Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (Real Image Version)


Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review

Backstage we’re having the time
Of our lives until somebody say
Forgive me if I seem out of line
Then she whipped out her gun and tried to blow me away!

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review
Never judge a book by its cover

We have here yet another Yoko figure, and this one is perhaps the most unique of them all. Instead of staying faithful to her anime appearance, Max Factory has opted to give her relatively realistic proportions and to sculpt her face like something close to a real human’s. Sort of.

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review
Or who you gonna love by your lover

Now, I’m going to just come right out and say it: from certain angles, Yoko looks like a man. I’ve been calling her transvestite Yoko for a while, and while the chest is nothing but female, her face looks like a drag queen’s when viewing her right side.

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review
Love put me wise to her love in disguise

Her peculiarly long face and nose and sloping jawline are reminiscent of the effete characters that have populated recent Final Fantasy games. She reminds me a bit of Lightning, who technically is female but also looks like a man to me.

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review
She had the body of a Venus, Lord imagine my surprise!

Anyway, once we get past Yoko’s androgyny, this is a pretty cool figure. Sculpted in 1/6 scale and standing just over 27 centimeters tall, Yoko’s stature is impressive. She’s got a sexy pose with her hips tilted and one leg lifted up, head turned and tilted to the right. She attaches to the base with two pegs and I hope they’re strong enough to bear her weight, and I also hope her ankle is reinforced against warping.

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review
(That, that) Dude looks like a lady

The paintwork is superb, with her boots, shorts, gloves, and top exhibiting a very glossy look. There’s a bit of subtle shading on her skin visible on the inside of her elbows and just under her ribs, which is a nice touch.

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review
(That, that) Dude looks like a lady

Her left side is undoubtedly her best side. With one eye covered up by her hair, she actually looks pretty hot. Beautiful, even. From that side, her hair also obscures her nose, reducing its conspicuousness.

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review
(That, that) Dude looks like a lady

Like the Black Rock Shooter, you can swap out her bangs. If you so choose, you can give her some swanky yellow shades.

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review
(That, that) Dude looks like a lady

I kinda like her better sans glasses so I’m going to leave them off of her.

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review
Let me take a peek dear

She’s got her usual sniper rifle here, and it’s ready to go right out of the box, no assembly required. It seems to be glued to her right hand so you don’t have to worry about wrestling it into her grip.

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review
Baby let me follow you down

I like the pink strap on her gun.

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review
Do me do me do me all night

I like the idea of reimagining characters but I think that Max Factory would’ve been better off going with a rounder, slightly more anime-style face rather than a Square Enix face. Yoko’s an odd figure in that if you stare at her long enough, you can convince yourself either that you’re looking at a man or a smoking-hot girl. Still, even though the implementation is a bit off, I like this figure and I have to praise Max Factory for trying something different.

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review
Baby let me follow you down

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review
Turn the other cheek dear

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review
Baby let me follow you down

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review
Do me, do me, do me, do me!

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review

Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review

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33 Responses to Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (Real Image Version)

  1. Blowfish says:

    I really Love Shunji Hagis Sculpts and besides the androgynous face,which was already visible in the protos,its a smoking hot Version of Yoko.

    I do know that many people prefer anime stylish bodies but I really love real life renditions of characters.I generally like reimaginations of a character no matter what the transition is.Okay Genderswaps arent my cup of tea but besides that its cool.

    Btw Mate this is a totally unrealted question but where did you get those 1/6 Action figure stuff from? I am especially interested in that Katana.I have a little project going on behind the scenes and I am still looking for a good source for this kinda stuff.

    Is your Obama a kitbash or normal set?

  2. Tier says:

    Yeah, if this figure had a face that was a bit sexier, this’d be an epic-level figure. I do like what MF tried to do here though (like I like the Shunya Yamashita Rei, Kotobukiya’s anime-style Marvel Comics figures. more realistic Kenshin, etc.). I’ve got no problem with genderswaps as long as the character is going from male to female XD

    I got the sword off eBay a long time ago, it’s from a company called Mononofu. Echo Base Toys seems to still have a few in stock; I’ve never ordered from them but a bunch of people on the 1/6 scale boards I hang out on say they’ve had good experiences with them. I’ve actually been into 1/6 scale dolls longer than I’ve been into anime figures; I’ve got a bunch of Takara CoolGirls/CyGirls dolls and a couple of Lady’s Mission dolls. Obama is a regular doll, from a company called DID I think.

  3. Sai says:

    I like this figure at first sight.
    Your pic is so good.
    Dude looks like a lady LOL
    Sometime Lighting looks like a man to me too.

  4. softz says:

    Hey, She looks like a darn hot chick to me. But you transvestite word now keeps appearing in my mind. Gosh…

    She has the kind of style and attractiveness which lead me to your “Do me, do me!” thoughts. *LOL* kidding. I can’t tarnish my reputation, not right now

    Generally, I like this version of figure very much when I first saw it. And the bad thing is I’ve not ordered it due to the transvestite thingy which I read some where before this figure is out. So, I had to wait for reviews. I better go check out play-asia now. Good job Tier.

  5. Tier says:

    >> Sai
    Thanks XD Yeah, I have to admit that I’m not all that excited about FF13, even though I like games with female main characters.

    >> softz
    I decided to order this figure as soon as I saw the promo shots, even though I thought she looked like a dude even then. I figure that even if the face looks a bit strange, everything below the neck meets my approval.

    Oddly, I haven’t seen many reviews of this figure, even though it’s been out for a few weeks. I thought a lot of people ordered it; maybe everyone ordered from local companies rather than the usual Japanese retailers.

  6. Leonia says:

    This is an amazing figure. Great sculptur, dynamic pose, and lovely expression. But I think that I don’t really like real face. Nevertheless I find her expression really sensual, with a sexy look. You make a great review, thank for this share ^^

  7. Lylibellule says:

    I’m doubtful on this figure.

    First, i appreciate the guts of Max Factory to dare release a Yoko outside her anime appearance. I’m completely for this kind of things.
    And they wonderfully succeeded adapting the body which sculpture is to fall on the ground!!! Her curves are delicious! OMG…

    BUT, here’s what make me renounce to buy it, i don’t like her face at all. You did a wise comparing her face by telling it looks like a man. A had the same feeling. And i couldn’t get over it. Too bad.

    Wonderful photos!

  8. I never really got this design choice and I still don’t!! While everyone else was wooing I was (O_o)-ing

    And I’m with you Tier, (Quick, get Aerosmith on the line) DUDE, LOOKS LIKE A LADY!!

  9. Tier says:

    >> Leonia
    Thanks XD This is probably about as far away as you can get from the anime-style character and still have a decent-looking figure.

    >> Lylibellule
    I hope they continue to put out oddball figures like this, but I hope they don’t look at Final Fantasy character designs for their inspiration. Maybe they could get Shunya Yamashita to provide some concept art, his interpretations always seem to turn out awesome.

    >> gundamjehutykai
    Haha, yeah, I have to admit, when I put in my preorder, I was thinking to myself, “Man I hope she doesn’t look like a transvestite when she gets here.” If they wanted to come up with a more realistic look for Yoko, maybe they should’ve looked at American comic book art or something. Then again, I guess the androgynous look is popular among a certain population in Japan, so MF was probably targeting only them.

  10. DaSaru says:

    Yeah..face is a wee bit too manly.
    I am all for a “real look”, but I always imagine Yoko to have a bit of a softer face, rather than a man trying to look soft kinda face.
    Nice bod though.

    Hehe..get Shunyama to do a design, and get Reflect to do the sculpt. 😛

  11. Guy says:

    Yes, this is not Yoko Real Image, they should have called it Yoko “Real Woman”, of course, that sounds like the name of a perfume! 😀

    I think this figure is indeed, smoking hot, and erm, see, that’s why we don’t need no-2D love, we got everything we need in 3D 😉
    I think her stockings are a bit too bright, too shiny. Her gun coming in her hand properly is a blessing, I HATE when I have to try and wrestle with my figures’ guns, such as with Air, where I both weent online to see how it looks at other people’s reviews, and then had to force it while fearing I’d break her hand..

    P.S. It’s her right side with the bangs, it’s to our left.

  12. Tier says:

    >> DaSaru
    Now that’d be awesome. I also have the feeling that the face might’ve looked a bit more feminine if her nose were a bit shorter. Maybe I ought to play around with some of the photos and see what she would’ve looked like if her nose weren’t as long as it is.

    >> Guy
    Uhh, yeah, I didn’t say her bangs were on her left side.

  13. Zetsubo-san says:

    She looks more like Genesis Rhapsodos to me.
    …but it’s because of that why I want to have this figure so badly. T_T

    Thanks for the review *uber drool*

  14. Tier says:

    I am not actually certain who that is, but I will take your word for it. Actually, I will google that name now.

    Hmm, yes, she does look a bit like, err, him XD I guess maybe this is the closest we’ll get to a scaled Final Fantasy figure 😀 (Not counting those old soft vinyl Kotobukiya figures, of course.)

  15. Nice review! I’m actually working on some figure reviews myself, with Yoko being one of them. I don’t think the face looks like a man, but something about it just seems a bit off from certain angles. lol The face sculpt could’ve been a bit better, but the rest of the figure is definitely impressive!

  16. Tier says:

    Thanks! Yeah, it’s real strange how this figure can look really different from different angles. I don’t have too many figures like that. I guess Daiki Kougyou’s Saber might be one.

  17. Katsura-chan says:

    She’s awesome ! I like what Max factory decided to do with this Yoko. Very mature and therefore, smoking hot !
    Maybe my eyes are screwed up but i don’t see how her face can be androgynous. Guess it all good for me ^^

    I think what i love the most it’s her pink stockings, it’s a hard color to find in real life 😉

  18. Tier says:

    It might be my strong bias against effete dudes. You see this sort of long nose and elongated jawline with a lot of pretty boys in video games and anime and that’s really not my thing. That’s probably influencing the way I see Yoko.

    I agree, her stockings are awesome XD I like the arm sleeve too, especially how it has sort of a latex look to it.

  19. Iced says:

    Love the sixth and seventh photos! She just looks so good there. ^^

    But seriously, now Yoko DEFINITELY doesn’t look fourteen. Lmao. XD
    I’m really on the fence about her. She looks really good from some angles, but then turn just a little bit to the side and…lady looks like a dude lol. ^^; Thankfully, all your shots made her look good. ^^ Good job! *thumbs up*
    Still, it’s cool that Max Factory decided to try a new style with this figure. I wonder why they chose Yoko for it? 😀

  20. Tier says:

    That’s exactly how I feel, sometimes she looks great and then sometimes I’m like “WTF man.” I think she’s partially based off of this resin kit, which has the same pose but a different face. While I think this figure would’ve turned out better if MF had changed her design a bit, I’m glad they didn’t go with the original face, which looks to me like she ran a hundred-yard dash in a ninety-yard gym.

  21. RWB4 says:

    I like a woman with a solid jaw line. This is a very sexy figure.

  22. Tier says:

    It surely is that XD I like the shorts. More Japanese anime characters should wear short shorts instead of skirts, I think.

  23. Iced says:

    Eloquent description there. XD But I completely agree. MF made a good choice fixing up the face. The resin kit… XD;

  24. Tommy says:

    I never liked this figure. It’s her face and her body. She looks really awkward. Yoko is really hard to pull off as a realistic gal, and it’s pretty apparent that they failed with her face here. Her figure looks fake too…implants all the way!

    She looks pretty awkward leaning forward too…

  25. Tier says:

    >> Iced
    The kit sure does leave one at a loss for words, doesn’t it? XD

    >> Tommy
    I think that with a bit more re-working, they could’ve made a nice-looking realistic Yoko. I really like MF’s mecha Miku’s face, but this one is way short of that. Something like that would’ve made this figure quite a bit better, I think.

    I gotta admit though, I’ve got no complaints about everything below the neck, augmented or not XD

  26. Pingback: Max Factory: Yoko Rittona (real image version)

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  28. The one guy says:

    I think you’re all crazy thinking she looks manly.
    She looks gorgeous to me.

    /opinions

  29. frank says:

    I don’t think she looks manly at all. She looks like the actor who played rogue in the last couple x-men flims. She’s not got a coutsy round face. At least she dosent have a dick like the eye up version.

  30. David says:

    Please, tell me, how can I buy this????????

    • Tier says:

      I’d guess that you’d have to check secondary market sources, such as Yahoo Japan Auctions, Mandarake, Rakuten, or the Amazon Marketplace. eBay is also a possibility, though I would guess that you’re far more likely to encounter a counterfeit than a real figure.

  31. Phil says:

    HOLY SMOKES. Its Bruce Jenner! Oops Caitlyn. Soon as I saw the pics I remembered this review!!

    • Tier says:

      Ha! I’ve got this figure boxed up once more but maybe I should put it back on the shelf and see if I warm up to it some more. It’s a little weird how few Yoko Ritona figures there are compared to say, Miku or Asuka or even Super Pochaco. And at the risk of getting political, I’m mystified how threatened so many people feel regarding a guy who now says he’s a girl.

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