It’s been said that the costume design for Darth Vader, one of the most recognizable outfits in the history of film, was heavily inspired by samurai armor. The similarities are pretty easy to spot, what with the face plate and helmet backing that continues lower down the back of the neck than what’s normal for western helms.
But what if you kept going until you came full-circle, and designed a set of samurai armor based off of Vader’s? You’d get something like this awesome figure that just went on sale in Japan.
You can thank manufacturer Tamashii Arrows for this crossover. Vader is part of the company’s Meishou Movie Realization series, which reimagines iconic movie characters with an infusion of Japanese flair. The newest member of the lineup, the Meishou Movie Realization Samurai General Darth Vader, went on sale earlier this month.
With the release of the trailer for the upcoming seventh Star Wars movie, there’s been a lot of discussion about its three-beam lightsaber. While it may not be the most practical design for a science-fiction laser sword, it is pretty stylish in its own way. Still, it isn’t quite as cool as Samurai Vader’s light-katana.
▼ Looks like Vader’s new duds means he can’t resist the urge for a little bit of Japanese cinema-style chambara swordfighting.
▼ “No. I am your chichioya.”
The 9,504-yen (US$81), 180-milimeter (7.1-inch) figure comes with two versions of his katana (drawn and sheathed) and three sets of hands.
While minions aren’t part of the Samurai Vader package, a samurai stormtrooper figure is set to go on sale next May.
The stormtrooper stands just a little shorter than his superior, at 170 millimeters, and is also slightly more affordably priced at 8,424 yen ($70). While he lacks the Sith Lord’s lightsaber, the package does include a sword, sheath, and blaster.
Plus, just like the Vader figure, the samurai stormtrooper comes with three sets of hands, which can be removed and swapped in and out to match whatever pose you’re going for.
▼ The starkly defined nipples though, are fixed in place.
Source: Artist Database, Tamashii
Images: Tamashii