A mysterious figure from the East of Eternia was introduced in the Masters Of The Universe series. He came along during the early eighties and went by the name of Jitsu. He was designed as the karate master who is a mighty warrior. He is on the side of evil according to the creator and is brave enough to allow Skeletor to convince him to fight He Man. Mattel made an action figure out of him with many of the same features as Fisto.
Jitsu’s power comes from the fact that he has a huge cybernetic right fist. On the front of some packages he is seen hitting the battle shield of He Man with it. Since he is from the East part of Eternia, he is seen as a martial artist. His origins indicate he is also good with a samurai sword. He bears the title of “evil master of martial arts” and Skeletor is his boss. He has super high chopping abilities with his huge metal right hand. He is not popular in the television series but during an invasion of Castle Grayskull he shows his chopping skills. Not much comes of it. When Skeletor happens to convince Jitsu to fight He Man, he uses his chopping abilities to show He Man he can break a rock. He Man shows Jitsu that he can rip up and pick up the ground where Jitsu stands. Jitsu begins to seek out new enemies after that.
Jitsu and the other 1984 Masters Of The Universe action figures are 5 ½ inches tall. This was a departure from the standard 3 ¾ inch figures of the day. He came with one accessory, an orange sword. His oversized right hand is covered in a gold colored metal glove that matches the chest protector. This was the time that the “battle armor” MOTU figures were coming out and Jitsu has a good looking chest protector with red and gold stripes. He can do three different movements, a chopping move with his right arm, a twisting movement with the right wrist, and the “power punch” that most action figures of the day could do. The springs inside the toy allowed him to bring down his arm with power. The twisting waist movement was accomplished by using an elastic band inside the figure. The elastic band would grow weak with extended usage.
There were no different styles to the original Mattel Jitsu action figure. He came in a “12 back” bubble pack with depictions of the other Masters Of The Universe crew on the back. Other versions of Jitsu were released in later years. A horse figure was made for Jitsu, like it was for Fisto, his rival. The horse was named “Night Stalker”.
For the collectors, Jitsu is one of the easy action figures to find online. These toys were popular with the children and now they have become collectible. Those who find a “loose” unpackaged Mattel Jitsu will find that he ranges from one dollar in very used condition up to around $25 dollars if it comes with the sword. A Jitsu in an unopened package will range from $100 up to $200 dollars. The upper range will be for a toy that is AFA graded in an unpunched bubble package. The shield and the sword for Jitsu are sold separately as well for those who need the parts.
