Ultra-Act Ultraman Belial Gallery

Ultraman Geed may be shining his light into the dark corners of the Ultra universe now, but 8 years ago his father reared his ugly head for the very first time. Ultraman Belial is easily one of the greatest evils that has ever assaulted the Land of Light, and surprisingly he's only had two collector oriented figures released since his creation. Today we're looking at the very first one with a throwback gallery of Ultra-Act Ultraman Belial!

Packaging
Belial being one of the earliest Ultra-Act releases came in the same old style black box the line was known for during the first two years. I actually like these boxes but the later era of box design started around the time of Ultraman 2.0/Renewal was much nicer. As is you'll notice these boxes are a bit bigger than standard Tamashii products like Figuarts. That's because of how much taller Ultra-Act were than their modern figuarts counterparts. The box is kind of rough on mine but I've also owned it since release and it's been through a couple of moves too.

Main Figure
This figure is of course based on Belial's most commonly seen form, Reionics. A form he adopted after his fusion with Alien Rayblood. This is the most iconic look for the character despite him at one time having an earlier more traditional ultra look that was known as Early Style. Don't get confused though, there's also the Kaiser Belial form which received it's own Ultra-Act release. The primary difference there being his cape, his new red claws, and the scar inflicted upon him by Ultraman Zero. With that out of the way, onward!

Now what you might not know about this figure is that it was the 2nd release in the entire Ultra-Act toyline, immediately following the original Ultraman. A figure which was plagued with poor QC and plenty of physical inaccuracies that would be rectified later with the Renewal/2.0 release. Belial has held up much better over time though and hasn't ever received a renewal. Belial was a unique mold released 7 years ago now. It was only re-used once for the Kaiser Belial version of the character. For something that wasn't ever used again after these two figures, it's a mold with extensive detailing, and some truly great articulation given the era of design. From the ground up Belial has some really intricate etchings that give his suit a worn and aged look. Which is appropriate considering how long he was imprisoned before his first real appearance. My favorite part of his detailing is actually how the various red striping on his body is actually molded in rather than painted on. Just something about it makes this figure feel more alive to me.

Now functionally is Belial perfect? No. But given the time of it's release it's still quite good. As with plenty of older Ultra-Acts Belial's joints have weakend and in some cases tightened over time. His hip joints are a great example. They've become very inflexible with age meaning they pop off the ball joint more often than they should. Their range is a bit limited thanks the cuff around the front of them impacting the waist too. On the flip side his ankle joints have become quite weak making some poses a little difficult to maintain. The torso and waist are actually really well thought it out, certinaly in the way each part has clearance to move against the others. Now ocassionally based on how you contort the upper and lower torso in conjunction with one another you will see some gaps between the parts that can ruin the way he looks. But if they hadn't given you so much room to work with to pose this figure, he wouldn't be able to do a lot. And thanks to the excellent way Belial's neck and head are designed you can take full advantage them in tandem with the torso to get him in some truly savage bestial positions. He just looks pure evil with the gaping mouth and contorted body.

The biggest drawback I've noticed with age on Belial would be his shoulders. They have become ridiculously tight over the years. They often get stuck in place and you have to rotate them the opposite direction to unlock them. Despite this they have a great free range of motion to work with, as do the elbows and wrists. Frankly Belial has a better upper body design than many modern releases do. It's surprising.

This really is still just a stunning figure to me after all these years. Belial is still one of my favorite villains and when you throw the included accessories in with this figure, he just brings so much presence to your shelf. He pairs very well with another red & black evil Ultra who predates him as well, Dark Zagi.

Accessories

2 - claw hands. These wonderful alternatives to his standard open fists add a another new level of evil to a great design. They're hinged in a way that allows you to spread the fingers just a bit more, and arch them back somewhat. He can't hold anything with them as they can't close, but they look so good and evil I don't care!

1 - set of Giga Battle Nizer parts. Split into 4 parts you can make both size variations of the Giga Battle Nizer by swapping out the rod that forms the handle section. This weapon is by far one of the biggest ways Belial stands out from his fellow Ultra's. It looks powerful, and weighs just enough to sometime keep his arms from posing properly. It's great to have a big showy barbaric weapon with a character as evil as this.

1 - set of Giga Battle Nizer effect parts. This includes 3 optional parts. One piece is half translucent yellow plastic and replaces either end of the Battle Nizer to simulate charging it up. The second component is the Belial Shot but can also double as a spear like addition to the end of the Battle Nizer. The final piece is a Belial Deathscythe effect. By far the best of the 3 effect parts, it fits quite snugly over the end of the Battle Nizer and helps sell this figure in more traditional action shots.

Final thoughts
Even for it's age this figure still holds up fantastically. Belial is one of the best villains the Ultra franchise has come up with in years (IMO), and his longevity is proof of that. I mean his actual son is Ultraman Geed. It's just incredible to see this characters' influence continue nearly 8 years on from his first film appearance in Mega Monster Battle. While the Ultra-Act toyline is dead and Bandai is still making the transition to S.H. Figuarts, there's still no telling when Belial might make the leap. His son Geed was recently teased to receive a figuart, and another modern hero, Orb is getting several. As popular as the Ultraman Zero franchise and it's villain have been, it's only a matter of time before Ultra-Act Ultraman Belial is replaced by a figuart. But for now, if you see this guy on the cheap, you should definitely pick him up.

Part 2
- Giga Battle Nizer configurations

He is beautiful. I really hope he gets a Figuart soon because I don't even want to think about what the aftermarket prices are like on this.

Thanks for another fantastic gallery!

Unfortunately tracking one down won't be the easiest thing. The last one that sold on Mandarake was actually 12,000 yen. I got mine for a steal years ago, but demand has only increased over time. Kaiser Belial is similarly expensive. I'd like them to take another crack at Belial, but I'd hate to see him diminished as a Figuart. He's so imposing that being shorter would make him seem less impressive. Still he could really benefit from some modern engineering too.

Awesome figure, I like Belial's design a lot and this figure does a great job capturing what's so great about it.

I can't wait for the Figuarts version myself since Ultra-Act was before my collecting days but this figure will always be a winner.

Thank you for the great gallery Den-O!

Easily the best ultra man suit imo

Terrific design despite the odd stilted neck. The jaw being able to move is nice

Were I an Ultraman enthusiast, I'd probably be salivating over this. It looks superb as an "evil version of." As it is, it's just a really cool gallery. I really ought to pick up some of those Ultra building sets for use with my Sentai Super Robot Chogokin and minipla.

I'll wait for a figuart release of him

It'll be interesting to see how both upcoming Figuarts versions will compare.