I was not compelled to preorder this figure despite Ryoko being my original waifu. I don’t understand the FREEing bunny phenomenon too much. Are girls in Playboy bunny suits more attractive than normally dressed women? (Anyone remember that reverse bunny suit period for artists on social media?). At some point, however, this Ryoko figure jumped to the top of my radar and I had to have her. Some of the urge is related to the fact Tenchi Muyo merchandise is rare enough to find. The original shows emerged in the 1990s and didn’t inspire many collectibles. I found Ryoko at a reasonable price on Ninoma.com and clicked the “Place Order” button. I don’t regret the decision at all.

To me, Ryoko has always been “sexy,” but not in a way that focuses on her body. In Tenchi Muyo, she heavily showers Tenchi with affection, making advances on him while her rival, Ayeka, follows her own demure code of honor. Ryoko has a brusque voice (I love the English dub), few manners, and plays dirty to get what she wants. I always found those traits to be “sexy.” I also find her pretty, but without the attitude she might just blend into a larger sea of waifus. Or maybe not. That hair is still one-of-a-kind.

With this 1/4 scale figure, we get to see Ryoko in a voluptuous light she doesn’t often get in the franchise. One of the reasons I didn’t preorder her was because the pose seemed strange to me. What is she doing? Why is she kneeling? (These bunny figures often do that.). After a while, I realized I was overthinking it: Ryoko’s trying to be hot. In that sense, I appreciate the somewhat awkward posing. I can see her doing that to get Tenchi’s attention even though he’s too stupid to care. Fuck Tenchi.

The suit is standard fare, black leotard and shoes and stockings. I do love how tightly it fits around her torso, hips, and butt. (She’s actually slimmer than most waifus I’m interested in, but love is truly blind). The nicest part of this figure, I think, is how happy Ryoko is. She has those bright, yellow eyes, perky ears, and smile that brings me back to the first time I watched her on Toonami.

I recently rewatched the original OVAs and Tenchi Universe. It’s impossible to not be charmed by Ryoko Hakubi; Universe especially goes out of its way to make her the only love option for Tenchi. Ryoko definitely charmed me enough to get my $200. But, like I said, no regrets at all. I’m very happy to have this rare figure of an even rarer beauty.