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Best Itachi Uchiha Figure 2
May
1. The Aura of the Crow Master: First Impressions and Sculpt
The primary challenge of creating an Itachi figure lies in his facial expressions. Itachi rarely shows overt emotion; his power is conveyed through a cold, calculating gaze that hides an ocean of grief. Bandai’s artisans absolutely nailed this delicate balance. Itachi Uchiha Figure
Face Sculpt Accuracy
The figure comes with multiple interchangeable faceplates, each capturing a distinct era of Itachi’s tragic life:
The Stoic Akatsuki Glance: The default face features his signature long tear troughs (the lines running down his cheeks) and a calm, piercing expression painted with flawless symmetry.
The Mangekyou Sharingan Active: This faceplate features widened eyes displaying the intricate three-bladed design of his Mangekyou Sharingan, complete with subtle blood-trickle detailing under the right eye to replicate the immense strain of using Amaterasu.
The Gentle Smile: A heartbreaking addition, this face captures the soft, loving expression Itachi gives Sasuke during their final, fateful farewell.
The Akatsuki Cloak: Fabric vs. Plastic
The defining visual element of the figure is the black-and-red Akatsuki cloak. Bandai utilized a highly flexible, matte-finish PVC compound for the cloak. It splits into three distinct hanging segments (back and two front panels) connected by hidden ball joints at the shoulders. This design choice ensures that the iconic red clouds are perfectly printed and seamless, avoiding the “baggy” look that real cloth can sometimes suffer from at a $1/12$ scale.
2. Engineering the Shadow: Articulation and Engineering
The Akatsuki cloak is historically a curse for articulated action figures, effectively turning the character into a plastic statue from the waist down. However, the engineering team implemented brilliant design workarounds to preserve Itachi’s ninja agility.
[Neck: Dual Ball-Joint] ---> Allows dramatic downward head tilts (The Uchiha Glare)
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[Shoulders: Butterfly Joint] ---> Extends forward for the "Amaterasu" arm gesture
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[Cloak Segments: Ball-Jointed Panels] ---> Flairs outward to allow deep leg stances
The Arms-Out Gimmick
One of Itachi’s most famous poses is resting his right arm outside the front button of his cloak, letting it hang loosely. Bandai accommodated this by including a specialized interchangeable chest and sleeve piece. You can pop off the standard arm and attach a dedicated “resting arm” part, allowing him to stand in his signature casual, dominant pose without warping the plastic cloak.
Lower Body Freedom
Beneath the flexible cloak, Itachi features full S.H. Figuarts articulation. He has a double-jointed knee system and ball-jointed hips. When you want to pose him in a low, crouched ninja stance or jumping through the air, the side and back panels of the cloak flare outward seamlessly, mimicking the fabric catching the wind.
3. The Ninja Arsenal: Accessories and Effects
An elite Uchiha requires an elite loadout. This figure does not skimp on the tools of the trade, allowing collectors to recreate almost every iconic scene from the anime.
| Accessory / Hand Option | Conceptual Use & Gimmicks |
| Three-Pronged Kunai | Crisp, sharp metallic-painted plastic weapon that fits tightly into dedicated gripping hands. |
| The Uchiha Ring (Shu) | Meticulously painted on his right ring finger; even at a microscopic scale, the kanji for “Scarlet” is legible. |
| Forehead Protector | Features the deeply engraved horizontal scratch across the Hidden Leaf symbol, marking his status as a rogue ninja. |
| Crow Illusion Parts | Includes a swappable shoulder piece with a molded crow emerging from his cloak, capturing his signature Genjutsu transformation. |
The Ultimate Brotherly Gesture: The Forehead Poke
Bandai beautifully included a specific right hand with the index and middle fingers extended forward. This allows you to position Itachi perfectly in front of an S.H. Figuarts Sasuke figure to recreate the iconic “Forgive me, Sasuke… this is the last time” forehead poke. The emotional value this single hand piece adds to the display potential cannot be overstated.
4. Aesthetics: Paint Application and Shading
A great sculpt can be ruined by lazy paint, but the quality control on Itachi is pristine.
The Hair: Itachi’s long ponytail is molded in a very dark gray rather than a stark black. This allows subtle dark-blue airbrush shading to catch the light, giving his hair a three-dimensional depth that matches the anime’s animation cells.
The Crimson interior: The inside of the Akatsuki cloak is painted a rich, blood-red matte color. The contrast between the dark exterior and vibrant interior pops brilliantly, especially when the cloak panels are flared out during an action pose.
The Ninja Mesh: The gray mesh armor visible beneath his open collar features a fine grid wash, making it look like actual woven metal armor rather than a flat piece of painted plastic.
5. Pros and Cons
To give a completely unbiased evaluation, let’s look at the triumphs and minor drawbacks of this release.
Pros:
Emotional Range: The inclusion of the “bloody Amaterasu” eye and the “gentle smile” faceplates covers his entire character arc perfectly.
Clever Engineering: The interchangeable arm piece for the “cloak-slit” pose is an elegant solution to a difficult design problem.
Flawless Face Painting: The Sharingan patterns and facial lines are razor-sharp with zero bleeding.
Dynamic Stability: Despite the added weight of the cloak, the ankle rocker joints are incredibly stiff, allowing him to stand without a flight stand in most poses.
Cons:
No Fire Style Effects: The figure does not include a “Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu” effect piece, which feels like a missed opportunity for an Uchiha.
Cloak Limitation: While highly flexible, the PVC cloak still cannot match the infinite, gravity-defying posing freedom of a wire-rimmed soft fabric cloak.
6. Final Verdict: The Definitive Itachi for Your Shelf
The S.H. Figuarts Itachi Uchiha is more than just an action figure; it is a beautifully condensed tribute to one of the most complex anti-heroes in anime history. Bandai successfully balanced the restrictive nature of his character design with the high-mobility demands of a ninja figure.
Whether you want him standing stoically on your shelf surrounded by dynamic crow statues, or locked in a fierce, tragic duel against his younger brother Sasuke, this figure delivers on every single front. It is an essential centerpiece for any Naruto fan and a testament to how far $1/12$ scale articulation has come.
