Hello! It's 2018. I've been extremely busy, but I felt inspired to update the old blog due to developments in the world of Monster Hunter. Monster Hunter World, that is.
I've alluded to it in this blog a few times, but I was addicted to Monster Hunter for two or three years, around 2008 to 2010. I put about 450 combined hours into Monster Hunter Freedom 2 and its expansion, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. I played many of those hours with David, my regular hunting partner (whose Monster Hunter F2/FU time is probably over 2,000 hours), and my obsession waned when he moved to another part of the country. Also, David and I were unwilling to make the jump to Nintendo systems when the third and fourth generations of Monster Hunter came and went.
I've alluded to it in this blog a few times, but I was addicted to Monster Hunter for two or three years, around 2008 to 2010. I put about 450 combined hours into Monster Hunter Freedom 2 and its expansion, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. I played many of those hours with David, my regular hunting partner (whose Monster Hunter F2/FU time is probably over 2,000 hours), and my obsession waned when he moved to another part of the country. Also, David and I were unwilling to make the jump to Nintendo systems when the third and fourth generations of Monster Hunter came and went.
But Monster Hunter World changes everything. An HD Monster Hunter game on PC and PS4, with big, meaningful changes to the MonHun formula. Fewer canned animations! Living map ecology! No loading transitions between zones! Better single player! Multiple forms of multiplayer! MH World solves many of my qualms about Monster Hunter while looking prettier than ever, and David and I are both interested in giving it another try. I'm excited. I even bought the 3DS title Monster Hunter Generations and sunk about 20 hours into it to whet my apetite. Monster Hunter World comes out in about a week.
So naturally I decided to blog a little about it. Today's blog post will be all about the monsters in Monster Hunter. I'll lay down a few of my favorite monsters I've hunted over the years. You know how much I love writing lists. One important note, though: I'll be covering all four existing generations of Monster Hunter games in this article, but the huge majority of my expertise is in Monster Hunter's second generation. If it seems I gloss over underwater hunts or newer monsters in this piece, it's because I haven't played those games. I include a few newer monsters from my MH Generations experience, but most of these monsters are from the first decade of the 2000s.
Before I start listing monsters, I'll go over a few basic Monster Hunter terms for monster types. Not all of these are represented in the lists below, but I want to be able to throw these terms around without confusing readers. Monster Hunter veterans can skip ahead to the real list.
Herbivores - just like the real world, Monster Hunter herbivores are any plant-eating animals. They can be mammals (usually deerlike or mooselike) or reptiles (usually medium-sized, slow dinosaurs), but in general are non-threatening unless attacked, in which case they're annoying but never really dangerous. They can provide edible meat but not many good materials for weapons or armor.
Bird Wyverns - bird wyverns are bipedal wyverns that have birdlike bone structure and (sometimes) bird faces, but may or may not have wings. Raptors like Velociprey or Jaggi count as bird wyverns, as do large beaked wyverns like Yian Kut-Ku and Gypceros.
Herbivores - just like the real world, Monster Hunter herbivores are any plant-eating animals. They can be mammals (usually deerlike or mooselike) or reptiles (usually medium-sized, slow dinosaurs), but in general are non-threatening unless attacked, in which case they're annoying but never really dangerous. They can provide edible meat but not many good materials for weapons or armor.
Bird Wyverns - bird wyverns are bipedal wyverns that have birdlike bone structure and (sometimes) bird faces, but may or may not have wings. Raptors like Velociprey or Jaggi count as bird wyverns, as do large beaked wyverns like Yian Kut-Ku and Gypceros.
Flying Wyverns - flying wyverns are reptilian monsters that are bipeds or quadrupeds, but their forelegs are some form of wings. Some flying wyverns have underdeveloped forewings and use them to leap or glide (like Tigrex and Nargacuga), but most of them are bipedal with wings capable of flight (like Rathalos and Seregios).
Brute Wyverns - brute wyverns are bipedal wyverns with no wings, and more muscle mass than other wyverns (since they don't need to be lightweight to fly). Most of them resemble theropod dinosaurs (like Deviljho).
Fanged Wyverns - fanged wyverns are quadrupedal wyverns with no wings or pseudo-wings at all, just normal forelegs. Fanged wyverns are reptilian, but their stance resembles a wolf or a big cat. The popular Zinogre was the first fanged wyvern in Monster Hunter.
Snake Wyverns - perhaps obviously, snake wyverns are large reptilian monsters with elongated bodies. Snake wyverns have four functional limbs, but their legs and claws are just for grip and support; they move more like serpents. Najarala is the OG Snake Wyvern in Monster Hunter.
Piscine Wyverns - piscine wyverns are similar to flying wyverns, but their forelegs are fins instead of wings. Typically, piscine wyverns are amphibious and divide their time between swimming like a fish and walking around on two legs (like Plesioth). Depending on the species, they may swim through water, ice floes, sand, or lava.
Leviathans - leviathans are marine reptiles that divide their time between land and sea. On land, they move around like a wide-bodied lizard or a seal. Leviathans were introduced in the third generation of Monster Hunter, and include Lagiacrus (shown above) and Mizutsune (shown below) as members. In a few third-generation games there is underwater combat (where leviathans truly shine), but underwater activity isn't present in Monster Hunter Generations or Monster Hunter World.
Amphibians - Monster Hunter amphibians are just like real-world amphibians, in that they're marine creatures who can retain water to temporarily live on land. Most Monster Hunter amphibians resemble large frogs (like Tetsucabra).
Fanged Beasts - fanged beasts are any large carnivorous mammals, and in older games were called "primatius" or "pelagus." They can come in many shapes and sizes, but either walk on four legs (like Bulldrome or Gammoth) or have forearms capable of acting like functional feet OR hands (like Blango, Conga, or Arzuros).
Carapaceons - massive crustaceans, including Hermitaurs and Ceanataurs.
Neopterons - massive insectoids, including Vespoids and Hornetaurs.
Temnocerans - massive arachnids. Nerscylla is the only temnoceran in Monster Hunter.
Elder Dragons - elder dragons come in many shapes and sizes, but in general have four or more legs and are capable of inflicting disaster-level damage to their surroundings. They typically don't have a natural habitat as a result. They range in scale from the unicorn-like Kirin (about the size of a horse) to the enormous Lao-Shan Lung and Jhen Mohran (each about the size of a battleship). Flying elder dragons always have four distinct limbs separate from their wings, unlike wyverns which are bipedal with wings. But enough about Monster Hunter taxonomy. Let's talk about some specific monsters, shall we?
Sollosi's Top Ten Favorite Monster Hunter Monsters
One of the goofiest-looking monsters in the series, the Kut-Ku is a bird wyvern that could be evolution's missing link between the modern chicken and the prehistoric tyrannosaurus rex. Yian Kut-Ku is also often the first large wyvern (i.e. a non-raptor) that a hunter faces. Your first Yian Kut-Ku is an important benchmark quest! I don't necessarily love the Kut-Ku's design or even much like hunting them (they're extremely easy to hammer in the face) but they are an important recurring Monster Hunter beast and I think key to the MonHun experience.
Honorable Mention
Nearly the opposite of a Kut-Ku, the Lao is an elder dragon so huge that missions to defeat it are basically attacking the lumbering dragon by hacking at its ballsack (actually a lump at the base of its stomach) as it attempts to smash down a fortress wall like a battering ram. Lao hunts are honestly a little boring and weird, requiring some coordination and ritual, but they yield powerful dragon-elemental equipment so I've done dozens over the years. And really, the visual impact of taking down a dragon larger than a building is incredible, and informed future similar hunts like the Jhen Mohran in later Monster Hunter games. I even blew up the image I found for Lao; really wanted to communicate this fucker's hugeness.
Honorable Mention
I have never hunted a Deviljho, as they're a third-generation monster and are only in high-ranked quests in Monster Hunter Generations. However, the amusingly nicknamed "Murder Pickle" is one of the most notorious monsters in series history, as it often shows up as a surprise encounter in unrelated quests and is one of the most aggressive bastards in the world of Monster Hunter. Being chased down by a raging Murder Pickle (and possibly killed in a single tackle) is a rite of passage mission in the third generation of Monster Hunter games, and as such Deviljho is considered a signature monster of the series. And the mean green machine is coming back for Monster Hunter World, so I may encounter him for the first time very soon!
Number Ten
I almost made the original boxart fire wyverns honorable mentions instead of including them in the proper top ten, but I stopped myself. The Rath pair deserve a spot over the giant enemy crab (Shen Gaoren) or the giant snow rabbit (Lagombi) or even the giant pink fart monkey (King Conga / Congalala), which all were almost here instead of Rathalos and Rathian. The Raths are male and female of the same species, with the red male Rathalos being more aggressive and more fireball-happy and the green female Rathian being bulkier and more inclined to attacking with poison spikes. Rathalos is also Monster Hunter's signature monster from the very first game, and is a pretty stylish classic wyvern design; Rathian is... green. I got no hate for the classic king and queen, but I don't feel they're as interesting to watch or fight as the other monsters on this list.
Number Nine
One of the most beautiful Monster Hunter targets to see in motion, Mizutsune is a water leviathan that is all shimmery bubbles and smooth movements. One of the four signature monsters of Generations, Mizutsune's shimmery scales and unique silhouette fit in beautifully in the Misty Peaks region around Yukumo, which has an autumn rain theme to it. Mizutsune isn't an overly aggressive monster, but it moves in a snakelike, flowing manner that is way more interesting than any piscine wyvern and most flying wyverns. I really like hunting Mizutsune and was working on a low-rank Mizu longsword when I was last playing Monster Hunter Generations.
Number Eight
In general I think Monster Hunter's dinosaur and wyvern designs are more interesting than their elder dragons, because they seem a little more rooted in Monster Hunter's setting and ecology and less in fantasy and calamity. I say "fantasy and calamity" because most elder dragons are described as wanderers or disruptors of natural order, which makes them seem more dangerous (which is dope) but also more out of place (less dope). But with all that said, Teostra is a really cool fire dragon. Instead of traditional fire breathing, Teo blows shimmering dust with its wings, and ignites the dust into explosive flames by snapping its teeth, like flint and steel. Super cool, and quite challenging to deal with! Not my favorite Elder Dragon to fight (that's probably Kushala Daora, shown at the top of this post), but an awesome monster design. And its materials are components to several top-tier fire weapons.
Number Seven
Seregios, a monster added in the series' fourth generation, feels like a Rathalos rival, with a similar silhouette and behaviors. I find Seregios more interesting and challenging, though, because its movements are a little less linear and more... birdlike (?) and the bleed damage on most of its attacks is a real motherfucker to deal with. I also like the gold color and razored texture of Seregios's scales, and the Seregios auto-sharpening weapons and armor are very useful and powerful. I was planning to make at least two Seregios pieces when I stopped playing Generations, even though I think I've hunted only one Seregios ever. If I was still playing MH Generations I'd be trying to farm this guy for that sweet sharpness on its equipment.
Number Six
The four signature monsters of MH Generations are the leviathan Mizutsune, the sword-tailed brute wyvern Glavenus, the electric flying wyvern Astalos, and the dope mastodon Gammoth. I don't know why it took so long for Monster Hunter to make an elephant-like fanged beast, but Gammoth is a cool design with unique movements and build who's also fun to fight. I love fanged beasts. There is so much variety to their looks and styles, even though roughly half of them are monkeys. Gammoth is one of the monster designs that drew me into picking up Monster Hunter Generations instead of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate or another 3DS game.
Number Five
One of the most straightforward-yet-frustrating hunts in the Monster Hunter difficulty curve, the Diablos is a classic Monster Hunter wyvern that roars, charges, spins, thrusts, burrows, and repeats. Playing matador against this horny jerk often represents the largest difficulty spike in the game before you start fighting elder dragons. And that's for almost every game in the series. Challenge aside, I also love Diablos as a design fusion between a Monster Hunter wyvern and a real-life triceratops, with the attitude of a charging bull. The "Massacre Demon" deviant version of Diablos in the Japan-only Monster Hunter XX is an even cooler take on the monster.
Number Four
Gore Magala is unique in that it's an "unclassified" monster the first time it's encountered in Monster Hunter 4, but after some additional details players realize that it's an adolescent elder dragon. Gore Magala has a nasty attitude and erratic movements, in part because it's in the process of shedding its shimmery black skin, and can also spread the frenzy status with attacks, like a virus. Sometimes the black scales hang off its wings and back, almost like a cloak. It's a really cool look and a unique style of monster, and has an interesting story tie-in too! One of the final boss-level encounters in Monster Hunter 4 is Shagaru Magala, a vivid multi-elemental golden adult version of the same dragon. Gore Magala has my vote for the coolest monster introduced after I stopped playing in the second generation.
Number Three
The cover creature of Monster Hunter Freedom 2 conveys its design influences right there in its name: half tiger, half tyrannosaurus rex. The tiger-striped predator with a dinosaur face's signature roaring charge (aka "Tigrex comin' for dat ass") is one of the most iconic attacks in all of Monster Hunter. Dealing with that move will teach you greatsword charge timing and improve your roll-dodging, or you will die trying. Tigrex is a little easier to deal with than Diablos, yields awesome equipment (immense sharpness and damage, reduced critical hit rate), and has a design that conveys savagery better than just about any other wyvern.
Number Two
Tigrex's jungle-dwelling cousin, Nargacuga's design is an unholy fusion between a flying wyvern, a quadruped dinosaur, a black jaguar, and the goddamn Batman. Nargacuga zig-zag attacks, evasion skills, and tail spikes are a really cool arsenal of moves, and when the black cat wyvern enrages, its eyes take on a badass red tint. Nargacuga equipment is almost the opposite of Tigrex equipment (keeps the massive sharpness, much lower damage, critical hit rate boost instead of penalty), but I definitely had an Evade+2 Narga set that I used all the time in my PSP Monster Hunter days. Working on a similar set was one of my first tasks once I unlocked Narga fights in MH Generations. I'm a little bummed that this guy isn't confirmed for Monster Hunter World yet; pray for DLC.
Number One
I'm not sure what Capcom's chief influence for Rajang's design was; my best guesses are either Japanese Oni, Greek Minotaur, Mountain Gorilla, or Street Fighter's Blanka. The horned demon-ape lunges and kicks like a Boss Blango (my preferred nickname for Blangonga, which is a terrible name for a cool monster), occasionally unleashes combination punches, and discharges electricity in both directed blasts and erratic shockwaves. When Rajang enrages and starts showing an aura crackling with electricity, sometimes the best solution is to flee and wait for it to calm down. Rajang is one of the most challenging monsters to fight in the series' second generation (I think it's by far the toughest non-elder-dragon), but is an awesome design and yields a bunch of cool equipment (high raw damage, good lightning damage, and usually bonuses to charge times and critical hits). My favorite monster in Monster Hunter history, and king of the fanged beasts.
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I apologize for the differing image quality of these pictures. They're from different games and aren't always rendered well. I mostly went for poses and representation over quality, which maybe wasn't the best choice? Whatever. I'm a little bummed that of the above 14 monsters, only five are confirmed for inclusion in Monster Hunter World: Rathalos, Rathian, Diablos, Teostra, and Deviljho.
And I find myself second-guessing my list mere minutes after writing it. Why did I include so many wyverns and only two fanged beasts? Why are three of my top four monsters quadruped cover monsters with similar silhouettes? I have regrets. However, I feel like this list reflects my tastes as well as the best of my Monster Hunter experience. If anything it makes me want to play more Monster Hunter Generations. But no! I'll hold out for World in just under a week's time.
So that's all for now. This is, incredibly, my 199th blog post. Big number 200 will be a Super Sentai Top Twenty, and it'll post in February. Until then, have a nice life.
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