It's first entry, Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity, is already a pretty good example of this. As the title suggests the series is a reboot of 1982's Space Sheriff Gavan, however it is not explicitly a continuation of the series (in the same way the 2012 movie was) nor is it a relaunch of the Metal Heroes franchise. So just what is Gavan Infinity, and why has a reboot of the iconic Space Sheriff been chosen to spearhead a whole new franchise? We'll just have to watch on to find out! 

Series REVIEW: No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger

50 years is one hell of a milestone to celebrate anyway, but when it comes to tokusatsu it's a particularly monumental achievement for Super Sentai. Ever since Himitsu Sentai Gorenger first began on April 5th 1975, the franchise has carried on almost non-stop all the way up until now - spawning 49 different mainline series, 50 different teams and hundreds of brightly coloured heroes. But it seems all good things really must come to an end, and after several years of experimentation amidst declining profitability it was decided that the 50th anniversary series would also be its last - at least for the time being anyway. And thus the longest consecutively running tokusatsu franchise bows out with No.1 Sentai Gozyuger, a series which aims to celebrate five decades of Super Sentai spirit in its own unique way. The series written by Akiko Inoue (daughter of tokusatsu legend Toshiki Inoue) in her debut as head writer, with Ryuta Tasaki (a veteran of Super Sentai, but most recently the main director of Avataro Sentai Donbrothers) as main director and Daigo Matsura as chief producer.

First Impressions: GARO: Sentinel of the East

While it may not seem like new GARO series come around quite as often as they used to, every time a new one is announced it feels all the more special. With the franchise currently celebrating its 20th anniversary there have been a few new projects celebrating its different timelines. The tail end of 2025 saw the release of prequel film GARO: Taiga, taking place in the Saejima family timeline and focusing on Kouga's father and previous Golden Knight Taiga. Meanwhile 2026 kicks off with a new instalment in the alternate Ryuga Dougai universe, GARO: Sentinel of the East (Higashi no Kairo) - the fourth series to feature the character. As with 2024's Heir to Steel Armor, the series will be simulcast worldwide via the official GARO YouTube channel. However like before whilst multi-language subtitles are available, these are machine generated and thus of varying quality.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 2 (Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition)

Release Date: December 2025

RRP: 11,000 yen

If there's one thing you can often guarantee about a Kamen Rider 1 figure, it's that a Kamen Rider 2 figure usually isn't that far behind it. After revitalising their standard and Sakurajima version Kamen Rider 1 figures with new "Legendary Showa Masked Rider Edition" versions, the least Bandai Tamashii Nations could do is offer the same treatment up to his successor. But as well as bringing the figure more in line with the more recent Showa era releases, S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 2 (Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition) has another surprise in store for fans who've watched Hayato Ichimonji's costume evolve over the years.

Special REVIEW: Kamen Rider Eins with Girls Remix

Over the past couple of years the Girls Remix series of Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club specials hasn't just been a brilliant way to bring back the heroines of the Kamen Rider franchise in one multi-series crossover. It's also been building towards something - particularly in its last two instalments Kamen Rider Majade with Girls Remix and Girls Remix in Halloween Party. Now the story reaches its climactic conclusion (for the time being at least) in Kamen Rider Eins with Girls Remix, reuniting many of the cast members from across the previous specials once more alongside representatives from Kamen Rider 555 and Kamen Rider Fourze as well as a few other surprises along the way.