Action Figure #797: Jada Toys Street Fighter II Akuma

 It was about time Jada returned. First Jada release of 2026, here we go!

 I can't say I was overly excited about the Akuma release, because, at the end of the day, he is another karate-gi character. Sure, I like him more than Ryu, but... it was another figure on the same buck.

 ...or is it?

 Well, sculpt-wise, he is another guy on the Ryu buck. The jacket of the Gi is a bit more torn, he has a rope instead of a belt, and he is wearing sandals, but all things considered... he is more of the same. He comes with his prayer beads, a giant Hadoken, two fists, two open hands, an angry face and a neutral face.

 But here is when things get interesting. On the outset, it's the same articulation. Butterfly joints, swivels on his biceps, thighs and ankles, a ball jointed ab-crunch that only goes up and down, and a ball jointed waist. But before you sell him short, Jada actually did some innovation with this guy. The butterfly joints don't just go to the sides, but they have 360 degrees of movement, and they go much deeper to the sides than the older ones! He can actually hit a perfect Hadoken pose! It sounds like a tiny change, but it adds SO much to the articulation that it's almost unreal, to the point that if Jada re-releases Ken and Ryu with these, I will buy them again. When people say that Jada are the best on the 6 inch budget market, they are not kidding.

 I also found it ingenious how they gave him a toe-joint, which Ken and Ryu were lacking, which are tied to his sandals! That said, the sandals seem to be made in a harder, more brittle plastic, which scares me a bit when using the ankle hinges.

 And one tiny nitpick, is that the beads feel sorta cheap. I don't know how much that plastic string will hold the prayers, and since it's made out of plastic, it's hard to get the beads to look natural or even to look nice on Akuma. He is a bit taller than Ryu and Ken, and almost as tall as Bucky Cap.

 Overall? Jada keeps showing every other western brand how 6 inch figures should be done. While this figure is not as impressive as their Sagat, they did surprise me with how they managed to improve on their already great Ryu buck. Here's to the rest of their 2026 releases!

9.0