Alongside the figures based on the films, manufacturer Kaiyodo dedicated another capsule series to Hokuto no Ken, the Capsule Eiyuroku, literally the chronicle of heroes. Each figure comes with an encyclopedia-style text about the characters.
Details
A gallery of portraits
This first volume brings together five figures at three hundred yen each. Alongside Kenshiro, marked by grief, and Shin, the man who lived and died for love, we find Jagi, the vilest of the four brothers, equipped with a removable helmet that earns him a dual presentation: helmeted and then bare-faced.
The last two entries draw from a rarer register. The Colonel, founder of God’s Army and guerrilla veteran in green uniform, stands alongside a rare piece: a member of the Fist King’s reconnaissance squad, that fake old woman hidden beneath an apron. A casting choice that reveals a producer eager to venture off the beaten path.
Three sculptors at work
Notably, this small series involves three different sculptors. The Kenshiro is sculpted by Tomohide Enoki of the eyewater studio, who also worked on the Violence Vignette line. Shin, Jagi, and the Colonel were handled by Ken Matsuura, while the fake old spy woman was crafted by Yu Oshima. A fine gathering of talents for a line distributed in capsules, in boxes of twelve.
Finding them today
Released in 2006, the Capsule Eiyuroku regularly resurfaces on Yahoo Auctions, Mercari, and at Suruga-ya. A line best suited for fans of supporting characters, who will appreciate encountering figures that other collections have overlooked.