Zero the Silver Fanged Knight

Today I'm going to be sharing Zero the Silver Fanged Knight from the awesome tokusatsu show, Garo! The secondary protagonist of the show, Zero played an important role as first a deadly enemy equal to Gold Knight Garo, and later on as a strong ally and friend to the Makai Knight of the East. To see more pictures hit the jump!

Zero's human name is Rei Suzumura and he earned the title of Makai Knight of the West. An orphan, he was adopted by the previous Silver Knight, Douji, and raised and trained as a son. When Douji was killed by a mysterious person resembling the Gold Makai Knight of the East, Rei became filled with hatred and a desire for revenge. This search for vengeance led him to abandon his post in the West and hunt down Kouga Saezima, the current Gold Knight Garo.

Without spoiling anything, let's just say that Zero discovers the truth and the Gold and Silver Knights become allies. Garo is a great show, and the franchise is continuing even now. I for one hope that it continues to grown and branch out, much like the Kamen Rider series has been around for decades.

This action figure of Zero is the Tamashii Web Exclusive S.H. Figuarts version. Here in the United States the web exclusives are very pricy. Obviously, they are supposed to be "exclusive" but it's a shame that they can't be release for a more reasonable price. I got Zero here a while back and I still paid $115 for him. That's rough. At least I don't have the Super Sentai S.H. Figuarts because those poor collectors usual get the Red leader figure and then all the rest are expensive Tamashii Web Exclusive versions. Bummer.

S.H. Figuarts is Bandai's line that emphasizes accuracy to the source material and excellent fit, finish, and articulation. It's a fantastic line. Zero here is a gorgeous figure to just look at. He's all high quality plastic except for his feet with are diecast. There's tons of detail in the mold of the figure as well as spot on paint applications. Just awesome. The silver used for Zero is great too. It's not ridiculously shiny and reflective, but it's better than a flat finish. He has a sheen, for lack of a better word, that catches the light.

Zero just ran to the top of the Rocky Steps in Philly.

He really looks like a knight in heavily stylized wolf armor. It's great. He's got scads of joints all over. Double jointed knees and elbows, ankles and feet with separate toe articulation, bicep swivels. There is a kitchen sink worth of joints in Zero. The only bummer is that because of the design of the armor itself, the hips are actually hindered in their range of motion, which in turn hinders the knee and ankles joints.

Two swords are better than one.

His giant bladed boomerang is great for killing Horrors. Also, trimming hedges.

Zero is pretty basic on accessories. He comes with two sword holding hands, two relaxed hands, and two fists. Other than that he includes his two swords, the Ginga Ginroken or Silver Fanged Silver Wolf Sword. What's cool about his swords is that there is a tab on one that fits into the other. It's just a friction connection, but it holds tight and allows him to show his sword in it's combined form. This is Zero's main weapon in the fight of the Makai Knights against the Horrors.

One thing I hope you'll notice is Zero's color scheme. Over his base silver, Bandai picked out the details in a paler gold, black, a vibrant blue and an interesting off white color. The off white highlights interest me mainly because I have a thought in my head to hit those parts up with glow in the dark paint. That might look pretty cool.

Last year(ish), Bandai started releasing characters from Garo in it's brand new Garo-centric Makaikado line. The figures in Makaikado don't feature the same level of articulation as the S.H. Figuarts, but they are larger, more detailed, and cheaper than Mr. Tamashii Web Exclusive here. There are some insane new Makai Knights coming out that look super nice.

Zero's milkshake brings all the Horrors to the yard.

Two swords are better than one, eh?

What you don't realize, silly Getter Newtype Reviews...

Is that two swords that combine into one giant sword boomerang is better than all other swords!

My final thought on the S.H. Figuarts Zero the Silver Fanged Wolf is that it is an awesome toy, but with the price and the restricted hips, I think it's a pass for most people. With the Garo franchise getting releases now in it's own Makaikado line, I think we won't see any other Garo characters appearing in the S.H. Figuarts line. He does look great next to Gold Knight Garo though, and so in the end, I personally am happy with this figure. Thanks for reading!