Join us as we untangle the completely fucked up ecological logic of the Monster Hunter universe, where the line between apex predator and loving pet owner is just a shiny rock and a sick pair of Rathalos-skin boots.

Cody is blazing past Alpha Centauri on a Blueberry Lemon Haze cart, while Javier takes diabolical reclaim globs straight to Jupiter to pit the mainline Hunters against the Riders from Monster Hunter Stories. On the surface, it’s a massive clash of philosophies: the Hunters cull beasts to maintain ecological "balance" while immediately turning around and wearing their dead flesh as hats and boots, and the Riders claim to live in pure harmony by using "Kinship Stones" to bond with their creatures.

But as we enter the Hot Box, we start peeling back the cutesy chibi aesthetics to ask the heavy questions. Are  ...