Hint: It’s a surprise collaboration with another hit Japanese franchise with a lunar theme!

As if there aren’t already enough reasons to visit Universal Studios Japan, they’ve been really kicking it up a notch with their the Cool Japan series of pop culture-related attractions in recent years. While major preparations for the as-yet unannounced Nintendo-themed area may or may not be underway, they’ve been slaking our thirst for geeky attractions with rides featuring fan favorites like Attack on Titan, Evangelion, and Death Note.

Now they’ve capped off their level of awesome with the latest in the series: the Final Fantasy virtual reality coaster, Sailor Moon The Miracle 4-D Ride, and Monster Hunter The Real augmented reality zone. Since March 16 all are now open, and park visitors can feel like they’re actually a part of these popular anime and video game franchises by participating in the rides!

Monster Hunter’s augmented reality zone is not the first time the widely popular action video game has been featured by USJ, but it’s still an exciting tribute. In Monster Hunter The Real, you become a member of a team of explorers who were sent to learn more about unknown monsters on a new continent. You’ll walk through the world of Monster Hunter with a weapon in hand while fighting enormous beasts along the way in this eerily realistic experience.

The attraction features a large, realistic Monster Hunter field stage that visitors can walk through on foot, the random appearance of huge and terrifying monsters (including Nergigante, one of the toughest opponents in Monster Hunter: World), and a sweet photo-op for you and your friends to pose fighting monsters, which looks like a screenshot from the game itself, and which you can, of course, take home.

To add to the excitement, USJ dropped a tantalizing tweet the other day about a “super rare secret weapon” that potential Hunters can use:

“Top Secret Information Release Part 2: An Emergency announcement!”
A shocking secret weapon has appeared! For details, check the site!
Hint: Moon”

Can you guess what it is? Okay we’ll tell you: Monster Hunter is teaming up with Sailor Moon so that you can choose to use the Cutie Universal Rod to defeat monsters! That’s right! Now you, too, can use the power of love and justice to protect the world from evil monsters!

The rod that will be used on the ride is a virtual reality one, but if you find you’re in love with it after using it, you can buy it near the Sailor Moon attraction, and can actually use it in the “Sailor Moon The Miracle” ride. This is probably a great way to coax your reluctant girlfriend along for the Monster Hunter ride (provided you go with her to the Sailor Moon ride too), though of course we encourage men to proudly wield their Cutie Universal Rod too!

▼ Not everyone might be super stoked about this “secret weapon”, but let’s be honest: The Cutie Universal Rod is probably a marked improvement on the last super secret weapon, which was an enormous well-cooked hunk of meat on a bone (which is sadly no longer available).

Don’t wait to get in on this one though! The Cutie Universal Rod will only work against the monsters for one month, until April 15, and the Monster Hunter ride will only be in operation until June 24. So get to USJ soon to get your Cool Japan fix!

Source: Twitter/@USJ_Official via Nijimen
Images: Universal Studios Japan