Monster Hunter Retrospective: Reviewing Every Monster

[Toxi]

Monster Hunter is awesome, so let's talk about some monsters.

You know, these things.​

For those unfamiliar, Monster Hunter is a series of action RPG-ish games developed and published by Capcom. You fight giant bosses, either alone or with friends, and use the boss loot to craft stronger weapons and armor. That bare-bones description doesn't do Monster Hunter justice though; the games are brimming with life and charm. Since day 1, one of the developers' main goals has been to craft an immersive world. And the most important part of that immersion is the monsters themselves.

Monster Hunter's bosses are a diverse and lively bunch. They don't just sit in an empty arena all day waiting for a challenger to kill them after they spout some dialogue. Monsters move around the map, hunt for food, anger when provoked, tire after exerting themselves, suffer visible battle damage, and when near death will limp back to their nests to sleep off their wounds. Each monster presents a new mechanical challenge to overcome with different attack patterns and powers, but these unique attributes are always grounded in the concept of the monsters as living animals.

Reading through excellent retrospectives by Birdie on Pokemon and Fj0823 on Yu-Gi-Oh inspired me to try the same with Monster Hunter. I'm been a huge fan of the series since I tried out 3 Ultimate on the 3DS, and the monsters have always been my favorite part. I hope my ramblings on these creatures promote some passionate discussion between long-time fans, and also maybe pique the interest of people who haven't played Monster Hunter before. With Monster Hunter Rise just around the corner, there's no better time to get started.

The plan is to review every monster in the mainline Monster Hunter games, focusing on visual design, fight mechanics, and personal appeal. I'm not as interested in the equipment crafted from each monster, but I will talk about cases where I feel it's particularly notable. I'll try to post a new monster every other day; I already have a decent backlog of reviews so I don't feel too pressured by that schedule. Feel free to give me feedback too. What I find fun to write might not be as enjoyable to read, and I haven't completely nailed down the style I'm going for.

I also want to thank the Monster Hunter community on ResetEra and elsewhere. I might love Monster Hunter, but there are far bigger fans than me and I'm just riding on their coattails. There are people who started on the PSP or even the PS2, people who bought a Japanese 3DS just to play games before localization, people who wrote guides to explain obtuse mechanics, people who constantly organized hunts with new players through discord and community threads. I really appreciate all you've done, and I wouldn't be a fan without you.

INDEX

First Generation Monsters

• Intro to the First Generation and Yian Kut-Ku (12/01/2020)
• Velocidrome/Gendrome/Iodrome/Giadrome (12/03/2020)
• Cephadrome and Cephalos (12/05/2020)
• Gypceros (12/07/2020)
• Khezu (12/09/2020)
• Basarios (12/11/2020)
• Plesioth (12/13/2020)
• Rathian (12/16/2020) (12/17/2020)
• Rathalos (12/19/2020)
• Gravios (12/21/2020) (12/22/2020)
• Diablos (12/24/2020)
• Monoblos (Yes, I will be doing this as a separate review from Diablos) (12/26/2020)
• Lao Shan Lung (12/28/2020)
• Kirin (12/30/2020)
• Fatalis (01/01/2021)
• Yian-Garuga (01/03/2021)

 

[Cantaim]

I am so down for this OP!

 

[Toxi]

The First Generation

Monster Hunter (2004 on PS2)

Monster Hunter G (2005 on PS2)

Monster Hunter Freedom (2005 on PSP)

Like Pokemon, Transformer, and many other long-running entertainment series, Monster Hunter is split into "generations". A new generation starts with a game that brings significant changes to the core formula, and then subsequent games in the generation evolve within that framework. The first generation started with the original Monster Hunter, the second generation started with Monster Hunter Dos, the third generation started with Monster Hunter Tri, the fourth generation started with Monster Hunter 4, and the current fifth generation started with Monster Hunter World. Each generation also includes a host of new monsters, and the way monsters are designed has evolved just as much as the series.

Given the mentions of Pokemon and Transformers, you might expect Monster Hunter fans to be nostalgic for the first generation of monsters, to constantly shower love on them, to request them in every game.

Unfortunately, the first generation of Monster Hunter was where the series was finding its legs in many ways. Budgets were limited and by extension so were monster models and animations. Almost all of the monsters in the first generation use the same basic skeleton: Two bird-like legs, two bird-like wings, a head held straight forward, and a long tail held upright. Animations were also reused: Nearly every monster had a charge attack, a spinning double tail whip, a mouth projectile fired straight ahead, and a sideways bite. On an aesthetic level, first generation monsters also don't stand out much. They tend towards dull colors like greys and browns, and even the brighter colors are muted.

Due to these limitations, many first generation monsters are not loved or even liked by fans. Most also haven't received significant updates in newer games, putting their old stiff animations right beside the more fluid and varied animations of modern monsters. Some first generation monsters also seem to be designed specifically to favor ranged weapons over melee weapons, making them very annoying for the majority of players who use melee weapons.

Despite all the problems the first generation has, I think it's important to review these creatures for a few reasons. First, the old janky monsters provide context for how far Monster Hunter's creature design has evolved in the last decade and a half. Second, the first gen monsters show the general direction Capcom wanted to pursue even with the limitations they had. And finally, there are some genuine gems among these beasts that have actually managed to stand the test of time.

Yian Kut-Ku

​

Premiered in: Monster Hunter (PS2, 2004)

Classification: Bird Wyvern

Kicking off this retrospective is an old fan favorite.

Yian Kut-Ku is a classic beginner monster, one of the first true "dragons" players had to slay in the original Monster Hunter and many other games. This wyvern might spit fire and fly, but it's no intimidating reptile. Kut-Ku squawks, waddles, and flails around with all the elegance of an ungainly chicken. The monster is so clumsy it will faceplant after a charge, so frantic it will just flail around its neck to shoot fireballs instead of bothering to aim them. Kut-Ku's appearance is just as comical as its behavior, with giant expressive ears, vacant googly eyes, and an oversized beak with a massive underbite. Even the pink color scheme feels like a parody of posterboy Rathalos's rich red. The one major complaint I have with Kut-Ku's design is everything below the head: The body, wings, legs, and tail are all bog-standard dragon and don't match the monster's comical personality. The tail especially looks too fierce with that spike on the end. As an overall package though, Kut-Ku is very charismatic.

Players who underestimate that silly face are in for a nasty surprise. Kut-Ku is the introduction to many of the typical conventions for monster AI and movesets. There's a double tail whip to cover the sides, fireballs to strike at range, and an instantaneous charge attack to punish hunters who dawdle in front of the monster's head. These different tools teach players to pay close attention to their position and strike the monster as it recovers from attacks rather than just constantly wailing on it. Kut-Ku also has visual cues that reward the player for paying attention to the monster, most notably how its ears will lower when close to death. Those large sensitive tears also encourage the use of high-pitched Sonic Bombs; observant hunters are rewarded with with a reward drop and a valuable lesson about using certain items to counter monsters. All these things combined make overcoming Yian Kut-Ku an important learning experience for players, to the point that it has gained the nickname "Yian Kut-Ku sensei".

A new game brings a new appetite.​

Most early monsters missed the third generation of Monster Hunter games and only returned in Monster Hunter 4. Yian Kut-Ku was no exception. As an old monster, Kut-Ku got a few updates; most notably, it can now get tired and must eat to replenish its stamina. Kut-Ku consumes hard-shelled rolling insects called Konchu, using its thick beak to dig out the bugs and swallowing them whole. Hilariously, at higher ranks Kut-Ku also bowls Konchu at hunters! Another interesting change is that at lower ranks, Kut-Ku begins its charge attack with a warning animation. The change makes Kut-Ku easier for beginners, but the animation disappears at higher ranks, like training wheels coming off a bicycle. Again, Kut-Ku remains the teacher.

How do I personally feel about Yian Kut-Ku? It wasn't my sensei in the game that got me into the series (Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate), but I still really like the little fella. Kut-Ku is a good teacher; when learning how to wield a hammer in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, I often practiced against Kut-Ku just because the instant charge taught me proper timing and positioning to hit the head without a counterattack. Kut-Ku also emphasizes that while Monster Hunter might be a game about hunting giant dangerous creatures, the monsters exhibit a wide array of personalities, and they're not always just badass or intimidating. I would like to see Yian Kut-Ku return in the future, hopefully with some updates to make its older animations more fluid and distinct.

Might as well also discuss the name. The English name is basically just a romanization of the Japanese name. Kut-ku might come from the word "cuckoo". Cuckoos are birds, just like Kut-Ku, and the word cuckoo also has associations with craziness and silliness, which perfectly fits Kut-Ku's ridiculous behavior. Monster Hunter has an odd history with names; Japanese names are traditionally written in Katakana and often have roots in English or other foreign languages, so the wordplay frequently translates well. Yet many monsters have had their names significantly altered with the English localization. I'm happy Kut-Ku was one of the Japanese names to mostly avoid this fate.

Blue Yian Kut-Ku

​

Premiered in: Monster Hunter G (PS2, 2005)

Yian Kut-Ku is also our introduction to a Monster Hunter tradition: The subspecies. Monster Hunter G introduced new recolors of existing monsters with modified abilities. Subspecies, rare species, variants, and deviants are color swaps of an existing monster with altered abilities or movesets. These reskins are an easy way for the devleopers to add more content, and some can change old fights in new and exciting ways.

Unfortunately, Blue Yian Kut-Ku is not one of them. It's Yian Kut-Ku… But blue. Blue Kut-Ku is apparently a bit more aggressive, but the difference is barely noticeable. It's also, bizarrely, smaller on average than its pink cousin. I also have to question the slight blue shade chosen for the subspecies, since it feels weird for a fire-breathing monster to be that pastel baby blue.

One interesting aspect of subspecies is the naming convention: In Japan, subspecies are always the monster name (In Katakana) followed by the kanji for subspecies. So Blue Yian Kut-Ku's Japanese name would be literally translated as "Yian Kut-Ku Subspecies". This is definitely something I'm glad the localizers changed.

Other games​

Yian Kut-Ku and Blue Yian Kut-Ku both show up as ridable "monsties" in the 3DS turn-based RPG Monster Hunter Stories. The two have slightly different level up movesets, but both are weak early game monsters that sadly fall behind as you progress. Luckily, stats don't matter when both versions of Kut-Ku have a Kinship Attack (think a Final Fantasy Limit Break) this amazing.

Yian Kut-Ku can't even catch a break when it's fighting by your side.​

In the mobile Capcom crossover card game Teppen, Yian Kut-Ku appears on a couple cards in the Green color faction. This isn't unusual, as most monsters have shown up in Teppen. What really surprised me about Kut-Ku is that one Kut-Ku card (Pictured below) was part of a Tier 1 meta-defining aggro deck. What a hilarious and yet oddly fitting end to this overview of the goofy bird.

In the land of gods and demons, the Kut-Ku reigns supreme.​

 

[Dremorak]

You can tell its a Monster Hunter thread because parts were cut off of it

Edit: too late for this joke lol
Looking forward to reading this thread, OP

 

[Redcrayon]

I'm in for this thread, nice work OP!

 

[KujoJosuke]

waste of a thread

should only be about Qurupeco, who cares about those other losers.

 

[EarthPainting]

Ooh, this is a cute idea. Looking forward to the rest.

And I too enjoy Kut-Ku. A little on the simple side, but that's not bad when you're still learning.

 

[Heromanz]

even the frontier ones

 

[King Dodongo]

Posting in a legendary thread. Nice insight about the goofy Kut-Ku. Hopefully you get to review the new ones.

 

[JangleLuke]

Ohhhh, this is gonna be good.

As far as Yian Kut-Ku goes, MH4U was my first one, so I did encounter him and got my butt kicked a bunch (the swiping tail attack I particularly disliked).
I don't have strong opinions about him, but I do agree that its lower body is pretty uninspired design-wise.

All in all, not a bad monster at all, and its cries are pretty memorable.

 

[JazzmanZ]

Ooh interesting thread, gonna look forward to more from you!

Are there going to be any reviews of some of the lesser monsters? Like the konchu or the bullfango?

 

[Xion_Stellar]

This should be interesting I hope you cover some of the lesser known Monsters like Hypnocatrice from Freedom Unite/Frontier.

 

[glasiche]

Showing support for a great thread

 

[Janus]

Nice thread! Still remember Yian Kut-Ku as my first hurdle in MH: Freedom. Made me a hammer main in the portable games.

Can't wait to see the other monsters in this thread.

 

[PtM]

Spoiler: "Bird wyvern" also includes raptor-likes.

 

[Kinsei]

Kut-Ku really was a great teacher. Honestly it should have been the first large monster you fight in first gen over Velocidrome. Velocidrome didn't teach you anything. It didn't even limp so it wasn't until Kut-Ku that you even knew monsters had tells to know when they were weak.

In regards to Blue Kut-Ku, at least in 4U they gave it like two unique attacks compared to it's pink counterpart?

 

[Ridley327]

I can support the assertion of how good Yian Kut-Ku was in that season of Teppen. Watching black players waste all of their Fate of the Unworthy cards, only for me to bring a Kut-Ku out and show them the folly of their ways was DEEPLY satisfying.

But yeah, Kut-Ku is still the gold standard for teachers that's unmatched to this day, though I'd argue that the reason for that is because outside of Barroth in Tri, I don't think they really tried as hard again since they could always rely on Kut-Ku being there for them. One of my nitpicks with World is that they didn't even try, period, since Pukei-Pukei is a complete joke.

 

[RedAhmed]

My first encounter with Yian Kut-ku sensei was in 4U, since I got into the series with Tri. Very basic monster and I agree it's the perfect one to 'teach' new players how to hunt!

And nice thread TC!

 

[Maximus2560]

I don't get it....so what's the biggest one?

 

[Redcrayon]

I can support the assertion of how good Yian Kut-Ku was in that season of Teppen. Watching black players waste all of their Fate of the Unworthy cards, only for me to bring a Kut-Ku out and show them the folly of their ways was DEEPLY satisfying.

But yeah, Kut-Ku is still the gold standard for teachers that's unmatched to this day, though I'd argue that the reason for that is because outside of Barroth in Tri, I don't think they really tried as hard again since they could always rely on Kut-Ku being there for them. One of my nitpicks with World is that they didn't even try, period, since Pukei-Pukei is a complete joke.

Click to shrink...

What I remember most about Tri is that, after Barroth, most of the original dozen monsters from Tri are skill gates in their own way. It was my first online MonHun on the Wii, and the regular team I played with were constantly helping each other over the next hurdle as we learned. Jhen Moran's set-piece battle, Gigginox and managing it's offspring, Barioth's raw speed and power, Gobul underwater, it seemed like everything had something new to teach, which to be fair was essential considering the relatively small cast compared to later games. Jaggi, Baggi, Ludroth and Queropeco are all pretty basic, but the others rarely had us beating them on early encounters.

Barioth in particular I remember picking off unprepared rookie hunters that had made it that far, sometimes multiple ones with one arcing charge. Reminded me slightly of monsters like Tigrex and Nargacuga in the combination of speed, power and aggression leading to KOs on hunters that weren't seeing the combos coming, but it was deceptively large too in terms of hitboxes.

 

[TreIII]

Job well done on this thread. Looking forward to discussion as we go further on down the roster and generations!

 

[Ridley327]

What I remember most about Tri is that, after Barroth, most of the original dozen monsters from Tri are skill gates in their own way. It was my first online MonHun on the Wii, and the regular team I played with were constantly helping each other over the next hurdle as we learned. Jhen Moran's set-piece battle, Gigginox and managing it's offspring, Barioth's raw speed and power, Gobul underwater, it seemed like everything had something new to teach, which to be fair was essential considering the relatively small cast compared to later games. Jaggi, Baggi, Ludroth and Queropeco are all pretty basic, but the others rarely had us beating them on early encounters.

Barioth in particular I remember picking off unprepared rookie hunters that had made it that far, sometimes multiple ones with one arcing charge. Reminded me slightly of monsters like Tigrex and Nargacuga in the combination of speed, power and aggression leading to KOs on hunters that weren't seeing the combos coming.

Click to shrink...

You're definitely right about how good a job Tri did of teaching you the ins and outs of how different that generation of monsters was going to be since there were so very few returning monsters to begin with, and the ones that did return had such massively overhauled movesets (well, maaaaaaybe not Diablos, but I digress) that you were still learning a lot by the time you were ready for high rank. Of course, Tri itself had the teensy tiny problem of there not being that much new in high rank beyond the full Jhen hunt, Deviljho doing Deviljho things and Alatreon as the final boss, but hey, 3U fixed all of that and then some!

 

[Redcrayon]

You're definitely right about how good a job Tri did of teaching you the ins and outs of how different that generation of monsters was going to be since there were so very few returning monsters to begin with, and the ones that did return had such massively overhauled movesets (well, maaaaaaybe not Diablos, but I digress) that you were still learning a lot by the time you were ready for high rank. Of course, Tri itself had the teensy tiny problem of there not being that much new in high rank beyond the full Jhen hunt, Deviljho doing Deviljho things and Alatreon as the final boss, but hey, 3U fixed all of that and then some!

Click to shrink...

I didn't even play 3U, but still put about 250 hours into Tri and 80 of that in single player :D Had a full set of Alatreon armour by the end, one of my favourite gaming journeys going from a relatively rookie MH player to coaching players through the final bosses

 

[chaobreaker]

Great thread, OP.

I have no love for Yian Kut-Ku. I've played all the generations and so far I think Qurupeco from Tri is still the best noob-gate large bird wyvern of the series.

 

[Redcrayon]

Great thread, OP.

I have no love for Yian Kut-Ku. I've played all the generations and so far I think Qurupeco from Tri is still the best noob-gate large bird wyvern of the series.

Click to shrink...

Later game monster I suppose, but I do have a soft spot for Malfestio from Generations too. Love that kooky owl

 

[Kinsei]

Great thread, OP.

I have no love for Yian Kut-Ku. I've played all the generations and so far I think Qurupeco from Tri is still the best noob-gate large bird wyvern of the series.

Click to shrink...

Eh, I think the starter wall from Tri is Barroth. Peco is full of personality, but doesn;t really put up much of a challenge on it's own, hence the mimicry.

 

[chaobreaker]

Eh, I think the starter wall from Tri is Barroth. Peco is full of personality, but doesn;t really put up much of a challenge on it's own, hence the mimicry.

Click to shrink...

Tri was my first MonHun game and you better believe Peco was a wall for me. Barroth filled the different niche of early-mid game wall like Plesioth or Gyoceros did.

 

[hunnies28]

I will follow this thread. Thanks for doing this.

 

[Xion_Stellar]

Alatreon as the final boss, but hey, 3U fixed all of that and then some!

Click to shrink...

Oh please let's not pretend that the community took Alatreon seriously here. I been a Bow main since Freedom 2 and I clearly remember how I saw a bunch of Bow impersonators running around using the Kelbi Slingshot to cheese the fight and that drove me really mad.

 

[watham]

Oh hell yeah OP. Smashing that mfin' watch button

 

[Ridley327]

Oh please let's not pretend that the community took Alatreon seriously here. I been a Bow main since Freedom 2 and I clearly remember how I saw a bunch of Bow impersonators running around using the Kelbi Slingshot to cheese the fight and that drove me really mad.

Click to shrink...

3U's endgame meant that Alatreon wasn't the only thing going for it that time, so it's not really as egregious to spam something like Kelbi Slingshots or sleep bomb runs for Skypiercers since there are other avenues to pursue for testing your skills.

 

[KushalaDaora]

The First Generation

Monster Hunter (2004 on PS2)

Monster Hunter G (2005 on PS2)

Monster Hunter Freedom (2005 on PSP)

Like Pokemon, Transformer, and many other long-running entertainment series, Monster Hunter is split into "generations". A new generation starts with a game that brings significant changes to the core formula, and then subsequent games in the generation evolve within that framework. The first generation started with the original Monster Hunter, the second generation started with Monster Hunter Dos, the third generation started with Monster Hunter Tri, the fourth generation started with Monster Hunter 4, and the current fifth generation started with Monster Hunter World. Each generation also includes a host of new monsters, and the way monsters are designed has evolved just as much as the series.

Given the mentions of Pokemon and Transformers, you might expect Monster Hunter fans to be nostalgic for the first generation of monsters, to constantly shower love on them, to request them in every game.

Unfortunately, the first generation of Monster Hunter was where the series was finding its legs in many ways. Budgets were limited and by extension so were monster models and animations. Almost all of the monsters in the first generation use the same basic skeleton: Two bird-like legs, two bird-like wings, a head held straight forward, and a long tail held upright. Animations were also reused: Nearly every monster had a charge attack, a spinning double tail whip, a mouth projectile fired straight ahead, and a sideways bite. On an aesthetic level, first generation monsters also don't stand out much. They tend towards dull colors like greys and browns, and even the brighter colors are muted.

Due to these limitations, many first generation monsters are not loved or even liked by fans. Most also haven't received significant updates in newer games, putting their old stiff animations right beside the more fluid and varied animations of modern monsters. Some first generation monsters also seem to be designed specifically to favor ranged weapons over melee weapons, making them very annoying for the majority of players who use melee weapons.

Despite all the problems the first generation has, I think it's important to review these creatures for a few reasons. First, the old janky monsters provide context for how far Monster Hunter's creature design has evolved in the last decade and a half. Second, the first gen monsters show the general direction Capcom wanted to pursue even with the limitations they had. And finally, there are some genuine gems among these beasts that have actually managed to stand the test of time.

Yian Kut-Ku

​

Premiered in: Monster Hunter (PS2, 2004)

Classification: Bird Wyvern

Kicking off this retrospective is an old fan favorite.

Yian Kut-Ku is a classic beginner monster, one of the first true "dragons" players had to slay in the original Monster Hunter and many other games. This wyvern might spit fire and fly, but it's no intimidating reptile. Kut-Ku squawks, waddles, and flails around with all the elegance of an ungainly chicken. The monster is so clumsy it will faceplant after a charge, so frantic it will just flail around its neck to shoot fireballs instead of bothering to aim them. Kut-Ku's appearance is just as comical as its behavior, with giant expressive ears, vacant googly eyes, and an oversized beak with a massive underbite. Even the pink color scheme feels like a parody of posterboy Rathalos's rich red. The one major complaint I have with Kut-Ku's design is everything below the head: The body, wings, legs, and tail are all bog-standard dragon and don't match the monster's comical personality. The tail especially looks too fierce with that spike on the end. As an overall package though, Kut-Ku is very charismatic.

Players who underestimate that silly face are in for a nasty surprise. Kut-Ku is the introduction to many of the typical conventions for monster AI and movesets. There's a double tail whip to cover the sides, fireballs to strike at range, and an instantaneous charge attack to punish hunters who dawdle in front of the monster's head. These different tools teach players to pay close attention to their position and strike the monster as it recovers from attacks rather than just constantly wailing on it. Kut-Ku also has visual cues that reward the player for paying attention to the monster, most notably how its ears will lower when close to death. Those large sensitive tears also encourage the use of high-pitched Sonic Bombs; observant hunters are rewarded with with a reward drop and a valuable lesson about using certain items to counter monsters. All these things combined make overcoming Yian Kut-Ku an important learning experience for players, to the point that it has gained the nickname "Yian Kut-Ku sensei".

A new game brings a new appetite.​

Most early monsters missed the third generation of Monster Hunter games and only returned in Monster Hunter 4. Yian Kut-Ku was no exception. As an old monster, Kut-Ku got a few updates; most notably, it can now get tired and must eat to replenish its stamina. Kut-Ku consumes hard-shelled rolling insects called Konchu, using its thick beak to dig out the bugs and swallowing them whole. Hilariously, at higher ranks Kut-Ku also bowls Konchu at hunters! Another interesting change is that at lower ranks, Kut-Ku begins its charge attack with a warning animation. The change makes Kut-Ku easier for beginners, but the animation disappears at higher ranks, like training wheels coming off a bicycle. Again, Kut-Ku remains the teacher.

How do I personally feel about Yian Kut-Ku? It wasn't my sensei in the game that got me into the series (Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate), but I still really like the little fella. Kut-Ku is a good teacher; when learning how to wield a hammer in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, I often practiced against Kut-Ku just because the instant charge taught me proper timing and positioning to hit the head without a counterattack. Kut-Ku also emphasizes that while Monster Hunter might be a game about hunting giant dangerous creatures, the monsters exhibit a wide array of personalities, and they're not always just badass or intimidating. I would like to see Yian Kut-Ku return in the future, hopefully with some updates to make its older animations more fluid and distinct.

Might as well also discuss the name. The English name is basically just a romanization of the Japanese name. Kut-ku might come from the word "cuckoo". Cuckoos are birds, just like Kut-Ku, and the word cuckoo also has associations with craziness and silliness, which perfectly fits Kut-Ku's ridiculous behavior. Monster Hunter has an odd history with names; Japanese names are traditionally written in Katakana and often have roots in English or other foreign languages, so the wordplay frequently translates well. Yet many monsters have had their names significantly altered with the English localization. I'm happy Kut-Ku was one of the Japanese names to mostly avoid this fate.

Blue Yian Kut-Ku

​

Premiered in: Monster Hunter G (PS2, 2005)

Yian Kut-Ku is also our introduction to a Monster Hunter tradition: The subspecies. Monster Hunter G introduced new recolors of existing monsters with modified abilities. Subspecies, rare species, variants, and deviants are color swaps of an existing monster with altered abilities or movesets. These reskins are an easy way for the devleopers to add more content, and some can change old fights in new and exciting ways.

Unfortunately, Blue Yian Kut-Ku is not one of them. It's Yian Kut-Ku… But blue. Blue Kut-Ku is apparently a bit more aggressive, but the difference is barely noticeable. It's also, bizarrely, smaller on average than its pink cousin. I also have to question the slight blue shade chosen for the subspecies, since it feels weird for a fire-breathing monster to be that pastel baby blue.

One interesting aspect of subspecies is the naming convention: In Japan, subspecies are always the monster name (In Katakana) followed by the kanji for subspecies. So Blue Yian Kut-Ku's Japanese name would be literally translated as "Yian Kut-Ku Subspecies". This is definitely something I'm glad the localizers changed.

Other games​

Yian Kut-Ku and Blue Yian Kut-Ku both show up as ridable "monsties" in the 3DS turn-based RPG Monster Hunter Stories. The two have slightly different level up movesets, but both are weak early game monsters that sadly fall behind as you progress. Luckily, stats don't matter when both versions of Kut-Ku have a Kinship Attack (think a Final Fantasy Limit Break) this amazing.

Yian Kut-Ku can't even catch a break when it's fighting by your side.​

In the mobile Capcom crossover card game Teppen, Yian Kut-Ku appears on a couple cards in the Green color faction. This isn't unusual, as most monsters have shown up in Teppen. What really surprised me about Kut-Ku is that one Kut-Ku card (Pictured below) was part of a Tier 1 meta-defining aggro deck. What a hilarious and yet oddly fitting end to this overview of the goofy bird.

In the land of gods and demons, the Kut-Ku reigns supreme.​

Click to shrink...

Kutku is a joke since 4th gen, but back at 1st gen, it is legit a roadblock. I remember using LBG and had to resort to using Normal L1 ammo (and timed out)...

....until I use Hammer where I killed it before it even leave the spawn zone.

----

Subbed the thread, can't wait for Kushala Daora entry :P

 

[Xion_Stellar]

3U's endgame meant that Alatreon wasn't the only thing going for it that time, so it's not really as egregious to spam something like Kelbi Slingshots or sleep bomb runs for Skypiercers since there are other avenues to pursue for testing your skills.

Click to shrink...

Yeah the Kelbi Slingshot was a bigger issue in Tri since the introduction of the "Slime" Element wasn't perfect but I unfortunately still got to see a bunch of Bow user impersonators in 4 Ultimate again because now you had these people running around with the Seregios Bow

 

[KushalaDaora]

Are there going to be any reviews of some of the lesser monsters? Like the konchu or the bullfango

Click to shrink...

7.8/10 too much interruption.

 

[Deleted member 5621]

Kutku is a joke since 4th gen, but back at 1st gen, it is legit a roadblock. I remember using LBG and had to resort to using Normal L1 ammo (and timed out)...

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Kut Ku always was a joke - thus the Mega Kut Ku fanart and event quest - and it being a roadblock is part of the joke.

Love the chicken dragon.

 

[Menx64]

Yian Kutku's Hammer was the first weapon I made to do the two Tigrex mission on MHFU... Damn I hated Tigrex with passion those days.

 

[KushalaDaora]

Yian Kutku's Hammer was the first weapon I made to do the two Tigrex mission on MHFU... Damn I hated Tigrex with passion those days.

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Tigrex is trash even in World.

Kut Ku always was a joke - thus the Mega Kut Ku fanart and event quest - and it being a roadblock is part of the joke.

Love the chicken dragon.

Click to shrink...

Lol thinking about it, I think the janky gameplay of first gen is the reason why I struggle with Kutku in 1st gen. Iirc I don't have any trouble with it in 2nd gen.

 

[Kinsei]

Tigrex is trash even in World.

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Tigrex is better than Brachy.

 

[Ridley327]

Tigrex is trash even in World.



Lol thinking about it, I think the janky gameplay of first gen is the reason why I struggle with Kutku in 1st gen. Iirc I don't have any trouble with it in 2nd gen.

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Toxi will eventually get to Tigrex, so I'll reserve my in-depth words about him until then. Needless to say, however, he's never been particularly my favorite of the pseudowyverns.

 

[Deleted member 5621]

I see the hot takes have started already

 

[Ridley327]

I see the hot takes have started already

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No hot takes for Uragaan will ever be spicier than the leak about his statue being the least purchased MTX in all of World.

 

[Deleted member 5621]

No hot takes for Uragaan will ever be spicier than the leak about his statue being the least purchased MTX in all of World.

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Kids those days have no respect for Jay Leno and that's sad.

 

[picorin81]

Yian Kut-Ku ... oh the memories

 

[Ultratech]

I'm quite curious and excited to see what's all gonna be covered.

Lol thinking about it, I think the janky gameplay of first gen is the reason why I struggle with Kutku in 1st gen. Iirc I don't have any trouble with it in 2nd gen.

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Same here. When I tried to play MH1, Kut-Ku was awful.

Was much more manageable in 2nd Gen though.

Eh, I think the starter wall from Tri is Barroth. Peco is full of personality, but doesn;t really put up much of a challenge on it's own, hence the mimicry.

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Yup. The first true wall in Tri was Barroth. It was fast and brutal.
(So much so that it got nerfed in later games.)

 

[Kinsei]

Yup. The first true wall in Tri was Barroth. It was fast and brutal.
(So much so that it got nerfed in later games.)

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Yep. It's only natural for monsters to get buffed/nerfed between generations in order to fill a specific niche in newer games, but Barroth got nerfed so hard within the same generation that it debuted in.

By the time World/Iceborne came out it was a complete joke.

 

[CaptainNuevo]

Oh this'll be fun. I'm in.

 

[KujoJosuke]

 

[My Blue Heaven]

that stupid ape from the PSP game is a piece of shit and i hate him, i demand you don't give him a good review

 

[digreyfox]

Watching this thread, great idea and thanks in advance for the effort Toxi !

 

[Deleted member 5621]

that stupid ape from the PSP game is a piece of shit and i hate him, i demand you don't give him a good review

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(but there's two apes)