NEWS
28.02.2022
[Part 1] New Dragon Stars Items Are Here! We Interviewed the Project Lead About Their Development!!
New action figures from the Dragon Stars series have started rolling out in North America, Europe, Oceania, Central America, and South America as of February! And not to mention the new HeadGear item that will let fans experience the true feeling of going Super Saiyan!!
*Not available for purchase in Japan.
The Dragon Ball Stars label has released an impressive total of over 50 figures to date. For this article, we sat down with the project lead who has been with the company since its establishment and overseen the development of these items, Mr. Sugimatsu, to talk about his passion for Dragon Stars as well as the global popularity of Dragon Ball from country to country!
For more information regarding the new items in this series, please check out Part 2 of this article from the related articles section at the bottom of the page!
"It Was Vegeta and His 'Bad-Boy Cool' That Really Got Me into the Series"
――So, Mr. Sugimatsu, what's your role in relation to the development and creation of Dragon Stars products?
Bandai West Division Mr. Sugimatsu
Officially, I'm the brand manager for the western division of Bandai's toy business, but my job actually involves planning, development, and branding. For the Japanese branch, there are separate people who oversee things like planning and development, but on the other side of the world, we have a single, almighty producer who deals with a wide range of things all along the supply chain. That's me.
――Do you have any fond memories when it comes to Dragon Ball?
I grew up in the United States for around 16 or 17 years, and it was during that time that I fell in love with Dragon Ball. For some reason though, when the anime was broadcast on American TV, it didn't start from episode 1 of Dragon Ball and continue from there every week, but instead they would just play the Saiyan arc from Dragon Ball Z on repeat, every day. Of course, like any young Dragon Ball fan, I liked Goku, but because of the episodes on TV at the time, it was Vegeta and his 'bad-boy cool' that really got me into the series.
Saiyan arc Vegeta and his 'bad-boy cool'
When I heard that there was actually more after the Saiyan arc, I just had to see it, so I asked my grandmother to buy me an issue of Jump when I was visiting Japan. The manga was already up to the Majin Buu arc, and I remember being really taken aback and thinking, "Who's this pink guy?" (laughs)
I showed it to my friends at school when I got back to America and they were all pretty excited too.
"Something You Can Buy on a Whim at Your Local Store"
――So what's the story behind the creation of the Dragon Stars series?
Dragon Stars series posable figures,
each with more than 16 points of articulation.
After joining Bandai and being stationed in America, I gained a whole new appreciation for just how popular Dragon Ball was there. It was around 2016, and there were various Dragon Ball figures available, such as the S.H.Figuarts series, but they were all relatively expensive. There wasn't anything simpler that a child might be able to buy, so we proposed products like the Dragon Stars and Limit Breakers series to fill that gap in the market.
Limit Breakers series large 12-inch (30cm) figures
We make toys that children ages 4 and up are able to enjoy, and we stock them in a range of locations from major retailers to local toy stores because our overarching goal is for them to be something that you can buy on a whim at your local store.
"Characters You Can Tell Are Strong Just by Looking at Them Are Especially Popular"
――What characters are popular in the countries that you currently operate in?
Well, Goku is overwhelmingly popular no matter where you go, but after that, each country has its own tastes. In America, characters you can tell are strong just by looking at them are especially popular, such as Frieza, Vegeta, Broly, and a lot of other villains across the series. Having so many villains that are loved by fans is a pretty unique aspect of Dragon Ball. Even our Cooler figure was very popular.
Dragon Stars Cooler Final Form
Also, characters who appear weak at first but are actually amazingly strong when they get serious are very popular. One example would be Muten Roshi with his muscular form, which there aren't many figures of to begin with, so we got a great response from fans when he was released.
Dragon Stars Muten Roshi
However, while America tends to prefer the 'big, tough, and cool' kinds of characters, France and Spain seem to have a preference for some of the more slender characters, like Goku and Trunks.
Dragon Stars Super Saiyan Blue Goku
Dragon Stars Future Trunks
I'm hoping to eventually get to a place where we can offer figures for every single character in Dragon Ball so that all fans have the chance to own a figure of their favorite character.
"I Want to Help Preserve the Legacy of Dragon Ball"
――Finally, do you have any big goals when comes to Dragon Stars? Or even just something you take very seriously with your work in planning and development of these products?
I want to help preserve the legacy of Dragon Ball for the next 10, 20 years, or even longer, and to be able to show the younger generation today what makes it such a good series.
Although, even with that goal in mind, we didn't think we'd have much success in fostering a new generation of fans if we suddenly came out of nowhere with purely children-focused products, and so first we focused on making a strong impression in the market so that fans would come to recognize and trust our brand. And then from there, we'd be able to maintain the series in the long-term. That's the idea behind Dragon Stars and other similar lines.
Also, keeping with the philosophy of making easily accessible, inexpensive toys that kids want to play with, we've now developed and released the Super Saiyan Goku HeadGear item, which is something that I hope kids of all ages will be able to enjoy.
――Thank you so much for your time today!
Read more about the new Dragon Stars products and HeadGear Super Saiyan Goku in Part 2 of this article in the related articles section below!
☆Manufacturer：Bandai Co., Ltd
☆US Retail Price：SRP $19.99 *Price differs by country
☆Release Date：Scheduled to be released in February '22
※Product only available in the Americas/Europe/LATAM/Oceania
☆Manufacturer：Bandai Co., Ltd
☆US Retail Price：SRP $19.99 *Price differs by country
☆Release Date：Scheduled to be released in February '22
※Product only available in the Americas/Europe/LATAM/Oceania
☆Manufacturer：Bandai Co., Ltd
☆US Retail Price：SRP $39.99*Price differs by country
☆Release Date：Scheduled to be released in February '22
※Product only available in the Americas/Europe/LATAM/Oceania
☆Manufacturer：Bandai Co., Ltd
☆US Retail Price：SRP 24.99 *Price differs by country
☆Release Date：Scheduled to be released in February '22
※Product only available in the Americas/Europe/LATAM/Oceania
☆Manufacturer：Bandai Co., Ltd
☆US Retail Price：SRP9.99 *Price differs by country
☆Release Date：Scheduled to be released in February '22
※Product only available in the Americas/Europe/LATAM/Oceania
© BIRD STUDIO / SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION
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