Vocaloid - Figures
The Vocaloid community is full of talented musicians, artists, and animators that have collectively produced hundreds upon thousands of songs and videos with Yamaha’s Vocaloid software. Most voicebanks included in the program each have their own avatar character, which are also used in these user-created music videos. As several of these songs became popular, companies sought out to create merchandise for the Vocaloid characters, resulting in a wide variety of official art, themed goods, apparel, and figures being made. Although Hatsune Miku is by far the most popular Vocaloid character, there are a number of others created for the program, including Kaito, Megurine Luka, the Kagamine twins Rin and Len, and more. Each character has had plenty of figures recreating their appearance throughout the years, but some of the most popular Vocaloid figures currently include the “Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Arcade Future Tone Hatsune Miku: Ribbon Girl Ver. Super Premium Figure”, the “Kaito Hanairogoromo 1/8 Scale Figure”, and the “Desktop Singer Hatsune Miku Series Box Set”.
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Arcade Future Tone Hatsune Miku: Ribbon Girl Ver. Super Premium Figure
This figure by Sega features Hatsune Miku in a special costume from Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Arcade Future Tone. The school uniform-style costume includes a blue skirt and a light pink jacket that is decorated with tiny bows of various colors. This Miku also wears pink shoes, white thigh-high socks, a dark, multi-colored tie with a blue “M” shaped clip, and a pair of headphones resting on her neck. Although Miku often wears her hair in twintails, this figure has her wearing a single ponytail that runs all the way down her back instead. The pose of this figure features Miku standing on one foot while she holds out a hand in a friendly wave. Her bright blue eyes and relaxed smile also help display Miku’s cheerful personality.
- Release Date: September 2020
- Manufacturer: Sega
- Specifications: Painted, non-articulated figure made with PVC plastic
- Approximate Height: 6.1 x 9.4 inches (156 x 240 mm)
Kaito Hanairogoromo 1/8 Scale Figure
Kaito is a popular male Vocaloid and this figure features him wearing more traditional Japanese-style clothing. His kimono is mainly blue and white to match his cobalt blue hair, though the ends of the sleeves are decorated with a white and blue checkered pattern. He also wears a light blue scarf and a dark blue hat. The interior of his kimono and part of his hat also have green accents to give a bit of contrast from all of the blue. In one hand, he holds a Japanese paper umbrella that is also colored blue while the other hand casually rests on his hips. The figure is posed as if Kaito were simply walking down a street and glancing at something off to the side. Kaito’s face also has a relaxed expression and a gentle smile. A stand for this figure is also included to help keep it from falling
- Release Date: May 2017
- Manufacturer: Stronger Co., Ltd.
- Sculptor: Ikurie Co., Ltd.
- Specifications: Painted, non-articulated 1/8 scale figure made with PVC and ABS plastics (with stand)
- Approximate Height: 7.9 inches (200 mm) without umbrella, 9.8 inches (250 mm) with umbrella
Desktop Singer Hatsune Miku Series Box Set
This set includes three separate figures of Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin, and Megurine Luka. Each figure comes with their own props, extras, and articulation to let you create a whole band of Vocaloids in unique poses. The three figures each wear a similar costume, but are each influenced by their original designs. For example, Miku’s costume has blue accents to match her hair, which is also put up in twintails. In a similar vein, Rin’s costume has yellow accents and a modified version of her classic white hair ribbon while Luka’s has pink accents. While props are designed for specific characters, they can be swapped between the three figures. Miku’s props include a white and blue megaphone and two round speakers that attach to her hips. Rin has a black, yellow, and blue handheld keyboard and blue and yellow speakers with bunny ears on them. Luka has two sets of speakers that each have a floral theme.
- Release Date: July 2020
- Manufacturer: Mega House
- Specifications: 3 painted, articulated figures made with PVC plastic (with extra parts and clear stands)
- Approximate Height: 3.1 inches (80 mm) each
About Vocaloids
Although “Vocaloid” refers to a voice synthesizer program created by Yamaha, the term is often used to describe songs created using the program and the characters designed for each major voicebank. The program itself allows users to create vocals without a human vocalist. Several musical artists have created hit songs that have gained millions of views on websites like Nico Nico Douga and YouTube. Although the Vocaloid program is simply a vocal synthesizer, avatars for each voicebank were created for the software, allowing fans to use the Vocaloid characters in their songs and music videos. The unique voices of characters like Hatsune Miku,Megurine Luka, Kaito, and Kagamine Rin have been loved by many fans in the Vocaloid community for years.
Links
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Arcade Future Tone Hatsune Miku: Ribbon Girl Ver. Super Premium Figure
Kaito Hanairogoromo 1/8 Scale Figure
Desktop Singer Hatsune Miku Series Box Set
Hatsune Miku Figures
Vocaloid Label
Hatsune Miku Label
Kaito Label
Meiko Label
Kagamine Len Label
Kagamine Rin Label
Megurine Luka Label