Is Monster Hunter Story Canon?
No, the Monster Hunter main series games generally have standalone stories that are not directly connected in canon. However, the Monster Hunter Stories RPG spinoff series does have a continuous, connected story across both games. And there are some loose connections made between the live-action Monster Hunter movie and game lore.
Monster Hunter Main Games – Standalone Stories
The core Monster Hunter games take place in the same broad universe but tend to have separate storylines focused on each title‘s setting and characters. As PC Gamer explains, the connects are more through "common monsters, items, lore, and legends" rather than direct narrative links.
For example, Monster Hunter: World and Monster Hunter Rise have completely different tales set in new locales. Rise makes no references to World‘s storyline about tracking down the migrating Elder Dragons. There are some small callbacks like the return of the Palico and Palamute buddies. But as Attack of the Fanboy notes, the plot stands alone as a "fresh start" for new players.
| Game | Setting | Main Story Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Monster Hunter (2004) | Kokoto Village | Stopping a Rathalos causing natural disasters |
| Monster Hunter Freedom 2 | Pokke Village | Investigating tremors around the village |
| Monster Hunter Tri | Moga Village | Helping rebuild the village after an earthquake/tsunami |
| Monster Hunter: World | New World | Tracking migrating Elder Dragons to their nesting ground |
| Monster Hunter Rise | Kamura Village | Working with the locals to repel the rampaging monsters |
So in terms of main continuity, there is no overarching Monster Hunter canon spanning the core series. The only connections are through shared elements like monsters, items, locations and lore. The actual narratives remain separate.
Monster Hunter Stories – Direct Sequel
Unlike the main games, Monster Hunter Stories and its sequel Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin have a continuous plotline and cast that do align in canon.
The first Stories game follows a young Rider named Red as he bonds with the legendary Rathalos known as "The Wings of Ruin" who can destabilize the ecosystem. The sequel picks up over a decade later with Red‘s grandson Ena who partners with another Rathalos that inherits the wings. Multiple characters like Navirou and Reverto return alongside new allies.
Clear story threads continue between titles, like the mystery of the ancient civilization that created the first Wings of Ruin Rathalos. So Stories 2 directly follows on the preceding game‘s narrative.
As Nintendo Life confirms, you don‘t need knowledge of the first game to understand Stories 2. But the plots definitely align in one canon focused on the Wings of Ruin lore and Rhathalos legend.
Monster Hunter Movie "Canon" References
While not directly an adaptation, the 2020 Monster Hunter movie does make some references to the games to loosely establish itself as canonical.
Most notably, the Monster Hunter World: Iceborne expansion guidebook mentions the film‘s events as part of the game‘s timeline. Attack of the Fanboy outlines how this guide sets the movie as occurring about 5 years before the start of World.
So while not a full-fledged part of the lore, Capcom seems to be treating the movie as a canon side story. Likely more of a fun nod than serious continuity, but it does connect the different mediums together.
In Summary:
- Monster Hunter main games = Separate standalone stories
- Monster Hunter Stories games = Direct plotline sequel
- Monster Hunter movie = Loose canon through game guide connections
Let me know if you have any other questions!
