SARAH BRYANT - figma Virtua Fighter action figure review

figma's new Virtua Fighter Sarah Bryant figure is a gawky mess when compared to most current female action figures, but it's entirely intentional. The result is something that works, in that we get a unique display piece with functional articulation and nostalgic appeal. That appeal, of course, rests entirely upon whether or not you were a hard-core Virtua Fighter player. I was not, but from what I've seen online, it appears that Virtua Fighter was released on the Sega Saturn in the early/mid 1990's and had the distinction (among fighting games) of being the first to offer gameplay that allowed the camera to rotate around, allowing for more than the traditional back-and-forth 2D view. The game graphics have evolved over multiple iterations, most recently in Virtua Fighter 5. What figma has done here could become the first step in something we have never seen: a complete "evolution" of a character in action figure form. By making Sarah and her wave-mate Akira Yuki modeled directly on their look in the original Virtua Fighter, figma could conceivably release a VF 2, 3, 4 and 5 Sarah or Akira. The closest I can recall getting to something like this might be putting a Playmates Adventures of Lara Croft Tomb Raider next to NECA's Legends and Underworld versions (but those weren't really designed to mimic the in-game look as closely as what figma has done here).

As far as the figure itself goes, it's mostly very well-done, and how much you like it will depend on how much you like the "pixelated look". Sarah is not particularly attractive in this version. Her proportions are odd, her limbs, torso and face are angular and her paint is minimal. What's there is well-done, with sharp lines and a nice-matte black finish over the bodysuit. The figure is fairly sparse in terms of accessories: you'll get a tree of 4 alternate pairs of hands, a replacement wrist peg and a figma stand. There's an alternate "screaming face" head included, as well, I, personally, don't much care for the way it looks and probably won't be using it in my display, but it's there if you want it.

The articulation has some pros and cons. I was able to get Sarah into a variety of acceptable poses. That said, it's not perfect. First off, her shoulders are restricted a bit at the top of the ball, so I had trouble replicating the "Sarah pointing at you with her arm parallel to the ground" look. They've also designed the flesh-colored plastic just at the chest as separate, rubbery pieces. This was probably to allow the arms a better rage of motion across the front of the chest. However, it doesn't work well. The arms are still restricted, and those pieces tend to pop forward, which looks terrible and is a pain to adjust around. The legs are more restricted at the hips. They come forward pretty well, but out to the sides they don't have as much range. Getting her to do wide stances or high kicks (which is the one I care more about) doesn't work. Her giant clown feet allow her to stand pretty well, but there's no ankle-rocker I can find, so I tended to need the display stand to get her to stay upright in anything but a vanilla pose.

Overall, I'm happy with figma's Sarah Bryant action figure. It's got a unique look and looks cool next to my Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat figures. I've got Akira on order, along with the P2 version of Sarah. I'd like to see more Virtua Fighter figures on my shelf, so here's hoping that figma keeps the line going!

Oh, and on a side note, those tiny strands of hair drooping over Sarah's forehead are removable, as I discovered when one of mine popped out. It can be pressed right back in, but be aware while you are posing - losing one of those over a carpet would be a true nightmare to recover!