I don't really understand why the voice theory is held in such high regard by some people. It's an interesting observation, but outside of the box theory these rules of perfect symmetry and whatnot have never stacked up.
Please, I'm begging you guys, stop pushing this narrative. The only evidence of this is from an interview from
2011, rendered outdated by Monster Hunter's inclusion in Infinite in 2017. There is no statement anywhere (and I've looked hard for it) that states or even suggests that the Monster Hunter devs have any problems with Hunter's inclusion in Infinite or anything else. It amazes me how much this has spread without a shred of evidence in its favor.
I sprout like ten grey hairs every time I read this and need to clarify it. Seriously, I beg all of you to put in some research before you spread these kind of statements.
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Let me draw some parallels between Monster Hunter and DQ Hero too, another series more often represented through monsters and whose protagonists seldom appeared in crossovers, especially fighting games.
Sourced from:
https://www.siliconera.com/masahiro...imates-hero-dlc-director-philosophy-and-more/
" Sakurai and Nintendo spoke very passionately, saying “We want to use Hero.” There was some discussion about whether a monster could be better, but in the end they agreed upon it. "
" Hero hasn’t been seen fighting other characters before. And they haven’t gotten voiced before too. Sakurai was quite convinced that he’d be rejected really quickly, but the agreement came surprisingly quickly. According to the Square Enix side, it was partially because of Sakurai’s passion, and partially because the ‘best of’ element in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was quite similar to that of Dragon Quest XI S, which brings together many elements from across the series. "
" From Yuji Horii’s point of view, while before there was a resistance towards seeing Hero fighting other characters and other Heroes, it’s slowly become less strict, seeing as there is the smartphone game Dragon Quest Rivals, and such. With Smash Bros. being such a popular series as well, Horii wanted Hero to join. "
Obviously this can't be treated as 1:1 with Monster Hunter, but it shows very clearly that 1. developer opinions on crossovers can shift over time (Infinite already proves this for MH unless stated otherwise) and 2. Sakurai is a creative genius and Smash Bros is a gigantic series where developers can trust their characters and ideas would be treated lovingly. If anything Dragon Quest has been significantly more strict about these things than Monster Hunter, so if this wasn't a hurdle for them I hardly believe the guys at Capcom would pass on it if given the opportunity.