Bandai recently shared a special tokusatsu short promoting its ridiculous new Shin Japan Heroes mecha toy, which combines Evangelion, Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman, and Shin Kamen Rider.
Fans of the renowned director Hideaki Anno are probably familiar with all four of these works.
After all, Anno is the main creative force behind the Shin Japan Heroes Universe collaboration project.
This project consists not only of his Rebuild of Evangelion films, but also his Shin films, which are a trilogy of remakes of Godzilla, Ultraman, and Kamen Rider.
Hideaki Anno’s Shin Japan Heroes Project
It’s fair to say that Neon Genesis Evangelion is the most popular work of Anno.
After all, ever since the release of the original EVA anime, the series has evolved into a full-blown franchise.
Back in 2021, the Rebuild of Evangelion remake movie series ended with the last installment. And while the film properly concludes the series, it’s likely that we’ll see more of EVA, at least when it comes to collaborations.
At this point, EVA is omnipresent in Japan as the series continues to get new merch as well as collaboration with mobile games, and even pachinko.
Aside from EVA, Anno has also been busy over the past years with his Shin Japan Heroes project which began with Shin Godzilla back in 2016 – a reboot of the iconic Japanese film series.
This was followed by Shin Ultraman in 2022, which was itself a reboot of the Ultraman tokusatsu series. Then in March, Shin Kamen Rider was released in Japan.
RELATED: What Is the Best Watch Order for Neon Genesis Evangelion?
Anno’s Shin Japan Heroes Gets a Ridiculous Crossover Mecha Toy
To celebrate Shin Japan Heroes as well as Shin Kamen Rider’s release in Japan, new merch for the project has been released.
Previously, a Uniqlo graphic tee collection was released, and now, there’s a new toy.
This new toy by Bandai is called the Shin Universe Robo, and it is a mecha toy that combines all four icons of Shin Japan Heroes.
To promote this new toy, Bandai released a special tokusatsu video that’s directed by Hiroshi Butsuda, a long-time Kamen Rider special effects staff. Check it out here:
While it looks ridiculous, this toy should be a must-have for fans of Anno’s body of work, as well as for tokusatsu and mecha fans in general.
The Shin Universe Robo will be released in Japan in January 2024. There’s no word yet on whether this toy will be released outside Japan.
Discover the latest anime news and info by following us on Twitter @epicstreamanime.
READ NEXT: Who Does Shinji End Up With in Neon Genesis Evangelion?
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!