[Den-O]

Lock On!

Kamen Rider Ryugen is the next entry in the massively popular Arms Change line from Bandai. Ryugen is primarily based on a Chinese warrior motif and utilizes a ranged weapon rather than a melee weapon as the other initial Armored Riders do. He is also the younger brother of Zangetsu and heir to the Yggdrasil Corporation.

But on to the figure! Arms Change Ryugen is another new remold of the base AC body type with some extra flare. The under suit itself minus the armor is actually really appealing on it's own, looking very much like an adept hand to hand fighter already. The loin cloth is also made of a fairly bendable rubber plastic so you can get it out of the way when needed. Even when you put Ryugen on a Lock vehicle.

The Budou (grape) Arms goes back to basics like Orange, unfortunately shying away from the awesome asymmetry of Banana. But that by no means makes this a bad piece. Budou looks very similar to a paper lantern when on it's own, intentional or not I can't help but make this comparison. When combined with Ryugen the whole package looks absolutely gorgeous. The mixtures of gold, green, and purple couldn't be more perfect. They all compliment each other really well. And this armor does a much better job of folding up and out of the way than either Orange or Banana. The back panel can actually lay almost flush without much extra hang. These shoulders also provide a bit better range of motion than Oranger, and far more than Banana.

A downside I've seen mentioned is that Ryugen can't seem to hold the Dragon Shot well. Mine seems capable of it. You just have to press the fingers inward once you get it in his hand, I've yet to really have much issue. But once you do it right it's solid.

Overall Ryugen is another lovely addition to the line that is really enjoyable and looks great. Doing a little Arms Changing both Orange and Banana work really well on Ryugen, Especially Banana. However Budou looks terrible on pretty much anything but Ryugen The purple clashes with the other base suits quite a bit.

Prices for the Arms Change figures have continued to sky rocket week after week and Ryugen is no different. Prices now range anywhere from $50-100 for the figure so if you can find a good deal, take it.