Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Hyper Zetton [Imago]

Release Date: April 2026

RRP: 12,100 yen

Bandai Tamashii Nations have been doing a fantastic job bringing nearly as many kaiju to the Ultraman S.H. Figuarts range as they have Ultras, as well as covering some unexpected areas of the franchise alongside the mainline series. One great example of this was Ultraman Saga, star of the 2012 film (and 45th anniversary celebration of the Ultra Series) of the same name and combination form of Ultras Dyna, Cosmos and Zero. Not to leave him without an enemy to fight, both Saga’s initial reveal and release was quickly followed on by S.H. Figuarts Hyper Zetton [Imago]. The ultimate creation of Alien Bat, Hyper Zetton quickly establishes itself as one of the most formidable kaiju (in its initial appearance at least anyway) by quickly defeating the three Ultras – the trio only able to finally overpower the creature when they merge. Like Saga himself, Hyper Zetton was released as a Tamashii Web exclusive.

S.H. Figuarts Hyper Zetton [Imago] comes in a relatively thick box (though not quick as thick as the original Zetton) with a design mirroring that of the other non-Showa Ultraman releases. Hyper Zetton's colour of choice is a dark grey/black that fits rather nicely with its colour scheme. On the front of the windowless box is a nice big image of the Hyper Zetton suit as it appears in Ultraman Saga, with a faded image of the figure itself just behind. One side of the box is mostly blank (featuring the character name in English and Japanese text at the top, and then the S.H. Figuarts logo and slogan at the bottom), whilst the other features a stylised image of the figure in the usual bookend style. On the back of the box you get your usual array of stock images showing the figure off in a selection of poses (as well as showing off the accessories and cross-compatibility with another figure), and then inside the figure is neatly stored on a moulded plastic tray. Just underneath is a shallower tray housing all the accessories, and then pictorial instructions on how to do all the parts-swapping is included on a small fold-out paper flyer.

The original Zetton remains one of the most iconic kaiju in Ultraman history, and of the many variants there's been over the years Hyper Zetton remains one of the most imposing. The chunky space dinosaur kaiju is reimagined as a sleek killing machine with scaley armour and giant blades for hands. However it retains that same look that made the original Zetton so chilling, with just a translucent crystalline shape where its face should be. The colour scheme also follows the template of the original Zetton, with the only main changes being a grey underbody with yellow accents whereas the original had a white underbody with orange accents. It's a great design that really feels like a modern take on the iconic monster, with Tsuburaya throwing everything into the detailing on that suit. Bandai in turn have done a great job cramming said detail into a six inch figure, with lots of textures and detailing all over. The underbody has that same pipe-like shaping as the original Zetton, whereas the black sections push the more insectoid aspects of the design far further. While the yellow section on the face is clear plastic just as it was on the original Zetton, the other yellow sections are a glossy paint which has a really nice sheen to it but doesn't quite match the way the actual suit glows. The arms are also lightly textured to give them more depth, though admittedly they do look a bit like paint brush marks on first glance. Overall though its definitely another winner from Bandai in the looks department.

Being a more humanoid-shaped kaiju Hyper Zetton slightly eschews the usual built for an Ultraman monster figure, instead feeling like a cross between their ball-joint heavy design and the more typical Figuarts construction. From head to toe the figure features;

- Ball jointed antennae, head, neck, torso, waist, forearms, knees and feet

- Butterfly joint shoulders

- Swivel hinge shoulders

- Double hinge elbows

- Drop down ball joint hips

On top of that the shoulder pads are hinged at both the point they connect to the arms and the piece draping down over the arms, not offering a great deal of movement but enough to give the arms a little bit more clearance. Similarly the scales beside each hip can rotate out of the way of the legs, as can the top section of the knee guards). Finally the tail piece is also attached via a ball joint, but barely worth mention since in its retracted state it's barely noticeable anyway (other than having the habit of constantly falling off, at least on my copy anyway). The end result is a figure that doesn't quite match up to the flexibility of an Ultra, but is surprisingly mobile for a kaiju release. The amount of articulation in the upper body is particularly surprising, as well as the head which I fully expected to be static. The use of double hinge elbows is also interesting, especially as the forearms connect ball joints so there's even more movement just under them. Whilst understanding how certain areas move without the armour clashing (mainly the legs, which have those big knee guards in addition to the aforementioned hip plates) takes a bit of practice, overall Hyper Zetton has a lot more mobility to it than you might expect. The main aspect you might trip up with however is balancing, as while the ankle articulation on the figure is good the foot design curves up at the toes - leading it to be a little unstable in some of the more dynamic poses.

Hyper Zetton comes with an impressive selection of accessories, forgoing the usual attack/effect parts in favour of enhancing the body of the figure itself. Included here are the kaiju’s wings and tail, all of which are retracted in its “standard form” All three pieces attach to the figure via ball joints, with the wings also having additional cover pieces that fit over the joints for a more complete silhouette. The wings feature two sets of joints that allow them to outstretch into proper flight poses, whilst the tail has a single ball joint connection where it fits to the body. Adding these parts on gives Hyper Zetton a far more imposing shape, though the thickness of the wings does make the figure a little trickier to balance. The wings also boast that same glossy yellow paint present on arms, chest and face. Comparatively there’s much less to say about the tail given its small size, but again it serves to make the kaiju look that little bit more monstrous. Though it is a bit of a shame that there aren’t any effect parts also included to make posing/displays that little bit more dynamic, the body parts here were far more crucial to making Hyper Zetton feel like a “complete” release.

As an added bonus Hyper Zetton’s right forearm can also be removed and attached to Ultraman Victory, replicating his Hyper Zetton Scissors Spark Doll ability. The arm is attached via a ball joint which plugs into an adapter piece for Victory included in the set, which then in turn plugs into Victory’s elbow joint. Whilst not quite as elaborate or iconic as the EX Red King Knuckle or Shepardon Saber included with Victory’s original release, it’s a great option for anyone who bought the more recent New Generation Stars version of the figure which lacked those accessories. Just be careful when attaching the adapter piece to Victory as it can very easily scratch the silver paint on his upper arm, an area which isn’t so easily hidden when displaying Victory in his default form.

Bandai have really been onto a winning streak with their Ultra kaiju lately and whilst S.H. Figuarts Hyper Zetton [Imago] doesn't quite hit the same highs as the likes of Galactron or Birdon, it's still a fantastic addition to the range whose announcement came as a very pleasant surprise. The more unique engineering makes it a really fun figure to pose, even with how fiddly some of those scaley parts can be at times. Naturally Hyper Zetton makes a great partner piece to Ultraman Saga, but he also goes wonderfully with the original Zetton as well. It's great to finally see another version of the iconic kaiju in the line, and with plenty others to choose from here's hoping Bandai won't take another decade to do another one.