Digimon’s Monster Hunter Virtual Pets Let You Raise Your Own Rathalos

In honor of its 20th anniversary, Monster Hunter is crossing over with Digimon for one of the coolest pieces of official Monster Hunter merch we’ve seen yet: Monster Hunter-themed Digimon Virtual Pets. This crossover makes a lot of sense, which is something we can’t really say for the upcoming Monster Hunter-themed Fender Telecaster electric guitar (it looks awesome, though).

There are two Monster Hunter V-Pet Color devices available, and both are themed on iconic Monster Hunter creatures: A red device based on Rathalos, and a blue device featuring Zinogre. Both monsters also feature unique variants that combine them with a classic Digimon, with Rathalos combining with the Digimon Greymon to become RathalosGreymon and Zinogre and Garurumon becoming ZinoGarurumon. These special forms are obtainable through the pet-raising mini-games and battles included on the device.

You can collect and level up over 30 other monsters in the game, including other Monster Hunter creatures like Mizutsune, Rajaang, Nargacuga, Tigrex, Gore Magala, and Khezu. Like other V-Pet Color devices, these measure roughly 1.75 inches tall by 2.5 inches wide and feature full color mini LCD screens, buttons, and speakers. You can preorder the Monster Hunter V-Pets for $100 each at Big Bad Toy Store. We’d expect preorders to go live at other retailers soon. Both models are expected to release next February.

• Monster Hunter x Digimon V-Pet Color – Rathalos — $100
• Monster Hunter x Digimon V-Pet Color – Zinogre — $100

Yes, these are very pricey little gadgets–the V-Pets with full-color displays cost significantly more than the regular V-Pets with inexpensive low-pixel LCDs. They are also pretty scarce in North America. At Amazon, you can buy a Japanese import V-Pet with a full-color screen for $105 from resellers (this model was $70 at launch).

For those unfamiliar with V-Pet devices, the electronic, pet-raising keychain games were how the Digimon series first began. These days, Digimon is best known for its anime, trading card game, and video game adaptations, but the franchise started back in the late ’90s with the Digital Monster line of virtual pets. Later rebranded as Digimon V-Pets, the keychain toys launched shortly after Bandai’s other popular virtual pet: Tamagotchi. Instead of simply raising a small alien creature, V-Pet monsters are raised for battle–both in the game and against other players.

If you’re interested in raising a monster for battle without spending $100, you can get the modern versions of the original for less than $15 at Amazon.

Digimon Virtual Pets

Tamagotchi Virtual Pets

Bandai has also revived Tamagotchi in a big way with a bunch of different crossovers with popular franchises.

Monster Hunter Wilds, the next game is Capcom’s popular action-RPG franchise, is slated for February 28, 2025. Check out GameSpot’s preorder guide for details on the various editions and preorder bonuses.