[Den-O]

Henshin!

We're back with another gallery relating to Kamen Rider Ryuki! We're also happy to report and grateful that today's gallery was made possible by site sponsor Entertainment Earth.

A little background. Alternative Zero, or rather the Alternative system itself, was created as an alternative (you see where this is going?) to the Kamen Rider Advent Decks made by Shiro Kanzaki. The mastermind behind this system was Hideyuki Kagawa. Who wound up becoming the user of the Zero system after the destruction of the only other system. Alternative was intended for mass production to counter the riders but only a single MP type, or simply 'Alternative', was ever made and subsequently destroyed. Leaving only Professor Kagawa and his Alternative Zero prototype system to fight the riders.

An instigator of battles, even a victor of some, Kagawa as Zero would eventually meet his end at the hands of his twisted student Kamen Rider Tiger. All in the name of misguided heroism.

As an S.H. Figuart Alternative Zero is absolutely gorgeous. Being one of the most intricately designed suits in Kamen Rider Ryuki, Alternative make this transition flawlessly. You'll notice that because this is Alternative Zero and not the standardized Alternative for mass production, that the prototype markings are still present on the suit. Down the rib cage and waste you'll see "prototype-00" tampographed on. The recently announced S.H. Figuarts Alternative will lack the proto applications and have a few minor paint apps that differentiate it from Zero. Just as in the show.

Did I mention this figure is awesome? Despite being a very armored up character the articulation is superb. Perhaps the only hindrance is that the shoulder pads aren't on any sort of hinge. So it's best to swing the arm out somewhat before trying to pose it, so as not to knock the pad into the main body. An interesting byproduct of this figures articulation is that it can seriously hyper extend it's knees back allowing for some really dynamic posing. The headsculpt is dead on as well right down to the beautiful glossy black visor.

Alternative Zero of course includes the regular compliment of extra hands as well as his trusty Sword Vent weapon, the spikes of which are quite sharp. And of course what would an S.H. Figuarts Ryuki release be without advent cards! Alternative Zero includes 5 Advent cards and just like his rider counterparts these cards can be "scanned" through his Slash visor, mounted on the right forearm. The included cards are:

• Final Vent
• Advent (Psycorouge summoning)
• Wheel Vent
• Sword Vent
• Accel Vent

Sadly there is currently no S.H. Figuarts equivalent of his contract monster Psycorogue. For the purposes of this gallery we've thrown in the Souchaku Henshin Mirror Monsters EX figure. Alternative Zero goes well with it in both modes, but here's hoping the prototype teased 2 years ago eventually sees a release.

To summarize S.H. Figuarts Alternative Zero is an absolutely fantastic looking figure that captures the spirit of the character. The ONLY downside of this release is that it does not feature the metal feet which have been standard with Ryuki related releases. But seeing as the rest of the figure is superb, I think it can easily get a pass on this matter.

This figure is available now for purchase Ryuki fans so take my recommendation and go get it! I believe Kamen Rider Dragon Knight fans will also be more than happy to add this beauty to their collection as Eubulon