Top 20 Monster Hunter Monsters

This colorful owl wyvern might not seem as ferocious as the other monsters in the series, but it can be just as dangerous. This deadly foe can confuse hunters with a sudden display of yellow scales, disorienting those around it, and the Malfestio is also capable of producing an ultrasound cry that puts those who challenge it to sleep. This monster gets points for its unique design and looking incredibly slick when it’s fighting. This isn’t some brutish beast; it’s a sleek and trained killer that is as dangerous as it is beautiful.

It’s the angriest amphibian you’ve ever seen. This frog-like monster uses its enormous tusks to gore its opponents or shovel up boulders from the earth to lob at victims. The Tetsucabra can also spit out a green glob from its mouth that slows the hunters and affects their stamina; talk about gross! It’s frenzied style of attacking means every hunter needs to watch out or be struck by its fangs, and when it rages, you don’t want to be around. But prepared hunters, take note; this creature’s tusks can be broken off, making the fight a little easier.

A giant hermit crab that uses the skull of a dragon as its shell; this is one strange and terrifying monster. A callback to the legendary Lao-Shan Lung, the skull of that dragon adorns this monstrous crab, and the fight happens in much the same way. Shen Gaoren is not very interested in fighting hunters, but the hunter still must stop the crustacean from destroying the walls of the fortress. This behemoth is much harder to take down than other monsters, requiring the use of special artillery and fortress defenses in order to kill.

Don’t let this creature’s name fool you; it’s highly deadly and should be approached with the utmost caution. This leviathan can burrow through sand and swim in it. It has mastered its environment, able to dig below a hunter and burst forth unexpectedly. From its wide, gaping mouth, it can expel sand and debris, creating a wind tunnel that can mess up even the most prepared hunters. When its large mouth opens, hunters can take the opportunity to strike at its weak points, and especially clever hunters can even trick the Nibelsnarf into swallowing carefully placed bombs. That’s sure to be a meal this creature won’t forget!

This blind, pale wyvern isn’t pretty to look at and offers a hard fight to anyone foolhardy enough to hunt it down. Found primarily in caves and able to track down prey with its incredible sense of smell, the Khezu shares the same aesthetic as a naked mole rat. Able to cling to cave ceilings with suction-like feet, and devour their prey with elongated necks, the Khezu can also paralyze foes with powerful electrical shocks. As if this creature weren’t scary enough, Khezu reproduce by paralyzing other creatures and injecting their young inside. The baby Khezu then eat their way out or wait until the creature they live inside dies. Have fun trying to sleep tonight!

This enormous beast looks like a woolly mammoth on steroids and hits like a truck. Able to breathe out ice from its huge trunk or encase parts of its body in thick snow to protect against attacks, this monster can take a lot of damage before showing any sign of being hurt. The Gammoth is incredibly hostile, despite being an herbivore, and can be hard to fight due to its sheer size; getting too close can blind you to its next attack. Be careful that you don’t get trampled or frozen by this huge foe.

What’s cooler than a T-Rex? How about a T-Rex with a tail that lights on fire? The Glavenus is a horned, brute wyvern that looks like your typical dinosaur, except for its fiery tail and its habit of spitting out fireballs. The tail should not be trifled with; one swipe can mean the end of a slow hunter. Glavenus has given many hunters a difficult time learning its moveset and figuring out how to deal with that flaming tail. This is a tough fight, but finally defeating this beast is sure to give anyone an exhilarating rush.

This electric wyvern just looks too cool not to be included on this list. Its wings resemble those of a dragonfly and the pincers on its tail look eerily similar to those of an earwig. Top that off with the green coloring on black scales, and you’ve got yourself an electrifying monster. Beware its electrical charge, which it can release from nearly any part of its body to paralyze its foes, giving it an easy opportunity to devour its prey. One of the best new monster designs, the Astalos is as terrifying as it looks.

Playful and curious, this lemur-like monster is nonetheless still a terror to face in the wild. Able to glide like a flying squirrel and shoot out globs of mucus to damage foes, this excitable monster can pose a challenge to even the most experienced of hunters. But we can’t help but find this monster cute; the way it covers its eyes with its ears, to appear more intimidating to foes, or the way this monkey is introduced at first, make us want to keep the Kecha Wacha as a pet; which would probably be one of the worst mistakes of our lives.

There is perhaps nothing more horrifying than a monstrous shark that can move on land. This dangerous beast is capable of covering itself in icy armor that makes it look even scarier, and also protects its body from attack. When in real danger, it can inflate itself to enormous proportions, to become a big ball of shark-fat that crushes and rolls over opponents. It can look a bit silly, but its design is so cool and sleek beyond that that it would be a crime not to include the Zamtrios on our list!

It's got a wolf's ferocity... and the brutality of thunder. As one of the few Fanged Wyvern monsters in existence, Zinogre is certainly unique in its world. It embodies the element of Lightning with great ease, striking its foes quickly after charging and storing electricity. Zinogre Is also impressive in design, appearing lupine in shape yet at the same time standing out thanks to its green fur. For those who venture into the forest, beware – this beast's fangs and claws aren't for show.

The ocean is far less calm with this beast around. Lagiacrus made its debut in “Monster Hunter Tri”, being the first sea dwelling boss monster you encounter. However, it is also more than capable of fighting on land when pressed, relying on claw-based strikes and electricity-infused blows to bring down hunters. Lagiacrus is not easily found – dwelling only in a handful of locations – but if confronted it can make for quite the engaging combat experience.

Nothing quite like an honest-to-goodness dragon to make us fear for our lives. One of the largest monsters in the series, the Dalamadur belongs to the Elder Dragon species, a group of ancient monsters capable of destroying the world. To that end, this creature is deliberately designed to be imposing – it bears a serpentine face and fangs, and is massive in scope. Adding to the intimidation effect is how Dalamadur attacks foes with a variety of flame-based attacks, from simple fire balls to sweeping fields of flame.

Adaptability is this monster's speciality. Introduced in “Monster Hunter Freedom 2”, the Flying Wyvern known as Tigrex is known for its habit of travelling and inhabiting different environments – deserts, forest, snowy peaks, and so forth. The one consistent element about Tigrex is that it's incredibly fast, often charging the hunters repeatedly, and possessing a piercing roar powerful enough that it can throw around careless players. Even Metal Gear Solid’s Big Boss can get ripped apart by one in Peace Walker.

Best to keep one's distance and tread very carefully. Another member of the Elder Dragon species, Alatreon is something of a wild card; it suffers from elemental instability, which grants it power over four of the world's elements. This red-hued winged beast keeps a tight grip on its habitat in the Sacred Land, relying on a cavalcade of Dragon, Ice, Fire and Thunder-fuelled attacks when approached by players. Grand in scale and magnificent in appearance, it makes sense why Alatreon was selected as a late game monster online for “Monster Hunter Tri”.

Dark and brooding, just the way we like it. The Flagship monster of ‘Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate,’ winged monstrosity Gore Magala hues closest to the Elder Dragons by way of its six limbs and dark-toned exoskeleton. Regardless, it earns its nickname of Black Eclipse Wyvern through the use of its hairs to darken the sky, before unleashing attacks tinged with the Frenzy Virus. And the struggle doesn't end there: when sufficiently agitated, Gore Magala enters Frenzy Mode where it can unleash deadly explosive energy blasts that will really ruin your day. And if you can survive all that, get ready for it to shed its skin to become the Shagaru Magala.

Every series has some kind of mascot, and this may very well be the equivalent for “Monster Hunter”. Rathalos, alongside its female counterpart Rathian, has showed up in various games since the original “Monster Hunter'' was released in 2004. Its design is simple yet elegant: bright red scales, clawed wings and a spiked tale. Yet simplicity aids it greatly; Rathalos can inhabit a variety of biomes, standing its ground thanks to its aggressive demeanour and mix of Poison and Fire attacks. Built to be both versatile and strong, Rathalos is a worthy foe for hunters.

Whether in the heat or cold, this Brute Wyvern knows how to wreck someone's day. Brachydios stands as one of those monsters that is unmistakable in appearance – it's adorned in a shiny obsidian hide, offset by glowing green fists and horns. The glowing is a clue for players to take care in combat, as Brachydios excretes a type of explosive slime, which is able to stick onto careless hunters. Though by no means normally easy-going, an enraged Brachydios will go the extra mile to directly strike hunters with its explosive appendages. At least the explosive weapons you make from him are worth it.

#2: Dah’ren Mohran

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Top 10 Monster Hunter Monsters! Best of WatchMojo

In Monster Hunter Tri we were first introduced to the Jhen Mohran, a monster the size of a cargo ship, that required your own sandship to bring it down. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate wastes no time by setting its even deadlier counterpart as the very first monster you face in the game, before you even have any gear. When you fight this guy for real, you take him on in two different ways: utilizing the weapons on the sand ship to weaken him or by climbing up his back Shadow of the Colossus style to defeat this colossal beast.

Fear The Great Devourer, for it has no restraint. Deviljho, resembles a T-Rex, and for very good reason, It is nomadic in nature, travelling from region to region with only one goal - to find prey. Lore tells of Deviljho consuming their own kin, constantly searching for food and even going as far as eating creatures alive to save time. In combat, this translates into players facing a relentless beast that relies on everything from biting, to stomping the ground ferociously, to even releasing Dragon Breath. Make sure you’re fully prepared for taking this thing on, and if it finds you? Run, and don’t look back.