Ryu vs. Sagat

Review by Optimal III

One of the many cool things about SOTA's Street Fighter toy line is that retailers big & small wanted in on the action, so lots of exclusives were made. Most of them are color variants, making this two-pack unique. But it's Ryu & Sagat, so it's not surprising somebody wanted this set.

I'm not going in depth, because Ryu's a paint variation of Evil Ryu figure, who I've already reviewed. There's nothing new, he just looks different. Has the same alternate hands, head, and duffel bag.

The calm win pose.

The excited win pose. It looks better in game with his eyes whited out.

Give him the fist bump now or suffer later.

Looks like evil makes you confident. Goodness just leaves you confused.

Being evil also means you know where you're going apparently. Being good gets you lost.

Pretty much what happens every time inside his head.

Ryu was so mad at that beating, he took it out on AM Optimus with a throw.

And a really nasty dragon punch.

Ryu is just as good as Evil Ryu, and I haven't had any issues with arm breakage, but I'm careful when handling him.

On the other hand, Sagat is all stud & solid.

He's so freaking huge for a non-robot action figure, around 8-inches.

He's got the same range of features as the other characters, but his size makes them stand out that much more. His toe and heel joints are very stable, same as the ankles.

His outfit doesn't lend itself to soft rubber like the others, but the sculpted/painted detail on his bandages is amazing.

He's also got double-jointed knees, ball hips, and rotators beneath. The visual gets a little jarred, but I'm fine with that.

His lack of clothes shows off his build, perplexed with musculature. SFII stats him at 7'4, 286 lbs.

Sagat is simple, so he doesn't have a lot of accessories. Just two alternate hands, and one head.

Same deal as usual with the arms. Ball-jointed shoulders, rotators just beneath the balls, bending elbows and wrists, and hands that rotate. Being so big makes his hands the easiest to swap.

Nice detail on the scar. It's usually depicted as more of a brown/flesh color, but I guess this pops better on a physical object.

Ryu always gets the nod for ripping his chest up, but Sagat's eye was actually lost in a fight with Dan's father.

Ready to fight!

This is pretty much what happened.

But the SF comics by Udon intimate that Ryu was taken by the dark hadou when he beat Sagat in the final match of the first Street Fighter tournament.

As is the case with all my SOTA Street Fighter figures, I got this set because it was the cheapest way to get Ryu & Sagat. Pairing them makes sense, but you'll get the same figures separately too (though there is a bloody version of the two-pack; Sagat was also made with orange shorts w/ green trim). Ryu is just as good as Evil Ryu, but Sagat is the star in my book. I'm as wowed by him as Bison, and it's between those two for best from Round 1.

If you're a fan of action figures and/or especially Street Fighter, these two are probably up your alley. But if you don't have $$ to burn, I recommend holding out for your next convention.