Palworld has long been branded as the Pokémon copycat, just with guns for good measure. Which, whether you agree or not, ultimately led to a lengthy legal battle between Pocketpair and Nintendo. But with the release of the Palworld 1.0 update on July 9, perhaps the game isn’t taking inspiration from Nintendo’s monster-catching series alone anymore. Don’t believe it? Take a closer look. At least a couple of the new Pals look awfully similar in both design and concept to Monster Hunter‘s iconic monsters.
1. Astegon-like Pal and Valstrax
The most obvious comparison is the brand-new Fire Dragon Pal and Generations Ultimate‘s flagship Elder Dragon, Valstrax. Both sport sleek, metallic-looking scales and sharp, bird-like heads that give them a distinctly mechanical appearance. But the resemblance goes beyond looks. The Fire Dragon Pal can also unfold its wings into appendages capable of firing energy blasts, reminiscent of Valstrax’s jet-powered wing attacks. If Dragonite and Valstrax somehow had a child, it’d probably look something like this.
2. Mysterious Dragon Pal and Amatsu
At the end of the Palworld 1.0 cinematic trailer, it teased the appearance of a storm-controlling dragon. For Monster Hunter veterans, that immediately brings to mind Amatsu, the Looming Calamity Leviathan from Portable 3rd and Sunbreak. Both creatures resemble traditional East Asian dragons, complete with elegant, long serpentine bodies and flowing whiskers. Each is also closely tied to violent storms, though the biggest visual difference lies in their color palettes. Amatsu typically summons crimson-colored tempests, while Palworld’s mysterious dragon is surrounded by brilliant dark blue rain clouds.
3. Ophydia and Mizutsune
Another newcomer that might catch Monster Hunter fans’ attention is Ophydia, the graceful Water-type Pal. Both creatures blend beauty and danger, pairing pastel color schemes with dance-like movements. Their main inspirations, however, diverge. Like Chillet, Mizutsune is heavily based on foxes, while Ophydia leans more into aquatic flowers. Even so, place the two side by side, and it’s easy to see why gamers see the comparisons.
4. Whalaska Ignis and Dah’ren Mohran
Although not introduced in the Palworld 1.0 update, there’s one other Pal that looks pretty similar to a Monster Hunter beast. That is the Fire-Ice variant of the whale-like Whalaska. Both the Pal and the monster are massive, predominantly reddish creatures sporting enormous forward-facing horns. Even the icy formations covering Whalaska Ignis’ back resemble the ore deposits and giant rock formations embedded across Dah’ren Mohran’s body.
Arguably, Whalaska looks like a ‘chibified’ version of a Mohran. Still, their habitats couldn’t be more different. Whalaska Ignis still calls the waters home despite its fiery affinity, while Dah’ren Mohran famously ‘swims’ through vast deserts
Whether the similarities between Palworld 1.0 Pals and Monster Hunter monsters are deliberate homages or not, they’re still hard to ignore. What do you think?
