The Biggest Monsters In The Series, Ranked

Summary

• Capcom’s Monster Hunter series features monsters of varying sizes, from the smaller Shara Ishvalda to the massive Dalamadur.
• Some monsters, like Shen Gaoren and Gaismagorm, use their size to deliver devastating attacks and unique gameplay mechanics.
• Laviente, the largest monster in the series, showcases immense destructive power with abilities like breathing fire and causing meteor showers.

Developer Capcom has a habit of bringing extremely large monsters to gamers’ screens. Be it Resident Evil or even Dragons Dogma. But, most of the company’s largest creations are in the Monster Hunter series. The franchise has become famous for its complex and varied mechanics, breathtaking visuals, challenging quests, strategic gameplay, and, as the name suggests, monsters. Lots and lots of monsters.

As the flagship feature, the monsters in these games have extensive and diverse designs. With so many different types, breeds, and races, players can truly get lost in how many monster categories there are. The one area that seems to interest fans more than any other is size. Here are the Monster Hunter series’ biggest creations.

Updated February 14th 2025 by Hilton Webster: Monster Hunter is packed with massive beasts, and while few have managed to surpass the gargantuan sizes of those already listed, some from Sunbreak managed to slip in. We’ve done some general tidying to this article too, as well as adding metre measurements for those less imperially-inclined.

The vast majority of sizes here are acquired from Capcom’s own estimations over the years, so sizes might not perfectly align with every specific game these monsters appear in.

13

Shara Ishvalda

95.50 Feet, 29.1 Metres

Still a respectable size though miniature compared to what comes later, we have Shara Ishvalda. This Elder Dragon has the power to control the very earth. Using vibrations and the six odd appendages on its back to manipulate earth, Shara Ishvalda can create a sort of ‘outer shell’ to project itself.

But, don’t be fooled, even when that rock-hard shell is knocked off, there’s still a terrifyingly powerful (and somewhat creepy) dragon inside. The attacks Ishvalda unleashes on naive hunters range from surprising them with a burrowing attack, sending out gigantic waves of raw vibrational energy, slamming their rocky appendages on the ground to charge forward, and much more. It’s not exactly a towering monster, but at least in its covered form, the Ishvalda is one of the bulkies” monsters we’ve seen in the series to date.

12

Shen Gaoren

111.15 Feet, 33.87 Metres

If there’s ever been a monster that would fit more perfectly with the grappling mechanics found in MHW: Iceborne, Monster Hunter Rise, or other similar games, than the Shen Gaoren from MH2, we’d like to see them. Shen Gaoren is a Carapaceon, which basically means a gigantic crustacean monster. In MH2, you were meant to stop it from destroying the town by chipping away at its legs for 20+ minutes, because there was no way you were going to reach its main body. And, while doing this, this crab would flail its absurdly long legs at you, dealing massive damage if it hit.

Surprisingly, this mammoth-sized crab on stilts was popular enough to return in other games in other forms/subspecies, such as the Teppeki Shen Gaoren or Guren Shen Gaoren in Monster Hunter Online. Basically, despite feeling more like an Earth Defense Force design than a Monster Hunter one, the Shen Gaoren is still one of the most uniquely memorable designs in the franchise.

11

Najarala

141.58 Feet, 43.15

Najarala is a Snake Wyvern introduced in MH4 before appearing in Ultimate and then Generations. As a Wyvern, this beast stands tall. Then again, it doesn’t really stand at all, given that it’s a snake. Still, despite its massive size, the Najarala prefers to initiate combat stealthily by burrowing underground and popping up for a devastating surprise attack.

Even when Najarala fights directly, it still uses a bunch of different gimmicks from shattering its scales to create deafening noise (which stuns hunters) to poisoning foes with the venom in its fangs on either side of its beak-like mouth. All-in-all, Najarala is our first example of a gigantic monster in terms of length, rather than just overall size, but it surely won’t be the last.

10

Fatalis

145.73 Feet, 44.41 Metres

Fatalis is one of the oldest creatures on this list as it was an Elder Dragon introduced in the original Monster Hunter. But, just because it comes from a time where the games weren’t as mechanically advanced, doesn’t mean the version that appears in MHW: Iceborne is for the faint of heart. Being a fire-breathing massive beast, it will take more than just a lot of firepower to take this behemoth down.

Sure, Fatalis is basically just a stereotypical Western dragon, but classic dragons are iconic monsters akin to slimes and elementals for a reason. It does just about everything you would expect a dragon to do, from breathing fire to swiping at you with its tail, making for a predictable yet still incredibly challenging encounter.

9

Gaismagorm

157.7 Feet, 48.08 Metres

The big bad of Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, Gaismagorm dwarves everything else you encounter in the game by multitudes. This beast is massive, needing a unique arena of its own just to handle its massive size. Even the battle against them requires the use of cannons and other machinery.

Really, it’s hard to comprehend the scale of Gaismagorm until you stop in front of them. Hunters are miniscule in comparison, barely the size of a nail on Gaismagorm’s toes. That doesn’t stop you cutting off its limbs though, it just takes some work to get through them.

8

Gogmazios

161.43 Feet, 49.2 Metres

Now, compared to Fatalis who has shown up in five+ games, Gogmazios has only ever appeared in its debut game, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. In terms of the showdown with this beast, Gogmazios prefers to use up-close tactics and its sheer largeness to take out hunters.

Yet, while this may seem just a stereotypical as Fatalis, Gogmazio has both its superheated oil laserbeam and scowl-scaped glowing chin to spice things up. Plus, like Teostra, Gogmazios loves to eat literal gunpowder, which isn’t like any other dragons we’ve heard of.

7

Ceadeus

192.69 Feet, 58.73 Metres

Next up is the Ceadeus, a massive underwater sea-snake creature introduced in Monster Hunter 3 and reappearing in MH3 Ultimate. Most of you probably remember it as the Elder Dragon that was meant to capitalize on MH3’s underwater combat, but, like most of the underwater fights in that game, in actuality, the fight was sort of a chore thanks to the three different phases you had to progress through.

That said, the helplessness you innately feel while deep underwater in video games, combined with the Caedeus’ gigantic size still made this confrontation incredibly tense. Even more so thanks to the beam of pressurized water Ceadeus could expel called the Current Storm that could instantly KO any unprepared hunter.

6

Dire Miralis

206.29 Feet, 62.87 Metres

Here’s another Elder Dragon (turns out Elder Dragons, even in the non-hunting MH games, tend to be the largest). This time it’s the Dire Miralis from MH3 Ultimate that has so far not yet returned in any future games. Although its body is covered in lava, Dire Miralis is a semi-aquatic creature. And, while the Dire Miralis does have wings on its back, they’re actually just a method for it to expel lava orbs for both defense and as a way of lowering its overall heat.

Honestly, it’s hard to argue that this thing isn’t one of the most intimidating monsters in the entire franchise. The Dire Miralis is fought both on land and in shallow water, making it more enjoyable than a lot of other fights in MH3U since players can mostly choose to fight it on land.

5

Lao-Shan Lung

228.34 Feet, 69.59 Metres

Moving on to another hulking draconic powerhouse first introduced way back when in the debut MH game, the Lao-Shan Lung. And, like the Fatalis, this just looks like a relatively stereotypical Western Dragon. But, frankly, the Lao-Shan Lung is like a dragon on steroids, trading any sort of elemental affinity or special ability for raw physical power.

Yet, despite their gigantic size, these Elder Dragons are actually docile compared to their other more fiery counterparts, seeming to prefer to ignore most hunters unless directly attacked. But, if there’s a fortress they want to break down, well then you need to use every type of restraint, cannon, and whatever other tools are lying around to stop it (if you can).

4

Jhen Mohran & Dah’ren Mohran

366.20 & 375.54 Feet, 111.61 & 114.46 Metres

The Jhen Mohran and its sub-species the Dah’ren Mohran are Elder Dragons which made their first appearance in Monster Hunter 3 and most recently in MH3U. Dwarfing all other entries so far, the Jhen Mohran has a lot in common with the Zorah Magdaros in that they’re basically like mobile mountains. But, while the Magdaros wades its way through the ocean, the Mohran swims through the desert sand.

While its size is absolutely terrifying, this beast is in actuality a gentle giant. Much like the Lao-Shan Lung, it prefers to avoid conflict, though it will defend itself if attacked. It’s one of those fights where hunters don’t really “attack” it with their weapons as much as chase it with a boat-like vessel on the sand and poke at it with Ballista and the Draconator.

3

Zorah Magdaros

845.29 Feet, 257.64 Metres

Zorah Magdaros is the exact opposite of Dalamadur or Najala in regards to its size. Whereas these two creatures ranged from hundreds to over a thousand feet long, Zorah is taller than most mountains.

Magdaros is part of your introduction to Monster Hunter World, really making you take in the scale of the New World. And, in a unique mix-up for the series, while climbing around on Zorah to attack its magmacore organs, you fight another monster on top of it! As far as we can remember, this is really the only fight against a monster while riding a monster in the entire series. In any case, Zorah Magdaros is huge, way bigger than its odd classification as a “Large” monster (not Gigantic or Colossal) makes it out to be.

2

Dalamadur

1444.87 Feet, 440.39 Metres

Appearing in Monster Hunter 4, this colossal beast stands at almost 1450 feet tall. Only available for high-rank hunters, the Dalamadur is nothing to scoff at and should be thought of as a more dangerous, longer, and all-around deadlier Najarala. In addition to its size, the Dalamadur also brings a hefty arsenal of attacks to any fight from a flamethrower attack, AOE fireball spray, or just using its hook-like spines and claws to tear hunters to shreds.

Given its length and weight, Dalamadur is unlikely to be uncrowned any time soon as the reigning champion in the mainline games. In fact, the Rotten Vale from Monster Hunter World is actually confirmed to be made up of the remains from ancient variants of the Dalamadur, giving us even more proof of its colossal size.

1

Laviente

1476.37 Feet, 449.99 Metres

And finally, without a doubt the largest monster appearing in the entire series, Laviente makes its debut in Monster Hunter Frontier, the MMORPG released in 2007. Believed to surpass even the Dalamadur in size, albeit only marginally, this behemoth is a sight to behold.

The Laviente prefers to use its serpentine-like body to destroy the terrain the hunters are fighting on. In addition to this, it also has the ability to breathe fire and cause meteor showers. Sounds pretty similar to the Dalamadur right? Well, it does have a lot in common, but the Laviente also smashes its gigantic body into the ground to shower hunters with large rocks and digs deep enough when burrowing underground to cause volcanic eruptions mid-fight. And, let’s not even get started on how difficult the Berserk and Violent variants of this world-snake-sized serpent can be.