Rathalos

Rathalos
Official artwork of Rathalos from Monster Hunter: World.
Universe	Monster Hunter
Debut	Monster Hunter (2004)
Smash Bros. appearances	Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Monster Hunter: World (2018)
Console/platform of origin	PlayStation 2
Gender	Male

Rathalos (リオレウス, Liolaeus) are a type of flying wyvern from the Monster Hunter series, created by Capcom. They are one of the most well-known monsters in the series, and can appear in many varied habitats.

Origin

A Rathalos as it originally appeared in Monster Hunter.

Rathalos is a recurring monster from the Monster Hunter series, and the flagship monster for the original Monster Hunter; it is sometimes known by its epithet "King of the Skies" and belongs to the Flying Wyvern family of monsters. In addition to its female counterpart Rathian, there are a number of Rathalos subspecies in existence, such as Azure Rathalos. Its description in Monster Hunter World states that "Rathalos descends upon invaders from the sky, attacking with poison claws and fiery breath", which is reflected accordingly in its attacks in Smash.

Armor, in both Blademaster and Gunner variants, can be created from materials procured from hunting Rathalos in its home series.

In Super Smash Bros. 4

Mii Swordfighters wearing Rathalos Mail.

Armor created with Rathalos materials from Monster Hunter, called the Rathalos Blademaster Armor, appeared as a downloadable content costume for Mii Swordfighters. The armor's design is derived from Monster Hunter Tri and later entries in the series, excluding Monster Hunter: World.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Rathalos facing Link, Marth and Shulk on Coliseum.

Rathalos appears as a boss in Adventure Mode: World of Light and Classic Mode, and is the first boss in the series to also appear as an Assist Trophy. It can strike the opponent with its claws or breathe fire onto the stage. When it roars, nearby fighters may be stunned.

The boss fight with Rathalos takes place in an arena that resembles Monster Hunter's Ancestral Steppe. Rathalos can be seen flying around the World of Light overworld map prior to its boss fight in that mode.

Rathalos is the boss battle of the Classic Mode for Yoshi, Marth, Duck Hunt, and Piranha Plant, and is a miniboss for Bowser.

• 

  1,295. Rathalos Spirit

Gallery

• 

  Official artwork of Rathalos from Ultimate.

• 

  Rathalos as a boss.

• 

  Rathalos in Ultimate.

• 

  Rathalos attacking Lucas on Garden of Hope.

• 

  Rathalos attacking Link, Pikachu, Bowser and Inkling with its fireballs on Tortimer Island.

• 

  Mario and Rathalos artwork, as posted on the official Japanese Monster Hunter Twitter account.

Trivia

• The Deku Nuts and Pitfalls that appear during the fight serve as a reference to the Rathalos' home universe's Flash Bombs and Pitfall Traps, respectively. The former disorients monsters and causes flying monsters like Rathalos to crash to the ground, and the latter is one of the two trap types used to immobilize monsters so they can be either attacked with impunity or captured alive for extra rewards
• Rathalos is the first character in the series to appear both as an Assist Trophy and a boss.
  • Ridley was planned to be an Assist Trophy in Brawl, but the idea was scrapped to keep him as a boss instead.
• Rathalos' eye color differs from the main Monster Hunter series and in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
• The appearance of Rathalos and Snake in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate marks the second time a Metal Gear character can fight Rathalos, as monsters from the Monster Hunter series, including Rathalos, appeared as bosses on extra missions in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.