Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 2 (Kamen Rider vs. Shocker Ver.)

Release Date: April 2026

RRP: 11,000 yen

Naturally Kamen Rider 1 and Kamen Rider 2 (aka the "Double Riders") have been a staple of the S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou range since near its beginning, and over the years various versions of their iconic suits have frequented the line. It has however previously been far more Kamen Rider 1 focused - the numerous retail versions of his final "New" suit having been accompanied by Tamashii Nation event exclusive releases of his Sakurajima and Original suits in 2018 and 2022 respectively (with a reissue of the Sakurajima suit in 2025). However Bandai Tamashii Nations have been showing plenty of Rider 2 love in the last year or so, with a new version of his "New" suit released at the end of 2025 and The Next version following a few months later. Now arguably the most important version has arrived, with the long-awaited release of S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 2 (Kamen Rider vs. Shocker Ver.). This Tamashii web exclusive figure is based on the character's appearance in the 1972 film Kamen Rider vs. Shocker, in which Hayato Ichimonji teams up with original Kamen Rider Takeshi Hongo to foil Shocker's latest scheme.

S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider 2 (Kamen Rider vs. Shocker Ver.) comes in the usual two-piece style boxes reserved for the Shinkocchou Seihou line, with the top half of the box featuring a great close-up shot of the figure against a white background. The sides of the box simply feature the release name (albeit using “Masked” rather than “Kamen”, as per all pre-Decade characters) printed in silver foil lettering against a black background. On the underside of the box you’ll find a selection of images showing the figure off in a variety of poses, as well as alongside the Sakurajima version of Kamen Rider 1. Inside the figure and accessories are spread across two plastic trays – one for the figure itself, and the another for the accessories. When opening the figure be sure to pay close attention to the antennae – the right one had fallen on in-package on my copy, but thankfully safely underneath when I removed the figure from the tray. Inside the box is also a brief instruction leaflet, outlining some of the features/articulation as well as how to swap the parts.

Although the figure is technically billed as being Kamen Rider 2's appearance in Kamen Rider vs. Shocker, fans of the 1971 Kamen Rider series will recognise this more generally as being Rider 2's original costume - first appearing alongside his debut in episode 14 all the way up his final appearance as the lead character in episode 52. Colour-wise it's quite the contrast to Rider 1's original suit and perhaps more in-line with what the Double Riders would eventually become, with a dark green colour scheme with red belt and compound eyes. The motorcycle jacket element of the costume was also tweaked, with thick silver lines running down the arms and legs as well as the middle of the helmet. It's a striking design, and my personal favourite of all the variations of the Double Rider suit there have been over the years. But while the overall design might be fairly similar, don't think for a second that this figure is simply a recolour of the previous Double Rider releases. Bandai have worked this sculpt from the ground up to make it as faithful to the design and proportions of the original suit as possible, with many of the differences only really noticeable when viewed alongside any other version of Rider 1 or Rider 2. Some of the more subtle elements include a longer mouth plate on the helmet, baggier gloves and additional texture on the suit's silver stripes. The Typhoon Belt also has a gold buckle at the back, whereas every other version of it has a silver one. Even the torso armour is different, similar in design but completely different in proportions. The level of detail is incredible, so much so that the somewhat high 11,000 price tag suddenly makes sense. Of course that isn't to say that certain touches from the previous figures haven't been brought over, such as the belt's fully moulded turbine and the wired cloth scarf that has become a staple of the Shinkocchou Seihou Showa Riders. Unlike the later version of Rider 2's suit, this one has an exposed neck (complete with moulded hair detail) akin to Rider 1's original and Sakurajima suits. On a standard S.H. Figuarts release it would have been easy enough to just recolour the suit and call it a day, but not with the Shinkocchou Seihou range - making sure all those unique features were there was essential, and Bandai absolutely nailed it.

Although the new sculpting makes this Rider 2 feel like an all-new figure, under the hood it remains fairly similar to its predecessors in terms of engineering - though there are a few minor improvements here and there. Altogether this version of Rider 2 features;

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

- Swivel hinge shoulders, hips and ankles

- Butterfly joint shoulders

- Double hinge elbows and knees

- Single hinge toe sections

- Bicep, glove and thigh swivels

In addition to that, the chest armour is all jointed (the top sections are ball jointed, while the waist pieces simply raise/lower) so that it can move alongside the body articulation. The bulky chest armour can be a little fiddly as it is with all versions of the characters, but it moves much more freely here than it did on previous iterations. The addition of glove swivels is a really nice touch too, adding to what's already a good array of arm movement.

Each version of the Double Riders from the last few years have come with fairly identical accessories, and the same can also be said about the Kamen Rider vs. Shocker version of Rider 2. Among his accessories are a replacement pair of antennae, two fixed plastic scarf pieces, an alternate neck piece to use with the scarves and seven pairs of hands. Replacement antennae have been a staple with all the Showa Rider releases, and though I’m sure many collectors never have to use them they appreciate their inclusion just as much as I do. The swappable neck and scarves are there for those who prefer the older style over the modern fabric versions, and as odd as it is to see Bandai giving people the choice after outright replacing the plastic ones on other Showa Riders having options is never a bad thing. The sizeable selection of hands covers everything you’d expect it to, ranging from various open and transformation pose hands to more specific ones like pointing and accessory holding hands. None of the poses are unique to this particular version of Rider 2, with Bandai keeping consistency across all versions of the Double Riders. However there is one unique accessory included here – a Shocker-branded sword which Rider 2 has stolen to use against his opponents. The sword can of course also be wielded by the S.H. Figuarts Shocker Combatman, or any other version of the Double Riders. Like the Combatman’s other weapons the sword is pretty simple in design, with a long thin blade, red grip section and Shocker Eagle pommel. The paint however is just as sharp as it is on the figure, with the additional wash of black bringing out the detail and giving it a more worn-out look. With the Double Riders having no melee weapons of their own, it’s a fun little inclusion that both references a sequence in the film and makes the accessory count that little bit more unique.

In addition to all that, a small selection of additional hands have also been included for use with Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider 1 Sakurajima Ver. These include both a pair of wider open hands and a pointing pair, bringing the figure’s overall hand count up to match both this Rider 2 release and the other “Legendary Showa Masked Rider Edition” figures. The colour of these hands are identical to that of Rider 2’s, but if you look closely you’ll see that the patterning on the top of the gloves is different – further emphasising both the difference between the two suits and the additional sculpting/detailing on these figures. Rounding off this final batch of accessories is a combined hand piece allowing the two Riders to shake hands, similar to the one previously included with the standard Shinkocchou Seihou Rider 2. Thanks to the two hands being fixed together it’s much easier to get the figures into a natural-looking pose, and a great accessory to celebrate the first time the Double Riders met onscreen.

Given that it’s been one of my most wanted figures for some time I’ll admit I had a particular level of hype for S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 2 (Kamen Rider vs. Shocker Ver.), but Bandai really have outdone themselves on this release. Pictures alone don’t do how different this is to the other Double Rider figures justice, with everything from the body shape to the costume detailing specific to this version of the character/costume. Of course it also brings with it that exquisite Shinkocchou Seihou quality when it comes to sculpt and articulation, as well as a great range of accessories that also make the Sakurajima Rider 1 even better. The later Rider 2 suit may be the one that’s gone down in history as Hayato’s most iconic look, but this is the character in his prime – and as such an essential purchase for any fans of the original Kamen Rider series.