What Is FuRyu? The Noodle Stopper Figure Maker, Explained
FuRyu is the Japanese entertainment company behind the Noodle Stopper Figure — the leaning anime figure designed to perch on a cup-noodle lid and hold it down while your ramen cooks. If you have ever pulled a Hatsune Miku, Gojo Satoru, or Power figure out of a Japanese crane game, you have handled FuRyu's work.
FuRyu (フリュー株式会社) sits alongside Banpresto and Sega as one of Japan's three biggest amusement-prize figure makers. But it is broader than either: FuRyu also runs purikura photo booths, publishes video games, and produces anime. For collectors, the part that matters is its figures, which run from a few-dollar crane-game prize to a premium scale statue.
This guide explains what FuRyu is, what each of its figure lines is for, whether they are worth collecting, and how to buy them if you live outside Japan.
What is FuRyu?
FuRyu Corporation (フリュー株式会社) is a Japanese entertainment company, established on April 1, 2007, that makes amusement-prize figures, operates purikura photo-sticker machines, and publishes games and anime.
It is a publicly traded company, not a hobby-shop brand. That scale is why FuRyu figures turn up in crane games and convenience-store lotteries across Japan rather than only in specialist stores.
When was FuRyu founded?
FuRyu was established on April 1, 2007, spun off from Omron's entertainment division through a management buyout. Its roots trace back further, to the "Columbus Project" entertainment business Omron launched in April 1997, which built the purikura machines FuRyu still makes today.
The company is headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, and went public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in December 2015 under ticker code 6238. It employed about 537 people as of March 2025.
What does FuRyu make besides figures?
Figures are only one of FuRyu's businesses. Understanding the others explains why its figures are priced and distributed the way they are.
- Purikura photo booths — FuRyu is one of Japan's leading makers and operators of purikura (photo-sticker) machines, the business it inherited from Omron.
- Amusement-prize goods — figures, plush toys, and other prizes made specifically for crane games and lotteries in Japanese arcades.
- Video games — FuRyu entered console publishing in 2008 and has released titles such as The Caligula Effect, Crystar, and Monark.
- Anime production — FuRyu moved into full-scale animation production in 2013.
What is the Noodle Stopper Figure?
The Noodle Stopper Figure is FuRyu's flagship prize-figure line: a character sculpted in a relaxed, leaning pose so it can sit on the rim of an instant-noodle cup and hold the lid down while the noodles cook.
FuRyu launched the line in the mid-2010s and celebrated its 10th anniversary in April 2026 with a refreshed logo and new packaging. It is the line most overseas fans mean when they say "a FuRyu figure."
Why is it called a "noodle stopper"?
Cheap instant-noodle lids pop open while the noodles steep, so people weigh them down with anything heavy on the desk. FuRyu turned that habit into a product: a figure posed to lean or sit, heavy enough to keep the lid shut.
The result is equal parts desk decoration and kitchen gadget, and that novelty is exactly why the line went viral and became FuRyu's signature series.
How big are Noodle Stopper Figures, and what do they cost?
Noodle Stopper Figures are typically around 14–16 cm tall, sized and weighted to balance on a cup-noodle lid. They are prize-quality, not high-end scale figures — simpler paint and construction, sold at a low price point.
Because they are prizes (景品) won from crane games and kuji lotteries rather than standard retail products, they are cheap inside Japan but are usually marked up on the overseas secondary market.
Which characters get Noodle Stopper Figures?
FuRyu partners with a rotating roster of anime and game franchises, so new characters drop constantly. Recurring and popular releases include:
- Hatsune Miku — the line's recurring superstar, including a special 10th-anniversary edition.
- Jujutsu Kaisen — Gojo Satoru and other sorcerers.
- Chainsaw Man — Power and Makima.
- Re:Zero, KonoSuba, and Spy x Family — heroines from big streaming hits.
- Toradora! and Inuyasha — older catalog titles that keep the line broad.
FuRyu's figure lines, compared
FuRyu spans budget prizes and premium scale figures. Knowing which line a figure belongs to tells you its quality, size, and price before you buy.
| Line | Type | Typical size | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noodle Stopper Figure | Prize | 14–16 cm | Affordable desk pieces and the cup-noodle gimmick |
| Trio-Try-iT Figure | Prize | ~20 cm+ | Larger prize figures at a low price |
| BiCute Bunnies Figure | Prize (large) | ~30 cm | Bunny-outfit pin-up figures with real-fabric details |
| TENITOL | Prize | Large | Dynamic, display-focused prize figures |
| F:NEX | Premium scale | 1/7 or larger | Collectors who want scale-figure detail |
Trio-Try-iT and the prize lines
Trio-Try-iT is FuRyu's line of larger prize figures, giving crane-game players a bigger, more dynamic piece than a Noodle Stopper for still-low prices. Alongside it, lines such as TENITOL focus on action poses and display presence while staying in prize-tier pricing.
BiCute Bunnies Figure
BiCute Bunnies is FuRyu's large prize series of characters in bunny-girl outfits, standing around 30 cm and often using real-fabric elements like fishnet stockings. It is a prize line, but the size and finish push toward the look of a scale figure.
F:NEX — FuRyu's premium scale brand
F:NEX is FuRyu's high-end brand, offering 1/7 scale or larger figures with detailed sculpts, intricate costumes, and higher-grade paint. Unlike the prize lines, F:NEX figures are sold at retail like other scale figures and compete with makers such as Good Smile Company and Kotobukiya. For how scale numbers like 1/7 work, see our prize figure vs. scale figure guide.
Are FuRyu figures worth collecting?
It depends on which line you mean. Prize figures like the Noodle Stopper are budget pieces — expect visible seams and simpler finishing than a retail scale figure — but they punch well above their price and are hard to beat for filling a shelf cheaply.
F:NEX, at the other end, is meant to stand next to premium scale figures. If you want detail, buy F:NEX; if you want fun and value, buy the prize lines. Either way, popular FuRyu figures are widely bootlegged, so learn to spot a fake versus an authentic figure before buying from an unknown seller.
How to buy FuRyu figures from overseas
FuRyu's prize figures are won inside Japan, so most never reach normal international retail. That makes them harder to get abroad than standard scale figures, but there are clear paths:
- Stores that ship from Japan — retailers based in Japan list prize figures pulled locally and ship them worldwide, which is the simplest route for one figure.
- Proxy and forwarding services — you buy from a Japanese seller through a proxy that forwards the parcel to you; useful for auction and secondary-market listings.
- The secondary market — because prizes are region-locked, expect a markup over the in-Japan price, especially for chase characters like Hatsune Miku.
The mechanics are the same ones we cover for lotteries in our guide to how to buy Ichiban Kuji from overseas.
FuRyu FAQ
Is FuRyu the same as Banpresto or Sega?
No. They are three separate prize-figure makers. Banpresto is Bandai's prize brand, Sega makes prize figures under lines such as Luminasta, and FuRyu is an independent company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (code 6238). Compare the other two in our explainers on what Banpresto is and what Luminasta is.
Are Noodle Stopper Figures official or bootlegs?
Genuine Noodle Stopper Figures are officially licensed products made by FuRyu. However, popular characters are frequently copied, so buy from reputable sellers and check the box, base, and sculpt against official photos.
How much do Noodle Stopper Figures cost?
Inside Japan they cost only a few hundred yen per crane-game play, and boxed examples are inexpensive on the local secondary market. Prices abroad are higher because the figures have to be pulled in Japan and shipped, and rare characters command a premium.
The bottom line
- FuRyu is a Tokyo entertainment company, founded in 2007, that makes prize figures, purikura machines, games, and anime.
- Its flagship figure line is the Noodle Stopper Figure — a 14–16 cm prize figure posed to hold a cup-noodle lid, celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2026.
- FuRyu spans budget prize lines (Noodle Stopper, Trio-Try-iT, BiCute Bunnies, TENITOL) and a premium scale brand, F:NEX.
- Prize figures are cheap in Japan but region-locked, so overseas collectors buy through Japan-shipping stores, proxies, or the secondary market.
FuRyu makes prize figures for many of the franchises Akibato stocks. If you collect these series, you can grab in-stock figures now instead of chasing a crane game:
- Shop Chainsaw Man figures and collectibles
- Shop Jujutsu Kaisen figures and collectibles
- Browse the full figures collection