Always had a feeling that Alatreon was the only naturally occurring Black Dragon, where it is the apex of nature's wrath itself before going into the supernatural aspects with the other two like Dire's Creation Myths and Fatalis' historical significance. A monster that embodies nature's power so perfectly that it keeps other elders, like Safi, in check if its intro is anything to go by.
And also, there is a human element to Alatreon's theme, although its extremely hard to notice. When mounting Alatreon in Iceborne, hushed whispers start playing in the music. Likely nothing more than to show how much power is flowing through its body and how genuinely frightening, evil or not, Alatreon's power is.
@@viktorgabriel2554not really its mentioned in the notes how it was designed as the rival of fatalis but for the in universe law it's not mentioned (the entries are split into 2 sections law and notes). If you look at aletreaons entry it goes into much more detail with the notes saying it inherits the legacy of fatalis, whatever that's meant to mean. For the law entry it has a paragraph talking about how its natures counter to safi (simular to nergigante and elder dragons) and how the researchers think it might be an ecological counter thanks to its elemental power.
@@Biotek2389 the thing is Fatalis wasn't planned untill the last minute. So ofc the lore book which came after the game has already finished gives us a better insight. "We wanted to design a powerful dragon, but of a different color this time, since all ended up becoming black". That's like saying Safi is a Forbidden Monster itself but simply not of Black Color. Not to mention both Fatalis and Safi'jiva has similar quest names, The Black/Red Dragons respectively. I understand why one would think Alatreon is the "opposite" to Safi'Jiva due to his whole going after Safi nest thing, but design wise Fatalis and Safi'jiva are much more close to each other with the similar horns and color shading and stuffs. So much so that if you gave Fatalis a slightly more quadruped bodytype it would look like a Black Safi'Jiva instead. Also the whole shtick of Safi'Jiva being proclaimed again and again as the "Emperor" of all Elder Dragons. Teostras are called Emperors of Flame but never an Emperor of other Elder Dragons. But Safi'Jiva has been given that title and I think it is huge to name a species as such.
You could also say that its Iceborne cutscene is Alatreon performing a threat display, warning the Hunter on just how powerful it is, because when it finishes it clearly stares at them, so it wasn't just aiming carelessly. Not only that, but its name also separates it from the evil that is Fatalis, from the Iceborne translations, though unofficial, it's said that Fatalis means "Battle of Destiny", which could be taken as that is a little more explicit to the need of Fatalis being slayed, but Alatreon means "Dawn's Triumph", Why wouldn't we want dawn to triumph? It can even be said to be confirmed with Alatreon's japanese name being Albatrion (Arubatorion) which uses Alba the spanish word for Dawn, it all ties back to the theme of equilibrium of Tri.
I think the cutscene in Iceborne is alatreon burning any possibility of a Xeno egg or all the remnants of a possible nest Safi built. Safi isn't a black dragon, but I think its around that level. I think Alatreon was scared of a possible full powered Safi snd wanted to destroy all remnants of it.
@@tykendall3750The Secluded Valley was full of bioenergy for Safi to use and his cocoons can hatch anytime soon and yet Alatreon still went there alone I don't think that's what you call scared.
@@tykendall3750 You're... mostly correct. The Iceborne lore book states that Alatreon rolled up because he saw Safi and its offspring as competition. So while we were going after the red dragon, Alatreon was incinerating and freezing any xeno cocoons it could find to eliminate any future competition and to stake claim over the valley as his territory.
In alatreon's 'defence', the title Black Dragon is a term that has been coined due to them all being black and dragons. Fatalis is The Black Dragon, Alatreon is the Blazing Black Dragon, and Dire Miralis is the Smelting Black Dragon. The official term is the Dangerous First Class monsters. And Alatreon is undeniably a dangerous monster
Capcom themselves call all three Fatalis varients, Alatreon and Dire Miralis black dragons, ever since the 15th aniversary Before that Capcom didn't even acknowledge any of these five in any official material
On that note... Dire Miralis is the only of the Black Dragons that is truly a dragon that is black. Fatalis changes color based on mood and age, apparently (Crimson being a very angry one, White being a very old one), and Alatreon is a dark purple rather than black.
Black dragon concept was originally the very weird mysterious dragon that shows at the absolute endgame and no official media is allowed to tell anyone, this changed in the 15 anniversary and know they are "only" the apex of apex of elder dragons
3:37 Somewhere, deep within the confines of a Discord server dedicated to MH Lore, there is a man in agony over this particular moment, where, as said man went and stated... "Shin'iki doesn't mean 'sanctuary' vaguely, it's the domain of kami, where gods live, as separate and apart from the actual world it's not a sactuary for humans, it's a sanctuary FROM humans" "Yes. There's an Alatreon there. As suggested by its name, and not suggesting the presence or hospitability towards humans in any way. "
Actually came to a similar conclusion over time, in the sense Alatreon is not a bad monster and the guild is covering up what is actually going on. Although I never thought about the guild testing "how safe" Alatreon is for their purpose. Very well done. 😮
true, the Guild treated Alatreon as something that saw as a "potential" catastrophe, but not an imminent one... they realised that it wouldn't willingly invade another monster's territory as it wants to be left alone... which is probably why the Secluded Valley incident was so surprising to them
As long as Alatreon is elementally unstable he will never be safe to engage. Alatreon can change the environment by shifting elements that's why it prefers to be alone some even are said to live in the deepest parts of the ocean just to isolate themselves.
My headcanon is that Alatreon isn't actually hostile to other lifeforms... it knows that it's mere presence causes natural disasters, so they live in the most isolated/dangerous environments it can find and lives there... maybe for a few decades, maybe a few centuries until it can properly control it's power... with it's beyond human intelligence; it would have realised that only by limiting contact with other monsters and humans can it truly live in peace And as another guy pointed out, Alatreon is still probably a true Black Dragon, but one that has reached the absolute pinnacle of nature, unlike Fatalis who could very well be from another world entirely
@@unicorntomboy9736 Fatalis isn't evil so much so as he is looking for vengence. All Elder Dragons are sentient beings and know of their actions. Even Monsters like Safi'jiva and Gogmazios are aware of their actions and the consequences of them Alatreon doesn't actively seek out other creatures (besides for food), but thanks to his mastery over all elements, Alatreon also makes it impossible for plants and animals to live around him He is a walking weather machine with ice storms following heat waves and the ability like Gore Magala to blacken the sky He very much is a dangerous and aggressive monster. He actively invaded Safi's territory. We do not know, if it was to hunt the red dragon or to get her turf, but we know actively "invaded" the New World and the Secluded Valley
@@dragonlord4194 I think Alatreon is more just like an introverted emo dragon that intentionally recluses itself away because it knows how deadly and unstable it's abilities are Regarding Fatalis, I question why it hasn't just left its castle ruins and gone on a rampage and destroying every human settlement in its wake. There's not much stopping it from doing so
Important to note alatreon in world doesn't attack immediately in the cutscene it instead unleashed a flurry of elemental fury all over the place but not directly at the hunter so it clearly doesn't wanna fight it is just trying to basically tell us "look how strong I am get out of my home or you die" and it's after we stand out ground that he stares at us in the eye before starting the fight My theory on what alatreon was doing in the secluded valley is simple... We don't know how alatreon gets all of this insane power and we don't know his diet... Sooo he eats safijivas and all that energy that safi gathers from elders and the environment is enough to sustain an alatreon for years
But we do know why he is so angry and aggressive. He is covered by the plates monster can drop They are lost in translation and are really called something along the lines of "reverse growing scales" They cause irritation and stress that make the monsters more aggressive. That is why Alatreon was elementally unstable in Tri and 3U
if only it was like that in gameplay too,,, that alatreon roars or shoots something near the hunter but not aiming to the hunter to scare him it would have solidified this theory even more
@@asquri5959 I really doubt safi caused fatalis to awaken cause what about all the safijivas before we arrived at the new world? Like safijivas have existed just fine without humans and never destroyed the world or awakened fatalis Safi too has a role in the grand scheme of things and it wouldn't be impossible for it to be hunted down by alatreon either for food or as rivalry
@@dragonslayer3552 Iceborne lorebook. It doesn't say Alatreon eats Safi'Jivas, rather it says Alatreon's elemental unstability is possibly the only way to reverse Safi'Jiva's large scale bio-morphing. As for Fatalis yeah the writers make a theory that perhaps Safi'Jiva is the reason Fatalis awoke from it's slumber. It doesn't say for sure but the writers do put it up in the air.
I can't believe Alatreon was actually just autistic and couldn't maintain eye contact with the air ships flying over the Sacred Land. This video really opened my eyes to the truth
Oh wow I love the idea of alatreon being the opposite of fatalis. A black dragon but one that could possibly be benificial, a protector of mankind. It also got me thinking that maybe thats why Black dragons are also referred to as "Forbidden Monsters" fatalis is "forbidden" because its an evil creature with apocolyptic power and a hatred for all living things and therefore the guild wants to avoid attracting its ire. Alatreon...also possesses apocolyptic power but is less incline to raze humanity to the ground and instead serves as a deterrent to other more aggressive species earning its place as a protected and essential creature that is only hunted if absolutely nessesary. Overall I like this theory because it builds up Alatreon as its own thing and not just another world destroyer like fatalis.
Alatreon my beloved. Very good video, I think the ideas proposed about Alatreon being this conspiracy/covered up monster by the guild is a compelling one. The contrast Alatreon has with the other "black dragons" is definitely an interesting one, and I feel helps give credence to the ideas of its true nature.
That little note at the end with the wrong growing scales is something lost in translation through the games. What we carve out as "plates" on the monsters are referred to as "reverse growing scales" in Japanese. Those scales cause the monsters irritation and makes them go more wild Alatreon is covered by those scales, which in turn make him so aggressive twowards anything moving. Also to clear that misconception up, the Equal Dragon Weapon is not official, it's a very strong fan theory, that Capcom never acknoledged it nor mentioned it in the lore.
@@Fishy_1998yt As far as I know, it is not canon at all. Maybe it was an early concept turned fan theory, but the Equal Dragon Weapon is not in the canon of any of the games
@@dragonlord4194 well yeah it’s not a real monster but I meant it’s a canonical conspiracy theory. Like it’s recognized as a thing in universe that is mentioned but isn’t real unless they decided to make it real. I know it’s not in the games but in an mh art book it’s considered this legend in mh lore. Key word “legend” as it could easily never been seen or mentioned in the games as a legit monster.
@@Fishy_1998yt Yes even that isn't part of the lore. It is nothing more than old concept art for the first game, not even a legend. All we get from the games with Fatalis and the kingdom of Shrade is, that the people of Shrade became prideful and angered Fatalis, who developed his ever lasting grudge towards humans.
@Fishy-bh4xi it is in a concept art book and is among the early art from when MH was planned to be a more traditional yet much darker fantasy game. Ultimately the Equal Dragon Weapon exists solely in that concept book and seem to have been entirely abandoned as MH changed early on in development. Some people find it cool and want it to be canon, others find it very, very dumb and out of place in the kind of world MH tells now.
I can get behind that take on Alatreon, allways thought that Alatreon didnt quite fit with Fatalis and Dire Miralis, Alatreon is like a Devine being whereas the other two black dragons look like they crawled out of hell to torment humanity. The contrast in 3U between Alatreon and Dire Miralis is also great especially if you compare their themes, Alatreons version of "To One with Life" is chaotic yet beutifull, showing nature in its truest form. While Miralis version is completely overtaken by the fearfull chanting of humanity its a mockery of the theme more than anything else, Miralis twists a song about the beauty of life into one that is about the end of life.
I really like this theory because it explains why Dondurma is constantly under Elder Dragon siege meanwhile Loc Lac is not. Dondurma doesn't have a nearby Elder Dragon repellant.
Goodness, this was definitely one of the better MH theories on youtube. This feels so organic but sadly Capcom just doesn't have the writing skills to do something like this. They are beyond amazing at making worlds though. I would love more videos like this. Great video.
Tri, or as a matter of fact, all the games from 1-4 take place BEFORE World. Cause the Second Fleet Master tells us that the distinction between Blademaster and Gunner was only made after the Research Commission was formed, and the 2nd Fleet arrived to New World. Rise following this system automatically means this system has spread to the Old World too. While the games before World never had this system which means they took place before World. EDIT: The thing about Alatreon being feared by Gods is actually real. Amatsu as we know, is essentially considered a God by many. And in GenU Alatreon and Amatsu's armors respectively have a weird lore connection between them. Alatreon armor: Armor worn by the Knights of Alatrea in the battle against the Gods. Said to bring Darkness. Amatsu armor: Armor bestowed by the God of Heavens upon Chosen Warriors. Can repel Darkness to bring forth Light. Are we missing some kind of hidden lore in past where these Elder Dragons were much powerful/closer to Gods and had dedicated cult to worship them, and their was some massive war between different cults?
The reason Fatalis is treated with so much more fear and respect in world is because he was the first big bad dragon in the first monster hunter and he is the reason, in lore, why humanity are cavemen essentially. Alatreon doesnt get killed in world specifically, we know because of dialogue. When you are preparing for the Fatalis Special Assignment, you have to do another Special Assignment first where you fight Alatreon again but hes significantly weaker (this is done so the fight is more theatric rather than a challenge). When you start that fight the Field Team Leader says "he's back already?" this also kinda gives more strength to the theory that Elder Dragons specifically you dont actually kill. Fatalis just has a lore reason why he comes back and thats if a hunter wears armor made from him they become another Fatalis, as if he corrupts them, its just cool edgy stuff. All in all this entire video is great but honestly most of the points you brought up, and even some that i brought up, can be boiled down to just translation errors, or the writers just doing whatever because they thought it was cool or they didnt care enough, or even all of the above.
Dude, I can express how good this video is. It gave me chills just by listening while driving back home from work, it says a lot since I've seen so many videos while being around the MH community since late 2000's. This is the first video I've seen from you but not the last. You've just got a new subcriber.
I love this; I've come to the conclusion there was a lot more to Alatreon than initially thought. It's why he's become my favorite monster of all time- a Black Dragon that has a LOT going for it beyond 'world Destroyer'.
I'm pretty sure that the reversed-scales reference folklore in which reversed scales, usually found on a dragon's chin, heavly irritates them if touched.
10:29 That is actually an idea that I have in my own little headcanon version of Alatreon... what if a settlement was set up near an Alatreon's home/nest and hunters were sent periodically to engage Alatreon but not kill it, for 2 reasons... 1) to keep it's elemental stability in check, i.e. toppling it via an elemental overload... this would limit the power of the next Escaton Judgement and the hunting parties sole intent to weaken the Judgement can be conveyed to the beast by disengaging upon doing so... given that Alatreon's intelligence rivals or possibly even surpasses that of a human; it will start to see a cycle emerge... i.e. the humans arrive, they "hunt" it, an elemental overload occurs, the humans leave, and so on... 2) to take advantage of the superiority complex that Elder Dragons tend to have (like how a Teostra in the New World won't engage hunters until attacked, they seem to perceive hunters as being beneath them) and through engaging and disengaging the Alatreon to limit it's elemental instability; there is the potential to desensitize the Alatreon to human interactions... combine that with the perceived invulnerability that it would feel from witnessing humans try and fail to harm it, and the result is an Alatreon who no longer sees humans as being worth killing and so will no longer attack humans on sight... theoretically of course This idea can also come with other additional quirks, like the beast potentially learning human speech and/or shifting to being more inquisitive of humans as opposed to being hostile... But the end result will be the same; a Black Dragon who has been conditioned to be less sensitive to human interaction, to the point where the hunters coming to trigger an elemental overload; which used to be a mere nuisance, might become something that the beast gets used to... especially if the Alatreon's main goal is to fix it's elemental instability It's part of the reason why I'd actually like to have surveying quests in future games... everything from watching a Rathian bring home a dead *insert raptor name here* to watching a Ceadeus pup get attacked by a Nakarkos... to observing an Alatreon in the Sacred Land, not hunting it... just observing it, and doing so would give you additional information about the monster in question
I actually agree with everything except the black dragon classification. I don't think giving it the name of Black Dragon was to picture it as evil, but rather just as dangerous. He is a first class monster after all. Nothing in the written records depict it as bad or evil, but just as powerful and elementally unstable. But I truly think that Alatreon's role is to counter-balance powerful elder dragons in order to protect ecosystems. That would explain why it can live in so many different ecosystems, but also why one came to the new world after Safi Jiiva appeared. He must have felt the energy being drained and the ecosystem being sufficiently threatened to make a move and go and try to eliminate the target. Also, even tho I agree that the MH3 records were burned after the events, but I still think that the guild doesn't and didn't know that much about it either since it since is such secluded places. As such, I believe that Alatreons simply never encountered human territory before the ages of exploration began and that's why there were never fables or legends on this dragon. When you compare this to Fatalis or Dire Miralis lores that are deeply connected to humanity, that can explain a lot. So yes I agree, big misunderstood dragon that's actually not bad, but still so powerful that it's refered as a Black Dragon. Also, two things I thought about : 1) Alatreons could be intentionally avoided human civilization and its cities. The one that came to the new world could've easily wiped out Astera and Seliana on it's way to the valley but he didn't care at all, focused on Safi Jiiva (by my theory). 2) I think it's weird that such a calm and powerful, almost god-like dragon doesn't have a cult or something. Especially since the first place we encounter it in the series is called the Sanctuary (I'm refering to the japanese name of course). But that'd be cool to have one. Even if it's just a reference in a piece of dialogue in a future entry. Anyway, great video ! Have a great week ! 💜
The way I took it, Alatreon is a black dragon due to his mere presence of causing natural disasters. As a young dragon in tri it can’t control the elements but now as a matured and older beast in Iceborne it has full control it hates anything that is of similar power to it and that’s why it went to destroy safis nest and potentially safi itself. And maybe it doesn’t go after Fatalis cause it knows that even tho it could potentially kill Fatalis it itself would die in the process. And maybe that’s why we only see Fatalis in Schrade is because of Alatreon
I really liked the concept of Alatreon just being such a catastrophically dangerous creature that, despite not being related to Fatalis or Miralis(my headcanon because of how similar their names are) the guild quite literally had no choice but to call it a black dragon and strike it from the books.
I'm glad my cataloguing of the loc lac dialogue about Alatreon has helped better explain the monster's past and lore, and allowed for some more theorycrafting. Alatreon is my favourite elder of all time. great video.
It would have been neat if they somehow got an Alatreon to go up against Fatalis and help the hunter slay it. On a side note, I am surprised that the topics of trauma and PTSD are not explored in the narrative of these games, especially when facing up against black dragons like Fatalis. There was a video from last year from another TH-camr (I cannot remember which one or what the video was called again) that explored the forbidden monsters -the black dragons mostly - in a first person POV about the MH World protagonist. You could feel the fear and trauma in their words as they fight these otherworldly beasts, which was so well-written and narrated that you could sense the character exhibiting PTSD symptoms.
@@unicorntomboy9736 Yep, exactly this. But yeah, Alatreon is a pretty chill Black Dragon. Still a Black Dragon however, it will absolutely eviscerate intruders.
Love this idea, another alatreon theory that I thought of a while ago was that alatreon is actually the predecessor to all monsters. Think like the mew of the monster hunter world. The reason why no other monsters are able to use all of the elements is that they evolved in different ways which meant that unnecessary elements were no longer needed and thus the monsters evolved out of it. Really puts the "elder" in elder dragon
@@sgwcyingkoI think it can still fit into my theory. Namielle might be further up the elder tree than other monsters so when alatreon began evolving into other monsters, namielle was created early on so it still retains some of those properties
Waiting for capcom to bring us the AWAKENED ALATREON. Mastering all elements, to the point of combining them and evolving his escaton judgement into the escaton sentence. This alatreon would rival the white fatalis.
There is also a rumor about a Shining Blue Dragon. This monster is said to be a Subspecies of Alatreon with the ability to produce blue flames that make its white scales sparkle.
The monster class system has more then one meaning. In the early game design of monster hunter they had to follow rules when making any monster. Rules that may not apply today but I'll still note them out. Monster's in the game had to be made in such a way that they they could be seen as believable, that such a thing could be possible. I know crazy talking about a game with dragons. Elder dragons (don't actually need to be a dragon) are allowed to break some of the rules and have almost supernatural powers that can't be explained or they simply don't have enough information on. They also tend to mess with the ecosystem where ever they go that isn't normal. Black dragons have NO rules. They are allowed to do anything that the creators want. That's they they tend to be vary hard to fight and have crazy description like the heart still beating out of it's body. Some would argue Safi'Jiva as one but I'm not getting into that it's just a cool monster. Alatreon is interesting because it's body is made of reverse scales. In mythology it is said that dragons that have a reverse scale if touched would throw is into a frenzy. So Alatreon is just going to be angry all the time
bro, the manufacturing consent to clear this sacred area with a rare species in it via the guild as the long arm of capital (insane thought to be had) in a world where, even after the original apocalypse, power is accumulating in the hands of fewer people... again, and aiming to dominate nature. I don't necessarily think the sacred land part comes from a prospect of protection, it might really be what it was called from peoples who've knowingly benefitted from alatreon's protection in the past. After all: "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."-kinda vibe. There's something to be said here about the lack of humility and resulting lack of consideration for the natural world from the peoples of the new age in mh. They didn't learn the lesson, they will never learn it, history will repeat. Ironically, they will continue to be ignorant in every history, while at the same time considering themselves superior to all that came before. I'll cut the headcanoning here, awesome video.
This is easily the best fan theory of the MH universe. It's just as wild as it is believable, it deals with themes seen all across the media, and it ends up as a conspiracy theory. Perfect. This is now my head-canon.
Alatreon is less evil if compared to Fatalis but is evil enough compared to other monsters as it possess the reverse scales which puts him in constant state of anger. Atleast according to japanese hunters, Alatreon is the strongest monster and does not acknowledge other monster's existence other than itself and it didn't run away from Fatalis.
They both aren't really evil i can assume,Maybe Fatalis destoryed Kingdom Schrade because the lord done something evil on nature,and Fatalis was the one who punished them
The fact that Fatalis specifically goes after hunters and literally mocks them for wearing monster parts for armor def makes it evil, its stated multiple times that Fatalis is full of malice, just looking into its eyes is enough for a hunter to give up entirely because of it
Each monster the dev designed definitely have a theme to them, in my opinion alatreon represent chaos contrary to one with life. Fatalis represents extinction as the old civilization is destroyed by it. Dire miralis representing the destructive force of nature since his theme is a more malice version of one with life, and his design being somewhat part of nature itself a walking volcano.
Super thorough breakdown!! How you even gave an analysis of it’s theme brought your points together very well. All points were very believable! Bro cooked😤
technically in the first confrontation against alatreon they tell you "Observe the environment, it seems to be the key to understanding the power of alatreon" after the 1 defeat, now the fleet knows that alatreon changes element and its elemental weaknesses 🤓🤓🤓
Loc lac definetly had the best atmosphere of all the online hubs. I can still remember joining in when a sandstorm started up, indicating jhen moran was availible to hunt. All the shops sold very rare and hard to get mats like scatterfish
If you ever have the time, its possible to play on loc lac again! Theres a good 17min tutorial on youtube for setting up the whole thing, its alot of work but has been absolutely worth it. (I've been on solo just grinding lol)
For all the "burned records" I have 2 ideas 1 There are bad people and even cults that worship some monsters (Kushala and Anjanath confirmed at the very least) which might want guild not to have this info for one reason or another 2 They weren't burned on purpose. There's probably not much info on black dragons overall and if something was to happen with Guild archives it'd be much easier to restore info on more well known and less rare monsters than extremely rare ones
i like the idea but i never really say alatreon's appearence in the secluded valley as him wanting to fight safi but as him wanting to set the place right. when I first saw alatreon in world, I thought the whole reason he was there was because safi sucked up all of the natural energy in the area (because of the siege fights with him) and that it was so strange that alatreon came to balance it. i mean the first time you see alatreon he's burning all evidence of safi almost like he's mad about what safi did, making the valley and the area around it basically inhospitable to anything but alatreon. I think it might be beneficial for the environment and may function as more of a equalizer of sorts; almost like the physical embodiment of nature's will to balance but I don't think that makes it "weaker" or less deserving of the black dragon title. It still causes entire ecosystems to change and could cause mass extinction if it really wanted to it just doesn't feel that need; similar to how kirin is seen as a "weaker" elder dragon while simultaneously being one of the stronger ones lore wise, I think alatreon is in a similar position
I really like your thought circle about Alatreon. I also think he doesnt quite match the vibe of Fatalis and Miralis. But the part I dont quite understand or more like baffels me, is the capitalism point. Even tho Alatreon might not quite be the myth like Fatalis he is still insanely powerful. I think every normal person in Tri would know that the danage to repel him from the Sacred Land would be to great in cost for a better route.
I feel like this is heavily under the assumption World isn't a Soft Reboot. There's many examples in-game where are old previous knowledge was heavily subverted. Kushala Doara used to get debuffed by poison but now only happens with Elderseal. Then we all expected Rusted Kushala Doara only to find it's shed rusted skin on the mountain. They're clearly trying to do something different here just with all the older games as the jumping off point. So while monsters and location origins are generally the same their lore isn't the same. Fatalis had the biggest change in Lore and was technically Monster Hunters first time making him have center stage by making him a part of the story. The other games these huge world destruction monsters only came with a brief intro video and some random quest description. There was lore in quest and armor descriptions but those were so rare and inconsistent that it didn't actually matter for 99% of players especially when the game itself really doesn't have a story. It's an interesting theory but it's an "appeal to ignorance". Which pretty much means you don't have anything.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that there were two canon Alatreons in Iceborne. The first one came to destroy the eggs left behind from Safi'jiiva. Then another one at the start of the Fatalis Special Assignment. The field team leader says something like "what?? Another one??? Better kill it :)." Alatreon is the Fatalis questline much MUCH weaker, which leads me to believe this Alatreon NARROWLY escaped Fatalis.
Great video! Honestly, I like that the dev team dont go into all this officially, it means the game can be different things to different people and not really upset anyone by making bad decisions. Plus I really like your theory, its my headcannon too now. Im upset they removed the organ from the Alatreon theme though, in an old interview they spoke about how the organ was such an impoartant instrument in its theme, then they just remove it?! Kinda sad.
I refuse to accept Frontier isn't canon. Maybe the Guild is indeed purposefully keeping Alatreon alive & protected to study it, in hopes of preparing for the inevitable day they meet Dhisufiroa, a monster mainline hunters are, to me, canonically not ready to face. At least in my head it makes sense.
I personally think the term "Black Dragon" is almost like a cryptid in the world of Monster Hunter, Alatreon was just a crazy strong Elder Dragon that was casually black, so people assumed it was the "original" Black Dragon, Fatalis, so maybe if Nergigante was in alatreon's place back then, he would probably be called a black dragon as well. Most people also use the term Black Dragon as a title for the strongest monsters, which is wrong, since its just an aesthetic title, the correct term would be Dangerous First Class Monster.
I wish Fatalis canonically has the ability to actually speak human language, in addition to being fully sentient, with above human level intelligence. Especially be like Smaug from The Hobbit.
@@unicorntomboy9736that would be dope. But you also gotta remember that Fatalis' whole shtick is being the perfect monster. Try comparing Fatalis to for example Kushala Daora. Kushala Daora is mostly seen as antagonistic in the sense that it's this unstopable storm. Elder Dragons is the brutality of nature incarnate, and couldn't care less about human life or condition. However Fatalis is like actually out to *get* humanity, it *hates*. It's truly, as Jakob says, a proper Monster. Fatalis is INhuman, and I feel that it doing something like talking would take away from that. That and it wouldn't make sense and it's stupid lol
I never had the chance to encounter Alatreon in MH3 but when I had the chance to face it in Iceborne... oh boy it became to this day my favorite monster of all time Also this is a x1000 top notch theory and lore analysis! While I love being a hunter, I do not believe the Guild is an all good organization. They have so much power and authority that it is ridiculous to believe that within their ranks there is not a shred of greed and lust for more
I'd describe Alatreon as "Chaotic Neutral." It doesn't mean any harm, it doesn't mean any help, it's just kinda there and because it's there stuff happens. Stuff like airships being obliterated by the extreme weather it creates.
Amazing video. Honestly, all of it makes sense, and I'm always on board with the guild doing fishi stuff behind the scenes specifically after iceborne that we discovered they burned information this makes me wonder how many other more powerful dragons exist maybe even under villages and they keep it quiet 🤯
Thank you so freaking much... For reminding me how much better Alatreon's theme was in Tri and Generations... (Seriously, World's renditions removed EVERYTHING that made it special, like the organ and the electric guitar)
Wasn’t a fan of him because of his design but I appreciate him a lot more after this, and to wrap the tinfoil a bit tighter around the head I think that there are multiple possibilities, my two favorites are similar to what you said, this branch of the guild may have been very handsomely compensated (bribed) by the rich folk to get rid of alatreon, but because hunting these guys may have been against the rules this branch got rid of the evidence so that they won’t get a friendly visit from the guild knights. The other possibility is that the guild may have been pressured like you said but because the getting rid of alatreon has more cons than pros they tried to make the contract sound as intimidating as possible to scare away hunters and when the rich clients complained they’d just shrug and say we did the thing but no one’s willing, worst case scenario if someone is thick enough to take the contract they probably wouldn’t survive.
Rajang would like a word with you. There's multiple examples of other Monsters being able to rival Elder Dragons. Even predate them. That's just straight up wrong
honestly what you said about the alatreon theme feeling foreign is why i dont like the new version as much as the old one. I feel like the classic orchestration of it makes it sound too comfy and beautiful when its supposed to be more freakish
Lol, nope. Because technically, the content creator is right on this matter. Monster Hunter Tri was first released in Japan during 1st August 2009 which is the game where Alatreon was introduced in as the final boss monster of the game. Meanwhile, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd first came out during the 1st December 2010 in Japan & Korea, it's the time when Zinogre is introduced in as the flagship monster of said game. In short, Alatreon is indeed the first ever monster in MH franchise that has an electric guitar sound as a part of its battle theme, then followed by Zinogre a year later.
If you were playing monster hunter for a super riveting story I think your looking in the wrong place lol. The real truth is Capcoms monster hunter team imo just did Alatreon dirty and they gave Fatalis all the main attention as they were updating iceborne. As cool as the fight was in Iceborne they kinda killed the canon we had in Tri and since Capcom never was known to take monster hunters story super serious anyway they were just winging it as they were updating Iceborne. Its funny to bring up MH4 ultimate because I think that probably the best monster hunter story but no Alatreon in the game.
Maybe they used common knowledge of ELDER dragons where if you break their horns the elders powers are weakened. This might also be the case with black dragons as they are extremely similar.
I'll still say they "burnt the documents" in World to justify forcing Escaton Judgment as a mechanic so that when anyone who actually cares about the monster speaks up about how it ruined the fight, they can just brush it off as being salty. I beat Alatreon on my first try, Escaton sucks as a mechanic that completely changed the fight for the worse. He didn't need it, it was just a really powerful monster who's unique gimmick was the fact it had 4 of the 5 elements with difference stances to use each.
Whoa, whoa, hold your horses there Jakob, don't go using Google Translate and then assume you know in depth what something says or means. "Sacred Land" is a far more appropriate translation that if anything is not strongly enough worded, there's nothing vague about it at all. It's a holy place, full stop. >.> 神域 is not vaguely "sanctuary", it's shin'iki, comprised of the kanji for "kami" and "domain". It is specifically the perimeter of a Shinto shrine where the kami of that shrine is said to dwell, the home of a god. Shin'iki is perhaps best referred to as the kingdom of gods or an ideal world as distinct from Utsushiyo (the real world) and separated by a barrier. 神域 is where a god lives, and Alatreon is that god. It doesn't mean the people of Loc Lac worship it, it doesn't mean they love it, but it does mean they respect it. It is a "sanctuary" (which is not what it is called and Google Translate is just kind of outright wrong here, and I can't stress enough that it should be your first and last stop when trying to figure out what words mean, PLEASE) not in that it is a place of respite for people, but in that it in this context is an area that is utterly off limits to human hands. It is literally the opposite of what you are claiming should be implied by that title. Alatreon is not "just an animal", and it has never been viewed or presented that way. It is probably closer to an animal than Fatalis is, but that's quite relative. I think you're also missing really unmistakable connections between Alatreon and Fatalis that have nothing to do with the guild, but explaining those in further depth would probably take me a while and I'd rather put out that essay in video form because I'm already planning to anyway. I think you're picking up on some things, but you don't have the full picture. In the end, I agree that Alatreon is not evil, or bad, but I think quite a bit of this is wrong. I also think they've already done way cooler stuff with understanding Alatreon and the Black Dragons in general, but it's true that they will never speak on it, since the point is not to be told, it's to figure it out. To be blunt though, it's unlikely most Westerners have much chance of doing that. There are certainly things to be said about the idea that the death of the spiritual entity led to the pursuit of greater material profit. I haven't played Tri, I haven't read all of the dialogue from the people of Loc Lac, but similar to the wave of enlightenment that comes over Minegarde with Fatalis' defeat, I suspect it's not simple as that.
I think the reason as to why the Guild wants everybody to leave alatreon alone is simply the risk of it moving or escaping and bringing destruction somewhere else,Elder dragons in general are not something people hunt on a regular basis,let alone something as powerful and unstable as Alatreon,granted he's no Fatalis but it's still not a joke and due to it's uncontrolled nature it makes sense to tell everybody to leave it alone
I dont believe there's any hunter that achieved slaying slaying the 3 black dragons eve if they were men that achieved that they would be taught by wyvernian elder who stopped the 2 elder tigrexes in fu
Ive been wanting to write a monhun fanfic with the guild as the badguys (they clearly are the bad guys in the story) and this video only makes it more difficult to resist doing so
Always had a feeling that Alatreon was the only naturally occurring Black Dragon, where it is the apex of nature's wrath itself before going into the supernatural aspects with the other two like Dire's Creation Myths and Fatalis' historical significance. A monster that embodies nature's power so perfectly that it keeps other elders, like Safi, in check if its intro is anything to go by.
And also, there is a human element to Alatreon's theme, although its extremely hard to notice.
When mounting Alatreon in Iceborne, hushed whispers start playing in the music. Likely nothing more than to show how much power is flowing through its body and how genuinely frightening, evil or not, Alatreon's power is.
@@acozygoji Oh shit I didn't know that
Safi is the Rival of Fatalis this has been confirmed Safi is not an elder dragon but The Red Dragon this is all written in the World big book
@@viktorgabriel2554not really its mentioned in the notes how it was designed as the rival of fatalis but for the in universe law it's not mentioned (the entries are split into 2 sections law and notes). If you look at aletreaons entry it goes into much more detail with the notes saying it inherits the legacy of fatalis, whatever that's meant to mean. For the law entry it has a paragraph talking about how its natures counter to safi (simular to nergigante and elder dragons) and how the researchers think it might be an ecological counter thanks to its elemental power.
@@Biotek2389 the thing is Fatalis wasn't planned untill the last minute. So ofc the lore book which came after the game has already finished gives us a better insight.
"We wanted to design a powerful dragon, but of a different color this time, since all ended up becoming black".
That's like saying Safi is a Forbidden Monster itself but simply not of Black Color.
Not to mention both Fatalis and Safi'jiva has similar quest names, The Black/Red Dragons respectively.
I understand why one would think Alatreon is the "opposite" to Safi'Jiva due to his whole going after Safi nest thing, but design wise Fatalis and Safi'jiva are much more close to each other with the similar horns and color shading and stuffs. So much so that if you gave Fatalis a slightly more quadruped bodytype it would look like a Black Safi'Jiva instead.
Also the whole shtick of Safi'Jiva being proclaimed again and again as the "Emperor" of all Elder Dragons. Teostras are called Emperors of Flame but never an Emperor of other Elder Dragons. But Safi'Jiva has been given that title and I think it is huge to name a species as such.
so can i have a pet alatreon?
Once
No. Sadly.
Stories three Alatreon monstie confirmed?
Yea you can pick up one at your local Petco
@@BongerZ013 😂😂😂
You could also say that its Iceborne cutscene is Alatreon performing a threat display, warning the Hunter on just how powerful it is, because when it finishes it clearly stares at them, so it wasn't just aiming carelessly.
Not only that, but its name also separates it from the evil that is Fatalis, from the Iceborne translations, though unofficial, it's said that Fatalis means "Battle of Destiny", which could be taken as that is a little more explicit to the need of Fatalis being slayed, but Alatreon means "Dawn's Triumph", Why wouldn't we want dawn to triumph? It can even be said to be confirmed with Alatreon's japanese name being Albatrion (Arubatorion) which uses Alba the spanish word for Dawn, it all ties back to the theme of equilibrium of Tri.
the way alatreon notices the hunter do have that 'why tf are u still here' language
I think the cutscene in Iceborne is alatreon burning any possibility of a Xeno egg or all the remnants of a possible nest Safi built. Safi isn't a black dragon, but I think its around that level. I think Alatreon was scared of a possible full powered Safi snd wanted to destroy all remnants of it.
@@tykendall3750The Secluded Valley was full of bioenergy for Safi to use and his cocoons can hatch anytime soon and yet Alatreon still went there alone I don't think that's what you call scared.
@@tykendall3750 You're... mostly correct. The Iceborne lore book states that Alatreon rolled up because he saw Safi and its offspring as competition. So while we were going after the red dragon, Alatreon was incinerating and freezing any xeno cocoons it could find to eliminate any future competition and to stake claim over the valley as his territory.
In alatreon's 'defence', the title Black Dragon is a term that has been coined due to them all being black and dragons. Fatalis is The Black Dragon, Alatreon is the Blazing Black Dragon, and Dire Miralis is the Smelting Black Dragon. The official term is the Dangerous First Class monsters. And Alatreon is undeniably a dangerous monster
Capcom themselves call all three Fatalis varients, Alatreon and Dire Miralis black dragons, ever since the 15th aniversary
Before that Capcom didn't even acknowledge any of these five in any official material
On that note... Dire Miralis is the only of the Black Dragons that is truly a dragon that is black. Fatalis changes color based on mood and age, apparently (Crimson being a very angry one, White being a very old one), and Alatreon is a dark purple rather than black.
@@dragonlord4194 they don't. The best you can find Capcom referring to them is Forbidden Monster. Black Dragon is still just the title.
@@elfmonster1476 black fatalis is the only canon one
Black dragon concept was originally the very weird mysterious dragon that shows at the absolute endgame and no official media is allowed to tell anyone, this changed in the 15 anniversary and know they are "only" the apex of apex of elder dragons
3:37
Somewhere, deep within the confines of a Discord server dedicated to MH Lore, there is a man in agony over this particular moment,
where, as said man went and stated...
"Shin'iki doesn't mean 'sanctuary' vaguely, it's the domain of kami, where gods live, as separate and apart from the actual world
it's not a sactuary for humans, it's a sanctuary FROM humans"
"Yes. There's an Alatreon there. As suggested by its name, and not suggesting the presence or hospitability towards humans in any way. "
Server pls?
Actually came to a similar conclusion over time, in the sense Alatreon is not a bad monster and the guild is covering up what is actually going on. Although I never thought about the guild testing "how safe" Alatreon is for their purpose. Very well done. 😮
true, the Guild treated Alatreon as something that saw as a "potential" catastrophe, but not an imminent one... they realised that it wouldn't willingly invade another monster's territory as it wants to be left alone... which is probably why the Secluded Valley incident was so surprising to them
As long as Alatreon is elementally unstable he will never be safe to engage. Alatreon can change the environment by shifting elements that's why it prefers to be alone some even are said to live in the deepest parts of the ocean just to isolate themselves.
My headcanon is that Alatreon isn't actually hostile to other lifeforms... it knows that it's mere presence causes natural disasters, so they live in the most isolated/dangerous environments it can find and lives there... maybe for a few decades, maybe a few centuries until it can properly control it's power... with it's beyond human intelligence; it would have realised that only by limiting contact with other monsters and humans can it truly live in peace
And as another guy pointed out, Alatreon is still probably a true Black Dragon, but one that has reached the absolute pinnacle of nature, unlike Fatalis who could very well be from another world entirely
Alatreon is hostile to other creatures. His reverse growing scales cause him stress and pain so he lashes out at everything around him
@@dragonlord4194 The difference is that Fatalis is actively psychopathic, homicidal and evil creature
Maybe Alatreon isn't that
@@unicorntomboy9736 Fatalis isn't evil so much so as he is looking for vengence.
All Elder Dragons are sentient beings and know of their actions.
Even Monsters like Safi'jiva and Gogmazios are aware of their actions and the consequences of them
Alatreon doesn't actively seek out other creatures (besides for food), but thanks to his mastery over all elements, Alatreon also makes it impossible for plants and animals to live around him
He is a walking weather machine with ice storms following heat waves and the ability like Gore Magala to blacken the sky
He very much is a dangerous and aggressive monster. He actively invaded Safi's territory. We do not know, if it was to hunt the red dragon or to get her turf, but we know actively "invaded" the New World and the Secluded Valley
@@dragonlord4194 I think Alatreon is more just like an introverted emo dragon that intentionally recluses itself away because it knows how deadly and unstable it's abilities are
Regarding Fatalis, I question why it hasn't just left its castle ruins and gone on a rampage and destroying every human settlement in its wake. There's not much stopping it from doing so
@@unicorntomboy9736 I feel like Fatalis stays in Shrade to make sure no one is able to reclaim this kingdom
I really like this theory. It connects a lot of seemingly unrelated puzzle pieces in a very organic way
Important to note alatreon in world doesn't attack immediately in the cutscene it instead unleashed a flurry of elemental fury all over the place but not directly at the hunter so it clearly doesn't wanna fight it is just trying to basically tell us "look how strong I am get out of my home or you die" and it's after we stand out ground that he stares at us in the eye before starting the fight
My theory on what alatreon was doing in the secluded valley is simple... We don't know how alatreon gets all of this insane power and we don't know his diet... Sooo he eats safijivas and all that energy that safi gathers from elders and the environment is enough to sustain an alatreon for years
But we do know why he is so angry and aggressive. He is covered by the plates monster can drop
They are lost in translation and are really called something along the lines of "reverse growing scales"
They cause irritation and stress that make the monsters more aggressive.
That is why Alatreon was elementally unstable in Tri and 3U
if only it was like that in gameplay too,,, that alatreon roars or shoots something near the hunter but not aiming to the hunter to scare him
it would have solidified this theory even more
Actually Safi'Jiiva caused Alatreon to come and Fatalis to reawaken. Alatreon doesn't eat Safis lmao
@@asquri5959 I really doubt safi caused fatalis to awaken cause what about all the safijivas before we arrived at the new world? Like safijivas have existed just fine without humans and never destroyed the world or awakened fatalis
Safi too has a role in the grand scheme of things and it wouldn't be impossible for it to be hunted down by alatreon either for food or as rivalry
@@dragonslayer3552 Iceborne lorebook. It doesn't say Alatreon eats Safi'Jivas, rather it says Alatreon's elemental unstability is possibly the only way to reverse Safi'Jiva's large scale bio-morphing.
As for Fatalis yeah the writers make a theory that perhaps Safi'Jiva is the reason Fatalis awoke from it's slumber. It doesn't say for sure but the writers do put it up in the air.
I can't believe Alatreon was actually just autistic and couldn't maintain eye contact with the air ships flying over the Sacred Land. This video really opened my eyes to the truth
Alatreon became the master of all trades.... but at what cost
Oh wow I love the idea of alatreon being the opposite of fatalis. A black dragon but one that could possibly be benificial, a protector of mankind. It also got me thinking that maybe thats why Black dragons are also referred to as "Forbidden Monsters" fatalis is "forbidden" because its an evil creature with apocolyptic power and a hatred for all living things and therefore the guild wants to avoid attracting its ire. Alatreon...also possesses apocolyptic power but is less incline to raze humanity to the ground and instead serves as a deterrent to other more aggressive species earning its place as a protected and essential creature that is only hunted if absolutely nessesary. Overall I like this theory because it builds up Alatreon as its own thing and not just another world destroyer like fatalis.
Alatreon lowkey is just monster verse godzilla but in monster hunter
Alatreon my beloved.
Very good video, I think the ideas proposed about Alatreon being this conspiracy/covered up monster by the guild is a compelling one. The contrast Alatreon has with the other "black dragons" is definitely an interesting one, and I feel helps give credence to the ideas of its true nature.
"It sure is nice being a powerful dragon alone in a volcanic area where nobody can bother me."
Guild: "Hi Squidward"
That little note at the end with the wrong growing scales is something lost in translation through the games.
What we carve out as "plates" on the monsters are referred to as "reverse growing scales" in Japanese.
Those scales cause the monsters irritation and makes them go more wild
Alatreon is covered by those scales, which in turn make him so aggressive twowards anything moving.
Also to clear that misconception up, the Equal Dragon Weapon is not official, it's a very strong fan theory, that Capcom never acknoledged it nor mentioned it in the lore.
Isn’t the equal dragon weapon officially recognized in an mh art book? It’s just not considered canon, it’s more like an in-lore conspiracy.
@@Fishy_1998yt As far as I know, it is not canon at all. Maybe it was an early concept turned fan theory, but the Equal Dragon Weapon is not in the canon of any of the games
@@dragonlord4194 well yeah it’s not a real monster but I meant it’s a canonical conspiracy theory. Like it’s recognized as a thing in universe that is mentioned but isn’t real unless they decided to make it real. I know it’s not in the games but in an mh art book it’s considered this legend in mh lore. Key word “legend” as it could easily never been seen or mentioned in the games as a legit monster.
@@Fishy_1998yt Yes even that isn't part of the lore.
It is nothing more than old concept art for the first game, not even a legend.
All we get from the games with Fatalis and the kingdom of Shrade is, that the people of Shrade became prideful and angered Fatalis, who developed his ever lasting grudge towards humans.
@Fishy-bh4xi it is in a concept art book and is among the early art from when MH was planned to be a more traditional yet much darker fantasy game. Ultimately the Equal Dragon Weapon exists solely in that concept book and seem to have been entirely abandoned as MH changed early on in development.
Some people find it cool and want it to be canon, others find it very, very dumb and out of place in the kind of world MH tells now.
I can get behind that take on Alatreon, allways thought that Alatreon didnt quite fit with Fatalis and Dire Miralis, Alatreon is like a Devine being whereas the other two black dragons look like they crawled out of hell to torment humanity.
The contrast in 3U between Alatreon and Dire Miralis is also great especially if you compare their themes, Alatreons version of "To One with Life" is chaotic yet beutifull, showing nature in its truest form.
While Miralis version is completely overtaken by the fearfull chanting of humanity its a mockery of the theme more than anything else, Miralis twists a song about the beauty of life into one that is about the end of life.
I really like this theory because it explains why Dondurma is constantly under Elder Dragon siege meanwhile Loc Lac is not. Dondurma doesn't have a nearby Elder Dragon repellant.
Goodness, this was definitely one of the better MH theories on youtube. This feels so organic but sadly Capcom just doesn't have the writing skills to do something like this. They are beyond amazing at making worlds though. I would love more videos like this. Great video.
Alatreon is like the Avatar, he is supposed to bring balance to the world
And Fatalis is Fire Lord Ozi
@@unicorntomboy9736 I was thinking the same thing xD
That's the meme we always say but didn't know he's the actual PROTECTER
Tri, or as a matter of fact, all the games from 1-4 take place BEFORE World.
Cause the Second Fleet Master tells us that the distinction between Blademaster and Gunner was only made after the Research Commission was formed, and the 2nd Fleet arrived to New World. Rise following this system automatically means this system has spread to the Old World too.
While the games before World never had this system which means they took place before World.
EDIT: The thing about Alatreon being feared by Gods is actually real. Amatsu as we know, is essentially considered a God by many. And in GenU Alatreon and Amatsu's armors respectively have a weird lore connection between them.
Alatreon armor: Armor worn by the Knights of Alatrea in the battle against the Gods. Said to bring Darkness.
Amatsu armor: Armor bestowed by the God of Heavens upon Chosen Warriors. Can repel Darkness to bring forth Light.
Are we missing some kind of hidden lore in past where these Elder Dragons were much powerful/closer to Gods and had dedicated cult to worship them, and their was some massive war between different cults?
The reason Fatalis is treated with so much more fear and respect in world is because he was the first big bad dragon in the first monster hunter and he is the reason, in lore, why humanity are cavemen essentially. Alatreon doesnt get killed in world specifically, we know because of dialogue. When you are preparing for the Fatalis Special Assignment, you have to do another Special Assignment first where you fight Alatreon again but hes significantly weaker (this is done so the fight is more theatric rather than a challenge). When you start that fight the Field Team Leader says "he's back already?" this also kinda gives more strength to the theory that Elder Dragons specifically you dont actually kill. Fatalis just has a lore reason why he comes back and thats if a hunter wears armor made from him they become another Fatalis, as if he corrupts them, its just cool edgy stuff. All in all this entire video is great but honestly most of the points you brought up, and even some that i brought up, can be boiled down to just translation errors, or the writers just doing whatever because they thought it was cool or they didnt care enough, or even all of the above.
Dude, I can express how good this video is. It gave me chills just by listening while driving back home from work, it says a lot since I've seen so many videos while being around the MH community since late 2000's. This is the first video I've seen from you but not the last. You've just got a new subcriber.
I love this; I've come to the conclusion there was a lot more to Alatreon than initially thought. It's why he's become my favorite monster of all time- a Black Dragon that has a LOT going for it beyond 'world Destroyer'.
I'm pretty sure that the reversed-scales reference folklore in which reversed scales, usually found on a dragon's chin, heavly irritates them if touched.
10:29 That is actually an idea that I have in my own little headcanon version of Alatreon... what if a settlement was set up near an Alatreon's home/nest and hunters were sent periodically to engage Alatreon but not kill it, for 2 reasons...
1) to keep it's elemental stability in check, i.e. toppling it via an elemental overload... this would limit the power of the next Escaton Judgement and the hunting parties sole intent to weaken the Judgement can be conveyed to the beast by disengaging upon doing so... given that Alatreon's intelligence rivals or possibly even surpasses that of a human; it will start to see a cycle emerge... i.e. the humans arrive, they "hunt" it, an elemental overload occurs, the humans leave, and so on...
2) to take advantage of the superiority complex that Elder Dragons tend to have (like how a Teostra in the New World won't engage hunters until attacked, they seem to perceive hunters as being beneath them) and through engaging and disengaging the Alatreon to limit it's elemental instability; there is the potential to desensitize the Alatreon to human interactions... combine that with the perceived invulnerability that it would feel from witnessing humans try and fail to harm it, and the result is an Alatreon who no longer sees humans as being worth killing and so will no longer attack humans on sight... theoretically of course
This idea can also come with other additional quirks, like the beast potentially learning human speech and/or shifting to being more inquisitive of humans as opposed to being hostile...
But the end result will be the same; a Black Dragon who has been conditioned to be less sensitive to human interaction, to the point where the hunters coming to trigger an elemental overload; which used to be a mere nuisance, might become something that the beast gets used to... especially if the Alatreon's main goal is to fix it's elemental instability
It's part of the reason why I'd actually like to have surveying quests in future games... everything from watching a Rathian bring home a dead *insert raptor name here* to watching a Ceadeus pup get attacked by a Nakarkos... to observing an Alatreon in the Sacred Land, not hunting it... just observing it, and doing so would give you additional information about the monster in question
I actually agree with everything except the black dragon classification. I don't think giving it the name of Black Dragon was to picture it as evil, but rather just as dangerous. He is a first class monster after all. Nothing in the written records depict it as bad or evil, but just as powerful and elementally unstable.
But I truly think that Alatreon's role is to counter-balance powerful elder dragons in order to protect ecosystems. That would explain why it can live in so many different ecosystems, but also why one came to the new world after Safi Jiiva appeared. He must have felt the energy being drained and the ecosystem being sufficiently threatened to make a move and go and try to eliminate the target.
Also, even tho I agree that the MH3 records were burned after the events, but I still think that the guild doesn't and didn't know that much about it either since it since is such secluded places. As such, I believe that Alatreons simply never encountered human territory before the ages of exploration began and that's why there were never fables or legends on this dragon. When you compare this to Fatalis or Dire Miralis lores that are deeply connected to humanity, that can explain a lot.
So yes I agree, big misunderstood dragon that's actually not bad, but still so powerful that it's refered as a Black Dragon.
Also, two things I thought about :
1) Alatreons could be intentionally avoided human civilization and its cities. The one that came to the new world could've easily wiped out Astera and Seliana on it's way to the valley but he didn't care at all, focused on Safi Jiiva (by my theory).
2) I think it's weird that such a calm and powerful, almost god-like dragon doesn't have a cult or something. Especially since the first place we encounter it in the series is called the Sanctuary (I'm refering to the japanese name of course). But that'd be cool to have one. Even if it's just a reference in a piece of dialogue in a future entry.
Anyway, great video ! Have a great week ! 💜
The way I took it, Alatreon is a black dragon due to his mere presence of causing natural disasters. As a young dragon in tri it can’t control the elements but now as a matured and older beast in Iceborne it has full control it hates anything that is of similar power to it and that’s why it went to destroy safis nest and potentially safi itself. And maybe it doesn’t go after Fatalis cause it knows that even tho it could potentially kill Fatalis it itself would die in the process. And maybe that’s why we only see Fatalis in Schrade is because of Alatreon
Protector and savior of humanity Alatreon 🥰
I really liked the concept of Alatreon just being such a catastrophically dangerous creature that, despite not being related to Fatalis or Miralis(my headcanon because of how similar their names are) the guild quite literally had no choice but to call it a black dragon and strike it from the books.
I'm glad my cataloguing of the loc lac dialogue about Alatreon has helped better explain the monster's past and lore, and allowed for some more theorycrafting. Alatreon is my favourite elder of all time. great video.
He not an elder he's a Black Dragon which is above any elder if we're going by categories.
It would have been neat if they somehow got an Alatreon to go up against Fatalis and help the hunter slay it.
On a side note, I am surprised that the topics of trauma and PTSD are not explored in the narrative of these games, especially when facing up against black dragons like Fatalis. There was a video from last year from another TH-camr (I cannot remember which one or what the video was called again) that explored the forbidden monsters -the black dragons mostly - in a first person POV about the MH World protagonist. You could feel the fear and trauma in their words as they fight these otherworldly beasts, which was so well-written and narrated that you could sense the character exhibiting PTSD symptoms.
i think you're talking about Oceaniz?
@@hyperfreeze2714 Yes, I think I was if I recall correctly. Thank you for reminding me
@@unicorntomboy9736
Yep, exactly this.
But yeah, Alatreon is a pretty chill Black Dragon. Still a Black Dragon however, it will absolutely eviscerate intruders.
Love this idea, another alatreon theory that I thought of a while ago was that alatreon is actually the predecessor to all monsters. Think like the mew of the monster hunter world. The reason why no other monsters are able to use all of the elements is that they evolved in different ways which meant that unnecessary elements were no longer needed and thus the monsters evolved out of it. Really puts the "elder" in elder dragon
What about Namielle who can use both water and thunder elements?
@@sgwcyingkoI think it can still fit into my theory. Namielle might be further up the elder tree than other monsters so when alatreon began evolving into other monsters, namielle was created early on so it still retains some of those properties
Waiting for capcom to bring us the AWAKENED ALATREON. Mastering all elements, to the point of combining them and evolving his escaton judgement into the escaton sentence. This alatreon would rival the white fatalis.
Alatreon learns the power of Dark Hado and performs Akuma’s Shun Goku Satsu instead of Escaton Judgement lol
Uhh not really.i think he will equal with merphistophelin who is also another black dragon who can control 5 element too.basically alatreon 2.0
There is also a rumor about a Shining Blue Dragon. This monster is said to be a Subspecies of Alatreon with the ability to produce blue flames that make its white scales sparkle.
The monster class system has more then one meaning. In the early game design of monster hunter they had to follow rules when making any monster. Rules that may not apply today but I'll still note them out. Monster's in the game had to be made in such a way that they they could be seen as believable, that such a thing could be possible. I know crazy talking about a game with dragons.
Elder dragons (don't actually need to be a dragon) are allowed to break some of the rules and have almost supernatural powers that can't be explained or they simply don't have enough information on. They also tend to mess with the ecosystem where ever they go that isn't normal.
Black dragons have NO rules. They are allowed to do anything that the creators want. That's they they tend to be vary hard to fight and have crazy description like the heart still beating out of it's body. Some would argue Safi'Jiva as one but I'm not getting into that it's just a cool monster.
Alatreon is interesting because it's body is made of reverse scales. In mythology it is said that dragons that have a reverse scale if touched would throw is into a frenzy. So Alatreon is just going to be angry all the time
bro, the manufacturing consent to clear this sacred area with a rare species in it via the guild as the long arm of capital (insane thought to be had) in a world where, even after the original apocalypse, power is accumulating in the hands of fewer people... again, and aiming to dominate nature.
I don't necessarily think the sacred land part comes from a prospect of protection, it might really be what it was called from peoples who've knowingly benefitted from alatreon's protection in the past. After all: "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."-kinda vibe. There's something to be said here about the lack of humility and resulting lack of consideration for the natural world from the peoples of the new age in mh. They didn't learn the lesson, they will never learn it, history will repeat. Ironically, they will continue to be ignorant in every history, while at the same time considering themselves superior to all that came before.
I'll cut the headcanoning here, awesome video.
This is easily the best fan theory of the MH universe. It's just as wild as it is believable, it deals with themes seen all across the media, and it ends up as a conspiracy theory. Perfect. This is now my head-canon.
Alatreon is less evil if compared to Fatalis but is evil enough compared to other monsters as it possess the reverse scales which puts him in constant state of anger. Atleast according to japanese hunters, Alatreon is the strongest monster and does not acknowledge other monster's existence other than itself and it didn't run away from Fatalis.
Yup because Alatreon and fatalis know they can jack each other up. So they don't fight each other.
They both aren't really evil i can assume,Maybe Fatalis destoryed Kingdom Schrade because the lord done something evil on nature,and Fatalis was the one who punished them
The fact that Fatalis specifically goes after hunters and literally mocks them for wearing monster parts for armor def makes it evil, its stated multiple times that Fatalis is full of malice, just looking into its eyes is enough for a hunter to give up entirely because of it
Each monster the dev designed definitely have a theme to them, in my opinion alatreon represent chaos contrary to one with life. Fatalis represents extinction as the old civilization is destroyed by it. Dire miralis representing the destructive force of nature since his theme is a more malice version of one with life, and his design being somewhat part of nature itself a walking volcano.
Super thorough breakdown!! How you even gave an analysis of it’s theme brought your points together very well. All points were very believable! Bro cooked😤
technically in the first confrontation against alatreon they tell you "Observe the environment, it seems to be the key to understanding the power of alatreon" after the 1 defeat, now the fleet knows that alatreon changes element and its elemental weaknesses 🤓🤓🤓
Damn, Alatreon already was my favourite Elder Dragon, but this puts the cherry on top.
Loc Lac is such a COOL locale, I've never experienced it myself, or heck, seen gameplay of it, the bits I see of it in this video are awesome
Loc lac definetly had the best atmosphere of all the online hubs. I can still remember joining in when a sandstorm started up, indicating jhen moran was availible to hunt. All the shops sold very rare and hard to get mats like scatterfish
If you ever have the time, its possible to play on loc lac again! Theres a good 17min tutorial on youtube for setting up the whole thing, its alot of work but has been absolutely worth it. (I've been on solo just grinding lol)
All that Tri gathering hub and room footage really took me back. Excellent theory.
For all the "burned records" I have 2 ideas
1 There are bad people and even cults that worship some monsters (Kushala and Anjanath confirmed at the very least) which might want guild not to have this info for one reason or another
2 They weren't burned on purpose. There's probably not much info on black dragons overall and if something was to happen with Guild archives it'd be much easier to restore info on more well known and less rare monsters than extremely rare ones
i like the idea but i never really say alatreon's appearence in the secluded valley as him wanting to fight safi but as him wanting to set the place right. when I first saw alatreon in world, I thought the whole reason he was there was because safi sucked up all of the natural energy in the area (because of the siege fights with him) and that it was so strange that alatreon came to balance it. i mean the first time you see alatreon he's burning all evidence of safi almost like he's mad about what safi did, making the valley and the area around it basically inhospitable to anything but alatreon. I think it might be beneficial for the environment and may function as more of a equalizer of sorts; almost like the physical embodiment of nature's will to balance but I don't think that makes it "weaker" or less deserving of the black dragon title. It still causes entire ecosystems to change and could cause mass extinction if it really wanted to it just doesn't feel that need; similar to how kirin is seen as a "weaker" elder dragon while simultaneously being one of the stronger ones lore wise, I think alatreon is in a similar position
Ala is definitely my favourite monster, and I must say I'm a big fan of this theory
I really like your thought circle about Alatreon. I also think he doesnt quite match the vibe of Fatalis and Miralis. But the part I dont quite understand or more like baffels me, is the capitalism point. Even tho Alatreon might not quite be the myth like Fatalis he is still insanely powerful. I think every normal person in Tri would know that the danage to repel him from the Sacred Land would be to great in cost for a better route.
I feel like this is heavily under the assumption World isn't a Soft Reboot. There's many examples in-game where are old previous knowledge was heavily subverted. Kushala Doara used to get debuffed by poison but now only happens with Elderseal. Then we all expected Rusted Kushala Doara only to find it's shed rusted skin on the mountain. They're clearly trying to do something different here just with all the older games as the jumping off point. So while monsters and location origins are generally the same their lore isn't the same. Fatalis had the biggest change in Lore and was technically Monster Hunters first time making him have center stage by making him a part of the story. The other games these huge world destruction monsters only came with a brief intro video and some random quest description. There was lore in quest and armor descriptions but those were so rare and inconsistent that it didn't actually matter for 99% of players especially when the game itself really doesn't have a story. It's an interesting theory but it's an "appeal to ignorance". Which pretty much means you don't have anything.
Very cool--I like this theory a lot! And it makes way more sense than the excuses given to us by the cro-magnon Fifth Fleet leaders.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that there were two canon Alatreons in Iceborne. The first one came to destroy the eggs left behind from Safi'jiiva. Then another one at the start of the Fatalis Special Assignment. The field team leader says something like "what?? Another one??? Better kill it :)." Alatreon is the Fatalis questline much MUCH weaker, which leads me to believe this Alatreon NARROWLY escaped Fatalis.
He actually says "what it's back already!?"
@@pintobean6702yeah I also think it's the same Alatreon.. devs just probably wanted to show that Alatreon also has quick regeneration abilities.
Great video! Honestly, I like that the dev team dont go into all this officially, it means the game can be different things to different people and not really upset anyone by making bad decisions. Plus I really like your theory, its my headcannon too now.
Im upset they removed the organ from the Alatreon theme though, in an old interview they spoke about how the organ was such an impoartant instrument in its theme, then they just remove it?! Kinda sad.
I love how the ambiguity of the series' lore has lead to these fantastic theories.
My headcanons grow by the day!
This has to be my favourite crack theory about MH Lore so far
I refuse to accept Frontier isn't canon. Maybe the Guild is indeed purposefully keeping Alatreon alive & protected to study it, in hopes of preparing for the inevitable day they meet Dhisufiroa, a monster mainline hunters are, to me, canonically not ready to face. At least in my head it makes sense.
13:47 My god this music with these words almost made me cry 😢. It's so beautiful
That last part with the analysis on the music was awesome
very amazing lore analysis!!! keep up the great work!!!
I personally think the term "Black Dragon" is almost like a cryptid in the world of Monster Hunter, Alatreon was just a crazy strong Elder Dragon that was casually black, so people assumed it was the "original" Black Dragon, Fatalis, so maybe if Nergigante was in alatreon's place back then, he would probably be called a black dragon as well. Most people also use the term Black Dragon as a title for the strongest monsters, which is wrong, since its just an aesthetic title, the correct term would be Dangerous First Class Monster.
I wish Fatalis canonically has the ability to actually speak human language, in addition to being fully sentient, with above human level intelligence.
Especially be like Smaug from The Hobbit.
@@unicorntomboy9736that would be dope. But you also gotta remember that Fatalis' whole shtick is being the perfect monster. Try comparing Fatalis to for example Kushala Daora. Kushala Daora is mostly seen as antagonistic in the sense that it's this unstopable storm. Elder Dragons is the brutality of nature incarnate, and couldn't care less about human life or condition. However Fatalis is like actually out to *get* humanity, it *hates*. It's truly, as Jakob says, a proper Monster. Fatalis is INhuman, and I feel that it doing something like talking would take away from that.
That and it wouldn't make sense and it's stupid lol
@@GrievyRZ A talking dragon works well in J R.R Tolkien's novels and movie adaptations. Why not Monster Hunter too
Fatalis is essentially just Smaug
I never had the chance to encounter Alatreon in MH3 but when I had the chance to face it in Iceborne... oh boy it became to this day my favorite monster of all time
Also this is a x1000 top notch theory and lore analysis! While I love being a hunter, I do not believe the Guild is an all good organization. They have so much power and authority that it is ridiculous to believe that within their ranks there is not a shred of greed and lust for more
i do hope they expand the lore behind ALATREON and SAFIJIIVA turf war in the FUTURE.
I'd describe Alatreon as "Chaotic Neutral." It doesn't mean any harm, it doesn't mean any help, it's just kinda there and because it's there stuff happens. Stuff like airships being obliterated by the extreme weather it creates.
Amazing video. Honestly, all of it makes sense, and I'm always on board with the guild doing fishi stuff behind the scenes specifically after iceborne that we discovered they burned information this makes me wonder how many other more powerful dragons exist maybe even under villages and they keep it quiet 🤯
you are absolutely huffing crazy juice over here. i like it
So it's Godzilla? An "epicenter of chaos," a force of nature that keeps other monsters in check? That sounds like Godzilla to me.
What an awesome take on one of my favorite dragons! Great video.
Awesome video dude these are a great inspiration to make content like this video!
Monster Hunter games are not part of a timeline, they are not before or after other games. I left at minute 1:27.
Thank you so freaking much... For reminding me how much better Alatreon's theme was in Tri and Generations... (Seriously, World's renditions removed EVERYTHING that made it special, like the organ and the electric guitar)
idk I like both tbh
nostalgia is a hell of drug mate...both version is better in it's own way
Wasn’t a fan of him because of his design but I appreciate him a lot more after this, and to wrap the tinfoil a bit tighter around the head I think that there are multiple possibilities, my two favorites are similar to what you said, this branch of the guild may have been very handsomely compensated (bribed) by the rich folk to get rid of alatreon, but because hunting these guys may have been against the rules this branch got rid of the evidence so that they won’t get a friendly visit from the guild knights.
The other possibility is that the guild may have been pressured like you said but because the getting rid of alatreon has more cons than pros they tried to make the contract sound as intimidating as possible to scare away hunters and when the rich clients complained they’d just shrug and say we did the thing but no one’s willing, worst case scenario if someone is thick enough to take the contract they probably wouldn’t survive.
2:00 pretty sure he came there to kill the Xeno’jiiva eggs, that’s why he burnt the valley when you saw him for the first time.
You just made me love Alatreon even more
9:40 or one of the 500 “Elder Dragon level monster” Capcom just LOVES making for some strange reason
This story of alatreon is reminding of the story of HTTYD with the night furry.
you just made me love the lack of guitars riffs in the iceborne song after hating it
Also maybe the records being burnt is a nod to the fact that loc lac is no longer available (without emulation) but idk
12:51 I love the backpedaling here lmao. "It sounds kind of alien in some parts, especially for western.. a-a western listener."
black dragons, red dragon, first class dangerous monster
Rajang would like a word with you. There's multiple examples of other Monsters being able to rival Elder Dragons. Even predate them. That's just straight up wrong
Alatreons a black dragon Nuffield said
honestly what you said about the alatreon theme feeling foreign is why i dont like the new version as much as the old one. I feel like the classic orchestration of it makes it sound too comfy and beautiful when its supposed to be more freakish
"Alatreon's theme has an electric guitar in it, which has never been done before"
Zinogre would like a word with you
Lol, nope. Because technically, the content creator is right on this matter. Monster Hunter Tri was first released in Japan during 1st August 2009 which is the game where Alatreon was introduced in as the final boss monster of the game. Meanwhile, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd first came out during the 1st December 2010 in Japan & Korea, it's the time when Zinogre is introduced in as the flagship monster of said game.
In short, Alatreon is indeed the first ever monster in MH franchise that has an electric guitar sound as a part of its battle theme, then followed by Zinogre a year later.
If you were playing monster hunter for a super riveting story I think your looking in the wrong place lol. The real truth is Capcoms monster hunter team imo just did Alatreon dirty and they gave Fatalis all the main attention as they were updating iceborne. As cool as the fight was in Iceborne they kinda killed the canon we had in Tri and since Capcom never was known to take monster hunters story super serious anyway they were just winging it as they were updating Iceborne. Its funny to bring up MH4 ultimate because I think that probably the best monster hunter story but no Alatreon in the game.
In Iceborne you only hear that the documents got destroyed. It happened already before MH3 as far as I can recall.
Haven’t fought Alatreon yet, but love your theory.
Maybe they used common knowledge of ELDER dragons where if you break their horns the elders powers are weakened.
This might also be the case with black dragons as they are extremely similar.
So basically Alatreon is The Avatar? To keep the balance of all five nations!
I'll still say they "burnt the documents" in World to justify forcing Escaton Judgment as a mechanic so that when anyone who actually cares about the monster speaks up about how it ruined the fight, they can just brush it off as being salty. I beat Alatreon on my first try, Escaton sucks as a mechanic that completely changed the fight for the worse. He didn't need it, it was just a really powerful monster who's unique gimmick was the fact it had 4 of the 5 elements with difference stances to use each.
I will 100% integrate your conspiracy into my core beliefs.
I actually really love this kind of Video..
really cool...
GOAT theory
Alatreon wasn't running from fatalis clowns. He was going to kill safi because safi was becoming a threat and Alatreon is a black dragon bud.
Whoa, whoa, hold your horses there Jakob, don't go using Google Translate and then assume you know in depth what something says or means. "Sacred Land" is a far more appropriate translation that if anything is not strongly enough worded, there's nothing vague about it at all. It's a holy place, full stop. >.>
神域 is not vaguely "sanctuary", it's shin'iki, comprised of the kanji for "kami" and "domain". It is specifically the perimeter of a Shinto shrine where the kami of that shrine is said to dwell, the home of a god. Shin'iki is perhaps best referred to as the kingdom of gods or an ideal world as distinct from Utsushiyo (the real world) and separated by a barrier. 神域 is where a god lives, and Alatreon is that god. It doesn't mean the people of Loc Lac worship it, it doesn't mean they love it, but it does mean they respect it.
It is a "sanctuary" (which is not what it is called and Google Translate is just kind of outright wrong here, and I can't stress enough that it should be your first and last stop when trying to figure out what words mean, PLEASE) not in that it is a place of respite for people, but in that it in this context is an area that is utterly off limits to human hands. It is literally the opposite of what you are claiming should be implied by that title. Alatreon is not "just an animal", and it has never been viewed or presented that way. It is probably closer to an animal than Fatalis is, but that's quite relative.
I think you're also missing really unmistakable connections between Alatreon and Fatalis that have nothing to do with the guild, but explaining those in further depth would probably take me a while and I'd rather put out that essay in video form because I'm already planning to anyway. I think you're picking up on some things, but you don't have the full picture. In the end, I agree that Alatreon is not evil, or bad, but I think quite a bit of this is wrong. I also think they've already done way cooler stuff with understanding Alatreon and the Black Dragons in general, but it's true that they will never speak on it, since the point is not to be told, it's to figure it out. To be blunt though, it's unlikely most Westerners have much chance of doing that.
There are certainly things to be said about the idea that the death of the spiritual entity led to the pursuit of greater material profit. I haven't played Tri, I haven't read all of the dialogue from the people of Loc Lac, but similar to the wave of enlightenment that comes over Minegarde with Fatalis' defeat, I suspect it's not simple as that.
The truth about Fatalis lore is he has almost none and the wiki just made it the fuck up
Let’s not undermine the strength of Alatreon. It literally fathered Reddit for years.
6:49 hehe im in danger
Alatreon faught in the war with the other elder dragons in the great gragon war against humanaty
The war is fan canon
I think the reason as to why the Guild wants everybody to leave alatreon alone is simply the risk of it moving or escaping and bringing destruction somewhere else,Elder dragons in general are not something people hunt on a regular basis,let alone something as powerful and unstable as Alatreon,granted he's no Fatalis but it's still not a joke and due to it's uncontrolled nature it makes sense to tell everybody to leave it alone
I dont believe there's any hunter that achieved slaying slaying the 3 black dragons eve if they were men that achieved that they would be taught by wyvernian elder who stopped the 2 elder tigrexes in fu
Ive been wanting to write a monhun fanfic with the guild as the badguys (they clearly are the bad guys in the story) and this video only makes it more difficult to resist doing so
man MH lore can be so good and sometimes I really feel like capcom are making amazing lore but trying to hide to from us so badly for some reason