Elder Dragons are the most powerful monsters in the world of Monster Hunter. Any discussion about the strongest monster is inevitably dominated by Elders. The classification of Elder is marked by the ability to cause major damage to an ecosystem. However, there are a select few monsters with this level of influence that aren't actually Elder Dragons.
It can be difficult to rank monsters by power level. Because the beasts of Monster Hunter are so diverse, it often feels like comparing apples to oranges. The specific placements on this list can easily be swapped around. Still, these monsters are about as powerful as they can get without dipping into Elder classification.
Updated September 16, 2021 by Erik Petrovich: The release of Monster Hunter: Rise has added several new contenders for the strongest monster in Monster Hunter. It brought back lots of fan-favorites but also introduced a new variant of certain monsters, the Apex variant, described as being able to go toe-to-toe with Elder Dragons. Plenty of the most powerful monsters in Capcom's Monster Hunter are variants of beasts who are normally straightforward fights. Variants like Molten monsters, Raging monsters, and Furious monsters can have entirely new attack patterns, adding difficulty and forcing the hunter to think more carefully about how to approach the fight to come.
13 Apex Monsters
Apex monsters are a type of monster exclusive to Monster Hunter: Rise, and their power is typically on par with Elder Dragons, at least when it comes to the difficulty of the fight. These Apex monsters attack alongside hordes of smaller monsters, arriving at the very end of a Rampage event to take on the player themselves.
There are currently six varieties of Apex monsters in Monster Hunter: Rise: the Arzuros, the Rathian, the Rathalos, the Mizutsune, the Zinogre, and the Diablos. Though the list is short, they take up lots of the end-game experience thanks to their incredible difficulty and there are bound to be more added to the game in future DLC.
12 Yian Garuga
The Yian Garuga looks like an Elder Dragon in appearance, but it's actually classified as a Bird Wyvern in-game. It was introduced in Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite for the PlayStation Portable, and it's been brought back for almost every Monster Hunter title since except for Monster Hunter: Rise (though it's still possible).
The Yian Garuga is an insanely hard fight for all but the most experienced and twitch-responsive players. It's got an absolutely immense health pool, and if its constant attacks that barely give the Hunter a chance to respond aren't enough to intimidate a new player, its poisonous tail and stunning roars will be.
11 Molten Tigrex
The Molten Tigrex is a version of the Tigrex, a relatively easy monster to take on. This variety, though, is the largest variety of Tigrex, has the ability to explode on impact with the player when doing almost anything, and can even activate a time-bomb-like effect on hunters who have been hit by its attacks.
This take on Tigrex first debuted in Monster Hunter 4. While it hasn't been seen since in a mainline Monster Hunter game, you can also find it in Monster Hunter Stories and its sequel, Wings of Ruin, as well as the limited-release app Monster Hunter Riders.
10 Gold Rathian and Silver Rathalos
These two were among the first batch of variants introduced, and they're still among the strongest. The Gold Rathian's acrobatic tail swipes hit fast and cover a wide radius. The Silver Rathalos can breathe fireballs that leave burning trails behind them. Both of them gain extra attacks when they're hurt.
Of course, since the two are a couple, attacking one will frequently cause the other to come rushing over. One of the hardest quests in Iceborne pits the hunter against both at the same time.
9 Thunderlord Zinogre
"With one howl, the heavens loose a thousand flashes, and ten thousand peals of thunder. Approach it not, anger it not -- for the wrath of the 'Thunderlord' shows no mercy". This Zinogre variant is so feared it's become the stuff of legend.
A Thunderlord Zinogre holds so much electricity in its body that it's constantly fully charged. They can shift their Fulgurbugs into overdrive and activate an "ultra-charged" state. This turns its lightning yellow, much like a Rajang's beam. For its strongest attack, it releases its Fulgurbugs, sacrificing its charge for a powerful explosion.
8 Raging Brachydios
The regular Brachydios is already a lot to handle with its quick movements and exploding fists. Raging Brachydios has a special organ located in its head that makes its explosive slime even more active. Raging Brachydios is also incredibly cunning, too. When it takes enough damage, it retreats to its cave.
If the hunter follows it, Raging Brachydios sets off explosives that trap the two of them inside. Once players are in here, they're stuck. Farcasters and traps don't work, so they can't get out until they fail the hunt or Raging Brachydios goes down. It's not just one of the few forced fight-to-the-death monsters in the franchise, making it one of the strongest monsters in Monster Hunter.
7 Bazelgeuse
Monster Hunter World may be more overall grounded than previous games, but it gave players one of the most powerful monsters in Monster Hunter. The Bomber Wyvern has special scales filled with explosive fluid. When it glides over its prey, it drops the scales to blow up the poor creature below.
Bazelgeuse is a nomadic monster. It roams from the map to map in search of parties to crash. Its bombs do an extreme amount of damage to the local ecosystems, giving it the classification of Elder Dragon-Level.
6 Deviljho
The Eater of Worlds is one of the series' most infamous monsters. This invasive predator has evolved incredible strength and size — at the cost of an insanely fast metabolism. Deviljho is driven by constant, aching hunger, and attempts to feed on anything that moves. That includes humans, Elder Dragons, and even other Deviljho.
Deviljho is also Bazelgeuse's rival. Which one is stronger? It's hard to say. Their turf war in World seems to end in a tie. Bazelgeuse has the advantage of flight, and it seems a bit more clever as well. But a hungry Deviljho can easily crush the Bomber Wyvern in its fearsome jaws.
5 Magnamalo
Not all flagship monsters are Elder Dragons or Elder-Dragon Level. Magnamalo, though certainly intimidating, didn't seem too powerful before Rise's release. That soon changed. The Wyvern of Malice has turf wars with Rathalos, Bazelgeuse, and even Kushala Daora. And it appears to win against all of them.
Magmanalo's finest moment comes during the final boss. To keep things light on spoilers, the hunter gets to Wyvern Ride one at a particularly crucial moment. It's hard to ignore the monster's bravery, and it's definitely one of the most powerful monsters in Monster Hunter consequently.
4 Shen Gaoren
Shen Gaoren is the fearsome elder sibling of the Cenataurs and Hermitaurs. It's one of the largest monsters in the series — so large it uses a Lao-Shan Lung skull as a home. Much like Lao, Shen Gaoren is exclusive to defense quests, and it does some insane damage to the castle walls.
The Carapaceon's pincers can cut through solid rock, and it spits acid potent enough to melt through armor. However, Shen Gaoren is a very passive monster. It doesn't consider humans as prey, and most of the time doesn't even notice them. Shen Gaoren only becomes a threat when it notices a village or city in its territory. It will also mercilessly attack anything that it feels is a danger.
3 Akantor and Ukanlos
Like the Raths earlier, these two are a package deal. Known as the Black and White Gods respectively, these huge wyverns are closely related. Akantor burrows through lava lakes and can split the earth with a roar. Ukanlos swims through ice and snow, crushing all in its path.
Akantor and Ukanlos were once classified as Elder Dragons. They are powerful enough to shape their surrounding ecosystems to their whims, often for the worst. Evolutionarily, they are actually Flying Wyverns. Their wings remain as vestigial structures invisible to the naked eye.
2 Ahtal-Ka
Tool use is a mark of great intelligence among animals. Ahtal-Ka takes it to a whole new level. The final boss of Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate starts the fight by throwing junk at the hunter. She spins super-strong silk that allows her to drag huge hunks of rubble around. Her masterpiece is the Ahtal-Neset, an enormous contraption that looks like a wyvern. She can sit inside and puppet the Neset with a complicated system of silk pulleys — essentially making her a mech pilot.
Ahtal-Ka is known to attack fortresses and swipe their equipment. She uses the spoils to make her Ahtal-Neset even larger and stronger. The Ahtal-Neset we see in-game isn't even finished. If it was complete, it would be over twice its current size.
1 Rajang
This Fanged Beast doesn't seem like much at first glance. It just looks like an ape with horns and a longer tail — in fact, it's only two to three times the size of a normal real-world gorilla. Don't underestimate it — pound for pound, Rajang is generally considered to be the Monster Hunter most powerful monster – and that includes Elder Dragons.
Rajang is the only non-Elder monster to prey on Elder Dragons. It seeks out Kirin and eats its horn to power up its lightning abilities. Its variant, the Furious Rajang, can floor a Savage Deviljho with a single punch. No wonder one of its major inspirations was Goku.