In many stories of epic proportions, the villain (or central antagonist) is one of grand stature. The scheming chess master, the indomitable general, the mustache twirling ne’er-do-well. However, in a select few stories, the conflict instead focusing on an antagonistic character with a much more personal vendetta with the hero. Some key part of their respective character arcs has entwined their destinies.
They seek the same thing…thus, they become rivals.
When handled properly, a strong rival makes for an incredible antagonist. They’re someone who is diametrically opposed to the protagonist, and yet they aren’t usually evil in the “Saturday morning cartoon villain” type of way. Sometimes they’re downright affable. Regardless of their personality, rivals are constantly clashing with the hero, the two sides making themselves stronger through each encounter, until one victor inevitably stands alone.
Plenty of video games feature rival antagonists. The Sonic the Hedgehog series has Shadow. Devil May Cry has Vergil. Super Mario has Wario. And, of course, the most obvious example lies in Pokémon, in which every single game in the series has a rival (admittedly, only Gary and Silver could realistically count as antagonists).
One game in particular isn’t regularly brought up when the conversation steers towards video game rivals (and normally conversations so frequently veer into that territory, don’t they?). It is my belief that this specific game deserves significantly more attention for its presentation of a rival antagonist, and how that antagonist manages to both lift a standard cliched story to higher heights than it ever could’ve reached on its own, and gives the player a continual threat to strive toward overcome.
That game is Monster Hunter 4, and that rival is the Gore Magala.
Monster Hunter games aren’t known for their stories, and that’s a fair enough assessment. Nearly every single-entry boils down to the same pattern: so-and-so monster is causing trouble, kill it, okay thanks now kill another one. Monster Hunter Generations is a particularly egregious example of this cookie-cutter storytelling. Granted, Monster Hunter games don’t really necessitate award winning narratives, as their gameplay is what carries the series.
Monster Hunter 4 didn’t quite get that memo, and decided to blow the trend of previous entries in the series out of the water by introducing a genuinely well-crafted story mode. While it still places heavy emphasis on travelling from location to location and decimating the local ecosystem, the narrative is anchored by the presence of a single monster instead of a gaggle of horned goons.
Early in the story, you and your ragtag gang of hunter friends are riding around in your whale-shaped boat, assisting the denizens of the Monster Hunter world with slaying pests and gathering supplies. It’s all fun and games, but there’s a storm on the horizon. Talking to the citizens of each town reveals a dark and foreboding mystery. Some unknown monster is making its way towards the continent, and it’s taking the lives of everything in its path.
Wanting to get more info on this mysterious beast, you and your crew hop on your boat and sail off to a small coastal town where a wise old elder lives. Unfortunately, on the way there, a cacophonous thunderstorm hits. As the lightning crackles and the waves roll, you just barely spot a shadowy blot moving across the horizon. It grows closer and closer, until the hughmongus shape lands on your boat.
It’s the Gore Magala, come to claim more innocent lives.
Terrified, but left with no other options, you rush your friends below decks and fight the beast. It’s the strongest foe you’ve battled thus far, and most of your attacks bounce off its thick scales. It emits a purple cloud of smoke that afflicts you with a frenzied curse. Even after you land a direct shot with your cannonball, Gore Magala just keeps coming.
This would be the end of the game, if it wasn’t for the timely appearance of the Ace Hunters, the strongest group of hunters from the mainland. Only by literally ramming the prow into the Gore Magala’s chest do they knock it from your boat and drive it off. You and your crew are hurt, but alive, and you return to shore to rest. You can’t quite shake the image of the Gore Magala as it flew off. It almost looked like it stared right at you before fleeing.
The Gore Magala makes one heck of an entrance for new players. No battle has been this cinematic so far, and you’ve certainly not been challenged so severely that you didn’t even stand a chance of triumphing. As you lick your wounds and upgrade your gear back in town, most players are already contemplating the inevitable second showdown with the creature. If you’re smart, you’re scared.
Your fears are proven to be well-founded, as a bit later into the game the Ace Hunters are sent out to kill the Gore Magala, only to fail. You receive an urgent distress message that they need extraction, and so you rush out to the rescue. Pulling a B.D.H. moment straight out of Firefly, you charge into the field and hold off the Gore Magala until the Ace Hunters can escape.
This is your second encounter with the creature, and you’re only marginally stronger. You, as the hunter, are a bit wiser and a bit more prepared. You, as the player, are quicker at dodging the beast’s blows, and know how to avoid its frenzy smoke. You don’t do too well, but enough to secure the retreat. As you flee, you mark the creature with a tracker. You know the final fight is coming soon.
Sure enough, after a few more hours of hunting and training, the day has arrived. With your best gear and weapons, you follow your tracker and hunt down the Gore Magala, catching it by surprise. Everyone back in town is counting on you to end this monster’s life and return victorious. The Gore Magala, too, bellows ferociously, eager to snuff the life from the most stubborn prey its ever battled.
Your full fight with the Gore Magala is a sight to behold. It’s a lengthy struggle that will most likely deplete your stock of healing items, and you may even be knocked out once or twice. However, everything in the game has prepared you for this moment. Your two previous bouts taught you nearly all of its moves and techniques. You’ve been given every tool you need to win, and, as the player, it’s all in your hands now.
You slay the beast, return home to a joyous feast, and celebrate your victory. In the game (and probably in real life too), you pump your fist and laugh.
Except…you celebrated too soon.
The Gore Magala was only playing dead. Sneaking off after you left the scene, the Gore Magala proceeds to molt, shedding its dark scales and bursting forth into brilliant light. Like a caterpillar emerging from a chrysalis, the Gore Magala has evolved into the Shagaru Magala.
The newly awoken Shagaru Magala wastes no time flying to the highest peak of the land, Heaven’s Mount, and raining frenzy smoke down across the continent. The smoke infects hundreds of monsters, surging them into an uncontrollable fury. Towns across the continent are ransacked and destroyed by the wave of monsters. Shagaru Magala simply sits atop its mountain throne, content as the king of the land.
You, meanwhile, can’t let this stand. Watching the frenzy smoke at work makes it abundantly clear that your nemesis is still alive, and though you aren’t sure how quite yet, you are determined to stop it once and for all. The final act of the game involves taking out the frenzied monsters, both to save innocent townspeople and also to slowly develop a cure for the frenzy virus.
Cure in hand, you steel yourself for your final quest. Each of your stalwart companions offer you hopeful prayers and solid advice. Your best friend places his hand upon your shoulder and tells you that he believes in you. It’s all come down to this, and as you scale Heaven’s Mount, it becomes clear as day that either you or Shagaru are walking away from this…but not both.
Reaching the summit brings forth the greatest cutscene in all of Monster Hunter 4. You and the Shagaru square up for battle, but then it recognizes you. The Shagaru’s posture relaxes, and instead of roaring it paces towards you. You and the monster of death walk a circle around each other, taking in the measure of each other’s strength. This is the prelude to your fourth duel, after all. Both of you know just how powerful and capable the other is.
If I haven’t made it clear enough, Shagaru/Gore Magala is a monster. A living creature incapable of speech or advanced thought. Even still, the amount of personality this monster effuses is incredible, and no where is that more apparent than this final cutscene. Shagaru is the king of all monsters, but in this final confrontation, it respects you and acknowledges your strength.
It isn’t holding anything back…and neither are you.
What follows is the greatest Monster Hunter battle of all time. Words don’t do it justice, and I’d highly recommend watching THIS if interested.
Suffice it to say, but you win. Shagaru falls, the skies clear to reveal brilliant day, and the frenzy smoke is no more. Your rivalry has ended, with you proving yourself as the superior battler.
When you return to town, it’s a bit different than before. The citizens are shouting for joy and throwing a feast, but your compatriots offer a gentler showing of praise. They know that what you’ve come back from is the sort of experience that changes a person. The fight that defines a hunter for their whole life.
The credits roll at this point, and I have to assume that your player character never forgets their most challenging and worthy of foes. A monster so great it lasted across four different confrontations, each one pushing the hunter to better themselves, and for the monster to unleash its full power. Not only that, but each encounter intuitively teaches the player how to improve at the game, and also gives them a further goal to strive for and overcome. There is growth in, and because of, the rivalry
Shagaru/Gore Magala, I love you. You scary, crazy monster, you.
But hey, that’s just my opinion!
The Contrarian Corner 