Monster Hunter is a pretty self-explanatory series. You hunt monsters, and it's pretty damn fun. That pursuit to the top is great, but the true joy of Monster Hunter comes in the monsters themselves, watching them fight amongst themselves and the beauty of their moves.
RELATED: Returning Monsters In Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
Rise already came with a massive amount of Monsters, one of the highest base numbers of any game, and Sunbreak included a healthy amount more. Plenty of them are returning monsters, but here we're going to focus on the brand-new ones introduced with Sunbreak.
Updated January 17th, 2023 by Hilton Webster:Monster Hunter Rise has gotten great post-launch support with Sunbreak. With the next Title Update on the horizon and Xbox and Playstation versions on the way, it's a great time to catch up on all the new monsters Sunbreak has added to the game.
13 Risen Kushala Daora
Kushala Daora has been terrorizing hunters since the release of Monster Hunter 2. An Elder Dragon, they control wind and have a metallic body that will easily repel blunted weapons with the freedom to toss you around like a ragdoll.
In their Risen variant, they become even more fearsome. While normally they can seem on par with the regular version, they become a much greater threat when they enter their Risen state, and the edges of their body begin glowing orange. Here, they gain new attacks that can drag you in and cause massive explosions, and all their wind attacks take on a yellow hue.
12 Risen Teostra
Another Elder Dragon originally introduced in Monster Hunter 2, Teostra is seen in Rise without their fiery companion, Lunastra. That doesn't make them any easier, however, with Teostra oftentimes being one of the most difficult enemies, their controlled explosions being so difficult to avoid.
RELATED: Best Bestiaries In Games
Risen Teostra was added to Sunbreak via Title Update 3, making one of the game's toughest monsters even harder. Risen Teostra has a darkened body compared to the standard version and a more bleached mane. Their true threat is their even greater mastery of fire, with plenty of their attacks being coated in fire and even being able to fire multiple streams of flame at once.
11 Violet Mizutsune
Mizutsune is a beloved monster of the series, originally introduced back in Monster Hunter Generations. They are graceful like a dancer, sliding around the arena with ease shooting bubbles at beams at you all the while.
Mizutsune is no stranger to the alternate versions Monster Hunter is known for, and Violet Mizutsune is a brand new rare species introduced in Sunbreak. Swapping out water for fire, Violet Mizutsune excretes a kind of oil that it can set aflame with ease, and its bubbles now cause dangerous explosions.
10 Risen Chameleos
Chameleos is a classic monster of the series, an Elder Dragon introduced way back in Monster Hunter 2. It's always been a dangerous beast, as toxic as they are devious. They can steal from you to buff themselves, spew clouds of poison, and turn invisible all in an instant.
RELATED: Monster Hunter Rise: Best Mods
Unlike many older Elder Dragons, Chameleos didn't get an alternate form until now with Risen Chameleos. This version is incredibly deadly, having overcome the infection of the Qurio to become an even more terrifying trickster. It has much more control over its poisonous gas now and can even grab you with its tongue and cause explosions. When entering its Risen state, you can really feel the power the Qurio has given it.
9 Blood Orange Bishaten
Introduced in the base Rise, Bishaten is a mischievous little guy. Heavily channeling Aipom from Pokemon, they're a monkey-adjacent monster that loves standing up on its own tail and spinning and dancing as a threat, all the while throwing dangerous fruit at you that you can even pick up yourself.
Blood Orange Bishaten is a subspecies and is miles more threatening. Where the original Bishaten dropped status effect fruits, Orangaten focuses on flaming pinecones instead. Though they do much of the same twisting dashes, they now cause great explosions that trail outwards and feel much less playful than their base version.
8 Magma Almudron
Also introduced in the base version of Rise, Almudron is a fascinating creature. Found throughout many of the watered areas of the base game, Almudron can conjure slowing sludge and great pillars of mud to protect itself, gaining more versatility in water.
RELATED: The Best Hunting Videogames
Magma Almudron carries over much of the same moves, though as the name implies, it only appears in the Lava Caverns. Magmadron instead swims in lava and becomes softened after doing so. Their tail boulder has the ability to create explosions now, too, so they're one to be careful of.
7 Aurora Somnacanth
Another of the new monsters introduced in Rise, Somnacanth is a water-dwelling beast that fairs poorly on land. Unlike most others, Somnacanth focuses on putting you to sleep to land its hits rather than relying on raw power. It can crack open shells on its chest while swimming on its back, too.
Aurora Somnacanth drops the sleep powder for raw ice breath and becomes a much more aggressive monster as a result. Because of the increased combat capabilities, they don't need to rely on being in the water as much, either.
6 Pyre Rakna-Kadaki
Rakna-Kadaki is one of the more unusual monsters added in Rise, looking like some form of arachnid that can also spew fire. Their legs and arms are solid, and their thorax is a giant ball of webs that they can shoot out Rachnoids from. They have great movement too, being able to dash around with their webs.
RELATED: Coolest Master Rank Armors In Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
Pyre Rakna-Kadaki is an interesting subspecies, being another version still focused on the fire element. Where Pyre Kadaki differentiates itself is in how it commands its offspring. They can be launched from their mother and coordinate attacks, and any threads of silk shot out can have explosive fire travel the length of them.
5 Scorned Magnamalo
The flagship monster of Rise, Magnamalo was and is a threatening beast. Though Monster Hunter has a great love for introducing literal dragons, Magnamalo has no problem going toe-to-toe with them, dashing about the battlefield with its Hellfire and blasting it off like a cannon.
Scorned Magnamalo is classed as a Variant, to be precise, usually seen as a version of the monster that is more powerful and in tune with its base abilities. As such, Scorned Magnamalo has a greater mastery of Hellfire, wielding it at times like a sword, and burning at even greater heights than a normal Magnamalo ever could.
4 Garangolm
Everyone loves a good monkey. Sometimes it's not really even a monkey but a gorilla, but to many, that's still a lovable monkey. So with Garangolm looking like a variety of monkeys with hardened, mossy plates all over its body, what's not to love?
Classed as one of the Three Lords of Sunbreak, Garangolm is a usually docile beast, but when awoken can coat its arms in water and fire respectively. They hop around the battlefield with ease, coming down on you with their dual elements to put you in your place.
3 Lunagaron
Lunagaron was one of the first monsters revealed from Sunbreak, and they were a dazzling sight from the beginning. Covered in spikes of ice and howling at the moon, they instantly evoked imagery of werewolves, and with good reason.
RELATED: Monster Hunter Rise: Best New Skills Added With Sunbreak
Lunagaron is another of the Three Lords, a menacing beast at the top of the food chain in the Citadel. Lunagaron loves the moon. Though they are a fearsome enough beast on all fours, when enraged they stand up and sharpen their claws to a bleeding edge, letting their inner lycanthrope run wild.
2 Malzeno
The very first monster introduced from Sunbreak, Malzeno is a brand new Elder Dragon, and the flagship monster of Sunbreak. Like much of Sunbreak's style, Malzeno takes heavily from Western folklore, specifically vampires, as you may have noticed.
The last of the Three Lords of Sunbreak, Malzeno is a terrifying presence. With their wings like a cape, and the crimson red and midnight black that coats their whole body, they truly embody the vampire aesthetic. They even have their own unique Bloodblight, both slowly sapping your health away while letting you recover it with attacks.
1 Gaismagorm
Though many of the monsters in Rise are of a relatively standard size, for as standard as monsters can be, they end with the rather climatic battles against Ibushi and Narwa, all with their floating platforms and gatling guns that appear throughout and their absurd size.
Sunbreak, refusing to be outdone by itself, introduces the Elder Dragon Gaismagorm at the very end with a three-phase battle where it grows continually stronger and has the Qurio at its full command. The stage against them is large and has plenty of unique little events to make the battle stand out.
NEXT: Monster Hunter: Best Monster Designs