Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild, a new animated movie from Capcom and Netflix, will be shown off on the streaming service on August 12, 2021. Featuring some familiar faces from the game series, both newcomers and veterans can enjoy it as a simple animated spin-off. However, there are five interesting things you need to know before you watch the movie, especially if you’re new to the franchise, the references to the games might go flying past your head.

1. A Project Three Years in the Making

Capcom actually announced the “computer-animated special” project back in July 2018 as a collaboration with American company Pure Imagination Studios, thanks to the success of the Monster Hunter: World launch on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It was originally set to be released sometime in 2019 with Joshua Fine (Ultimate Spider-Man) penning the script.

However, the company went radio silent throughout 2019. The concept art above was the only thing we got from the announcement. And with Monster Hunter: World ending its updates in November 2020, many believed that the project was quietly canceled. Then out of the blue, three years later (down to the same month) Netflix announced that it will be showing Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild as a 58-minutes long animated movie. This project also will be visual effect artist/supervisor Steven F. Yamamoto’s — who worked on CGI-heavy movies like the Transformers series and Deadpool 2 — first foray into a directorial seat.

2. What the Story of Monster Hunter Netflix Will be About

Both the Netflix page and YouTube description simply reads:

If you’re familiar with Monster Hunter games the summary won’t come as a surprise. In the games pretty much all you do is being hired as the titular monster hunter and you go hunt monsters. Rinse and repeat. The simplicity is welcomed with open arms by fans and any unnecessary twists would be hated — especially after the box-office bomb known as the theatrical version.

In Legends of the Guild, we follow the adventure of a young village boy Aiden who dreams of becoming a member of the Hunter’s Guild and a licensed monster hunter after he saw the Elder Dragon Lunastra destroy his village and kill his parents. Then while fighting off a raptor-like monster Velocidrome for his life, he met a veteran hunter, Julius. Julius, together with his team, teaches Aiden the ways of the hunters to fulfill his dreams: of becoming one as well as taking revenge on Lunastra.

Although you can obviously enjoy it as a stand-alone spin-off, it is actually a prequel to Monster Hunter: World and Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate as well. The main character, Aiden, shows up in both games as a more experienced monster hunter. And judging from the trailer, we will see his growth from a normal village boy into a full-fledged, but still new-to-his-job, hunter. And if it’s really going to be true to the source material, the Lunastra Aiden and his new hunter friends are hunting will just be a red-herring to the whole problem. Another yet to be seen and much more powerful Elder Dragon might be behind the destruction of his village. But we’ll see once the Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild movie is available to watch on Netflix.

3. List of Monsters Shown in the Monster Hunter Netflix Movie

Compared to the Monster Hunter movie from Paul W.S. Anderson, Legends of the Guild will let us feast on much more monster-on-monster/hunter action. From the trailer alone, we can see that at least nine monsters will show up through the 58-minutes duration of the movie:

  • Gargwa, a giant chicken. Debuted in the Japanese exclusive Monster Hunter Portable 3rd.
  • Velociprey, raptor-like carnivores.
  • Velocidrome, who hunts in a pack with Velocipreys. Both Velocis first show up since the first PS2 game in 2005.
  • Nerscylla, the spider. It first bares its fang in Monster Hunter 4.
  • Slagtoth, the herbivore punching bag. Also debuted in Monster Hunter Portable 3rd.
  • Tetsucabra, a frog-like monster with a huge lower jaw. First featured in Monster Hunter 4.
  • Deviljho, an always-hungry T-rex lookalike. Introduced in Monster Hunter tri for the Wii.
  • Congalala, a spiky-haired monkey who likes to pass gas. Introduced in Monster Hunter 2.
  • Lunastra, as the main big bad. Back in Monster Hunter 2, she was just a recolor of Teostra.

4. Now Meet The Hunters (and the Cast)

1. Aiden / Ace Cadet / Excitable A-lister

Our main character is Aiden, a happy-go-lucky young kid who became an orphan after an Elder Dragon attack. After that incident, he’s prepared himself every day to be a member of the Hunter’s Guild and dives into a sea of danger to become a true monster hunter. In Monster Hunter 4 you first meet him in the nomadic town of Val Habar after running a few errands from the Caravaneer, the leader of a group of traveling hunters and merchants. Turns out at that point of his life, Aiden is now a member of a secret hunter team tasked with tracking the Frenzy virus-spreading monster Gore Magala, called the Ace Hunters. He was often seen with Sword and Shield in his hands, a classic weapon from the first game.

According to the Monster Hunter: World: The Official Complete Work artbook, Aiden joined the Ace Hunters thanks to his uncanny ability to use and master any weapon type with ease. He also seems to have been blessed with an uncanny amount of good luck. He always managed to get rare materials out of many hunts he’s a part of and was able to make various items without wasting much time. Later he joined the Research Commission fleet and comes to the New World along with other “A-list hunters” in Monster Hunter: World. Last we saw he used a Heavy Bowgun (also from the first Monster Hunter) to help us face off against the all-powerful black dragon Fatalis.

Here he is voiced by Dante Basco, known for his roles as Rufio (Hook), Prince Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender), and Jake Long (American Dragon: Jake Long).

2. Julius / Ace Commander

Julis is a young Ace Hunter of the Hunter’s Guild that wields Dual Blades, a weapon first added to the Western release of the PS2 Monster Hunter. Through playing Monster Hunter 4‘s Village Quests, we learned that Julius was once a subordinate of a veteran hunter known as the Master. However, after a Rathian hunt turned into a Kushala Daora attack, the Master was injured and forced to retire.

While he left Julius as the new leader of the Ace Hunters, Julius himself was burdened with guilt, partly due to his decision that their hunt went awry. Since then, aside from investigating the Frenzy virus, he made hunting one particular Kushala Daora his lifelong mission. Brando Eaton (Vince Blake, Zoey 101; Griffin, The Secret Life of the American Teenager) is the man behind his voice.

3. Nadia / Ace Gunner

A friendly person and highly experienced with Bowguns, it is said that Nadia has the “best eyes” for hunting out of all the Aces. Her marksman eyes can analyze things from great distances like an eagle surveying for prey — even spotting the invisible Elder Dragon Chameleos from far away if needed to. In Legends of the Guild, she seems to be using a Light Bowgun (also from the first game), but in Monster Hunter 4 she used a Heavy Bowgun.

Both Nadia and Julius trained under the same Master, thus both are bound by an unbreakable chain of trust. She supports her allies and has a counselor-like role within the team, especially to Julius. She is one of the few people that actually truly understand Julius’s mood and feelings, some end up calling her the “Ace Commander’s Big Sister”. G. K. Bowes (Laura, Street Fighter V) is filling in as her voice actress.

4. Lea / Serious Handler

Also known simply as the Serious Handler back in Monster Hunter: World. She is a member of the Research Commission that was formed to investigate the Elder Crossing, a once-in-a-decade event when Elder Dragons trek across the sea to travel to migrate to the New World. She has a sharp mouth but has a cool-headed side and the ability to steer the conversation of the Hunters in the right direction. It seems Erica Lindbeck (Futaba Sakura, Persona 5) will reprise her role from the game version into the animated movie.

5. Mae – New to Monster Hunter Netflix Movie

An academic hunter who loves studying monsters, she records everything there is to know about monsters and speaks very quickly thanks to her knowledge and curiosity. Mae is skilled at observation, analysis, and hunting arts. In combat, she wields an Insect Glaive (debuted in Monster Hunter 4) along with her trusted Kinsect partner, Paisley.

6. Ravi

A burly, old blacksmith. He was once a skilled monster hunter in his youth, however, he was exiled from the Hunter’s Guild because he used hunting to fulfill his own desires. Ashamed of this past, he now lives a quiet life as a blacksmith. His expertise will be needed again when Aiden and his friends face off against the flame empress Elder Dragon Lunastra. In the trailer, Ravi is seen with Deviljho armor and a Great Sword, the iconic Monster Hunter weapon that has been around since the first title.

7. Gibson

A young, athletic, and confident hunter filled with passion and a strong way of speaking. In our world, he’s the type who would fit right like a glove in a university frat house.

8. Nox

Nox is a Melynx, a group of cat-like Lynian race that primarily works as a thief. Considered a fast-speaker even for a Melynx, he likes to trick others with his smooth-talking. Once danger approaches, he is quicker than anyone else to make a run for it. Although it is said that his slogan is “Time for plan boomerang!!”, let’s hope this sly Lynian still talks in cat-related puns. Stephen Kramer Glickman (Gustavo Rocque, Big Time Rush; The Night Time Show podcast co-host) plays Nox.

Other than the people mentioned, the voice casts also include Karen Strassman as Genovan/Ebbi, Brian Beacock as Navid, Katie Leigh as Elder Daazeel, Jay Preston as Mitul, as well as Ben Rausch, Caroline Caliston, and Dan McCoy for roles yet unnamed.

5. The Animation Style of Monster Hunter Netflix Movie Looks Similar to the Games Intros

Although the official promotional image and posters from Netflix look pretty bad (Ravi and Nox look really tacked on and weren’t supposed to be there, honestly), but fans instantly have high hopes for the movie. It isn’t just because of the lack of US Marines or the trailer promising all-out brawls between monsters and hunters. But it is also because of how the 3D movie looks eerily similar to the 3D animation style of past games’ pre-rendered intro cinematics, down to how the character models, textures, and the lighting look. Just watch Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate‘s intro above and compare it with the Legends of the Guild trailer. Hopefully, Legends of the Guild will be able to deliver the same nostalgic feeling players get from watching the beautifully directed game cutscenes.