Line #124 VideoGame/MonsterRancher


1	[[quoteright:188:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MR_4_8735.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:188:[[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore American MR4 is Hardcore]]]]
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4	[floatboxright:
5	* Anime:
6	** Anime/MonsterRancher
7	* Main series:
8	** ''Monster Rancher''/ ''Monster Farm''
9	** ''Monster Rancher 2''
10	** ''Monster Rancher 3''
11	** ''Monster Rancher 4''
12	** ''VideoGame/MonsterRancherEVO''/''Monster Farm 5''
13	** ''Monster Rancher Advance''
14	** ''Monster Rancher Advance 2''
15	** ''Monster Farm DS''
16	** ''Monster Rancher DS''/''Monster Farm DS 2''
17	** ''Monster Rancher Online''
18	** ''My Monster Rancher''
19	** ''Monster Rancher POP''
20	** ''Monster Rancher POP 2''
21	** ''Monster Farm Travel''
22	** ''LINE: Monster Rancher''
23	* SpinOff games:
24	** ''VideoGame/MonsterRancherHopABout''
25	** ''VideoGame/MonsterRancherBattleCardGame''
26	*** ''Monster Rancher Battle Card Game Episode II''
27	** ''Monster Rancher Explorer''
28	** ''Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher''
29	]
30
31	Take the {{Mons}} fad of the late Nineties and early Noughties. Throw it into a [[SimulationGame simulation/management game]]. Add an action-oriented battle system unlike just about anything else out there, a unique method of obtaining monsters, and some [[NintendoHard truly unforgiving gameplay]]. [[GenreBusting Put it all in a blender and press "puree."]] Season to taste with a few odd RPG elements, and you have the ''Monster Rancher'' series in a nutshell.
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33	''Monster Rancher'' (known as ''Monster Farm'' in Japan) is a console and handheld RPG franchise that combines the heart-pounding battling action and raiseable critters of a {{Mons}} series with the strategy and challenge of a simulation and management game. The premise of most games? You, the player, have recently become a "monster breeder"--someone who raises and trains monsters to fight. Monster battles are an extremely popular sport, and there's good money in raising strong monsters and winning lots of battles. You have a farm or ranch, and every week, you and your monster engage in activity. You can train them by putting them through exercise routines, go battle, and, occasionally, go on adventures to various regions. The ultimate goal? ToBeAMaster and win the ultimate cup of the game, whatever that may be. But nothing lasts forever, and eventually, your epic monster will grow old and die--you can either retire them, or "fuse" them into a new, baby monster and start again. Although a few games have deviated from the basic formula, in every ''Monster Rancher'' game, you'll find certain traits.
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35	The series has gained some renown among gamers for its extremely unique means of obtaining monsters. Rather than running out and catching them or raising them to evolve into other creatures, you create monsters from ordinary [=CDs=] and [=DVDs=]. By reading "subcode data" off of [=CDs=], games in the ''Monster Rancher'' franchise create monsters from pretty much any disc you can stuff into your [=PlayStation=]. Certain discs even unlock specific rare monsters, often ones that play off the content of the CD or DVD. The UpdatedRerelease of 1 and 2 emulate this method by a database of CD names that the player enters the name of instead of inserting. When the series progressed to the Game Boy Advance, it switched to using "passwords," combinations of letters and numbers. And when the series went to the Nintendo DS, it got ''three'' new methods of monster creation: Sound (by using the DS microphone), drawings (using the DS touchscreen), and, in a nod to the originals, by reading the data found on GBA carts in the DS's GBA slot.
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37	Another thing about ''Monster Rancher'' games? They're hard. ''[[NintendoHard Really]]'' hard. This is partially due to their depth--despite looking fairly simple, there's a ''lot'' that goes on in the background. Due to the legendary difficulty and important mechanics not being told to the player, the series became a cult classic overseas, though it remains fairly popular in Japan. It also had an [[Anime/MonsterRancher anime adaptation]] that ran from 1999-2001.
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39	The first and the second game would be bundled together as ''Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX'' and was released on Nintendo Switch, PC and [=iOS=], and after a period of [[NoExportForYou being Japanese-exclusive]], a localized version arrived on December 2021. Following this, ''LINE: Monster Rancher'' [[https://www.siliconera.com/line-monster-rancher-opening-features-classic-monsters/ was announced]] for mobile devices in 2022, featuring classic monsters that could be generated through LINE friend lists. 2022 also saw a collaboration with Creator/BandaiNamco resulting ''Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher'', basically a ''Monster Rancher'' game where the monsters are instead [[Franchise/UltraSeries the gigantic Kaijus that fought against various Ultraman heroes.]]
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41	Not to be confused with [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter Monster]] ''[[VideoGame/MonsterHunter Hunter]]''. If you should find Hunters on your Ranch, be prepared for some ''intense'' territorial disputes. Also not to be confused with ''VideoGame/MonsterRacers'', which is a racing game, or ''VideoGame/MonsterRacer'', which is a mascot racer, or with ''Videogame/SlimeRancher'' which is about raising slimes. Despite the identical Japanese name, it is not to be confused with ''WesternAnimation/MonsterFarm'' either.
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43	''VideoGame/MonsterRancherEVO'', ''VideoGame/MonsterRancherHopABout'' and ''VideoGame/MonsterRancherBattleCardGame'' have their own pages, as does the [[Anime/MonsterRancher Monster Rancher anime]].
44
45	----
46	!!The games provide examples of:
47
48	* ActionCommands: They're not quite standard "action commands," but the battle system ''is'' action-oriented without the games being full-on action-{{RPG}}s.
49	* AfterTheEnd: In the distant past, there was a horrible disaster that caused the gods to send down monsters to help people. Some monster descriptions (especially in ''2'') suggests that the "ancient age" was, in fact, our own. Other games, however, don't seem to have this, and are just set in an AnachronismStew world of their own.
50	* AgeLift: Fleria, ''3'''s assistant, was originally a little girl. The US version turned her into a teenager while keeping her childishly demanding personality and the subplot about the amount of Tochikan breeders dwindling in recent years.
51	* AgentScully: Colt is skeptical of Metalners until she sees firsthand proof that they exist.
52	* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore:
53	** Fleria, the assistant from ''3'', was aged up for the US release.
54	** The more typical cover art variation appears too. The most noticeable is for ''Monster Rancher 4''. The Japanese cover is cute, bright, and colorful--just the protagonist running with an array of monsters. The American cover has a Suezo glaring intensely at us with a blocky picture of the protagonist and some monsters in his eye, set to a black background.
55	* AnimatedArmor: The Durahan species.
56	* AntlionMonster: If you send a monster out on errantry in the desert themed area, the third hazard it needs to get past is a "Giant Antlion". If it succeeds, it manages to run up the sides of the sand pit, if it fails, it falls into it.
57	* ArtEvolution: Some of the monster's designs have changed so many times, it's hard to figure out which is the "canonical" version. Many monsters have gone through an art shift or two, but there are some standouts.
58	** Mew's original form had a much smaller head, looked as much like a bear as it did a cat, and was called "Nya." Later games flip-flopped between just how "plush" it was--it went from "not very plush at all" (such as in ''3'' and ''Advance 2'') to having a gingham pattern, and its button eyes fluctuated between designs.
59	** Plants originally had three flower heads, with a much different, 3-petaled design, as well as a barely-visible mouth. Later Plants had just one, giant flower, with five petals and a prominent cat smile.
60	** Golems have ranged from having a very humanoid, Egyptian mask-like face to a simple, flat rock with eyes on it, to many in-between looks. In some games, the rock parts of its limbs visibly float apart, while it others, it's fully connected unless it's doing a special attack.
61	** Color Pandoras were originally depicted as one big caterpillar, with the three "parts" of it only splitting up for certain attacks. It had small noses and more generally "cute" faces. The version in ''3'' split it up into three parts, and was even cuter, with no noses at all. Later games gave them huge noises, and significantly [[{{Gonk}} cut back on the cute.]]
62	** Joker is the most variable one of the lot, changing almost completely from its first incarnation--where it was mostly corporeal, and had a MonsterClown face--to its second, where it became a floating spirit with FloatingLimbs and a blank mask face. Then ''that'' changed into a fierce, floating humanoid head.
63	* ArtificialStupidity: In any battle where your monster is forced to "fight for itself," without your instructions--well, let's just say you'll swear they were never that dumb when ''you'' were training them.
64	* ArtShift: ''Monster Rancher 3'' is the first entry to drastically redesign the monsters' appearance, skewed towards [[{{UsefulNotes/Kawaisa}} Kawaii]]. Perhaps best represented by the Jells, which went from humanoid slimes to 'cuddly' balls of goo that are actually its true form.
65	* AwesomeButImpractical: Due to their high cost and frequently low accuracy, super-powerful moves tend to be a lot less effective overall than smaller moves used more frequently.
66	* BackstoryHorror: The first 2 games downplay this trope, but there're mentions of ancient wars and disasters that threatened the land and resulted in a lot of technology becoming lost. 4 and EVO play it up a bit more by having the protagonist stop such wars from recurring, usually by defeating whatever being started it.
67	* BlindIdiotTranslation: Various games across the series have had translation quirks, but the standout is probably ''Battle Card'' for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor--the whole thing is a mess of pea-souper Engrish.
68	** Monster Rancher 2 had quite a few, including such gems as "I wonder it buds the flower?".
69	* BloodKnight: Jokers often ask you to participate in fights, and enjoy it thoroughly. Also Nagas and any monster whose Like trait is fixated on battles.
70	* [[HairColorDissonance Body Armor Color Dissonance]]: In official art, and in the Game Boy Advance games, Zans are depicted as being a teal color (and in the GBA games, even create dark teal hybrids). However, in the console games, Zans and their hybrids are ''black!'' We don't get it either.
71	* BoringButPractical:
72	** Spamming your opponent with many smaller moves can be more effective than trying to pull off big ones. The downside of this is that you need to be accurate, or you won't be able to KO the enemy fast enough.
73	** Withering tactics. Using guts burning moves to make your opponent unable to attack or only able to attack with low-class moves.
74	* {{Bowdlerize}}:
75	** Kato's affinity for booze was changed to olive oil.
76	** A Golem/??? monster in ''2'', New Bottle, was a beer bottle with arms and legs. The American and PAL releases changed it to [=ForwardGolem=], a football player.
77	* BreakoutCharacter:
78	** Moo was a ??? species of Dragon in 2. After being used as the BigBad of the anime, he appeared in several other games, including ''Battle Card Episode II'' as a secret card and ''EVO'' and ''Lagoon'' as the final boss.
79	** The Phoenix, while legendary and fairly easy to raise, was just another monster in 2. After being used as the BigGood of the anime, it reappeared in other games as a highly important figure, most notably ''Battle Card Episode II'' and ''4''.
80	** Holly, the assistant in ''1'', has appeared by far the most times. Besides her original appearance, she's been a main character in the anime, an NPC in ''2'' and the Battle Card games, your assistant in the Advance games, and an NPC and unlockable assistant in the DS games. In comparison, Colt shows up in ''2'', a single anime episode, the Battle Card games, and DS, Fleria is seen in ''''and mentioned in ''1'' and ''4'', and Rio, Nayuta and Cleo don't appear at all after their debuts.
81	* BreakTheHaughty: Errow, the errantry attendant in ''2'', starts out smug and dismissive... until you start climbing ranks. By the end he's become a complete sycophant.
82	* BrutalBonusLevel: ''4'' has +Adventures, harder versions of the original adventures, with all S-class monsters.
83	* ButHeSoundsHandsome:
84	* CallASmeerpARabbit: In Advance 2 the villain Geras has been sending fake strays to attack other ranches and cripple the competition. When Holly confronts him about this, he just says that he doesn't know what she is talking about. But then adds that there is no rule about it, and whoever would have thought about it is a clever guy.
85	** The Tiger is a blue wolf with horns, not feline at all. Its name comes from a mistranslation of "Taiga," an icy biome.
86	** Further confusion stems from the Japanese name of Hare. There, it's called "Ham," short for Hamster, but even its early designs were still clearly a rabbit.
87	* TheCameo: Holly, the first game's breeder's assistant, appears as a monster breeder herself in the second game to fight you.
88	* CanonWelding: ''Ultra Kaiju'' is very clearly set in the same universe as the rest of the franchise, only it now establishes Kaiju as a monster type... who are all famous monsters from the ''Ultraman'' series, implying that the two share continuity.
89	* {{Cap}}: Your monster's stats usually cap at 999. In newer games, they can go as high as 2000, but your monster's stats then have a ''combined stat cap.''
90	* CaptainErsatz: As mentioned above, there're quite a few monsters with rare sub-breeds based on various characters from other Tecmo games. Practically everything about Doodle is taken straight from Tecmo's 1995 arcade game Ganbare Ginkun, where the protagonist and BigBad were recycled into Doodle and Sketch respectively, while the objects in the minigames became the breed's weapons.
91	* CheatedAngle: Doodle is supposed to be a flat stick figure, but there will be many times where you will see its sprites from a side angle, just as thick and round as ever.
92	* CherryTapping: Spamming accurate but less powerful moves is an effective way to win, especially if they can Wither away Guts.
93	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome:
94	** Unlike Pokemon, which adds old monsters to new ones, Monster Rancher shuffles its cast around, with some monsters vanishing (and others [[ContinuityNod suddenly reappearing after a long absence]]). With 71 total breeds and only about 20-30 coded into each game, odds are that your favorite monster won't be available in a new game, unless you happen to like only the mascots Suezo, Tiger, Mocchi, Pixie, Hare, and Golem.
95	** Quite possibly the most bizarre case of this is ''Advance 1''--Hare, considered the most popular monster in Japan and one of the series' staples, ''wasn't present!'' It was back and good as new for ''Advance 2,'' though.
96	* CleavageWindow: A standard part of the Pixie attire.
97	* CloneDegeneration: Sueki Suezo in ''2'' dies after only one week, and is stated to be a man-made monster based on Suezo.
98	* ComboPlatterPowers: Some monsters have an unusual combination of abilities. Mocchi is probably the most obvious of these, given how it's a JackOfAllStats--it can change size, has a dangerous lick attack, summons magical cherry blossom winds, ''and'' can shoot [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]].
99	* CompanyCrossReferences: By using other Tecmo games as spawners, you can unlock monsters modeled after [[VideoGame/{{Deception}} Ardebaran]], [[VideoGame/FatalFrame Miku Hinasaki]], Doctor Dance from ''Unison'', [[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive Kasumi]], and many others.
100	%% * TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: "That move only had a 25% chance of hitting! How'd he pull it off ''three times in a row?!''"
101	%% ** Similarly, "My move has 90% chance of hitting! How come it misses?"
102	* TheComputerIsALyingBastard: In ''2'', when doing the Errantry jobs for your monster, the headmaster says that you can capture a particular wild monster if your own monster manages to defeat it. However, this is never featured in the game, as the monster always escapes and you only get its data card.
103	* ContinuingIsPainful: Although you won't necessarily get kicked out of a tournament if your monster is KO'd (unless it's explicitly a tier-style tournament), your monster may get severely injured if it's KO'd, and drop out of subsequent matches. In extreme cases, it can even ''die''.
104	* ContinuityNod: Lots of references to earlier games in the series pop up throughout the games, and species that haven't been heard from in several games may suddenly be referenced (or even become available) again.
105	** ''[[VideoGame/MonsterRancherEvo EVO]]'s'' ExpositionFairy is Bajarl--a monster who hasn't been seen since ''[=MR2=]'' on the original Platform/PlayStation.
106	** In the first ''Monster Rancher Advance'' game, you can get a White Mocchi by using the password "Most"--the name of the infamous White Mocchi OptionalBoss in ''2.'' Same case with "Pabs", from the name of Most's owner.
107	** The code "Tesla" produces White Suezo as a nod to Poritoka, the OptionalBoss in 2.
108	** In ''2,'' it's stated that a dragon called "Ragnaroks" was responsible for the destruction of the ancient world. In ''Advance 2,'' you get to raise a monster version of TheChosenOne to fight it and keep it from destroying the world again.
109	** ''Ultra Kaiju'' obviously features a lot of references to the ''Ultraman'' series, but features a ton to Monster Rancher as well. Holly is your assistant, and she mentions raising a Suezo. Colt also appears as a rival breeder representing iMA, and your main character can react with surprise upon both returning characters showing up. In addition, while only Mocchi [[spoiler:and Suezo]] appear as returning breeds, rare subtypes for certain Kaiju reference monsters from the past games, including Garu and Piroro, from ''4'' and ''EVO''.
110	* CreepyDoll: Wracky from 2. The first time you get it, your assistant not only is freaked out by its appearance but is quite disapproving of its character. Even better, she names it Charles, a ShoutOut to ''Film/ChildsPlay.''
111	* CriticalHit: Critical hits tend to happen most with 'sharp' moves, and have an increased chance based on your monster's Fame.
112	* CrutchCharacter:
113	** Parodied with the man-made clone Sueki Suezo in 2. It has maxed out life and defense, one speed point, and other stats that are awesome for a monster straight from the disk. It dies in a week.
114	** Played straight as it can still battle within that week and will not need food if it's the first one. (unless it's the very first monster you ever raise) This means if you find yourself running low in funds, you can freeze your current monster and summon Sueki Suezo, then take it to a D rank tourney for a free win and get some quick cash for the early game.
115	* CulturalTranslation: ''4'' and ''EVO'' had two boss monsters, Garp and Mao Mao, receive design overhauls for overseas releases. In Japan, Garp was named Genbu and had a black shell, while Mao Mao looked like a giant chicken. Overseas, Garp has a spiky green shell and Mao Mao was given a tropical bird design, like a parrot.
116	* CurbStompBattle: If you manage to effectively raise the stats of the monster of your choice well enough and/or acquire some nice techs, you can pretty much breeze through the battles like they were child's play. Opponents will sometimes get savvy enough to forfeit the match on their behalf if they feel that your monster gets too effective in winning matches. Also, this is deconstructed if you participate in the lower ranked matches while your monster is of a higher rank; while you will generally win matches and money, your monster's popularity will take a hit and the only way to gain back your monster's popularity is to win matches of the same or higher rank as your monster, or by feeding it Star Prunes.
117	* CuteMachines: The Metalner species from 2. Also doubles as a RobotBuddy once you train one of them.
118	* CuteMonsterGirl: Pixies and Undines are cute, humanoid devil-like monsters and jelly-like mermaids, repesctively.
119	* DarkerAndEdgier: The plot of ''[=MR4=]'' addresses the problem of monsters being abused, mistreated and experimented on. Your trainer has a DarkAndTroubledPast, and so does your assistant Rio. Then there're her [[spoiler:visions of monsters being ''crucified'' by an evil army]]. Ironically, ''[=MR4=]'' actually does away with the death feature despite being DarkerAndEdgier.
120	* DeathOrGloryAttack: A major feature in the movesets of both Colorpandora and Suzurin. Colorpandoras have many strongly-damaging moves, but said moves also do damage to the Colorpandora themselves, meaning Colorpandoras tend to get high HP to compensate. Suzurins favor moves with a fairly low hit rate, but one hit is often all they need.
121	* DefrostingIceQueen: Rio, your assistant in ''4'', gradually warms up to you over the course of the game.
122	* DefunctOnlineVideoGames: The servers of ''My Monster Rancher'' closed on April 29, 2014, so the game is now inaccessible.
123	* DifficultButAwesome:
124	** The games as a whole, really. Certain monsters which appear to suffer from CripplingOverspecialization, can be turned to the player's advantage with the right training. Dragon and Wracky are in-universe examples, thanks to their disobedience.
125	** Metalners are the best monsters competitively in ''2'', but raising one is not easy, as they have bad stat gains, an average lifespan, and start with very low stats. However, they have the fastest Guts regeneration in the game and great techs, meaning if trained well they can defeat almost any other monster.
126	* DifficultyByRegion: The US and PAL releases of ''2'' added 100 weeks to every monster's lifespan, but also locked out certain techs from the Japanese version.
127	* DinosaursAreDragons: Dinos and Zuums can learn powerful fire breath attacks.
128	* DiscOneNuke:
129	** In ''[=MR2=]'', using save data from the first game, you can transfer your monster from the first game as a newborn monster in the second game with altered stats to match a newborn monster, which is based on how good the first game version is. A properly trained monster from the first game can produce a monster with much better stats than a newborn monster that you get from the Market and the Shrine, which makes the early part of the game much easier.
130	** Alternatively, using the first game as a Disc Stone in the second game produces a Sueki Suezo who has massive all around stats including maxed stats. The Sueki Suezo can only survive for one week, but you can use it to win tournaments, including the free-for-alls to get extra cash to work with. It is also useful to unlock a couple of monster breeds.
131	** In the Advance game, entering a proper password can give you a great monster even early in the game. Of course, the problem is the fact that having said proper password [[GuideDangIt without a guide]] turns it into a LuckBasedMission.
132	** In general, the passwords for ??? Sub-breed of monsters in ''Advance 2'' are this. While there are ??? sub-breeds that requires you to follow complex requirements to unlock them, most ??? sub-breed unlock requirements are tied to the species and most of the easily available ones generally have much higher base stats. In particular, Celeris, a unique Hare, has 975 base stats, the second highest possible base stats in the game and Hares are available from the get-go.
133	* EarlyBirdCameo: ''Monster Rancher Explorer,'' a GB spinoff game, "previewed" several species of monster before they showed up in the main series: Octopee, Gitan, Pancho, Psyroller/Rhinoroller, and Suzurin.
134	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first ''Monster Rancher'' game features Dinos instead of Zuums, a strange design for the Mew (called Nya), no Mocchis, 2d sprite-based training animations, and training taking the form of odd jobs and errands that earn you money. Monsters also change as they grow older (Suezos are born with fins and lose them as they grow up, for instance), Guts is called "Will", and the tournaments are organized with the lower rankings on the top rather than on the bottom like the rest of the series.
135	* EmbarrassingFirstName:
136	** Cleo in DS. Call her "Cleopatra" and die.
137	** Ditto with Colt in ''2'' (her full name being Coltia) and Cue in the Battle Card spinoff (her full name being Curie).
138	* EnergyWeapon: Any monster that has attacks named "Beam", "Ray", or any other name variant. Mocchi's [[SerialEscalation Ray/Beam/Cannon]] and Suezo's Eye Beam are clear-cut examples.
139	* EvilCounterpart: The Jokers are the evil counterparts of the Gali--both are floating robes with a mask for a face, but Galis have a sunny, godlike appearance (and are even hinted to be gods incarnate), while Jokers are dark, bloodied, and are said to be too fierce to be thought of as normal monsters.
140	* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: Several monsters are named after their general species/appearance. Subverted with the Tigers, who are actually wolves.
141	* ExcusePlot: Every game has a standard ToBeAMaster plot with very little in terms of story, except in ''4'' and ''EVO''.
142	* ExpendableClone: Letting a bunch of Sueki Suezos die is a fast way to get a Ghost, [[spoiler:a Mock, and a Wracky; the latter two obtainable under some dodgy GuideDangIt paths]] in ''2''.
143	* {{Expy}}: A few of the more "redundant" monsters seem to have been resigned to the "obsolete" bin due to their expy nature, though a ContinuityNod or two will reference them again. In particular:
144	** The Zuums replaced the Dinos in every non-spinoff game since the first. Spinoffs still used them, but as of Monster Rancher 4, Dino are a rare subtype of Zuum. Oddly ''Monster Farm Line'', released in 2023, uses Dinos instead of Zuums, although Zuums are mentioned in dialog.
145	** The Undine is essentially a watery expy of the Pixie, with no wings and a Jell-like body. Both are also {{Cute Monster Girl}}s. Since the Pixie is one of the Big 6, it stayed around while the Undine has been somewhat forgotten. In 4, there's an ordinary Pixie subspecies called Undine.
146	** The Beaklon and the Worm are both brown insects with big horns, while the Worm is more "larval." In fact, [[GuideDangIt it was possible to carefully raise your Worm to become a Beaklon]] in ''[=MR2=]''. They also tend to create similar styles of subbreeds. The newer Beaklon has remained while the old Worm has only popped up in anonline game.
147	** The Momo (3) has a very similar raising style to the Kato (2), with very high Speed and decent Attack and Int, but low Defense and Life. They also have some similar attacks (sharp claws, tail whipping) and both carry {{Iconic Item}}s (Katos have bottles of sake/"oil", Momos have giant walnuts). However, Momos are more "cute" in design.
148	** [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Ghost]] from ''1'' and ''2'' looks like [[WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost Casper]] except without legs, a beige tint, and a magician's hat.
149	** Rio in ''4'' is an expy of the anime's version of Holly, being connected to the Phoenix, having visions and magic powers, and having a similar appearance.
150	** The Ultrarl, a rare sub-breed of Bajarl in ''2'', is very obviously based on ''Series/{{Ultraman}}''.
151	* {{Fartillery}}: The Hares have a "Gas" attack that does ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Bakus also have the "Foul Wind" attack, which... well, you know. Also, the Apes have their "Blast" attacks that are even more dead-on than the Hares' version.
152	* FightingClown: Doodle. [[LethalJokeCharacter Never has a giant stick figure riding a highly explosive chicken motorcycle been so dangerous]]. Then again, when your weapons are based from minigames in a Wario Ware-like arcade game, what choice do you have?
153	* FlyingSeafoodSpecial: Ogyos can fly gracefully through the air.
154	* FragileSpeedster: 4 has Ripper, which has good speed and is known particularly for its accuracy, but is very fragile.
155	* FurBikini: The Pixies wear these, though how much is covered depends on the monster.
156	* GameBreakingBug:
157	** ''3'''s Kalaragi Bug. As part of a StoryArc on the Kalaragi Ranch, you have to fight a series of battles there, including one against your rival Gadamon. If you lose against her, you're sent to find fruit on an expedition. However, ''you can't find fruit on expeditions'', meaning you can never progress the storyline. There aren't any ways to fix the bug; the only way to avoid it is winning the fight in the first place.
158	** ''DS'' (the translated version of Japan's ''DS 2'') seems to be positively riddled with them. Most of them are freezing bugs, which are nasty since resetting the game incurs massive monster penalties--the most peculiar of which involves monsters finding textureless white items during the Kawrea Volcano errantry. But one Magic Spell glitch can ''prevent you from combining monsters forever.'' Ouch.
159	* GeniusBruiser: Dragons have very high attack and intelligence, balanced out by sub-par speed, snail-pacingly slow guts regeneration, and extremely short lifespan.
160	* GenreShift: ''VideoGame/MonsterRancherEVO,'' which is much closer to a standard RPG with rhythm game elements than a simulation game, which Monster Ranchers traditionally are.
161	* GlassCannon: The Hares have high speed and physical attack, but their average HP and Defense are... lacking. In ''2'', Katos are the same. Suezo has good accuracy and attack stats, but lacks in speed, defense and life. In some games, a monster can't become a pure GlassCannon due to Power and Intelligence factoring into defense calculations.
162	* {{God}}: Oddly enough. He appears only in the backstory, however; a disaster struck the world, the people called for help, and the monsters of the game were the result. Then the monsters only caused more problems, so God, exasperated, sealed them away in disc stones.
163	* {{Gonk}}: The current design for the Colorpandora is ''far'' less cute than its two previous designs.
164	* GreatOffscreenWar: Several monster data entries reveal that monsters fought in wars in the ancient past. ''4'' goes even further and has wars between humans, monsters, and demons.
165	* GrievousHarmWithABody: The Color Pandora often attack by throwing one of their segments at an enemy. A lot of their attacks do recoil damage too, making them risky.
166	* GuideDangIt: [[GuideDangIt/MonsterRancher Has its own subpage for them.]] The games seem accessible to a casual gamer, but you'll soon realize that they aren't Pokémon.
167	* HappyBirthdayToYou:
168	** In ''2,'' Colt comes up with various... uh... "creative" birthday songs for your monster. The monster doesn't always approve.
169	** In ''DS'' the devs got away with using the ''lyrics'' to Happy Birthday, but not the melody.
170	* HappyFunBall: Lots of monster species fall into this category.
171	** The Mew is just a stuffed kitty brought to life... with wolverine claws. One of its attacks involve shacking a rattle in front of an enemy with one paw as a distraction before stabbing him in the face with the other.
172	** The Ducken is a children's wooden block toy in the shape of a duck. It tends to fall apart when it's disappointed.
173	** The Doodle is a living stick figure. It attacks by blowing up its own head, summoning giant stiletto heels from the sky to stomp on its opponents, and by running them over with a chicken on wheels.
174	** The Monol is a giant floating faceless rectangular slab of rock in a shout out to ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey''.
175	** The Gali is a cape with an Aztec sun mask for a face. It is also able to create psychic projections of limbs for physical attacks.
176	* HeadPet: Mosha, one of the rivals you meet in ''3'', has a cat lying on her head. Doubles as an EmpathyPet as it mimics her expressions, which stands out more since she tends to [[EyesAlwaysShut keep her eyes shut]] unless she's surprised.
177	* HealingFactor: Some species of monsters have learnable techs that allow themselves to recover lost hit points after taking damage. Examples include Baku's Nap, Undine's Vitalization, and Mocchi's Petal Vortex.
178	* HelloInsertNameHere: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]], as the protagonist in most of the games is supposed to be ''you,'' the player.
179	** And your {{Mons}} are nameable too. Which can cause [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential abuse]] and [[HilarityEnsues giggles]], like with Colt, your assistant in ''2'' saying things like "My butt is well".
180	** Subverted in ''4''; while you can name your character whatever you like, your character is only male, unlike the previous games whether you can choose to be male or female, and [[spoiler:later revealed to have a DarkAndTroubledPast.]]
181	* HiddenMechanic: The hidden stress gauge, which is incredibly important when raising a monster as too much stress can drastically shorten its lifespan. The only hint about its existence is the Mint Leaf item, which relieves some stress, but new players are likely to conflate being stressed with being tired (which also runs on a hidden gauge but is easier to detect) and not make the connection that it's different.
182	* HolidayMode: ''DS'' uses this with a weird combination of VideoGameTime. In the in-game week that would correspond to your real-world birthday, you'll get a free gift--so if your birthday was August 25th, you'd get a present in the fourth week of August.
183	* HotLibrarian: One of the characters in [=MR4=] tries to invoke this (she claims her boss likes it when she dresses that way).
184	* IconicSequelCharacter: Mocchis are considered one of the "core 6" monsters, but they didn't debut until ''VideoGame/MonsterRancher 2.''
185	* IdiotBall: When you find the Joker Mask in ''2'', Master Pabs wears it without doing any research on it and gets the evil mask stuck to his face.
186	* IdleAnimation: Very nice "standard" animations for all the monsters, too.
187	* ImprobableWeaponUser: Not only do some monsters attack with things like yodels, walnuts, and ''bells'', but there's an entire ''species'' of monster (the Monol) that is pretty much its own improbable weapon.
188	* InconsistentDub: Is it Ducken or Dakkung? Colorpandora or Koropendora? Zuum or Zoom? To say nothing of the "Mew/Nya" debate, where the fandom is still divided on whether or not they're separate species.
189	** In ''4'', the Ancient Documents you can collect are filled with misspellings and a complete inability to keep the gods' names straight... ''even in the same entry''.
190	** Similarly, even in games which use the "Colorpandora" rendition of that particular monster's name, they still tend to use "Koro" to refer to the original monster units (Like the Puppy Koro).
191	* JackOfAllStats: Mocchis. Unlike many other monsters, which have large spikes in certain stats and large drops in others, Mocchis have fairly balanced stats all around, and even their "weaker" areas don't tend to be too terrible. Zuums as well, though they skimp a bit in Intelligence. Lesiones are also this, all of their stat gains are equal, average all around.
192	* {{Kamaitachi}}: The fourth game introduces the Ripper species, a bipedal weasel with sickles on their arms and a claw-like tail, known for their high accuracy and speed. They're able to create razor sharp winds to attack their opponent.
193	* KavorkaMan: The Suezo species is the monster version of this. Everyone in-universe wants one, despite the fact that they're well-acknowledged as selfish and lazy.
194	* KilledOffForReal: In 1, 2, 3 and DS your monsters ''die'' when they get old. You can't get them back. Averted with the Phoenix species in ''2'', which just fly away to 'return to nature' whenever they get too old, what with Phoenixes being known for their reincarnation, and all. The effect is pretty much the same, though. They never return. The same might be said for Metalners, except instead of flying off to unknown parts of the planet, they fly back to their home planet.
195	* KillerRabbit: Many monsters, like Hares and Mews, look cute and cuddly, but are surprisingly strong in fights.
196	* LastLousyPoint: Octachrome in Advance 2, which due to a bug is completely unobtainable without Gameshark.
197	* LethalJokeCharacter: Bajarls, Metalners, Disks, Doodles, and Wrackies tend to have bad stats at birth and are fussy to raise, but if raised well they can become powerhouses.
198	* LightningBruiser: Tons of them based on stats growth. Xenons in the DS game are some of the more notable examples. Mocchi is naturally this in the second game. Other than that, combinations can result in this both starting stats wise and stats growth wise.
199	* LimitedMoveArsenal: In 1 and 2 you unlock new moves via errantries depending on several different factors and can use all of them in battle, while in 3 you can replace moves or learn them anew. In 4 you can get all moves at all times but can only use so many in battle.
200	* LivingStructureMonster: The Monol breed is a ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' ''Monol''ith-esque ShapeShifting monster, meaning it looks like a rectangle wall, or rather, a door. It's capable of SizeShifting and PartialTransformation of its surface to produce a humanoid face and spikes.
201	* LongSongShortScene: The Work and Rest themes in [=MR1=] both run for close to a minute, but you only ever get to hear about the first ten seconds of either in the actual game.
202	* LostInTranslation: In Japanese, a particular Dragon is named 'Muu', which means darkness or emptiness. In English, he's named 'Moo'. Yes, after the sound a cow makes.
203	* MagikarpPower: ''Every single monster,'' more or less.
204	** Wracky in 2 has pathetic starting stats and is a pain to raise. He can be one of the most lethal {{Fragile Speedster}}s in the game if trained right, and he has the longest lifespan in the game.
205	** Colorpandora has pathetic stats at birth, but a ''really'' good and varied movepool and a long lifespan gives it huge potential.
206	* ManaDrain: Guts drain, actually. ''Loads'' of moves use this.
207	* MascotMook: The "core 6" monster species are the six species usually considered to be representative of the series as a whole. They are NobleWolf Tiger, RidiculouslyCuteCritter Mocchi, [[{{Oculothorax}} eyeball monster]] Suezo, StoneWall {{Golem}}, literal KillerRabbit Hare, and CuteMonsterGirl Pixie.
208	* MightyGlacier:
209	** The Golem species. Their attack is high, they can defeat many monsters in one hit and they can soak up damage like a sponge--but they're sssssoo ssssslow...
210	** The Baku species is essentially a giant dog Expy of Golem, only that they trade away their Defense for more Life (Hit Points).
211	** Beaklons are pretty much an insect Expy of the Golem. High attack. High Defense. Slow as molasses.
212	** Zillas are essentially Golems transformed into Godzilla-esque whales. They are more similar to Baku in terms of their stats, but differ from them in that Bakus are slightly more defense-oriented by having one move that allows them to heal themselves after taking damage while Zilla is all-out offense-oriented in the vein of its stoneman cousin.
213	** Durahans are also incredibly strong and tough, with their horrible speed being their only real weakness. Unlike Golems and Beaclons, they won't miss constantly due to a decent skill stat. They also have longer lifespans and are easier to raise.
214	* MistakenForFakeHair: There's a character event in ''Monster Rancher Advance'' where Aroma tries to find out if Mr. Mardoc wears a toupee. Eventually, Mardoc allows her to try pulling on his hair to find out for herself... It's real alright.
215	* MoneyForNothing: Subverted for the most part. Early on, you will have some trouble keeping your monetary balance from ending up down the drain when trying to raise the monster of your choice from the very start. You ''need'' to spend most of your money by giving your monster food and items if you want to make it powerful, and that means saving it. ''3'' is even worse about this as you get ''nothing'' for placing second in tournaments. Played straight later on if you get a good money-maker going and no longer need to spend excess cash on house/stable upgrades. One of the few breaks the original game would give you, in fact, was that regular training took the form of odd jobs that would pay you a small amount, letting you generate some income throughout the normal course of play rather than ''only'' being able to make money at tournaments.
216	%%* {{Mons}}
217	* TheMonolith: The Monol race of monsters, a StockShoutOut to ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey''.
218	%%* [[WizardNeedsFoodBadly Monster Needs Food Badly]]
219	* [[CarFu Motorcycle Fu]]: Two of Doodle's techniques fall into this, Chicken/Motorcock and Chicken Roll. Don't be fooled by the silly appearance, they also happen to be the breed's strongest attacks in terms of brute force.
220	* MrFanservice: Furaseru in the [[NoExportForYou Japan-only]] ''Monster Farm Lagoon'' seems to have been designed specifically with sex appeal in mind, being a bespectacled {{bishonen}} with quite a few shirt buttons undone.
221	* MsFanservice:
222	** Pixies, Undines, and their sub-breeds.
223	** [=TeeTee=] in ''4''.
224	* MythologyGag:
225	** In ''4'', Rio can hear the voice of Gaia Stones, which were the original name of the Magic Stones from the anime. They both have connections to the Phoenix, as well.
226	** To unlock Phoenix in ''Advance 2,'' you need to raise members of five specific species and gain their "orbs." These five species--Mocchi, Suezo, Tiger, Hare, and Golem--were the five protagonist monsters of the anime, and it references their role in finding the Phoenix.
227	* NeverSayDie: In contrast with previous games, the Kaiju in ''Ultra Kaiju'' don't die once their time is up, they simply lose the will to keep fighting and are sent to do other work by the association. Justified in that most of the Kaiju have shown incredible life spans in the ''Ultraman'' series, and as a bonus this lets you fuse them after they retire! Even before this the ''Advance'' games and ''4'' don't have monsters die but instead force you to retire them, in the former you can even have your monsters work as coaches indefinitely as long as you can afford the fee.
228	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Central to the main plot of ''4''. [[spoiler:Phayne [[SilentScapegoat took the fall]] when his friend Wit broke the school's biggest rule and read the forbidden book. Wit goes on to unseal and revive the ultimate evil.]]
229	* NintendoHard: One of the many common complaints among casual gamers, which reduced the series to cult classic status. The Advance games, 3, 4, and EVO are slightly easier, but the first two [=PlayStation=] games and DS are ''merciless''.
230	* NoFairCheating: Turn off the DS game without saving, and the monster's combining potential will be drastically lowered.
231	* NonStandardGameOver: This happens if you run out of money in ''2''. Colt tells you that you're broke, and the game goes to the title screen.
232	* NoPlotNoProblem: The general lack of plot and consistent lore is seen as a feature since ranching and battling is the meat of the game.
233	* {{Notzilla}}: The Zilla monsters are a PunnyName parody of Godzilla. They look like a cross between a whale and an ape [[BilingualBonus (The name "Gojira" is a combonation of the words "Kujira" (Japanese for "Whale") and "Gorilla" meaning it literally translates into "Whale Ape").]]
234	* NumberedSequels: Except for ''EVO'' outside Japan.
235	* {{Nurikabe}}: Monols are a breed of monster that resemble large, flat, rectangular walls made of black stone. Strangely, they can morph their surface to resemble a face, or use it as a weapon by creating spikes or tendrils. Monols excel in defense but have very poor speed because they move by gliding slowly over the earth, using their powers over gravity and electromagnetism.
236	* {{Obake}}: The Baku species, although they don't seem to bear much resemblance to their mythical counterparts. Also, the Ripper species.
237	* {{Oculothorax}}: Suezo's race.
238	* OddballInTheSeries:
239	** ''3'' has a ''much'' cuter art style and unorthodox raising and exploration methods, and is the only game to not feature monster fusion at all.
240	** ''EVO'' is a more traditional RPG where monsters now gain stats through a rhythm game.
241	** ''Ultra Kaiju'' is a near direct continuation of ''2'', with plenty of new features and a ton of quality of life updates... but it's also a licensed ''Ultraman'' game, using Kaiju from the show's history instead of the usual original Monsters.
242	* OddlyNamedSequel: ''VideoGame/MonsterRancherEVO.'' (Which is a MarketBasedTitle; it was properly numbered 5 in Japan.)
243	* OldSaveBonus: Using Monster Rancher 1 memory card data in 2 will let you "slate" monsters into the second game, and using the CD to get a monster results in the ExpendableClone Sueki Suezo.
244	* OlympusMons: Xenons in the DS game can dominate with ''basic attacks'' due to their high damage, accuracy, and Guts rates.
245	* OptionalBoss:
246	** There are monsters that come from bonus tournaments after becoming Master rank, secret matches, post credit battles, unlocked monsters, and more.
247	** The second game has the enemy class monsters from errantry (Rank A and S) and Legend Cup (Most and Poritoka). The IMA vs FIMBA match also has a rare chance of spawning special S-class monsters, who are among the strongest in the game.
248	** ''3'' has Ragnarox, who appears after you've won all 5 Great 5 tournaments.
249	** ''EVO'' has a red version of Moo found in a bonus dungeon.
250	** Advance 2 has Ragnaroks. It's only accessible by raising a specific monster, but is necessary to unlock a few Dragon types.
251	* OurCentaursAreDifferent: The Centaur species may look vaguely humanoid, but they are not human in the truest sense of the word.
252	* OurDragonsAreDifferent: They are mostly based on the Western variant, although a few sub-breeds follow the Eastern variety.
253	* OurGhostsAreDifferent: Ghosts in this series rely on magic tricks to attack, have pliable, rubbery builds and are somehow capable of dying.
254	* OurMermaidsAreDifferent: The Undine species from Monster Rancher 2 have a rather transparent, Jell-like appearance and can even float in the air. They are similar to Pixies but tend to favor a lot more magical attacks than physical ones.
255	* PaletteSwap: More or less every monster was this in the Advance games. They all had different stats and growth patterns, though.
256	* PamphletShelf: The Ancient Texts in ''4'' are supposedly ancient books that you can have translated for you. Volumes average two to four 'pages', usually with only one sentence per page.
257	* ParadiegeticGameplay: Representing Saucer Stones with real-world [=CDs, DVDs=] and other inputs.
258	* PassingTheTorch: ''3'' ends with the Tochikans deciding to educate non-Tochikans in the art of Monster unlocking and raising, leading into every other game in the series.
259	* {{Permadeath}}: Once your monster dies, it's dead for good, though in 1 and 2, you can unlock Ghost, Mock, and Wracky by allowing them to die under certain conditions.
260	* PermanentlyMissableContent:
261	** ''2'' locks out some events based on when items are sold at the shop. Fighting the King Ape is impossible after the shop starts selling Nageel, and if the shop runs out of new items to sell before you get a monster to B-Rank, you'll never get the seeds to unlock Mock. This was fixed in the DX release.
262	** In ''DS'', Beaklon is found at Murmouge Coast during Summer, and challenges you to an arm-wrestling competition. If you fail this, you're unable to unlock Beaklon at all as he will not respawn due to a bug.
263	* PowerfulButInaccurate: Any monster's techs that have high Force ratings. They generally are counter-balanced by their paltry Hit Percentage ratings (i.e. low accuracy). Unless you level up your monster's Skill stats, that is.
264	* {{Prequel}}: ''3'' is a prequel to the rest of the series, explaining the lack of combining methods and monsters looking different than in other games, with Jell's ''3'' form being its true self instead of the more humanoid form. Statues of Fleria, Gadamon, and Bragma can be found in ''1'', and ''4'' refers to them as gods.
265	* PressStartToGameOver: In ''2'', you start with 5000 Gold and combining monsters costs 500 Gold. You can spend all your money creating and combining monsters before going to the Ranch, resulting in an instant Game Over.
266	* ProtagonistWithoutAPast: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]]. ''You'' are the protagonist of most games. In ''Monster Rancher 4'', however, the hero does have a past, which comes into play as you progress.
267	* {{Raiju}}: Tiger (originally known as Raiga in Japan) draws inspiration from the raiju, resembling a blue and white-furred wolf with horns that it can shoot bolts of electricity from.
268	* RareCandy: In various installments of the game, there are items which are basically steroids: You can stuff your monster full of them to increase their stats, but it greatly decreases their lifespan in the process.
269	** The DS game provides a tamer varient with the Ability Fruits. They increase one of your monster's stats by a small amount. However, since they can be found in large amounts on errantries, you can in fact earn some decent stat gains from exploring.
270	* RelationshipValues: Bonding with your monster helps it perform better in battle.
271	* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Mocchis, Mews, the first versions of Colorpandora, Lesiones, Suzurins, Panchos, Octopees, and Hares are all very adorable creatures.
272	* TheRival:
273	** The IMA is a rival league to the FIMBA.
274	** ''3'' introduced the concept of rivals, who were introduced as you moved up ranks and moved around to different training areas. They often visited looking for battles, and you could trade Saucer Pieces with them. Losing a certain battle triggers the infamous Kalaragi Bug.
275	** ''4'' also featured rivals, though not nearly as many, and their plotlines were folded into the overarching storyline as opposed to making up the storyline in and of themselves.
276	* RocketPunch: Golems, Arrowheads, and Hengers employ this kind of move. Henger can combine this with ThisIsADrill for better results.
277	* RunningGag: In ''3'', Fleria brags about finding each area you train in. At some point later on, you get a new rival who claims they found the area first, and challenges you for it. 3 also has a Ducken named after a kind of bird in every rank.
278	** A lot of ranks in 4 have a Mochilips (Mogi/Mocchi) with absurdly high life and very easy to read attack patterns.
279	* SameContentDifferentRating: The first two games in the series were both rated E upon release, but the DX version got a T rating (18+ in Germany) because the CD database included to make up for the lack of disc swapping include albums with profanity and drug references in the titles. Everything else about the game is completely unchanged.
280	* SaveScumming: Trying to raise that perfect monster? You'll find yourself saving and resetting ''a lot.''
281	* SchizoTech: Present in all the games, as well as the anime.
282	* SensingYouAreOutmatched: In battle, you have the option to forfeit the match if you feel that your monster is not good enough to take on the more dangerous opponents. Likewise, your opponent will sometimes bail out on you if they see that ''your'' monster's stats are high enough to [[CurbStompBattle Curb Stomp]] them.
283	* SeriousBusiness: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]]. Monster battling is a major league sport, with lots of money to be made.
284	* ShoutOut: A variation in some games, where certain discs will result in exclusive monsters so close to the title or subject of the disc that it's blatantly intentional.
285	** Just from the original game you had Gallop from Patti Smith's ''Music/{{Horses}}'', Tank from Music/TheClash's ''Combat Rock'' and Gooaall! from Music/{{INXS}}' ''Music/{{Kick}}'', all playing off the album titles. Other monsters play off of the album covers, such as Karaoke (a singing baby) from Music/{{Nirvana}}'s ''Music/{{Nevermind\|Album}}'' (specifically copies with "Endless, Nameless"), Geisha from Music/{{Bjork}}'s ''Music/{{Homogenic}}'' (which depicts a geisha on its cover), and Gamer (a spiky metal mask) from Music/QuietRiot's ''Mental Health''.
286	** A ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' game disc in [=MR2=] creates a Pixie variant based off series heroine Kasumi, and the ''Film/RushHour'' soundtrack gives a "Kung-Fu Bunny".
287	** You get a living samurai armor suit called a "Shogun" with ''VideoGame/BraveFencerMusashi'' in 2.
288	** In 4, the ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' DVD will get you Whitehound, a pure white tiger.
289	** A rare Jell monster in [=MR2=] has a metallic appearance, and its flavor text describes it as tending to run away from fights. Gosh, [[MetalSlime what in blazes could]] [[VideoGame/DragonQuest that be a reference to?]]
290	** Errick in ''DS'', after Cleo misinterprets his mumbling as talking about a "curse," says a curse might not be so bad: "Black magic woman..."
291	** Some of the Pancho's animations are direct imitations of Tama dancing inside the chestnut in the ''Anime/SazaeSan'' opening.
292	** The Password system in Advance has [[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar a variation of Kenshiro's infamous battle cry]] produce a special Raiden, a martial artist bird species.
293	** In ''4'', various then-prominent US game magazine disks (such as ''PSM'', the unofficial [=PlayStation=] magazine) would give unique monsters bearing the magazine logo.
294	** Even FIMBA is a play on the real-life soccer/football organization FIFA (Fraternal International Footballer's Association), only with "Footballer" swapped for "Monster Breeder".
295	* SilentScapegoat: ''[=MR4=]'' has [[spoiler:the hero, who took the blame when one of his friends stole a book of forbidden techniques, and got expelled from the academy over it]].
296	* SpamAttack: The series has several moves that can upgraded into its higher level version, many of which are this. The second game employs a system where you need to use the same move over and over again until it reaches the necessary number required to learn the upgraded version. Essentially, [[DepartmentofRedundancyDepartment you need to spam attack to learn a spam attack.]]
297	* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Your assistant in ''[=MR4=]'', Rio, can understand monsters. She was despised by many for this in her childhood.
298	* SquishyWizard: The Pixies, who have very high Intelligence, but low Power, Defense, and Life. They're pretty fast, though.
299	* StalkerWithACrush: Errik from ''DS.'' More or less the first words out of his mouth? "Definitely not a stalker!"
300	* StealthPun:
301	** Apocolis can be obtained in the first game by scanning in an Music/{{REM}} album. Which album, specifically? ''Music/{{Monster\|REMAlbum}}''.
302	** Zilla is a [[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} Gorilla Whale mix]].
303	* StoneWall: The Monol species. Both figuratively and ''literally.''
304	** Niton from 2 also qualifies, but in a figurative sense, of course.
305	* SuperMode: Every game has special status effects that give status modification or special effect to a monster in specific condition. There's some that are species exclusive. In the second game, two are available to every species depending on how good/bad they are.
306	** Joker's Real status effect gives it better guts regeneration, and increases its stats by 50% for a limited time. When it ends, the opposite occurs for the remainder of the match.
307	* TailSlap: The TropeNamer, Dinos, Suezos, Zuums and Nagas make heavy use of it. Dragons use this too, but it is less common compared to their significantly more powerful attacks.
308	* TakeThat: Using the password "POKEDEAD" at one point in the game adaptation of ''Monster Rancher Battle Card'' will give you a special card.
309	* TakeThatAudience: ''4'' devotes a large part of the story to taking apart competitive players and speedrunners by having many antagonists in the story use methods real-life players use to get ahead. Diehl trains monsters from birth to be fighting machines by using piles of money and training gadgets, letting go of any monsters that don't make the cut. [=IMa=], the region in ''2'' and the most popular game for raising/training, outclasses FIMBA, the region in ''1'' with lower stat gains, by using military-style training regimes. Your character deliberately registers in FIMBA to prove they can still win without using such monstrous training methods.
310	* TechTree: Several techs in the series are found through using certain moves over and over until they 'evolve.'
311	* ToBeAMaster: Your goal is to win the Major 4 and become the best monster breeder.
312	* TooLongDidntDub: The Suzurin species' name is a Japanese pun that doesn't particularly translate well into English, so it stays despite not meaning anything in particular in English. The Suzurin is a monster made out of bells, which also happen to make it look like it's wearing a robe. Its overall outfit resembles a Japanese feudal ''suzeran'' lord. That's the first part. The second part is that "suzu" is Japanese for "bell," while "rin" is the onomotopoeia for a bell ringing.
313	* ToughBeetles: Beaclon ([[SpellMyNameWithAnS or Beaklon]]) is a large rhinoceros beetle-like monster, usually with life, defense, and strength as their best stats.
314	* UnexpectedGameplayChange: ''VideoGame/MonsterRancherEVO'' changes the training/raising automatically to mini-games in a circus. So, now it's up to you the player to determine how well they do by button mashing.
315	* UnusableEnemyEquipment: A number of games, such as ''2'' and ''4,'' feature special monsters that show up either as wild opponents or bosses. While you can get info on them, you can't use them for yourself. Especially frustrating in ''4,'' because those bosses frequently represent past species, but you can't get them.
316	* UpdatedRerelease: ''Monster Rancher 1 + 2 DX'' for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and smartphones. In addition to being a direct port of the original first two games, it features a new "CD Database" (due to the lack of CD drives on the platforms the game is on) to create monsters with, brand-new monsters, online functionality with a Tournament Mode, as well as new AntiFrustrationFeatures such as auto-save and additional save slots.
317	* UseYourHead: So many species of monsters have headbutt attacks, it isn't even funny.
318	* VideoGameCaringPotential: Raising your Monster invokes this, as it's a personal investment. Doubly so if it's a game where Monsters can die.
319	* VideoGameTime: The games use a timeframe based on years but while your ranch can run for well over a hundred years, the characters stay the same. In fact, in MR Advance 2, your assistant, Holly, will always say that she was a representative of the monster league FIMBA until "last year"—even if she's been your assistant for decades!

Context VideoGame / MonsterRancher