Let me start by saying this: Jada Toys absolutely nailed it with their Street Fighter II Ryu figure. As someone who grew up pumping quarters into arcade machines, unboxing this felt like reuniting with an old friend—except now he’s 6 inches tall and can do a *perfect* Shoryuken on my desk.

The sculpt is a love letter to SF2 purists. It blends classic sprite vibes with subtle modern touches (yes, the red gloves threw me off at first, but they grew on me). The face captures that iconic stoic-expression-meets-determinded-grind from the character select screen. And the gi? Soft plastic that bends without fighting you mid-pose—a godsend for dynamic kicks.

Articulation is where Ryu shines brighter than a Hadoken. Ball joints everywhere! I spent an embarrassing amount of time recreating his hurricane kick and even managed a crouching-block pose straight out of the game. Stiff joints out of the box? Just warm them up—they’re engineered to hold poses like a champ.

Accessories are minimal but meaningful: swap-out hands, a screaming head (for when you *really* land that final hit), and a translucent blue Hadoken with its own stand. At under $30? This feels like stealing compared to import figures.

Now, the gripes: No toe joints (RIP ground-skimming fireball stances), and Amazon’s packaging roulette might leave collectors sweating. My copy arrived mint, but others weren’t so lucky.

Verdict? If you’ve ever yelled ‘HADOUKEN!’ at a screen, buy this figure. Jada didn’t just make another toy—they bottled arcade magic. Now excuse me while I hunt down their Chun-Li…