I’ve mentioned several times that Epic Seven is now my primary game. I’ve also said that one of the reasons I enjoy gacha games are the attractive character designs generally intrinsic to the genre, and that I am looking to collect more figures of gacha game heroes. Strangely, while there’s no lack of figures from games like Azur Lane, Girls’ Frontline, and Granblue Fantasy, there are virtually no figures of Epic Seven characters: this figure is the only one. It’s a strange state of affairs, and one that I hope is amended in the future, as I think it has excellent character designs, though in my opinion none are better than the dragon knight Luna.
Luna is a tortured woman with a wounded psyche, consumed both by the need to wreak vengeance on those who have betrayed her as well as an intense self-loathing inflamed by the actions she has taken during her quest for revenge. She serves Wintenburg, a snowy, northern nation long at war with the dragons that co-inhabit the region. An armistice leads to some of the dragons and half-dragons – in the game, dragons can shapeshift into a humanoid form – choosing to work with their former enemies. However, Luna discovers a terrible secret and forsakes her allegiance, ultimately killing the queen she served and fleeing.
I wouldn’t say she’s given a sympathetic portrayal in the game’s story, which is a little unfortunate as she is one of the faces of the franchise, and perhaps even is Epic Seven’s preeminent character. Her depiction in the game’s third episode is uneven and not particularly satisfying, but I suppose it’s good that she appeared at all. Similarly, her strength in the game is also debatable; she was one of the weakest characters in her class prior to being buffed just a few weeks ago. It’s unclear whether that buff makes her a high-tier character, though I don’t particularly care; I’m drafting her in real-time arena as much as I can regardless.
The provenance of this figure deserves discussion; Luna is designed and produced by the Cerberus Project, a sculpting circle that I most closely associate with the manufacturers Yamato and Flare. It’s the first and, to this date, only officially-produced scale-sized figure of an Epic Seven character. It’s unfortunate that there aren’t more figures of Epic Seven heroes, and what’s even more unfortunate is that this figure is not obtainable through retail; Smilegate produced only a very small number of figures and they only distribute them through giveaways. A small number have trickled into the secondary market, which is how I got this figure, and it’s really too bad that more Epic Seven fans and figure collectors don’t have the opportunity to bring Luna into their collections.
This figure is sculpted in what I would guess is 1/7 scale. She stands about 26.5 centimeters in height not counting her spear. She requires a small amount of assembly out of the box but it’s not too difficult to put her together.
The source of Luna’s popularity is obvious but we’ll talk about it anyway. She has one of the largest chests of any of the female characters in Epic Seven; some say Serila is bigger, I think it’s a close contest. The sculptor took some liberties with the shape of Luna’s breasts; they’re much more spherical than they are in Luna’s character art.
Luna’s outfit comprises a white leotard that ends just below her bustline. Midnight blue armor covers her chest and flanks. She also wears gauntlets and armored thigh-high boots, leaving her groin exposed. Epic Seven players tend to focus on the size of Luna’s chest – which is very impressive, to be sure – but I think the design of her outfit is more appealing to me than her endowment. The asymmetry of her outfit – with her right side featuring a pauldron and a hip guard – adds a supplemental touch of distinctiveness and interest to her look.
The reverse side of her leotard features a thong back, which definitely adds additional visual interest as well as posing a question as to how her outfit works with her tail. Regardless of the answer, she has a fine backside. Her boots are elaborately modeled, faceted and angled. They end in high heels trimmed in an elegant gold color, effectively contrasting with the blue and silver palette that dominates the rest of her ensemble.
Speaking of Luna’s tail, it is broad, sinuous, and not particularly reptilian in appearance. While it’s not covered in scales, it is protected by armor, though it’s not clear how that armor is being held in place.
Luna’s face doesn’t show much emotion; that’s basically in keeping with her depiction in the game, where her standard expression evinces just the slightest hint of an enigmatic smile. Her red eyes are striking and contrast with the cool tones of her clothing, skin, and hair.
Her spear is called Uberius’s Tooth, and it is remarkably detailed. The weapon is trimmed in a gold color with teal runes inscribed on the spearhead. Its sheer size enhances its impressiveness; the spearhead by self is about the same length as Luna’s arms.
I usually don’t talk much about figure packaging but Luna’s box is uniquely sublime. Rather than a typical paperboard box, Luna comes in a wooden box with a sliding front. An outline of her body is printed on the front along with her full name – Luna Bianca Gerardi, an interestingly Italian-sounding name.
These figures are hand-crafted, as this making-of video indicates, and so some allowances have to be made regarding assembly and paint application. However, I think the paintwork is very appealing. A metallic finish used on her armor, while her leotard has a semi-glossy look reminiscent of vinyl or leather.
Way back in the day – over a decade ago, in fact, and it’s a little disturbing to me that I’ve been doing this for that long – I wrote that Dizzy is my favorite fictional character. I actually began playing Epic Seven because of my fondness for her; in April 2019, several Guilty Gear characters – including Dizzy – were introduced as collaboration units. Unfortunately, I didn’t understand how the game’s summoning system works and I wasn’t able to get her. I have to admit I gave some serious thought to whaling but given that I wasn’t really that into the game at the time – most of my gaming time was given over to World of Warcraft and Azur Lane – I decided I didn’t want to take that step.
I began playing Epic Seven in earnest in March of 2020. This was due partly due to me being sent to work from home due to the onset of the COVID pandemic, but mainly due to the return of the Guilty Gear event (and also because Vivian’s banner went up that month). However, I think Dizzy has fallen a bit in my esteem since she’s not been featured in recent Guilty Gear games; she was relegated to a DLC unit in Xrd and as far as I know, she’s not even present in Strive. At the same time, I found that I liked Luna more and more, such that I’d now say that Luna has supplanted Dizzy as my number one favorite fictional character. As such, I’m thrilled to have this figure – in fact, of the five or six hundred figures I own in my collection, this is my favorite of all.
