As much of a Kingdom Hearts fanboy as I am, there’s one character in the franchise I’ve always felt a bit cold toward: Riku. The quiet, moody, “Sasuke-like” rival type is just not my thing, so when I do pass on a new Kingdom Hearts figure, it’s usually Riku. But when the Kingdom Hearts Static Arts Riku figure went up for sale, it was love at first sight and instant pre-order from me. Now that I have him, am I glad I do?
The Right:
Earlier this month, I reviewed the Kingdom Hearts Select Sora figure by Diamond Select Toys. I thought that was a decent figure for a cheap 15 dollar price-tag—but at more than triple that price, my expectations for the Static Arts Kingdom Hearts Riku Statue are a bit higher.
One would expect there to be a substantive difference in quality and detailing between a $15 action figure and a smaller $50 statue. Thankfully, there is.
Even with just a half-second glance, it’s blatant that Square-Enix has developed an amazingly accurate collector-level figurine, whereas Diamond Select Toys is aiming for the cheaper toy market. For the price, I don’t think DST’s work is bad, mind you—but they’re aiming for a different demographic altogether.
While I think that the Kingdom Hearts Select figures are bright and fun, I like to be honest in my reviews: this Kingdom Hearts II Riku Static Arts figure is definitely more my style.
No one has access to more Kingdom Hearts reference materials and artists than Square-Enix—and it shows. The face, the proportions, the costume—every single aspect of this figure absolutely nails Riku. This is almost beyond a doubt the most accurate representation of the character that I’ve ever seen in toy form.
The paint on this figure is just as good as the sculpt. The wash on Riku’s pants looks tremendous, and all of the little parts of the costume—the parts where DST was sloppy with their Sora—are amazingly painted here without a smidge of slop to be found. This Riku is beautiful.
As this is a “static” arts Riku figure, there’s no articulation to be found—it’s a statue. Even so, Square-Enix chose a “cocky bad boy” pose for the character that gets his personality across perfectly.
The base is a simple one, but I like how the slightly transparent star on Riku’s base balances the dark color of his jeans well.
The Wrong:
The big—big—issue that I have with this Riku PVC statue is the price-tag: $49.99 in the United States. As terrific as the paint and sculpt may be on this, 50 bucks for a Riku plastic figurine in a 5” scale is basically highway robbery.
In a world where Diamond Select Toys is cranking out PVC statues twice as big for $10 less, the price-tag here is straight-up nuts. I paid it, mind you—because Square-Enix has the market cornered—but I’m not 100% sure I would have if I’d realized how dinky this figure would actually look in person.
For those who heard this figure was around 5.5” tall and were hoping to display him alongside standard 6” figures like Marvel Legends, let me shatter those dreams. This Riku figurine is way too small to display alongside Marvel Legends, and way too large to place alongside 3.75” Figures. This is closer to the 5” scale that’s not exactly the sweetheart size for collector figures. Alas.
In addition, the slightly leaning back pose Riku is in looks a mite awkward to me from certain angles, and I’m concerned that he’s going to develop a “lean” over time if the plastic warps. Definitely something to keep an eye on.
Overall: This is a near-perfect static-posed Kingdom Hearts II Riku figure, but despite the beautiful sculpting and paint, I just can’t bring myself to grade this figure as an ‘A’. For a 5” plastic figure, this Static Arts Riku is monumentally overpriced with its $49.99 MSRP, and I just can’t get past it. If you don’t mind feeling a bit ripped off, this Square-Enix Riku figure is pretty awesome—but it’s hard to get past this PVC statue costing as much as super-articulated SH Figuarts Figures.