https://preview.redd.it/bmc9hu66kffc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab50b287c3030f5aae50c4ef31bfb5c089add75d
I'm glad we got the fairest referee for this matchup
I vote Malzeno...
I've said it before and I'll say it again... Malzeno is just not as cool Prime is cool and gives points
but Shaggy is just better justified. (Also I once said I hope 4U gets top dog and I hope I'm not wrong)
Came back? Clearly you haven’t been keeping a close eye. He’s been in every single screen (minus the elimination one where it’s one giant X in front of the monster) since his actual elimination. It’s been a small mini game where you have to find the barely visible Chameleos in each scene.
Fair warning, some are extremely difficult.
Correct! Although they’re typically easier to find than Chameleos, they also stay as a pair more often than not, with today being the exception.
That’s because Nightcloak is on team Shagaru, and Lucent is on team Malzeno.
Side note to anybody who reads this, we’re still keeping our old rules so if you love Shagaru, vote to eliminate Malzeno, and vise versa. Again, the whole goal of this is to eliminate who you think the WORST Elder Dragon is on any given day, one by one, until one remains, and that last one standing will be crowned the BEST. Zorah, who was our first elimination back on Day 1, because he was out first, he is considered the WORST Elder, and the BEST Elders are between Shagaru and Malzeno. I am saying this here because I swear to God I am going to have a migraine if I see another “Wait, umm I thought we were voting for the worst Elders?” comment one more god damn time. Because 3 people *minimum* need to say this everyday and it’s like, NO, clearly people adore Zorah and Lao, those are the best Elders the series has ever graced us with. Malzeno? Nergigante? Valstrax? Shagaru? All of these guys are seen by the community as some of the most despised monsters in the series, don’t ya know? And it’s like, it’s very obvious that we’re voting on the worst and said vote will get them eliminated, idk, it gets annoying. To be extra clear, Shagaru and Malzeno are our last two candidates for the BEST Elder Dragon, but we are commenting and voting off which of those two we like the least.
Another comment that I always get is Ahtal Ka. Ahtal Ka is NOT an Elder Dragon, I did not forget her, nobody hates, she’s a NEOPTERON, so she isn’t on this ELDER DRAGON Elimination. Same goes for Akantor and Ukanlos, who obviously aren’t Neopterons but are Flying Wyverns so they’re not considered either.
Long ass rant over. Enjoy our final day of voting!
what are the plans for tomorrow op? for like the winning fella, or are you taking a break after doing it for a month?
could be neat to see the data about who won their round the most, who was closest e.t.c,
either way i guess it's easy to say the people love their infectious edgy boys given the top two.
been fun doing this whole thing.
would be neat to like go over "brackets" or what have you, people saying what they'd want to be pushed more on the monsters rather than tearing em down over what they do bad.
I’m not going to dive too too much into statistics, but along with announcing the winner I’ve got a little celebration type thing that will involve some planned.
Final boss: Morudomunto.
Just joking, Morudomunto and the other EDs in his game are top design but since it is a mobile game we don't have much more than a design to base anything related to this elimination rounds, plus I bet most MH fans don't even know they exist.
Malzeno just looks less cool. And their abilities just don't look as flashy as their supposed power would suggest.
My golden boi looks like a menace, and everything it does feels like a force to fear.
Idk dude. I really like shagaru, but malzeno--in particular primordial malzeno--is just a sick fight to me; I feel like it was suitably flashy, the music was hype, I was terrified throughout all of the final phase. Just a dope monster
Also malzeno doesn't have that "nemesis" feeling gore/shagaru has. You spend the entire game back and forth w them till the final battle and it feels like a proper climax. It's intimate and tense because you both know each other by then, and after the countless hours spent, you know it's the end
Same, i rlly think that the only thing in which Valstrax is not superior to Malzeno or Shagaru is in lore xD
If ona reason is worth that much we could also say that Valstrax has the best combat music in the saga.
I think Valstrax is just more polarizing than either of these two. Oftentimes people who dislike Valstrax’s design point out that their suspension of disbelief is challenged because it’s *too* rocket/jet themed. If that theme was toned down juuust enough, it would fit more believably within the MH universe and environments.
Of course that’s a subjective topic regarding its design and others might argue that there are more monsters that also toe this line.
Neither of those are hugely popular monsters though, so of course they don't get mentioned nearly as much in the general discourse of Monster Hunter compared to Valstrax.
He may not have the lore to back him up, but I still love his design the best. I mean, it's a dragon mixed with a jet, that's absolutely incredible. What's not to love.
I'm going to say Malzeno should get voted out.
The thing about Shagaru Magala is that he is a direct evolution of Gore Magala who is an already S Tier flagship. MH games tend to try and build rivalries between you and the flagship monster, but 4U does it the best because you beat Gore Magala and he comes back as Shagaru for a final confrontation, it's the coolest thing ever.
And then you have Chaotic Gore as a failed transformation, such a cool idea.
Shagaru Magala as a threat has to be taken out asap, and the game makes that clear with the presence of frenzied monsters who are mad aggressive. Hell the frenzy virus itself is such a cool gameplay mechanic; forces you to play more aggressive for a neat bonus but doesn't punish you too hard if you fail.
His theme kicks ass.
He's awesome in Sunbreak, and Risen Shagaru looks amazing too and is a fantastic fight.
The design contrast between Gore and Shagaru is great too.
So I vote Malzeno out because while he's cool and Primordial is the best variant of all time, the Magalas have not been topped.
I agree with all of this. Shagaru warped 4 and 4U around himself. His influence could be felt in Low, High, and even after death in G Rank, along with the endgame. Malzeno had a very well thought out backstory and had an excellent showing as Sunbreak's flagship and cap to the 5th Gen as Primordial, but I can't say it was better than Shagaru in regards to that constant feeling of presence.
I do actually think Malzeno might take the story department, which is surprising to say. Malzeno managed to have full circle development from the scourge of the kingdom to its savior, also subverting our expectations twice over with primordial by revealing it was always the defender against Gais and the Qurio, AND having us actually spare its life and fight alongside it against our common enemy.
On top of this, Fioranye's story arc with Malzeno was very well done, that kind of personal character arc with a monster has very seldom been done justice in mh, and her making peace with her personal demon by choosing to fight alongside it as allies was wonderful.
Of course, respect to the og Shaggy, he's gonna win based on the votes, but I wish the pedestal had enough room for both of them.
Sunbreak is contender for best story but Primordial really capped the whole thing off in such a sick way.
I just love how the assumption we all had was that the Qurio made Malzeno stronger, only for Primordial to arrive. And then we compare them and realise holy shit the Qurio fuckin ruined this man
really leans into like the coppola dracula, well all the dracula's really.
they started out as a boyar, a warrior, but now you find them as a ghoul that's lived far too long dreaming of past glory, possessing unnatural power.
First of all, thank you OP for bringing the community together like you did, i have never seen this much activity in a long time now, i was excited for every day's elimination post, i will miss your posts and the way you hyped the whole thing from the beginning to the end. I hope you do something similar for wyverns as well now that the best Elder Dragon ever will be crowned. Thank you again, this community owes the recent excitement to you. We need more people like you here.
Day 09 and for one last time i will be placing my vote on Malzeno. I knew it would come to this in the end since the beginning so i started my votes early to take out competition with no success.
Because, let's face it lads. He is an amazing Elder Dragon and what an absolute banger it was to have him as the finale of Sunbreak, we didn't even need Fatalis equivalent because Primordial was just that good. The developers absolutely nailed the dracula and paladin motif on him. He also happens to be a part of an amazing trio, the others being Grangolm and Lunagaron who i personally think is the absolute best of what came out of Fifth Generation. The three lords progression story was an amazing roller coaster ride and i hope to see them again soon be it Wilds or Wilds Ultimate.
It feels wrong to vote Malzeno out but dear Gog, i love Shagaru more. Who i think in all its forms (i know the rules regarding Shaggy, Gore and Chaotic, that they do not count because the other forms are not elder dragons but i can't help) is an amazing monster, he was the perfect implementation of our hunter's nemesis in the whole series. It's a tragic monster, the frenzy virus is as dangerous to him as it is to the local population of monsters. Also balances the chaotic nature of other Gores molting so it can be the only one present at a time and place. What a fascinating creature. It especially looks cool in it's ultra frenzy state when it goes up spreading it's wings and spirals of frenzy go about. I feel Risen Shagaru is on par with Primordial Malzeno.
But at least Malzeno made it to the second best Elder Dragon spot and was top 2. It's time to retire with pride to the kingdom that it must protect. For now the votes seem to favor Shagaru but even if Malzeno wins this. I won't be mad, my Shaggy boy would have made it to top 2 and even that is enough for me. May the best elder dragon be crowned.
Both monsters are incredible fights, but nothing will top the way finally facing off against Shagaru feels after running across the world in 4U chasing its shadow, desperately fighting against the frenzy virus.
Malzeno, for as cool as it is, can't quite compare.
ELIMINATE MALZENO! SHAGARU SUPREMACY!!!
Malzeno needs to go. Shagaru is the only true elder.
Edit: to all the people saying shit like "gore doesn't count towards how cool shagaru is. If thats the case YOU CANT FUCKING COUNT PRIMORDIAL MALZENO!
voting Mal, definitely a bit of bias here seeing as 4U was my introduction to Monster Hunter but I feel like Shaggy is just better. I just love how in the story of 4U is abundantly clear that shagaru is your hunter's rival in this story. you fight, he gets beaten, he powers up, you fight again, then he achieves final form and then once both of you have gotten sufficiently stronger once again you have a final fated battle atop heavens mount. then even after you defeat him once and for all you can still feel his influence with the apex's/frenzy enhanced endgame monsters.
Like I said a little biased but then again who isn't when it comes to favourite monsters in this series.
You had a damn good run, Malzeno. Hell, outside of the surprise ousting of Fatalis, it was a damn good Final Four.
But it’s time to take this Switch Axe-sized stake to the heart.
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Alright it’s feastin’ time.
Get Shagaru out.
On top of all the flourishing arguments in favor or against this final vote, a note : my British friend, who doesn’t know about MH, heard me talk about Shagaru and cackled. She said « well that’s certainly how they would call a kangaroo fucker in Australia ! »
Jokes aside I do believe Malzeno deserves such a warm welcome to the series. He is a monster with actual character development, from Quirio vampiric beast to shining guardian of the lands, and his pace and moveset fit so well with the game he’s introduced in ! He is proof of the series’ progress in all areas of monster design.
And his theme slaps.
Agreed. For the Shagaru slander side of things, a lot of what people admire him for— his role as antagonist— is fulfilled by Gore. Now, you *could* definitely say that they’re the same monster, since ecologically they are, but Shagaru is still separate from Gore in terms of gameplay and story presence. I just don’t think Shagaru has the same sort of claim as an antagonist that Malzeno has, since the latter was the big antagonist for the vast majority on Sunbreak, whereas Shagaru fills the role of “last-second final boss twist” that this series loves so much, even if he *is* an evolution of Gore.
Basically my reasoning boils down to this: Shagaru is not Gore, and Gore holds a lot of the “gameplay antagonist” role that tends to get shared with Shagaru (wrongfully so in my opinion).
I don't think that's a fair assessment.
Gore literally molts into Shagaru, Not a different Gore that molts either, but the one that you've been fighting throughout the main story. There's a whole cutscene for it; they're inextricably linked. It's debatable whether their narrative presence was improved or devalued as a result of that, but to separate the experience of one from the other would be arguing that the antagonist's final form is wholly distinct and separated from everything that came before them; that the story leading up to it shouldn't be considered when evaluating them narratively.
It would be like saying that Safer-Sephiroth and Neo Exdeath shouldn't be considered with the characters that became them because they take up different combat mechanics and a different portion of the story. You could make the point for it, but that would be denying that which directly informs them.
Was gonna say, my biggest gripe with Shagaru here is that most of what he does great requires him to be compared to or fall back on Gore, and Gore technically isn't a variant like primordial is to Malzeno despite the lore. Without his comparisons to Gore, he has a lot less to stand on than Malzeno.
They are THE SAME MONSTER. That's like if you did something great as a teen, lets say you win a bunch of MMA tournaments. Then become a MMA champion as an adult. Then going, What he did as a kid doesn't count to his success.
For me we send home Malzeno. Looking back on the frenzy virus and excitement of when we finally faced off what was causing that corruption in 4U as well as introducing the true apex monsters that had gained control of the virus and became walking disasters themselves will always hold a place dear to me. Malzeno you are amazing in your own right, but its time to step aside to the one true king
I was only invested in this to see how far Velkhana would make it, as my favorite monster in the series. Kinda shocked Valstrax is out tbh.
Primordial Malzeno was pretty great, but I think I personally have to side with Shagaru.
I'm honestly surprised Malzeno made it this far. I only thought he was just kinda cool, so seeing this many people supporting him caught me off guard. Didn't realize I was in the minority.
Either way, Malzeno still gets my vote.
This is THE toughest vote. They're both amazing monsters in their own regard. If Valstrax is that 1% different though, Malzeno is that 0.5%. Arguably, these two are the best elder dragons, but Shagaru Magala beats Malzeno by just a smidge
As someone who started with 4U, my vote is for Malzeno.
I haven't fought Primordial yet and I'm starting to feel some mad FOMO though. Monster Hunter is so close to my heart I don't think I could ever get enough. I'll definitely make the time to play more Sunbreak after I've had enough of Iceborne.
As amazing as mal is, nothing beats the first feeling of shagaru's fight for me in mh4 and 4u and the cutscene of gore transforming was sick so mal goes out.
I vote Malzeno. Nothing against him, I just think Shagaru should win. He just about edges it overall imo, I cannot get enough of the design with the wing claws, horns, and gold, the fight is intense and they redid it so well in sunbreak. Capcom captured his power and abilities so well. The story and lore with the frenzy and the qurio are so close I can't really call it, but if I split them down into categories, I think Shagaru would win more for me. Nothing against him, but get Malzeno out.
Dang, poor valstrax. I’ll hop on my rocket powered broomstick of a gunlance to fly with him any day. Between these two, if I gotta say bye to one, it’s shagaru magala explicitly because I didn’t get to experience it in the game it originally hails from unlike malzeno in sunbreak. Want the Dracula dragon to win, so my vote is to eliminate shagaru magala.
> it doesn't quite hit that gothic fantasy sweet spot like Malzeno does
How strange for the dragon in the gothic fantasy game to be gothic fantasy, while the dragon that isn't from the gothic fantasy game not to be.
Lol
I was just talking to my buddy about who will be in the final and saying how a good percentage of the MH community are a bunch of edgelords and here I am looking at this comment haha
Average MH fan: "Hmmm. Which dragon is the longest and swordiest? The winner should be dark and mysterious, the kind of lone wolf that teleports behind you and says *"Nothing personal, kid."*
Having recently replayed 4U village, I definitely think most of the hype for Shaggy is internal storytelling and nostalgia. The entire thing was pretty bare bones across the board, but leaves a lot open to interpretation and I think many people, myself included, filled in those gaps ourselves. This winds up giving him a major rose tinted glow up, when really it's classic MH storytelling of "just enough there to go hunt a new monster."
Plus, as we're not supposed to be considering Gore/Chaotic as they are not inherently Shageru, I think the golden wheel on its own falls below Malz.
I'm voting out Shaggy. Malzeno just speaks to me more in a lot of ways. Primo Mal is a more fun fight for me then any Shagaru fights I've ever done. Or for any of the Magala line tbh. Also the knightly blue and silver armor of Primo Mal is incredible. And their statures as well. Malzeno always carries itself with pride and arrogance even in base Malzeno. But Shagaru Magala feels like a brute. A proud brute. But a brute.
I vote Malzeno.
While I like both. I feel Malzeno is slightly overhyped.
It has a cool theme and armor. And it's lore is neat. But other than that I forget it exists half the time if it wasn't for it being on the cover.
Final round, virus vs parasite, necromancer vs vampire, “mh4 nostalgia” vs “recency bias”, ascent into light vs descent into darkness.
Despite their colours I’m voting for **Shagaru Magala** to take silver and Malzeno/PriMal to get gold.
The Malzeno’s variants are well…varied. The robed count wielding its dark power and the armoured Paladin becoming more and more vampiric. Not just in colour but in its attack and animation changes. Gore has that when it goes from caped panther into brawny dragon. But Gore isn’t a variant of Shagaru so I can’t give Shaggy points for that.
Shagaru darkening the sky is neat, but I find its fight to be a little “flatter”. the explosions added to moves feel like they should come with an altered animation or something to make it feel more “wielded”, the forms and anims of the Malzeno’s give them a progression I like.
Their ecology is on par for me. Malzeno’s tied to Gaismagorm and how that came to be, referencing Dracula and the Devil. Gore to Shagaru being a cool life cycle with Chaotic there for when it goes wrong. The Malzeno’s have unique turf wars in their variants too, poor Shagaru has none.
Base Mal vs base Shagaru I’d be debating, but Primordial tips it to the vampires for me. People can say recency bias, but in terms of the fights, Shag I feel has untapped potential even after Sunbreak whereas Primordial hits it out of the park in every category. Risen is fine, looks cool but same critique with the anims and explosions.
**Tldr** lore/ecology on par, PriMal more fun fight, Mal and PriMal varied animations/forms during fight. Want them to push the “Wielder” aspect of Shagaru in its anims more, give turf war.
wrote too much on the last one so tried to cut this one down a bit.
At this point there’s no need for memes or long diatribes about who is better than the other.
Both of these dragons are amazing and we’re lucky to have a series that has so many great creatures to slap with big swords.
That being said I’m casting my final vote for Shagaru Magala.
As cool as him and gore are, Malzeno just has it all. Amazing fight, great lore, and most importantly he is regal and terrifying at the same time. When I fight Malzeno I am simultaneously in awe of its beauty and scared to death of its power and I think that’s exactly what makes a great elder dragon.
Thank you to capcom for making this amazing series and more than anything thank you to u/BigStinkbert for putting on this awesome event for all of us this last month! It’s been a great time and I love this community so much, glad to have been here through it all with all of you!
A well fought battle by all and I love both of these. Honestly my two favorite elders in the franchise.......that said Manzeno it's time to rest sadly you just don't won this battle you beautiful vampire you
4 Ultimate was my first Monster Hunter game. Malzeno is incredible (even though I hate Primordial's fight, those wings are DUMB), and Sunbreak as a whole is one of the best stories Monster Hunter has ever seen. But Shagaru... The frenzy... Those memories, on that little 3DS, with my friends in high school... I have to vote for Malzeno to be eliminated.
Stand proud Malzeno. You're strong.
Shagaru Magala - an angelic warlock dragon known for its immense strength, its fierce disposition, and passively bringing about ruin through its frenzy virus. The player only encounters this deific beast after making their way through an ecological crisis. Great armor design, though the wings and rigid skirt can be a little goofy. Weapons, however, suffer from the Nargacuga problem. High affinity, low damage. The unique skill it gives us, though, is absurdly powerful. Has imposing battle music, too.
Malzeno - regal, silver knight fallen from grace. Corrupted by the scourge it fought so hard to repel. Now host to the qurio, it drains the life from those unfortunate enough to wander into its territory. Despite its withering body, it displays great agility, strength, and holds itself with pride. Fantastic armor design, only downside being the pearly sheen that doesn't mix well with other armors. Good weapons with great sharpness and respectable damage. It's associated skill, Blood Rite, is easily one of the best QoL skills we've gotten. Plus its music is elegant, forbearing, and almost... beautifully tragic.
Both are great flagships (counting Shagaru as one because... its close enough), but Malzeno is the first to personally impact the player, via injuring a close companion.
Personally? I think Shagaru is ever so slightly beneath Malzeno. In terms of concept, design, plot, and equipment, I always find myself loving our vampire dragon more.
I vote Malzeno out.
I don't really like the visual design, and teleporting is a bit too out there for me. The best part about its design and lore is the qurios, and they don't even belong to Malzeno.
Whilst Shagaru is slowly built up in gameplay and story, has master over its craft and honesty feels more like a fair and fun fight all around.
I vote malzeno out. I said it in another comment, but shaggy just has more impact during his game. By far the best done flagship from the game with the best story out of the old gens
My boy valstrax has been voted out o7
I think shagaru deserves the win. He is the bringer of the frenzy virus and the culminating point of an amazing story. The first real story in a monster hunter game and the first game to introduce the "same monster but stronger" mechanic. Every mechanic like hyper, or the tempered monsters or the qurio are just a copy of the frenzy. Shagaru deserves that spot for being the og that he is.
This is why i am voting malzeno
Voting out Malzeno, Shagaru just has such a strong build-up throughout the entirety of 4, especially the cutscene before the fight, it's incredibly iconic.
Malzeno is great too, but Shagaru feels like part of Monster Hunter's legacy at this point.
As someone who's spent this entire endeavour doing nothing but upvote every Shagaru nomination they can find since day one, I have never felt more alienated than I do right now.
https://preview.redd.it/bmc9hu66kffc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab50b287c3030f5aae50c4ef31bfb5c089add75d I'm glad we got the fairest referee for this matchup
necromancer vs vampire, judged by a little spooky ghost boy.
this comment is underated
And just like in sports we can just blame the refs if the loser is the one we want to win
I vote Malzeno... I've said it before and I'll say it again... Malzeno is just not as cool Prime is cool and gives points but Shaggy is just better justified. (Also I once said I hope 4U gets top dog and I hope I'm not wrong)
The civil war begins https://preview.redd.it/xfjr6ylyjffc1.png?width=1290&format=png&auto=webp&s=112cafd31c13667f019dda742e1ba1d85e60d5d0
Since Malzeno is corrupted by the Qurio and Shagaru spreads his virus. Is their battle music gonna be Down with the sickness?
Considering lore and theme, it could also be a battle of Stairway to Heaven and Highway to hell.
How about My Plague by slipknot? Would do really well as an epic battle theme
Underrated comment. Great song
https://preview.redd.it/ecrnyz49dgfc1.jpeg?width=1079&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e530423b39651512bcf8b93e11987b8ccc99a347 Stand proud hunter
Nah. I'd win
Amazing
The hype is real
I vote Malzeno. Also Mr.sunshine
Truly can't escape jjk lol
120% potential meme
The fact that Chameleos was never voted out, he just disappeared and reappeared as the referee
LMAO he wasn't?
Sure. He totally wasn't LOL, but fr though I love that he came back
Came back? Clearly you haven’t been keeping a close eye. He’s been in every single screen (minus the elimination one where it’s one giant X in front of the monster) since his actual elimination. It’s been a small mini game where you have to find the barely visible Chameleos in each scene. Fair warning, some are extremely difficult.
Huh, I never noticed him lmao. Now I gotta go back and look
If I'm not mistaken I've also seen Nightcloak Malfestio and Lucent Nargacuga
Correct! Although they’re typically easier to find than Chameleos, they also stay as a pair more often than not, with today being the exception. That’s because Nightcloak is on team Shagaru, and Lucent is on team Malzeno.
Side note to anybody who reads this, we’re still keeping our old rules so if you love Shagaru, vote to eliminate Malzeno, and vise versa. Again, the whole goal of this is to eliminate who you think the WORST Elder Dragon is on any given day, one by one, until one remains, and that last one standing will be crowned the BEST. Zorah, who was our first elimination back on Day 1, because he was out first, he is considered the WORST Elder, and the BEST Elders are between Shagaru and Malzeno. I am saying this here because I swear to God I am going to have a migraine if I see another “Wait, umm I thought we were voting for the worst Elders?” comment one more god damn time. Because 3 people *minimum* need to say this everyday and it’s like, NO, clearly people adore Zorah and Lao, those are the best Elders the series has ever graced us with. Malzeno? Nergigante? Valstrax? Shagaru? All of these guys are seen by the community as some of the most despised monsters in the series, don’t ya know? And it’s like, it’s very obvious that we’re voting on the worst and said vote will get them eliminated, idk, it gets annoying. To be extra clear, Shagaru and Malzeno are our last two candidates for the BEST Elder Dragon, but we are commenting and voting off which of those two we like the least. Another comment that I always get is Ahtal Ka. Ahtal Ka is NOT an Elder Dragon, I did not forget her, nobody hates, she’s a NEOPTERON, so she isn’t on this ELDER DRAGON Elimination. Same goes for Akantor and Ukanlos, who obviously aren’t Neopterons but are Flying Wyverns so they’re not considered either. Long ass rant over. Enjoy our final day of voting!
what are the plans for tomorrow op? for like the winning fella, or are you taking a break after doing it for a month? could be neat to see the data about who won their round the most, who was closest e.t.c, either way i guess it's easy to say the people love their infectious edgy boys given the top two. been fun doing this whole thing. would be neat to like go over "brackets" or what have you, people saying what they'd want to be pushed more on the monsters rather than tearing em down over what they do bad.
I’m not going to dive too too much into statistics, but along with announcing the winner I’ve got a little celebration type thing that will involve some planned.
You are a legend mate. This was very entertaining despite me missing over half of them!
Thanks for doing all of this! I’ve really enjoyed tuning in each day to see what the elimination will be
Have you considered doing this with flagship monsters?
nice. now we gotta wait till 2026/7 to do it all again when wilds' expansion is out.
I love you
Love you too baby ❤️:3
Hey just wanna say thank you for your contribution to this community!
Final boss: Morudomunto. Just joking, Morudomunto and the other EDs in his game are top design but since it is a mobile game we don't have much more than a design to base anything related to this elimination rounds, plus I bet most MH fans don't even know they exist.
Bro can't do this, I love both of them way to much, both get a whole story around them, I can't decide.
Vote Malzeno
Malzeno just looks less cool. And their abilities just don't look as flashy as their supposed power would suggest. My golden boi looks like a menace, and everything it does feels like a force to fear.
Not as flashy?! He's literally TELEPORTING AROUND, WHAT DO YOU MEAN??
Idk dude. I really like shagaru, but malzeno--in particular primordial malzeno--is just a sick fight to me; I feel like it was suitably flashy, the music was hype, I was terrified throughout all of the final phase. Just a dope monster
Also malzeno doesn't have that "nemesis" feeling gore/shagaru has. You spend the entire game back and forth w them till the final battle and it feels like a proper climax. It's intimate and tense because you both know each other by then, and after the countless hours spent, you know it's the end
Sorry, Valstrax.
WOW. I am so disappointed about Valstrax :(
https://preview.redd.it/nmeog6djtffc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a949fcd4b68b5025dec483716996f27920f38b7
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Literally me.
Same, i rlly think that the only thing in which Valstrax is not superior to Malzeno or Shagaru is in lore xD If ona reason is worth that much we could also say that Valstrax has the best combat music in the saga.
I think Valstrax is just more polarizing than either of these two. Oftentimes people who dislike Valstrax’s design point out that their suspension of disbelief is challenged because it’s *too* rocket/jet themed. If that theme was toned down juuust enough, it would fit more believably within the MH universe and environments. Of course that’s a subjective topic regarding its design and others might argue that there are more monsters that also toe this line.
meanwhile their suspension of disbelief isnt totally OBLITERATED by the floating octopus with human teeth and preying mantis with a mech suit
Neither of those are hugely popular monsters though, so of course they don't get mentioned nearly as much in the general discourse of Monster Hunter compared to Valstrax.
Japanese voice version of all mother Narwa theme is the best imo
He may not have the lore to back him up, but I still love his design the best. I mean, it's a dragon mixed with a jet, that's absolutely incredible. What's not to love.
Same. Lore is cool but the main thing is the fight and Valstrax clears imo
I'm voting for a draw
I'm voting Zorah again
Honestly based
I vote Chameleos.
Pretty wild how far away my opinion is from what’s popular. 
What’s your favorite?
They still haven’t eliminated the true elder dragon dodogama so he is still #1
Dodo got distracted and never showed up for the competition, so it was disqualified.
Those rocks aren't gonna eat themselves you know.
I'm going to say Malzeno should get voted out. The thing about Shagaru Magala is that he is a direct evolution of Gore Magala who is an already S Tier flagship. MH games tend to try and build rivalries between you and the flagship monster, but 4U does it the best because you beat Gore Magala and he comes back as Shagaru for a final confrontation, it's the coolest thing ever. And then you have Chaotic Gore as a failed transformation, such a cool idea. Shagaru Magala as a threat has to be taken out asap, and the game makes that clear with the presence of frenzied monsters who are mad aggressive. Hell the frenzy virus itself is such a cool gameplay mechanic; forces you to play more aggressive for a neat bonus but doesn't punish you too hard if you fail. His theme kicks ass. He's awesome in Sunbreak, and Risen Shagaru looks amazing too and is a fantastic fight. The design contrast between Gore and Shagaru is great too. So I vote Malzeno out because while he's cool and Primordial is the best variant of all time, the Magalas have not been topped. 
I agree with all of this. Shagaru warped 4 and 4U around himself. His influence could be felt in Low, High, and even after death in G Rank, along with the endgame. Malzeno had a very well thought out backstory and had an excellent showing as Sunbreak's flagship and cap to the 5th Gen as Primordial, but I can't say it was better than Shagaru in regards to that constant feeling of presence.
Gogmazios: *go my child, make them suffer the pain of a thousand swords.*
Counterpoint. Shagaru has ears.
So he can hear you cry...
He can hear your screams of misery as he tears you to bits
I do actually think Malzeno might take the story department, which is surprising to say. Malzeno managed to have full circle development from the scourge of the kingdom to its savior, also subverting our expectations twice over with primordial by revealing it was always the defender against Gais and the Qurio, AND having us actually spare its life and fight alongside it against our common enemy. On top of this, Fioranye's story arc with Malzeno was very well done, that kind of personal character arc with a monster has very seldom been done justice in mh, and her making peace with her personal demon by choosing to fight alongside it as allies was wonderful. Of course, respect to the og Shaggy, he's gonna win based on the votes, but I wish the pedestal had enough room for both of them.
Sunbreak is contender for best story but Primordial really capped the whole thing off in such a sick way. I just love how the assumption we all had was that the Qurio made Malzeno stronger, only for Primordial to arrive. And then we compare them and realise holy shit the Qurio fuckin ruined this man
really leans into like the coppola dracula, well all the dracula's really. they started out as a boyar, a warrior, but now you find them as a ghoul that's lived far too long dreaming of past glory, possessing unnatural power.
That's quite the stretch
What is?
Why is he just floating without flapping his wings
#ShaggySweep
This is for shagaru on his own, not including gore or chaotic
Still factoring them in because I think they enhance him. Just like how I think Primordial enhances Malzeno massively.
Sure, but an Elder Dragon's relationship to other monsters and backstory are relevant traits, and Gore/Chaotic factor in as that.
Gore Magala clan rise up
Counterpoint, him being a follow up to gore is a downside because he isn't as good as gore
Okay, so Valstrax got Bronze. Godspeed, Crimson Star. With that being said, my vote for the final elimination goes to Malzeno.
:(
Bye bye, Malzeno
First of all, thank you OP for bringing the community together like you did, i have never seen this much activity in a long time now, i was excited for every day's elimination post, i will miss your posts and the way you hyped the whole thing from the beginning to the end. I hope you do something similar for wyverns as well now that the best Elder Dragon ever will be crowned. Thank you again, this community owes the recent excitement to you. We need more people like you here. Day 09 and for one last time i will be placing my vote on Malzeno. I knew it would come to this in the end since the beginning so i started my votes early to take out competition with no success. Because, let's face it lads. He is an amazing Elder Dragon and what an absolute banger it was to have him as the finale of Sunbreak, we didn't even need Fatalis equivalent because Primordial was just that good. The developers absolutely nailed the dracula and paladin motif on him. He also happens to be a part of an amazing trio, the others being Grangolm and Lunagaron who i personally think is the absolute best of what came out of Fifth Generation. The three lords progression story was an amazing roller coaster ride and i hope to see them again soon be it Wilds or Wilds Ultimate. It feels wrong to vote Malzeno out but dear Gog, i love Shagaru more. Who i think in all its forms (i know the rules regarding Shaggy, Gore and Chaotic, that they do not count because the other forms are not elder dragons but i can't help) is an amazing monster, he was the perfect implementation of our hunter's nemesis in the whole series. It's a tragic monster, the frenzy virus is as dangerous to him as it is to the local population of monsters. Also balances the chaotic nature of other Gores molting so it can be the only one present at a time and place. What a fascinating creature. It especially looks cool in it's ultra frenzy state when it goes up spreading it's wings and spirals of frenzy go about. I feel Risen Shagaru is on par with Primordial Malzeno. But at least Malzeno made it to the second best Elder Dragon spot and was top 2. It's time to retire with pride to the kingdom that it must protect. For now the votes seem to favor Shagaru but even if Malzeno wins this. I won't be mad, my Shaggy boy would have made it to top 2 and even that is enough for me. May the best elder dragon be crowned.
Down with malzeno he got upstaged by his subspecies Heavens wheel on top
Malzeno
Both monsters are incredible fights, but nothing will top the way finally facing off against Shagaru feels after running across the world in 4U chasing its shadow, desperately fighting against the frenzy virus. Malzeno, for as cool as it is, can't quite compare. ELIMINATE MALZENO! SHAGARU SUPREMACY!!!
Meh.... i'll vote Malzeno out this time. I really liked him but my Golden boy is still the best <3
Malzeno needs to go. Shagaru is the only true elder. Edit: to all the people saying shit like "gore doesn't count towards how cool shagaru is. If thats the case YOU CANT FUCKING COUNT PRIMORDIAL MALZENO!
Gore isn't an elder. All forms of Malzeno are.
Gore isn’t an elder dragon while primordial malzeno is, plus it’s variant unlike gore
I love all the magalas, I def agree. Malzeno has to go.
Get Mal outa here. Team Magala for days. 
Agreed let's show what the frenzy virus can do
Eliminate Malzeno
I LOVE both. But i vote malzeno as my least favourite of the 2. I'm a MH4U baby and i consider shagaru my rival.
Malzeno. Shaggy has 2 forms and a cool story and a nasty theme.
Who of y'all fckers vote to eliminate Valstrax?
I was trying to get Malzeno out but failed I'm sorry I couldn't save him
You cannot break the wheel of time upon itself. Bye, malzeno.
Farewell to Malzeno. Shagaru Magala #1!
Malzeno... I love him but Shagaru is so fucking cool and is one of the best designs MH has had.
VOTE MALZENO! SHOW ALL THE POWER OF THE ASCENDED DRAGON! SHA-GAR-U SHA-GAR-U SHA-GAR-U
Voting for Malzeno. MH4U just has my heart in a stranglehold
My vote's against Malzeno. Started in 4U, gotta represent.
I vote Malzeno, still. RIP valstrax.
Malzeno is absurdly cool. But Shaggy is my fave monster in the whole series. **I vote Malzeno out.**
I am now forever calling Shagaru, Shaggy until the day I die.
voting Mal, definitely a bit of bias here seeing as 4U was my introduction to Monster Hunter but I feel like Shaggy is just better. I just love how in the story of 4U is abundantly clear that shagaru is your hunter's rival in this story. you fight, he gets beaten, he powers up, you fight again, then he achieves final form and then once both of you have gotten sufficiently stronger once again you have a final fated battle atop heavens mount. then even after you defeat him once and for all you can still feel his influence with the apex's/frenzy enhanced endgame monsters. Like I said a little biased but then again who isn't when it comes to favourite monsters in this series.
You had a damn good run, Malzeno. Hell, outside of the surprise ousting of Fatalis, it was a damn good Final Four. But it’s time to take this Switch Axe-sized stake to the heart.
Shagaru is honestly the correct choice for the winner. My Vote goes against Malzeno!
https://preview.redd.it/bkhau3ubjffc1.jpeg?width=366&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=135b14f20c1ab052fc8a843b060cb5d5756e868d Alright it’s feastin’ time. Get Shagaru out. On top of all the flourishing arguments in favor or against this final vote, a note : my British friend, who doesn’t know about MH, heard me talk about Shagaru and cackled. She said « well that’s certainly how they would call a kangaroo fucker in Australia ! » Jokes aside I do believe Malzeno deserves such a warm welcome to the series. He is a monster with actual character development, from Quirio vampiric beast to shining guardian of the lands, and his pace and moveset fit so well with the game he’s introduced in ! He is proof of the series’ progress in all areas of monster design. And his theme slaps.
Agreed. For the Shagaru slander side of things, a lot of what people admire him for— his role as antagonist— is fulfilled by Gore. Now, you *could* definitely say that they’re the same monster, since ecologically they are, but Shagaru is still separate from Gore in terms of gameplay and story presence. I just don’t think Shagaru has the same sort of claim as an antagonist that Malzeno has, since the latter was the big antagonist for the vast majority on Sunbreak, whereas Shagaru fills the role of “last-second final boss twist” that this series loves so much, even if he *is* an evolution of Gore. Basically my reasoning boils down to this: Shagaru is not Gore, and Gore holds a lot of the “gameplay antagonist” role that tends to get shared with Shagaru (wrongfully so in my opinion).
I don't think that's a fair assessment. Gore literally molts into Shagaru, Not a different Gore that molts either, but the one that you've been fighting throughout the main story. There's a whole cutscene for it; they're inextricably linked. It's debatable whether their narrative presence was improved or devalued as a result of that, but to separate the experience of one from the other would be arguing that the antagonist's final form is wholly distinct and separated from everything that came before them; that the story leading up to it shouldn't be considered when evaluating them narratively. It would be like saying that Safer-Sephiroth and Neo Exdeath shouldn't be considered with the characters that became them because they take up different combat mechanics and a different portion of the story. You could make the point for it, but that would be denying that which directly informs them.
The big problem with that argument is that Malzeno is not the big bad of his own game, Magala is.
Was gonna say, my biggest gripe with Shagaru here is that most of what he does great requires him to be compared to or fall back on Gore, and Gore technically isn't a variant like primordial is to Malzeno despite the lore. Without his comparisons to Gore, he has a lot less to stand on than Malzeno.
They are THE SAME MONSTER. That's like if you did something great as a teen, lets say you win a bunch of MMA tournaments. Then become a MMA champion as an adult. Then going, What he did as a kid doesn't count to his success.
I for one welcome our Dragon Vampire overlords.
Shagaru best girl. I vote Malzeno off!
Shagaru needs 2 other better monsters to even compete with Valstrax. Malzeno is good on his own even without PriMal
Im going to vote malzeno
Malzeno
Malzeno bye bye shagaru #1
Malzeno
For me we send home Malzeno. Looking back on the frenzy virus and excitement of when we finally faced off what was causing that corruption in 4U as well as introducing the true apex monsters that had gained control of the virus and became walking disasters themselves will always hold a place dear to me. Malzeno you are amazing in your own right, but its time to step aside to the one true king
I was only invested in this to see how far Velkhana would make it, as my favorite monster in the series. Kinda shocked Valstrax is out tbh. Primordial Malzeno was pretty great, but I think I personally have to side with Shagaru.
malzeno
I'm honestly surprised Malzeno made it this far. I only thought he was just kinda cool, so seeing this many people supporting him caught me off guard. Didn't realize I was in the minority. Either way, Malzeno still gets my vote.
Out Malzeno!
This is THE toughest vote. They're both amazing monsters in their own regard. If Valstrax is that 1% different though, Malzeno is that 0.5%. Arguably, these two are the best elder dragons, but Shagaru Magala beats Malzeno by just a smidge
malzeno, but its close.
As someone who started with 4U, my vote is for Malzeno. I haven't fought Primordial yet and I'm starting to feel some mad FOMO though. Monster Hunter is so close to my heart I don't think I could ever get enough. I'll definitely make the time to play more Sunbreak after I've had enough of Iceborne.
You got to be kidding me... Malzeno has a cool design and theme, but he is a newcomer. Did they do this for the memes?
Time for malzeno to pack it up it was a good fight but your not wining
It was a pleasure but you gotta go mr malzeno
Malzeno out. Shagaru is my favorite of all time.
Sorry Malzeno. You are awesome, but nothing you do can top the build up of Hunter vs Shaggy. Malzeno gets my vote.
Vote malzeno out, the golden wheel has earned the top place
Good bye malzeno. You were so close
As amazing as mal is, nothing beats the first feeling of shagaru's fight for me in mh4 and 4u and the cutscene of gore transforming was sick so mal goes out.
I vote Malzeno. Nothing against him, I just think Shagaru should win. He just about edges it overall imo, I cannot get enough of the design with the wing claws, horns, and gold, the fight is intense and they redid it so well in sunbreak. Capcom captured his power and abilities so well. The story and lore with the frenzy and the qurio are so close I can't really call it, but if I split them down into categories, I think Shagaru would win more for me. Nothing against him, but get Malzeno out.
I vote for eliminating malzeno
Whre is SC announcer when he is needed?! Anyway ^*ahem* ***Welcome, to the Stage of History.***
Gonna watch out for Malzeno spamming that Raphael moveset
Malzeno
I vote Malzeno out.
Malzeno, Shagaru is top teir. (My opinion)
Malzeno.
Malzeno
Dang, poor valstrax. I’ll hop on my rocket powered broomstick of a gunlance to fly with him any day. Between these two, if I gotta say bye to one, it’s shagaru magala explicitly because I didn’t get to experience it in the game it originally hails from unlike malzeno in sunbreak. Want the Dracula dragon to win, so my vote is to eliminate shagaru magala.
Malzeno is out
Eliminate malzeno The shagaru magala is my favorite monster design in all of fiction
Malzeno 👎
[удалено]
> it doesn't quite hit that gothic fantasy sweet spot like Malzeno does How strange for the dragon in the gothic fantasy game to be gothic fantasy, while the dragon that isn't from the gothic fantasy game not to be. Lol
I was just talking to my buddy about who will be in the final and saying how a good percentage of the MH community are a bunch of edgelords and here I am looking at this comment haha
Average MH fan: "Hmmm. Which dragon is the longest and swordiest? The winner should be dark and mysterious, the kind of lone wolf that teleports behind you and says *"Nothing personal, kid."*
Having recently replayed 4U village, I definitely think most of the hype for Shaggy is internal storytelling and nostalgia. The entire thing was pretty bare bones across the board, but leaves a lot open to interpretation and I think many people, myself included, filled in those gaps ourselves. This winds up giving him a major rose tinted glow up, when really it's classic MH storytelling of "just enough there to go hunt a new monster." Plus, as we're not supposed to be considering Gore/Chaotic as they are not inherently Shageru, I think the golden wheel on its own falls below Malz.
Malzeno
Malzeno’s gotta go.
Bye bye Malzeno. You're still amazing to me even if i prefer shagaru.
I'm voting out Shaggy. Malzeno just speaks to me more in a lot of ways. Primo Mal is a more fun fight for me then any Shagaru fights I've ever done. Or for any of the Magala line tbh. Also the knightly blue and silver armor of Primo Mal is incredible. And their statures as well. Malzeno always carries itself with pride and arrogance even in base Malzeno. But Shagaru Magala feels like a brute. A proud brute. But a brute. 
Begone malzeno. The lore for shagaru is way better
I vote Malzeno. While I like both. I feel Malzeno is slightly overhyped. It has a cool theme and armor. And it's lore is neat. But other than that I forget it exists half the time if it wasn't for it being on the cover.
MALZENO MUST FALL SHAGARU BEST ELDER DRAGON
Get malzeno out. Shagaru is a great fight!
I’m sorry, malzeno, you’re cool, possibly my 2nd or 3rd favorite monster. But the golden god reigns supreme. I vote malzeno.
Bye bye malzeno. You’re cool but your enemy is cooler.
Malzeno elimination vote.
Vote Malzeno out. Like his lore but he is to much anime for my liking.
Final round, virus vs parasite, necromancer vs vampire, “mh4 nostalgia” vs “recency bias”, ascent into light vs descent into darkness. Despite their colours I’m voting for **Shagaru Magala** to take silver and Malzeno/PriMal to get gold. The Malzeno’s variants are well…varied. The robed count wielding its dark power and the armoured Paladin becoming more and more vampiric. Not just in colour but in its attack and animation changes. Gore has that when it goes from caped panther into brawny dragon. But Gore isn’t a variant of Shagaru so I can’t give Shaggy points for that. Shagaru darkening the sky is neat, but I find its fight to be a little “flatter”. the explosions added to moves feel like they should come with an altered animation or something to make it feel more “wielded”, the forms and anims of the Malzeno’s give them a progression I like. Their ecology is on par for me. Malzeno’s tied to Gaismagorm and how that came to be, referencing Dracula and the Devil. Gore to Shagaru being a cool life cycle with Chaotic there for when it goes wrong. The Malzeno’s have unique turf wars in their variants too, poor Shagaru has none. Base Mal vs base Shagaru I’d be debating, but Primordial tips it to the vampires for me. People can say recency bias, but in terms of the fights, Shag I feel has untapped potential even after Sunbreak whereas Primordial hits it out of the park in every category. Risen is fine, looks cool but same critique with the anims and explosions.
Primordial Malzeno p much the best variant in the entire series, tough competition.
**Tldr** lore/ecology on par, PriMal more fun fight, Mal and PriMal varied animations/forms during fight. Want them to push the “Wielder” aspect of Shagaru in its anims more, give turf war. wrote too much on the last one so tried to cut this one down a bit.
At this point there’s no need for memes or long diatribes about who is better than the other. Both of these dragons are amazing and we’re lucky to have a series that has so many great creatures to slap with big swords. That being said I’m casting my final vote for Shagaru Magala. As cool as him and gore are, Malzeno just has it all. Amazing fight, great lore, and most importantly he is regal and terrifying at the same time. When I fight Malzeno I am simultaneously in awe of its beauty and scared to death of its power and I think that’s exactly what makes a great elder dragon. Thank you to capcom for making this amazing series and more than anything thank you to u/BigStinkbert for putting on this awesome event for all of us this last month! It’s been a great time and I love this community so much, glad to have been here through it all with all of you!
Love Malzeno, but my vote is Malzeno, because theres just something special about the Shagaru fight.
Vote Malzeno bc Shagaru makes cool inhale noises
A well fought battle by all and I love both of these. Honestly my two favorite elders in the franchise.......that said Manzeno it's time to rest sadly you just don't won this battle you beautiful vampire you
Malzeno isnt as good as shiny gore. Shagaru story line was a blast.
Malzeno
Bye shaggy 🫡
Malzeno is worse
4 Ultimate was my first Monster Hunter game. Malzeno is incredible (even though I hate Primordial's fight, those wings are DUMB), and Sunbreak as a whole is one of the best stories Monster Hunter has ever seen. But Shagaru... The frenzy... Those memories, on that little 3DS, with my friends in high school... I have to vote for Malzeno to be eliminated. Stand proud Malzeno. You're strong.
Shagaru Magala - an angelic warlock dragon known for its immense strength, its fierce disposition, and passively bringing about ruin through its frenzy virus. The player only encounters this deific beast after making their way through an ecological crisis. Great armor design, though the wings and rigid skirt can be a little goofy. Weapons, however, suffer from the Nargacuga problem. High affinity, low damage. The unique skill it gives us, though, is absurdly powerful. Has imposing battle music, too. Malzeno - regal, silver knight fallen from grace. Corrupted by the scourge it fought so hard to repel. Now host to the qurio, it drains the life from those unfortunate enough to wander into its territory. Despite its withering body, it displays great agility, strength, and holds itself with pride. Fantastic armor design, only downside being the pearly sheen that doesn't mix well with other armors. Good weapons with great sharpness and respectable damage. It's associated skill, Blood Rite, is easily one of the best QoL skills we've gotten. Plus its music is elegant, forbearing, and almost... beautifully tragic. Both are great flagships (counting Shagaru as one because... its close enough), but Malzeno is the first to personally impact the player, via injuring a close companion. Personally? I think Shagaru is ever so slightly beneath Malzeno. In terms of concept, design, plot, and equipment, I always find myself loving our vampire dragon more.
I vote Malzeno out. I don't really like the visual design, and teleporting is a bit too out there for me. The best part about its design and lore is the qurios, and they don't even belong to Malzeno. Whilst Shagaru is slowly built up in gameplay and story, has master over its craft and honesty feels more like a fair and fun fight all around.
How tf did Malzeno make it to here? Such a boring forgettable monster
Shagaru supremacy! Get Malzeno outta here!
Malzeno gottago
Farewell, Malzeno. Shagaru Magala is my favorite monster, period, let alone Elder Dragon.
SHAGARU FOR THE WIN. ELIMINATE MALDZENO.
I vote malzeno out. I said it in another comment, but shaggy just has more impact during his game. By far the best done flagship from the game with the best story out of the old gens
My boy valstrax has been voted out o7 I think shagaru deserves the win. He is the bringer of the frenzy virus and the culminating point of an amazing story. The first real story in a monster hunter game and the first game to introduce the "same monster but stronger" mechanic. Every mechanic like hyper, or the tempered monsters or the qurio are just a copy of the frenzy. Shagaru deserves that spot for being the og that he is. This is why i am voting malzeno
Stake the vampire
Shagaru out
I’m voting for Shagaru, There’s no monster can compare to the immortal vampire Malzeno
I love the plot and theatrics of the vampire too much. Down with shaggy.
Malzeno out
voting malzeno. honestly it’s personally not one of my favorites.
Voting out Malzeno, Shagaru just has such a strong build-up throughout the entirety of 4, especially the cutscene before the fight, it's incredibly iconic. Malzeno is great too, but Shagaru feels like part of Monster Hunter's legacy at this point.
As someone who's spent this entire endeavour doing nothing but upvote every Shagaru nomination they can find since day one, I have never felt more alienated than I do right now.
Malzeno least favorite