[Baltan II]

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Originally Posted by Guyver Spawn

I guess Hibiki has no chance on getting a retail release in the US as well. I guess the license holder may saying no to Rider figuarts now. I know our fan base is very small, but some people like buying stuff at retail then online.

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Originally Posted by Electric Turahk

I don't know about that. They still solicited Chalice and he's out after Gaim and Baron. It's only the series Gaim they specifically mentioned.

I sure hope it's not everything from here on out...

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Originally Posted by Thessair

I wonder if it's something as simple as the fact Gaim is still airing. I don't see why that would affect anything, but knowing how complicated licensing deals can be, it might be a factor.

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Originally Posted by Kiryu

Didn't they release Wizard pretty soon after it's release?

Bears repeating again, but all of the current woes between Bluefin and the Kamen Rider Gaim Figuarts are specifically tied to licensing for new shows. Any Kamen Rider series from the past is unaffected, especially the various Showa series, but things like Hibiki and Blade are just fine and should not ever have a problem. Definitely not a case of not enough supply, and Bluefin isn't canceling support of Figuarts (what?).

As I explained before, it's all down to Toei being overly cautious with whatever ridiculous deal is currently in place regarding new television series. For new shows, Bluefin has to have permission from Toei to release their Figuarts here, ie. confirm that it doesn't contradict or interfere with any other licensing in North America. That means Toei wants confirmation from its licensing partners that there's no interest and Bluefin can proceed. If said company is too preoccupied or otherwise absent to answer such a request, Bluefin and Bandai are stuck.

If you've been paying close attention to announcements for the past couple years, you'd notice that the slowest Figuarts to be confirmed for release are the new main Riders, particularly Wizard. Wizard was the worst before now, plus extra-confusing thanks to the Strike Robe bonus, but that's another story. Once the main Rider is confirmed though, everything else from a new series that's a retail release is business as usual, once Bluefin and Bandai have the go-ahead.

There are two possible bright sides to the current issue! First, even if Gaim and Baron don't get a Bluefin release now, the licensing gets cleared up later and in time for a reissue. It doesn't fix the bonus stand/backdrop issue but it would alleviate some of the problem. Second, if Bandai's production run was still larger than a Japan-only mass release in anticipation of a Bluefin release, this might be a repeat of the brief, added supply of the SHF Iron Man and War Machine when Bandai Asia had to call off their releases. I know there was something about AmiAmi having purchased additional stock of the two which made them a little easier to order following the initial rush, before the pair disappeared for good.

As for why Toei's partner(s) (...such as, you know, Saban) have stalled this long, that would require internal knowledge none of us have, and not even Bluefin until they have a concrete answer for us. It's not a guarantee that Gaim is getting an adaptation or official subs or anything like that. It could simply be carelessness or an inability to contact just the right person to get a straight answer.