New E. Honda and Balrog Action Figures from Jada Toys

The World Warriors are almost fully assembled, and the Street Fighter line from Jada Toys keeps on getting better and better. E. Honda and Balrog just arrived and they are both top-tier in an already impressive action figure line.

Action figure of E. Honda from Street Fighter II, featured in a clear box with additional hands and a background resembling a game setting.

Back of a toy box featuring a Street Fighter II figure of E. Honda, displaying a colorful design and character lineup.

Action figure of Balrog from Street Fighter II, packaged in a colorful box with game graphics and accessories, set against a purple background.

Package of a Street Fighter II action figure showcasing Balrog, featuring a colorful design with character images at the bottom.

This has definitely been one of my favorite lines to collect over the past few years. While it started off a little slow, it seems like we are getting new figures pretty regularly now. These two are a quick follow-up to the recently-released Akuma, and Juhn from Jada stated at WonderCon last month that T. Hawk and Zangief will be up for order this month. That will complete the SFII line-up they have been building, and then the line will transition to the Alpha series where TONS of new characters and looks await.

Two muscular action figures standing against a purple background. One figure is wearing a blue and white striped sumo outfit, while the other is dressed in a blue boxing outfit with red gloves.

E. Honda and Balrog are OGs from the SFII mythos, with the former being an original World Warrior, and the latter as the first of four “boss” characters (or “Four Heavenly Kings”) from the Evil Shadaloo syndicate. I still vividly remember being introduced to these characters during my first play though of the original game, and their enduring designs and characterizations make them legendary in the video game world. Much like Mega Man, I have been waiting for figures like these for (nearly) my entire life.

Action figure of a muscular character wearing striped shorts, standing against a purple background.

Back view of a muscular action figure dressed in a blue and white striped sumo costume against a purple background.

Close-up of a muscular action figure with a serious expression, featuring red war paint on the face and a traditional topknot hairstyle, set against a purple background.

Close-up of an action figure with a fierce expression, featuring a man with a topknot hairstyle, red face paint stripes, and a muscular build, set against a purple background.

A muscular sumo wrestler action figure in a blue and white striped mawashi, standing on a purple background, with multiple interchangeable hands and a second head lying next to it.

Due to their shape and stature, both of these characters are considered to be “deluxe” in the line and come in the larger-sized box. This gives them plenty of room to be nicely displayed and while they don’t have quite as many accessories of some of the previous figures, those are nicely presented as well. Jada does so many things right with the figures themselves, but the packaging should not be overlooked, and the arcade cabinet homage continues to be fun and eye-catching.

Action figure of a muscular character with traditional Japanese hairstyle and face paint, showing a fierce expression against a purple background.

A muscular action figure of a sumo wrestler, wearing a blue and white striped mawashi, standing against a purple background.

Honda is the stockiest of the characters so far (he’s a sumo wrestler by trade, so that tracks), but he is also one of the shorter figures, and that lines up with his in-game vital statistics. So, he has a very unique shape amongst these figures and stands out nicely, even in a line of colorful and cool designs. His girth does not prevent him from being able to move well, and his articulation and range of movement is very much on-par for a figure in this line.

A close-up of an action figure with muscular arms, featuring four outstretched hands and stylized effects, against a purple background.

Close-up of a muscular action figure with multiple hands posed against a purple background.

In fact, his size and shape make his articulation all the more impressive. His game moves and poses show Honda to be quite flexible, and with his construction here, you can hit just about all of his signature fighting moves. I usually don’t gush over toe articulation, but it works REALLY well here, and does supplement some of the sumo stances he known for. Heck, he can EASILY balance on balls of both feet, so that is really impressive.

Two action figures engaged in a boxing match, one wearing blue shorts and gloves, the other in a striped sarong, against a purple background.

Of course, his “slappy hands” technique is his signature move, and that is accomplished in plastic with his effect piece, and to great success. It attaches over his wrist and using is open-palm hand in the middle, shows three slaps that recall the game move perfectly. It is probably my favorite effect piece so far, to be honest. I am not the best when it comes to fighting as Honda, but I love the slaps, so I am sure this is how I will pose him on the shelf. Overall, he is a very solid addition to the lineup.

Two action figures standing side by side against a purple background. One figure is dressed in a traditional sumo wrestler outfit, while the other is in boxing attire with red gloves.

Balrog, however, is absolutely a sleeper figure in this line. Admittedly, I have always found his design to be one of the least interesting, but I have come to really appreciate it over time, and damn, it works so well here. The obvious real person homage aside (and thus the subsequent name change from his original M. Bison), this figure is an absolute bruiser, and his straightforward design really lends itself to some great posing.

Action figure of a muscular boxer with brown gloves, wearing a light blue boxing outfit and brown boots, standing against a purple background.

Back view of a muscular action figure wearing a light blue boxing outfit and red boxing gloves, set against a purple background.

Close-up of a muscular action figure with an aggressive expression, wearing a blue sports tank top, set against a purple background.

Close-up of a muscular action figure with an intense expression, wearing a blue sleeveless shirt, against a purple background.

A muscular action figure wearing a blue boxing outfit with red gloves, standing against a purple background. The figure has an additional head and two sets of boxing gloves placed on the ground beside it.

Balrog has to make a go of it using his fists alone (he is not a kicker), but getting him into his game move poses, as well as other classic boxing stances is extremely fun. Jada continues to evolve the articulation scheme and joint engineering and Balrog stands on the shoulders of many that came before him to really excel here. As an extremely buff boxer with a large upper body, the functional butterfly joints in the chest do wonders with being able to easily pose into tight boxing stances.

Action figure of a muscular boxer wearing a blue tank top and red boxing gloves, with a fierce expression, against a purple background.

A close-up of a muscular boxing figurine wearing a blue boxing outfit and red gloves, with an intense expression against a purple background.

The figure includes both fist and open hand boxing gloves, with two effects pieces to fit over the fists. These are pretty straightforward, but also effective, and it is fun to amp up the power of the various boxing punches with the effect. I know the open gloves do reference some specific animations in the game, but honestly, I am not sure I will ever use them. I see Balrog as ready to drop and deadly punch at any moment, so he needs to be ready with his fists.

A muscular action figure in blue shorts and boxing gloves with a transparent wing attached to one arm, standing against a purple background.

A dynamic action figure of a muscular character in a blue athletic outfit, holding pom-poms and posing energetically against a purple background.

He also has two portraits, one is fairly placid, and the other is his signature sneer with the missing tooth exposed. That is my preferred look for the figure by far, and everything from upper cuts to body blows to being on the receiving end of a strike looks great with this expression. This is one of the most expressive heads we have seen in the SF line to date, so it adds a lot to a figure with an overall straightforward design.

A group of four action figures from a fighting game series, featuring diverse characters. The central figure is dressed in a red uniform with a black cape, surrounded by a boxer in blue, a muscular character, and another figure wearing a mask with claws. The background is a solid purple.

Ring the bell – both of the these figures are winners! We are so close to finishing the SFII roster now, and that is really exciting. I love how these figures get better and better with Jada never resting on their laurels. You can find them at the usual spots, so don’t miss out.