[Den-O]

"Change, Punch Hopper."

Shun Kageyama began his career with ZECT as an underling of his trusted mentor Sou Yaguruma. But when Yaguruma fell from grace and was replaced by Arata Kagami, Kageyama stuck it out and continued with his dedication to ZECT. Eventually being rewarded with the powers of Kamen Rider TheBee himself. However Kageyama would prove even unworthy of this. Left a broken and scarred man, he was pulled back form the depths of his failures by his once mentor Yaguruma. Reborn as the Hell Brothers, making themselves yet another faction in the multi-sided war against the Worms, these two walked their own dark path. Together they were Kamen Riders Kickhopper & Punch Hopper.

Sou Yaguruma was once the top dog of ZECT, commanding legions of ZECTroopers as Kamen Rider TheBee. The advocate of "perfect harmony" would soon be humbled however by Souji Tendou, and begin walking a darker path of self-loathing that eventually (and inexplicably) lead him to his new identity as Kamen Rider Kickhopper! Now Yaguruma is the latest addition to the Shinkocchou Seihou premium renewal line of S.H. Figuarts! So let's dive into our review of the figure.

** I apologize for the repetition, but this figure is near 100% identical to Kickhopper aside from the paint job and the new arm weapon rather than leg. The review will be almost word for word the same as Kick Hoppers' aside from these changes. Just forewarning.

Packaging
That standard slipcover packaging of Shinkocchou Seihou returns again. I promise I really appreciate the ease of access this kind of packaging provides. I really like this design more than a standard figuarts square box, but they've gotta start spicing things up. The one monotone image across the front of the box is getting rather boring. The presentation is nice but it's starting to fall flat in the face of more colorful and creative mainline releases like those from Ex-Aid is all.

Main Figure
Just as with Kabuto, Gattack, Dark Kabuto, & Kickhopper before him, Punch Hopper is an overwhelmingly needed update to an outdated and obsolete figure. The original release was plagued by the now standard QC issues of the original Kabuto line. Especially with those bowed legs. I'm happy to report that Seihou Punch Hopper is the perfect successor to that original release.

To start, the most iconic thing about Punch Hopper is of course the Anchor Joint weapon attached to his right wrist. This unique item functions exactly the same way as Kickhopper's. Kageyama would first Rider Jump into the air, then use the power & momentum gained from the jump to execute a Rider Punch. It's also the most improved thing about this release. On the original figure it was a static accessory, permanently fixed in placed. This go around however the Anchor Joint is actually jointed and can be slid down the forearm with the blade fully extendable to properly recreate a Rider Punch.

Now for the legs. The style of hips originally implemented in this mold provide a wide and balanced motion that allows you to replicate all of Punch Hoppers' most iconic poses & attacks. Though I do still think any standing kick looks pretty goofy in figure form. I would say the hips are limited only partially by their design as they do impact the waist assembly a little more prematurely than I'd like. But it's undeniable how versatile they are compared to many other figuarts.

The Hopper Zecter is really nicely detailed, especially when compared to the original. The details are sharp, the paint apps crisp, and it's even removeable, though not functionalIf you flip it around, the backside is also (properly) fully painted in Kickhopper colors. It does pop off the buckle rather easily but it just looks so good. And while we don't have moving pectoral plates or flexible chest armor like with Kabuto & Dark Kabuto, Punch Hopper's design is still pretty smooth, albeit a bit more limited in the upper body area. But you also don't have to worry about the torso impacting the Zecter. The new chest armor is really really nice though, it looks like a perfect replica of the show prop with really subtle paint details I had never really noticed before on the actual suit. The arms are free of nearly all obstruction thanks to wonderfully hinged shoulder pads. They do sometimes look a little unnatural in certain poses and expose the joints beneath however. But the elbows and wrist provide the same great range of motion we've come to expect from this mold, one that's still holding up very well 3 years on.

Lastly we look at Punch Hoppers head, which is just spot on, obviously since it's a straight repaint of Kickhoppers. The original suffered from it's disproportionate size to the body as well as some issues with length and width. I'm happy to report that this go around the head is the correct size relative to the body and also the proper colors. Including the compound eyes. As with his 4 predecessors, Shinkocchou Seihou Punch Hopper really is the ultimate apology for the original release.

Accessories

Not much here, but just what you need:

1- Hopper Zecter (open). This is the flipped version of the Hopper Zecter from Punch Hopper's Rider Jump/Punch combination. After the moving parts that were present on Seihou Kabuto's Zecter years ago I was surprised that Seihou Gattacks' was a swap out part instead, and I'm surprised again that the Hopper Zecter is the same. It just seems like something that could have been engineered to work instead. I mean just look at the W Driver & Gaia Memories.

2 - sets of hands. These hands are a bit odd once again, they bugged me with Kickhopper too. The open hands are a very stiff variety of open palm. They aren't very expressive at all. The other pair are the standard type of "holding things" hands, and they look almost perfectly shaped for handlebars on a Rider Machine. But the Hopper Bros had no such bikes, nor any weapons they would have held. So these hands are a really pointless inclusion.

The two glaring omissions that most collectors will notice are undoubtedly items included with the original figuart. The ramen bowl as well as a personalized Tamashii Stage. The ramen bowl was a pretty hilarious and iconic accessory, signifying one of the goofier sub-plots of the show. And while the stage isn't nearly as important, it was nice that the original Hopper bros came with them. As is the original figuart is so dirt cheap now you could pretty much buy it just for those accessories. So while it's a bummer they weren't included here, it's no great loss either.

Final Thoughts
That gets us up to 5 Seihou figuarts and one Rider Machine now for Kabuto. Which is quite a lot. That puts this particular line-up of premium renewals up there with Kuuga in terms of sheer numbers of releases. So let's hope the rider doesn't end any time soon. The likes of TheBee, Drake, Sasword, & maybe some new ZECTroopers are all we lack from the TV series at this point. And then there's Caucasus, Ketaros, & Hercus for movie characters. It seems all but inevitable that they could see releases at some point, but for now we'll just have to wait. I for one welcome the completion of the Hopper Hell Bros into my collection. S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Punch Hopper is yet another winner.