User blog:Aandrew07/Discussion of the Week: Flagship Monsters

 Welcome to Discussion of the Week: Flagship Monsters!

Well hello everyone! Wait, what's this? Andrew's doing the DotW blog? Where's Lord Loss? Well, Loss is currently soaking up some sun in the Greek Isles, and he's appointed me with the honourable position of creating the Dicussion of the Week blog this time around.

Anyway, I felt like it might be nice for us to spend this week discussing the various poster children of the Monster Hunter series. Tell us all what you like, what you don't like, things you'd like to see in a future flagship monster, things like that.

So without further ado, let's begin, shall we?

Rathalos/Azure Rathalos: Monster Hunter, Monster Hunter G, Monster Hunter Freedom


For many, Rathalos was the first monster they ever saw in the series. The beast that adorned the box of that unfamiliar PS2 game in your local game shop. He holds the record for most flagship appearances, and has become an absolute staple for the series. MH just wouldn't be MH without him, not to mention his Azure counterpart, which graced the box of Monster Hunter G in Japan.

Kushala Daora: Monster Hunter Dos


 Kushala Daora is often forgotten as a flagship monster, as its only boxart appearance was on the cover of the Japan-Exclusive Monster Hunter Dos. Nevertheless, this monster represented and all new direction for the Elder Dragons, no longer the hulking monstrosities, unstoppable forces or...horses of previous games, and is a common favourite among Elder Dragon enthusiasts.

Tigrex: Monster Hunter Freedom 2


 Since it was first unleashed in 2007, Tigrex has become a fan-favourite monster in the series, and it's not hard to see why. It's then-unique body structure and attack patters, notorious difficulty for newcomers, and that oh-so-memorable dual Tigrex HR6 urgent have helped make Tigrex the unforgettable beast it is today.

Nargacuga: Monster Hunter Freedom Unite


 I think I speak for everyone when I say that the first time I saw Nargacuga in the Japanese promotional material for MHP2ndG, I was blown away. The style and flair of the design, the ferocity and visciousness impressed us all. Nargacuga is the sly, sleek, agile and precise monster Tigrex never was, and although he's extremely shorthanded importance-wise in MHFU, he still makes every ad, poster, and of course, the boxart for Monster Hunter Freedom unite, absolutely badass.

Lagiacrus: Monster Hunter Tri


 Another new generation, another all-new monster class. Lagiacrus spearheaded the inclusion of the (mostly) aquatic leviathans. It played a major role in the story of Monster Hunter Tri, represented an all-new dimension of gameplay for the series in the form of underwater combat, and looked great doing it. We missed Lagiacrus in Portable 3rd, but it has since returned to the series in grand fashion.

Jinouga: Monster Hunter Portable 3rd


 Representing not only the newly-introduced Fanged Wyvern class, but also Capcom's emphasis on new content in Portable 3rd, Jinouga stands to many as one of the best parts of the game. He's unique, fun as all get-out to fight, and don't even get me started on that battle theme. Here's hoping we see a little more of Jinouga in future Monster Hunter titles (Or maybe even some more Fanged Wyverns?).

Bracchidios: Monster Hunter Tri G


 Bracchidios is tasked with the same responsibility as Nargacuga before it: Culminating a generation. The piece de resistance of 3rd gen, Monster Hunter Tri G, is led by a strange, new, powerful-looking monster. Bracchidios, like most Brute Wyverns, is a wholly unique and entertaining combat experience. It gave rise to the often-used blast ailmet, and has become the face of what many consider to be the best generation of Monster Hunter yet. Kudos to you, Bracchidios!

<p style="text-align:left;"> And that's all folks! I've done my best to emulate Lord Loss's structure and style blog-wise, and hopefully I managed to live up to his standards. Of course as this is Discussion of the Week, be sure to leave your thoughts and opinions on these 7 wonderful monsters in the comments below. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

<p style="text-align:left;"> P.S. Lord Loss will be back next week for DotW so no worries there.