Action Figure Review: Monkey D. Luffy (The Raid on Onigashima) from S.H. Figuarts: One Piece by Bandai

 

   I'm going through a midlife crisis, everyone. Some guys hit their early 40s and buy a sportscar or a motorcycle. Others begin pursuing a younger mistress. Me? I'm apparently now into watching anime and buying anime figures. OK, not all anime, really. Just One Piece. I've mentioned a couple times before that my wife really got into One Piece a couple years ago and since then I've certainly learned quite a bit about it. I love the characters and character designs, but my knowledge of the show was just from what she told me or from catching bits and pieces of it here and there. I finally started watching it for my self a few weeks ago and I'm really enjoying it (for those of you who keep up with it, I'm currently at the Drum Island arc of the Alabasta/ Arabasta Saga, and have officially met Tony Tony Chopper and learned his heartbreaking backstory). I purchased the S.H. Figuarts Romance Dawn Luffy a couple months ago but over this past weekend I stumbled upon the newer The Raid on Onigashima Monkey D. Luffy at my local GameStop and decided to snap him up. There's a lot of reuse here on the man dedicated to becoming King of the Pirates, but there's also plenty of differences to not make it feel too similar. Ready to check out this new version of Monkey D. Luffy? Then join me after the break...

"Gum...Gum... Mouse click!"

The Facts:

Height: 5 3/4ths inches

Articulation: Toe hinge, double swivel/hinge ankles, hinged knees, balljointed thighs, balljointed hips with lateral H-hinges, balljointed waist, abdomen hinge, balljointed mid-torso, double hinged shoulders with swivels, bicep swivels, hinged elbows, double swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck, and a barbell jointed head. 

Accessories: 3 swappable faceplates, 6 swappable hands, regular hair (3 pieces), hat hair (2 pieces), straw hat, and sash.

Year of Release: 2023

Original Retail Price: $35 dollars

Comparison: 

* Here's the Romance Dawn Monkey D. Luffy (left) with this The Raid on Onigashima Monkey D. Luffy (right). Lots of shared parts here, though the arms, torsos, and faceplates are all new. 

"Meat!"- Monkey D. Luffy

The Positives:

* If you're looking for a pretty solid time skip Luffy, that's based on a very recent look for him, this is it. The Raid on Onagashima/ Wano County arc and the Egghead arc are the two most recent arcs in the anime (I think Egghead arc is still going), so this is a pretty standard look for Luffy right now. The shorts and sandals are the same as the previous figure (though the colors are different) but this time there's a purple sash and an open chested red shirt to show off Luffy's scar. He's also rocking the gold buttons and flared sleeves, which I'm guessing are a nod to Gold Rogers. Luffy's looking kind of jacked here for sure. 

* Not only do the faceplates swap on this figure but they're interchangeable with the Romance Dawn Luffy as well. Most of the One Piece figures in this line even come with extra Luffy portraits, allowing you to swap portraits at will, capturing all of Luffy's crazy expressions. This version of Luffy looks like he's definitely excited about something, or perhaps ready for a good fight. This definitely isn't a goofy grin. It's a little bit menacing.

* The second face is definitely Luffy ready for battle. He's baring his teeth and his eyes look pretty wild. 

To swap the faceplates out, you actually pop off the front hair piece, then remove the faceplate. Luffy's spiky, messy hair is a separate piece that kind of forms the base of the head overall. There's also a tiny hairpiece that fits over the barbell joint between his neck and head. 

* This third face is absolutely crazy! It's really just delightfully wacky and I love it so much. What the heck is going on here? Is he really surprised by something? Did he just see a huge, tasty piece of meat? I was watching an episode from the Drum Island arc earlier today and when Luffy first saw Wapol transform using the power of the Munch-Munch Fruit he made a face similar to this. It's fantastic.

* Luffy has a swappable set of hair (a front piece and a back piece) that can be placed on his head which allow him to wear his signature Straw Hat. I'm a little surprised that they didn't include a separate straw hat with a string on it. Still, this looks great and stays on securely. 

* The hat is removable from the hat hair and can be it's own accessory if you want Luffy (or another figure) to wear it. It's a fantastic sculpt that really captures the look of a woven straw hat.

* Luffy's wearing a purple sash here and the ends of the sash are a separate piece that can rotate, allowing you to pose it, too. Lots of articulation here.

* I'm not always the biggest fan of a mid-foot hinge or a toe hinge, but here? It works. It's especially cool as it really does work like a sandal with Luffy's foot bending while his sandal stays flat. It's an impressive bit of design. The Romance Dawn arc Luffy has this, too (it's the same sculpt) but it's no less impressive here).

* It's been at least 8 years since I reviewed an S.H. Figuarts figure on here (it was the Suicide Squad Harley Quinn) and I'm really trying to think if I've purchased any others in that time. I did grab a Meowth, Jesse and James set from Pokemon on clearance one time (and that set is now insanely expensive) but that's it. The articulation on Luffy is excellent. I mean, this is some impressive stuff. The joints are crazy well designed and have an impressive range of motion. Some of the joints are really tough to explain, like the double hinged shoulders and the the balljointed thighs that are recessed up in the shorts. It's all just perfect for expressive posing.

* Luffy comes with three pairs of hands: Some flat hands for smacking and chopping, some grappling hands for wrestling and fighting, and some fists for some real Gum-Gum Rocket action. They swap pretty easily and I didn't have any issues with them.

The Negatives:

* My only negative is that the Romance Dawn Luffy has some really unusual articulation on the back of his shorts to give him some better leg movement but Bandai left it off of this figure. It's still visible where the join was (they kind of left the hole) but the hem of Luffy's shorts are just a solid piece. I wonder why they got rid of this?

   This is a really impressive figure of Monkey D. Luffy, especially for $35 dollars or less (my GameStop membership and points knocked a few bucks off for me while I've seen this guy float around $31 to $35 dollars elsewhere. Who knows where our hobby in general and action figure pricing will be in a few weeks or months, but for now getting this guy at a $35 is a good deal for a Great and a 1/2 figure. I've love another accessory or two (the Romance Dawn Luffy comes with some meat on a bone) but the quality articulation really makes this one shine. Interestingly, it seems that Bandai prices the main heroes of their lines (like Luffy) at a lower price than the others. Either they make way more of Luffy and other heroes than they do the rest of the figures or this is their way of getting you hooked. Take advantage of that deal!



This is the first figure of Monkey D. Luffy that I've reviewed on the site.