Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Na-Go Beat Form

Release Date: August 2023

RRP: 7480 yen

One of the greatest success stories of Reiwa era Kamen Rider has been the increase in prominence of female Riders, with nearly all of the core women in each story going on to become Riders themselves and even often having their own significant character arcs. Kamen Rider Geats is no different in this regard, introducing Neon Kurama early on in the story and not only quickly making her a Kamen Rider Na-Go, but also one of the four core Riders of the show. Her importance is such that even Bandai Tamashii Nations can't drag their heels on producing a figure of her, quickly releasing S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Na-Go following Geats, Buffa and Tycoon.

S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Na-Go's packaging of course uses the same template as the rest of the Kamen Rider Geats range, using a solid black background as a main colour (matching the Entry Form under suits) alongside blue sections and gold lettering to match the colours of Beat Form. The front of the box features a nice posed shot of Na-Go alongside her ID core logo, whilst the back shows the figure off further in a variety of different poses. Unlike the others though this box doesn't show off how Beat Form looks on other Geats figures, for reasons which I'll go into a bit further down in the review. Inside both the figure and accessories are neatly laid out on a moulded plastic tray, with the accessory instructions printed on the inside flaps of the box.

Being the first female Rider in the Kamen Rider Geats range naturally Kamen Rider Na-Go has a completely different body type to the previous releases, and that brings one major drawback along with it. Due to the different body proportions, unfortunately Na-Go is not compatible with the form-changing gimmick the other Riders all share. While the body itself can come apart the same way the others can, the parts simply will not fit without looking horribly wrong. A male-body version of Beat Form is instead being released as part of the Kamen Rider PunkJack set. But despite the loss of wider compatibility Kamen Rider Na-Go still has plenty to offer as a single release, with this figure particularly sporting some great sculpting and colours. The metallic blue and pink alongside the gold trimmings really make this figure pop, the detailing of Na-Go's helmet particularly standing out with all that gold and of course the pinkish-red compound eyes. As with each of the core Geats Riders Na-Go has one unique element to her Entry Raise Form suit that continues to be present here, this time being the gold bands around her wrists.

As with the previous Geats releases, the Desire Driver can rotate a full 360 degrees to simulate the show's "Revolve On" gimmick and can fit two Raise Buckle accessories. Na-Go comes with the Beat Buckle, which doesn't feature any moving parts but is really nicely detailed with plenty of paint apps to make it look as show-accurate as possible. Each figure's Desire Driver is somewhat unique too despite all using shared parts, as they each feature a correctly coloured ID core with the Rider's unique symbol – in Na-Go's case, a gold ID Core sporting her cat helmet shape. When not in use, both weapons and any spare Raise Buckles can also be stored on the slots on either side of the belt.

Although the body proportions may be different the design itself is exactly the same, meaning Na-Go has the same articulation as her fellow Geats Riders. All together this includes;

- Ball jointed head, neck, torso, waist and wrists

- Swivel hinge shoulders and ankles

- "Drop down" swivel hinge hips

- Double hinge elbows and knees

- Single hinge toe sections

- Bicep and thigh swivels

As always the shoulder pads are connected to the arms via levered ball joints to give them some independent movement, but here it isn't really much movement to speak of. Not that it seems to restrict Na-Go in any significant way though, because despite their size her arm movement is pretty good. Not a whole lot in terms of raising them outward unless you rotate the whole joint, but enough to have Na-Go in battle-ready poses or just rocking out. Everything else is to the usual S.H. Figuarts standard, with some fantastic movement in those unarmoured legs.

With Na-Go not utilising the form change gimmick it means her accessories are a lot more conservative, consisting of just four alternate pairs of hands and the Beat Axe weapon. The hands the usual range of closed fists, open and weapon holding hands, which gives Na-Go some nice variety but nothing especially unique (thankfully her signature poses don't really require unique hand sculpts). The Beat Axe however has to be one of the coolest weapons in the Geats arsenal - a metallic blue and pink Flying V Guitar Hero-style guitar that can function as both a weapon and instrument. Na-Go comes with a pair of hands specifically designed to hold the neck of the guitar, which work but probably could have done with having a bit of a tighter grip as sometimes the angle of the guitar can be a little difficult to line up correctly. When you do manage to get it down though, it makes the figure look even better.

Despite the figure sadly (but logically) removing the form change gimmick S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Na-Go Beat Form is still another great addition to Geats range - making up for a lack of cross-compatibility by simply being a fun figure in its own right. More female Riders are always appreciated, and the design and colours of Na-Go in Beat Form really make the design pop - how can you not instantly fall in love with that guitar accessory? Even with slightly less to offer Na-Go is a great end-cap to the four core Geats Riders, and if you do happen to feel like she's lacking that little extra something there's always the Na-Go Entry Raise Form & Entry Raise set coming to make that body a little more dynamic.