Introduction
Thunderbolt Fantasy is a Japanese-Taiwanese glove puppetry action show created by Gen Urobuchi under Nitroplus and filmed by Pili International Multimedia. The series follows the adventures of two unsuspecting wanderers, jaded swordsman Shang Bu Huan (Syou Fu Kan) and the sly and mysterious Lin Xue Ya (Lin Setsu A), who become roped into a series of battles against demonic forces and dark wizardry after a chance encounter with a young woman named Dan Fei (Tan Hi). The series ran on and off between 2016 to 2024 for a total of 51 episodes and has spawned three films and a number of different manga and light novel adaptations and spin-offs.
As a Doll Franchise
Because the puppets are constantly doing freaking crazy stunts, Pili’s in-house puppet workshop produces numerous back-ups in the likely event of damage or destruction. Along with the back-ups, the studio also sets aside a small pool of extras to be sold and given to fans. Because these are exact replicas of the puppets used for the show, they are large and highly intricate in detail, resulting in a very high price range. Orders must be placed at least a year in advance. Good Smile Company, who is also part of the production committee for the franchise, handles distribution for all puppets and merchandise outside Taiwan. To date, 22 different puppets have been released to the public.
Along with the main puppet replicas, Pili also produces a line of smaller dolls on the side called Joint-Puppet which combines traditional glove puppet construction with BJD elements. The line is not limited to Thunderbolt Fantasy but has produced 12 (variants included) dolls total for the franchise.
NOTE: This series is released officially in English speaking territories under the Japanese dub which uses direct Japanese readings of character names rather than the original Chinese names. The official subtitles on the other hand do use the Chinese names. Because of this, promotional materials and merchandise released in the west often use a mix between both languages’ character names. While this section defaults to the Chinese names, for the sake of convenience, the Japanese names will also be mentioned whenever possible, and tags for both names will be provided for user posts.
Dolls
Each puppet includes a base stand, a character ID card, and a booklet that contains care instructions for the dolls. Up until Wave 4, complete packages also included weapon accessories, special carrying cases, and maitenance kits (comprised of a brush, comb, and spray bottle). Dolls typically stand around 1,200 mm (3′ 11″) in height.
Wave 1
The first wave of dolls, representing the first season of the show, were released exclusively through sales lotteries that were limited to potential customers based in Japan, Taiwan, and China. Applications could be filled during December 2016 and winning customers were notified the same month. Along with all specified extras and accessories, these releases also included cards that were specially autographed by Gen Urobuchi and Pili chairmen, Huang Qianghua and Huang Wen-Chang, and personalized autographed tags from Huang Qianghua. A total of 70 puppets combined were sold in this wave. They were formally mailed out in Fall 2017.
Wave 2
The second wave of dolls, representing the second season of the show and the film, Thunderbolt Fantasy: Bewitching Melody of the West, marked the start of the line’s shift to made to order direct sales rather than using a lottery system. This was also the first wave to come with fabric posters alongside all previous extras. Preorders were open between late August to October 2020. The wave was stated to come out in December 2021, but officially came out in January 2022.
Wave 3
The third wave, which represented the third season as well as the Bewitching Melody of the West film, opened up preorders between September to November 2021. They were scheduled to come out in December 2022 but were delayed to March 2023.
Wave 4
The fourth and most recent wave of dolls, which represent the third and fourth seasons of the show as well as the Bewitching Melody of the West and Thunderbolt Fantasy: The Final Chapter films, was divided into three different batches across 2025. This wave featured the largest release pool yet including reissues of 7 different puppets.
The first batch opened preorders between late February to late May, though select dolls were available for preorders early in January directly through Pili’s online store. This batch included 8 new dolls and reissues of Lin Xue Ya (Lin Setsu A), Lang Wu Yao (Rou Fu You), and Mu Tian Ming (Mutsu Ten Mei). They are scheduled to come out May 2027.
The second batch comprised of reissues for both Shang Bu Huan (Syou Fun Kan) and Sha Wu Sheng (Setsu Mu Sho). Preorders opened between late July to late August. These two releases are stated to come with QR codes for an exclusive bonus video. They are set to release in September 2027.
The final batch included one new doll and reissues for Bailian (Byakuren) and Wan Jun Po (Ban Gun Ha). Preorders opened mid-September and closed late November. They are scheduled to release October 2027.
Reissues will not be listed below.
Joint-Puppet
The Joint-Puppet line reinterprets characters into a smaller chibi style. Dolls are typically 32 cm (12.6”) in height. They are sold exclusively through Pili’s online store.
Images
Official imagery
Images posted here are official promotional/stock images created for Thunderbolt Fantasy! Images posted here are official promotional/stock images created for Thunderbolt Fantasy!
User submitted content
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Official videos
Videos shown here are advertisements, company-created reviews and reviews by toy reviewing associations.The following were informational videos created to promote the original Wave 1 sales lotteries.
these are absolutely gorgeous and the puppetry in the opening is incredible. i have to check the series some time
Yesssss, I was hoping to get at least one person interested in this series by putting this out here. Mission accomplished. >:)