Jagun Fighters

More than two thousand years ago, an ancient evil descended upon the
land. Distraught, the people of the village sought guidance from their
Emperor. Recalling the legend of the Jagun Warriors, the Emperor summoned
the mythical guardians who soon appeared before him with five glowing
stones. The Warriors explained that the stones contained the ultimate
power necessary to conquer the evil. Leaving their fate to the "Power
of The Eye," the villagers defeated the invading evil that had plagued
their land. This legend has been translated today into collectible action
figures and Power Eye Stones, recreating the deeds from centuries past.

Jagun Fighters is a new game / figure line from Bandai America. It features
both action figures and game pieces, called Power Eye Stones. The game
design is by Itaru Ueda, with Character Design by Tamotsu Shinohara (http://www.radiotoon.com/),
Hiroshi Akimoto, Noriyoshi Matsumura, and Tadashi Shinmura.

The Game

Players use their Power Eye Stones to defeat each other in combat. The
rules are pretty straightforward. Roll your stones, whoever get the best
roll, wins. You can augment attacks with special stones, called Spell
Casters. There is an advanced level of game play that involves the action
figures, but for some reason, it hasn't been revealed yet.

Power Eye Stones

There are 35 stones to begin with. Each month, new stones will be released.
You can get exclusive stones with certain figures. Power Eye stones come
in four different factions: Monstrous Stones, Hidden Coves, Magical Sorcerers,
and Twin head Dragons. Each faction has two types: Stone Fighters (used
in your initial attack) and Spell Casters (used for augmenting an attack).
All the stones are characters themselves, and have complete backstories,
which can be found at jagunfighters.com

The Figures

Jagun Fighters also features 3-inch collectible figures that come with
an exclusive gold Power Eye Stone, and detailed and articulated 6.5-inch
action figures that come with a trading card. The 3-inch figures are smaller,
and non-articulated. The 6.5-inch figures feature a wide range of articulation.

Rugi

Rugi is a master swordsman whose skills are so great he can kill a dragon
with a single blow. His father made the sword Rugi carries. Rugi has vowed
to use it to destroy the man who killed his father. The Power Eye grants
Rugi visions of the man he seeks, but the Power Eye never reveals his
face. The crescent on Rugi's helmet represents his greatest influence-the
moon. Rugi draws power from the moon; therefore he fights best at night.
In the conflict between the continents, Rugi has refused to take sides.
Although he will be involved in many battles, his true goal is to find
the man who destroyed his childhood.

Rugi is articulated at the head, shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. Included
are two swords that snap on to a belt on his waist, or can be held securely
in his hands. Rugi's main gimmick is the spinning eye on his chest.
Pull a lever on his back and the eye spins, deciding the outcome of the
advanced gameplay.

Even without the gameplay aspect, Rugi is a solid figure. What it lacks
in poseability, it makes up for in design. I would have like to have seen
a little more articulation, such as ball-jointed hips and shoulders, wrists
and a waist joint.

Overall, Jagun Fighters offers something for both kids and adults. Kids
will get into the game aspect, and adult collectors will love the designs
by authentic Manga artists from Japan.