Throughout their history together, Usagi Yojimbo has been a part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ world in everything from comics, to cartoons, to plastic. Now, NECA is celebrating when the TMNT came to Usagi’s world with five new action figures. They make their debut at Haulathon this month, so come check them out!
To say I have been really excited for these figures since their debut at Toy Fair in 2025 is an understatement. Let’s face it – NECA has made a LOT of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures, so as time goes on, the need to keep things fresh becomes increasingly important. Well, I think these figures loudly ring that bell and presenting them through the Stan Sakai lens is exactly what was needed, while at the same time helps to cement a longstanding friendship between the properties.
So, while Usagi has been with the Turtles for a long time, seeing them all brought into his world is really exciting. So, in the spirit of artist interpretations being important to this line, Sakai’s look and feel are very apparent, and it works amazingly well for all of the characters. I will get to the Turtles soon, but just for Usagi, it really is like coming home. His classic “Miyamoto Usagi” look is fully realized, and at full stature.
We have gotten a few versions of Usagi in his samurai regalia, but this figure offers a lot of new details and designs not previously featured. There is a variety of colors and the blue, red, and yellow feature heavily in the armor, but you can still see his turquoise robes coming through balance by the black pants. As Usagi has white fur, there is a lot of opportunity to play with other colors, and I like this classic combination for the character. The alternate expressions also help to convey Usagi’s personality and station, and all of them look appropriate for the character. The portraits are obviously swappable, but the different ears can be changed between the three heads as well.
Now, you have probably noticed that this figure is significantly taller than the previous NECA Usagi figures, and that was very much on purpose. Usagi was made shorter when he starred alongside the Turtles in the ’87 cartoon, but that has not been the case in other media. Frankly, I like seeing him in different ways, and for this set, it works nicely. The Tokage gets in on the action as well – in addition to be fully armored himself, he is also larger than the previous releases.
Aside from Tokage and swappable heads, this figure also features multiple sets of hands to accomplish all the rabbit samurai stuff, as well as a sword and pouch. The sword is, of course, requisite, and it can be stored in the sheath, or wielded properly as the grip hand has an up and down hinge. This figure poses nicely in fighting stances, but also looks great jumping, so if you have an extra NECA flight stand around, Usagi can make good use of it.
I am not even to the Turtles yet, but I already want more characters from this crossover. Let’s get Gen and Kitsune and the rest in this style and really build out the world. I am already thinking of how I can build a feudal time display for these figures, so I am ready to go full out for them. Like I said, I have looks at the Turtles lined up, so check back soon. Spoiler alert: they might just be my favorite NECA TMNT figure ever. Seriously.
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