S.H. Figuarts Shanks & Monkey D. Luffy -Childhood-

Release Date: March 2025 

RRP: 11,000 Yen

When Bandai Tamashii Nations revealed that they would be going back to the very beginning of the series with the One Piece S.H. Figuarts line, they really meant it. In addition to the first appearance “Romance Dawn” looks of the Straw Hat crew, we’re also going all the way back to when Luffy first dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates with the S.H. Figuarts Shanks & Monkey D Luffy -Childhood- set. This Tamashii Web exclusive release continues to expand the roster beyond that of just the Straw Hats, Red-Haired Shanks being a firm fan favourite and driving force behind the series despite his fleeting appearances overall.

Given that there’s quite a bit going on with the S.H. Figuarts Shanks & Monkey D Luffy -Childhood- set, it shouldn’t be any surprise to see that the box is slightly thicker than your average One Piece release. Nevertheless the overall design for the box remains the same, featuring a predominantly white background highlighted with release-specific deep red sections and backing card (he is “Red-haired Shanks” after all). Together with the transparent window showing the figures themselves off, the front of the box features two pride of place images – one fully coloured of Shanks passing his hat onto Luffy and then a more serious close-up of Shanks in the fully red section above. One side of the box shows off all the various faceplates that come with the release (including the extra Luffy face), and then on the back you can get a better look at the figure in various poses. Inside both Shanks and Luffy (along with the bulk of Shanks’ accessories) are stored on a moulded plastic tray, with Shanks’ cloak taped to the back of the tray in a clear plastic bag. Instructions on how to use and/or swap the various parts included in the set are printed on the inside flaps of the box.

This version of Shanks is based on the flashback appearances whilst Luffy was still a child in Foosha Village, most obviously because he (initially) comes with two arms. As far as character designs go Shanks doesn’t have the most elaborate wardrobe out there, but it does at least immediately scream “pirate”. Bandai have done a great job replicating his simple open shirt, pants and sandals combo – the shirt itself moulded in a softer (but still fairly rigid) plastic to still allow the torso to be moveable (although this doesn’t really end up the case). Another nice touch are the raised buttons running down his legs, which are even moulded onto the hip joints. The highlight of the figure however is of course the face sculpt, which perfectly captures how Shanks looks in the anime. All the details are there, right down to the scratches down his left eye and his scratchy beard. The set also gives you the option of displaying Shanks with his cloak, which as was the case with Ace is seemingly soft goods purely because this is a web exclusive release. Though credit where it’s due it’s a very nice cloak, sporting wired edges (that even run along the collar section) for posing and a simple peg to clip it onto his back. It makes it all the more painful that Sabo got lumped with a plastic coat, because that figure would have been significantly better if it had just been done the same way as this. Shanks is another fairly straightforward figure from the One Piece line in terms of looks, but it’s one that certainly gets everything right.

The One Piece line has felt like something of a testing ground when it comes to articulation, and while Shanks doesn’t feature any big innovations he still has some interesting choices nonetheless. Altogether the figure includes; 

– Ball jointed head, neck, torso, waist and wrists 

– Swivel hinge shoulders, hips and ankles 

– Butterfly joint shoulders 

– Single hinge elbows, knees and toe sections 

– Bicep and thigh swivels 

This set isn’t just all about Shanks though, and a big portion of the accessories are taken up by a static figurine of child Luffy – his pose based on that iconic scene where he first receives his signature straw hat. The figurine is a really nice replica, getting all the details of how the teary-eyed Luffy looks in the scene near-perfectly, but it has one very significant flaw. The figurine has been designed so that it ONLY works with the hat attached, and without it Luffy is left with a rather unsightly plug-shaped forehead. No alternate head has been provided, so collectors are essentially left with two choices – display the Luffy and Shanks can’t wear the hat, or give the hat to Shanks and be left with a Luffy too ugly for display. Personally I have no objections to it being a static figure as a poseable child Luffy would have driven the price up considerably, but an alternate head so it has use beyond that one pose feels like it should have been the bare minimum.

S.H. Figuarts Shanks & Monkey D. Luffy -Childhood- follows the usual pattern of One Piece figures – a great release with some “interesting” design choices. While the continued use of the new shoulder articulation is pleasing, the elbows and knees are a bit of a strange choice even if they do make for a cleaner sculpt. Bandai do however deliver a great range of accessories on top of it though, confirming once again that they need to ditch plastic cloaks/coats for all One Piece releases and just stick with soft goods. Shanks might not have been everyone’s first choice to come out before a good chunk of the Straw Hats, but as such an integral character to the mythos of One Piece he is more than welcome.