Khezu’s Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance appearance during Tokyo Game Show 2026 was a surprise, but a welcome one. But it probably stings for three or so Gigginox fans waiting for the monster to return. Both are disgusting cave-dwelling wyverns with similar gimmicks, yet Capcom keeps bringing back the pale, eyeless trouser snake joke instead. Sure, you could blame it on nostalgia alone, sort of. But looking at Wilds‘ monster roster, though, Khezu isn’t just another nostalgia pick. It’s also filling an elemental hole that has been surprisingly empty since launch.
Why Capcom Picked Khezu for Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance
The thing about Monster Hunter Wilds is that it certainly wasn’t hurting for Poison-based monsters. Rathalos, Rathian, Guardian Rathalos, Rompopolo, Gypceros, and even Congalala and Gravios can all inflict said debilitating status. Thunder, however, had a much thinner line-up, with Rey Dau and Guardian Anjanath basically carrying the element by themselves at launch. Even Lagiacrus didn’t arrive until a later free Title Update after its supposed appearance was delayed.
Ascendance will undoubtedly expand both sides of that equation — when there’s Kushala and Teostra, there’s Chameleos. Well, except in World. But anyway, in a sense, picking Khezu is one of Capcom’s ways to help balance things out. Now it’s 4 vs 7 at least, although again, still not counting additional Poison monster(s) that will undoubtedly show up in the DLC.
Then there’s the much simpler explanation: people just really like the potential for vulgar jokes.
Monster Hunter 20th Anniversary’s popularity poll put Khezu at 32nd, while the Red Khezu variant landed at 132nd. Gigginox, meanwhile, finished at 94th, with Baleful Gigginox all the way down at 187th. That’s a pretty huge gap between two monsters often treated as counterparts by fans.
Then obviously Ascendance is digging deep into the First Generation fanservice with Lao-Shan Lung; another Gen 1 monster is an easy fit. Khezu itself has enjoyed a lot of spotlights after its debut, appearing in 12 releases, not including spin-offs like Frontier and Stories. Gigginox, unfortunately, has been stuck waiting for another mainline appearance since Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.
Of course, Khezu showing up in Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance doesn’t mean Gigginox has been sentenced to an even longer stay in 3rd Gen jail. Skybound Eyrie‘s new cave environments practically beg for more than one creepy cave-dweller, and Gigginox would immediately add some variety. Both monsters even have their own similarly shaped, disturbing little offspring: Whelps and Giggis. Perhaps they actually work like Pokémon‘s Eevee. Growing their eggs up in different environments could transform them into either Khezu or Gigginox. Who knows for sure.
Personally, I hope Capcom puts both adults in the same cave and gives them a Turf War. We’re still months away from the DLC’s suspected launch anyway. Watching two stretchy, squishy, slimy nightmares wrestle each other would be amazingly revolting.
But if Capcom had to pick only one of them first, Khezu was always the safer bet. Wilds needed another Thunder monster, and Ascendance is playing the nostalgia card hard. Khezu simply had a longer reach than Gigginox once again.
