Most Star Wars fans know that the original films were inspired, in part, by old samurai stories. The idea of a young boy becoming a warrior of peace is a common narrative thread throughout many Eastern myths — and it's not all that hard to find the parallels between Star Wars and stories of ancient warriors. Even Darth Vader's helmet is modeled off that of samurai. While it would be hard to say that Star Wars is a true samurai story, it's impossible to deny the influences.
Of course, fans have noticed these influences — there's no shortage of samurai-styled Star Wars fan art available on the Internet. However, there's never been much in the way of official samurai-meets-Star Wars merchandise. That said, with Episode VII hitting theaters this year and demand for Star Wars collectibles at an all-time high, it was only a matter of time before fans finally got an official take on samurai Star Wars.
Thanks to a partnership between Blue Fin and Tamashii Nations, the "Meisho Movie Realization Star Wars" line of action figures will make its way to the U.S. later this year. The series, featuring six highly detailed figurines, will rework some of the Empire's best troops into warriors of ancient Japan — and they look fantastic.
The first figure, "Ronin" Boba Fett, will hit U.S. store shelves this December. Fett will be followed by "Daisho" Darth Vader in January 2016, the "Teppou Ashigaru" Sandtrooper in March 2016 and the "Akazonae" Royal Guard in May 2016. Two figures are already available: the "Ashigaru" Stormtrooper and the "Taisho" Darth Vader can be ordered directly from Bluefin's official site.
Granted, the figures are a bit more expensive than usual – priced from $80 to $90 USD – but they're just so pretty!
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