With its much greater focus on narrative, the "civilized" characters of Stories 2 are a focus of the game like no other Monster Hunter title before it — and their actions may well shape the face of the Old World.
Main Character Index (includes general Rider tropes)
- Monster Hunter Civilization: See Hunters, Riders, Wyverians, and Lynians for races and groups in the game.
- Monster Hunter Hunters: Many tropes here apply to Riders as well; see Greatsword, Sword and Shield, Hammer, Hunting Horn, Bow, and Gunlance for weapons that Riders use.
- Monster Hunter: Stories: See characters introduced in the first game.
- Monsters: (monsters in bold are tamable, those in italics are added in DLC updates)
- Monster Hunter First Generation Monsters note
- Monster Hunter Second Generation Monsters note
- Monster Hunter Third Generation Monsters note
- Monster Hunter Fourth Generation Monsters note
- Monster Hunter Fifth Generation Monsters World note
- Monster Hunter Civilization note
- Monster Hunter Spinoff Monsters note (spoiler!)
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The Main Cast
The Protagonist
The player character, a fourteen-year-old native of Mahana Village who recently became a Rider.
- The Ace: As is typical for a player character in the Monster Hunter world, they steadily become this over the course of the story. At one relatively early point in the game, after defeating a Nargacuga, Alwin notes in amazement that he's never seen anyone aside from Red progress so quickly in strength as a Rider. Avinia likewise marvels at their rapid growth in ability.
- Ambiguously Brown: Even their palest available complexion — which isn't far off from what's pictured to the right — still has a certain natural tan to it, and most of the skin color options feature at least a decent bit of melanin. Given that the character is from Hakolo Island and all the Mahana villagers have skin tones ranging from "somewhat tan" to "notably dark", this makes a lot of sense. The player character notably cannot achieve a skin tone similar to the paler, more "European" mainlanders, particularly those of Lilia or Avinia.
- Canon Name: After a fashion — by default, they have the name "Leo" for the boy and "Leia" for the girl.
- Character Development: Despite being very motivated to try, they start off with a good deal of self-doubt and unsure if they can not only follow their grandfather's footsteps, but also protect Ratha and help him control his power, to the point that they hesitate to take action in several scenes due to fear and doubt. They grow into a very capable Rider who is the only one able to calm down Ratha once his Razewing form starts acting up.
- Cute Little Fangs: One of the mouth customizations for Leia is a little fang on the left side of her mouth, and it's adorable. The equivalent mouth for Leo is a small buck tooth in the center.
- Diving Save: Whenever Ena finds herself in the path of danger — such as being attacked by a rage-rayed Mizutsune — the Protagonist is quick to tackle her out of the way.
- Funny Background Event:
- While Avinia tells the story of the second time she met Frostfang, Leo/Leia can be seen continuing to shiver from the cold as they try to pay attention to the conversation between her and Navirou.
- During the meeting with Dede, they decide to try one of the moss "dumplings" out of curiosity, only to find it impossible to stomach.
- Happily Adopted: It's not formally called out as such, but the vibe one gets through their interactions with Chief Gara and Kayna is that the two of them are the closest thing the protagonist still has to family.
- Heroic Lineage: Their potential as a Rider is regarded highly in Mahana even early on, due to their grandfather being the famous Red.
- Heroic Mime: As is typical of Monster Hunter protagonists, they communicate during cutscenes purely through body language. They are of course perfectly able to talk in-universe (and thus no one says anything about them being quiet or people of few words), one NPC stating they love the stories Leo/Leia tell of their adventures, but you won't actually see them say a word until the end of the main game.
- Jumped at the Call:
- They are very eager to get involved in Rider adventures as soon as possible, motivated by the intense admiration they feel toward their departed grandfather and a desire to be like him.
- They also have no problem at all hopping on a boat to help Ena escape the Hunters on Hakolo Island. This one's slightly more bittersweet, since one gets the impression they wanted to stick around a bit longer, but the protag is more than willing to help a girl in danger.
- Made of Iron: As is typical for the stronger humans in the Monster Hunter world, they can take a lot of punishment. They get shot hundreds of feet via a geyser and are only briefly stunned (admittedly they do land in snow), and getting hit with Plesioth's water jet only hurts them despite Navirou explicitly saying the attack can cut through stone.
- Meaningful Name: The canonical names for the boy and girl are Leo and Leia respectively, which are derivative of Rathalos and Rathian's Japanese names (Liolæus and Lioleia). They are also Razewing Ratha's chosen rider.
- Mistaken Identity: Since they're traveling with Navirou and ride a Rathalos, they end up mistaken for the Legendary Rider (AKA the player character from the 1st game) by the people of Kuan Village who revere said Rider. Leo/Leia is noticeably uncomfortable with it when Navirou decides to play along with the misconception in order to get lodgings.
- Modesty Shorts: They always have a pair of shorts underneath their armor, allowing them to wear Fanservice armor sets that would otherwise be worn by adult Monster Hunters in mainline games.
- Morality Pet: Is one for Ratha, as they are the only one to calm down Ratha when his power gets overwhelming or becomes rage rayed.
- No Sense of Direction: Not in the present, but a NPC notes that they got lost all the time when they were younger. Kayna is also relieved when they make it back from their first solo quest, fearing they would get lost.
- Papa Wolf: If male and Mama Bear if female. They do not take kindly to Ratha being threatened. Will step in front of him when Ratha is threatened and jumps on a moving airship and tries taking on a horde of Hunters and Riders barehanded to free Ratha.
- Parental Abandonment: Even aside from the situation with Red, the protagonist's actual parents are nowhere to be found and aren't even discussed.
- Short Teens, Tall Adults: Our poor protagonist gets hit pretty hard with this; despite being a bit older than the protag of the first Stories game, they're still a fair bit shorter than most of the adults around them. "Leia" gets it even worse, being One Head Shorter than even folks like Kayna, though "Leo" doesn't have it that much better, as even Kyle is a bit taller than him.
- Strong Family Resemblance: They have a strong resemblance to their grandfather, especially Leo. In fact, people initially thought that Red and Leo were the same person but at different ages, until Capcom stepped in to clarify that they're grandfather and grandson (and that you get to see younger Red when he was roughly your age during flashbacks).
- Suddenly Speaking: After never being seen to do more than let out grunts or battle cries, at the end of the main story they yell out a joyous "Ratha!" after sensing that Ratha has recovered from the battle with Oltura and is about to fly back to them.
- Super Drowning Skills: An NPC notes Leo/Leia were always a hopeless swimmer, hence they can't cross deep bodies of water without a monster that has the swim riding action.
Ena
Voiced by: Tomoyo Kurosawa (Japanese), Skyler Clark (English)
A (by Wyverian standards) adolescent Wyverian girl who was very close to the player character's grandfather, Red. She entrusts you with the Razewing Rathalos egg that Guardian Ratha gave to her, and joins you on your journey. She is the granddaughter of the Rutoh village chief.
- Bizarre Alien Biology: Her main shoes having heels makes it hard to tell, but other outfits and the artbook show she has digitigrade feet with four toes and sharp claws. She also has the standard Four-Fingered Hands of Wyverians.
- Blunt "Yes": Given her upfront nature, after arriving in Kuan village and meeting the chief she delivers a rather epically humorous one to Navirou when he asks if she thought all this time he was a liar.
- Chekhov's Gun: The amulet her grandfather gives her via Alwin passing it along to her. Passed down through her family from ancient times, it turns out to be made of a material that somehow resonates with Oltura's energy and can pierce it's wings. Kyle ends up using the amulet as a makeshift arrowhead to make Oltura vulnerable to Ratha's final attack.
- Damsel in Distress: Somewhat to her annoyance, but this is an element to your first encounter. She is sheltering the Razewing Rathalos egg that Guardian Ratha entrusted to her, and it's obvious that the Lulucian Hunters would clamp her in chains — or maybe even worse — and take the egg if they found her, and she would struggle to resist one Hunter, much less the squad of them running loose on the island. She needs your help to escape and discover what caused Guardian Ratha and the other Rathalos to leave.
- Four-Fingered Hands: Like the rest of her Wyvernian brethren, she has four fingers on both hands.
- The Glomp: Delivers one to the protagonist upon mistaking them for Red.
- Invented Linguistic Distinction: In comparison to the stridently American-sounding Hakolans and mainlander/Lulucian Hunters, Ena speaks with a distinctly British accent in the English voiceover.
- My Greatest Failure: She is plagued by guilt over not being able to reach Red's hand before he fell to his death in a Rage Ray pit. Never mind that she would have probably been pulled down with him, she still blames herself.
- My Greatest Second Chance: She sees accompanying Leo/Leia as this, since they are Red's grandchild. She desires to be there for them like she wasn't able to be for Red and finish his life's mission. She manages to make peace with her past after she recognizes her holding onto it is holding back the mission, and in the end (with help) manages to indeed do for Leo/Leia what she couldn't do for Red.
- Mysterious Waif: How she's initially presented. She's rather guarded about her reasons for coming to Hakolo Island aside from "wanting to see Guardian Ratha", and doesn't really explain exactly how she has Red's Kinship Stone at first. You even first see her silhouetted against the setting sun, further adding to her air of mystery. And then she's got pale-tealish-white hair and red eyes to seal the look, and an Older Than They Look gimmick to round out the whole package.
- No Sense of Personal Space: She is very honest when it comes to her feelings, and is prone to getting very up close and personal with people she cares for. Upon meeting the player character she literally tackles them in a tight hug and begins caressing their face, believing for a short time that they somehow are Red. Afterward she takes both the player character's hands and draws them close when encouraging them to follow her.
- Older Than They Look: Despite looking distinctly like she's not much older than the protagonist (she's about half a head taller), we are shown that she did indeed know Red when he was around about the protagonist's age and just starting his career... which means that she is, at an absolute bare minimum, well over half a century old and is probably closer to a full century. This is further reinforced in her flashbacks with Red where she looks exactly as she does in the present. Notably Yoomlana still refers to her as a "child," indicating she is still considered young by Wyverian standards.
Navirou
Voiced by: Mao Ichimichi (Japanese), Wyatt Bowen (English)
Everyone's favorite(?), bold(?), skillful(?) navi-cat, back again to help a rookie Rider find their way. Navirou meets the protagonist while they are trying to secure their first egg, and reveals he came to Hakolo to investigate strange occurrences happening across the Old World concerning Rathalos and other monsters... and decides, in his Navirou way, to take the protagonist under his wing and help them become the Rider he knows they can be, just like an old friend of his. No need to thank him! (Though he wouldn't say no to some donuts.)
Navirou returns from Stories 1 to fulfill many of the same mechanical roles he did in that game. For more on him in Stories 1, consult the MH Civilization page.
- Butt-Monkey: Monsties (and certain humans) still have no respect for the poor cat; Ranmar tends to smack him around with his tail, and Kayna has a habit of stretching his cheeks when she's particularly annoyed with him.
- Combat Commentator: Once again adds his "unique" brand of commentary to battles, though this time around he's often more helpful.
- Cutscene Power to the Max: Navirou only uses his powers in cutscenes, and otherwise doesn't contribute to fights beyond advice.
- Exposition Fairy: Back once again to fill this role and make sure the player doesn't miss things on the map and whatnot. He also helps fill in some details of the wider world and explain what's been going on since Stories 1.
- Hero of Another Story: Well, more like sidekick, but since Navirou was also the partner to the main protagonist of the previous game, it counts.
- Miles Gloriosus: Reaches particularly new heights of this in his intro in this game. He says he "saved the world" one time, seemingly taking most of the credit for the decidedly team effort involved in stopping the spread of the Black Blight in Stories 1.
- Running Gag: Since the human characters are taller now, in order for them not to constantly be looking too far down down when talking to Navirou, usually a conveniently-sized object for him to stand on will appear from out of nowhere when a cutscene starts if said scene involves the characters standing still and talking to each other. The object will then vanish as soon as the scene ends. Said objects include barrels, wood stumps, and rocks.
- Super Mode: His Thunder form grants him a number of useful powers aside from being able to electrocute things. He can use it to supercharge his muscles for quick feats of great strength, as well as use the cloak of electricity as a barrier to block powerful attacks.
Razewing Ratha
Your Monstie that hatched from the egg you received from Ena. He has small black wings that seemingly can't spread open. It is said that with a beat of his wings, the world will burn... Just as depicted in the legend, at birth he is unable to fly. He is also distinguished from a regular Rathalos by his notably different-looking pupils (a solid black rather than bordered by another color), as well as black ends to some of his spikes and horns (regular Rathalos' being more a very dark blue). Upon unbinding his wings, the membranes display a more intricate pattern than a regular Rathalos.
- Beast of the Apocalypse: As a Razewing Rathalos, Ratha is equated with a Rathalos of legend that is said to have brought ruin to the world in ancient times. The full legend actually refers to the Oltura — an Elder Dragon which needs to devour a Razewing Rathalos (or one of otherwise great power) to mature and attain its full power — as the main source of destruction (depending on how it is read), but Ratha's power is still far more destructive than that of a normal Rathalos.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Towards the end of the game, Zellard hijacks control of Ratha and causes him to succumb to the dark side of his Razewing powers until the protagonist's kinship breaks his hold over Ratha.
- Cast from Hit Points: Yoomlana and others note that using the Razewing power is draining away Ratha's lifeforce each time he fights, but since that power is needed to oppose Oltura, they can only soldier on and hope that with the support of his Rider and Kinship Stone he will be able to endure until the power is no longer needed.
- Handicapped Badass: At the start of the game, he's born with wings folded inwards and is initially unable to fly. That still doesn't stop him from being fully capable of fighting.
- Hot Wings: When he goes berserk or his Razewing powers are used for evil, he can envelop his wings in fiery dark energy that lets him fly even before his wings are fully developed.
- Next Tier Power-Up: When Leo/Leia gets knocked off a airship trying to protect Ratha, the resulting intensifying of their bond allows Ratha to shed the black scaly coating that restrained his wings, revealing untainted Rathalos wings (albeit still with a special pattern and black tips) and take to the air, displaying amazing speed and agility as he rescues Leo/Leia and Ena, gaining access to his Fly Riding Action. This also grants Lute/Leia the kinship necessary to fly on other monsters, unlocking the Fly skill as a whole.
- Power Incontinence: The story involves the protagonist trying to help Ratha control his destructive power. As the game progresses, Ratha gains more power and gains better control of it.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: In his berserk state, Razewing Ratha's scales turn jet black, his eyes and the markings on his chest glow red, and he becomes wreathed in a Battle Aura of dark energy.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: When his Razewing powers act up, his eyes glow red and he emits a smokey black Battle Aura.
- Signature Move: Savage Fireball. It's what he uses most often in cutscenes, he has a unique animation for it, and it can't be removed from his skill list via the Rite of Channeling.
- Significant Name Overlap: Razewing Ratha has the same name as Red's Rathalos and as Lute's Rathalos — the former of whom was worshiped as a guardian deity and the latter of whom is legendary even a few years after helping stop the Black Blight.
- Superpowered Evil Side: When his Wings of Ruin flare up his eyes glow crimson, his scales turn black, and he goes berserk. Prior to his wings fully developing, he forces his wings open when he goes berserk fighting a rage-rayed Legiana, and the dark energy radiating from them gives him a form of Hot Wings that let him fly. This dark form comes back as the penultimate boss fight when Zellard hijacks control of him, giving him a corrupted form of his Kinship attack.
- Super Mode: After being freed of Zellard's influence, Razewing Ratha is able to activate a purified form of his former berserk mode, his Hot Wings turning white as he becomes the shining "star" from the ritual song and unleashes all the Razewing power to end Oltura.
- Underground Monkey: He's a rather interesting example among the various palette swaps and small variations that exist for many types of monster in the series. At first glance he is a regular Rathalos, especially once his wings come in, and was apparently sired by regular Rathalos and Rathian, but he has a number of small physical differences in pattern and color. He differs more markedly when it comes to his stats, having higher Fire attack and Defense than a regular Rathalos, being weak to Thunder instead of Dragon, and having a Speed stat of 12 instead of 11. His Kinship move is like a regular Rathalos, but with various enhanced aspects in the animations, including a glowing aura extending from his wings. He is also unique rather than being a subspecies or rare species or typical variant where multiple individuals or even whole populations exist, being most likely the only Razewing Rathalos currently in existence, and probably the first one to be born since an Oltura was last active.
- Undying Loyalty: To the protagonist, especially once they prove they will protect him no matter what.
- Wave-Motion Gun: With just an ounce of his Razewing powers, Ratha reduces two of Kuan Village's windmills to a smoldering crater. Ratha's initial Kinship Skill — Ground Flare — has him use his barely-constrained Razewing powers to charge a fireball that rips a furrow into the ground when launched and explodes into a massive pillar of flames. When fought as the penultimate boss, Ratha's Savage Fireball attack is upgraded to a similar level of destructiveness.
Hakolo Island/Mahana Village
The protagonist's home and starting location, Mahana Village has been home to a Rider clan for ages, and has welcomed a delegation of Hunters from Lulucion for the first time to observe one of their festivals as the game opens. However, strange occurrences mean that far from a simple festival, things begin spiraling out of control...
General Tropes
- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Chief Gara and Red have been seen to gently grab someone else's face and rub it as a form of affection. This is mentioned by an NPC in Rutoh village to be a custom of Mahana, and those unfamiliar with said custom can find it rather surprising/off-putting, as Alwin did when Red first did it to him as a expression of gratitude, and what the protagonist later does with Avinia.
- Chekhov's Gun: The song sung during Mahana rituals, as well as the ritual itself. It turns out to be a somewhat symbolic recollection of the Razewing Ratha legend, albeit missing a verse. The full song is still sung in Nua Te village. As for the ritual with the lanterns that Mahana islanders perform, it in fact is a visual guide to weakening Oltura (namely the lantern ritual involves "piercing" the holes in the lanterns that correspond to the eye-like markings on Oltura's main wings), the lanterns themselves featuring a fanciful depiction of Oltura. The truth of much of this had been long forgotten, even by the people of Nua Te, Kyle coming to understand it just in time to make use of the knowledge.
- Hula and Luaus: While the whole thing is handled with a good deal more respect than most "classic" Hollywood examples (the MHS developers made sure to research the dances, for one thing), Mahana Village and its inhabitants are still Extremely Pacific Islander™ and will go out of their way to make sure you don't miss this fact.
- Tribal Facepaint: Tattoos seems to be commonplace in Mahana and can be found on most of the NPCs that reside there.
Kayna
Voiced by: Mutsumi Tamura (Japanese), Alyson Leah (English)
A young woman who was trained as a Rider by Red. A long time friend of the player character and quite protective of them, she serves as their teacher on the basics of being a Rider, as well as a general mentor for the start of their journey. She's quite free-spirited and bubbly, and tends to not take too much negativity from those around her, be they fresh-faced newbies or fully-armored Hunters. Her main Monstie is a Velocidrome named Ranmar and her favored weapon is the sword and shield.
- Chainmail Bikini: Due to the tropical environment, the people of Mahana tend to expose a lot of skin, but Kayna's Rider armor in particular definitely invokes this trope.
- Cool Big Sis: She's not formally related to you, but she does give off this vibe; even during the game's opening, your character spends a lot of time with her and treats her like a sibling figure. It's likely she is, alongside Chief Gara, the closest thing they still have to family.
- Cool Teacher: A friendly and beautiful Rider older than the player character who takes on the role of their teacher, and she's a fierce fighter to boot.
- Crutch Character: She and Ranmar are there partially to make sure the Noob Cave that is the early Hakolo Island sequence isn't too rough on the player; you'll quickly notice that she's very tanky even compared to an equal-level player character, and Ranmar will often handily out-damage an equal-level Ranmar or other Velocidrome. However, even toward the end of the early Hakolo section (when you're in Guardian Ratha's Lair), you'll likely notice her damage start to fall off thanks to her mono-focus on sword & shield (though Ranmar remains competitive throughout) and she'll feel pointedly underpowered during the Anjanath boss fight in particular.
- Enthusiastic Newbie Teacher: She actually has zero experience teaching, the task having been thrust upon her suddenly by Chief Gara when she expresses concern that the player character is not ready to venture out on their own yet. However, she takes to the job with gusto, quickly coming up with a list of Rider rules and taking pride in the player character's every accomplishment. She even somehow keeps up on news of their progress enough to send them some early subquests to do in Rutoh to continue their training, complete with rewards.
- Exposition Fairy: She's the one doing much of the tutorializing during the Noob Cave sequences early in the game.
- Male Gaze: For better or worse, in many of the cutscenes she's in expect at least one shot to focus on her legs, chest and occasionally her rear at some point.
- Ms. Fanservice: Although a bit toned down, Kayna is nonetheless a very pretty looking character that shows quite a lot of skin thanks to her Rider Armor set.
- Ship Tease: Downplayed, but should Leo/Leia travel back to Mahana and talk to her when they aren't accompanied by a Battle Buddy, instead of talking about their traveling companion like usually she'll teasingly ask if they missed her so much they just couldn't stay away, before immediately claiming she's joking.
- Trying Not to Cry: Kayna has a decidedly displeased expression when Chief Gara first starts talking about destiny and Leo/Leia leaving the island with Ena, but she covers it up with enthusiasm as she tries to be encouraging. That said her expression falters to near tears as she looks the young Rider in the eye and it hits her they indeed are leaving and she won't be able to watch over them. She proceeds to embrace them in a long and tight hug that sends Leo/Lei beaming before turning her attention to Navirou and warning/telling him to look after them in a rather "they had better come back in one piece or else" manner.
Chief Gara
Voiced by: Kosuke Goto (Japanese), Alain Goulem (English)
The Wyverian chieftain of Mahana Village and current leader of the Mahana Rider Clan. Gara is quite open to the new spirit of cooperation between Riders and Hunters that the events of the previous game fostered, but he is also familiar with the legends concerning the peculiar Rathalos that can be born on Hakolo, and the Wings of Ruin the legends say it can bring to the world, and knows the Hunters would never tolerate such a creature. He's also a friend and comrade of Red's, and still misses him greatly, even as he helps Red's grandchild (i.e. you) come into their own as a Rider.- Cool Old Guy: Gara's no longer a spring chicken, even by Wyverian standards, but he proves on several occasions that he can still keep up (and dance) with the best of them. He's also a friendly man and Reasonable Authority Figure.
- Large and in Charge: While not menacing at all, he's definitely a large fellow and largest of the islanders, and he's Mahana's leader as the protagonist sets off on their adventure. Should Kayna visit Rutoh village in the postgame, she'll lampshade how Chief Gara is larger than any of the Rutoh Wyverians.
- Parental Substitute: As noted in the protag's entry, with Red gone (and your parents nowhere to be found), Gara is the closest thing you have to a parental figure.
Red
Voiced by: Yutaka Nakano (Old Red, Japanese), Yumiko Matsuura (Young Red, Japanese), Harry Standjofski (Old Red, English), Jake Kimmel (Young Red, English)
A legendary Rider and the main protagonist’s grandfather. At some point, he disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leading people to believe that he’s dead. His main Monstie is Guardian Ratha.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: A Wyverian in Rutoh notes that Red was so observant he could figure out a monster's weaknesses just by looking at them.
- Disney Death: Visiting the Pit of Remembrance reveals that Red died when Oltura triggered an earthquake, caused the rim of the pit to cave it. Red had been injured from an attack by a Nergigante shortly before that knocked him off Ratha's back and well over a hundred feet to the ground, and was too hurt to get up from where he had fallen or reach Ena's hand in time..
- Friend to All Living Things: He was said to be very kind and respectful to monsters.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: He and Zellard are shown to have been very close. So close that his death was the lynchpin for Zellard's descent into madness.
- Non-Indicative Name: His name is Red, but judging by flashbacks from just before he disappeared and as an adolescent, there isn’t anything “red” about him; the player can avert this by making his grandchild's eyes red, and therefore his.
- Secret-Keeper: Due to his accomplishments as a Rider, he alone (and some Palicos who served him who remained behind as sentinels) had been granted permission to go to the Elder's Lair, and he alone came back with knowledge of what was there, knowledge which he never shared. Chief Gara grants the protagonists and their battle companions the same permission in the postgame in recognition of helping save the world from Oltura.
- Strong Family Resemblance: He has this with his grandchild. Given that that's the Player Character, his skin tone and eye color(s) will match your character's.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: As his prowess as a Rider increased, Red became able to understand the monsters' "voices" — their motivations and desires.
Guardian Ratha
A powerful Rathalos that once served as Red's Monstie, and is worshipped by Mahana Village as a guardian deity. He keeps the peace on the island, his influence ensuring most monsters stay relatively docile.- Bond Creatures: Guardian Ratha was once Red's primary Monstie, and even after Red's death his Undying Loyalty was so strong he returned to Hakolo Island to protect the inhabitants of Mahana Village.
- Brainwashed and Crazy:
- After being attacked by a group of Hunters, Guardian Ratha briefly succumbs to the rage-rays and goes berserk, severely injuring Kyle's father in the process; he then flees with the rest of the region's Rathalos to escape the mind altering rays. At the end of the game he is forcibly drawn back to the source of the rage-rays and begins to go fully rage-rayed, but the protagonist uses Red's Kinship stone and the remaining bond Guardian Ratha still has with Red to break him free.
- A flashback to Red's death shows Guardian Ratha was first effected by the rage-rays while fighting a Nergigante, though he didn't go full rage-rayed and Red falling into the pit snapped him out of his berserk state.
- Heroic Sacrifice: At the end of the game, Guardian Ratha knocks Razewing Ratha out of the path of Oltura's jaws and is devoured instead. This also has the effect of snapping Razewing Ratha out of his rage-ray'd state.
- Pet Monstrosity: Guardian Ratha was once Red's Monstie, and his loyalty to Red extends years after his master's death.
- Physical Religion: Guardian Ratha is a large and unusually powerful Rathalos worshipped by the people of Mahana Village as their protector, with visiting Hunters sneaking off during a sacred festival and attempting to capture him to sacrifice to Oltura, believing he is or is linked to Razewing Ratha, then sneering at Mahana Village's worship of a Rathalos when confronted about their duplicity.
- Rugged Scar: Guardian Ratha's standout feature is the large scar across his left eye, sustained in a battle with a Nergigante.
- Together in Death: Red's spirit appears on his back in the final moments of his life, both to push Leo/Leia off to safety, and to be there with his friend in what was to be a brutal but mercifully quick death. Leo/Leia's vision implies that Guardian Ratha's spirit was spared even experiencing the death, as they watch him fly off into the light with Red.
Alcala/Rutoh Village
A village of Wyverians located deep within the forests of Alcala, Rutoh is Ena's hometown and a place Red often visited on his travels.
General Tropes
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Actually a bit notable in that, while many Wyverian-focused towns tend to be somewhat more "Japanese" in flavor compared to the more "European" Hunters (including Nua Te Village in this very game), the Wyverians of Rutoh are actually much more in line with conventional European fantasy-elves in their architecture, mode of dress, behavior etc. Zellard, in particular, would not look at all out of place on a Lord of the Rings set or somesuch, and the "Alwin = Legolas" comparisons/jokes are immediate and obvious. Fittingly, Alcala more resembles a European alpine or highland climate than anything.
- Hidden Elf Village: Downplayed in the present as they do not appear to be notably against contact with the outside world (and in particular Red was a trusted ally of theirs), but it is explicitly stated that humans are not allowed to enter the village without permission/invitation from at least one Wyverian who lives there. Happily for our protagonist, Ena counts for this. Played straight in the past as its noted during their whole history Red was the first human accepted in Rutoh village (and said acceptance took time). It's implied this past tradition wasn't out of animosity toward humans but rather out of the belief of the Wyverians there that relationships with humans were doomed to fail due to how differently they age, that a friendship made as a child would not be able to handle how the human would go on to become an adult and even elderly while the Wyverian likely still looked like a teenager. Even in the present though, several villagers imply they've never seen a human other than Red and the protagonist in person, owing to how little most of them travel and how remote their village is.
- In Harmony with Nature: Their village is covered in greenery and essentially merges with the surrounding landscape, various monsters peacefully living among them such as Paolumu, Larinoth and Gargwa.
Alwin
Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa (Japanese), Jonathan Silver (English)
A (by Wyverian standards) adolescent Wyverian Rider in charge of the security of Rutoh Village. His main monstie is a Legiana named Shaulk and his favored weapon is the bow.
- Humans Advance Swiftly: Invoked by him in various conversations. Due to suffering Proportional Aging, Alwin is constantly amazed at how quickly humans not only grow but also mature mentally, as well as learn and master things compared to Wyverians. Even after 50 years he feels he is only beginning to grasp the Rider skills Red had mastered as a teen.
- No Sense of Humor: Downplayed but he gives a fairly stoic first impression and doesn't understand Navirou's "go nuts" joke at all, despite him repeating it to a awkward degree.
- Not So Above It All: Happily engages in petting Navirou and feeling his pawpads after he discovers Navirou does not set off his allergy.
- Older Than They Look: Looked much the same 50 years ago, though we don't know his exact age.
- Plot Allergy: He appears to have something against Felynes as he repeatedly keeps his distance from them. It's eventually revealed he doesn't dislike them but is severely allergic and will sneeze violently if any Felyne gets close enough to touch. Navirou is an odd exception, likely due to the modifications to his body.
Loloska/Kuan Village
Avinia's hometown, located in the frigid Loloska region. Destroyed by the Black Blight during Stories, by the time of Stories 2 it is bustling with Riders once again.
Avinia
Voiced by: Yui Makino (Japanese), Katy Breier (English)
The strongest Rider in Kuan, Avinia has come a long way since her adventures in Stories. Now a young adult, she devotes herself to the revival of her home village. Her monstie is a Barioth named Frostfang and her favored weapon is the Hunting Horn. She also has a brother (likely a reference to her brother, Gale, from the Ride On anime), but nothing is said of him other than that he left Kuan after the initial restoration was finished.
- Dub Name Change: Frostfang is Kyoga in the original Japanese, which makes a little more sense in relation to her first name for him.
- Exposed to the Elements: Downplayed but she wears a bit less than might be expected of someone living in a mountainous region where the snow never melts. Namely her outfit includes a very short skirt/shorts combo and a top cut low enough to show just a hint of cleavage. When Navirou asks her how she is so comfortable in the freezing temperatures she remarks that being near Frostfang keeps her warm enough.
- Interspecies Friendship: Her history with Frostfang turns out to be quite different from how most Riders bond with their monsties. Rather than hatching him from an egg, she met him as a young wild Barioth when she was lost in the snow one day and bonded with him (at the time naming him Fuzzfangs). He would eventually rescue her again years later, this time from a blighted monster, indeed on the very day her village was destroyed by other blighted monsters. The two have been inseperable since.
- Tsundere: Much less compared to when she was younger, but she still has moments where she tries to downplay just how much she loves touching cute things, in particular the "toe beans" of Felynes.
Ol' Dede
A strange old Wyverian, known for his green skin, weakness for cute girls, and love for riddles, hot springs and certain unappetizing "dumplings." He knows and can teach a number of mystical abilities, including the Rite of Channeling. More than that, he can both awaken and seal away a monster's latent powers. A wanderer by nature, he's currently staying at the hot springs near Kuan Village.
- Dirty Old Man: Downplayed, as he initially refuses to help the protagonist — regardless of their gender — until Ena requests his aid and bribes him with food, with Navirou being mildly disgusted that it took a pretty girl asking to get him to help.
- Eccentric Mentor: He prefers to help indirectly, and can be quite vague and seemingly uncaring, especially if he senses someone is not ready for the real lesson they need to learn. In such a case he'd rather spend all day relaxing in hot springs, and it can take a gift/bribe and a plea from a pretty girl to get him to take any interest in the affairs of others. But when he's really needed he is as dependable and wise as they come.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: After seemingly losing all interest in the protagonist, he shows up just in time to confront the rampaging Ratha. He proceeds to deactivate/seal Ratha's Razewing state with a single command and wave of his staff: "Quell thy fury!"
- Magic Wand: He has a gohei — a traditional Japanese religious tool used in Shinto rituals — that he uses to perform his mystical abilities.
Lamure/Lulucion
Connected by bridge to the savannahs and deserts of Lamure, Lulucion is a large, sprawling city serving as a hub for Hunters and Scriveners. It is surrounded by water and high walls on all sides, with the bridge being the only way in or out of the city.
Reverto
Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita (Japanese), Scott Humphrey (English)
A borderline slacker as a Hunter who serves to protect the Scriveners. Some time after the events of Stories he moved to Lulucion along with Commander Lilia to work as her right hand man for their current mission to determine what threat Razewing Ratha may pose and what connection he may have to the pits and the Rage Rays. He joins your team during the Lamure arc wielding a Double Diablos Greatsword. In the post game he is able to join your party wielding an Impudent Cheda.
- BFS: Uses non elemental Greatswords. Interestingly enough this is a departure from his choice weapon in the original game which was a Tigrex Longsword, however the change could have been due to the fact they didn't have a longsword model or stats to scale for him due to Longsword not being a weapon choice in the game (in Stories he never actually fought in battle during gameplay).
- Boring Yet Practical: His weapons don't come with any elemental attributes, meaning no weakness hit damage, and don't inflict Ailments on the enemy, but are extremely useful for pure damage and have no risk of reduced damage
- Brilliant, but Lazy: as evidenced by the number of entries into the Hidden Depths section here, he is incredibly smart but would rather spend his time slacking off.
- Casanova Wannabe: Downplayed as there is no sign women find him repugnant, however an NPC does note Reverto tends to make up exploits with the ladies, claim he is dating someone when he isn't, etc. He makes no secret of how much he loves gorgeous women, but when it comes to actually getting into a relationship he seems to be a fair bit less confident.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Don't let his often lackadaisical attitude fool you, Reverto is a very capable and knowledgeable Hunter and he hits like a truck as a Battle Buddy. Indeed, in terms of sheer damage he can inflict he is the strongest of the Battle Buddies.
- Hidden Depths: Quite a few for a guy who can give a rather unprofessional impression as a Hunter.
- He's the first to correctly point out that the protagonist and Ena's words alone aren't enough to prove that Ratha's power can be controlled, and proposes a test hunt so they can prove they can do so.
- Early on when you are teamed up with him he tells you to look at the mushrooms because changes to the environment can tell you a lot about which non native monster is in the region at the time. He does this to teach the Mahana Rider more about how Hunters think, and to emphasize that as a Rider they ought to strive to understand monsters and the environment even more.
- He's also the first character to point out how the pits began opening up BEFORE Ratha hatched and thus used that to rule Ratha out as a cause.
- He took note of the Rathalos leaving their habitats at an evidently non migratory period for them and deduced there must be a link between that and the Pit while also not speculating on which caused which.
- He recognized that Lilia was letting her preconceived notions of why she had been given the position of Commander influence her decisions, and is implied to have informed her mentor Captain Simone so she could write a letter setting her straight.
- He has rather nuanced views on the roles of monsters in the world, not hating them and recognizing their value in the ecosystem but recognizing that they often must be killed for the sake of human survival just as monsters routinely kill each other for food or territory, that life in general can only live by killing other life in one way or another. At the same time, he believes cooperation is the better option when possible, and admires Riders for enabling that cooperation between humans and monsters.
- No Hero to His Valet: Some NPCs note that he is often very casual with Lady Lils due to him having known her well before she got her current position of authority.
- Totally Radical: His speech mannerisms in the dub are once more similar to that of a stereotypical surfer's.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Still can't stand bugs being anywhere near him.
Lilia
Voiced by: Minami Takahashi (Japanese), Angela Galuppo (English)
A young woman who grew up in the Rider village Hakum. She left the village at a young age, joining the Royal Scriveners to investigate the Black Blight as well as seeking to help bring the revenge-obsessed Cheval to his senses. She now leads the Lulucion branch of the Scriveners as their Commander. While she is a naturally kind hearted and friendly person, she also takes her work very seriously, and makes every effort to present herself as professional and impartial, even when it strains her friendships. Captain Simone is her mentor and inspiration. She is also still close with Cheval, routinely meeting with him for both business and leisure.
- Hero Antagonist: She's well-meaning and trying to solve the Rage Rays. However, she orders her men to capture Ratha and haul him back to Lulucion in a cage, believing the monster to be the cause of the calamity. She eventually realizes the error of her ways when mysterious monster riders attempt to steal Ratha under her nose.
Kyle
Voiced by: Junta Terashima (Japanese), Curtis Legault (English)
A young but experienced Hunter who struggles to understand how Riders are able to bond with Monsters, especially after his father is gravely injured by a Rathalos. The youngest of five brothers in a family of skilled Hunters, he takes the profession very seriously. His weapon of choice is a bow.
- Armor-Piercing Question: When the Protagonist attempts to stop the Hunters capturing Ratha, he angrily asks them if they care more for a single Rathalos than for the fate of the entire world. Notably, this actually makes the Protagonist relent.
- Character Development: Starts off seeing Riders as naive fools for putting their faith in Monsters, but gradually warms up to the concept with the Protagonist's help and quickly becomes one of their most stalwart allies.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: As a moody teenager, Kyle has a tendency to be rude and abrasive, especially with people he does not know well, but everything he does is with the goal of protecting innocent lives, honoring his father, and living up to the ideals of being a Hunter.
- More Dakka: Primarily focuses on Rapid Arrows.
- Multi Shot: His Hunter Art involves his firing a myriad of arrows enhanced to explode on impact.
- Tsundere: He starts off as antagonistic and belligerent towards the party, only joining them because Orgo is a mutual friend of Navirou and Tsukino, and because he wants to find out the truth behind the Pits. As he travels with the main party, he slowly thaws out and comes to acknowledge the bond between the Protagonist and Ratha, though he's begrudging to admit it.
Tsukino
Voiced by: Rie Takahashi (Japanese), Elana Dunkelman (English)
Kyle's faithful Palico, she served as his father's Palico before Kyle became old enough to be a Hunter. Before all this she had some history with Orgo. Serious and devoted, though not above snide remarks.
- Assist Character: Helps Kyle with his Hunter Art but otherwise doesn't involve herself in any fighting.
- Changed My Mind, Kid: At first, she's all for the idea of keeping Ratha locked up to prevent his potential Wings of Ruin from destroying the world, but later on she discreetly tells Ena where the Masked Riders are holding Ratha, presumably having foreseen the Leisurely Hunter and Vigilant Hunter selling out to them.
- Combat Commentator: Exactly like Navirou, but she only commentates for Kyle.
- Instant Messenger Pigeon: She has a seemingly endless supply of trained downy crakes that she uses to deliver messages. The protagonist can even over the course of the game adopt 7 of them to live at their house.
- Master of Disguise: Considers herself one, though some of her disguises are better than others. One secret quest (that you can complete in the post-game if you miss it), involves finding her in 7 disguised states in various parts of Rutoh and Kuan villages. Said disguises include a Catavan driver, a barrel, and even a wall.
- Ninja: Her outfit and mannerisms match that of a kunoichi, complete with a headband. She spends a fairly decent chunk of the early game using disguises and camouflage to spy on the protagonist.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Several of her disguises amount to her simply changing her outfit and not even bothering to hide her distinctive fur pattern... though this is more than enough to fool the protagonist, Navirou — who hits on her a number of times, and even Ena. If spoken to when the story is completed, she smugly mocks the protagonist for not having seen through any of her disguises.
- Spider-Sense: Like Navirou, she has a sixth sense for imminent danger, particularly from monsters. This even extends to some degree to being able to tell if people she is dealing with have malicious motives.
Cheval
Voiced by: Ryōta Ōsaka (Japanese), Tod Fennell (English)
A veteran Rider. Over five years ago, he lost his mother to the Black Blight, leaving him with a burning hatred for monsters and an obsession with becoming stronger. He has since learned from his mistakes and become a kind, compassionate man. He wields a sword & shield and his monstie is a Rathian named Rathi.
- Big Brother Mentor: Once he sees you may be heading down the path he did in the first game, he immediatly steps in to prevent that outcome.
- Big Damn Heroes: Arrives just in time to drive off a Elder Dragon before it can finish off the protagonists. He has Rathi pelt the creature with fireballs before opening a big gash in its side via her spin move.
- I Hate Past Me: Downplayed and implied when he informs the player of his past in order to prevent the player character from going down the same path he did in the first game.
- Took a Level in Kindness: He's fully learned from his mistakes from the first game and now recognizes and supports the bonds between Riders and Monsties, and no longer sees the latter as just tools to be used.
Pomore Garden/Felyne Shelter
Located on the edge of Pomore Garden, the particularly large Felyne Shelter of Pomore is a haven for catfolk of all kinds. It was built in a cave after their village was destroyed by the opening of a Rage Ray pit.
Orgo
Voiced by: Kosuke Goto (Japanese), Brian Froud (English)
A jolly and confident Felyne who manages the Felyne Shelter. He's known Navirou since long before he had the name "Navirou."
- Large and in Charge: Is one of the larger Felynes seen in the series and no one would dispute he's the leader of the shelter.
- One Degree of Separation: Knew both Navirou and Tsukino at different times in the past, and thus helps break the ice between her, Kyle, and the protagonist's group.
Nua Te Village
A secluded Wyverian village, long hidden in volcanic mountains and barred to humans. Most know of the place only through rumors.
General Tropes
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture: They have the Japanese vibe common to Wyverians, though with a more ancient Japanese feel due perhaps to their long isolation.
- Hidden Elf Village: They are shrouded in secrecy and have long lived isolated from the outside world, one of their rules disallowing contact with humans and distancing themselves even from their own kind until the events of Stories 2 make it clear it's time to change.
- Technical Pacifist: Downplayed (they'll readily fight humanoid intruders), but their moral code forbids them from fighting against monsters directly. Their resident Rathalos enabled this lifestyle to succeed for a long time as they kept the other monsters in-line, but after their Rathalos left they have no issue asking the protagonist to fight the monsters troubling them.
- Underground City: Technically underground despite being located high up to make it less accessible, that is the village consists mostly of rooms and hallways tunneled into the earth and rock of the mountain (though there is a spacious area open to the sun as well).
Yoomlana
Voiced by: Kaya Matsutani (Japanese), Val Mervis (English)
The chief of Nua Te Village, she is quite knowledgeable and possesses the ability to sense life force.
- Excellent Judge of Character: She only needs to ask a few probing questions of their motives and intentions before agreeing to let the protagonist' group into the village and assist them with gaining the knowledge they seek, much to the consternation of her guards.
- Large and in Charge: As a Statuesque Stunner, Yoomlana is noticeably taller than most of her people, including her personal guards.
- Ms. Fanservice: Elegant, curvy, and, scantily clad. She's introduced via a Supermodel Strut and spends her time lounging in a way that wouldn't look out of place among Modeling Poses. Reverto sums her up as "one good-looking lady."
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Her village has always had a rule to keep itself separated from the outside world, indeed no humans had been allowed to enter in all its history until the events of Stories 2, but she recognizes they neither can (nor necessarily should) keep this up forever and decides its time for some new customs.
- Reclining Reigner: Her default pose, idly fanning herself while lounging on a throne that's built to allow her to stretch out as she lays on it.
- Supermodel Strut: She has an elegant strut to her step, and sways her legs and hips as she moves. The fact she's a Statuesque Stunner makes it even more noticeable.
Masked Riders (Unmarked Spoilers!)
A strange group of heavily armored Riders who repeatedly harry the party in an attempt to steal Ratha. They eventually turn out to be a cult that worships the Oltura as a god and seek to use Ratha's power as a sacrifice to fully awaken the Oltura so it can reshape the world.
- Ambiguous Situation:
- Its unclear if Kyle's father was in on the Leisurely Hunter and Vigilant Hunter's plans at the beginning of the game. That he is seen praising Kyle during the credits though suggests he had been misled by the cult just as Kyle was, and had only wanted to protect the world.
- How much exactly Zellard was effected by Oltura's voice and when. He claims he only became dedicated to helping Oltura destroy the world after he saw Red die, however, many years before this he is shown to be outright entranced by Oltura's voice to the point of suicidal behavior (such as ignoring Alwin's attempt to rescue him), suggesting the seeds of his madness existed for a long time.
- Big Bad Friend: Their leader is revealed to be Zellard, confidant of Elder Maolo (the chieftan of Rutoh Village and Ena's grandfather).
- Death Seeker: Zellard makes it repeatedly clear that he intends to die as a sacrifice to Oltura as well, so great is his despair at the nature of the world. Ena prevents his final attempt at suicide and makes him realize the real issue is himself and not the world.
- Dragon Rider: Most of them prefer to use the more overtly dragon-like Monsties, such as Diablos and Nargacuga.
- Foil: Zellard serves as one to Cheval's portrayal in the first game. Both were originally, kind, heroic people before the tragic loss of a loved one sends them down a dark path that makes them come into conflict with the protagonists and their allies. While Cheval became an angry, bitter Knight Templar, Zellard became an outright deranged Omnicidal Maniac. In addition, both are fought as the penultimate boss of their game, and after their defeat they both undergo a Heel–Face Turn after someone manages to break through their anger.
- Good Colors, Evil Colors: Zellard and his Riders all have Kinship Stones colored red and gold, contrasting the blue and white of "good" Kinship Stones. Zellard's is located on his left palm.
- Heel–Face Turn: Implied. Seeing how hard the party is willing to fight Oltura to save the world, despite how hopeless it seems, as well as Ena finally making him come to terms with his grief over Red, finally opens Zellard's eyes and make him stop his mad campaign, though we do not see what becomes of him afterward.
- Irony: The cult worships Oltura with great zealotry so one would expect them to be a fount of information on it, but they turn out to know next to nothing about the creature beyond what Zellard believes it to be. They don't even know it's historical name, Oltura, until Ena tells them it, instead referring to it via the name they came up with, "The Exalted One." Oltura turns out to not be some god of recreation who desires to create a better world but merely mentally a "newborn" who is only concerned with its own survival.
- Maddened Into Misanthropy: Flashbacks show that Zellard was once a kind, compassionate man, but the loss of Red and the subsequent realization of how frail and short lived Humans are drove him mad and caused him to have a rather outlandish interpretation of Oltura's thoughts.
- Malevolent Masked Man: All of them, but Zellard stands out.
- The Mole: The Leisurely Hunter and Vigilant Hunter from the start of the game turn out to be agents of the cult that infiltrated the Hunter's Guild in Lulucion. The cult uses their Hunter moles to concoct a fake emergency, claiming Ratha had escaped in the lab, wherein the moles then volunteer to go to the lab to assist the researchers, only to instead aid the rest of the cult in accessing the lab and stealing the still confined-in-a-cage Ratha. After the plan's initial success one mocks Lilia for trusting them.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After Ena finally manages to get through to him that Oltura creating a better world was all in his head, all Zellard can do is collapse onto his knees in despair as the weight of all he's done crashes down on him.
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Whenever they're defeated, they escape with the use of flashbangs (even their monsties escape during said flashbang). Subverted near the end after their Zinogre and Monoblos are defeated, where their escape is cut off by Lilia's Hunters.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: The Leisurely Hunter and Vigilant Hunter disappear after the Lamure arc. Presumably they were arrested with the rest of the cult after Zellard's defeat.
- Zellard himself vanishes after Oltura's defeat. The only clue is a shot of his discarded helmet on Hakolo's beach during the credits.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: When it comes down to it, Zellard is a broken man lashing out at a world that took his closest friend from him.
The Source of the Pits (UNMARKED SPOILERS)
Oltura
A primordial Elder Dragon that dwells deep beneath the earth. Its burrowing and the light it produces to draw in Rathalos as prey are the true cause of the Rage Ray pits. It has a caterpillar-like life cycle. See this page for more details.
- Apocalypse Maiden: Subverted. Zellard and his cult believe it will reshape the world into something better, but in reality its a wild animal lashing out at what it perceives as threats.
- Bishōnen Line: Compared to its larval form, its true form is downright beautiful.
- Draconic Abomination: Its initial form is little more than a gigantic thrashing mass of tentacles and jaws, rather like giant worms covered in reptilian scales.
- Goo-Goo-Godlike: Its actually what passes for an infant for its species, it's metamorphosis into its true form being treated as a "birth" in its own right compared to its larval state (which it had lived as for at least fifty years). Doesn't make it any less powerful.
- Trademark Favorite Food: To illustrate just how strong it is, it devours Rathalos by the hundreds. Rathalos appear to be its primary food source, leading to them fleeing in huge numbers when it becomes active.
