Every year I think I'm going to jump in on the usual Top 10 figures of ____ trend that everyone takes part in, but end up never doing it because I don't feel like sorting through and figuring out exactly what I bought over the prior 365 days. But a little peer pressure never hurt anyone and when the rest of the AT crew were doing their figures of the year, I couldn't be the odd man out!
I had a figure who immediately jumped to mind because it's one that I was most excited for this year and really have no issues with, despite the fact that it was such a simple figure. But I sorted through my years worth of Instagram posts and stories to remind myself what all came out in 2025 to see if I could make a "sexier" pick and still couldn't make a choice that went against my gut reaction. My figure buying has come down SO MUCH the past few years and not really for bad reasons. I'm just generally happy with my collection as it stands and the things that I feel I need are dwindling lower and lower.
I got some amazing Marvel Legends this past year like ROM, Shuma Gorath, and Warbow, the former two of which were part of my Top 10 vote at various points, but honestly, those are all characters I hardly know much about and couldn't in good conscience claim them my favorite because of that. We got a sweet Juggernaut, who is a character I've loved since I was a kid, but while he's a definite improvement over the previous Juggernaut offerings, still has some issues that make me say that he couldn't be my top figure.
Black Series finally started dipping into Shadows of the Empire! Dash Rendar and Prince Xixor were two figures that I actually preordered and gladly paid full price for (which was something I took heavily into consideration for my choice). And while I'm immensely happy to have them both, Xixor's design does traffic cone him a bit and Dash's face sculpt kept him from nabbing what probably would've been his place at the top.
I probably mostly bought GI Joe Classified this year and while most of those figures were all perfectly good, none of them stood out to me as figure of the year candidates. Even my dream set of Cold Slither didn't really fall into the qualification since they're a set and none of the four necessarily stand out as the "best."
This is also a year where I completed a line up that had been the DREAM for me for years as Square Enix released the final three figures for the main cast of Final Fantasy VII in their Bring Arts line. A line that has its ups and downs and can be justifiably criticized for its price, having figures of the whole main team and Sephiroth feels amazing and something that brings me joy every time I see them on the shelf. But while Vincent, Cid, and Cait Sith are all perfectly fine figures, especially by Bring Arts standards, I can't say any of them stood out, and completing a team doesn't equal a single figure of the year.
Which brings me to what I ultimately chose. A single figure that brought me the most joy to receive in 2025. A figure that I was happy to not only jump on as fast as I could, but even pay over retail price for just to get it as early as possible. A figure that brings me ever so closer to completing an entire collection. And that would be Jakks Pacific's World of Nintendo Birdo.
Did I get figures with more paint, more articulation, more sculpted detail, and more accessories this year? Absolutely. But Birdo is a figure that I've championed for so long and who was done about as well as could be asked for a $10 retail figure, that I had to pick her. We all love completing "teams" within our collections, but it's rare that we feel like we can actually complete entire worlds. Where if the line died tomorrow, we could step back and be completely content with what we have. For my Mario collection, it's SO CLOSE. For what's felt like years, I have been asking for Birdo, Roy Koopa, and Morton Koopa, which for me, would complete what I consider to be the main Mario cast. Are there other characters I'd buy? Sure. But as someone who grew up in the NES, SNES, and N64 era, those few were all I still "needed". Marking one of them off the list was a massive sigh of relief and on top of it all, she was real well done. Perfectly sculpted and scaled for what she needed to be and enough articulation to get some distinct poses out of her. I've got her on a shelf that's right about eye level with me on purpose. Every time I walk by and see her up there with my dozens upon dozens of other video game figures, it brings me joy, which is all we can really ask of our little plastic men.
Now then, Jakks, where's Roy and Morton?
I had a figure who immediately jumped to mind because it's one that I was most excited for this year and really have no issues with, despite the fact that it was such a simple figure. But I sorted through my years worth of Instagram posts and stories to remind myself what all came out in 2025 to see if I could make a "sexier" pick and still couldn't make a choice that went against my gut reaction. My figure buying has come down SO MUCH the past few years and not really for bad reasons. I'm just generally happy with my collection as it stands and the things that I feel I need are dwindling lower and lower.
I got some amazing Marvel Legends this past year like ROM, Shuma Gorath, and Warbow, the former two of which were part of my Top 10 vote at various points, but honestly, those are all characters I hardly know much about and couldn't in good conscience claim them my favorite because of that. We got a sweet Juggernaut, who is a character I've loved since I was a kid, but while he's a definite improvement over the previous Juggernaut offerings, still has some issues that make me say that he couldn't be my top figure.
Black Series finally started dipping into Shadows of the Empire! Dash Rendar and Prince Xixor were two figures that I actually preordered and gladly paid full price for (which was something I took heavily into consideration for my choice). And while I'm immensely happy to have them both, Xixor's design does traffic cone him a bit and Dash's face sculpt kept him from nabbing what probably would've been his place at the top.
I probably mostly bought GI Joe Classified this year and while most of those figures were all perfectly good, none of them stood out to me as figure of the year candidates. Even my dream set of Cold Slither didn't really fall into the qualification since they're a set and none of the four necessarily stand out as the "best."
This is also a year where I completed a line up that had been the DREAM for me for years as Square Enix released the final three figures for the main cast of Final Fantasy VII in their Bring Arts line. A line that has its ups and downs and can be justifiably criticized for its price, having figures of the whole main team and Sephiroth feels amazing and something that brings me joy every time I see them on the shelf. But while Vincent, Cid, and Cait Sith are all perfectly fine figures, especially by Bring Arts standards, I can't say any of them stood out, and completing a team doesn't equal a single figure of the year.
Which brings me to what I ultimately chose. A single figure that brought me the most joy to receive in 2025. A figure that I was happy to not only jump on as fast as I could, but even pay over retail price for just to get it as early as possible. A figure that brings me ever so closer to completing an entire collection. And that would be Jakks Pacific's World of Nintendo Birdo.
Did I get figures with more paint, more articulation, more sculpted detail, and more accessories this year? Absolutely. But Birdo is a figure that I've championed for so long and who was done about as well as could be asked for a $10 retail figure, that I had to pick her. We all love completing "teams" within our collections, but it's rare that we feel like we can actually complete entire worlds. Where if the line died tomorrow, we could step back and be completely content with what we have. For my Mario collection, it's SO CLOSE. For what's felt like years, I have been asking for Birdo, Roy Koopa, and Morton Koopa, which for me, would complete what I consider to be the main Mario cast. Are there other characters I'd buy? Sure. But as someone who grew up in the NES, SNES, and N64 era, those few were all I still "needed". Marking one of them off the list was a massive sigh of relief and on top of it all, she was real well done. Perfectly sculpted and scaled for what she needed to be and enough articulation to get some distinct poses out of her. I've got her on a shelf that's right about eye level with me on purpose. Every time I walk by and see her up there with my dozens upon dozens of other video game figures, it brings me joy, which is all we can really ask of our little plastic men.
Now then, Jakks, where's Roy and Morton?
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