Anime figures represent a huge industry for both American and Japanese toy producers. They include toys of various sizes, up to 1:2 scale with the real humans and robots in these amazing cartoons. For clarity, we decided not to include life-size representations of anime characters or the giant monuments to some of these franchises that stand in the streets in Japan. We considered these larger versions “statues” rather than figures.
By contrast, figures are the anime merchandise you can buy and put on your shelf. Continue reading to learn about the 8 most expensive anime figures that money can buy, including a couple that you can’t even buy anymore.
8. Super Sonico Jumbo Poly Figure
Brand: A-Toys
Anime: 60/70% of the population
photo source: eBay
The biggest statue from the Super Sonico SoniKoma manga is also one of the most expensive anime figures out there. This figure is a whopping 36-inches tall, which is 1:2 scale with the “real” girl. The figure shows Super Sonico, the main girl of the brand, spilling out of her sexy white bikini.
This character began as a mascot for a music festival called Nitroplus in 2006. She then went on to become the mascot of her own media franchise, which includes manga, various music products, video games, and of course, toys. The character also had an anime in 2014 developed by White Fox.
An example of this jumbo poly figure is currently on sale on eBay for $1,999.
Did you know?
This character had a visual novel-style video game adaptation on PlayStation 3 in 2014 developed and published by Nitroplus. She has also made appearances in other games such as Dragon League, Web Knight Carnival, and Blue Sky Dragon Guild.
7. Volks Dollfie Dream Sister DDS
Brand: Volks
Anime: Re:Zero
photo source: eBay
The Dollfie Dream Sister DDS figure is a BJD doll, which makes it unique on this list. It was made by the doll company, Volks, based on the character from the anime, Re:Zero.
Ball-jointed dolls are articulated with ball and socket joints, which gives them an old-fashioned look, though classic dolls in this style are not usually called “BJDs.” Those usually include only modern character dolls from Japan and South Korea (sometimes China). This one is made from a polyurethane resin, giving it an almost porcelain look.
This Dollfie Dream Sister doll comes with her maid’s outfit and snap-on pink hair, plus a headband. An example is currently on sale on eBay for $1,999.99.
Did you know?
Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World is a light novel series from Japan that started being serialized in 2012 on the website, Shosetsuka ni Naro. 29 light novels were produced in total. In addition, there were 5 side volumes and 6 short story collections, all written by Tappei Nagatsuki.
6. Demon Slayer GK Resin Limited Statue Figure
Brand: LionYangxz
Anime: Demon Slayer
photo source: Ali Express
The Demon Slayer GK Resin Limited Statue Figure is practically a diorama of characters from the show on one pedestal. The main figures are made from resin while the water dragon is a translucent resin hybrid. It came out recently at the beginning of 2022 and was released in a limited edition of 199 examples.
This figure is a big piece, 53cm by 47cm. It was made by LionYangxz and promoted by FavorGK, the resin figures distributer. It is currently being sold online for $2,188.
Did you know?
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, which translates to “Blade of Demon Destruction,” is a manga series that was started in 2016 by Koyoharu Gotouge in Shonen Jump. It was turned into a 26-episode anime in 2019 as well as a film.
5. Tetsujin 28 5F766
Brand: Art Storm
Anime: Tetsujin 28 Go
photo source: eBay
The Art Storm brand created a statue for the Tetsujin 28-go anime and manga, reference no. 5F766. It was part of their “big scale hybrid” series and was made from a combination of metal, soft vinyl, resin, and even electrical parts like working lights and moving fists.
The sculptor Kito Eisaku designed this figure to have the proportions and style of the manga with a realistic paint scheme. The mech’s eyes light up too. An example of this figure is currently for sale on eBay for $2,420.
Did you know?
Tetsujin 28-go is a 1956 manga created by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. This makes it one of the classic foundations of manga and anime and was adapted into a black-and-white anime in 1963, released in the States as Gigantor.
The series is known as the first example of a giant humanoid robot controlled by an operator through remote control, which is amazing to think about.
4. FW Gundam Converge Limited ver.Gold
Brand: Ginza Tanaka
Anime: Mobile Suit Gundam
photo source: Gundam.info
These Mobile Suit Gundam figures were made by the jewelry makers at Ginza Tanaka from gold and silver. They created six different figures for the exhibit called “The Art of Gundam” at the Mori Arts Center Gallery, held in Roppongi, Japan.
The most expensive of these was a pair known as the FW Gundam Converge Limited, which were made from 24k gold (220g) and stood 55mm in height. They cost 3.78 million yen, the equivalent of $28,551.90. These figures have a ton of metallic details in their chibi-style Gundam bodies. There was also a silver version.
Did you know?
The Art of Gundam exhibition also featured other expensive merchandise by Tanaka. One was a silver RX-78-2 Gundam done to scale (1/144) and made from 500g of pure silver. It costs 648,000 yen, the equivalent of $4,896.07.
3. Evangelion Desktop Army Shinji Ikari Kaworu Nagisa Eva 13
Brand: Megahouse
Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion
photo source: Crisp Collectibles
The figure listed as “Evangelion Desktop Army Shinji Ikari Kaworu Nagisa Eva 13” is actually a box that contains three figures. They’re “chibi” versions of characters from the popular anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion, directed by Hideaki Anno.
These versions of the characters feature the black plug suits seen in You Can (Not) Redo. The mech, Evangelion Unit 13, has room for both figures to ride, which recreates the “double-entry system” seen in the anime. The set also comes with posable parts such as sub-arms for the mech.
There have been multiple figures in the Desktop Army series, which contain parts that can be mixed and matched to newer ones for more sub-part combinations. Preordering this Megahouse figure set currently costs $170,991.
Did you know?
Anno, the creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion, is also a movie director. With Shinji Higuchi, he is working on rebooting several major tokusatsu series with brand new movie versions. These include Shin Godzilla, the recently released Shin Ultraman, and Shin Kamen Rider, slated for 2023.
2. One Piece Luffy Pure Gold
Brand: Tokuriki Honten
Anime: One Piece
photo source: Crunchyroll
The One Piece Luffy Pure Gold figure was not made by a toy company. Instead, it was made in 2016 by Tokuriki Honten, a precious metal supplier, to commemorate the release of the film, One Piece Film Gold. These figures of the series’ protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, are made from solid gold.
They sold in two sizes. The 180mm one cost 20,000,000 yen, or the equivalent of $187,477. This version contained 1,300g of solid gold. The smaller one was 100mm-tall and cost only 650,000 yen, or $6,095. It only included 32g of gold. Rather than selling them, Honten put them on display in their main jewelry store.
Did you know?
One Piece Film Gold was a 2016 film based on the manga written and drawn by Eiichiro Oda. After many successful seasons of anime (17 at the time, and still going strong today), it was inevitable that film companies would get on board. To date, there have been 15 One Piece films.
1. Gold Gunpla Kits
Brand: Sunrise/U-Works
Anime: Mobile Suit Gundam
photo source: Hypebeast
The most expensive anime figure is the Gold Gunpla Kit. These kits were made in a collaboration between U-Works and Sunrise to create model kits whose pieces are all done in 24k gold. Each of the two figures costs a whopping $240,000 and comes in the 1/100 scale that is standard for Gundam model kits.
Only 20 of these figures were made. The two mechs available are the RX-78-2 and the Custom Zaku. U-Works also put out smaller versions of these figures for $36,000, limited to 10 examples. For the sake of variety, we didn’t include that variant as its own entry on this list.
Did you know?
The RX-78-2 is the main suit of the Mobile Suit Gundam series. It is the principal player in the One Year War and the reason that the Earth Federation triumphed over the Principality of Zeon. It was piloted by Amuro Ray (with a couple of exceptions). The Custom Zaku was piloted by the character, Char.
