Knights of the Zodiac is a futuristic action series that follows the adventures of Bronze Knight Seiya as he leads his team in battle against Phoenix and the Black Knights for control of the Golden Cloth of Sagittarius. The first wave of action figures from Bandai America debuted at retail stores starting in January 2004, with additional action figures, role-play toys and a playset coming in the fall.

Cartoon Network currently airs the Knights of the Zodiac television series on its Saturday Action Block at 12:30 AM. The show debuted in late August 2003 to spectacular ratings as the #1 show in its time slot and has since remained popular.

This particular figure is the Deluxe Dragon Shiryu. It is the exact same toy as the 8" Saint Seiya Dragon Shiryu released by Bandai in Hong Kong. The figure comes with a set of chrome-plated cloth, which they wear during their hand-to-hand battles. The cloth can also be removed from the figure to form the character's corresponding zodiac sign, the symbol from which they draw their mystical powers.

Dragon Shiryu is a cool figure. Without his armor, he can be put in almost any pose. The ankle joints are particularly nicely done. When you add his cloth armor, you lose some mobility, but you make it up in looks. The armor is pretty easy to get on. Most parts have pegs that fit into the figure for a secure fit.

The paint and detail are nice, but I found that the chrome chipped on certain pieces of armor. Also, there are marks on the armor where they were clipped from the sprue on the factory. As a collector, I was a little disappointed in this, but the kids wont care, and that's who these are really aimed at.

With a suggested retail price of more than half the Japanese version, you can't go wrong with this toy.

Knights of the Zodiac is a fast paced, futuristic action-adventure series which pits the forces of good against evil as the Knights of Athena battle the Knights of Ares for control of the Sacred Golden Cloth of Sagittarius, and the world.

Knights of the Zodiac were originally called Saint Seiya in Japan. It began as a manga in 1986, and was developed into an anime in October 1986. There have been several Saint Seiya series since then.

Phoenix Ikki is the archrival of the Knights of Athena. His self-sacrificial uprising on Death Queen Island has warped him considerably. Phoenix Ikki is the most powerful Bronze Night, with the ability to create firestorms as well as teleport himself and psychically attack his opponents mind.

This Phoenix Ikki toy is part of the basic 5" figure line from Bandai. There is also an 8" figure line with more accessories.

The first thing you notice when you remove the blister card is the smell. It smells just like a Gundam figure, which means Phoenix Ikki is made out of PVC. This is not a bad thing, as it makes for a durable figure. The figure comes with a pair of wings and a Zodiac. You can attach the wings to either the figure or the Zodiac. I found it really difficult to get the wings onto the figure. There is a trick to it - you have to put the peg in at an angle. Once in, they are secure.

The figure itself is great. It has joints at the neck, shoulder, bicep, elbow, wrist, waist, hip, thigh, knee and ankle. The head movement is restricted due to the molded hair, and would have benefited greatly from a ball-joint. Phoenix Ikki features great paint detail and non-removable armor.

My only complaint about the figure would be the lack of accessories. Bandai has spoiled us with the accessories that come with the Gundam figures, so I was surprised not to see many in the package.

Bandai's 5" Phoenix Ikki appears to be the exact same toy as the 5" Japanese Saint Seiya Phoenix Cloth Action Figure. I think it is great that fans can get the exact same figure that is sold in Japan at a reasonable price.

Knights of the Zodiac is currently airing on the Cartoon Network.