Figure Name: Dissidia Final Fantasy Play Arts Kai Cloud, Squall and Gabranth
Figure Maker: Square Enix
Retail/List Price: US$49.99 each
Available at: Square Enix | HLJ

First and foremost we have the classic window boxes from Square Enix that I love. You can clearly see the condition of the figures you're about to open, and all of the parts are securely fastened inside their plastic home. There was absolutely no damage, and everything stayed put where it was supposed to.

As you an see, each of the figures came with two extra hands you can interchange, as well as their class weapon from the games. You'll see just how remarkably detailed they are as we continue!

One of the first things you might notice about the figures is, yes, they are free standing! There are no stands included with the figures, so you'll probably find it more difficult to do most of those cool poses they show on the back of the box. Once you get them balanced, they seem to stand up alright on their own though.

We'll start off with the swinger of the Buster Sword himself, Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII. He appears as he does in-game with this standard outfit we know him for. The details look incredible, and the sword is the perfect size, making you realize just how big that thing is in comparison to his actual body.

Of course there are several visible joints since they're poseable figures, but it doesn't distract from the beauty of the figures for me. The folds in the fabric look great, and all of the little details are there to help bring the character to life.

I especially like how Cloud's hair turned out in this figure, as well as how nice the texture on his shirt looks. It really brings out the way the fabric looked in the character design.

Next up we've got the baddy of the group, Gabranth from Final Fantasy XII! There's no way I can gush enough about how great this figure looks. The Judge's armor looks remarkable, with tons of little details. He's much heavier than the others, so he's a little harder to balance, but holy cow.. If he doesn't look freaking cool holding that dual-bladed sword, then I don't know what cool is.

Gabranth may look incredible from the front, but that's not where it stops. The details continue beautifully through his cape, and the back of his armor.

I really wish I could get out of fangirl mode, but I can't stop drooling over it, seriously. I am just enamored over the details in the armor, and how well the coloring makes certain areas stand out.

Moving on to something I'm a fangirl of for a whole other reason, it's Squall Leonheart from Final Fantasy VIII. There's just something about a black leather dressed guy with a scar on his face wielding a Gunblade. Once again, we see another figure that just hits it out of the park with the details.

The only thing I felt was maybe a little off were his legs and how they bow in a bit, but I find that it really depends on the angle you see it from. His pants are more a tight, straight leg than some of the other characters, so I think they did a good job trying to figure out how to make them look the way they're suppose to. They seem to fit well with his body style and design.

If there's one thing I'll never stop gushing about, it's Square Enix's ability to include so many details into their figures. Everything is there. We've got the keychain attached the the gunblade, his lion belt buckle, the necklace - I could go on and on. For as excited as I was about Squall's figure in particular, I'm so glad to see it's definitely worth the money.

Now, what good would figures from a fighting game be if you didn't make them fight? Right? Well, of course I just had to try out what kind of poses we could pull off.

Gabranth and Squall started it off with a block. I'll admit it's really hard to pose them against each other without someone falling over, so there's no special moves going on in this battle.

Cloud snuck up behind Gabranth to get in a quick slash for a distraction. As you can see, Gabranth's sword can be taken apart into two, so he was ready for him.

Cloud got them talked into stopping though, as it's just too hot for an outside battle. They called it a truce, cause he just couldn't lift his sword over his head in that heat anyway. Plus, you can only imagine how hot Gabranth was in that armor, or Squall in his leather pants.

You can tell I've had a lot of fun with these figures, and would definitely suggest you pick them up for yourself. Whether you're a fan of the original games they're from, or a fan of Dissidia Final Fantasy, these are well worth the money, and will look great on your shelf. Although they look to be sold out at the Square Enix Shop right now, keep checking back! If you can't wait, they're available now at HLJ. You can also check them out at San Diego Comic Con in Square Enix's booth (#3829) if you're there for the event or going this weekend. Whatever you choose to do, I can't imagine you'll ever regret it. I know it takes my breath away to see these guys standing on my figure shelf!

[Thanks to Square Enix for providing Tomopop with this review sample.]