SH Figuarts Kamen Rider Cross-Z First Look
 

Thanks to @_Erasu

All 9 images - http://news.tokunation.com/2017/12/1...-cross-z-48195

He is a Premium Bandai release? The secondary Rider of the whole goddamn show, a character important ever since the first episode, is a Web-Exclusive figure?

Are you actually shitting me right now? What the hell? Do they hate money now or something?

I wanted to pick one up but that's the second giant middle-finger for Build SHF's after releasing Build himself with no accessories. Screw you Tamashii!

Yeah, agree with Kiwami, this is very questionable, especially after they said they'd address criticisms with Stalk's preview after people got upset about Night Rogue

I absolutely don't get this. If the secondary Rider would've been a giant asshole, or maybe a villain or something worse, then I'd understand that they don't want it to possibly clog shelves. But they also released Night Rogue of all things at retail so what's up with that?

But Cross-Z is a Web-Exclusive? Freakin' Banjo Ryuga? The actual second most important character in the show who was there ever since the very beginning? The actor is a nice guy too from what I've seen, what the actual fuck.

This Web-Exclusive shit gets weirder every year and I don't like it one bit.

Only logic I can think of...

1. Spectre shelf-warmed and is available for cheap. Secondary Rider.
2. Brave and Snipe (Level 2) shelf-warmed and are available for relatively cheap. Secondary/Third Riders.
3. Possible permanent form change for the character (or death in the show, meaning by the time it's released, will no longer be on show)

Well, that could happen with the arrival of the Jellies. Curses, that terrible suit will not only replace the current one but also push a nice figure into Web-Exclusive status? Damn.

This really is one of the coolest designs for a secondary rider in a long freaking time.

Web exclusive? Incredibly disappointing.

Hey the uh..the Zanki and Ibuki figuarts aren't gonna be web exclusives are they? My heart couldn't take that.

I'd be very surprised if at least one of them isn't.

A Web-Exclusive? This is insanely perplexing. Not only is Ryuuga such an important character, (and they even had the Cross-Z suit on the main site since the site launched!) but didn't pre-orders for Build sell out almost instantly?

I mean I get he won't be around much, but this suit has had so much focus since the start even that this decision is just baffling.

If Cross-Z was web exclusive, hopely the some of Build's Forms like GorillaMond, HawkGattling, and NinninComic will be regular release.....

Remember how a majority of Kamen Rider Drive's forms were web exclusives? And how almost all of Ex-Aid's and Gaim's lineups were P-Bandai as well? I think we can see where this is going.

best suit on the show and it's exclusive?

brilliant. /sarcasm

Confirmed, web exclusive

http://p-bandai.jp/item/item-1000120429

*sigh*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuuIR_HqNWo
Why wont they let us have nice things...

Well nuts.

:eyebrow Cross-Z is web exclusive? That's a really bizarre ass decision by Bandai that the fact he's also not in the gimmick line either but his Cross Charge suit is.

This is just personal speculation but knowing that Cross-Z will get become Cross-Z Charge soon maybe they will make that a regular release as this probably will be not around as of next year. Or they know this design is dope so they want us to beg for this, which is a petty move if true. Or if there is no thought behind this decision I am genuinely baffled and angry.

I hate it when must-buys are web exclusives, but that seems to be the way Rider Figuarts are going.

This decision is baffling to me. The only way I can see it making sense is if Cross Charge becomes the main suit going forward (which is definitely looking to be a possibility but still).


This begs the question of what's actually suppose to be a retail release in this line now. The only ones we've had so far are RabbitTank and Night Rogue. Does Tamashii actually think that Build's alternate forms will sell better than a whole secondary Rider and a main antagonist?

I mean, Gaim at least gave us retail releases for the core four Riders. Drive gave us at least one retail release for the core 3, and even did a retail release for a villain who showed up for like 6 episodes in the show after the show stopped airing.


I just don't get their decisions sometimes.

I'd counter by saying that Ghost as a show wasn't very popular, and Brave and Snipe likely didn't do well since they were already made available as part of the set with Ex-Aid and realistically, very few people are going to buy the secondary and tertiary Riders and not the lead. If you look at something like Gaim though, Baron is still selling for higher than his initial retail value.

The answer to your question is the FIRST TWO PEOPLE that show up from the start of the show. Build and Night Rogue were there from the beginning. Cross-Z suit show up in ep 10 of build soo... his form was not in the show right at the start.

In Gaim case all 4 riders were there in suit from the start that's why they all got retail release.

It just seems that Bandai does not want to take a lost with a secondary rider that shows up in ep 10.

Mach didn't appear until Episode 11 of Kamen Rider Drive, appeared after Mashin Chaser, Gou didn't show up until later on in the series (while Banjo has been there from the start) and he still got a retail release. Gold Drive didn't appear until Episode 41 but he got a retail release. Hell, Kivala got a retail release, and she only shows up in a single movie. In fact, more often than not, the Secondary Rider doesn't typically show up until well into the series' run in the Neo-Heisei era to begin with. It's only Gaim, Ghost and Ex-Aid where the secondary Rider appears within the first few episodes, so saying they don't want to take a lost with a Rider that shows up in Ep. 10 doesn't really make much sense when they've done retail releases for characters such as Accel, who only shows up 19 episodes into W.

The base form for the Secondary Rider of a series has always been a retail release, with the sole exception throughout the entire history of figuarts being Gatack from the Shinkocchou Seihou line. There's simply no excuse. The only thing I can think of is that Cross-Z Charge does indeed become the "main" suit going forward and that's going to get the retail treatment.

I did not watch drive so I don't have anything to say about the drive line.

Also there is an excuse because like others have said the last two rider shows secondary riders did not sell well so I kinda see why he webshop.

I made it clear about the Gaim riders suit being in the show right from the start which is why all 4 main riders got retail release. And rider release from 2012 are different from today so it don't matter.

There's very specific reasons for that though.

With Ghost, the toyline simply didn't sell well period. Virtually every Ghost figuart released can be found for dirt cheap, including Ghost himself. The Ghost line died out after only 8 releases. The line simply wasn't doing well.

Meanwhile, Brave and Snipe not selling well likely had more to do with the fact that they were already made available in the Mighty Action Beginning set a full month before their solo release. This isn't really saying anything about the popularity of secondary Riders in the line, especially when Lazer and Genm are selling for exorbitant prices on the aftermarket.

What I don't get about the "Cross-Z's suit will be replaced so they don't want to have the figure sitting at retail once the form is obsolete in the show"-argument... isn't this exactly what will happen with Night Rogue? Haven't we seen "Kamen Rider Rogue" in the toy scans? Pretty sure Night Rogue will also get a permanent suit-upgrade before his SHF is out in stores.

So... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The same thing happened with Zangetsu. The base melon suit gets completely discarded by Episode 12, and only shows up for two episodes after that.

Maybe it’s that they don’t want to repeat the Zangetsu situation, so are doing the reverse.

Rogue I have no idea about though - confidence that their villain characters will suddenly be able to sell well? Dunno, I’m still expecting that figure to flop hard to be honest :lol

It seemed like they were going that route with Genm, but Zombie Gamer was an exclusive anyway.

The time gaps between Cross-Z and Cross-Z Charge and Night Rogue and Rogue are completely different though. Base Cross-Z is gonna get replaced in January (if not late December), essentially only giving it a month and change of significant airtime. Rogue has been around in the show from the very first episode, and won't become a Kamen Rider until February. That's almost six months, versus Cross-Z's one. That's a lot more time for the viewers to see him in action and to build interest.

Just posting this in case nobody else noticed it, but in one picture the Beat Closer had the Lock Fullbottle inserted, while another didn't. Also, it seems that the Beat Closer can swap handles or something to mimic the "Hippare!" announcement.

Bandai, why are you doing this to my wallet?!?!?

It's Bandai. Your wallet is pretty much their property the moment you think their stuff is cool from the high-end figuarts to the smallest candy toys. :lolol