Toybox REVIEW: BUZZmod Ryuko Matoi

Release Date: December 2025

RRP: 12,000 yen

As Trigger’s first full-length original television series Kill la Kill holds a special place in many anime fans’ hearts, but there’s no denying that the show was majorly underserved when it comes to articulated figures. Figma led the charge with battle versions of Ryuko and Satsuki in 2014 and 2015 respectively, but even they took a further five years to follow it up with Mako in 2020. Now a whole 12 years after Kill la Kill first hit screens Aniplex’s BUZZmod line have finally stepped in with their own take on the show’s heroine. BUZZmod Ryuko Matoi differs from Figma’s version in that it’s based on her standard/casual attire, offering fans something a little less risqué to display and delivering something they’ve been crying out for for some time.

Ryuko comes in packaging that seems overly large for a figure of her size, but at the same time matches up with the rest of the BUZZmod line. Adopting a black and red colour scheme that matches both Ryuko’s hair and the general Kill la Kill aesthetic, the front of the box is primarily taken up by a large window section that shows off both the figure and most of the accessories in all their glory. Running along the top is the character name as well as the Aniplex, Studio Trigger and BUZZmod logos, and then at the bottom there’s an image of the figure tucked away in the corner. Both sides are relatively plain, featuring the Kill la Kill series logo with a smaller version of the BUZZmod logo underneath. It’s on the back of the box that you’ll find a more detailed look at the figure, with a number of images showing off the numerous accessories she comes with. Inside everything is neatly stored on a moulded plastic tray, with a small instruction leaflet also included to explain the parts-swapping.

As previously mentioned this figure depicts Ryuko in her untransformed state, making for a more casual look than the battle suit as its essentially her default look for the bulk of the series. The BUZZmod also goes a little bit extra by adding her jacket on top of that, which she actually primarily wears before finding Senketsu in the series. This gives the figure a look that doesn't really match up to anything in the series itself, but nevertheless works because it's become such a signature look for the character through all the artwork and merchandise produced of her over the years. It also gives the figure a little bit more than just the standard school uniform, which is still here as an alternate display option anyway. The jacket is completely moulded, making the skirt the only use of soft goods on the figure. For the most part the use of soft goods somewhere is a signature part of BUZZmod's look, and the skirt was the perfect choice here. It looks good, fits with the rest of the aesthetic without being too obtrusive and benefits the leg articulation significantly. Overall the detailing here lives up to BUZZmod's high standards (and price tag), with Ryuko looking like she could have leapt straight out of the show. All of the detailing looks exactly as it should - from the emblems on the jacket to the glossy Red Gauntlet on her left hand. The head sculpt is great too, sporting Ryuko's trademark smirk and her streak of bright red hair. And it would be remiss not to mention that also underneath that skirt is also her signature blue and white striped underwear. As far as looks go it hits every note, and it feels so good to finally have a proper Ryuko action figure in this style. The way the jacket is moulded also allows you display her with her hands in her pockets very easily too - simply take the hands off and the wrist joints fit very comfortably in the holes.

Ryuko features fairly standard articulated doll articulation - nothing too extravagant, but more than enough to get plenty of poses out of her. Altogether this includes

- Ball hinge head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees and ankles

- Ball jointed neck, torso and waist

- Hinged toe joints

- Thigh and boot swivels

The style of articulation isn't that far removed from a Figma, and while that's been perfectly serviceable for decades now it's also not the hyper-articulated layout you might get elsewhere. The elbows and knees for example are single joints, and while this doesn't affect the knees to much the elbows can't manage much more than a 90 degree bend. They can also swivel around the ball hinge cut for some extra movement, but the sculpting does get in the way a bit (particularly on the jacket). The shoulders are also a little strange in that they use dumbell-style ball hinge joints, which means the arms can pull slightly away from the torso for extra movement. Great for posing, but you do have to watch or the arms can end up looking a little bit disjointed. Overall it feels good enough for a casual Ryuko figure, but some buyers might be a little bit disappointed she can't pull off too many crazy action poses. Which is reasonable enough, she does come with the Scissor Blade after all.

Ryuko comes with a rather impressive selection of accessories, which can be broken down into two distinct categories – swappable body parts and weapons/additional parts. Among the swappable body parts are three additional faceplates (grinning, embarrassed and shouting), four additional pairs of hands (transformation pose fists, weapon holding and two pairs of open hands), a replacement torso and replacement legs. The alternate faceplates provide Ryuko with a fantastic range of expressions, but unfortunately they aren’t all perfect. The grinning face is wonderful and the embarrassed one a nice addition, but there’s something slightly off about the mouth on the shouting one. I can’t quite put my finger on what (possibly the black outline of the mouth throwing the colours off), but it definitely isn’t quite as sharp as the others – which is a shame as it’s arguably the most important after the default smirk. There aren’t really any surprises in the hand selection, but it’s a solid roster that gives Ryuko everything she needs for most poses and they swap really easily despite how small/fragile the wrist joints look.

Moving onto the much larger swappable body parts, the alternate torso allows Ryuko to be displayed without the jacket in her standard untransformed Senketsu uniform. Why Aniplex chose to do this as replaceable torsos rather than just a soft goods jacket is a little confusing given the line is known for having soft goods, but perhaps they could only include so much soft goods in one figure and the skirt took priority (as it rightfully should). Thankfully despite sounding quite daunting swapping the torsos is surprisingly easy – simply pop the other one off the waist ball joint, remove the head at the neck joint and the reattach accordingly. The only slightly fiddly bit is that thicker rim part of the Red Gauntlet needs to be removed and reattached to the new arm, but again that pops off the wrist joint without any issues. Being Ryuko’s main look in the series it was essential that this option was included here (not that the jacket isn’t great), and while the process could have perhaps been simpler the end result is nevertheless superb. The moulding and detail on Senketsu is great, and the arms on this torso even have slightly more range than the jacket one. Rounding off this batch of accessories are the alternate pair of legs, which are solid pieces (and thus lacking knee joints) permanently bent for more seamless crouching/sitting poses. Swapping those requires popping the articulated legs off at the hip (first unplugging the leg and then the hips themselves), replacing them and then plugging the feet in as well. Again, this is actually a lot easier than it sounds and it never feels like anything is going to break when doing it. Whilst they certainly allow for easier and more seamless poses, ultimately they don’t really offer that much more than the articulated legs do – especially since the cloth skirt allows for much better leg movement. A fun extra for sure, but ultimately they don’t feel all that necessary and probably aren’t going to get that much use when displaying/posing.

Comparatively Ryuko’s actual “accessories” take up much less of the selection, but consists of some pretty essential parts for the figure. These include her iconic Scissor Blade in both standard and decapitation modes, the guitar case she stores the weapon in and a strap piece so that the case can be fitted onto her back. Unfortunately the guitar case is a solid piece and does not open, meaning that it can’t actually store the Scissor Blade when not in use. Which is a bit of a shame because it really wouldn’t have been that hard or costly to pull off. The guitar case is a fairly basic grey slab but true to how it appears in the show, and comes complete with the stickers branded across the side. The strap slots into sockets nice and firmly, and despite the weight of the case once fitted over Ryuko’s shoulder the figure supports it really well. The two versions of the Scissor Blade also look great, accurately moulded and sporting a lovely glossy red paint job. Interestingly the shade of red used here is slightly darker than the one used on the Figma, which doesn’t feel any less accurate but worth noting nonetheless. Both weapons fit into the designated hands fine, although the grip can be a little loose if not on the thicker parts of the handle. The length of the decapitation mode blade is also suitably impressive, yet the accessory is light enough to be comfortably wielded both one or two-handed.

Despite a few odd design choices here and there, BUZZmod Ryuko Matoi is another fantastic addition to the line that does a pretty good job of justifying their high price tag. Kill la Kill fans have been in dire need of an articulated casual Ryuko for years, and Aniplex have really delivered with a figure that has so many swappable parts that it almost feels like two figures in one. While we can only hope that the line has plans for a Satsuki to go with her (though sadly at this point it isn’t looking likely), Ryuko at the very least fits in splendidly with the trio of Figma releases from all those years ago. Most of all though, it’s just great to see that there’s still this much love for Kill la Kill over a decade later.