"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt
Game. Set. Match. There is, without a doubt, something sublime in watching the trials and tribulations of Hinata "Shrimp" Shouyou and and his fellows from Karasuno High. Haruichi Furudate told this classic hero’s journey story with such heart and sincerity, that a reader or a viewer can’t help but be deeply engrossed with its story and quirky characters. This time, on Five Figure Fridays, we have a collection of unique Haikyuu figures, that hopefully will bring you joy and remind of the importance of your dreams.
5. Haikyuu!! - Players Series: Tooru Oikawa 1/8 Complete Figure
Serving to our opening spot is Tooru Oikawa, captain of the Aobajosai’s volleyball team. The figure of the “Grand King”, as Hinata calls him, comes from Takara Tomy as a part of their Players Series. This 22 cm (8.58 inches) Oikawa figure was released in late April 2015. Oikawa, who came 5th in a first official character popularity poll, is depicted here mid-jump while swinging. A standout of this completely pre-painted ABS/PVC figure has to be its stand which is made to represent a part of a volleyball court. Besides a stand, you will also get a volleyball and Oikawa’s bag as bonus accessories. To own this Oikawa figure you will need around 13,000 yen (around 115 US dollars).
4. Haikyuu!! - Players Series: Tobio Kageyama 1/8 Complete Figure
On our number 4 spot we have another figure from Takara Tomy, and this time it's Tooru Oikawa’s kohai and a second protagonist of the series, Tobio Kageyama. This is a completely pre-painted ATBC-PVC and ABS Tobio figure which is a part of Takara Tomy’s Players Series line. The 26 cm (10.14 inches) tall figure depicts Kageyama mid-jump while he is calculating the best possible location for his toss. His pose and facial expression are faithful representation of those in manga and anime. As with the Oikawa figure here we have a base representing a part of a volleyball court. With this figure you will also get a volleyball and Hinagarasu mascot! The figure was released in late March 2015 and to pair this figure with your Toru figure, you will need around 14,000 yen (125 US dollars) or around 7800 (70 US dollars) on the secondary market.
3. Good Smile Nendoroid Shouyou Hinata Figure
On our third spot we have a Nendoroid version of Karasuno High’s perfect decoy Shouyou Hinata. This adorable Hinata figure was just recently released in January 2016. The figure itself is 10 cm (3.9 inches) tall and it is made from ABS and ATBC-PVC. Shichibee worked with Nendoron to bring Hinata figure to life, and if we may say so, he did an excellent job. The “Shrimp” comes with a variety of additional goodies such as a volleyball and a net so you can display him just as he is about to smash that ball. Besides that, he comes with three facial expressions: a cheerful smiling expression, a confident and a super excited expression. The base of the statue is also made to resemble a part of a volleyball court. This amazing figure can go up to 15,300 yen (approximately 135 US dollars) on a Western market, but you can find it on the secondary market for just about 6,300 yen (around 56 US dollars).
2. Banpresto Tetsurou Kuroo Battle Of The Trash Heap Figure
In second place we have a figure of the Nekoma High’s “ Scheming Captain”, Tetsurou Kuroo. This figure was released by Banpresto in early August 2015 as part of their "Ichiban Kuji Haikyuu!! ~Shin Gomisuteba no Kessen!" line. This collection consists of various Nekoma and Karasuno players who can be connected together by their bases to form a fascinating scene depicting the titular representation of the Battle of the Trash Heap. All these figures when they were released could only have been acquired from the Banpreso’s Ichiban Kuji lottery event. This Kuroo figure is 16 cm (6.24 inches) tall and it is made from ABC and PVC. The Kuroo figure is a completely pre-painted figure which depicts him standing confidently with a volleyball in his left hand. To start your Battle of the Trash Heap collection with this figure, you will need up to 18,000 yen (160 US dollars) on the Western market, or you can jump to the secondary market and find it for around 3,700 yen (around 33 US dollars).
1. Banpresto Shouyou Hinata Battle of the Trash Heap Figure
It is only fitting that a “perfect decoy” takes our number one spot. Like the Kuroo figure above, this figure of the “Shrimp” Shouyou Hinata was released in August 2015 as a part of Banpresto’s "Ichiban Kuji Haikyuu!! ~Shin Gomisuteba no Kessen!" line. As with all Ichiban Kuji Haikyuu figures, this one could have been only won at the aforementioned lottery event. This Hinata figure is made from PVC with an ABS stand and it stands 13.5 cm (5.31 inches) tall. Here Hinata is depicted standing undauntedly while his jacket flutters on the wind from his shoulders. He is holding a volleyball in his right hand. The crow, which is included with the figure as bonus, is landing on the nearby trash heap. As a whole this figure represents a part of the whole Battle of the Trash Heap scene which you get when you collect all of the figures from the series. To get this figure, it is better to search for it on the secondary market for around 4,170 yen (around 37 US dollars) instead on the usual western market sources where it can go up to 20,280 yen (180 US dollars).
There you go Haikyuu fans, and those who are about to be, the five best figures of the series available. We hope they will be a standout in your collections! Until next Friday, enjoy!
