Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider Saga

Release Date: June 2024

RRP: 11,000 yen

Tamashii Nations purgatory is a place well known to collectors of Bandai's various toy lines, where numerous figures are revealed at events only to never see the light of day. There have been countless examples over the years, but one of the oldest cases is that of Kamen Rider Saga. With Kamen Rider Kiva being one of the series that helped kickstart the S.H. Figuarts line, Saga's original prototype dates back to well over a decade ago. But while the wait has been a bit of a saga in itself, the Fangire ruler and half-brother of Wataru Kurenai has finally arrived in 2024. That original figure will never see the light of day, but its spirit lives on in S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider Saga – a newly tooled Tamashii Web exclusive figure that continues Kiva's strong place in the "true bone carving" line.

Kamen Rider Saga comes in the standard two-piece S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou packaging, although something feels slightly different about the finish of the box compared to previous Kamen Rider releases. While the overall presentation and colour scheme remains the same, the finish of the box feels much rougher/textured than the usual smooth finish – whether it's a very minor running change or a just a one-off is yet to be seen. Nevertheless the box itself looks great, featuring a nice big bust image of Saga on the lid of the box with the character name written along the sides in silver foil lettering. The bottom half of the box then features a range of images showing the figure in various poses, including one doing battle with the Shinkocchou Seihou Emperor Form Kiva figure. Inside the figure and accessories are neatly laid out on two moulded plastic trays – one housing the figure, and the other all the extra parts.

Though many will probably argue that the wait was excruciating it's almost worked out for the best that Kamen Rider Saga is debuting as a Shinkocchou Seihou figure, because that line and the Kamen Rider Kiva suits really are a match made in heaven. The incredible sculpting and colouring techniques Bandai have used on these releases are perfect for capturing all that ornamental detailing the Kiva suits have, so it's safe to say that Saga looks absolutely incredible. The cathedral-like look that combines king, snake and stained-glass window motifs is suit design at its very finest, and the contrast of the white and black colours is accentuated by the gorgeous metallic colouring on the chest piece and forehead. Also running throughout the suit is that silver chain detailing, adding further texture to the suit whilst binding (pun absolutely intended) the design together. Topping it off are those piercing blue compound eyes, which are nice and big to fit in with the rest of the Kiva aesthetic. Say what you want about Kamen Rider Kiva as a show (I certainly did), but there isn't a single dud amongst its suits. When the end result is a figure that looks this good the wait was totally worth it.

As well as featuring a rotating Manda Table the centrepiece of the Sagarc belt can be removed and displayed as the miniature Sagarc creature, much like how the same can be done with the Kivat pieces on both Kiva and Dark Kiva. The Sagarc has been perfectly recreated with all that squished-in face detailing present and correct, and although it doesn't feature an opening mouth the same way Kivat did it has still been moulded in a way that allows it to interact with the included Fuestle. As always the option to display it separately is definitely appreciated – with a Tamashii Stage adapter piece also included so that Sagarc can be properly displayed hovering/in-flight.

Of course articulation is a big selling point with these figures too, and one can only assume that this Shinkocchou Seihou version of Saga far outclasses that original prototype. Altogether he features; 

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

- Swivel hinge shoulders, hips and ankles

- Butterfly joint shoulders 

- Double hinge elbows and knees 

- Single hinge toe sections 

- Bicep, forearm and thigh swivels 

Of course it wouldn't be a Kamen Rider Kiva suit without some over the top design feature that impacts articulation, and in Saga's case it's those massive ornamental shoulder pads. While rotating the arms remains unhindered, raising them outward remains a different story entirely even if the shoulder pads are attached via the usual raised ball joint. While you'll quickly learn their limits so there isn't too much worry of breakage, a bigger frustration is them popping off – reattaching them isn't hard, but it is fiddly to pop that ball joint back in place. Everything else here though is to the usual Shinkocchou Seihou standard, with that little bit of added swivel in the forearms adding a touch extra movement. Even with the restrictions on the arms the figure can still pull off all the main Saga poses (after all the suit itself would have had exactly the same issue) as well as all your standard action poses.

And though Saga might not have quite as many accessories as some of the other Kiva releases he certainly still manages to impress there too. Altogether he is packaged with the aforementioned stand adapter for Sagarc, seven alternate hands, the Wake Up Fuestle and three different versions of the Jacorder (hilt, Rod and Bute). The hand selection consists of a variety of the usual matching pairs and as unique posed hands, some of which are to interact with the other accessories. Both the Jacorder hilt and Wake Up Fuestle have the same bright white colouring as Saga himself, with additional blue paint detailing on both for proper screen accuracy. The rapier-like Jacorder Rod features a thin blade made of hard plastic, so one should definitely take caution to avoid breakage. The whip-like Jacorder Bute is far more flexible however, featuring an internal wire that allows it to be positioned as you please. As such it's definitely the highlight of the accessories as there's a lot of possibility for dynamic poses, including his "Snaking Death Break" finishing move as the correctly-posed hands are included among the selection.

For Kamen Rider S.H. Figuarts collectors the long-awaited S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider Saga is something on a monument release, and as has been the case with the rest of the Kamen Rider Kiva range Bandai haven't wasted any effort in doing these gorgeous suits justice. The pristine look of Saga alone is enough to put it up in the top echelon of Kamen Rider releases, but combined with the great (albeit somewhat restricted by design) articulation and accessories it's hard to say that he wasn't worth the wait. While there are still a few alternate form and movie Rider gaps to be potentially plugged one day, Bandai have definitely rounded off the core collection of Kiva Riders with a bang. The question is, now that Saga is available who's going to be the next character to escape Tamashii Nations purgatory?