Nendoroids And Why You Should Collect Them
If you could think of a highly collectible pop culture-based action figure, what springs to mind? Is it Funko Pop? Probably wouldn’t be surprised. What if we added cute anime faces, accessories and mobility? Then you have Nendoroids! As someone who’s been collecting these for over 10 years, I can totally say that they are great fun for the collector. Built in Japan by the prestigious Good Smile Company firstly in 2006, these cuties are a popular and more-detailed alternative to the massive Pop Vinyl line. In this essay I will go through the basics, history and benefits of the line.
Firstly, lets delve into the brief history of the Nendoroid line, its rise to power in Japan and now worldwide. At Wonder Festival 2006, All eyes were on the first one to release, predating Funko’s first Pop Vinyls including DC’s Batman. This was a particular mascot of the game by Type Moon, “Tsukihime”. The line first blew up considerably once the phenomenal virtual idol “Hatsune Miku” made her debut, now being the poster girl of Nendoroids and Good Smile as a whole. As of 2010 the line sold millions. Now, 10 years later there are almost 1500 unique Nendoroids in the line. What exactly are they tho? Well, I should get into the nitty-gritty of Nendoroids and what they actually are. Enough history lessons!
Nendoroids (at least the main line) are 10cm high, super-deformed chibi action figures with plenty of interchangeable parts including arms, legs, faces, accessories such as weapons and props. Some are fully-articulated with arms, legs, torso and shoulder joints. The most interesting part of the line is that you can swap faces (entire heads too!) and accessories easily between Nendoroids, allowing for costume swaps etc.
Availability, variety and price is where this line really gets interesting! 1500 Nendoroids exist as of 2021 from many types of media like movies, video games and Japanese anime of course. Some noteable intellectual properties that have been featured in Nendoroid form prominently include Marvel, Overwatch, Fate, Touken Ranbu, Naruto and many more. The line has something for everyone. Except maybe sitcom fans, thank goodness…
You can find them at most comic book stores, Amazon and anime merchandise suppliers across the world for around 40–80 USD with some inflating overtime. They are a lot more sought after and pricier than Funko Pops, but that is the beauty of them! The sheer value and detail that goes into these things can really show the worth. I sold all my Pops and have no regrets.
Nendoroids can be a sheer goldmine, if you can be aware of the pricey side of the figures and the more limited availability there is so much you could do and be creative with. Having a display of cute chibi superheroes and fighters with much more expression than Funko is what I love about Nendoroids. My collection is growing fast and couldn’t be happier. Interested? View the entire collection here
