Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 1 Sakurajima Ver. (Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition)

Release Date: September 2025

RRP: 9900 yen

While any veteran S.H. Figuarts collector will tell you that preordering can often be a bit of a nightmare, for the most part most figures aren't too difficult to track down (or expensive) on the aftermarket following their release. There are some exceptions though, with one of the best examples in recent memory being S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 1 Sakurajima Ver.. Originally a Tamashii Nation 2018 event exclusive, this costume variant of the original Kamen Rider quickly became a highly sought after item - with a price tag to match. Last year it even won a poll of which Shinkocchou Seihou figure should be reissued the most, despite event exclusives rarely ever getting second runs. However Bandai Tamashii Nations could clearly see there was money to be made, and eventually revealed (the lengthily titled) S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 1 Sakurajima Ver. (Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition) - a brand new edition of the figure with some slight upgrades. Of course there was no way they were going to make this version easily obtainable either, with it originally released as a Tamashii Nations Live Action Figure Expo and Club Tamashii lottery exclusive item. A second run of the figure will also be made available early next year, again as a Club Tamashii lottery item.

While the figure itself is technically an exclusive, there isn't anything on the box to suggest as such. It's the usual two-piece Shinkocchou Seihou packaging, with the lid featuring a new bust image of the figure to differentiate it from the 2018 release. The sides of the lid continue to feature the character name in silver foil lettering, but one new addition is the "Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition" above it in gold foil letting. That tagline has also been added to the front of the box as well, albeit much smaller and in Japanese. The gold immediately makes it stands out from the other Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider releases, and presumably will also feature on the "Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition" versions of "Shin" Rider 1 and Rider 2 due out later this year. On the bottom half of the box are a selection of images showing the figure off in various poses, and then inside you'll find two separate moulded plastic trays - one housing the figure itself, and then a smaller one with all the accessories.

Despite being a popular (and clearly sought after) variant of Kamen Rider 1, some Kamen Rider fans might not know that its appearances in the series are quite limited. In fact it only appeared a total of six times - in episodes 40, 41, 49, 50, 51 and the Kamen Rider vs. Shocker movie. However it significant because its appearance marks the return of Takeshi Hongo following his departure from the show, caused by the injury Hiroshi Fujioka sustained whilst filming. It has been dubbed the "Sakurajima" suit due it first appearing in a string of episodes that took place on the island of Sakurajima. In the Kamen Rider vs. Shocker movie, Hongo also first displays the ability to transform without needing an external wind source. The differences between this and the original suit are primarily colouring, with the original's blue replaced with dark green and the milky pink eyes now a vibrant red. However on closer inspection there are slight differences in helmet design as well, with the Sakurajima suit featuring a slightly smaller helmet with flat-tipped antennae. These changes are reflected in the figure itself, with the helmet also featuring sculpted hair poking out off the back like the 2022 "Old" version of the suit. While that release featured slightly tweaked articulation, the Sakurajima figure shares more in common with the initial "Shin" suit release from 2017. Engineering-wise they are pretty much exactly the same, but the sculpts do have subtle differences that reflect the changes made from costume to costume. However the most significant thing about the "Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition" (and the thing that sets it apart from the 2018 version) is the use of a wired cloth scarf in place of a ball-jointed plastic one. Cloth scarves was something Bandai first started using on the Showa Riders in 2022 with both "Old" Rider 1 and Kamen Rider V3, with only the "Shin" Double Riders and Amazon preceding those releases. However as previously mentioned the Double Riders are getting new versions later this year, and Amazon is sure to follow soon enough. While soft goods aren't always to everyone's tastes, the scarves are a particularly good use of them because they add much more poseability and realism to the figure without being too obtrusive. Bandai have also refined the fabric since first debuting it on the "Old" suit - Sakurajima's being slightly thinner and easier to pose, whilst also feeling fairly sturdy and unlikely to break.

Reusing the 2017 Rider 1 body also means there's little to no change in articulation, with the only unique thing perhaps worthy of note is that the neck articulation works a little better now that the scarf isn't plastic. Altogether the figure features;

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

- Swivel hinge shoulders, hips and ankles

- Butterfly joint shoulders

- Double hinge elbows and knees

- Single hinge toe sections

- Bicep and thigh swivels

The antennae are also able to rotate thanks to the way they plug into the helmet - not for any poseability reasons but more so it makes them less easy to break. While Shinkocchou Seihou articulation has evolved in the eight years since this mould was first released, Kamen Rider 1 is still a good all-rounder figure that displays why the line is a cut above the standard S.H. Figuarts range. The only real area that has a bit of learning curve are the shoulders, which will push up against those green torso pieces in certain poses. The articulated pec muscles help, but you still have to play around with the figure a bit first to see how they work and what they're capable of. Particularly when pulling off Hongo's signature transformation pose, which first debuted alongside this suit. While its age means it isn't really quite as impressive as some of the later Shinkocchou Seihou releases, there's still more than enough going on here for some high quality Kamen Rider action.

Although there aren't a great deal of accessories included with this release, it doesn't come as a huge surprise since Rider 1's other versions haven't come with that much either. On top of that, since the Double Riders didn't use weapons (their hands and feet were weapons enough) there isn't much for him to come with in the first place outside of effect parts - something that are less and less common with Kamen Rider Figuarts these days. Altogether he comes with a replacement pair of antennae, four additional pairs of hands, a replacement neck part and two alternate plastic scarf pieces. The neck and scarf pieces are identical to the ones that came with the original 2018 release, which in turn were originally used on the "Shin" version from the year before. While I haven't included any pictures of the plastic scarves in my gallery since I feel the fabric version is the main draw of this version, I do like that Bandai gave fans the option. That said, if you prefer the plastic scarves this re-release will probably drive down the aftermarket price of the original so that suddenly becomes a more viable option. The replacement antennae are a staple of the Showa Rider releases, and whilst I thankfully haven't needed to use them yet given how small and fragile they are it's nice to know they're there there as a backup. Finally there's the hand selection, which adds two pairs of open hands, knife strike hands and accessory-holding hands to the default closed fists. This figure might not come with any accessories, but including that pair means it's both compatible with any previously released motorcycles and the sword bundled in with the forthcoming Kamen Rider 2 (Old) figure. It's not much, but it doesn't feel like anything significant is missing either.

S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 1 Sakurajima Ver. (Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition) isn't the easiest figure to give a final score on. On one hand, it's always disappointing when sought-after figures like this are event exclusives and as such more difficult to obtain. On the other, it's actually quite incredible that Bandai caved to fan demand and reissued the figure in the first place, even if it was once again an event exclusive. On top of that, in terms of event exclusives a repaint that only had six onscreen appearances isn't the most shocking of choices (even if the original, standard S.H. Figuarts version from 2013 was a general retail item) - these days you get major form changes and sometimes even Riders popping up as event exclusives. There's always hope that this new version might not be quite as difficult to get as well whilst also driving down the price of the previous one - I for example missed all of the initial preorders, but was still able to get one on release (albeit at a marked up price). So it might just be easier to put aside the pros and cons of event exclusives for now and just base it on the figure itself - and in that respect it's a runaway success. It's not surprising that the Sakurajima suit is so beloved given how well the colours work on that timeless design. While personally I don't quite prefer it to the pale blue of the original suit, it's far more striking than the "Shin" suit that's become synonymous with the character since. The fabric scarf also works SO much better than the original plastic version as well, making me even more excited for the other "Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition" figures despite the minimal changes. Bandai giving collectors a second chance to own this is a rare moment of generosity, so if you are interested definitely take the chance while you still can.