As every Friday, we revisit Hokuto no Ken figures. This week, we take a closer look at the path of Riccardo Aversa, aka Hiryu Studio, a 3D sculptor from Italy. About fifteen resin characters, dioramas, a bust, a life-size Kenshiro now displayed in a museum, and two kits that made it all the way to Wonder Festival in Japan for the series’ 40th anniversary.
From Kinder eggs to the flying dragon
Before sculpting masters of Hokuto, Riccardo modelled just about everything there is to model. Trained in industrial design at the Polytechnic University of Turin, he worked in video games, building racing circuits and then motorbikes in 3D for racing titles, at the Fiat design centre, preparing renders of production and concept cars, and in virtual reality. For seven years, he also modelled toys for plastic injection moulding, more than two hundred projects for the Kinder Surprise collections, Marvel, Disney, DC and DreamWorks characters that fit in the palm of a hand.
Hiryu Studio is his workshop, and the name can be read in the kanji that go with it: 飛龍, the flying dragon. He does everything himself: digital sculpting, master printing, silicone moulds, resin casting, painting, and even photography.
Italy, land of Hokuto
Riccardo is not an isolated case. On the other side of the Alps, many have turned their passion for the series into a craft, and for some, even into a profession. A former member of a fan community now works for the publisher that holds the licence. Another Italian workshop offers its own 3D models, and a painter transforms kits into highly sought-after unique pieces. In France, the attachment to the series is just as strong, but it lives mainly in collections and in memories of Club Dorothée.
It all starts in the Land of Shura
For his very first piece based on the series, Riccardo chose Kenshiro, but not the one from the early manga. He set him in the Land of Shura, facing Hyoh. A 1/6 scale statue, 28.5 cm, conceived from the start as a resin kit. The Land of Shura inspired another, even more ambitious piece: a diorama based on a cover illustration, where Kenshiro faces several opponents.
© Riccardo Aversa · artstation.com/riccardoave
A full gallery at 1/6 scale
After Kenshiro, others followed, almost all at 1/6 scale. Rei, Mamiya, Hyoh, Toki, Jagi, Falco, Fudô, and Raoh. Souther, atop his pyramid. And Kenshiro again, this time as a 1/3 scale bust, sculpted, printed, and painted in the same workshop.
© Riccardo Aversa · artstation.com/riccardoave
Full scenes
Some pieces go beyond a single character. Shin on KING’s trike, with its rider. Souther on his throne, this time at 1/8 scale. And the final battle between Raoh and Kenshiro, at 1/6 scale.
© Riccardo Aversa · artstation.com/riccardoave
Life-size Kenshiro
His most imposing creation looks you straight in the eye. A life-size Kenshiro, in the outfit from his final fight with Raoh, sculpted, 3D-printed, and painted by Riccardo himself. Since 8 November 2025, it has had a new home at the Museo della Cultura Pop in Avigliana, near Turin.
© Riccardo Aversa · artstation.com/riccardoave
From Turin to Makuhari
It all started with this life-size Kenshiro. Riccardo posted pictures of it on social media, and Shinpei Naito came across them. The two got talking, and Riccardo asked whether he could help him take part in Wonder Festival, the edition marking the 40th anniversary of Hokuto no Ken. Naito helped him get in, and they shared the adventure.
The next step was approval from the rights holder, without which no kit can be sold at Wonder Festival. On 8 December 2023, on the studio’s Facebook page, Riccardo announced, relieved: his two statues, Raoh and Jûza, were approved by the publisher. In the following weeks, his home turned into a workshop. He made the moulds, cast the copies one by one, and summed up the period in one sentence: making moulds is fun but stressful, and his place was a right mess.
On 11 February 2024, at Makuhari Messe, on the BEARPOCKET stand, he presented his two 1/8 scale kits: 雲のジュウザ, Jûza of the Clouds, and Raoh, standing, just after Kenshiro’s fatal blow. Jûza sold well. Raoh, much less so. Even so, he remembers it as a wonderful experience, with a bonus: an arranged meeting with the author of Gachiakuta, for whom he had prepared a piece of fan art.
© Riccardo Aversa · artstation.com/riccardoave
The dragon’s signature
Sculpting Hokuto no Ken in Italy and going on to present his kits in Japan, with the publisher’s approval, is a rare path. The work itself stands comparison with that of the major Japanese studios. You can find all of his creations on his ArtStation, and follow him on X, @riccardo2812. Many thanks to Riccardo for taking the time to answer all the questions. Grazie mille!
Sources
- Conversations with Riccardo Aversa, October 2026: pieces created, scales, materials, Wonder Festival.
- Riccardo Aversa’s ArtStation: career, pieces, captions.
- Hiryu Studio Facebook page: kit approval by the publisher (December 8, 2023), Wonder Festival preparation.
- Hiryu Studio on Threads and Instagram: life-size Kenshiro (October 2025), move to the Museo della Cultura Pop in Avigliana (November 2025), Wonder Festival stand (January 2024).
- Toy People: Wonder Festival 2024 Winter and the Hokuto no Ken 40th anniversary exhibition.
