User blog comment:Plexioth- xD/Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate/@comment-4697011-20130215234615/@comment-130804-20130216024729

Pretty much what Ranzord said. Plus, more people can recognize and associate Rathalos with Monster Hunter. Its a game that has as much, if not potentially more, than Freedom Unite (correct me if I'm wrong) with how not only the file synchronizing between the Wii U and 3DS to basically hunt on the go, but also how nintendo ENCOURAGES player interactivity. Monster Hunter has always been a game you play with friends, which works quite well with how Nintendo works. Not only that, but Nintendo actually takes the time and effort to localize games that were originally Japan-exclusive.

What this wall of mine is trying to say is that this will be the first game of the series for A LOT of people! Rathalos (among a few others) has been in every game, and practically is the core and mascot of the series. For a game with well over a thousand hours in it, they want people to think: "Oh! That's rathalos from Monster Hunter!"