What Is a Super Action Statue? Medicos' JoJo Figure Line Explained
What Is a Super Action Statue?
A Super Action Statue (SAS) is a poseable collectible figure made by Medicos Entertainment, a Tokyo-based toy company that has held the official JoJo's Bizarre Adventure figure license since 2009. Unlike a static resin statue, every Super Action Statue ships with swappable hands, alternate faces, and a figure stand so collectors can recreate a specific panel from Hirohiko Araki's manga. The line now spans all nine story Parts, from Phantom Blood through the ongoing The JOJOLands.
Every Super Action Statue box carries the same line, cited across years of releases: Supervised by Hirohiko Araki / Colors Chosen by Hirohiko Araki.
That is not marketing filler. Araki's studio signs off on the paint scheme for each figure before it goes into production, which is why colors on a Super Action Statue sometimes differ from the anime adaptation and match the original manga or a cover illustration instead.
If you are chasing a specific Stand or Joestar for a shelf, Akibato's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure collection ships figures and gashapon out of Japan, so you do not need a Japan-only storefront to track one down. We covered a different prize-figure maker's lineup in our Taito Coreful figure explainer if Super Action Statue's price point is more than you want to spend on a single character.
Inside the Box: Articulation, Chronos Gear, and Swappable Parts
A standard Super Action Statue stands roughly 15 to 17cm tall and is built from PVC, ABS, and nylon for the joints. What separates it from a display-only statue is the parts count. A typical box includes:
- A figure stand marked on the packaging as "Chronos Gear," usually with a posing arm that clips into the figure's back or waist
- Six or more interchangeable hands, often including a Stand-specific pose (Star Platinum's open "ORA" hand, Jolyne Cujoh's thread-form fingers)
- Two interchangeable faces or expressions per figure
- Stand effect parts on Stand figures, such as Gold Experience's extra floating hand accessories
The articulation is real, not decorative: reviewers consistently describe "good mobility" once the figure is posed on its stand, and the swappable faces are sized to snap on without visible seams.
From Star Platinum to The JOJOLands: Nine Story Parts, One Figure Line
Medicos released the first Super Action Statue, Star Platinum from Part 3: Stardust Crusaders, in 2009. The line has not skipped a Part since. Reissues of early figures still sell today — a 2026 "Third Color" rerun of Star Platinum lists at ¥7,300 — alongside brand-new sculpts for the newest manga arc.
| Part | Arc | Example Super Action Statue | Confirmed detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1–2 | Phantom Blood / Battle Tendency | Dio Brando, Joseph Joestar & Iggy | Currently in Medicos' active retail lineup |
| Part 3 | Stardust Crusaders | Star Platinum | First-ever SAS release, 2009; "Third Color" reissue ¥7,300 |
| Part 4 | Diamond Is Unbreakable | Crazy Diamond, Slow Dancer | Slow Dancer (Kira's Stand) shipped September 30, 2026 |
| Part 5 | Golden Wind | Gold Experience | Released March 5, 2012 at ¥3,800 — the earliest price point we could confirm |
| Part 6 | Stone Ocean | Jolyne Cujoh Third | Released June 27, 2025 at ¥8,000 |
| Part 7 | Steel Ball Run | Johnny Joestar | Also sold in a Crystal Limited Edition with inset stones |
| Part 8 | JoJolion | Josuke Higashikata, Tooru | Villain figures continue to be added years after the manga's 2021 end |
| Part 9 | The JOJOLands | Jodio Joestar | 2025 release sold as a Shueisha online-store exclusive |
Standard, Second, Third... and BIG: How Medicos Names Its Variants
Medicos does not use a single catalog number the way a model kit maker does. Instead, a popular character is simply re-released under a new suffix once the previous run sells out, and the suffix tells you what changed.
| Variant label | What it means | Typical size |
|---|---|---|
| Standard / Second / Third / Fourth | A straight reissue or resculpt of the same character, usually with revised hands or a new face | ~15–17cm |
| Ver. CLEAR & GOLD | Translucent gold-tinted parts, sold through a Wonder Festival advance lottery rather than open retail | ~15–17cm |
| Crystal Limited Edition | Cut crystal accents set into the base or costume | ~15–17cm |
| Super Action Statue BIG | A separate sub-line, introduced in 2018, that rescales an existing sculpt upward | ~24–25cm |
The practical effect for collectors: two figures that look identical in a thumbnail can be a $90 standard release and a $330 limited run, and the only difference may be a suffix word in the listing title.
What These Figures Cost, and How Much Prices Have Moved Since 2012
Current Medicos retail pricing in the US runs from about $85 for a standard figure such as Joseph Joestar & Iggy up to roughly $178 for a newer, more complex sculpt like Slow Dancer. In Japan, the gap is visible across time as well as across figures: Gold Experience launched in March 2012 at ¥3,800, while Jolyne Cujoh Third launched in June 2025 at ¥8,000 — more than double, after accounting for the extra parts and finish quality added over 13 years.
Wonder Festival exclusives and Shueisha-store-only releases, like the Part 9 Jodio Joestar figure, sell through an advance lottery rather than ordinary retail. Once that allocation is gone, the only way to get one is the aftermarket, which is where identical-looking figures can carry very different price tags.
Super Action Statue vs. figma and S.H.Figuarts: What's Actually Different
All three lines are articulated, so poseability alone does not separate them. The real difference is sign-off: Super Action Statue is the only major JoJo figure line where every color scheme is personally approved by Hirohiko Araki rather than a studio art department working from anime key frames. That is also why a Super Action Statue sometimes reproduces a manga-only color choice that never appeared on screen.
The second difference is accessory philosophy. A Super Action Statue leans on swappable hands and faces to change the pose and expression, while keeping the body sculpt fixed. Figures built around full Stand displays, by contrast, typically sell the Stand as a separate companion piece rather than bundling floating effect parts into one box.
FAQ: Super Action Statue Figures
Is Super Action Statue made by Bandai?
No. Super Action Statue is produced by Medicos Entertainment, a company with no ownership link to Bandai, Good Smile Company, or Bandai Spirits. Medicos holds a separate licensing agreement directly with Shueisha and Hirohiko Araki's studio for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure figures.
Does every JoJo character get a Super Action Statue?
Not automatically. Protagonists, their Stands, and major villains from each Part are the most consistent recipients, and popular characters are reissued multiple times (hence "Second," "Third"). Minor side characters are covered far less often, and the gaps show up as the one- or two-figure entries in the Part 1–2 and Part 7 rows above.
Can you buy Super Action Statue figures outside Japan?
Yes, through Japan-based retailers and forwarders, and through stores like Akibato that ship JoJo figures internationally. Wonder Festival and Shueisha-store exclusives are the exception, since those allocations are sold through a Japan-only lottery before any figure reaches general retail.
Building a JoJo Shelf
The fastest way to avoid an expensive mistake is to read the full listing title before buying: "Second," "CLEAR & GOLD," and "BIG" all point at the same base sculpt but very different prices and availability. If Jotaro, Jolyne, or Giorno are the figures you are chasing, Akibato's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure collection is a reasonable place to start checking what is currently in stock. Collectors who also chase diorama-style prizes may want our breakdown of the Revible Moment ichiban kuji line, which uses a completely different scene-based format from Medicos' character statues.
Sources
- JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia — Super Action Statue
- Medicos Entertainment — Official Company Site
- HobbyLink Japan — Super Action Statue Star Platinum Third Color
- HobbyLink Japan — Super Action Statue Jolyne Cujoh Third
- HobbyLink Japan — Super Action Statue Gold Experience
- Gundam Planet — Super Action Statue collection