Best Action Figures: WWE, Anime, and Star Wars
Action figure lines almost always split into real tiers, not just different characters in the same box. Here's how WWE, anime, and Star Wars figures actually break down, with real picks at every level.
By the USA Toy Deals Team · Updated October 2026 · 18 min read · How we choose
Who it's forFor a parent or collector picking between action figure tiers across WWE, anime, and Star Wars, not just picking a favorite character.
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Quick answer: the tier matters more than the character. Pick a Main Event or Elite WWE figure for a kid who plays, and a premium line like Ultimate Edition or S.H.Figuarts for someone who displays. Check the tier on the listing before you buy, since the same character comes in several.
Across WWE, anime, and Star Wars, the tier matters more than the character. The same wrestler, hero, or Jedi is often available at a budget, mid-tier, and premium collector level, and picking the wrong one usually means either overpaying for detail a younger kid won't appreciate, or under-buying for a collector who wanted more posability and accuracy.
The picks below are organized by franchise, WWE, anime, and Star Wars, each broken down by real tier. If you're shopping for a serious collector specifically, the collector-grade section further down explains what actually separates a premium figure from a kids' toy with a higher price tag, across all 3 franchises.
Looking for Marvel figures or Sonny Angel blind boxes specifically? Those have their own dedicated guides, linked below.
In this guide
Best WWE Action Figures
Mattel's WWE figures aren't one product line with different wrestlers, they're 3 genuinely different tiers: Main Event (basic, budget), Elite (mid-tier, swappable hands), and Ultimate Edition (premium, swappable heads and hands, the most articulation). Articulation points and interchangeable parts are what you're paying for at each tier, not the wrestler.
What to check before buying a WWE figure
- Main Event Series: 14 points of articulation, the budget entry tier.
- Elite Collection: 25 points of articulation, swappable hands, mid-tier price.
- Ultimate Edition: 30+ points of articulation, swappable heads and hands, the premium tier.
- Same wrestler, different tier: many superstars are available across all 3 tiers, so the tier matters more than the name on the box.
Best Budget Tier
The basic tier, 14 points of articulation, as the entry tier of the 3. A good starting figure or stocking-stuffer rather than a display piece.
WWE Main Event Hollywood Hulk Hogan (Ages 6+) (opens Amazon in a new tab)
Main Event Series, 14 points of articulation, the entry-level WWE figure tier.
Best Mid-Tier WWE Figure
25 points of articulation and swappable hands, with real ring gear accessories. The middle option: more posable and detailed than Main Event, cheaper than Ultimate Edition.
WWE Elite Roman Reigns (opens Amazon in a new tab)
Elite Collection, 25 points of articulation, interchangeable hands and accessories.
Best Premium WWE Tier
30+ points of articulation with interchangeable heads and hands, the top of Mattel's WWE line. Priced for a collector who wants the most detailed, posable version available, not a first WWE figure.
WWE Ultimate Edition The Rock (Ages 8+) (opens Amazon in a new tab)
Ultimate Edition, 30+ points of articulation, interchangeable heads and hands.
Best WWE Roleplay Pick
A wearable, adjustable leather-look belt over 3 feet long. Not a figure at all, the pick for a kid who wants to act out the matches themselves, not just pose figures on a shelf.
WWE Championship Title Belt (Ages 6+) (opens Amazon in a new tab)
Wearable, adjustable championship belt, over 3 feet long, built for roleplay.
Best WWE Playset
A 13-by-20-inch playset with a launching crane, ladder, briefcase, and over 40 sounds and phrases, built around a specific real WWE match format.
WWE Money in the Bank Playset (Ages 6+) (opens Amazon in a new tab)
13x20-inch Money in the Bank playset with launching crane, ladder, and 40+ sounds and phrases.
| Product | Tier/Type | Articulation | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Event Hollywood Hulk Hogan | Basic figure | 14 points | Budget entry point |
| Elite Collection John Cena | Mid-tier figure | 25 points | Balance of detail and price |
| Ultimate Edition The Rock | Premium figure | 30+ points | Collectors |
| Championship Title Belt | Roleplay accessory | N/A | Acting out matches |
| Money in the Bank Playset | Playset | N/A | Reenacting a real match format |
Best Anime Action Figures
The character matters less to price than the line it comes from. A Funko Pop, a Bandai Anime Heroes figure, and a Bandai S.H.Figuarts figure of the same character can differ by a lot in both price and articulation. The picks below span One Piece, Dragon Ball, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Naruto, all from established figure makers (Bandai, including its Tamashii Nations and Anime Heroes lines, Bandai Namco, and Funko) with real distribution deals for these franchises, not unlicensed knockoffs.
What to check before buying an anime figure
- Funko Pop and similar vinyl figures: display-first, minimal articulation, the most entry-level option.
- Mid-tier articulated lines (Anime Heroes, Ultimate Legends): real posability at a moderate price.
- Premium collector lines (S.H.Figuarts): the most detailed sculpting and joint engineering, priced accordingly.
- Scale consistency: figures from different lines are rarely built to the same scale, so mixing lines on a shelf can look inconsistent.
Best Budget Anime Pick
A vinyl display figure as the most entry-level pick in this guide. The pick for a casual fan who wants a shelf piece, not something to actually pose or play with.
Funko Pop Satoru Gojo (Ages 8+) (opens Amazon in a new tab)
Funko Pop vinyl display figure, the most entry-level pick in this guide, not built for posing.
Best Anime Value Pick
A 5-inch articulated figure from Bandai Namco's budget-friendly line, real posability without the premium collector price.
Ultimate Legends Kakashi Hatake (Ages 4+) (opens Amazon in a new tab)
5-inch articulated figure from a budget-friendly Bandai Namco line.
Best Mid-Tier Anime Pick
A 6.5-inch, well-articulated figure from Bandai's Anime Heroes line, solid posability at a more accessible price than premium collector lines.
Anime Heroes Luffy Gear 5 (Ages 4+) (opens Amazon in a new tab)
6.5-inch mid-tier figure from Bandai's Anime Heroes line, solid articulation.
Best Premium Anime Pick
The highest-detail, most-articulated tier of mainstream anime figures, from Bandai's S.H.Figuarts line. Priced and built for a serious collector.
S.H.Figuarts Son Goku (Kind-Hearted Saiyan) (opens Amazon in a new tab)
Premium collector-grade Goku from Bandai's S.H.Figuarts line, top-tier detail and articulation.
| Figure | Franchise | Tier | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funko Pop Satoru Gojo | Jujutsu Kaisen | Budget | Vinyl display |
| Ultimate Legends Kakashi | Naruto | Budget/Value | Articulated |
| Anime Heroes Luffy Gear 5 | One Piece | Mid-tier | Articulated |
| S.H.Figuarts Goku | Dragon Ball Z | Premium | Collector-grade articulated |
Best Star Wars Action Figures
Hasbro splits its Star Wars figures clearly by audience: Epic Hero Series at 4-inch scale for kids just starting out, Titan Series at 12 inches for younger hands that need bigger, simpler figures, and the premium Black Series at 6 inches with movie-accurate detail for collectors. The right pick depends far more on who's playing with it than which character they want.
What to check before buying a Star Wars figure
- Epic Hero Series: 4-inch scale, simple articulation, built for ages 4 and up.
- Titan Series: 12-inch large scale, easier for smaller hands to grip and see detail on.
- The Black Series: 6-inch premium collector line, movie-accurate sculpting, not built for rough kid play.
- Multi-figure sets: often the best per-figure value, especially themed around a specific show.
Best Star Wars Figure for Young Kids
A 4-inch scale 2-pack with accessories, built specifically for ages 4 and up. Simpler articulation than the collector-grade Black Series, sized and priced as a real first Star Wars figure set.
Star Wars Epic Hero Vader & Stormtrooper (Ages 4+) (opens Amazon in a new tab)
4-inch scale 2-pack with accessories, built for ages 4 and up.
Best Large-Scale Star Wars Figure
A 12-inch figure, easier for smaller hands to grip and easier to see detail on than the standard 4-inch scale, at a mid-range price.
Star Wars Titan Series Darth Vader (Ages 4+) (opens Amazon in a new tab)
12-inch large-scale figure, easier grip and visible detail for younger hands.
Best Star Wars Figure for Collectors
The premium, collector-grade tier of Star Wars figures, with movie-accurate sculpting well beyond the kid-focused lines. Priced and built for display, not rough daily play.
Star Wars Black Series Chewbacca (Ages 4+) (opens Amazon in a new tab)
Premium Black Series figure, movie-accurate detail, built for display and collecting.
Best Star Wars Value Set
A 6-figure, 2.5-inch scale set with 8 accessories, built around The Mandalorian rather than a single character. The best per-figure value in this guide.
Star Wars Mission Fleet Mandalorian Set (Ages 4+) (opens Amazon in a new tab)
6-figure Mandalorian-themed set with 8 accessories, best per-figure value.
| Figure | Scale | Best Age | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epic Hero Vader & Stormtrooper | 4 inches | 4+ | Entry |
| Titan Series Darth Vader | 12 inches | 4+ | Large-scale |
| Black Series Chewbacca | 6 inches | Adult collectors | Premium |
| Mission Fleet Mandalorian Set | 2.5 inches | 4+ | Value multi-pack |
What Makes a Figure Genuinely Collector-Grade
"Collectible" isn't marketing language attached to any figure with a higher price. Real collector-grade lines, like Star Wars' Black Series, Bandai's S.H.Figuarts, and Mattel's WWE Ultimate Edition (all featured above), use more articulation points, interchangeable parts, and movie- or show-accurate sculpting that standard kids' figures don't. None of them are rare vintage pieces or investment plays; they're new, current-production figures from the premium tier of major, active toy lines.
What separates collector-grade from a kids' figure
- Significantly more articulation points than the standard kids' version of the same character.
- Interchangeable heads, hands, or effects pieces, not a single fixed pose.
- Screen- or comic-accurate sculpting and paint detail, reviewed against the source material rather than a simplified toy interpretation.
- Packaging and presentation built for display and collecting, not for being torn open by a kid on Christmas morning.
Buying for a Collector as a Gift
A few habits reduce the risk of buying the wrong figure for someone else's collection.
Tips for gifting a collectible figure
- Check whether they collect a specific line (Black Series, S.H.Figuarts, Ultimate Edition) versus a specific character across any line.
- Avoid duplicates: ask or check visible shelves before buying a character they may already own.
- Mint, unopened packaging matters to many collectors, don't open it "to check" before gifting.
- When in doubt, a gift card to a hobby or collectibles retailer beats guessing wrong on a specific figure.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between WWE Main Event, Elite, and Ultimate Edition figures?
They're 3 real tiers from Mattel: Main Event has 14 points of articulation as the entry tier, Elite has 25 points with swappable hands as the mid tier, and Ultimate Edition has 30+ points with swappable heads and hands as the premium tier.
Which WWE figure tier should I buy for a kid?
Main Event or Elite for most kids: durable enough for regular play, without the premium price of Ultimate Edition figures, which are built more for careful display and collecting.
What's the difference between Funko Pop and a regular anime action figure?
Funko Pop figures are vinyl display pieces with minimal articulation, built to look good on a shelf. A regular anime action figure, especially from a mid-tier or premium line, has real joints built for posing.
Can I mix figures from different lines on the same shelf?
You can, but scale often won't match exactly between lines like S.H.Figuarts, Anime Heroes, and Funko Pop, so a mixed display can look inconsistent in size even among figures from the same franchise. The same applies across WWE, anime, and Star Wars: each franchise's premium and budget lines use their own scale.
What age is the Star Wars Black Series built for?
The Black Series is a collector-focused, premium line with movie-accurate detail, generally better suited to teens and adults who want display pieces rather than rough daily play by a young kid.
What's a good first Star Wars figure for a young kid?
The Epic Hero Series, built at 4-inch scale specifically for ages 4 and up, with simpler articulation that holds up to regular play better than premium collector figures.
Are multi-figure sets a better value than single figures?
Usually yes, per figure, especially themed sets like the Mission Fleet Mandalorian pack, though single premium figures like Black Series pieces are priced for detail and collectibility, not per-unit value.
What makes an action figure "collector-grade" versus just expensive?
More articulation points, interchangeable parts like extra heads or hands, and screen- or comic-accurate detail that a standard kids' figure skips. Price alone doesn't make a figure collector-grade, across any franchise.
How do I know which premium line a collector already follows?
Look for consistency: if their existing figures are mostly one line, like Black Series or S.H.Figuarts, matching that line is a safer gift than picking a random premium figure from a different one.
Are these premium figures meant to be played with?
They can be, but they're built and priced for careful handling and display rather than the daily rough play a kids' figure is designed to survive.