The Shanghai Buyuroku Figure Collection (蒼天の拳「上海武勇録」フィギュアコレクション) line from manufacturer Kaiyodo brings to life the characters of Souten no Ken, set against the backdrop of the battle Kasumi Kenshiro wages against the Hong Hua Hui in 1930s Shanghai. Two painted 10 cm PVC and ABS figures, numbered Collection No.1 and Collection No.2, released in Japan in March 2008 at a suggested retail price of 1,100 yen tax included.
Details
The Shanghai depicted by the line
The back of the box features an introductory text that sets the scene for the series before presenting the pieces.
1930s Shanghai is a city unlike any other, where nationals from more than sixty countries coexist and secret societies hold sway. It was known as the international city of the devil. Crime is an everyday occurrence, power struggles never-ending. Two organizations clash more fiercely than all others: the Qing Bang, bound by a certain sense of honor, and the Hong Hua Hui, cruel and without scruple. This figure series brings to life in three dimensions the characters who appear on the stage of that conflict — the battle Kasumi Kenshiro, successor of the Hokuto Shinken, wages against the Hong Hua Hui alongside his peng-you of the Qing Bang, in a Shanghai where darkness devours darkness. The line will expand with a variety of pieces; collect them all and fully immerse yourself in the world of Souten no Ken.
Two figures
The first piece depicts Kasumi Kenshiro, sixty-second successor of the Hokuto Shinken. It has a variant in red coloring, distributed as a lottery prize by the magazine Comic Bunch and never sold commercially; this version remains rare and sought after. The second figure portrays Ye (葉), the master of two pistols and peng-you of Kenshiro. Both are delivered in open display boxes with a transparent front panel, allowing them to be displayed without unpacking.
Details
| Release | mid-March 2008 |
|---|---|
| Hauteur | 100 mm |
| Materials | PVC and ABS |
| Price | 1,100 yen tax included |
| Sculpteur | Matsuura Ken |
Details
| Distribution | Comic Bunch lottery prize |
|---|---|
| Status | not commercially released |
Matsuura Ken, two lines in the same year
The insert credits 松浦健 (Matsuura Ken) for the sculpting, a detail also noted on the Japanese product sheet for Collection No.1. The sculptor was working at the same time on the Seikimatsu Gekitoroku Figure Collection, seventeen 10 cm pieces at the same price, spread across seven volumes between 2007 and 2008, and then on the articulated line Revoltech Hokuto no Ken Revolution launched in September 2008. Shanghai Buyuroku is his only known foray into Souten no Ken.
A line discontinued after two pieces
The packaging text announces a line set to grow and invites collectors to assemble the full collection. No third figure was ever released. Compared to the seventeen characters the same sculptor contributed to Fist of the North Star over the same period, Souten no Ken stops at Kasumi Kenshiro and Ye.