Heartwarming / Monster Hunter

Just because it's light on the plot and heavier on gameplay doesn't mean Monster Hunter can't have its share of genuine heartwarming moments.

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

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General

• Any time a fellow hunter manages to heal you right as a monster or a status effect (particularly poison or Fireblight) is about to finish you off. Or better yet, slays the monster that was about to send you back to camp, especially if the party's one more faint away from failure.
  • Flash Pods are perfect for moments like this. See the monster preparing a huge attack that's about to take out a teammate who can't get out of the way in time? Fire a Flash Pod, stun the monster and give your buddy a fighting chance.
• The Rathian Ecology video in ''G''. While other monster ecologies are about them performing displays of power or predation, the Rathian is shown feeding her young.
  • Though crossing a bit into Nightmare Fuel territory is the fact that Rathian and Rathalos are extremely protective parents. The second you touch an egg, they will know, and they will come from whatever part of the map they are currently on to kick your ass. Regardless, this video allows everything to make sense as to why the Rathian is such an overprotective mother in the first place.
• While the Guildmarm and Guild Sweetheart are often either making corny jokes or throwing jabs at the player, they'll nonetheless show real signs of concern for your well-being should you opt to select a particularly dangerous quest.
  Guild Sweetheart: Hey, Hunter?...Stay safe.
• The fact that many missions give you the option (or require you) to simply capture the monster in question instead of slaying it. There's something oddly sweet about the fact that, not only do you survive, but you spare the lives of what are essentially non-malevolent wild animals (albeit very aggressive ones).
  • One of the monsters you can do this with is the Brachydios, which the Guildmarm—who is head over heels for it—wants you to pay a visit with. Rather than crush her dreams by killing it, you can humor her for a bit by defeating it, but letting it live instead.
  • Because of the fact that you receive many rare and often times vital parts from the monsters as rewards after you capture them, there was a long-running fan theory that the monsters you captured were later slaughtered or vivisected for their parts. World josses this by having the Research Commission specifically state that captured monsters are briefly studied, used to train scoutflies so they can be better tracked, and ultimately released back into the wild with a tag just in case another Commission hunter captures it again. So, presumably the parts are just rewards held in storage, and you're not only advancing the cause of science and keeping a monster alive, you're also helping your fellow hunters by helping train their scoutflies. Triple the heartwarming! And on top of that, you can visit the monsters in a little pen area as they sleep, and most of them look rather peaceful and/or cute (with some exceptions, particularly the Odogaron).
    • Brute Wyverns in particular are adorable when asleep. They’re like giant dogs, wagging their tails and running in their sleep. Fitting considering the Brute Wyverns in World have traits associated with dogs. Rolling in mud (Barroth), excellent sense of smell (Anjanath), curling into a ball (Uragaan), and collecting bones (Radobaan). Said tail-wagging is surprisingly adorable on The Dreaded Deviljho of all things!

Third Generation

• In Tri, as you complete 5-star quests, when news comes around of the Ceadeus threatening to destroy Moga Village with its earthquakes, the Guild orders Moga Village to evacuate, you included. But do the villagers leave? Hell no, because all of the villagers, from the kids to the Chief himself, trust you and cheer you on to tear the Ceadeus a new one. The Guild Sweetheart puts her job on the line, even going as far as to lie to the Guild about the villagers evacuating, just so you can drive away the Ceadeus yourself. Which you do. Afterwards you get a cutscene of yourself coming back to Moga Village, with the villagers all thanking you personally for putting the plug on the disasters befalling the village and the island, thus ensuring peace for generations to come. The title of the cutscene? "Spoken of Forever."
• Go and use the "Lament" gesture in front of Cha-Cha and Kayamba and they will also lament in sympathy. It's nice to know how much they care for their "minion".
• Beating the Zinogre from Portable 3rd has the entire village celebrate by way of inviting everyone from the past games to the village for a massive summer festival. Faces old and new come in to relish in you vanquishing the monster, from captains to guildmasters and everyone in between. The credits even show how they got invited, a Felyne delivering the invitations as music and monsters from each game play in the background.

Fourth Generation

• The Ace Palico in 4 Ultimate may be a bit of a hardcase early on, what with him declaring that he's the Master and you're the Minion in the partnership. However, not only does he occasionally give you crafting items as gifts while blushing, the Guildmarm also eventually reveals that the Ace does regard you as his real Master all along.
• The Cowardly Palico from Cheeko Sands in 4, who speaks with a stutter, kindly asks you to do a series of side quests. You then find out about what happened to his old master. The last side quest requires you to defeat the same Akantor that his old master failed to hunt. The final reward? By defeating the Akantor, you give him back his courage, then he asks you to hire him and to be his new master.
  • The icing on the cake? As mentioned on the Wild Mass Guessing page, one of the other felynes on Cheeko Sands mentions finding a Message in a Bottle that simply said "Hunter with the Sword and Shield looking for Cheeko Sands" in a bit of minor dialogue. Since the Felyne Elder's husband used a Sword and Shield, as evidenced by the Heroic Blade he left behind on nearby Sunsnug Isle, it carries the implication that Whitescruff's master may still be alive and is trying to reunite with his family.
    • Confirmed in one of the G-Rank event quests, where the client, listed as Sword and Shield Hunter, asks you to slay "an old adversary", an Akantor. Said client says he's looking for a village, and that "someone is waiting for him".
• And even the generic Palicoes. Talk to your 1st Stringers in your room or Sunsnug Isle. The little fellas are over the moon you hired them and eager to live up to your expectations. One of their possible lines of dialog explains the Enthusiasm system, and considering the way they word it, it's not that deploying them with low enthusiasm irritates them - they're worried they won't be putting in 100% for you.
• The post beating Shagaru Magala cinematic from 4 has a few. The members of the Capital C Caravan take a little break from each other. Little Miss Forge goes back to Harth and has a big hug with her father. The Street Cook settles in Cheeko Sands and the island's population is lining up to eat his food. The Ace Palico and the Ace Lancer hunt as a pair for what must be the first time in quite a while.
• In 4, the High Questatrix, who you receive High Rank quests from in the Gathering Hall, is frequently trying to behave like an evil mastermind. She suggests that she sabotaged your transportation on multiple occasions, is known to laugh evilly at your misfortune, and will sarcastically tell you to come back safe. However, when it comes time to fight the Dalamadur, the High Questatrix tries to put on her usual evil mastermind show, but she stops because she simply can't pretend that she doesn't care about you when you're about to go off to slay a monster that's capable of such mass destruction. She has a very sweet heart to heart with you before begging you to come back safe, for real this time.
• In Generations, if you have a pet inside your house and save your game by sleeping on the bed, the pet will hop in to sleep next to you.
• The Moofahs in Generations can be petted, which leads to them making some pretty wriggly and happy reactions. When you finish petting one, you kiss it on the nose.
• One quest in 4 Ultimate requires you to catch a Khezu for someone's girlfriend. The reason? She finds them to be cute. Aww.
• In Generations Ultimate, there's a few discarded sheets from a sketchbook around where the Mewstress usually sits and stands. They're drawings of her and her beloved older sister, the Meowstress.
• Given that a number of players in Generations and Generations Ultimate have a tendency to harass Prowler players into changing out of Prowler Mode simply because the Prowler is not a Metagame "weapon", it's a welcoming relief for Prowler users to see "Prowlers welcome" as one of a given lobby's greeting messages.

Fifth Generation

• During the beginning of World, you are separated from your Palico by a surprise surfacing of an Elder Dragon right underneath the boat. Once you reach Astera, your Palico had washed ashore before you and is worried sick over you, asking the chefs at the Canteen for any news of their wayward master. Once they see you and your Handler, they are high over the moon with joy and runs over.
• World actually shows your hunter character interacting with their Palico partner, giving it a snack after a well fought hunt or even when just chilling in the tent. You can also take a moment to interact with the various pets you can choose to acquire through your journey while in your room; ranging from more classically cute ones like a hare-like animal to the more peculiar like a airborne jellyfish.
• World has some Fridge Heartwarming if you know the lore of Elder Dragons. Elder Dragons have hated humanity for centuries because of the crimes of the Ancient Civilization, which is the reason they attack hunters on-sight despite their higher intelligence. In World however, nearly every Elder Dragon is passive until you attack it (The only exceptions are the Kushala and Teostra in the assigned quests, who square up the Hunter before they fight, Nergigante which is just extremely violent already, Lunastra^note However given the fact that every time Lunastra is in a game Teostra is as well, she might just be protecting her mate., and Velkhana before its defeat in the assigned quest). It seems that the Elder Dragons have come to forgive humanity for the sins of the Ancient Civilization, knowing that they’ve now been given the respect they deserve.
• With the Version 4 update for World, Hunters are re-introduced to Lunastra, the female counterpart to Teostra. Although it was mentioned in background materials that Lunastra would travel together with a Teostra as a mated pair, but hardware and gameplay limitations in the past could never show them together in the same map. Come World, and those limitations are gone, and this bond between Lunastra and Teostra is in full display! Her introductory cutscene shows Lunastra bodyslamming Nergigante as it is about to attack an injured Teostra. She then stands protectively between her mate and the other Elder Dragon, and Nergigante becomes intimidated enough to give up and run away. After that, as the injured Teostra flies away, she stays behind to cover his escape and attacks the hunter. Later, when you have the quest to fight both Lunastra and Teostra at the same time, if they're both in the same area, they may engage in a 'bonding attack' and is the complete opposite to regular turf wars. They briefly take to the air in what looks like a coordinated courtship dance, spreading their respective dust all over each other, then create a synchronized explosion which hits the hunter HARD.
• In the Witcher 3 collaboration in World, you can save a Pukei-Pukei from some roots as Geralt. In the final phase of the Leshen fight, it reappears to aid him. If you manage to keep it alive, a cutscene plays showing the same Pukei-Pukei carrying a Grimalkyne on its back that attempts to reward Geralt for saving it. Pukei-Pukei pays its debts.
  • The fact that all the personnel of the Research Commission regard Geralt with sincere friendliness is heartwarming in and of itself. In Geralt's world, being a witcher means being regarded by most others with suspicion, disgust and even outright hostility. In Astera, he's afforded the utmost respect and the fact that he's a mutated human with strange magical powers doesn't even register. As far as they're concerned, he's no different from any other monster hunter. They even agree to pay him for his services in full and without any wheedling, like so many others in Geralt's world would. After all the crap that Geralt has to put up with back home, it must have felt nice to have people treat him as a fellow man.
• The Handler's words before you go to prevent Zorah Magdaros from inadvertently destroying the New World. "Well, it's time to see Zorah Magdaros off. We need to lead it out to sea where it can be at peace. It's the least we can do. After all, Zorah came here with us. It's one of the Fifth, as far as I'm concerned." Considering everything you've learned about the Elder Crossing to this point, and the... unfortunate history hunters and Elder Dragons have with one another, viewing the walking volcano as an honorary fleet member is strangely touching.
• A conversation with the Excitable A-Lister in World:
  "My handler says my head's in the clouds, but she's understating it. Forget the clouds. If she says she's glad she got stuck with me, I'm over the moon."
• Much like in World, the Rise hunter is able to interact with their animal companions in numerous ways:
  • At the end of the quests, a regular sight is your hunter eagerly meeting your Palamute's enthusiastic hug, and/or scratching them under their muzzle/behind the ears while riding them. Alternatively, they proudly look on to their Felyne's victory cheering, along with meet their fist-bump after a hard-fought battle. Then when not in combat, they can also do hand-shakes, play fetch, among other things that really builds the heartwarming factor.
  • Occasionally in end screens, the hunter will pull out their Wirebug companion, which will do a little fly-around before hovering above their hand.
  • Interacting with your Cohoot buddy in Rise allows you to carry it around with you in the village, feed and pet it to your heart's content. Unlike past pets, the Cohoot will never get mad at you no matter how many times in a row you pet it, and every time they're fed it may give you a cute nod, a 'smile' or even snuggle up to you lovingly. They may also be part of the quest end screens, whereupon it will fly down to your arm, and they are fed/praised for their important part in tracking down the monster(s).
    • If you feed your Cohoot before a quest, your Cohoot will come to greet you after you return at the village gates or exit the Gathering Hub after the quest is finished. It is purely aesthetic, but adorable nonetheless.
    • There's a special interaction you can trigger by sending your Cohoot to sit next to another Cohoot outside the Steelworks. Your Cohoot will land beside the second Cohoot and then sidle up to it before they begin nuzzling one another affectionately. The credits also show the two Cohoots sitting next to one another and snuggling in the same way.
• In Rise during the final battle against Narwa the Allmother, you are aided by none other than Magnamalo, the monster that was long feared by Kamura Village. While it's quickly beaten by Narwa, you can proceed to use Wyvern Riding to help Magnamalo deal massive damage to Narwa, after which it leaves to let you finish the job. It's both awesome and heartwarming that the flagship monster that once opposed you is now helping you fight against one of the most dangerous and malevolent monsters in the series.
  • In repeat fights, the monster that assists you could be Kushala Daora or Teostra instead. Even though Elder Dragons from the Old World are still hostile towards mankind, they're willing to put their grudge aside to help you stop something far worse.
• Kamura Village and its inhabitants are a colorful bunch who are always extremely friendly and encouraging towards the player character, constantly voicing their support and admiration at each stage of the journey. It really makes you feel like part of their Close-Knit Community when the villagers always speak of how they consider everyone in Kamura - your hunter included - as one big family.
  • The loading menu screen trivia mentions how Hinoa and Minoto are childhood friends and sisterly figures to the player character. Both twins speak incredibly familiarly and fondly with the player, and at the end of the main story campaign both will individually gush over the player's achievements and beg the player not to leave Kamura if they can help it because of how much they will miss them if it ever happens.
  • Some loading menu flavor text also remarks on how Guild Master Hojo was something like a grandfather figure to the player growing up and even now still dotes on them. During the campaign Minoto remarks on how worried Hojo acted whenever the player was sent on an urgent quest, and Hojo himself is always enthusiastic and encouraging whenever you speak to him in the Hub.
  • The player character is also shown to have quite a number of young fans in the village, who openly admire the player and are happy to see them whenever they pass by or stop to talk. Seihaku and Komitsu are two little kids who openly look up to the player as a role model, while the adolescent/young adult Yomogi and Iori view the hunter similarly like a cool older sibling whom they take a lot of inspiration from.
• The various residents of Kamura have backstories or sub-plots which contain a lot of touching moments or sweet details you can find out by talking to or observing them throughout the game.
  • Hamon the Blacksmith and his grandson Iori are first introduced as having something of a strained relationship. Hamon is looking after Iori while his parents are travelling abroad and expresses distant disapproval of his grandson's choice of profession as a Buddy Handler. The player finds out that some of Hamon's hesitance is due to a bad experience he had with a Canyne in his youth, but as the campaign progresses he eventually warms up to his grandson's line of work. In the credits the two are shown relaxing together with Iori's Palico and Palamute, where Hamon seems to be trying to work past his phobia and is seen tentatively petting the Palamute.
    • After beating the story campaign when you chitchat with Hamon and Iori each can separately ask the player to join them for dinner one day, both also humorously mentioning how meals are still a little awkward between the two of them but they are trying.
  • Ayame is a hunter you first find moping around in the Gathering Hub, lamenting the potential end of her hunting career after she sustained a serious injury making her incapable of wielding heavy hunting weapons. After participating in a few Rampages during the story campaign, Ayame reveals that she discovered she is still able to wield bowguns and wants to learn how to use the Light Bowgun so she might be able to return to the field. By the end of the campaign she speaks with a lot more enthusiasm and talks about how she's training hard and can't wait to get back onto the field one day.
    • At one point Ayame mentions how she found out Minoto created a personalized list of quests especially for Ayame in order to help her train and ease back into active hunting after her convalescence. Ayame is as touched as she is surprised since she didn't even ask - Minoto simply heard of her problem and wanted to help her.
    • One conversation has Ayame mention that Hamon even made her a custom Bowgun on request to start her off. Even though she finds the Toadversary-themed design he used a little odd, she says that she'll cherish it anyway.
  • Kagero the Merchant and Zenchi the Doctor have an unusual acquaintanceship where the normally lazy Zenchi will help Kagero advertise whenever there is a sale at the market by dancing and banging a drum in front of his cart. Kagero explains in one chitchat dialogue that Zenchi saved his life when he turned up at the village grievously injured one day, and since then they've been friends and Zenchi helps him out on sale days.
  • Shiika the Poet is a minor NPC who initially starts out being a little snooty towards the player, at one point offhandedly insulting their intelligence and reciting her Haiku which initially come off as a little mocking or dismissive of the player. However as time goes on she softens up and by the end of the story campaign she has written a more sincere haiku in praise of the player's achievements.
  • The Puppy Love subplot between childhood friends Komitsu and Seihaku is full of both funny and cute moments, especially when you learn the full story and can see how their interactions and dialogue changes over the course of the game.
    • In the beginning the two seem at odds with how cranky Seihaku acts around Komitsu, but Komitsu is always brushing his teasing off with her usual cheer. Seihaku's crush is obvious when he starts Verbal Backpedaling around his not-so-subtle slips about his infatuation, which include him mentioning how he wants to hold Komitsu's hand and protect her if they need to run to safety during the Rampage. His later dialogues have him stop trying (or not realizing/forgetting) to correct himself, showing he might be getting closer to working out his feelings.
    • Seihaku can sometimes be found happily eating a candy apple from Komitsu's stall while hanging around his own riceball stand.
    • One dialogue from the attendant at the Training Area mentions how Seihaku is trying to learn how to use the Bow because he wants to emulate the player, whom he idolizes, as well as hoping to impress Komitsu by showing his dedication and bravery.
    • In later stages of the game Seihaku and Komitsu can sometimes be found sitting together with Hinoa in the plaza, where they are each eating a riceball and candy apple from the other's stall.
    • The story behind how Seihaku's crush on Komitsu first began is extremely touching: Both kids once became lost in the Shrine Ruins together where they were cornered by monsters and forced to hide. Seihaku was terrified but Komitsu held him and never stopped smiling and comforting him in spite of her own fear. Since then Seihaku came to admire Komitsu's courage and never-ending cheer, but became worried that she now saw him as 'weak' after seeing him so scared that time, hence why he's so shy around her and Cannot Spit It Out.
• Sometimes when you load into Elgado's hub, you can randomly encounter Hinoa, Minoto and Utsushi near the Tea Shop, having come all the way from Kamura to visit you while you were away. As most players who go into Master Rank will likely become permanently based in Elgado's hub during Sunbreak, it's lovely to be able to see some familiar faces from home again to remind you of where your journey began.
  • Talking to them has them remark on how much they missed you but also how happy they are to be able to see you. It's especially touching since these three NPCs are established as being particularly close to the player character and they were previously the most upset about the prospect of your hunter leaving Kamura before the events of Sunbreak, but now they can visit you any time they like.
• Hinoa and Minoto have a cute interaction where sometimes if both of them are visiting Elgado together, Minoto may sometimes be found sitting next to Hinoa and sharing a plate of dango with her.
• Utsushi makes an unlikely friend in Pasapato the Wyverian Historian who is usually found in the Tea Shop. Pasapato mentions that Utsushi is one of a few people interested in his work and appreciates Utsushi's interest and companionship. Sometimes when Utsushi is visiting, he can be found on his usual perch high above the Tea Shop with Pasapato on his shoulders.
  • If Pasapato is on Utsushi's shoulders in the hub and the player character tries to send their Cohoot to menace Utsushi like you can do, Pasapato will intercept the Cohoot swoop and calmly let it perch on his cane before sending the Cohoot back on its way peacefully. Utsushi gets a break from the Cohoot terror at last!
• Supy's interactions with the various other NPCs in Elgado, such has having Oboro read them a book or giving flowers to Chichae, is a veritable fountain of heartwarming moments in Sunbreak. If you interact with an NPC he's talking to, he'll set his conversation aside to look at you with a wholesome smile as you use the NPC's menu.
• The baby Snowy Cohoot you can find in Elgado's Outpost is nothing short of pure heartwarming and cuteness fuel. Your character can feed it as many times as they like and it will always be happy to see them, jumping around and chirping for joy after each meal.
• After hunting with Fiorayne and Rondine, the former will admit that their time away from each other has made it hard for her to talk with her sister. She then proceeds to thank the player for hunting with both of them to keep things from getting too awkward. Later on, Rondine will often be seen visiting Fiorayne in Elgado, showing that the sisters are slowly reconnecting.
• It's subtle and easily missable, but during the Urgent Quest against Amatsu, several small aspects - the item-carving/item pick-up sound effect, meat-roasting jingle, etc - aren't the normal 5th gen versions you're accustomed to hearing throughout Rise; they're the older gen versions. Between that and the nod to the Amatsu/Zingore lore, it's a nice subtle, yet heartfelt homage to the older games.
  • From the same quest, there's the heartfelt, tearful thanks that Yomogi gives to Kagero when he tries to go fight the Elder Dragon. At this point, Yomogi had already found out that she was a princess whose life was saved by the merchant, but her main thanks aren't simply just for that, but for helping her set up her life running the tea shop in Kamura, which shows how much she values the village as her home.
• When fighting against Primordial Malzeno, Fiorayne comes to realize that Malzeno - whom she's regarded as a threat to her Kingdom, and the latest legend about it bringing calamity bringing that sentiment close to the surface - isn't actually their enemy; he's hunting the Qurio themselves, and they had all jumped the gun in trying to kill him. So when they repel Malzeno and see him fighting the Qurio, they help him out, and afterward Malzeno takes the time to regard them in thanks before flying off into the sunset. For the first time in a Monster Hunter game, our final story hunt is us saving a monster.
• Taking Followers with you leads to a lot of these in their dialogue. If you bring Hinoa and Minoto with you, for example, Minoto will attempt to declare her intent to protect her sister, only to be cut off by Hinoa, who kindly tells her to loosen herself up, since she's just glad for the opportunity to go out together with the Kamura Hunter.

Spin-Offs

• The Spin-Off game Monster Hunter: Stories focuses on not hunting the monsters, but on the bond between monsters and Riders (people who are able to tame and ride monsters). Zinogre? Rathalos? Even the Kirin? Now they can be your loyal companions.
  • The very first time Ratha is met quickly sets the mood for the rest of the game. The main party manage to hatch a Rathalos egg and meet the subsequent hatchling up close. The hatchling roars and suddenly lunges toward the player character, prompting the others to shout for him to look out... and instead of attacking as expected is cuddling the player instead.
• Not only does the Spin-Off Arcade game Monster Hunter: Spirits allow you to team up with various monsters, but it also features baby monsters as well. And,◊ they◊ are◊ adorable.
  • Ladies and gentlemen, behold the Baby Deviljho!◊

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