Does that make these figures of the characters, or of their actors?

Netflix’s live-action One Piece is finally out, and early reactions are looking pretty positive. That’s no mean feat – between the lackluster results that have so long been the norm for Western adaptations of Japanese animated series and the especially cartoony aesthetics of the One Piece anime/manga, it wouldn’t have been a shock if the Netflix One Piece had turned out to be a total train/ship wreck.

But the Netflix One Piece finding fans is something that the designers at Hot Toys were counting on, because on the very same day as the adaptation started streaming, Hot Toys announced that it’s releasing 1/6-scale figures of Luffy and Zoro, and figures based not on how they look in the anime, but how they look in live-action.

So really, you could argue that these aren’t just figure of Luffy and Zoro, but also of their human actors, Iñaki Godoy and Mackenyu.

In the case of Luffy, you could argue that the figure looks a little older than Godoy does on screen. Still, it’s impressive how instantly recognizable the likeness is to anyone who’s seen the Netflix One Piece, or even one of its teaser trailers.

The Zoro figure’s hair is especially interesting. While unusual colors like green, blue, and pink blend into anime visual design pretty seamlessly, those shades can often end up looking distractingly unnatural in live-action, whether the actor’s hair is dyed or they use a wig. In the case of a figure, even extremely realistic ones like these, there’s still enough of a mental disconnect from a real person that Zoro’ green hair doesn’t look that unusual.

You may have noticed that the preview photos mention “separate rolling eyeballs.” That’s not because Luffy and Zoro are consistently exasperated, but because the figures’ come with eyeballs that can be repositioned to make the character appear to be looking in whatever direction you want them to after adjusting their poses. And adjust you can, as the figures come with more than 30 points of articulation.

They also come with an assortment of special alternate pieces that can be swapped in or out. Luffy has extra extra-long arms and legs so you can recrate his rubbery-limbed fighting style.

Zoro, on the other hand, who has fewer hands than swords, has an alternate bandanaed head with a mouth that you can attach one of his blades to.

▼ The level of detailing on their costumes, like the pattern on Zoro’s sash of fray on Luffy’s pants, is impressive too.

The Luffy figure is 31 centimeters (12.2 inches) in height, and Zoro is just a littler taller, at 32 centimeters. Both officially go on sale in December, but preorders can already be placed through Hot Toys Toy Sapiens online store (Luffy here, Zoro here) for 40,500 yen (US$280), a nice-sized discount from the regular price of 45,000 yen.

Source, images: PR Times
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