Naruto

Mattel jumps into the Naruto craze in the summer of 2006 with an ambitious line of products. They plan to release no less than four types of action figures, and three role-play toys, all by the Fall of 2006. Mattel should be commended for getting such a large line of toys available only 10 months after the introduction of the show on US TV.

This toy is from the 5inch deluxe figure line. The Mattel product lists call this the Naruto ‘œTraining Deluxe Figure Assortment’. The deluxe figures each have an action accessory. This Naruto figure is nearly the same as the lower-level 5inch Naruto Uzumaki ‘œBattling Basic Figure’, the difference being the hands. What makes this product cost more is the addition of the accessory; in this case it is an expanding set of ‘œshadow clones’.

Anyone who has looked at pictures from cosplay conventions knows that Naruto does a lot of posturing and uses special gestures in his jutsu (technique), where he harnesses the charka (body energy) to attack his enemies.

The hands on this figure are fixed in a particular pose’”two fingers extended, if you want interchangeable hands, so popular with Japanese action figures, you’ll need to buy Mattels’ 8inch Naruto figures.

Naruto is reasonably well articulated. Since his costume is baggy, it helps make the joints less noticeable. You almost don’t see the knee joints. Knees and hips bend, his trunk and head rotates, shoulders are on a ball-joint, and elbows rotate and bend. Naruto will stand on his own, but you will want to put him on a base if you want to display him making any kind of moves. There are three peg holes in his feet. The figure stands 4 ¾’ tall.

Paint details are nice. There are several areas on the figure requiring detail, even the tiny zipper on his jacket is silver, and of course Naruto has the fish-seal logo on his headband. I count thirteen colors used in the figure. If you look closely, you will find seams and marks, it’s a mass-market toy, after all. The 8inch line looks prettier but that’s another review.

Did you know in Japanese ‘œnaruto’ means fish-ball? It’s the little flat rubbery thing you find in your bowl of noodles. It’s not really a ball, more like a long sushi roll that is sliced thin and used like a garnish. There is also a town called Naruto, its between Tokyo and Narita.

The packaging displays the familiar bold Naruto logo, and some nice Japanese calligraphy on the package, and an attractive manga-style color graphic of Naruto using his knife. Surprisingly, no wire ties or tape are used in the packaging of this toy. You can actually open and remove this figure without the used of tools!

The shadow clone accessory consists of three Naruto graphic decals applied to plastic cutouts and fitted together so that they can slide out, producing the ‘œclone’ effect. Additionally, the figure can stand on a spring-loaded launcher and pop up a bit (just a bit). It’s something different, not the usual break-apart wall accessory, and very much in character for Naruto. Some makers might have made this accessory out of cardboard, but this is a fairly sturdy plastic contraption held together with screws. This toy should last some time, even in the hands of a 4 year-old. This toy should be played with.