Greater Rathalos
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Greater Rathalos (リオレウス Rioreusu, lit. Liolaeus) is a flying wyvern kaiju featured in the 2020 film, Monster Hunter. It is based on the monster species of the same name from the Capcom Monster Hunter video game franchise, however it is notably larger in the film.
Design
Rathalos is a reptilian dragon-like monster with beige membraneous wings and an eagle-like posture. The wyvern's armored scales are red in color, with black stripes throughout its length. Additionally, jagged markings creep down its wings. Its tail is moderately-sized with a spiked club at its tip.
Personality
Origins
According to The Admiral, the Greater Rathalos was placed by a long-dead civilization to guard the Sky Tower.
History
Monster Hunter
Some time during Artemis and the Hunter’s journey to the Sky Tower, the Rathalos raids the oasis and causes a herd of Apceros to stampede towards the duo. However, the two make it out of the stampede with the help of the Admiral and the sandship crew. Later, they trek to the Sky Tower and arrive at night. The group discovers glass shards on the ground and, taking this as a sign that the Rathalos is present in the area, spread out to draw out the wyvern. Suddenly, two hunters are set ablaze from above as the monster flies down and perchs itself on two pillars before letting out a shrieking roar. It spots Artemis and The Hunter hiding underneath rubble. It approaches them, charging its fire breath with the intent of incinerating them, only for the Admiral to shout and get it to focus to him. He attacks with his Switch Axe but the wyvern dodges before unleashing its own flames as it flies off. Luckily, the Admiral quickly is able to get behind a pillar, avoiding incineration.
Artemis, the Admiral, and the Hunter step out from the rubble and charge forward to do battle with the titanic wyvern, who has now circled back around to face them yet again. The Admiral hits the beast and causes it to recoil. This allows Artemis and the Hunter an opportunity to approach the monster from the side. The Rathalos charges its fire breath before narrowly avoiding one of the Hunter's explosive arrows by aligning its head so that it hits the side rather than the inside of its mouth. Artemis slices through the creature's wing membrane, causing it to shriek in pain.
Lea and Aiden rush in to join the fight, the former firing her slinger at Rathalos' face. Aiden is killed via a strike from its spiked tail club. The runway of pillars activate and create a portal to Earth behind the wyvern as Artemis continues to battle the monster with her dual blades. The Handler rushes in an attempt to assist in the fight, only to be crushed by its wing while the Hunter fires an explosive arrow into the side of the monster. Artemis then attacks the creature, causing it to fling her away with its wing. She recovers and barely evades a blast of fire breath by jumping through the portal.
As Artemis reawakens on Earth, the Rathalos emerges and attacks the Osprey, crashing it in the process. The military's forces engage in combat with the wyvern, only to be completely decimated. Artemis emerges from the wreckage and uses her slinger to soar up onto the monster's wing before slicing all the way down. Rathalos, enraged by this, charges its fire breath, leaving an opening for Artemis to fire an ignited explosive in its mouth using her slinger. Upon impact, several internal explosions go off inside the wyvern’s body. The dragon collapses, leading Artemis to believe it is dead. However, the Rathalos rises up once more and approaches her. Before the monster can crush her in its jaws, the hunter arrives and unleashes a salvo of explosive arrows. One manages to strike a large open wound in the Greater Rathalos’ neck, causing it to explode and kill the giant wyvern once and for all.
Abilities
Physical abilities
Flight
As implied by its bat-like wings, Rathalos can fly at great speeds.
Fire Breath
The Greater Rathalos can release flames hot enough to turn sand to glass from its mouth. It can do this either in the form of fireballs or a constant stream.
Filmography
- Monster Hunter (2020)
Trivia
- Although the Greater Rathalos is canonically 14 meters in length, it is shown to be much larger in the film.
- Unlike its videogame counterpart, Rathalos was capable of breathing continuous streams of fire. However, with the release of Monster Hunter Rise, Rathalos was given a new attack where it possesses an ability to emit continuous flames at the ground beneath it and then direct it at the player.
Video
Gallery
External links
References
This is a list of references for Greater Rathalos. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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