It looks like Luffy has, um, grown a little.
In the world of Japanese anime and manga, where everything and anything is possible, you’d think there’d be little left to surprise us. And what little was left is well gone now, with Premium Bandai’s latest “I.R.O. (Informal Request ONE PIECE)” figurine release, which sees Monkey D. Luffy, the franchise’s main character, making the transition from male to female with a newer, more shapely physique.
While we’ve seen male characters like Naruto and Gintoki wave goodbye to their original genders, swapping their bodies for more curvy female figures, this is the first time for the hugely popular One Piece juggernaut to show off one of their male characters in a new light.
Monkey D. Luffy’s distinctive outfit of straw hat, sandals, yellow sash and red shirt appear on the new figurine, with the character’s cut-off denim shorts replaced with a revealing mini skirt.
While the trademark scar under the character’s left eye is still there, the anime star’s facial features have been given a feminine touch with a pair of pretty eyes and a sweet, toothy grin. The pirate’s short, messy head of black hair is now a sexy spiky crop and, if you can draw your eyes away from her enormous, uh, eyes for just a moment, you’ll see she displays the same large X-shaped chest scar as the main protagonist from the series.
Currently available for purchase within Japan from Premium Bandai for 9,990 yen, with October delivery, sales of the new figurine are restricted to three per customer. With the ever-increasing popularity of these types of limited-edition figurines, we can’t wait to see which one of our favourite male characters will be next to step out in female form!
Source: Premium Bandai
Images: Premium Bandai (edited by RocketNews24)