The Monster Hunter series has never been afraid to experiment with the kinds of creatures it throws at players, from dragons, to giant spiders, to ape-like creatures, it seems like anything goes for some of these monsters. Of course, the series has its staple monsters like Rathalos and Rathian, but with so many unique and inventive designs, it can be easy to forget how much time and effort likely goes into creating just one monster.
Thankfully, the official Monster Hunter Twitter account has given fans some insight on the creative process of certain aspects of Monster Hunter Rise, showing off concept art of Endemic Life, NPCs, and certain locales like the daunting Lava Caverns. Now, fans have been given their first look at some early sketches and designs of the Amphibious Wrestler monster: Tetranadon.
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As seen on Twitter, some of Tetranadon's earlier designs reveal a much different look for the platypus-frog-turtle-hybrid monster. The designs show Tetranadon with a much more frog-like design, in addition to others that show the monster with either a much more bird-like beak or a snout more resembling that of an alligator. Other early sketches also show Tetranadon looking like much more of a turtle than in its final design.
Some keen-eyed Monster Hunter Rise fans may have noticed that Tetranadon is based on the Japanese kappa yokai, both in design and in concept. The early concept art shared on Twitter seems to show that this was a point of inspiration for quite some time, as many designs contain physical features of the kappa, like the dish on Tetranadon's head, as well as its turtle shell. In Japanese folklore, kappa are known to have a love for sumo wrestling, which ties directly into Tetranadon's wrestling-like behavior, and one sketch even seems to show a direct comparison to the mischievous yokai.
Tetranadon is one of the new monsters in Monster Hunter Rise, and upon its reveal, it became a quick favorite for many fans of the series. While many love the amphibious wrestler, the replies to Monster Hunter's tweet have been flooded with requests for the creatures shown off in Tetranadon's concept art to be made into their own official monsters.
Monster Hunter Rise just received its first major title update last week, adding the Elder Dragons Teostra, Kushala Daora, and Chameleos, as well as an unlocked Hunter Rank cap, Layered armor, and more. Another major update is set to release later this month, adding even more new monsters and a new ending to the game's story.
Monster Hunter Rise is now available for the Nintendo Switch. A PC release is slated for 2022.