S.H.Figuarts vs figma vs MAFEX vs Revoltech: Anime Action Figure Lines Explained

S.H.Figuarts, figma, MAFEX and Revoltech are four Japanese lines of pre-painted, poseable action figures, each from a different company: S.H.Figuarts from Bandai Spirits under its Tamashii Nations brand, figma from Max Factory with Good Smile Company as seller, MAFEX from Medicom Toy, and Revoltech from Kaiyodo. They sit in a similar size class, so the real differences are in joint engineering and in which franchises each company tends to license.

Side-by-Side Comparison

S.H.Figuarts by Tamashii Nations

S.H.Figuarts is an action-figure series sold by Bandai Spirits under the Tamashii Nations brand. It launched in February 2008 with Kamen Rider 1 and Kamen Rider V3 from "Kamen Rider THE NEXT," and moved to Bandai Spirits when that company was formed in April 2018. The "S.H." stands for the series concept, "Simple style & Heroic action."

Figures stand around 14 cm. The series grew out of Kamen Rider, but it has since covered manga, anime, games, films, TV dramas, American comics, and even real entertainers and athletes. Recent examples show the usual package: S.H.Figuarts Yor Forger is about 15 cm tall in PVC and ABS, with four interchangeable expressions, a hair-down head and five pairs of hands; S.H.Figuarts Roronoa Zoro from the Netflix "ONE PIECE" series is about 14.5 cm with an interchangeable head, extra hands and his swords. Neither set list includes a display stand. Browse the S.H.Figuarts collection.

Figuarts mini and FiguartsZERO are different products

The Figuarts name shows up on two other Tamashii Nations lines that are easy to confuse with S.H.Figuarts. FiguartsZERO figures are non-articulated: they are made at the same scale as S.H.Figuarts but are statues, not action figures. Figuarts mini is a palm-sized line that condenses a character into chibi-style deformed proportions. If you want to pose a figure, check that "S.H." is in the name. See the FiguartsZERO and Figuarts mini collections.

figma by Max Factory and Good Smile Company

figma is planned and developed by Max Factory and sold by Good Smile Company; recent Good Smile product pages list "Planning/Production: Max Factory." The first numbered release, "001 Yuki Nagato (School Uniform Ver.)," came out on February 14, 2008. The line was conceived as a counter to Kaiyodo's Revoltech, with Max Factory's Max Watanabe and Masaki Asai at the center of development.

figma's joint idea is friction rather than clicks: the shaft and socket sides use different materials so the joint moves smoothly and then holds. Soft plastic is used on some clothing and armor so it does not block movement; Good Smile describes this on figma Samus Aran: DREAD ver. as a flexible plastic "used for important areas, allowing proportions to be kept without compromising posability." Every figure ships with an articulated figma stand, which makes jumping and flying poses easy. Good Smile's spec lines read "Painted plastic non-scale articulated figure with stand included," at about 155 mm for figma Yuta Okkotsu and about 160 mm for figma Samus Aran: DREAD ver. Interchangeable face plates and hands are standard. The lineup is mostly anime, manga and game characters. Browse the figma collection.

MAFEX by Medicom Toy

MAFEX (Miracle Action Figure EX) is Medicom Toy's high-articulation line. Medicom's own product copy calls its 1998 MIRACLE ACTION FIGURE line, whose first release was Tetsujin 28, the predecessor of MAFEX. MAFEX itself started in Japan in spring 2013 with No.1 Amazing Spider-Man and No.2 Batman.

Medicom's product copy repeats the same pitch release after release: each figure aims to pair top-tier proportions with an outstanding range of motion. Heights on Medicom's store listings mostly sit at about 150–160 mm; MAFEX THE JOKER (JOKER Ver.) is about 150 mm and MAFEX HOMELANDER Finale Ver. about 160 mm. Accessories lean toward screen accuracy: the Joker comes with five head parts, a staircase diorama stage, a replacement jacket and seated lower body, and Homelander with four new head parts, beam effects and a fabric cape. Nearly every listing includes an articulated figure stand. The license list is where MAFEX stands apart: DC, Marvel, Star Wars, Terminator, John Wick, The Boys and M3GAN, alongside Japanese subjects such as Astro Boy and Evangelion Unit-01. Browse the MAFEX collection.

Revoltech by Kaiyodo

Revoltech is Kaiyodo's action-figure series, built on the "Yamaguchi-style" articulation devised by sculptor Katsuhisa Yamaguchi. It began in May 2006 with No.001 Shin Getter-1 and No.002 Dougram, and early figures were standardized at around 12 cm tall. The first releases were sorted into Super Robot, Real Robot and Humanoid categories.

The defining part is the Revolver Joint, invented by Toy Tribe, the toy design unit of manga artist Yasuhiro Nightow and designer Noriyuki Jinguji. It has a built-in ratchet, which addresses the loosening that wears out ordinary toy joints, and it combines that ratchet with axial rotation for a wide range of motion. The joints come in ball diameters of 5, 6, 8 and 10 mm, and because they detach easily, you can connect parts from completely different Revoltech products. The finer 4 mm joints used on hands are not compatible with the 5 mm-and-up joints.

Kaiyodo's current flagship sub-line is Revoltech Amazing Yamaguchi, which Kaiyodo describes as using the Revolver Joint to move characters from movies, manga and anime. These are taller than the early figures: Deadpool Ver.2.5 and Batman Beyond are about 170 mm, Juri from "Street Fighter 6" about 160 mm, all in PVC, ABS and POM with a display stand. Recent and upcoming subjects include Marvel and DC heroes, Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, Ninja Gaiden and Mazinger Z. Browse the Revoltech collection.

How to Choose

• Start with the character. The four lines overlap far less than they look like they should. Bandai-licensed anime and Kamen Rider point to S.H.Figuarts, anime and game heroines point to figma, and Hollywood superheroes point to MAFEX.
• You want everything in the box: figma and MAFEX both include an articulated stand. With S.H.Figuarts, plan on a separate stand if you want airborne poses.
• You want a shelf that matches: S.H.Figuarts, figma and MAFEX all land in a similar height range, so they display reasonably well together. Early Revoltech figures are smaller; Amazing Yamaguchi is a little taller.
• You like dramatic, comic-panel poses: Revoltech Amazing Yamaguchi is built around exaggerated articulation and ratchet joints that hold heavy poses.
• You only want display, not posing: skip all four and look at FiguartsZERO or scale figures. Our guide to prize, scale, Nendoroid and figma figures covers the non-articulated options.

FAQ

What is the difference between figma and S.H.Figuarts?

They come from different companies. figma is made by Max Factory and sold by Good Smile Company; S.H.Figuarts is Bandai Spirits' Tamashii Nations line. figma includes an articulated stand and uses friction joints with soft plastic over key areas, while S.H.Figuarts leans on Bandai's licenses, especially Kamen Rider and Dragon Ball. Both started in February 2008.

What does MAFEX stand for?

Miracle Action Figure EX. Medicom Toy names its 1998 MIRACLE ACTION FIGURE line as the predecessor of MAFEX.

Do S.H.Figuarts come with a stand?

Check each product's contents list. The S.H.Figuarts Yor Forger and Roronoa Zoro sets we looked at include interchangeable hands and heads but no display stand. figma and MAFEX figures normally include one.

Are Revoltech joints interchangeable between figures?

Largely, yes. Revolver Joints detach easily, and the 5, 6, 8 and 10 mm sizes let you connect parts across different Revoltech products. The smaller 4 mm joints used on hands are not compatible with the larger sizes.

Is FiguartsZERO poseable?

No. FiguartsZERO figures are non-articulated statues made at the same scale as S.H.Figuarts. If you want to pose the figure, look for "S.H.Figuarts" in the product name.