While I've been pleased to watch Capcom begin teasing out previews of the expanded monster roster we'll face in Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, its returning Elder Dragons have left me with a persistent feeling that something's still missing—something utterly detestable and unsettlingly phallic.
Thankfully, that hole in my life has been filled. Over the weekend, Capcom confirmed that Ascendance will be a homecoming for its most hateful horror: Khezu, the flabbiest, drippiest member of the Flying Wyvern family that for years has given hunters cause to ask "why is it like that" and "how did they manage to make it even worse?" If you're not already acquainted with its many unpleasant aspects, allow me to introduce you:
I mean, look at it
There's a lot I could say here about its nightmarish vascularity, the troublingly flaccid posture, the scrotal silhouette evoked by its stance—but I think you get the point.
It sounds like death
The only thing more haunting than seeing Khezu for the first time is hearing its roar, which sounds like the living corpse of a flayed wildcat only just now realizing it's been skinned.
It stretches
Khezu can elongate itself to ensure that it can ruin your day whether it's right here or over there.
It's just... so damp
A characteristic that's only grown more upsetting as Capcom's graphics tech has advanced, Khezu is constantly, miserably moist. Its rubbery flesh is coated in glistening mucus, and its toothed orifice releases a permanent dribble of corrosive drool.
The veins
They're already bad enough, but the veins along a Khezu's distended girth become even more disturbing when the creature is enraged, causing it to visibly throb with violent turgidity. Awful stuff.
It can paralyze and electrocute you
Just to make things worse: Khezu can generate and discharge lethal amounts of electricity in radial blasts and projectiles, which can render its prey defenseless with paralysis.
It has kids
To reproduce, khezu inject paralyzed organisms with their larva, which feed off of the infested host as they grow. At least they're kinda cute?
But not everything about Khezu is horrifying
While there are few aspects of the Khezu's existence that don't inspire visceral repulsion, there is one thing that's reassuring: During a preview event at Capcom's Osaka HQ in 2024, I had the opportunity to ask its motion capture staff—whose responsibilites include performing and capturing animations for many of the studio's monsters—whether they're provided any mental health counseling following Khezu mocap sessions. I was assured that all of Capcom's motion actors have access to whatever care they might need.
Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascension launches in 2027. You can wishlist it on Steam now.
