Mai Shiranui shines as Kotobukiya’s first King of Fighters Bishoujo

You were expecting anybody else?

Kotobukiya has released the first images of the first King of Fighters figurine to join its long-running Bishoujo line — As we have previously reported, fiery kunoichi Mai Shiranui will be the first in a series of figurines based on SNK’s legendary fighting game The King of Fighters ’98: The Slugfest.

As you can see from this first painted prototype, the beloved ninja gal is looking mighty fine, resplendent in her sculpted form. Like all of the figures in Kotobukiya’s Bishoujo line, Ms. Shiranui is a 1/7 scale figure and is expected to stand in the region of about seven to eight inches tall. As is always the case with this line, the figurine is based on original artwork drawn by the fantastic artist Shunya Yamashita.

It was always worth putting good money on the possibility that Mai would be first in the new sub-series — She’s easily one of SNK’s most popular characters ever, if not the most popular. Surprisingly, however, the second figure will not be Athena Asamiya, or Blue Mary, or even Chizuru Kagura. No, the second figure will be a feminized Terry Bogard, much like the character that appeared in SNK Tag Team Heroines. You can check out the preliminary artwork for our boy… umm… girl, right here.

Kotobukiya’s Bishoujo Mai Shiranui is expected to be available for pre-order soon, with the figurine launching in late-2022. If recent Bishoujo release trends are to be followed, then we can expect her to retail somewhere in the region of $100—120.