S.H.Figuarts is the line that defined modern articulated collecting. It grew out of Bandai's tokusatsu roots in the late 2000s with a simple creed printed right into the name, Simple style and Heroic action, the idea that a figure should disappear into the pose and let the character act. The early waves were Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, the heroes its makers grew up imitating, and that affection for the source shows in every joint hidden to keep a silhouette clean.

From there it became Tamashii's universal language, pulling in Dragon Ball, anime leads, and Star Wars and Marvel for the West. For a lot of collectors it is the default answer to wanting a character they can actually pose, and the line people point to when they explain why articulation can be an art.