Top 5: Tamashii Nation 2025 Reveals

Bandai's annual Tamashii Nation events are always a good time but the 2025 edition felt particularly stacked in regards to reveals, particularly if you're a fan of tokusatsu. While there were a lot of great reveals from the worlds of anime, live-action, video games and Western animation as well (Star Wars: The Clone Wars S.H. Figuarts has got to be a contender for one of the most unexpected reveals of the weekend), if you are a fan of Kamen Rider, Super Sentai and Ultraman then there was A LOT to salivate over. As always I've picked out my personal favourite reveals from the event, but I have to say it was much tougher to narrow down than usual.

Series REVIEW: Space Sheriff Gavan

By the beginning of the 1980s, the Henshin Hero boom was over and many studios had already stopped producing live-action series about costumed superheroes. Ultraman had just entered a long hiatus following the conclusion of Ultraman 80, and even Kamen Rider had disappeared from television screens again after a brief revival with Skyrider and Super-1. Although Super Sentai remained a steady constant, Toei looked to create an all-new hero that would revive their tokusatsu productions. Inspired by artwork from toy designer Katsuhshi Murakami (who would later handle the overall design for the show) that depicted a lone metallic, sword-wielding hero, the plan was simple - create a hero that would be able to surpass even Kamen Rider. Spearheaded by tokusatsu veteran Shozo Uehara and starring stuntman Kenji Ohba (who had previously appeared in both Battle Fever J and Denshi Sentai Denjiman, as well as a longtime Toei stunt performer) in his first starring role, the end result was Space Sheriff Gavan - the first entry in the Space Sheriff trilogy as well as the wider Metal Heroes franchise. Gavan ran for a total of 44 episodes between 1982 and 1983, introducing Japanese audiences to an all-new kind of hero.

Top 5: Tamashii Nations Reveals That Never Happened

We're only a few weeks away from the annual Tamashii Nations event, where Bandai Tamashii Nations reveal a whole bunch of forthcoming releases from their various toy lines. But while these events are always a big source of excitement for collectors as they see all the newest figures to add to their wish lists, they can also be a time of frustration as many of the figures on display never make it past the prototype stage. So in the lead up to the event I've decided to put together my top five reveals that have happened at Tamashii Nations events over the years, which have then never come to fruition. Reader beware – this list contains a whole lot of "what could have been", and if you've been following these events for some time are likely to drum up some painful memories of Bandai prototype hell. 

Top 5: Most Wanted Shokugan Modeling Project (SMP) Releases

Whether you've accepted Shokugan Modeling Project into your hearts or still go about calling it by its original Super Mini-Pla name, there's no denying that Bandai's premium super robot model kit line has been doing some incredible things over the past few years. From its various Super Sentai and tokusatsu releases to a plethora of anime bots, SMP has become a key place for collectors to get their robot fix. But even with everything they've covered so far that's just a fraction of what Japan has to offer, and that's without counting the 30+ years of Super Sentai still untouched by them. So for this month's top five I'm looking at the things I'd most like to see join the Shokugan Modeling Project line, most of which would probably be released as overpriced Premium Bandai exclusives but I'd happily buy regardless.

Movie REVIEW: Uchu Sentai Kyuranger vs. Space Squad

Despite being a tentpole piece of Toei's tokusatsu line up during the 80s and 90s, the Metal Heroes franchise doesn’t quite have the presence it once did in comparison to the likes of Super Sentai or Kamen Rider. That began to change a few years ago following a few movies and cameo appearances from Space Sheriffs, and then last year Gavan rose to the occasion once again as he teamed up with the Dekarangers in Space Squad: Gavan vs. Dekaranger. The end of that film's tease about recruiting further heroes to the team didn't turn out to be an empty promise either, and the story now continues into a second film – Uchu Sentai Kyuranger vs Space Squad. As well as seeing the 41st Super Sentai team into the fold, this film also prominently brings back the new generation Space Sheriff Shaider as well as characters from the seventh Metal Heroes series Sekai Ninja Sen Jiraiya.

Movie REVIEW: Space Squad: Gavan vs. Dekaranger

Crossovers can be a strange thing. Sometimes they can pair up the most unexpected of things (take the recent DC Comics/Looney Tunes crossover for example) and others are such perfect match ups that you can’t believe they didn’t happen sooner. The pairing of Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger and Space Sheriff Gavan definitely counts as the latter. After the roaring success of their 10 Years After special, the space-cop Super Sentai team are back once again and teaming up with the new Gavan, Geki Jumonji – who took on the mantle in the 2012 Gavan movie and subsequently appeared in Super Hero Taisen Z as well as the Next Generation Sharivan and Shaider movies. Space Squad: Gavan vs. Dekaranger isn’t just a match made in heaven, it’s one with its sights set on the wider Sentai and Metal Heroes universes as well.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Gavan Type-G Space Squad Ver.

Release Date: May 2017
RRP: 6480 yen

Hindsight can be a wonderful thing, but on occasion I’ve looked back at some of my older reviews and been too generous in the past. The original S.H. Figuarts Gavan was definitely one of those times, as I originally failed to truly highlight the off proportions and incredibly flimsy wrist joints which broke shortly after publishing the review. However four years later it seems Tamashii Nations also felt they could do the original Space Sheriff better too, releasing a brand new S.H. Figuarts Gavan Type-G ahead of the release of the Gavan/Dekaranger crossover movie Space Squad. This Gavan will also be followed up later this month with an updated version of the original, coming as part of a web exclusive 2-pack with the Saibarian. Like all Metal Heroes Figuarts thus far, both are Tamashii web exclusive releases.

Toybox Review: S.H. Figuarts Gavan

Jōchaku! Finally making an entry into Bandai's S.H. Figuarts line is the original Metal Hero - Space Sheriff Gavan! This is the original version of the character rather than the new Type-G Gavan (who will be getting a release a little later), who appeared in the original Gavan series and more recently the Gokaiger vs. Gavan crossover movie. Gavan was a Tamashii web exclusive figure, and also a little more expensive than the standard Figuart.

Much like the character himself, there's something that feels gloriously retro about Gavan's packaging. Lots of grey and black colours and angular shapes with some effective red text tampoed on the packaging window. As you can see the back adds a little more colour into the mix, showing off the figure in front of a fiery orange background.

The most notable thing about the Gavan Figuart is just how shiny it is - so shiny that you can probably see the reflection of me taking all these pictures in him. Almost the entire body is covered in vac metal chrome finish, with the little that isn't a matte black. The Gavan suit design is certainly a product of its time and if you're a fan then there's very little here to disappoint you, every little detail no matter how simple has been faithfully recreated. Just be warned that handling this guy with sticky fingers is sure to leave a mark or two!

Due to simple design featuring no overhanging armour Gavan enjoys all the articulation a standard Figuart body can offer. Among it is a fully moveable head, rotating shoulders, double jointed elbows, swing down thighs, double jointed knees, ball-jointed ankles and even a hinged toe section. My only concern is that getting the most out of the shoulder articulation could potentially result in scuffing the chrome shoulder pieces against the main body of the figure. A couple of complaints I've noticed on my figure is that the hips are really loose - to the point where the figure struggles to hold most poses without some careful balancing. The other thing (that admittedly bothers me with most new Figuarts) is how awkward to hands are to switch out. Only here it's not just the hand joint I'm worried about breaking, it's scuffing the finish too.

Unfortunately, even with a slightly higher price tag Gavan's accessory count is a little on the low side. Included are the alternate "lit up eyes" head, 8 pairs of hands, a standard sword and energy slash effect part sword. The additional head felt almost a necessity, so including that doesn't feel like too huge a bonus. The hand count feels a low and including no charged up energy blade feels like a massive misstep. This figure might have the chrome, but Megahouse's old Action Works Gavan came with much more.

Ultimately Gavan is a beautiful looking figure, and the use of so much vac-metal chrome makes it unique even amongst a collection of Figuarts. However being both a slightly more-expensive Figuart and a Tamashii Web Exclusive is something that could easily put some off. The floppiness on mine isn't something that's going to be a widespread issue, but the difficult hands and low accessory count are. Still, the great thing about this Gavan is he works in a standalone display, a Gokaiger display or (once Type-G, Sharivan and Shaider) a Metal Heroes one.

Movie REVIEW: Space Sheriff Gavan the Movie

While these days the likes of Kamen Rider and Super Sentai are main-stayers in the world of tokusatsu, there's one Toei franchise that seemed all but forgotten. However the last few years have proved to be something of a Metal Heroes revival, with the original Space Sheriff Gavan teaming up with the Gokaigers before a whole new Gavan film was announced. To further promote the film, this new Gavan made a guest appearance on Go-Busters, and he (alongside other past Metal Heroes characters) will star in Super Hero Taisen Z alongside both Sentai and Riders later this year. Could this indeed be a new beginning for Metal Heroes? That depends just how well Gavan Type-G's cinematic debut went down...

Geki, along with Itsuki and his alien partner Shelly

When friends Geki Jumonji and Toya Okuma are lost on a space mission to Mars, they leave their third friend Itsuki alone on Earth, the only person who believes the two to still be alive. A year later, Itsuki is attacked by a monster and protected by a silvery hero - the legendary space sheriff Gavan. Revealing himself to be Geki, Itsuki learns of what happened to their spacecraft and the fate of Toya. Geki explains that he has returned to Earth to prevent the mysterious Master Brighton from resurrecting Don Horror and his Maku Space Mafia. When the sinister plot takes an unexpected turn and Itsuki is kidnapped, Geki must rely on help from the original Gavan Retsu Ichijouji to defeat the Maku and save the universe, earning his title as a space sheriff.

Master Brighton - but just who is he behind the mask?

With little in the way of fansubs available for Metal Heroes series, a lot of people will probably be going into this film in the dark about the history of Gavan (save the two recent Sentai team ups). Thankfully you won't need any background knowledge, as while this does continue on somewhat from the original Gavan series it is very much a relaunch. The characters are all brand new save for a few veterans, and the story very much focusses on Geki earning his place as the new Gavan (known as Gavan Type-G). Despite it's 83 minute run time its a fairly fast paced film, with an extremely predictable plot twist midway in. It's heavy on character since this is an all-new cast, but unfortunately it results in a sad shortage of the Gavan suit in action. What little there is is fantastic (and there are plenty of untransformed fight sequences too), but for a film named Space Sheriff Gavan, Gavan appears very little outside of the final battle.

The legend himself, Kenji Ohba returns as Retsu Ichijouji

The film may be about the arrival of a new Gavan, but it wouldn't be right without a proper send off the original Gavan, played by legendary tokusatsu actor Kenji Ohba. If Gokaiger vs. Gavan didn't convince you the this guy still had it when it came to playing Retsu, this film certainly will. But despite very much having the ability to, Kenji doesn't completely steal the show and only enforces its greatness, making it the perfect in terms of passing the torch from the old to the new.

Old and New: The Gavans team up

Though Gavan is the first Metal Hero and seemingly one of the most popular in Japan (Western audiences will be more familiar with Metalder, Spielban and the B-Fighters due to the likes of VR Troopers and Big Bad Beetleborgs), there are in fact three Space Sheriff series. His predecessors Sharivan and Shaider also make an appearance in the film, again played by all new actors. Geki Violet/Gou actor Riku Miura plays the new Sharivan Kai Hyuga while Kamen Rider Birth/Date actor Hiroaki Iwanaga is the new Shaider Shu Karasuma. While this would have been an excellent chance to see all three Space Sheriffs onscreen together for a glorious revival, sadly their role is reduced to little more than a cameo - appearing untransformed near the beginning and then enjoying a brief fight sequence at the movie's climax. Arguably giving equal focus to all 3 would have made the movie suffer (and after all it is called Space Sheriff Gavan), it would have been nice to see their role be a bit more crucial to the film. One can hope that if a new Metal Heroes series does come of this, we'll be seeing a lot more of both Sharivan and Shaider.

Type-G with Shaider (Blue) and Sharivan (Red)

While Space Sheriff Gavan is clearly a pilot for what will hopefully be a new Metal Heroes series, that doesn't stop it from being a pretty enjoyable standalone movie. Yes the plot twists are predictable and the transformed fight scenes minimal, but this slick retro sci-fi slice of tokusatsu proves a great alternative to the usual Super Sentai and Kamen Rider outings. If Metal Heroes were to make a return to Japanese television screens, I for one would welcome it.