Since his first enigmatic appearance in G.I. Joe #1, the question of this mystery ninja's identity has remained a hot topic...well, kinda. People either love him and want to know his story, or roll their eyes at the presence of yet another ninja in the G.I. Joe mythos. Not only that, but he's another member of Snake Eyes' and Storm Shadow's Arishikage clan to boot.
One thing Derryl DePriest made clear at the Hasbro round table was that they are working towards a separate continuity for the toys and for the comics. The toys and all affiliated media surrounding them (ie the Spy Troops movie) are geared towards the wide-spread younger audience. But Hasbro realizes that they have a serious older fan base, so to them, the comic is appealing towards that crowd. As such, they didn't really want to mingle the two too much. That being said, however, Derryl also mentioned that there were several characters and character designs that Josh Blaylock put out in the comic that he is eager to see in plastic form, and thinks can integrate well into the toy line. Besides a Shipwreck figure based on Devil's Due designs, Kamakura was evidently high on their list. With good reason...his ties to Snake Eyes make him an immediate draw to people who identify with SE as one of the main drawing forces of the Joe mythos. Not only that, but Kamakura looks pretty cool in his green ninja-suit, and has the always-popular Arishikage clan tattoo on his forearm. Whatever the reasons are, this green ninja got the dubious distinction of being the first comic-only character featured as a toy...was he worth it?
Let's see...
As I'm sure people can tell from reading my reviews, profiles and Dio-stories, that I'm not really a "ninja guy". I realize that they have their place in the Joe mythos, and I really love some of their characteristics, but so much has been focused on them already that I just don't feel the need to dwell on the poor Arishikage clan. As such, I really didn't think I'd be very into Kamakura when he came out. He's a neat character, I suppose, although not explored very fully. His ties to Snakes and Storm Shadow are curious...his uniform is very non-standard issue, but is cool. Still, I didn't really see his place in my Joeverse. Until I got him.
I had planned to have a short scene with Kamakura and Nunchuk near the middle of my Dio-story in progress, Retaliation. It was going to be quick and easy and probably not amount to much. Wave 7 hadn't hit my area yet, so I asked some fellow Joefans if they might know where I could get a Kamakura, and a very nice gentleman by the name of Spin Doctor on the JoeCustoms board was awesome enough to help me out. This is precisely the reason why you'll see a review for Kamakura here, but not Night Creeper...but hopefully I will find Night Creeper soon. At any rate, the minute I pulled him out of the padded envelope, Kamakura practically came alive in my hands. There is just something about these JvC figures that is more poseable...more playable. His joints are smooth, but firm. He is very poseable, yet stiff enough to held a pose, even side kicking at head height. I don't know any of my RAH ninjas who can boast that feat. With these movable joints it was such a pleasure to pose him and take pictures of him that his presence in me story exploded and he became the feature of a very involved fight scene between him and...well...that would be telling. ;)
But how does he work for those of you who aren't dio-storiests? Still pretty cool, I think. His uniform is a nice shade of green...it stands out in a crowd, yet isn't over bright, and the molding is simple, yet effective. His gi drapes over his shoulders nicely and Hasbro is constantly perfecting the malleable rubber used as the waist adornments, and it fits in perfectly here. Tie that in with the cool darker ninja-mask, and those very neat oriental martial arts pads on his arms and feet, and the entire package comes together very nicely. He looks like a green-garbed ninja, not a sci-fi/ninja hybrid or crazy commando with pouches and straps on every square inch of his body.
The little touches really bring out the nice parts of the figure, too. The two-toed ninja boots are done exceptionally well. Those red gloves with the pads on back as well as the knee/shin pads. His proportions are decent, although his arms are a little long, it isn't obvious and disturbing. His hands are posed well, and he comes with a nice assortment of weaponry, even though none of them (except maybe that small knife...) are new weapons. But the weapons choices make perfect sense. A katana in sheath...Uzi to celebrate his sensei, and his little knife all compliment him well and suit the kind of character and figure that he is.
Overall, I'm not sure if he'll necessarily be a cornerstone in my universe, since I mostly focus on military missions, but I might need to find a place for him somewhere as he's quickly become a favorite of mine. Add this to the fact that he very much resembles his comic counterpart AND comes with what looks to be the coolest COBRA trooper released in a while, and this figure is a must-buy.
Standing Side-kick at head height. Let's see the '85 Snake Eyes do that! :)
As I'm sure people can tell from reading my reviews, profiles and Dio-stories, that I'm not really a "ninja guy". I realize that they have their place in the Joe mythos, and I really love some of their characteristics, but so much has been focused on them already that I just don't feel the need to dwell on the poor Arishikage clan. As such, I really didn't think I'd be very into Kamakura when he came out. He's a neat character, I suppose, although not explored very fully. His ties to Snakes and Storm Shadow are curious...his uniform is very non-standard issue, but is cool. Still, I didn't really see his place in my Joeverse. Until I got him.
