Popverse's top stories of the day

• COVID left fans wanting the personal touch from their local comic stores
• Think Spy x Family is just a cute slice-of-life anime? You aren't ready for what is coming in season 3 and beyond
• Dan Mora, Scott Snyder, and Frank Miller lead an all-star line-up in Artist Alley for New York Comic Con 2024

There’s all manner of action to be found in Monster Hunter Wilds, as the trailers for the 2025 Capcom game have made clear — but it was something far less dangerous, and far more cute, that caught many fans’ attention when promotion for the game started. At PAX West 2024’s Capcom Presents panel, the man behind the game addressed the internet’s love for a creature that looked part-frog, part-bird, and all-adorable.

“I didn’t expect everybody to have a very big reaction towards what everybody likes to call ‘Baby Pukei Pukei,’” producer Ryozo Tsujimoto told the PAX West crowd Sunday afternoon. “Actually, it’s not a baby Pukei Pukei, but this time, as a first reveal, we brought artwork for, it’s an actual endemic creature called amstrigian. We’re pleased to bring it to you guys here.”

First off: I’m very much guessing at the spelling of “amstrigian.” As you might expect, no spelling guide was provided during the panel. Secondly, the reveal of the artwork, which you can see above, prompted applause from the audience.

“Amstrigians generally reside in the Scarlet Forest, which was recently revealed in the latest trailer, but they migrate to the Windward Plains during the Plenty, which is filled with lots of green and fauna to breed. So they mate and share needing and feeding duties to raise their babies,” Tsujimoto said through an interpreter. “On the field, you can see them catching grasshoppers and also feeding in the nest that they built in the trees.”

Tsujimoto promised there will be “various other endemic life creatures that can be spotted while you’re out on the field, so we hope you keep an eye out to see what kind of endemic life is out there.”

Monster Hunter Wilds will be released at some point in 2025, leaving no small amount of time for Tsujimoto and his team to add even more cute creatures for fans to fall in love with.

Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out our guides to upcoming movies, upcoming TV shows, upcoming comics, and upcoming comic conventions. If you're looking for specific franchises or genres, we have all the upcoming MCU, upcoming Star Wars, upcoming Star Trek, and upcoming DC movies & TV for you. If you're a fan of superheroes and not specific to just Marvel or DC, we have overall guides to all the upcoming superhero movies and upcoming superhero TV shows (and new seasons) as well.