Wrapping Up 2025: Portgas D. Ace (Fire Fist) from S.H. Figuarts: One Piece by Bandai/ Tamashi Nations

 

   Today I'm wrapping up my reviews of my 2025 S.H. Figuarts: One Piece purchases with a look at "Fire Fist" Portgas D. Ace, the adopted brother of Monkey D. Luffy. I'm not too far into the anime (still in Water 7) but my wife has watched it through a few times now and I'm well aware of most of what happens past where I'm at in the show. I really love Ace, especially his dynamic as Luffy's big brother. Despite not being related by blood, it's amazing how similar they are, though Ace is far more refined than Luffy. Then again, he has a few more years on him than Luffy. Ace is a popular character for One Piece merchandise and while it's no surprise that Tamashi Nations wanted to get him out to collectors, it's surprising we got him in hand before so many of the Straw Hats themselves. Still, like I said, Ace is a popular guy and a pretty dynamic character and this figure goes all out, giving Ace lots of accessories and alternate looks. I don't have many Figuarts figures in my collection but Ace is probably the most complex one I own that I can think of off of the top of my head. Ready to check out Fire Fist Ace? Then join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 6 1/8ths inches

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

Accessories: 5 swappable Ace faceplates, 1 Luffy faceplate, 6 standard swappable hands, 5 swappable flaming hands, regular hair (2 pieces), hat hair piece, hat, hat string, lower hair piece, bracelet, Log Pose orb, dagger, backpack, coat, scarf, and five fire effects.  

Year of Release: 2025

Non-Scalper Price: $63 to $90 dollars

The Positives:

* I love One Piece's fun and colorful character designs and while Ace seems a bit plane at first here, without all of his gear, there really is a lot of detail from his costume. Yeah, he's wearing black shorts and boots with no shirt, but he's also sporting plenty of neat little extras like the crooked belt with his first initial on it ("A"), a blue carrying pouch on his thigh, an elbow pad on his left elbow, and his signature beaded necklace. The beaded necklace is not removable and is designed to stay in place, which probably was the right choice. I could see it flopping around and being a paint if it weren't. The sculpt is really sharp and shows off Ace's slender, muscular physique quite well. There's even some very light shading to help definite his muscles, though it's tough to see in the pictures. 

* Ace is part of the Whitebeard Pirates and has a very neat and clean tattoo of Whitebear's Jolly Roger on his back. It's a skull and crossbones design with Whitebeard's signature mustache. The colors really pop and it's a much better choice than the manji styled Jolly Roger that was used earlier in the manga! The tattoo is also designed so that all but the most extreme poses keep it nice and lined up properly across Ace's back. 

* On Ace's left arm is a tattoo of his name, but one that was misspelled initially by the tattoo artist, right? ASCE? Actually, it's a tribute to his family. A for Ace, S for Sabo (crossed out because Ace believed he was dead), C for Crybaby, Ace's nickname for his kid brother, Luffy, and E for Edward Newgate, AKA Whitebeard, the man Ace considers to be his true father. Pretty neat! The print is clean and the split is clean at the bicep, meaning it usually still looks pretty good when Ace's left arm is posed. 

* Ace has a couple items on his left wrist. He has his red and white braided bracelet and his Log Pose with a silver band. The Log Pose orb is removable for when you utilize some of the fire effects, so be careful when posing that you don't pop it off. It could easily roll away or fall in the carpet, never to be seen again. 

* Here's a closer look at the belt and thigh pouch. The paint applications on the buttons and loops are all really tight, especially for being such small details. 

* Ace's boots are cool and look like they're ready for some serious trekking. The "toe" hinges are well hidden, the sculped treads on the bottom of the boots are detailed, and there's a balljoint inside the shoe where Ace's calves meet the foot, allowing for some solid movement while also really preserving the appearance. 

* Ace comes with multiple faceplates, the first being a somewhat normal, slightly cocky expression. He's got a big smile and his eyes definitely make him look like he's up to something.

* The second faceplate depicts Ace really smiling with his eyes closed and a big, goofy grin on his face. He and Luffy are evidently having a good laugh about something. 

* The third portrait shows Ace pretty mad about something. Angled eyebrows, thinner pupils, and bared teeth warn us that someone is about to get torched. 

* The fourth faceplate shows Ace shouting. The work on the eyes is really good, capturing the expressive character animation and art from the manga and the show. The emotion on each faceplate is captured everywhere: The mouth, eyes, eyebrows, nose, and brow.

* The fifth portrait features Ace sleeping. I love the massive cheeks, like he's snoring, and the spit (or snot) bubble coming from his nose. It's pretty funny and definitely unique. 

* Like with Luffy, Ace also has messy black hair that is divided into two pieces on the back: The main hair and a small piece that sits around the barbell joint for the neck. That allows the hair to "articulate" a bit, so when Ace looks up, the lower hair piece can shift around. Pretty neat feature that adds a bit more articulation, even if it's minimal. 

* Ace's hat is a really cool accessory. The color looks spot on and there's a nice ring of beads on the brim and two little badges, one with a grinning face and another with a frowning face. 

* Ace has a separate hairpiece/ head that you use to allow him to wear his hat. There's also strings hanging down from the hat which are necessary to keep on the faceplate and the hat. Once everything is together, the hat looks really nice and sits realistically on top of Ace's head. 

* Apparently the strings hanging down from a hat of this sort are called stampede strings. Ace's stampede strings lead to a very cool bit of ornamentation with a skull and some other little doohickeys. Small pieces but the sculpts are quite sharp and the paintwork is very clean.  

* An alternate faceplate for Monkey D. Luffy is also included. This one definitely depicts Luffy having a good laugh, so it's great for pairing him up to pal around with his big brother! 

* While he's never seen using this dagger so far as I know, it's always hanging from his side. It has a really unique design and a great color scheme with crisp paint details. 

* The dagger fits on the side of Ace's belt on a small plug, allowing it to rotate in whatever position you need it in. 

* Like most other S.H. Figuarts figures I've owned, the articulation is excellent. This figure has more joints than Willie Nelson at Woodstock! Seriously, there are points of articulation on this figure that I find hard to describe, though they work incredibly well. There's stuff I just didn't expect like balljoints down in the boots, really complex shoulder joints, and thighs on balljoints that also drop down lower to allow for better movement in poses where Ace is moving his legs in unusual ways. While S.H. Figuarts releases aren't what I'd call sturdy toys, I didn't feel like anything was in danger of breaking since they're so well engineered. 

* Six swappable standard hands are included: A pair of standard grips, a pair of open, grappling hands, and a pair of fists. A little heat might be helpful for swapping them the first few times but they seem to go on well and stay securely. The grips are nice as you can use them to hold Ace's hat or the straps of his backpack. 

* More exciting than the standard hands are Ace's fiery hands that show his Devil Fruit powers. Ace has the powers of the Mera Mera no Mi, or Flame-Flame Fruit, so he can create and control fire. Heck, he can even set himself on fire and turn into fire, too. He comes with two hands with middle and index fingers pointed out like barrels. The ends are flaming to represent his Fire Gun attack. They look really cool with some great fiery paint effects and are just a ton of fun. Fire hands always are, right?

* Ace's next pair of hands have him holding out just one finger with the ends visible on fire. Is this so he, Luffy, and Sanji can recreate the Pointer Brothers' act on the Grandline? Nope! It's to allow him to do his Cross Fire attack, a move where he projects a stream of flame at an opponent. This looks really cool and with the excellent wrist, arm, and shoulder articulation, getting Ace into this pose is pretty easy.

* This left hand show's Ace's fingers all on fire. Why's that? It's for his Heat Haze move, a pretty basic attach of launching fire from his hands. Molding the hands in translucent plastic and using the paint to create his regular skin and the flame colors really works out well here. 

* Why is Ace called Fire Fist Ace? Because of his signature attack, the Fire Fist. This isn't just a flaming punch, though; Ace's fiery punch turns into a massive wave of flames that destroy almost anything in their way. This is really an alternate right hand piece with a second "bracelet" of flame that fits over his forearm. It allows the arm to even have some articulation while on fire, keeping him plenty mobile. 

* He also comes with a fire effect for his left arm that looks a bit wilder and less concentrated. It's also an alternate left hand so you plug his forearm into it. 

* Interestingly, it has two flame effects that you can attach to it via a balljoint. There's a smaller flame trail that emanates from the back...

* And a longer flame trail that looks like it's starting to encircle Ace. If you're someone posing these on display in battle poses or who really likes action figure photography, I think you'll really find a lot of inspiration with this figure.

* While traveling with the Straw Hats in Alabasta, Ace sports this really cool black robe with red flame designs on it. It's a nice coat, probably helping to keep the sun off of him during the day and keeping him warmer at night. the coat is nicely tailored, fits the figure well, and has a great printed flame design that matches the anime. 

* The edges of the coat are all wired, allowing for some great posing options. It's a flowy, billowing piece, so it looks good in some dynamic poses. 

* There's also a really long scarf for Ace to wear. You'll have to wrap it around his neck a time or two to keep it off the ground but it's also a nicely tailored and wired accessory to really give Ace a different appearance. 

* Last up, let's take a look at Ace's incredibly cool tote bag. It reminds me of a watermelon. How about you? Seriously, it's quite cool and rather funky, definitely something that looks like an accessory someone would have toted around in the late 1990s. The paintwork is very nice here and this piece really stands out.

   Since Ace is an import and wasn't as widely available as, say Luffy or Chopper, he is quite a bit pricier. Bandai/ Tamashi Nations does price the S.H. Figuarts based on how many they expect to sell, though while Ace is a bit pricier (especially if you bought him in the US or imported him), he does come with a lot of extras. More than most of the other S.H. Figuarts figures I've picked up. He definitely feels like a very definitive version of Portgas D. Ace and I can't imagine really needing any other version of him. He's also incredibly well designed with an impressive amount of articulation. He's an Epic figure and probably my favorite S.H. Figuarts release of 2025. 

   This is the first figure of Portgas D. Ace/ Fire Fist Ace I've reviewed. For more S.H. Figuarts: One Piece reviews, check out the following:

Monkey D. Luffy (Future Island Egghead)
Monkey D. Luffy (The Raid on Onigashima)
Monkey D. Luffy (Romance Dawn) Gum-Gum Options Parts Set

Roronoa Zoro (Romance Dawn)

Tony Tony Chopper (Future Island Egghead)