S.H.Figuarts Dragon Ball Z Krillin 3.0 (Son Goku's Old Friend) review

What else hasn't been said about Krillin that was already brought up in my last review involving his past two releases? Last time we took a look at Goku's best friend was in the 2.0 version of his Z-era self and the childhood version that was even shorter than Krillin is usually depicted (but not as short as his first appearance in the lore). I don't have the 2013 version, but I know he has the manga accurate white for the eyes and a head looking to the side representing when Android 18 kissed his cheek. This newest version is part of the current 3.0 wave, with Tamashii Nations more likely to do new versions of existing characters than do a complete Z-Fighter roster or anyone major in GT or Super beyond the main faces of each series. Krillin's most recent figure is a Premium Bandai release, and will cost a bit more than the others, but will it be as good of a release as he is a friend? Let's find out.

Here we have Krillin in-hand, who already has an appropriate build with being a bit wide and stumpy yet still powerful as the Earth's Strongest Man. The figure is also sculpted so as not to appear broken up from articulation joints, yet still be as poseable as a Figuart should be. The only unsightly area to me would be the waist area, where you have a bit of a thong look to the figure; it's hidden somewhat by the strands on the waist band, so it doesn't stand out as much as it does on MvC Spider-Man. The skin tones thankfully match between the head, arms, and the exposed area around the neck, and I can confirm that joint tolerances are a non-issue for this figure, though I can sense a slight bit of wiggle within the hip assembly; maybe it's due to the materials used for making the waist. His accessories include four alternate heads, 5 alternate pairs of hands, one set meant to work with the blast effect, and a 2-piece stand for said blast effect.

His articulation includes a double neck joint meant to house in the head swap system unique to Krillin, and the shoulders can move front and back as well as in and out; butterfly joints are part of a more elaborate system so the arms can look naturally connected to the body without compromising the silhouette. He has a double ball peg for the torso, which provides a reasonable amount of range going all around but not much due to his design. Biceps swivel normally, elbows double bend, and while he uses the standard wrist system, swapping the hands is a bit scary given the size of them. Getting PTSD from Wicked Lady's fragile wrist pegs. Anyways, the hips can move around decently thanks to the rubberized waist piece that doesn't disrupt the sculpt, thighs swivel as they should, knees are single jointed, and the feet can swivel, hinge, and pivot.

Let's get this out of the way: his bullet looks like a dick with two balls under it. There is no other way to describe it, especially with the way it's molded. I mean, with a choking hazard label on the box, it's for the best that it also applies to women wanting to get some Krillin action. No wonder he's doing the second pose with all that anguish. 

I'm sure you may wonder if the Dragon Ball from the Planet Named is included with this figure, and it is not. Tamashii only presented it in the stock photo to represent the Namek Saga, but here he is being super excited to meet Peter Griffin. Friggin sweet, indeed.

For some size comparisons, here we have him with the other versions of Krillin that I own. He's in between his kid self and his recently reissued Earth's Strongest Man counterpart. If you ask me, this almost works as a height evolution for the character, but the problem stems from the fact that Krillin shrank over the years in the series. I mean, he's about a head shorter than Goku in the Saiyan Saga, and then in the Namek Saga, he's a few inches taller than the young Gohan. I plan to get the Battle Clothes version someday and see how the scale works.

With Goku (using the Saiyan Raised on Earth version) and Android 18 (Universe Survival Saga version), we're going to have to keep in mind that 2.0 likely represents the height Krillin would normally have if he was still a short king yet grew naturally. 2.0 scales best for the scene where we see the group together in the Saiyan Saga (where Krillin was nearly as tall as Goku). As for 3.0, he scales best for any other saga, at least before Super and Daima shrink him further. Apart from that dilemma, should you get the new Krillin? For the most part, he is good, but as a P-Bandai release (to my knowledge), paying nearly $80 for a figure like this is far from ideal. While the articulation and aesthetics are good, you're getting something comparable to an aftermarket price. Maybe he did need his effect part to compensate for his short height, but it sucks that this was put in premium price hikery. I would only recommend him if you see him for $70 or less, because Krillin deserves more accessibility to collectors new and old despite not being either Goku or Vegeta.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐