11 years later, Monster Hunter Wilds sleuths are convinced the action RPG is a follow-up to both Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter 4

Monster Hunter fans are, ironically, going wild over the recently released trailer for the upcoming open-world action RPG, Monster Hunter Wilds, and sleuths have already discovered what they think is evidence that it could be a follow-up to Monster Hunter 4, as well as World.

Wilds has been giving off World vibes from the get-go with its more realistic visual style, and the new trailer showed off a bit more of its environment – which Capcom has teased is going to be "more hostile" than in previous games in the series. On top of that, it introduced us to some of the characters, some of which look so familiar that veteran fans are wondering if they're new faces at all. 

Perhaps the most obvious one is Gemma the smithy, who with her blonde hair, blue hair tie, and distinctive outfit, looks like the spitting image of Little Miss Forge – the blacksmith found in Monster Hunter 4's village of Harth. Gemma looks noticeably older than her, but almost 11 years have passed since the original release of 4, so that actually adds up if we're looking at it in real time. Considering we never learnt what Little Miss Forge's actual name was, the two being one in the same is currently a pretty watertight theory, even if things could end up changing later down the line.

Adding fuel to the MH4 "Sequel" fires from r/MonsterHunter

Otherwise, some have pointed to the older gent shown towards the end of the trailer – who says he's selected the protagonist as a lead hunter for an expedition – and suggested that he could be the Guild Knight, Ace Lancer. The two appear to have the exact same hairstyle, and whoever it is hasn't yet been named in Wilds, so there's nothing to prove that they aren't the same person.

Any similarities are mere coincidence from r/MonsterHunter

While some fans have suggested that the hunter's handler in Wilds, Alma, could be the Guildmarm from Monster Hunter 4, it's worth noting that she doesn't exactly fit this theory, since the Guildmarm already has a name – Sophia. With her dark hair and glasses, there's definitely some resemblance, but it seems very unlikely that they're the exact same person. That's not to say that they can't be related in some way, of course – even if Capcom has simply taken inspiration from Sophia's design, it could be considered a call-back to 4. 

Right now, of course, all of this is pure speculation, but you've got to admit that it's a compelling theory. Whether it'll actually get confirmed is another matter, but we have yet another new trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds coming up this week during Summer Game Fest 2024, which Capcom previously stated will reveal a brand new monster, so be sure to watch out for that.

The Monster Hunter series recently surpassed a total of 100 million sales, with Monster Hunter World contributing around 25 million alone.