The Jiraiya Figure from the Great Ninja Figure War Contest Bursts Onto the Stage! Find Out Sculptor Shintaro Egashira's "Figure-Sculpting Way"!

A new interview with one of the five sculptors who entered BANPRESTO FIGURE COLOSSEUM's Great Ninja Figure War!

The Great Ninja Figure War was a fierce battle between figure sculptors in honor of the Naruto TV anime's 20th anniversary!
Five skilled competitors each chose a character to portray, and roughly 20,000 votes from all over the world crowned the victor.

This time, we'll be interviewing sculptor Shintaro Egashira, who placed second in the contest!

—What led to you becoming a sculptor?

Shintaro Egashira (hereafter, Shintaro): It all started when I entered an event with a few of my friends during my college days.
As an aside, I personally am very moved by the fact that Shuzo—who helped me get people together for that event—participated in this contest as well.
I've loved toys ever since I was a kid. I used to collect tons of bottle cap figures and such.
As I wondered what I should do with my sculpting major after graduating, I decided on becoming a figure sculptor since I've always been passionate about them.

—Can you tell us why you chose Jiraiya?

Shintaro: People know Jiraiya by his nickname "Pervy Sage", but he is also an extremely skilled ninja who is a member of the Legendary Three. On top of that, he's like a father figure to Naruto as well as his teacher. With all that in mind, I can't help but admire his presence and disposition, and can't help thinking "I want to be like that when I'm his age!" However from a more serious sculpting perspective, I thought I could play around with the space more when considering factors like his hair, haori, and scroll.

—While sculpting, did you take Kishimoto's art style into consideration?

Shintaro: After assessing Kishimoto's art, it seemed to me that he tried to keep things as simple as possible. So instead of adding more to the figure, I subtracted.
The way Kishimoto is able to bring out a character's personality on the page is also amazing, so I was conscious of incorporating that same idea in my design.
It would be really cool if my sculpture of Jiraiya reminds people of the anime and makes the music from the show start playing in their heads.

—What parts of your figure would you like people to pay special attention to?

Shintaro: This goes for all my designs, but I try to take into account things like the pose, figuring out how much detailing is needed, textures, the silhouette, what's being expressed by the arms and legs, as well as the shadows created when light hits it, all in order to create something that looks cool from any angle.

Shintaro: For this figure, I made it so that the facial expression would change depending on which side you're looking at it from.
Stern from one perspective, smiling from the other—I hoped this would recreate the complexity of Jiraiya's character.

Shintaro: I also rolled up actual paper for the scroll and used it for the prototype. I thought the only thing that could show the details convincingly enough was real paper.

—What stands out to you about the Naruto series and its characters?

Shintaro: The characters and how the story unfolds are undoubtedly captivating, but I think what really draws me in is how each character is portrayed in a way that makes people reflect on what it means to be human, and what it means to live.

—On the other hand, was there anything about the sculpting process this time that was particularly difficult?

Shintaro: I had trouble creating a simplistic design.
The more I added to it the more details got in the way of replicating Kishimoto's style, but it was hard to decide what to take out and what to keep. I used the most brain power on figuring out the perfect balance.

—If a second Great Ninja Figure War was held and you entered again, which character and scene would you like to create?

Shintaro: There are so many characters and scenes I would like to bring to life but if I had to choose, I think either Gaara in all his ruthless glory from the Chunin Exam, or the scene where Kimimaro draws a bone out of his shoulder.

Shintaro: Or maybe something like the resurrected Madara from the Great Ninja War. I want to try reproducing that feeling of overwhelming power with a figure.

More figures from BANPRESTO FIGURE COLOSSEUM's Great Ninja Figure War are on their way! Up next is Tsunade, so stay tuned!

■Check out the interview with the sculptor of the Naruto figure!
Naruto Figure Claims Special Award in the Great Ninja Figure War Contest! Sculptor Shuzo Araki Shares His Perspective!

■BANPRESTO FIGURE COLOSSEUM's Great Ninja Figure War Product Page
NARUTO BANPRESTO FIGURE COLOSSEUM UZUMAKI NARUTO | Product Info | BANPRESTO Navi Site
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN BANPRESTO FIGURE COLOSSEUM JIRAIYA | Product Info | BANPRESTO Navi Site
NARUTO BANPRESTO FIGURE COLOSSEUM TSUNADE | Product Info | BANPRESTO Navi Site
NARUTO BANPRESTO FIGURE COLOSSEUM ROCK LEE | Product Info | BANPRESTO Navi Site
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN BANPRESTO FIGURE COLOSSEUM HATAKE KAKASHI | Product Info | BANPRESTO Navi Site

■Naruto Series Product List
Naruto Series | Series Info | BANPRESTO Navi Site