Art of War is still alive and they're putting out a model of the Dragon Slayer.
Key info
Quantity: 77 pieces
Price: 165,000 yen (tax excluded) | 181,500 yen (tax included)
Size: Approximately H33 × D22 × W50 cm
Reservations open on: April 28, 2026, 13:00 (Japan time)
Link: https://www.art-of-war.co.jp/SHOP/545.html
My take: The statue features Guts' hand, which makes me think it's based on the two-page spread at the beginning of episode 1 (in volume 5). It's a bit of an odd choice in my opinion. It doesn't look great in statue form, and because they use a broken pillar to hold it in place it doesn't convey the vibe of that illustration at all (where it's pointed at the sky).
The blade is also filthy and riddled with long, deep nicks. That evokes volume 17, when Guts brings it back to Godot after years of wandering as the Black Swordsman. However, even at that time the blade wasn't quite marked to that extent, it was more subtle. Last but not least, the blade is too narrow, the ratio between the blackish middle part and the edges is off. Given the scale and price (~1150 USD), I expect better. All of this to say it's a pass for me.
It's too bad because I think there's a real demand for middle-scale, high quality reproductions of the Dragon Slayer, but this is just too sloppy for me.
Key info
Quantity: 77 pieces
Price: 165,000 yen (tax excluded) | 181,500 yen (tax included)
Size: Approximately H33 × D22 × W50 cm
Reservations open on: April 28, 2026, 13:00 (Japan time)
Link: https://www.art-of-war.co.jp/SHOP/545.html
My take: The statue features Guts' hand, which makes me think it's based on the two-page spread at the beginning of episode 1 (in volume 5). It's a bit of an odd choice in my opinion. It doesn't look great in statue form, and because they use a broken pillar to hold it in place it doesn't convey the vibe of that illustration at all (where it's pointed at the sky).
The blade is also filthy and riddled with long, deep nicks. That evokes volume 17, when Guts brings it back to Godot after years of wandering as the Black Swordsman. However, even at that time the blade wasn't quite marked to that extent, it was more subtle. Last but not least, the blade is too narrow, the ratio between the blackish middle part and the edges is off. Given the scale and price (~1150 USD), I expect better. All of this to say it's a pass for me.
It's too bad because I think there's a real demand for middle-scale, high quality reproductions of the Dragon Slayer, but this is just too sloppy for me.