Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Nox

Release Date: August 2026

RRP: 8800 yen

Although we've now entered the time of Kamen Rider My-Th, Bandai Tamashii Nations still have plenty left to do with Kamen Rider Zeztz as far as the S.H. Figuarts line is concerned - with their third release in the range finally stepping beyond the titular character. Rather wisely side-stepping the rather anti-climactic Nox Knight in favour of S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Nox, the latest Zeztz release continues the recent trend of secondary and tertiary Riders being Tamashii Web exclusives. Thankfully this trend seems to be coming to an end with the recent announcement that My-Th's Kamen Rider Maou is going to be a retail release, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating that this has been the case for the last five or so years.

S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Nox comes in the usual windowless box used for Tamashii Web exclusive releases, adopting a primarily black colour scheme which has the red, blue and white lines from Nox's suit running across it. The front of the box features a nice big image of the figure, accompanied by the character name in stylised text, a simplified image of Nox's Shadow Capsem and the Rider's own personal emblem at the top just above the S.H. Figuarts logo. One side of the box features that character text again alongside an image of the figure, whilst the other simply has a larger centred version of the text. On the back of the box you'll find a number of images showing the figure (and accessories) off in various poses, and then inside everything is neatly stored on the moulded plastic tray. As tends to be the case with standard Figuarts releases now, instructions on how to use and parts-swap the accessories are printed on the inside flaps of the box.

On first glance Kamen Rider Nox seems like a pretty fantastic-looking figure. Bandai have nailed the streamlined design of the design and its asymmetrical colour scheme - the left half particularly standing out with its metallic blue paint finish. The head sculpt looks similarly great with its large pointed sections that raise up over the compound eyes. As with most of the Zeztz suits it has a lot going on with it in terms of colour that enhances the otherwise relatively simple designs, so much so that Bandai themselves don't seem to be able to keep up with the detail. Upon release it emerged that Kamen Rider Zeztz Inazuma Plasma was missing huge swathes of colouring on the back, leading Bandai to go so far as to release replacement bodies to unhappy customers. Whilst the issues with Kamen Rider Nox aren't quite so severe, there are still details missing that simply shouldn't be on a figure of this price. Comparison with full-body shots of the actual suit show that there is blue and white colouring around the shoulder blades that hasn't been filled in, as well the blue just above the M-shaped marking on the neck. Admittedly these are all on the back of the figure so aren't super-noticeable when on display, but the head sculpt is also missing a key paint app - namely the yellow gem/crystal just between the eyes. At very close inspection you can see the detail has been moulded on, it just simply hasn't been painted. Again it may just be a little detail, but for a line that usually prides itself on accuracy Bandai have really been dropping the ball of late - first with the whole Gavv Amazing Gummy debacle, and now with the Zeztz suits. The helmet detail might not have been present in the initial reveal photos either, but it's not like Bandai didn't have plenty of time to fix it. It's a shame because otherwise Nox is a pretty great looking figure, but it becomes much harder to overlook what would usually be considered minor inaccuracies when more and more keep happening. 

The strap of the Nox Driver is moulded onto the torso, however the Driver itself is able to rotate just as it does on the show. The front panel can also be removed, allowing you to remove the open Shadow Capsem and thus display the Nox Driver in an inactive state. The loose Shadow Capsem can then be held by the figure as a loose accessory, but since it lacks the ability to fold up back into a sphere that isn't really much of a feature. The Capsem itself is nicely detailed though, with show-accurate decals on the front and then metallic purple paint on the back. Whilst little functions like this are fairly common on S.H. Figuarts versions of Drivers, it's still always great to see it on a new release.

With their base bodies being very similar Nox sports articulation that's virtually identical to Zeztz, consisting of;

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

- Butterfly joint shoulders

- Swivel hinge shoulders, hips and ankles

- Double hinge elbows and knees

- Single hinge toe sections

- Bicep and thigh swivel

Like Zeztz, Nox also features a rubbery piece over the neck joint to keep the one piece look of the suit intact. As tends to be the case with any rubbery part on a figure some collectors may have concerns about its longevity, but for now it holds up well and doesn't restrict the head/neck articulation in any significant way. The only two minor points of contention on this figure are perhaps the shoulders and ankles, with the former only able to raise so far up without rotation before those slightly pointed shoulders get in the way, whilst the latter could perhaps do with a little more tilt. Overall they're fairly miniscule complaints though, with Nox having the same unrestricted movement as Zeztz. The torso and forward arm movement is particularly good, ensuring you can get Nox into that rotating Driver pose with ease.

Nox keeps it fairly straightforward when it comes to accessories, with the release including four additional pairs of hands, the Breakam Buster and an additional piece for the weapon to switch it between Calibur and Launcher modes. The hand selection includes a variety of open, posed and accessory-holding pairs to accompany the default closed fists, giving Nox a good range to cover all the basics and signature poses. As his signature weapon the Breakam Buster was an obvious inclusion, and here looks just as toyetic as it did on the show with its bright white hilt and orange blade. The moulding on the weapon is very good, and isn't missing any obvious paint details which is good because the weapon looks pretty plain as it is. Whether the whole thing needed to be disassembled to swap between Calibur and Launcher modes is another question entirely, but it isn't really out of the ordinary for Bandai to do parts-swapping rather than it being fully functional. To switch between modes, first remove the two halves of the blade from the internal peg tree and then remove the tree itself, as well as removing the handle from the hilt. Then reattach the handle at the peg on a different angle, attach the alternate peg tree (the one stored separately in the box) and the reattach the blade pieces. The Breakam Buster looks good in both modes, but it's a shame one of Nox's additional Capsems wasn't included to fit in the slot. While you could just borrow the one from Zeztz, that then leaves Zeztz without one in his Driver as they only come with the one as well. Little things like that might not seem like much, but they wouldn't be much effort on Bandai's part either and would definitely make the figure feel that little bit more "complete".

S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Nox could have been another really great release for the Kamen Rider Zeztz sub-line, but the way Bandai keep missing the mark when it comes to suit accuracy just can't be ignored. While the omissions might not be quite so bad as they were on the Zeztz Inazuma Plasma figure, missing touches like the helmet gem are just another example how the line seems to be slipping away from the level of accuracy the line usually prides itself on. It's a shame because other details on the suit, such as the metallic paint used on the blue half, are fantastic. Fixing those little details, along with maybe throwing in a Capsem for the Breakam Buster, would have gone a long way to make a difference. As it stands Nox isn't a bad figure by any means, but ultimately definitely should have come out better.