Japan’s Gundam Is Gone, But It’s Getting Two Life-Sized Monster Hunter Statues

Japan is home to numerous attractions that bring fictional worlds to life. Across the nation, numerous life-sized Gundam have recreated the famous massive humanoid robots (though one of these titans in Tokyo was recently taken down after nearly two decades of service). You can even visit Dragon Quest Island, an entire theme park designed to make you feel like you’ve stepped into the world of the games. Most of these examples, however, have only been willed into existence by almost half a century of loyal support. Capcom, meanwhile, is capitalizing on a more recent cultural phenomenon, announcing that it will soon be erecting life-size statues of two of the most iconic Monster Hunter creatures.

Monster Hunter has been a phenomenon for the company since the PS2 days, though for many years this success was mostly localized to domestic Japanese fans. It was Monster Hunter Worlds that really transformed this domestic hit into a global phenomenon. Nowadays the franchise is bigger than ever with both local fans and inbound tourists. Perhaps because of this, the company has announced plans to build life-sized representations of Rathalos and Lagiacrus in Fukuoka, a major city on the southern island of Japan. The statues will stand in the center point of an all-new park being built in Marinoa Resort, set against the coastal waters to the north of the city, as part of a revitalization project in the area. Based on initial promotional photos shared with the announcement, the statues will face one another, as if in conflict.

In recent years, the company has sought numerous ways to translate the success of its biggest hit into various real-world events. Last year, it operated a limited-time AR-powered attraction called Monster Hunter Bridge inside World Expo 2025. Capcom has also regularly run limited events for the franchise in partnership with Universal Studios Japan as part of its Cool Japan event partnering with various popular domestic IPs. Now, with the company also planning to make Monster Hunter Bridge a permanent attraction at Nijigen No Mori theme park in Hyogo Prefecture, it hopes this statue spot will serve as a point of pilgrimage and a gathering place for hardcore fans of the series.

Between the two attractions—Monster Hunter Bridge and the statues—it may even be possible to plan an entire holiday around visiting these commemorations of Monster Hunter. With Japanese tourism increasingly relying on popular IP as a method of attracting visitors to locations beyond the typical hotspots, perhaps these new Rathalos and Lagiacrus statues can pave the way to transforming Fukuoka into a new location for tourists to come to during their travels.