The "ONE PIECE" series continues to expand its lineup. S.H.Figuarts
This time, "MONKEY.D.LUFFY" at the time of the Battle of Marineford Summit has been sculpted! We conducted an interview with Mr. Hibiki Nagashio of GB2 Corporation, who participated in the prototype production. S.H.Figuarts Mr. Nagashio, who has worked on many prototypes since the restart of the "ONE PIECE" series, talked about the points of the S.H.Figuarts "ONE PIECE" series from his point of view, as well as the particulars of "S.H.Figuarts MONKEY.D.LUFFY -MARINEFORD-".

*The images displayed in the article are of prototypes under development. They may differ from the actual finished product.

S.H.Figuarts About "ONE PIECE" series

--S.H.Figuarts Please tell us about your career in the "ONE PIECE" series and what you have worked on item and so on.

Nagashio:S.H.Figuarts We had been told for quite some time that we wanted to restart the "ONE PIECE" series, and at that time, we had made prototypes of Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji to some extent, down to their shapes. Three years ago, we were told that the series would be officially restarted, and we received a request to continue in the same vein as before.
The item I worked on include: S.H.Figuarts MONKEY.D.LUFFY -The Raid on Onigashima-, S.H.Figuarts Roronoa Zoro - Onigashima Uetsu-, S.H.Figuarts Sanji - Onigashima Uetsu-, S.H.Figuarts KAIDOU King of the Beasts(Man-Beast form), S.H.Figuarts EUSTASS.KID -The Raid on Onigashima-, S.H.Figuarts PORTGAS・D・ACE -FIRE FIST-, S.H.Figuarts MARSHALL.D.TEACH -FOUR EMPERORS-, S.H.Figuarts Monkey D. Luffy - Gear 5 - Joint Mechanism, and others.

--I see. And you are also in charge of "S.H.Figuarts MONKEY.D.LUFFY -MARINEFORD-" this time.

Nagashio:Yes, I am. In other S.H.Figuarts "ONE PIECE" series item, Luffy's face is also included as an optional part in various products, so I am in charge of that as well.

Planning staff:S.H.Figuarts Mr. Nagashio has been working with us on the "ONE PIECE" series since its inception.

Nagashio:S.H.Figuarts I was also in charge of many special effects for the "One Piece" series and the S.H.Figuarts (SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU) series, and I was approached by Figuarts ZERO for the "One Piece" series because I had been in charge of several prototypes.
In Figuarts ZERO, he did the humanoid version of "KAIDO KING OF THE BEASTS (REISSUE)." He also did "Buggy the Clown" and "Shanks - Conqueror's Haki"... I think some people remember him from those and consulted him. By the way, the exterior prototypes for these figures were created by our company's Kinugasa, who is currently active in Zoukei-oh.

Planning staff:Up until then, we hadn't been asked to make any action figures for "ONE PIECE," but we had been asked to do work related to "ONE PIECE" before, so I think it was a natural progression.

Nagashio:Yes, I was wondering why they hadn't made any action figures of "ONE PIECE".

■ S.H.Figuarts Points of Attention for "ONE PIECE" Series

--S.H.Figuarts Please let us know if there are any particulars you are considering because of the "ONE PIECE" series.

Nagashio:The most important thing is movement, after all. The work gives a strong impression of movement from the manga, so I want to make sure that the movement is absolutely flawless, and I'm always thinking about how I want to be able to recreate everything that's possible in the manga.
There are many characters with unique body shapes, which can be difficult, but at the same time, it's also fun. I think we're able to do this by constantly trying new things together with the planners, such as adding a certain type of movement.

Planning staff:That's right. We work together to think about how to create new things, such as saying, "I want a figure like this..." (laughs).

Nagashio:One Piece" is a challenge worth taking on. For example, with "S.H.Figuarts MONKEY.D.LUFFY-Gear 5: Miraishima Egghead-," for which I was in charge of the movable mechanism, the publisher said they did not want to include movable parts, but they did want to make it move. Then, we had no choice but to put a wire inside.
Another appealing feature is that you can make funny faces. Because it's an action figure, you can give it a lot of different expressions. With other fixed figures, you can't make expressions that don't match the pose, but with movable figures you can. I think this series has become one that allows you to create even more unique scenes.

The "S.H.Figuarts MONKEY.D.LUFFY -MARINEFORD-" series has evolved from the previous S.H.Figuarts "ONE PIECE" series.

--What did you keep in mind when creating the mobility needed to recreate the impressive action from the Battle of Marineford?

Nagashio:The biggest change is that a roll axis has been added to the thigh parts. Previously, these parts were connected, but now they can rotate. This means that the legs can be spread apart, making it easier to achieve impressive poses such as bracing yourself.

Planning staff:In the Marine Ford Summit Decisive Battle Arc, there were many scenes in which Luffy was bent over at the waist, and although we have been able to do this with Luffy's S.H.Figuarts before, we asked you to make it so that we can reproduce Luffy's action scenes in the Marine Ford Summit Decisive Battle Arc with more full force.

Nagashio:In "S.H.Figuarts MONKEY.D.LUFFY -The Raid on Onigashima-," being the first version, we had in mind that the lines should look clean, so we didn't include divisions in the thighs. This time, we swung into action, so the biggest thing we did was to include a roll axis in the thighs. As a result, the movable back of these pants also works.

Planning staff:This allows for more mobility.
In the Battle of Marineford arc, Luffy leans forward and takes big actions as if he is driven by his desire to save Ace, so I asked him to go all out with the mobility so that we could recreate that in the figure. He went out of his way to trim down a lot of parts, and I think it has the best mobility possible.

Nagashio:Also, speaking of the internal mechanism, the joints at the waist and pants have been revised so that it can lean forward more.

-Is that to recreate the "Gear 2" pose?

Nagashio:That's right. We incorporated this in the previous game as well, but this time we wanted to recreate it more perfectly. The head also moves a lot more.

Planning staff:That's right. We had detailed consultations, such as adjusting the movement of the neck and shaving off parts of the hair that are not visible when the character is twiddling his legs.

Nagashio:I think it has some movement that allows it to point more upwards.

Planning staff:I think the key points are the low stance and the action with the hips in. I think this figure is able to recreate the fighting style of someone who doesn't care about anything.

--As you said earlier, the Marineford Summit War arc has many impressive scenes where emotions are brought to the forefront and the body movements are large. With this update to the range of motion, I feel like the dynamism of the action is easier to understand.

Planning staff:Additional slits have been added to the shirt and other parts, allowing for greater range of movement.

Nagashio:The type where the shirt comes out from the top is quite difficult to make. Normally, it doesn't bend that much.
It's the same with jackets. Generally, it's easier to move around in clothes with the shirt tucked in.

Planning staff:These are the points of the updated mobility this time.

■ Modeling of "S.H.Figuarts MONKEY.D.LUFFY -MARINEFORD-

--What has changed in the modeling aspect of "S.H.Figuarts MONKEY.D.LUFFY -MARINEFORD-" from the previous S.H.Figuarts "ONE PIECE" series in terms of modeling?

Nagashio:The hair has been made a little more realistic. The hair has been sculpted with a high level of detail and a lot of information, with the idea of placing it alongside "S.H.Figuarts PORTGAS・D・ACE -FIRE FIST-".

Planning staff:The intention of the order was that the hair would also suit the body, as it is completely ragged and in disrepair while fighting.

Nagashio:I also changed the color of the outfit.

Planning staff:In terms of finer details, we've also added wrinkle details to areas that weren't included before.

Nagashio:The hip joint cover parts have been added.

Planning staff:Yes. So, even when he's in action, they worked hard to make sure the details weren't lost.

Nagashio:It's a small point, but Akiba-san pays close attention to it, so he'd add things like, "Oh, that's right!" (laughs).

Planning staff:Sorry. There are always so many small details that come to mind...

Nagashio:Well, I'm just glad that people are watching.
I always say that movement after bending is important, but sometimes I miss that point. Akiba-san helps me out with that, so I think it's even better.

Planning staff:The samples they give me are always amazing, but when I play with them I start to want more, so I often end up asking for more.

Nagashio:That's a huge part of it. It's the right relationship between the creator and the planner.

--It seems you've built a good relationship.

Planning staff:Thank you.

Nagashio:Thank you very much.

--Is there any other part that you changed in "S.H.Figuarts MONKEY.D.LUFFY -MARINEFORD-"?

Nagashio:Of course, this crying face part is this one.

Planning staff:This is the best.

Nagashio:Well, I think you know which scene it is...

Planning staff:The fact that this part is included means... I included it with the intention that it will raise expectations for future developments.

Nagashio:I don't think it's possible to create a figure with such an extreme expression.
S.H.Figuarts One of the themes of the "ONE PIECE" series is to include comical faces. It can be used in various scenes. I think this is something that can only be done with action figures.

Planning staff:I think this crying face is an expression that can only be made in the Marineford Summit War arc.

■ About Future Developments

--Please tell us about the future development of the S.H.Figuarts "ONE PIECE" series and the Marine Ford Summit Battle Arc.

Planning staff:We are also considering optional parts to reproduce this kind of play that can only be done in Marine Ford. Also, as long as we are launching this as a Marine Ford Summit Battle version, we have other characters in the works. We believe that the Marineford Summit Decisive Battle Arc is the most suitable series for the Bundodod at S.H.Figuarts, so we are preparing products so that the characters can fight with a variety of other characters. We are also having Mr. Nagashio make a variety of products....

Nagashio:Yes, in secret... (laughs).

Planning staff:We will be able to show off a variety of prototypes at this year's Tamashii Nation (TAMASHII NATION 2025), so I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun if you pick up this as your first one!

Nagashio:There are also plans for the future, but I would like to be able to hold banquets.
After all, ONE PIECE isn't just about fighting.

Planning staff:Of course, the main focus will be on recreating battle scenes as an action figure, but I've always wanted to be able to recreate comical scenes as well.
We are also considering releasing an optional parts set that will allow you to recreate such scenes in the future, so we hope you will look forward to it!