Figure Review: Play Arts Kai Arkham Knight

The long wait is finally over...

Bad ass AK poster

One of my most anticipated Play Arts Kai figures to hit the shelves this year is the Arkham Knight, and I can say I'm glad that he is now part of my growing PAK collection. As a bit of a character background, the Arkham Knight is a fresh persona for the Arkhamverse, created by Rocksteady Studios and Geoff Johns (DC Comics' CCO and writer) for the 2015 action-adventure video game 'Batman: Arkham Knight'. In the game's storyline, he harbors a vendetta against the Dark Knight, with the intention of eradicating the latter after making him suffer. For him to fulfill the mission, he aligns himself with one of Gotham's most notorious villains, Dr. Jonathan Crane a.k.a. the Scarecrow. Now, I won't spill the beans about the ending of the game's main story, as there could still be others who haven't played it yet, but all I can say is that it has a rather interesting denouement.

And there's that elusive figure stand...

I was definitely thrilled with the figure when I saw the images of its painted prototype (together with the Batman and Harley Quinn figures) from last February's New York Toy Fair/NYTF. I must admit that I really had no idea what the game was all about at first, thinking that the title "Arkham Knight" referred to the Caped Crusader himself. But as it turned out, I realized that he's another character who's set to wreak havoc against Bruce, thanks to the images from NYTF and a little research on the game itself. And for a guy who's dressed up like an anti-Batman archetype, he's got a truly impressive character design along with a remarkable array of weapons.

Still waitin' for 'Daddy's Lil Monster'

My current collection of PAK Arkham Knight figures consists of Batman himself and the Arkham Knight. I passed on the Robin figure because I am not really impressed with its design (I mean, I never saw a bald Robin in the comics or animated films and series before!). I am currently waiting for the Harley Quinn figure that's sporting a uniquely styled costume, which is another impressive take on a classic DC villain. 

Sleek AK packaging

The figure comes in a standard PAK Arkham Knight packaging. The flap/front cover shows an image of the Arkham Knight regally striking a pose, with a shot of the moon obscured by clouds at night behind him. The back of the packaging shows the figure being placed on several cool action stances. Moreover, there's a picture of the Harley Quinn figure (she's 'No. 4') as part of the second wave of this Play Arts line.

Extra info No. 3

Figure/package description:

Enemies from the past attack...
An epic story appropriate for the final chapter.

As the epic conclusion to the BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM and BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY game series, BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT features the return of prominent super-villains including THE PENGUIN, TWO-FACE and HARLEY QUINN. The SCARECROW secretly returns to GOTHAM CITY and unites these adversaries in a plot to defeat the BATMAN once and for all. Beautiful next-gen console graphics, intense action from utilizing BATMAN's unique arsenal of gadgets, and a thrilling storyline makes this title the ultimate culmination of the BATMAN narrative.

A new villain of immense proportion emerges... 
what is his purpose? 

In BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT, previously defeated super-villains, despite their chaotic tendencies, unite to kill the BATMAN. The ARKHAM KNIGHT is a brand new villain that makes his debut with this title, but his identity and mission are still shrouded in mystery. Wearing a bodysuit with a silhouette that bears a striking resemblance to BATMAN, he is cloaked in a veil of secrecy. He delights in tormenting BATMAN... What is the true identity of the eponymous ARKHAM KNIGHT...?

Sticky clamshell

Just like any other Play Arts Kai product, the core figure and the accessories are neatly stored within a clamshell package. As always, it would take some amount of effort to separate the translucent plastic from the dark plastic, which is a good thing. That only means the figure has not been tampered with.

Bulky and impractical... again

Honestly, I thought that the collectors were going to get a different kind of figure stand this time around, based on what was shown during this year's New York Toy Fair. Much to my disappointment, Play Arts is still offering the same bulky and almost useless figure stand as always. I do hope someday they will change this one.

As for the accessories of the Arkham Knight, he's got the following:

1) Three extra (and interchangeable) pair of hands:

Eight hands are better than two

2) A pair of Tomb Raider-esque handguns:

Looks like he stole something from Ms. Croft...

3) A heavy-duty sniper rifle:

Two little bang-bang's never gonna match the sight of this big baby

4) A folded magazine with the catch (interchangeable with the default magazine):

Folded and hung

5) An alternate helmet piece which depicts his default appearance:

Blind as a bat

Now, on to the actual figure:

A knight in gloomy armor

Though the Arkham Knight figure isn't really a perfect piece, I've got to say that it is still one of the best handiworks of Play Arts to date. They have captured every detail of the character based on his video game design, making it a stunningly accurate representation of Batman's new nemesis. The figure is around 11 inches tall, and boasts over 20 points of articulation (which is standard among all of the current PAK figures so far).  

One dope headgear!

The Arkham Knight wears a cowled helmet piece, which for me is the best feature of the figure. He comes with two interchangeable heads: one which recreates his default appearance (my favorite by the way), and the other which gives off a 'glowing eye' effect. In the game, he uses his mask to cover his identity, as well as provide himself with a heads-up display which helps in keeping track of his own forces as they move around Gotham. I've seen some parts of the gameplay wherein the Arkham Knight removes the second layer of his mask after taking some hits from Batman, and underneath it is actually another helmet which is featureless with a reddish hue. It would have been great if Play Arts included that as a third helmet piece, but what are you gonna do, right? 

Say "A"

The Arkham Knight sports a well-designed obsidian costume (or battlesuit), which is actually a militaristic version of the Batsuit. Sources say that this is intended to mock Batman's appearance. Clearly, the character, at first glance, is a dead-ringer of the Caped Crusader himself (without the cape, of course). The chest plate, which bears the 'A' or Arkham symbol, has a dual purpose. Primarily, it is used as a defensive component against certain attacks with its angular design, particularly in deflecting the Batclaw. Secondly, it serves as an intangible weapon, as the Arkham symbol itself could place Bruce at a psychological disadvantage due to the various incidents in Arkham that have somehow affected him. The figure also has some sort of a backpack which blends well with the outfit's design.

Armed to the teeth

The waist section of the figure is filled with several armaments, particularly pouches and canisters. These canisters could be that of smoke and concussion grenades. A large strap is also apparent which would serve as a support for the cylindrical weapons.

G.I. Joe?

As for the lower limbs section, the Arkham Knight wears lightweight camouflage pants that has the same color pattern as the rest of the suit. He also dons a dandy, high-tech footwear that could put Batman's boots to shame.  

More A's

The figure also sports some neatly designed shoulder armor or pauldrons. Just like the chest piece, these components also bear the Arkham symbol.

Nifty gauntlets...

Perhaps the second best feature of the figure is his gauntlets. According to the character designer, these devices are utilized to parry his opponents' weapons, particularly Batman's blades. Despite its bulky design, the gauntlets are actually made of a lightweight material so that the wielder can execute rapid strikes. 

... that remind me of Jacqueline Briggs

The underside of the gauntlets has a more robotic design. Being a collector of Transformers action figures as well, it actually reminds me of a Decepticon figure, though I'm not quite sure which one. Heck, it even makes me think of a Mortal Kombat character.

AK needs a chiropractor

As I've pointed out earlier, the Arkham Knight figure isn't really a flawless piece. Having said that, I only have two minor gripes about the figure. First is the shoulder joint. I would think that Play Arts specifically designed this for positioning the figure while holding the sniper rifle to achieve a wider range of poseability. However, if these joints are utilized to somewhere near their maximum capacity, the back of the figure would certainly look weird enough as some hollow areas are being exposed in the process.

Slit!

Another minor gripe that I have is the slit on the right leg of the figure which enables the lower portion to rotate. Though it's really not something to be frowned upon, I found that the left leg has no slit at all, which makes it a little unbalanced. It's not a big deal anyway, and looking at the Arkham Knight as a whole, these flaws dissolve quite easily in the awesomeness of the figure.

Now for some epic stances:  

"Go ahead, make my day (...or night)"

One more reason for good ol' Bats to watch out for rooftops

Double whammy!

And here he is posed with some of my other PAK figures:

Bad blood

"Die, devil bird!"

The AK's: Arkham Knight and Advent Kid

Final thoughts: In my opinion, the Arkham Knight is one of those PAK figures that give the best bang for the buck. It may have some minor flaws, but it's a solid action figure overall. Additionally, character artist Albert Feliu stated that the materials of the Arkham Knight's paraphernalia (helmet, body armor, gauntlets and boots) were actually inspired by the design of a fighter plane - in his own words: "highly resistant, unreflective, and totally intimidating". So, what's not to like?

'Batman: Arkham Knight' Collector's Edition (not really)

Is the Arkham Knight's design better than Batman's, or is it the other way around? Sound off in the comments below.