Japan’s biggest figure and garage kit show returns for its summer iteration.

There’s that old song that tells us that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but that adjective can also get applied to midsummer, when Wonder Festival, Japan’s largest figure and garage kit exhibition, rolls into the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba Prefecture, about a half-hour east of downtown Tokyo by train. Part of what makes Wonder Festival so cool is that it’s an opportunity to see not only brand-new figures of popular characters from anime, manga, and video game worlds but also a chance to get a sneak-peek at the next few months of the hobby, as mid-production preview models are shown off as well.

So while July 27 was the latest in a string of scorchers, we braved the heat and headed to Wonder Festival 2025 Summer to snap some photos of our favorite figures on display.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Evangelion, and a series with such a lasting legacy deserves an equally sturdy salute. This gigantic bronze statue of Evangelion Unit-01 looks like it’ll do the trick, although with an asking price of 4,18 million yen (roughly US$28,900), you’ll need quite a bit of space in your home and your budget.

But hey, if you’re a regular Otaku D. Rockefeller, maybe with your own statuary garden, you could also opt for this bronze statue of Ultraman, specifically his Shin Ultraman form, for 9.35 million yen.

Wonder Festival didn’t forget about fans of more modest means, though, as there were plenty of figures to see that you could fit on a normal desk or shelf, like Arcknights’ W, who’s the muse for this piece from maker Prime 1 Studio.

Given their focus on creating a large cast of characters with memorable appearances, mobile games with anime adaptations, such as Arcknights, continue to be a very big thing in the figure sphere. We also saw a whole bunch of figures for Goddess of Victory: Nikke, with multiple manufacturers showing up with detailed figures of special alternate versions of the cast.

▼ Noicse: Classic Diva (Hatsu Welkin)

▼ Rapi: Red Hood (Hobby Sakura)

▼ Anis: Sparkling Summer (Kotobukiya)

Likewise, presenters were ready to serve fans of the various branches of the expansive Idolmaster franchise family tree. Union Creative brought a pre-production quintet of idols from The Idolmaster Shiny Colors: Riamu Yumemi…

…Kogane Tsukioka…

…Amana Osaki…

…a similarly angel-winged version of her twin sister Tenka Osaki…

…and Chiyuki Kuwayama.

Meanwhile, for fans whose personal tastes lean more towards Gakuen Idolmaster, Design Coco is at work on figures of Temari Tsukimura and Misuzu Hataya from sub-unit Re;IRIS.

When it comes to the Gakuen Idolmaster girls, though, it’s Hiro Shinosawa who really stole the spotlight, with pieces from Spiritale…

…Wave…

…and even doll manufacturer Dolk at the show.

Moving from mobile games to console hits, Ryza, who revitalized Koei Tecmo’s Atelier series, has a new figure of her Atelier Ryza 3 design, showing off both her proficiency in the alchemic arts and, of course, her thighs.

With Konami getting set to release its lavish-looking remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Revoltech has whipped up Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater versions of protagonist Snake…

…and mentor-turned adversary The Boss.

Revoltech was also showing some love to One-Punch Man, with a pre-production Puri-Puri Prisoner…

…and a Garou that’s closer to what its finished version will look like.

We also spotted another character who’s shown she can handle herself in a fight, Guilty Gear Strive’s Elphelt Valentine (Spiritale).

Rounding out the selection of figures that most caught our eye, we come to Lycoris Recoil’s leading ladies, Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue (Aniplex)…

…Too Many Losing Heroines’ Anna Yanami (Aniplex)…

…Bocchi the Rock’s Ikuyo Kita (Aniplex)…

…and, finally, Date A Live’s Kurumi Tokisaki (Prisma Wing).

Be advised, though, that the Kurumi figure is a life-size, 1:1-scale statue, so you’ll want to think about whether you want to display it in the same part of your home as the Evangelion and Ultraman bronze statues, or whether you want to give each of them their own domain.

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