Animation studio Khara recently announced a brand-new original entry in the long-running Evangelion anime series, helmed by FLCL and Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX director Kazuya Tsurumaki. However, what made the biggest headlines is the fact that the anime’s scenario would be handled by none other than NieR and Drakengard director Yoko Taro. As the announcement suggests that the new anime will feature a completely original story, many fans on X have been discussing and theorizing what Yoko’s take on the Evangelion universe would look like.
As fan discussion snowballed, one user managed to dig up an old “fan work” Yoko Taro made back in 2021, when he started playing Monster Hunter Rise, to further help illustrate what it would look like if Yoko had full creative control over an existing IP. “I have a really bad feeling about this. For those who don’t know, he’s this kind of guy…,” the user joked, suggesting how Yoko’s antics may end up influencing the worldview of the new Evangelion.
The “fan work” in question is Yoko’s own rendition of the Monster Hunter Rise story, posted on his Fusetter page. In a couple of short bullet points, Yoko sums up the main story beats of his fantasy version of Rise, while also redefining some of the gameplay elements and the worldview. And just as you’d expect, it’s pretty dark from the get-go, and becomes gradually even more depressing with a “doomed ending” as a cherry on top.
In the post, he writes: “The elderly muscular guy becomes a human shield in the Rampage that happens after the tutorial and dies. What’s more, the reason for his death is a blunder made by the player.” But, of course, the deaths don’t stop with Fugen the Elder. “Either the girl selling dango [Yomogi] or Hanae in the Buddy Plaza die. The one who doesn’t die turns evil and sets fire to Kamura Village. The chorus part of the Buddy Plaza soundtrack disappears,” he continues. To add some more context, “Hanae in the Buddy Plaza” likely refers to Buddy Handler Iori, who is voiced by Natsuki Hanae in the Japanese version of Monster Hunter Rise.
“In order to stand up to the final boss of the game, who doesn’t take damage from normal attacks, the player can craft a weapon using either of the village’s Wyverian twin sisters as materials. After crafting the weapon, the vocal track from Kamura Village’s soundtrack disappears.” Furthermore, Yoko proposes that as the main characters of the game are killed off one by one, they get replaced by shopkeepers and other low-profile NPCs. The player slowly becomes ostracized by them, labeled as “the one who brought misfortune to Kamura Village.” They also become progressively unwilling to sell you items and weapons, causing the game’s difficulty level to rise.
“In the highest-difficulty stages, the monsters become able to talk. The ‘true meaning’ behind monster and Kamura Village is revealed. This is also when the player realizes why character voice lines were introduced in this installment.” Finally, Yoko writes the conclusion to his story: “After you’ve cleared all of the village quests, Kamura Village turns into ruins, and you’re only able to continue the game in multiplayer. The players, having lost everything, just keep on relentlessly killing monsters, void of emotion, spreading the barren wasteland of a world (The End).”
Related articles:
NieR: Automata creator Yoko Taro says there are less “weird” people in the gaming industry nowadays
