Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Portgas D. Ace -Fire Fist-

Release Date: January 2025

RRP: 9900 yen

While the rebooted One Piece S.H. Figuarts line has gone far beyond what it originally did 15 years ago in terms of character selection, it's undeniable that all of the characters it covered back then could also do with a bit of an update. With the 25th anniversary of the One Piece anime prompting Bandai Tamashii Nations to go back and produce the cast from those early episodes, now seems like the perfect time to go back and redo another fan favourite. Jumping a little forward from the "Romance Dawn" era the line is currently covering, S.H. Figuarts Portgas D. Ace -Fire Fist- marks the first figure from the Alabasta Saga – in which Luffy reunited with his sworn blood brother as they journeyed to liberate Vivi's homeland. This new version of Ace is also the first Tamashii web exclusive from this pre-time skip range of One Piece figures, with plenty more surely to come in due time.

This new version of S.H. Figuarts Portgas D. Ace comes in packaging that neatly lines up with the rest of the rebooted One Piece range, with the box itself slightly thicker than usual (just as it was with Gear 5 Luffy) to accommodate the massive range of accessories the figure comes with. Some of these can be seen alongside the figure via the transparent window section on the front of the box, which is flanked by a nice big image of the figure on the side. The box also uses orange as its secondary colouring, which is appropriate to both Ace's hat colour and his fiery Devil Fruit abilities. One side of the box simply features another image of the figure along the character name, while the other shows off all of the different faceplates that come with the figure (including the additional Luffy face). On the back of the box you'll find all of this repeated alongside further stock images of the figure, and then inside the contents are spread across two moulded plastic trays. As usual, the instructions on how to use the accessories/swap parts are printed on the (enlarged) inside flaps of the box.

While it's unfair to judge a figure from 2010 with the same scrutiny as modern releases, it's fair to say that the original S.H. Figuarts Ace release was not the best when it came to onscreen likeness. That however is something that the rebooted One Piece line has excelled at, at this new version of Ace is no exception. Although the fantastic body sculpt that gets Ace's toned figure down perfectly has a lot to do with, the real charm is definitely in that face sculpt – getting all the details there right down to the freckles on his cheeks. Although Ace's wardrobe is fairly miniscule all the details are present and correct there too, from the loose hanging belt to the knife and pouch strapped to his left side. The knife can be rotated around in its socket and unplugged from the belt if desired, but isn't really an accessory and thus can't be unsheathed. But even though Ace is topless, there's still plenty of detailing to appreciate on the torso as well. The beads are fixed around the neck at the back, so they can't move about. The Whitebeard Pirates tattoo on his back and ASCE on his arm have been beautifully applied, standing out on the body just as they should. Around his left wrist is a loose-fitting bracelet as well as a Log Pose, which sports a clear plastic globe piece to give it the proper effect. While there may be some argument to be had about whether the hinged ab crunch spoils to the look of the figure, overall it's an absolutely fantastic likeness – one of the best the line has put out so far.

Articulation is another huge improvement this figure benefits from, with Ace having a lot to offer when it comes to poseability. Altogether the figure features; 

- Ball jointed head, neck, torso, waist, wrists and (exposed) legs 

- Swivel hinge shoulders, hips and ankles 

- Butterfly joint shoulders 

- Double hinge elbows and knees 

- Single hinge ab crunch and toe sections 

- Bicep and thigh swivels 

While that hinged ab crunch might not seem like the best thing from an aesthetic point of view it certainly does wonders for the torso articulation, giving Ace a pretty fantastic torso bend when used in tandem with the upper torso and waist joints above and below it. While it would be a bit of a push to get the figure into Ace's iconic crouching pose (that isn't necessarily to say it can't do it though), you can still get a pretty good approximation of it even if you aren’t the best at posing. Admittedly the thigh swivels don't add much movement because of their positioning, having the exposed leg parts be attached by ball joints just above the knee is a very nice touch. It's a shame Ace doesn't have the same hinged pieces on the back of his shorts like the Romance Dawn and Gear 5 Luffys have, but then again movement isn't too impacted for you to really notice. Everything else is to the usual high S.H. Figuarts standard, with lots of sturdy joints that provide plenty of movement. It's also impressive how well the toe hinges are hidden on this release – the cuts look practically like buckles so they're barely noticeable at all. The One Piece line has really been upping its game in the last few releases, and Ace feels like the culmination of Bandai's efforts.

From there we get to Ace's impressive amount of accessories, which are vast enough to be broken down into a number of separate sections. To begin with there's all the standard parts – his hat, hat straps, an alternate head piece to use with the hat, nine additional hands, four additional faceplates and his travelling bag. Of the nine hands only two pairs are standard (the rest involving flame effects which we'll come to later) – giving him closed fists, open hands and accessory/bag holding hands in total. The faceplates are a nice selection of a default cocky grin, big smile, closed mouth grimace, screaming face and of course the comedy favourite – a sleeping face complete with bubble. All these faces can be used with both the hatted and hatless versions of the head, though switching between them is a little more involved than usual. To use the hat, first plug the faceplate into the designated head piece (which has a much longer forehead than the standard one). From there the straps must then be plugged into the slots just above the face, with the extended forehead the completely covered by the hat itself. It's a lot less tricky than it sounds, and despite the extra steps switching between the two is really straightforward.

Moving on from there Ace also comes with a soft goods coat and scarf, both of which were additional parts of his wardrobe when the Straw Hats first met up with him in Alabasta. Both are made from a slightly thick but pliable material, and enhanced with wires running through them to give them proper poseability. Getting the coat on is nice and straightforward, but the thick material of the scarf makes it a little trickier to get to grips with a first – particularly if you're wrapping it around his neck. It's worth noting that upon Ace's release there were reports of the dye from the coat bleeding on the figure and damaging it when left on for too long, so if you do plan to display your Ace with it on it's definitely worth giving it a wash first just to get out any of that excess dye. That said given they are seldom-used pieces in Ace's outfit I imagine most collectors are just going to leave it in the box, and for the same reason it's amazing that Bandai even included it in the first place (particularly as soft goods – a liberty they don't provide to more essential pieces on retail figures, such as Sabo's coat). However the fact they did is just another example of how Bandai really went all out on this release, covering as much ground as they possibly could to make it the only Ace figure you'll ever need.

But of course it wouldn't be a proper Portgas D. Ace figure without a healthy amount of fire, and Bandai have got fans covered there as well. Five of Ace's hands have translucent flame effects built into them, and consist of a open left hand, a pair of two-fingered gun pose hands representing his Higan attack and then a pair of one-finger pose hands which can be put into a cross to represent his Jujika attack. From there it moves on to five more involved effect pieces, including a Hikan right fire fist (with the shape of the fist actually moulded into the flames), a flame effect to take the place of the left hand (with two flame trails of varying lengths that can be plugged into it) and an additional flame piece that slots around the left wrist (though could feasibly be used on the ankles as well if the feet are removed). Using any of the pieces on the left hand involves first removing the bracelet and Log Pose globe, so be sure to put those tiny parts somewhere safe to avoid losing them. The two main flame parts both plug directly into Ace's wrist joints, which can be a little daunting at first since you can't really see what you're doing, but they rest assured they plug in and out nice and firmly. All of these parts really add to the overall look of Ace, as well as making sure he lives up to his "Fire Fist" moniker. Throw in some Tamashii flame effects or their new smoke effects (the latter of which I HIGHLY recommend) and you've got all you need for an absolutely fantastic Ace figure.

The main flame effects are also compatible with S.H. Figuarts Sabo -Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff-, which was rather conveniently released the same month as Ace. While it's worth taking a little bit of extra care when attaching the hand pieces as Sabo uses slightly different wrist joints than Ace, the effects work really nicely with the figure and definitely add to its shelf presence. It's a shame that Sabo couldn't have at least come with a few unique ones that could be attached to his pipe, but Ace comes with enough parts that it feels like there's plenty to go around. The Flare Flare Fruit is in safe hands.

And naturally it all rounds off with yet another faceplate for S.H. Figuarts Luffy, compatible with both the -Romance Dawn- and -Raid on Onigashima- versions of the character. This is the 13th faceplate released for Luffy across the rebooted One Piece line (as denoted by the "N" printed on the back), giving him a nice big open-mouthed laugh/grin with closed eyes. Credit where it's due Tamashii Nations continually pick the perfect faces to add to Luffy, and it's one that goes nicely with the time he was reunited with his brother at Alabasta (and not the horrors of witnessing his death at Marineford).

Despite some early teething issues the rebooted One Piece line has been going from strength to strength in the last year, and S.H. Figuarts Portgas D. Ace -Fire Fist- is arguably its best release yet. It goes without saying that it's a significant improvement over the original Ace figure from all those years ago, finally getting that anime-accurate look together with all the sculpting and articulation improvements that have come in the years since. But on top of that Ace is an absolute dream when it comes to accessories, packing in more than you could ever possibly need AND offering additional compatibility with other One Piece releases. Ace really is the full package, and completely raises the bar for One Piece releases going forward – particularly the web exclusive ones which have a little more on offer.