Tsume Statues: The Collector's Guide to HQS, IKIGAI, Dioramax and Neon

Tsume make anime statues that look like the most dramatic panel of the manga escaped and set up home on your shelf. Explosions in translucent resin, characters mid-attack, bases that tell half the story. They're the brand a lot of Dragon Ball and Naruto collectors save up for.

They also make something much easier on the wallet: Neon, a line of lit-up PVC figures in their own display boxes, at a price that won't make you hide the bank statement. Here's what HQS, IKIGAI, Dioramax and Neon actually mean, and how to choose between them.

HQS Dioramax: GokuIKIGAI: Marco the PhoenixNeon: Natsu

Who are Tsume?

You'll often see Tsume described as French. Close, but no. Tsume is based in Luxembourg, where it was set up in 2010 in the suburbs of Luxembourg City. The founder and CEO, Cyril Marchiol, is from just over the border in Thionville, France, which is probably where the confusion comes from. Tsume works under a "Design made in Luxembourg" banner and has opened its own shops in Paris and Barcelona.

The company's first statue was Gaara's Shukaku hand from Naruto, released in 2011. Since then it's become one of the best-known European makers of premium anime statues, with official licences including Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, One Piece, My Hero Academia, Fairy Tail, Bleach, Saint Seiya and Harry Potter. Tsume's own description of its approach is a hybrid: digital sculpting and 3D printing combined with traditional sculpting and hand painting.

The ranges, explained in plain English

• HQS (High Quality Statue): the flagship. Hand-painted resin statues, usually between 1/8 and 1/4 scale, sold in numbered limited editions with a certificate of authenticity. HQS+ and Ultra HQS extend it with more elaborate and non-standard concepts.
• HQS Dioramax: the HQS line at its most theatrical, built around exceptional staging. Our Dragon Ball Z Trunks' Time Machine HQS Dioramax 1/6 is the example here: it combines resin, PVC, metal and LEDs, measures around 63cm wide, 73cm deep and 65cm tall, and costs £1,378.99 at the time of writing.
• IKIGAI: 1/6 scale resin statues of characters in dynamic poses on defined bases. Launched in 2021, they're positioned below HQS, generally costing less and taking less time to produce. Our Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort IKIGAI statues are 30 to 32cm and £453.99 each.
• Neon: the newest and most affordable way in. PVC figures at 1/9 scale, around 20 to 25cm tall, built into their own acrylic display boxes with LED-lit bases and backdrops. Ours are £54.99 to £57.99 at the time of writing.
• Other lines: Tsume also makes life-size My Ultimate Bust (MUB) pieces and other PVC ranges, as well as board games and clothing under separate brands.

Shown: Dragon Ball Z HQS Dioramax Figure 1/6 Trunks' Time Machine

HQS vs IKIGAI vs Dioramax vs Neon: which tier is which?

Think of Tsume as a ladder. Each rung up means more resin, more scenery, more money and more wall space.

Resin vs PVC: the material question

• Resin (HQS, Dioramax, IKIGAI) holds incredibly sharp detail and takes hand-painting beautifully. Tsume uses translucent resin for effects: Voldemort's IKIGAI statue has his killing curse cast in see-through green. The downsides are weight and fragility. Resin is brittle, and big pieces arrive in sections you assemble yourself.
• PVC (Neon) is lighter, tougher and cheaper to produce in larger numbers. You lose a little crispness compared with a hand-finished resin statue, but you gain a figure you can handle without holding your breath.

Neon: the affordable door in

• Price: around £55 with us, which is a fraction of even the cheapest Tsume resin statue.
• Display: each figure lives in its own box, roughly 13 x 14 x 25cm, with an LED-lit base and themed backdrop. The boxes are designed to stack.
• Power: they run off USB-C, and you can chain up to eight together from a single power source. So a shelf of Neon figures is one plug, not a nest of cables.
• No assembly: unbox, plug in, done.
• Pairs: characters tend to arrive with a natural partner, like Naruto and Sasuke or Dandadan's Momo and Okarun. They're sold separately. Consider that your warning.

IKIGAI: the first proper statue

• 1/6 scale resin, a single character with a strong pose and a defined base.
• Limited editions: the Voldemort IKIGAI, for instance, is a limited edition of 2,000 pieces.
• The best fit if you want real Tsume resin on a normal shelf and a budget in the hundreds rather than the thousands.

HQS: the flagship

• Bigger, more complex, more scenery. Scales run from 1/8 up to 1/4, depending on the character and the scene.
• Numbered plaque and certificate of authenticity with every resin statue.

Shown: Dragon Ball Z HQS Figure 1/6 Gohan vs Buu 69 cm

HQS Dioramax: the full scene

• This is where Tsume stops making statues and starts building sets. Trunks' Time Machine includes a full environment, lighting and a story moment from the Android saga.
• Limited runs: retailers list Trunks' Time Machine as 1,600 pieces worldwide.
• Price and footprint to match. Measure the room, not just the shelf.

Neon: Momo (Dandadan)Neon: Okarun (Dandadan)

So which one should you buy?

If it's your first Tsume piece

• Start with Neon. Naruto and Sasuke (£54.99 to £57.99 each at the time of writing) are the obvious pick for most anime fans.
• It's a cheap, low-risk way to see whether you like the Tsume look before spending properly.

Neon: NarutoNeon: Sasuke

If you want a gift

• A Neon pair makes a better present than one figure: Dandadan's Momo and Okarun, or Fairy Tail's Erza and Natsu.
• For a retro anime fan, Grendizer's Actarus and Alcor, or Ulysses 31's Ulysse and Telemachus (including the Cosmic versions).

If you want your first resin statue

• The Harry Potter or Lord Voldemort IKIGAI 1/6 (£453.99 each). They're designed to face off against each other, so be honest with yourself about whether you'll stop at one.

IKIGAI: Harry PotterIKIGAI: Lord Voldemort

If you want the ultimate Dragon Ball piece

• The Trunks' Time Machine HQS Dioramax 1/6 (£1,378.99). It's a centrepiece in the literal sense: everything else in the room will be arranged around it.

If you want the bigger-is-better approach from a different angle, our Prime 1 Studio guide covers very large polystone statues and their Prisma Wing anime figures.

How ordering works with us

Some Tsume pieces are on the shelf, but most of the range is listed as pre-orders we bring in especially for you. You order from us, we order it in from our European distributor, and it ships to you when it lands.

New releases are genuine pre-orders with a release window, and resin statues can take a long time to arrive. Check each product page for its current availability and timing. Pre-ordering is how you secure a limited edition at its normal price rather than paying secondary-market prices once the run sells out.

Everything we can bring in for you is in pre-order on demand, and fresh announcements land in collectibles pre-orders.

The honest bit: what we'd swerve

Rushing the assembly. Tsume's own advice is to let resin pieces sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours before you put them together. Resin straight out of a cold van is more likely to crack. Assemble on a table, with space, slowly.

Sunny spots. UV fades paint over time, and the translucent resin Tsume loves for its effects can discolour. Keep statues out of direct sunlight and use LED lighting rather than anything hot.

Weak shelving. Resin is heavy, and a Dioramax is very heavy. Check what your shelf or cabinet can take, and keep heavy pieces low.

Dodgy listings. Popular anime statues get bootlegged. Genuine Tsume resin statues come with a numbered plaque and certificate of authenticity, and a "brand new" limited edition listed well under its normal price from an unknown seller should set off alarms. Buy from a reputable retailer.

Assuming Neon is a mini HQS. It isn't. It's a well-made, lit-up PVC figure at a sensible price. Judge it as that and you'll be very happy. Expect a hand-finished resin statue for £55 and you won't.

Throwing out the box. Keep the packaging and foam for resin statues. It's the only safe way to move them, and collectors care about it if you ever sell.

Shown: Naruto IKIGAI Figure 1/6 Sasuke Fourth Great Ninja War

The short version

• Tsume is a Luxembourg company (not French, though the founder is), set up in 2010, specialising in premium anime statues.
• HQS is the flagship resin line; HQS Dioramax is its most elaborate, full-scene end.
• IKIGAI is 1/6 resin at a lower price than HQS, and a good first statue.
• Neon is 1/9 PVC in LED-lit, stackable display boxes, at around £55: the affordable door in.
• Resin is detailed but heavy and brittle; let it warm up before assembly and keep it out of the sun.
• Genuine resin statues come numbered with a certificate. Buy from a reputable seller.

Browse the full range in our Tsume collection, or explore statues, Dragon Ball Z and One Piece.

Final thought: Neon gets you through the door for the price of a takeaway for two; HQS Dioramax costs more than some of the cars in our car park. Start at the bottom of the ladder and only climb as far as your shelves will take.

Further reading: see our Dragon Ball Funko Pop release dates, or read our Bandai Tamashii Nations guide for more anime figures.