Ahtal-Ka are a species that are from the videogame Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, serving as the final bosses of that game. They are a highly intelligent species of Neopteran, a class of insect-like monsters, which are notorious for their ability to construct titanic mechs from scrap and rubble which they pilot from within, allowing them to rival even Elder Dragons. As they tend to use these mechs to raid fortresses to supply themselves with even more resources, this makes them an urgent target for the hunter to take down so as to prevent more rampant destruction.
Why aren't they heroic or villainous?[]
Like other monsters sans Lynians and Elder Dragons, Ahtal-Ka isn’t confirmed to be sapient and thus, its actions cannot be judged via human morality. That being said, it‘s intelligent enough to build sophisticated mechs out of human rubble and is known to specifically target settlements for their building materials, so an argument for it being genuinely malicious can be made.
Appearance[]
The monstrous Ahtal-Ka resembles a huge mantis, specifically resembling an orchid mantis. The color palette is reminiscent of a traditional Egyptian pharaoh, and it has a look akin to a devil's flower mantis. It has a sphinx-like appearance, with males having golden colorations and females brown, though the later can gradually gain a golden hue by consuming males. Its six limbs are yellow with a series of purple triangles under each yellow limb. All six have legs, two of which are raptorial and the other four are for walking.
The forelegs feature two huge hooks at the tips of their ornate wing-like extensions, while the main legs terminate in tiny tarsi or feet. Like a Pharaoh's crown, the Ahtal-Ka's huge headdress is decorated with blue and gold lines that alternate. Its eyes are purple and have tiny black pupils in them, just like a mantis.
The Ahtal-Neset, its "walking fortress," is a massive military machine that was shoddily put together from scrap metal, ruin rubble, and the Ahtal-Ka's own silk. Its construction is quadrupedal, and its tail is capped with metal spikes. Its "head" is somewhat evocative of a wyvern's. The armor plate and joint breaches reveal the Ahtal-Ka's silk, which gives it the ability to manipulate its creation's movements like a marionette. The Ahtal-Ka, when in control of Ahtal-Neset, is enveloped in a silken cocoon that is concealed within the machine's "chest".
Abilities[]
While bereft of any incredible powers, Ahtal Ka possess an extraordinary level of intelligence unseen in any other monster than the Elder Dragons. Using the golden silk secreted from its body, it can utilise human building materials and weapons to defend itself with extreme proficiency, hurling steel beams at foes and using Dragonators like spears. When completely cornered, the Ahtal Ka binds a wheel from its creation to its back to utilise it as a weapon, rolling it about to flatten the hunter and even utilising it like a yo-yo. Ahtal Ka also stashes various weapons such as Dragonators under the ground which it can expose and use by dragging it outt with its silk.
The most incredible display of Ahtal Ka's creativity is its nest: a gigantic mobile contraption known as the Ahtal-Neset. By puppeteering the machine from a cocoon, Ahtal Ka is basically invulnerable, using the Neset to flatten foes and lay waste to any structures in front of it. The Neset's sheer mass also allows Ahtal-Ka to send out shockwaves from its stomps, while Ahtal-Ka itself can send out blasts of silk to immobilise prey. Even when damaged, Ahtal-Ka can perform rudimentary repairs on the Neset rather quickly, though these repairs are often undone with enough damage.
Aside from its incredible intelligence, Ahtal Ka's silk is also incredibly sticky, which it uses to bind objects together and restrain foes. It can also secrete a potent pheromone that lowers the defences of its foes. Ahtal Ka also possesses a remarkable degree of physical strength: it is strong enough to hurl Dragonators at foes with incredible precision, and can tow its entire nest from the depths of the sands in a matter of seconds. Its small size makes it a very swift and agile fighter, able to slice and tear through opponents with its raptorial claws. Thus, with its incredible intelligence and raw might, Ahtal Ka is considered a threat on the level of Elder Dragons, especially thanks to its penchant for raiding human civilisations.
Behaviour[]
Ahtal-Ka are known to be highly aggressive and kleptomaniacal creatures, doing whatever it takes to get what they want. They will often pilot their Ahtal-Nesets to raid fortresses and steal their machines to add to their mech, leaving nothing but rubble in mere minutes. Ahtal-Ka have also been known to decimate entire armies alone and even outside of their mechs are capable of defending themselves very well, using their claws and agility to slice up foes and their silk to restrain enemies, as well as to manipulate nearby machinery to their advantage.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Ahtal-Ka can be considered a monstrous reflection of the hunters; the hunters are physically unimpressive in the grand scheme of things and thus, supplement their strength and durability with equipment crafted from the corpses of their monster victims, as well as using the local wildlife to their advantage. Similarly, Ahtal-Ka lacks elemental abilities or noteworthy powers, instead using the wreckages of human creations to defend itself and as weapons.
- Thus, Ahtal-Ka using a wheel in its final phase can be considered ironic as it is utilising what is considered mankind's most important invention against the hunter.
- As the Ahtal-Neset of the Ahtal-Ka fought contains egg sacs in its interior, this proves that the individual fought is a female and likely consumed many males thanks to her bright golden colour.
- Ahtal-Ka was voted as the 34th most popular monster in the 20th anniversary Hunter’s Choice polls, making it the most popular Neopteran in the series. Its mecha, the Ahtal-Neset, was independently voted as the 95th most popular monster.
- Oddly, the nest is considered an independent monster in the game’s code even though it is just an object not a monster.
- According to the games’ official taxonomy, Ahtal-Ka is technically a beetle despite its mantis-like appearance, being part of the order Coleoptera.
- Ahtal-Ka's name is Arabic for "soul of the ruins", fitting as it pilots a mech made of rubble and human constructs.
