Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Spider-Man (Gamerverse)

Release Date: March 2026

RRP: 9900 yen

The last few years have seen quite the revival of Capcom's various Marvel Comics-themed fighting games, not just thanks to their re-release on Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics but also a number of figure releases to go alongside it. Not content with letting Hasbro have all the fun in the Marvel Legends line, Bandai Tamashii Nations have also re-joined the Gamerverse (an umbrella term used for all video game-themed Marvel figures) with their own take on these versions of the characters. After kicking things off last year with Cyclops, the roster continues to expand into 2026 with the release of S.H. Figuarts Spider-Man (Gamerverse)! Though this retail release figure might seem like one of Bandai's more traditional takes on the iconic wall crawler, being directly inspired by these games makes it a little different that just another comic-inspired version.

S.H. Figuarts Spider-Man (Gamerverse) comes in relatively plain packaging, lacking a distinct Spider-Man or Capcom games feel to it and instead featuring a mostly blue colour scheme that's in line with the overall Gamerverse branding. The layout itself is typical of most Figuarts releases though, with the front featuring a nice big window section showing off Spidey and his accessories. This is accompanied by an image of the figure in the bottom corner, along with the character name and various brand logos. One side of the box sports a bookend style image of the figure, whilst the other features the character name in larger font instead. On the back you'll find the usual variety of images showing the figure (and accessories) off in a variety of poses, and then inside the contents are spread across two plastic trays - a main one housing the figure and most of the accessories, and a shallower one fitted underneath holding the web shield. There are also a few extra accessories stored in a plastic bag behind the trays, alongside a detailed instruction leaflet on posing/parts-swapping/accessory use.

The first thing you'll notice about this release is that it is definitely not your average Spider-Man figure when it comes to proportions. This figure is directly based on Spidey's appearance in Capcom's range of Marvel fighting games (namely Marvel Super Heroes, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom: New Age of Heroes), or to be more specific his actual gameplay sprite as opposed to the games' artwork. Here Spider-Man sports a more muscular physique compared to the wiry frame that's often more commonly associated with the character. Together with the bright colours used for the suit, it makes this Spidey look particularly super-heroic. Given just how many different Spider-Man figures that are out there, the different proportions really make this out stand out in addition to being accurate to how he looks in the games. The suit's web lines have been engraved into the suit, and then given a lining of darker red to make them stand out against the plastic. Some might have preferred more traditional black lining, but again the red feels much more true to the game sprite and cutscene art. It's very much a Spider-Man designed to look specifically from these games, and Bandai have really understood the brief in that respect. The web lines are exceptionally clean as well, with obvious overspray or missing sections. The sculpt itself is pretty clean too, despite the joint cuts obviously taking away from what's meant to be a one-piece suit. The one point of contention buyers might have however is the crotch piece, which uses the same thong-like engineering that has been seen on the majority of Spider-Man (as well as some other ranges) Figuarts in the last decade or so. It's a little over-engineered when it comes to the looks department, but is only really more noticeable here than it is on any other version because of the bright colours and lack of suit texture. All in all it's just a big cartoony Spidey that looks like it leapt straight out of the game, and it's those unique traits that make it all the more special.

Articulation is a huge factor for any Spider-Man figure, so it's no surprise that it's undoubtedly been the biggest point of contention about this figure since its release. Before getting into the specifics, altogether the figure features;

- Ball jointed head, neck, torso and wrists

- Butterfly joint shoulders

- Swivel hinge shoulders, hips and ankles

- Double hinge elbows and knees

- Single hinge toe sections

- Bicep and thigh swivels

Straight away the waist needs addressing, because even though the parts are held together by a ball joint doesn't mean that the waist acts like a ball joint. The hip design Bandai have used on the figure gives Spidey a V-shaped crotch piece, and in turn the abdomen also lines up to it with diagonal cuts. Rather than traditional ball joint movement, the waist only moves forward (in an ab crunch motion) at a very slight angle - the only side ways movement being an even slighter rocking motion. Any attempt to rotate the figure at the waist can lead it to snapping in half, so make sure you're fully aware of the limitations before trying to get it into extreme poses. It's a very strange design choice that emphasises look over functionality, which is even stranger considering the hip design does the opposite. Speaking of the hips, they provide a great range of motion (and the sliding buttock engineering is fascinating to watch), but pushing the legs up too high can result in that V-crotch splitting in half at the sides. It can be easily fixed by just lowering the legs and carefully pegging the pieces back together, but it's odd that Bandai considered it enough of a design quirk to mention it in the instructions, but not so much that they found a way around it instead. These issues (though the waist more so) are a shame because the rest of the articulation on the figure moves beautifully. More often than not joints are either so stiff you're afraid to move them, or so loose than they pop apart really easily. Here however everything moves just right, the upper torso rotation in particular (together with some really good butterfly shoulders) doing its best to make up for the lack of movement just below it. The same goes for the bicep and thigh swivels too. But while Bandai may have made some odd choices on this figure that mean it's not the most articulated version of the character out there, it's important to note that it can still hit all those important poses from the games - which is arguably far more of a necessity for the figure than more generic comic-style poses.

Spider-Man's accessories consist of four additional pairs of hands, an alternate head with slightly wider eyes, a Spider Sense effect piece, a web rope and finally a web shield. The hand selection (in addition to the default closed fists) includes standard open hands, open "crawling" hands with the fingers all bent, web shooting hands and then finally a pair to hold the web accessories. The latter pair can also double as "thumbs up" hands, allowing the figure to recreate Spidey's "this one's for J.J." victory pose from the games. Meanwhile the main difference with the alternate head is slightly wider eyes, which truth be told doesn't look hugely different but matches the way the eyes change on the game sprite. The head (which switches out with the default one really easily) is meant for use with the Spider Sense effect piece, which is a clear plastic cut out with the effect printed on it. Attaching it to the figure involves removing a small plug from the back of the figure (a little tool is also included to assist in doing this), and then attaching a clear plastic adapter piece in that rises up behind the figure and allows the effect to be level with the head. Naturally it can look a little cumbersome from the back, but when viewed front-on with the adapter out of sight it works rather well. But of course this is a Spider-Man figure, and no Spider-Man figure is complete without a few web accessories. The rope itself is pretty basic and not all that different from the ones included with other Spider-Man figures over the years. It's got some nice detailing on it and fits into the hands well for web-slinging poses, but it's a shame that there isn't also a way to attach it to the web-shooting hands as well. The main event here though is the web shield, representing his block animation from the games. The umbrella-like shape is made up of lots of individual web strands, giving it a far more intricate and aesthetically pleasing look than if it was made from one solid piece. Inside the box there's a clear plastic grip piece which needs to be attached to the shield, and from there it can be held in either of the accessory holding hands. It looks great, but is all the better for being an accessory specific to this version of Spider-Man. A web ball accessory might have been nice too just to cover off the majority of his move set, but overall it's a good spread of extras that does the character justice.

The final accessory in the set is a pair of backing cards that can be combined to form an "Ultimate Web Throw" diorama, based on one of Spider-Man's hyper combo attacks in the Marvel vs. Capcom games. Both the web image and the text along the top and bottom are directly lifted from the games, giving it an authentic look. It's a fun addition to the set, though perhaps less of an accessory and more just a more interesting thing to do with the usual plain insert card an S.H. Figuarts release has. It's perhaps not the easiest thing to display with Spidey (less because of the space it takes up and more that a standard articulated display stand doesn't reach up that high on its own), but it makes a fun extra to what's already a reasonably packed set.

S.H. Figuarts Spider-Man (Gamerverse) is a figure that seems to have been met with very mixed reception, and whilst some of the complaints levied against it shouldn't be overlooked others are perhaps a little more unfair. Go into this figure expecting the definitive Spider-Man and you will be disappointed - this is specifically a Capcom Spidey and is completely unapologetic about it, from the more exaggerated proportions to the lighter web pattern on the suit. Looks-wise it completely hits the mark, immediately making it one of the more interesting versions of Spider-Man Bandai (or any other rival company for that matter) have released in some time. With that said there are aspects to the articulation that are definitely disappointing, the near non-existent waist movement being the main offender. Is it the most poseable Spider-Man figure out there? No, definitely not. Can it still pull off a good range of Spider-Man poses, including those all important ones from the game? Yes, it absolutely can. So while it might not be the Spider-Man figure everyone is looking for, for fans of the Capcom fighting games it feels like a particularly special release in spite of its flaws.