Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider Kaixa

Release Date: March 2026

RRP: 12,100 yen

There are plenty of Kamen Riders that are super popular amongst fans, but few are so popular that they have a whole day dedicated to them. Every 13th September the Kamen Rider fandom celebrates Kaixa Day, honouring the utterly despicable yet somehow loveable character that is Masato Kusaka. 2025's Kaixa Day came with a particularly special announcement, with the reveal that an S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider Kaixa figure was finally set for release. Given that it's been a few years since the release of Kamen Rider Faiz one might think this was one of the most obvious places for the Kamen Rider 555 line to go next, but in a classic case of Bandai Tamashii Nations throwing curveballs we've had both Next Kaixa and untransformed Masato Kusaka figures before the standard version. Like those figures, Shinkocchou Seihou Kaixa was also a Tamashii Web exclusive - with the original May shipment selling out almost immediately and additional shipments in the following months required to meet demand.

S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Kaixa comes in the line's standard two-part box, the top of which features a great headshot of the figure set against a plain white backdrop. Both sides of the lid proudly feature "Masked Rider Kaixa" in silver foil lettering against a solid black background, whilst the bottom half of the box features a selection of images showing the figure off in a variety of poses. Inside the contents of the box are spread across two moulded plastic trays - one for the figure itself and another housing all of the accessories. A fold-out paper flyer is also included that explains how to swap all the various pieces included among said accessories.

The original S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Kaixa figure came out all the way back in 2011 and whilst I might not have the original figure on hand to take comparison pictures, it goes without saying that the Shinkocchou Seihou version is a significant upgrade when it comes so sculpting and proportions. As with Faiz one of the most immediately obvious upgrades in terms of paintwork is the silver fingertips, but even more significant is that the eyes are now the correct show-accurate purple as opposed to the original figure's blue. All of the intricate detailing is now far more crisp, with the yellow and gold also deeper and more show-accurate shades. It's a gorgeous suit, once again highlighting how Kamen Rider 555 has some of the very best in the entire franchise. Even all the moulded detail on the soles of the boots are there, something that wouldn't even be on show if you didn't display the figure in a Rider kick pose. It is worth pointing out that this figure uses standard paint and so doesn't glow under UV light, but with a "Night Colour Ver." of Faiz having just been released that does glow it isn't outside the realm of possibility that Kaixa will get the same treatment (the original figure did after all) somewhere down the line as well.

The Kaixa Driver retains similar functionality as was previously seen on the Faiz Driver, with the SB-913P Kaixa Phone able to slide open to reveal all the detail of a fully-moulded mobile phone - complete with tampograph screen, enter button and Smart Brain logo on the bottom. The Kaixa Phone can be removed from the belt for proper accuracy when the figure is wielding it in Phone Blaster Mode, or to be used as a standard accessory. On top of that an alternative version of the phone is also included that lacks the Kaixa Mission Memory, again for proper screen-accuracy for when the card is attached to another weapon in Kaixa's arsenal (for example the Kaixa Shot, Kaixa Pointer or Kaixa Blaygun). It may seem like an obvious piece to include given the Shinkocchou Seihou line's adherence to show-accuracy, but the level of detail present is more than enough to make Faiz Riders standout as particularly intricate figures in the line as a whole.

Kaixa's articulation is pretty much identical to that of Faiz, offering a wide range of movement that measures up to the high standard of the Shinkocchou Seihou line. Altogether he features;

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

- Swivel hinge shoulders and hips

- Butterfly joint shoulders

- Double hinge elbows and knees

- Single hinge toe sections

- Bicep and thigh swivels

Again like Faiz the shoulder pads are connected to the torso via strips of plastic rather than the usual raised ball joints, resulting in slightly less shoulder movement but nothing that significantly impacts the figure. The usual swivel hinge ankle joints are also omitted in favour of a more straightforward ball joint - partly due to the feet needing to be easily removable (see below) but also because of the armour surrounding the ankle. By nature of the design that again means slightly less ankle movement than usual, but having the ball joint in its place means it's not that noticeable. Those slight differences aside it's pretty much par for the course for a Shinkocchou Seihou figure, with some excellent movement in the torso and hips in particular. While Kaixa might not have an iconic pose that requires flawless articulation in the same way Faiz does, even subtle movements like tilting the head slightly bring out so much of Kusaka's personality.

As was the case with Faiz, Kaixa comes with a huge array of accessories - one that actually might be better than Faiz's as there's no glaring omissions that have been kept back for a different release (looking at you Faiz Edge). First of all the accessories can be broken down into two different categories - ones that slightly alter the suit itself, and then the various weapons that make up the Kaixa Gear. For the former we have 13 additional hands, the previously mentioned alternate Kaixa Phone that lacks the Mission Memory, an alternate holster piece for the belt that does not have the Kaixa Shot inserted and even a replacement lower right leg that doesn't have the brace piece for the Kaixa Pointer attached. The latter is a surprise addition, but great for any collectors who want to display an earlier version of the suit before he received the Kaixa Pointer. Swapping the leg involves removing the foot (which is attached via ball joint so very easy to do) and then gently pulling the leg off of the long peg it sits around. Swapping can be a bit daunting at first, but the peg is thick and so would require some force to snap. The hand selection covers all the essentials, with six matching pairs and then an additional right hand for use with the Kaixa Shot. Among the selection are all the usual favourites, with a variety of open, signature pose and weapon holding hands to compliment the default closed fists.

Moving onto the weapons themselves the figure includes the Kaixa Phone in blaster mode, the Kaixa Shot in knuckleduster mode, the Kaixa Pointer in both binoculars and kick modes, the Kaixa Blaygun, two swappable blades for the Blaygun in Blade Mode (one metallic yellow, the other translucent) and an alternate slot for the Blaygun with the Mission Memory attached. A section of the Blaygun can be removed in order for it to properly fit into the holster on the belt (reattaching it then locks it into place), and the Kaixa Pointer in binoculars mode is meant to be pegged on the back of the belt. Both the Kaixa Phone blaster and Kaixa Shot knuckleduster are fairly straightforward weapons, accurately detailed and fitting into their intended hands nicely. The Blaygun however is a little more fiddly just because of all the little pieces it has. In order to display it in sword mode you first have to remove a tiny little cap covering the peg slot for the blades, which isn't that easy to do because it's so small it's hard to get any purchase on it to pull. Once you do though, having the option between two blade types really makes it feel like Bandai covered all the bases on this. Finally you have the Kaixa Pointer in kick mode, which (like Faiz's pointer) pegs onto side of the right shin and allows you to display Kaixa in a proper Rider kick pose. All in all a fantastic selection of accessories, covering pretty much everything you could want from a standard Kaixa figure.

S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider Kaixa is a figure that was long overdue, but also one that was definitely worth the wait. Kaixa builds upon the high bar that was already set for the Kamen Rider 555 range with the initial Faiz release, but arguably improves upon it with a more thorough set of accessories that covers two slightly different looks for the suit as well as his full range of weaponry. Of course it also goes without saying that the sculpt is fantastic too, that striking black and yellow colour scheme perfectly topped off by those piercing purple eyes. Love him or hate him, Kaixa remains one of the most beloved characters in the whole franchise - and this figure definitely does him justice.