Final Fantasy XIII-2 Lightning Action Figure

Lightning of Final Fantasy XIII-2 is back and is even more badass, if that's possible. Ditto her new Play Arts "Kai" figure, with a better face sculpt, cool details on sword and shield, and a lot of flexibility in armor, skirt and hair so that she can get into dramatic fighting poses. See video review below showing all her joints and articulation.

She comes with alternate hands: fists as shown here and open hands to hold her sword in either hand (no peg this time around), a shield with a clear grip that clasps her forearm (the grip looks a little odd, but is easy to hide), and a new gunblade. There is no stand, but she stands on her own, or you can use a stand from earlier Play Arts figures.

Details include a soft flexible feather-skirt -- this early official photo doesn't show it, but it's shaded -- ball jointed pauldrons (shoulder armor), and slightly translucent hair that lets light shine through in a more realistic fashion than opaque plastic.

Oddly, the figure is about an inch shorter than her FFXIII figure, as you'll see in the video review below. She'll still ride astride the Final Fantasy XIII Play Arts -Kai- Odin figure, which has become rather rare.

Design (as usual) by Tetsyuo Nomura; figure sculpt based directly on Lightning's game model in Final Fantasy XIII-2 by Square-Enix. Promotional photos © Square-Enix.

I like the attention to detail on Lightning's new costume. The feathers are a Square-Enix / Final Fantasy staple, usually signifying Phoenix Down (resurrection) or sorceresses, but in this case they fit Lightning's new role as a virtual Valkyrie of Valhalla. (Valkyries are winged warrior women in Norse mythology who swoop down and carry the souls of slain warriors to Odin's hall in Valhalla, a mead-drinking warrior's paradise.) Also, the device on her shield is based on her shoulder guard from FFXIII, the insignia of a Guardian Corps officer.

Final Fantasy XIII's Lightning figure is 9" tall, and the XIII-2 is a smidge shorter. I think people were complaining that the Kai figures had finally gotten too big, although that does allow for much greater detail than the old Final Fantasy VII-XII Play Arts figures (6"-8").

A word of caution: I've seen two comments on various videos reporting the arm popping out of the shoulder socket; they also reported it popping back in.

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