Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami Marik Figure Review

If you have been keeping up-to-date with the Rice Digital Facebook and Twitter accounts, you will have noticed that Rice Digital seem to have a burning desire for anything Yu-Gi-Oh! related as of late, and believe me, I’m more than happy to throw more fuel on the fire! In preparation for some upcoming figma releases, I thought it would be a good idea to start off the reviews with one of my favourite figures: Yami Marik!

 

Get your decks ready, because it’s time to duel!

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami Marik Figure Review

 

Yami Marik is a second personality created by Marik Ishtar’s hatred and the magic of the Millennium Rod. He first appeared when Marik was a child, saving Marik from his abusive father by killing him. Yami Marik was later sealed away by Marik Ishtar’s brother, Odion, after the Yami tried to kill him too. He is the main antagonist in the Battle City Finals, and proved to be worthy villain through later murder attempts, the use of mind control, and the habit of sending numerous characters to the Shadow Realm. He was later defeated by Yami Yugi, sufficiently vanquishing the Yami and allowing Marik Ishtar to regain permanent control of his body.

 

Sculpt and Colour

 

Looking as sinister as ever, this Yami Marik figure from Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters was released in late December 2013 by Kotobukiya. Part of their Yu-Gi-Oh! Series, Yami Marik was the sixth character to receive a 1/7 sized sculpt. The sculptor is named Tsukuru Shirahige, a very skilled individual who also shaped other Kotobukiya figures such as the upcoming Ciel Phantomhive from Black Butler, four popular characters from Evangelion (including multiple Asuka Langley’s and Rei Ayanami’s), and many of the other Yu-Gi-Oh! characters.

 

Let’s begin our inspection by first taking a good look at Yami Marik’s face. The Eye of Anubis is centred in the middle of the villain’s forehead. Framed by the Yami’s long bangs and coloured a striking pale yellow, the feature draws the eye and highlights both his Egyptian heritage and magical potential. The Eye of Anubis is a common symbol in the Yu-Gi-Oh! series, and often appears on a character’s forehead when using the powers of the Shadow Realm, a dark, misfortunate place where fallen duel monsters roam. The feature is thus a symbol of power, which evokes a fearful and mysterious characteristic. It’s also worth pointing out that the eye is not simply painted on but actually protrudes from the forehead, giving it a much more dynamic 3D effect.

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami Marik Figure Review

 

The second feature you probably noticed is Yami Marik’s eyes. The heavy black kohl in a design reminiscent of something you might find on Cleopatra, screams ancient Egypt. Indeed as a Tomb Keeper, Yami Marik has followed the traditions of Ancient Egypt since childhood, and this painted detail is a strong indication of that. Slightly sharper than the design of the Eye of Horus and without any soft curves, the design again points to his devious nature, as though it were to completely cut through the more common Horus’s message of protection and good health.

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami Marik Figure Review

 

Another, slightly more distracting element on the eyes, is a single black line reaching out from each side of the pupil. I’m a little confused as to what these are. It’s possible that they’re smudges, but it’s a little odd to have them on both eyes if it was an error. The only other thing I can think of is that they’re veins, but again, to paint them with such a strong black line that mimics the kohl seems a tad odd. I doubt it is meant to be ancient Egyptian makeup, unless the creators are trying to say that Marik starts his day by applying the kohl directly to his eyeball… Either way, I would have preferred a nice plain white around the iris rather than black markings.

 

Yami Marik’s facial expression is set in an arrogant, self-assured smile. His brow furrows in fierce determination, as though he were staring down an opponent in a successful act of intimidation. His mouth slightly open in his cruel smile, it is as though Yami Marik is about to speak, as though he is about to throw out a casual threat or scolding insult. His expression captures the character of Yami Marik very well, and is an effective portrayal of this dangerous antagonist.

 

Yami Marik’s hair is perhaps one of his most renowned features. The sculpt for this glorious lion mane is highly impressive. Not a single spike is missed, not one point is squashed or bent the wrong way. They revolve around the entire scalp so nothing feels flat, and all the spikes are evenly spaced and sufficiently layered. Indentations of lines have been applied to each spike to mimic strands of hair, sufficiently copying Yami Marik’s hairstyle from the anime without the use of black lines, giving the sculpt a much more natural effect.

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami Marik Figure Review

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami Marik Figure Review

 

The hairstyle is reminiscent of the Yu-Gi-Oh! hero, Yami Yugi. With both characters connected to ancient Egypt, and with both characters having control of the Shadow Realm, a millennium item and the famous ancient God cards, Yami Marik could almost be considered a carbon copy of Yami Yugi. It was as though the creators wanted to show what Yami Yugi could have been if he had chosen a more deviant path. Yami Marik is one Yu-Gi-Oh! villain that truly stands out, although it says something about the hero when his hairstyle is even more flamboyant than a guy who wears large gold earrings.

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami Marik Figure Review

 

Those shippings didn’t just appear out of thin air, you know.

 

Resting on Yami Marik’s shoulders is a deep purple cloak-turned-cape, a remnant of Marik Ishtar’s time as leader of the Rare Hunters. By wearing it as a cape, Yami Marik creates a new identity for himself without completely separating himself from the identity of Marik Ishtar. As a creation of pure hatred, there’s no doubt as to who is in control of this body. In the anime, Yami Marik’s cape is often seen fluttering behind him. The cape is displayed in a dramatic wave, giving the Yami a sense of action and excitement without him even moving. The gold chain complements the deep colour of the cape, and stands out against the black of his sleeveless top. The colours of black and purple match that of the Shadow Realm, as though Yami Marik himself were part of the mysterious entity. The gold on the other hand gives him a flourish of royalty. Indeed with that full head of spikey blonde hair, whether you connote it with the King of the Jungle or an actual crown, it all points to the same thing.

 

His name is Yami Marik: King of the Shadow Realm.

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami Marik Figure Review

 

It’s certainly not difficult to see how the influence of a pharaoh came into the design of Yami Marik. Gold bands adorn his arms, the paint so full and glossy that it shines just like all expensive jewellery should. Further down the Yami wears a belted pair of pale trousers, in a very similar colour to his own hair. All the folds have been delicately moulded in all the right places, with the clothing’s colour being enough to compliment the character’s overall appearance without clashing with the tones in his hair. Likewise the belt is a nice break between the shirt and trousers, without either one of them turning into a simple block of paint.

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami Marik Figure Review

 

On his feet is a plain pair of black shoes as he stands on a base that impersonates the remains of Battle City. How he is positioned is very casual. Leaning to one side and jutting out his right hip, his form is carefree and relaxed. His hand gestures express his confidence, in an action that shouts ‘come at me!’. This, combined with his cruel smile, equates to one ultimate persona: total badass.

 

 

 

Alternative Parts and Bonus Items

 

Face – As well as the face with the arrogant smile, Yami Marik can also be equipped with a second face full of veins and a dangling tongue. Again, the veins protrude from the face, meaning there is no corner cutting and nothing is flat. This expression was commonly on Yami Marik’s face in the anime, and showed when the Yami felt at his most psychotic. This item is a great addition to the figure and is easy to put on and off. With the pupils restricted and deliberately wonky, the tongue lolling from his mouth, the face is a perfect picture of madness. The only thing I may have preferred from this face is a longer tongue… Yami Marik did enjoy using that particular appendage.

 

 

Millennium Rod – The figure comes with a mini detachable Millennium Rod. The item can be placed behind Yami Marik through a gap in his belt. The Rod is a perfect replica of the original Millennium item. It certainly helps to complete Yami Marik’s overall appearance, as all of his power comes from this ancient artefact. If you bought the bonus limited edition of this figure, you also receive a second Millennium Rod, this time in the form of a keychain.

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami Marik Figure Review

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami Marik Figure Review

 

Duel Disk – You have the choice of a bare arm or an arm dressed with the second edition duel disk. Four thousand life points appear on the disk, along with the majority of Yami Marik’s deck. All aspects of the disk are identical to the ones shown in the anime, meaning it stays true to the Yu-Gi-Oh! series. Hey, it’s not Yu-Gi-Oh! without a duel disk or two!

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami Marik Figure Review

 

Cards – Where there’s a duel disk, there’s cards! Yami Marik holds five cards in his left hand. What’s slightly disappointing is that the back of the cards don’t use the official Yu-Gi-Oh! design, instead using a pattern much more simplistic. The front of the cards are also blank, and are void of any monsters.

 

Yu-Gi-Oh! Yami Marik Figure Review

 

Packaging and Box Art

 

There is some attractive packaging with this figure. The colouring is a mixture of black, purple and gold, tones that accurately reflect the colours used on the figure. The front of the box displays a picture of Yami Marik from the anime in its bottom right corner. His name is written in kanji and katakana along the bottom, and beside that is the official logo of Kotobukiya. The rest is a large window that shows the figure in all its glory. On the left and back of the box is a window cleverly cut into the shape of the Millennium Rod, and on the right side is a beautiful picture of the full figure with three different close-ups. The product and all its independent items were packaged securely, making it extremely difficult for any damage to occur.

 

 

 

Binky Boy!

 

I’m thrilled to have this figure in my collection. Though it has some minor drawbacks, overall the sculpt is fantastic and accurately represents Yami Marik from the anime. Sadly the figure is currently out of stock, but as this was a limited edition, I wouldn’t be surprised if this item got a rerelease, especially as previous Yu-Gi-Oh! figures such as Yami Yugi and Seto Kaiba have already received rereleases. If you’re a Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters fan, this is definitely a figure you won’t want to miss!

Spread the love!

Related post

This will close in 0 seconds