Bandai took one of the characters that I thought was more weakly represented in DragonBall Super and made it one of my favorite DragonBall Figuarts to-date. Check out the review for Goku Black as well as the Scythe by FerryTale Customs.
Producer: Bandai Tamashii
Price: Approx. $65 USD
Release Date: Apr. 2018
Item Height: Approx. 5.75″ with regular head and 6.33″ using SS head
Item Weight: N/A
Batteries: N/A
WHERE TO BUY: I bought mine at the C2e2 convention
Bandai Tamashii took what in my opinion is a huge step in showing the (positive) future of their DragonBall-inspired Figuarts line toy line with Goku Black. Front fit-and-finish to playability this is a piece that really has it all. Check out the video review above as well as my breakdown and gallery below and of course let me know what you think in the comments. I really, really dig this one and think you will too.
Presentation: Goku black continues to use the newer-styled box layout with a good portion of the front as clear plastic surrounded by graphics of the figure that flow onto the back as well. Everything is nice laid out and held well inside of the plastic clamshell. The figure itself is just immaculate looking. The tampoed eyes continue to impress with their perfection and all of the shading and general color applications are just insanely well done. The super Saiyan heads and faces in particular really stand out as the pink coloring is beyond perfect. It’s really gorgeous to look at.
Build: As with the majority of S.H. Figuarts, this is an entirely plastic piece with strong plastics used and great quality-control in terms of general joint and connections making for really smooth play. It feels good in both touch and motion and I couldn’t ask for anything more.
Accessories: Goku Black’s accessories are fairly basic. It comes with both his regular and Super Saiyan heads (with according hairdos and colors,) and each of those has two faces. They’re all really well done however the “side eyeing” look on the alternate regular face is one I wish were different as the side-eyed look in general really just limits photography and display options in general (it’s a trend I wish would just cease to exist, personally.) It comes with a wide variety of hands as well as the energy blade he forms on the show over his hands. For the sake of nice photos I’ve thrown in an additional, third-party scythe accessory from FerryTale Customs as well (I had to use the hands from a figuart Naruto figure for him to hold it.)
Articulation: Goku Black uses the latest body-styling which I’m glad for as it has a good amount of added articulation while keeping a relatively clean look. Being a Figuarts figure, it’s not anywhere near advanced/extreme articulation but it’s definitely on the upper tier of anime-styled figures.
Overall Score: 9.0/10 – Bandai Tamashii knocked it out of the park with this Goku Black figure. The sculpt, the colors chosen, the paint applications… it’s all just dead-on and gorgeous. The utilization of the newer-styled body and its added articulation is also a plus. Overall, Goku Black was a character that wasn’t “must watch” on the show but to me this figure is a must-have. I could sell my collection of 20+ Dragonball Figuarts tomorrow and this piece is one of two or three that I’d keep. It isn’t just because Goku Black is new, either; it’s really that damned good.
And if you pick this figure up, I highly, HIGHLY recommend picking up the custom scythe from Ferrytale Customs shown in the video as well as the gallery. It’s an additional 30 dollars USD, but it’s professionally made and really completes the piece.
Check out the gallery and even though I purchased mine at a convention you should be able to find one at your favorite seller of Bluefin Distribution products.
