Monster Hunter Nendoroid Rathalos

Goodsmile Company is finally returning to the Monster Hunter series after years of a dry spell. After releasing a series of Hunters in various armor sets, they have now decided to shift their focus toward the iconic monsters from the franchise, starting with none other than Rathalos. Scheduled for release in March 2027, Nendoroid Rathalos will sold for 8,900 yen.

I suppose this is partly a consequence of inflation, but this first Monster Hunter release after such a long break feels slightly pricey, especially since it is even more expensive than the DX version of the Rathalos Hunter. That said, the sculpt looks excellent, as expected from Goodsmile, and it comes with surprisingly similar gimmicks to its S.H.MonsterArts counterpart, including the ability to recreate the tail-cutting gimmick.Personally, I’ll probably skip this one since I already own the S.H.MonsterArts Rathalos. However, I wouldn’t mind picking up an Azure Rathalos version if Goodsmile ever releases one.

More importantly, I’m curious whether Rathalos is simply a one-off return to the Monster Hunter franchise or the beginning of a broader monster-focused lineup. If Goodsmile decides to expand this niche, there are certainly plenty of monsters that could make for interesting Nendoroid releases.