Prize, Scale, Nendoroid or Statue? Anime Figure Types from Good Smile, Bandai Spirits and Kotobukiya

A prize figure is made to be won: Bandai Spirits says its Banpresto prizes are “exclusive to amusement facilities and can be won at crane games and other machines”. A scale figure is sculpted to a stated ratio, such as 1/7, which the maker gives in its specifications. Nendoroid and POP UP PARADE are Good Smile Company series, while ARTFX J and BISHOUJO are Kotobukiya lines, and each maker describes them in its own words.

These terms are easy to mix up, so here is what each one means, using only what the makers say on their official pages.

Anime figure types at a glance

This table sums up each type in the maker’s own terms, as of 21 October 2026.

Type	Maker	What the maker says	Official page
Prize figure	Bandai Spirits (Banpresto)	Prizes exclusive to amusement facilities, won at crane games and other machines	Bandai Spirits
Scale figure	Many makers	Sculpted to a stated scale, such as 1/7, shown in the specifications	Kotobukiya example
Nendoroid	Good Smile Company	Chibi-style figures “around 10cm in size” with swappable face plates and body parts	Good Smile Company
POP UP PARADE	Good Smile Company	A figure series with “a rich lineup and a variety of styles”	Good Smile Company
ARTFX J	Kotobukiya	A brand from Kotobukiya’s ARTFX line for characters from Japanese classics	Kotobukiya
BISHOUJO	Kotobukiya	Characters reimagined as “BISHOUJO” style statues	BISHOUJO series

Prize figures: Banpresto and Ichiban Kuji

On its Business Activities page, Bandai Spirits says its Banpresto Department plans and sells “prizes that are exclusive to amusement facilities and can be won at crane games and other machines”, under the Banpresto brand name. The same page adds that they are also sold at e-BANPRESTO, its online store, so “prize” describes what the line is made for, not the only place it turns up.

Ichiban Kuji is a different Bandai Spirits format. The company describes it (spelt “Ichibankuji” on its English page) as “a character lottery offered at convenience stores, bookstores, hobby shops, and other locations”. Bandai Spirits also mentions the Last One Prize, which goes to whoever draws the last lottery ticket at a store.

Not every Bandai Spirits figure is a prize: its collector figures sit under the Tamashii Nations brand, with lines including Chogokin, S.H.Figuarts and METAL BUILD, the same page says.

Scale figures: what the ratio on the box means

A scale figure is sculpted to a stated proportion of its character: a 1/7 scale figure is made at roughly one seventh of the character’s size. Characters differ in height, so two 1/7 figures will not always match.

Makers give the scale in the product specifications. Kotobukiya’s ARTFX J product page that we checked has a separate scale entry reading 1/7.

Nendoroid and POP UP PARADE work differently: Good Smile Company describes those lines by style, lineup or approximate size rather than by a ratio.

Nendoroid: Good Smile Company’s chibi figures

Good Smile Company’s What are Nendoroids? page describes them as “cute chibi-style figures around 10cm in size”, based on characters from anime, games and more, that “fit in the palm of your hand”.

Good Smile says face plates and body parts are swappable, “making it easy to create all kinds of poses and looks”. Its Nendoroid Doll page adds that Nendoroid Doll puts the same heads on a highly articulated, doll-like body that can be dressed in different outfits.

POP UP PARADE: Good Smile’s lineup of styles

Good Smile Company’s POP UP PARADE page calls it “a figure series offering a rich lineup and a variety of styles”, aimed at both seasoned collectors and people picking up their first figure.

Good Smile describes its lineups like this:

• Standard: “An easy-to-collect series.”
• L Size: “A series with the presence and impact of scale figures.”
• XL Size: “A series that is sure to impress you with its sheer size.”
• Special: detailed sculpting and paintwork beyond regular POP UP PARADE figures.
• Others: a pullback line, a sitting line and BEACH QUEENS, a reboot of WAVE’s swimsuit series.

The page shows sizes as silhouettes, not measurements, and notes that figures may differ depending on the original character, so check each product page for sizes.

Kotobukiya ARTFX J and BISHOUJO statues

Kotobukiya’s Japanese ARTFX J series page describes ARTFX J as a newer brand from Kotobukiya’s ARTFX line, made to give shape to classic characters born in Japan and bring them to fans around the world. Kotobukiya says its planners and sculptors, who followed those characters as fans, produce the line.

The BISHOUJO series, Kotobukiya says, “reimagines characters from popular comic books, games, and movies from a Japanese perspective and transforms them into unique ‘BISHOUJO’ style statues”, based on art by illustrator Shunya Yamashita. The first BISHOUJO statue came out in 2009.

Statue is Kotobukiya’s word for this series; for other figures, read the product description rather than assuming it means the same thing.

How to tell figure types apart

Start with the brand on the box: Banpresto and Ichiban Kuji are Bandai Spirits formats, Nendoroid and POP UP PARADE are Good Smile Company series, and ARTFX J and BISHOUJO are Kotobukiya lines. A stated ratio such as 1/7 marks a scale figure. For sizes and materials, the maker’s own product page is the place to confirm them.

Collect vinyl figures too? Our guide to Funko Pop! convention exclusives explains those stickers.

For fans in Singapore, Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2026 runs from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November 2026 at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hall 401-406, according to the official AFA site, which says its exhibition hall showcases the latest in Japanese pop culture. Floor plan details are still to come, so check the exhibition page for who is taking part.

FAQs