Named after the popular 80’s band, Poison has always been a source of controversy since the character’s inception in Capcom’s arcade beat’em up Final Fight, released in 1989. Final Fight has been one of my favorite games since I first played it on the Super Nintendo (which Poison was actually removed from due to concerns about the reaction to “fighting women” in the English release). There’s nothing quite like kicking the crap out of Mad Gear gang members on the mean streets of Metro City.

The story goes that she was originally planned to be female, then changed to a “new-half”, but when that wasn’t good enough, she was swapped entirely with a male fighter. However, there is some confusion about the timeline of events and whether or not this is the original story. There’s also some dialogue in other games that allude to other possibilities. Capcom has decided to keep quiet in recent years and allow the great gender mystery to continue, ultimately leaving it up to fans to decide.

Regardless of all that, I’ve always been a fan of Poison’s design (I think it’s the pink hair, I’ve always liked the unnatural anime hair colors), and this figure from Kotobukiya’s Bishoujo line captures her essence perfectly. The figure is based off an illustration by Japanese artist and character designer Shunya Yamashita, is a 1/7th scale, and comes with the option to display her with the whip or handcuffs in her right hand.

Poison your mind and purchase her for your collection here!