Best Anime Figures: Lines, Sizes and Prices Compared

The best anime figure for you depends on budget, shelf space and whether you want to pose it. On a tight budget or a small shelf, go for Nendoroid (about 10 cm, from ¥3,900 in the listings we checked) or POP UP PARADE (fixed figures that typically stand 17–18 cm, ¥5,500 for a current standard release). If you want to pose the figure, go for figma or S.H.Figuarts (¥8,250–¥12,800 in the retail listings we checked). For a single centerpiece, a 1/7 or 1/8 scale figure from Good Smile Company's store, Alter or Kotobukiya's ARTFX J ran ¥15,400–¥40,480 and 205–280 mm tall in the listings we checked. Prize figures from Banpresto, Taito, SEGA and FuRyu are the cheapest way in, but you don't buy them from the maker: they are made as crane-game prizes for arcades.

Last checked: September 23, 2026 against the manufacturers' own product pages (Good Smile Company, TAMASHII NATIONS, Alter, Kotobukiya), the official prize sites of BANDAI SPIRITS, Taito, SEGA and FuRyu, and the help centers of the Good Smile Company Online Store and PREMIUM BANDAI USA. Prices are listed prices in Japanese yen as those pages show them. We have not handled these figures, so nothing below judges build quality. See our editorial method for how we source pages like this one.

Which figure type fits which buyer

Our pick for a first purchase: decide between posing and display first, then pick the character. A Nendoroid and an S.H.Figuarts of the same character need different amounts of space and are handled very differently.

Anime figure lines compared (example listings checked September 23, 2026)

Heights and prices are the ones printed on each product page. They show what current releases look like; they are not fixed line rules. A figure's height can include its base, and effect parts or a pose can make it much wider than it is tall.

Example products behind the table

The Good Smile Company store shows yen prices without a tax note on most pages. The Frieren scale figure's page data labels its ¥19,800 as tax-included. TAMASHII NATIONS, Kotobukiya and Alter state that their prices include tax, and all three say their release dates are for Japan. Kotobukiya adds that pricing may differ by country.

What each type is, in the makers' words

Nendoroid. Good Smile Company describes Nendoroids as chibi-style figures around 10 cm with swappable face plates and body parts. The Mio Akiyama 2.0 page lists three face plates plus optional parts and notes that the figure "does not balance on its own", so you use the included stand. The cheaper Nendoroid [Basic] releases, such as Fern at ¥3,900, leave out face plates and optional parts to cost less and come out faster. They can still swap hands, legs, heads and face plates with other Nendoroids.

figma. Both figma pages checked describe a "painted plastic non-scale articulated figure with stand included". Heights in the current listings are 145–158 mm, about half again as tall as a Nendoroid.

POP UP PARADE. This is Good Smile Company's lower-priced fixed line. Its standard figures "typically" stand 17–18 cm, and the Übel page lists about 170 mm. The L size line is taller: Haruhi Suzumiya is about 220 mm at ¥8,800, and GSC markets it as having "the same impact as a scale figure".

S.H.Figuarts vs Figuarts ZERO. Both come from BANDAI SPIRITS' TAMASHII NATIONS brand, but they do opposite jobs. S.H.Figuarts is poseable: the Gojo page lists "a range of motion", interchangeable hands, an expression part, a replacement head and eyepatch parts. Figuarts ZERO is a non-articulated line built around sculpting, paint and effects. Some S.H.Figuarts are sold only through the Tamashii Web Shop as limited-time preorders or lottery sales, which is why the listed prices go up to ¥16,500 (S.H.Figuarts Sakazuki -MARINEFORD-, about 200 mm). If you are building a One Piece shelf, our One Piece character guide can help you pick a crew or faction first.

Scale figures. Every 1/7 and 1/8 page we opened listed a height between 205 and 280 mm. Kotobukiya's ARTFX J pages give scale, height, materials (PVC and ABS, some with iron), product code and a Japan-only release month. Alter's pages give scale, height and the number of expressions or poses you can switch between: Yanami Anna and Rice Shower each offer two expressions and two poses. Some Alter releases are sold through one store only. Alter's Ines Gala Night Ver. page says it is AmiAmi-limited and can't be bought anywhere else.

Prize figures. BANDAI SPIRITS says its World Collectable Figure line was created as amusement prizes, "often found in crane games". FuRyu's notice is more specific. Rights holders license its prizes as crane-game prizes for amusement facilities, and FuRyu itself never sells them, or authorizes anyone to sell them, on flea-market or auction sites. Prizes bought that way get no FuRyu support. Taito lists prizes by the arcades they will arrive at, and the Taito Online Crane delivers won items to your home. Prize pages give a first-appearance date rather than a release date, and FuRyu and Banpresto both warn that timing varies by store.

How preorders, release windows and delays work

Most figures on these makers' pages are sold by preorder, months before release. The official shops' help pages explain the rules.

Good Smile Company Online Store

• Orders placed during the preorder period "are guaranteed to be fulfilled" unless the payment or shipping details are wrong. Some pages also warn that preorders "may close during the preorder period without prior notice" (Nendoroid Mio Akiyama 2.0).
• Credit card and PayPal preorders are charged 2–3 weeks before the confirmed shipping date. Some high-priced items are charged when you order (same page).
• "Most of our products are built-to-order," so no extra orders are taken after the preorder period closes. Your options afterward are extra stock at partner shops, occasional in-stock sales on the GSC store, or a second preorder round (GSC help).
• The product page shows the scheduled shipping month. The Shipping Calendar updates once a date is set. Those dates are for Japan, and "issues may cause international releases to be delayed" (GSC help).
• The preorder deadline is final, with no extensions (GSC help).
• GSC does not accept exchanges, returns or refunds for change-of-mind reasons, and it won't cancel in-stock orders. For defects, it sends replacement parts rather than refunds (GSC help).

Lead times can be long. figma Himmel's preorders closed in October 2025 and it ships in August 2026. Nendoroid Mio Akiyama 2.0 takes preorders until October 21, 2026 and ships in February 2027. Alter already lists Rice Shower for September 2027.

PREMIUM BANDAI USA (Bandai's US online store, which lists S.H.Figuarts exclusives for preorder)

• You can cancel a preorder from My Page until the product's "PRE-ORDERS CLOSE" date. After that, cancellation isn't possible (PREMIUM BANDAI USA help).
• Preorders ship on the schedule shown on the product page. You get a "Notice of Scheduled Shipment Date" email once it is confirmed. Shipping is $10 per package, and the store delivers to the US only, not to US territories or Canada (shipping info).
• Availability varies by region, and a product or preorder that doesn't appear in your region "has not yet been announced" there (availability FAQ).

Delays. Makers announce release-month changes on their news pages. For example, Kotobukiya moved several September 2026 products to October 2026 "due to unforeseen circumstances". That notice covered model kits and goods, not figures. TAMASHII NATIONS says its dates and prices are for Japan and tells overseas buyers to check with their retailer. If a preorder slips, check the maker's news page and the shop you ordered from.

How to spot bootleg anime figures

Good Smile Company's bootleg guide says most reports come from buyers who used flea-market apps or non-official stores. It tells buyers to use its online store or partner shops. Warning signs it lists:

• No copyright statement on the product
• No manufacturer or brand logo on the box
• Kanji that are uncommon in Japanese, or awkward Japanese (one example printed "フィギュア" as "フイギユア")
• No packaging, or items sold in bulk

A missing license sticker isn't proof by itself. Some genuine products print the label on the box or have none, and sticker designs differ by release date and sales region. GSC's Nendoroid bootleg page adds product-level checks. For example, the face and neck of a genuine Nendoroid Chuya Nakahara come apart, and fakes have no copyright statement on the base. GSC will check a figure you already own if you send photos of the box (front, back, side), the figure and the © line on the base. It can't vet listings before you buy.

TAMASHII NATIONS' counterfeit notice lists similar warning signs, plus a few more:

• No BANDAI SPIRITS or TAMASHII NATIONS logo, or a brand name that isn't one of Tamashii's lines
• The item is on sale before Bandai has announced it
• The option parts differ from the genuine release
• The price is far below normal
• The seller hides their identity or asks you to message them directly

Since 2023, every TAMASHII NATIONS package carries an anti-counterfeit "TAMASHII NATIONS QUALITY" seal, with some exceptions. A hidden design appears when light hits the seal at an angle. Releases from 2018 to 2023 used a hologram seal instead.

Other makers post similar notices. Alter keeps a counterfeit list (last dated May 2018) that includes fakes of its Mio Akiyama and Rei Ayanami figures. Kotobukiya warns about fakes on auction and shopping sites in its counterfeit notice, and on August 31, 2026 it flagged a website impersonating KOTOBUKIYA US ONLINE. Its real US store is kotobukiya-us.com. SEGA warned in March 2026 about fake SEGA Lucky Kuji Online prizes on flea-market and auction sites. None of these makers support counterfeit products.

Display and care basics from the manufacturers

Good Smile Company's checklist after receiving your figures is the most detailed care guidance we found:

• Unpack and inspect the figure soon after it arrives. Heat and humidity can make figures deteriorate faster, plasticizer vapor can make them sticky, and GSC can't help once too much time has passed.
• Display or store figures in a well-ventilated place away from direct sunlight, and not under strong fluorescent light, which can fade colors.
• If figures stay boxed, take them out regularly.
• Don't leave Nendoroid parts touching each other for long periods, because color can transfer.

For assembly, GSC notes that PVC deforms easily. If a peg hole gets loose, leaving it somewhere cool for a few days may help. If a hole is too tight, a hair dryer or about 15 minutes in water at roughly 40°C can soften it. For figma, remove parts at the joint instead of pulling them straight apart, and cover the joint with cloth if you use pliers. The thin lines where mold halves meet are "parting lines" and don't count as defects. Kotobukiya's FAQ says to open the box before judging dirt seen through the window, and it treats the box as packing material, so it won't replace a dented or scratched box.

Measure the figure's height and base against your shelf before you buy a case.

If you shop dealer rooms in person, our guide to upcoming US anime conventions lists dates and venues. The bootleg checks above apply at a con table too. If you still need a series to collect, start with our best shonen anime list.

If you'd rather collect the artwork than the figures, our anime art book comparison ranks 13 official VIZ art books by price and page count.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest type of anime figure?

Prize figures. Banpresto, Taito, SEGA and FuRyu make them as crane-game prizes, so they have no retail price from the maker. Among figures sold at a listed price, the cheapest we found was the 70 mm Figuarts ZERO Cotton Candy Lover Chopper at ¥2,750, then Figuarts ZERO Straw Hat Luffy at ¥3,520 and Nendoroid [Basic] Fern at ¥3,900.

What is the difference between Nendoroid and figma?

Both come from Good Smile Company and both are articulated, with a stand. Nendoroids are chibi figures of about 100 mm with swappable face plates. figma uses regular proportions, and the current listings run 145–158 mm at ¥9,900–¥12,800.

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

S.H.Figuarts is TAMASHII NATIONS' articulated action-figure line with replacement hands, heads and expressions. Figuarts ZERO is its non-articulated line, built around sculpting, paint and effects.

How big is a 1/7 scale figure?

The 1/7 figures we checked listed 210–280 mm, some including the base. The 1/8 ARTFX J figures ran 205–240 mm. Check the product page, since some heights include the base and some don't.

Why can't I preorder a figure after the deadline?

Good Smile Company says most of its products are built to order, so it only makes what was ordered during the preorder period. After that, your options are partner-shop stock, occasional in-stock sales on the GSC store, or a re-release.

How do I tell if an anime figure is a bootleg?

Look for missing maker logos and copyright lines, odd Japanese on the box, unboxed or bulk lots, and prices far below normal. For TAMASHII NATIONS figures from 2023 on, look for the TAMASHII NATIONS QUALITY seal. Buy from the maker's store or listed partner shops.

Are prize figures sold on marketplaces legitimate?

FuRyu says it never sells its prize figures, or authorizes their sale, on flea-market or auction sites. It gives no support for prizes bought that way. Its prizes are licensed only as crane-game prizes for arcades and online crane games.