User blog comment:BannedLagiacrus/Monster Appreciation Week: Soulseer Mizutsune/@comment-5020152-20181102175525

This Deviant is actually really well thought out. He's blind and has reached old age, so he isn't as aggressive as the younger males. He doesn't actually produce fire, but he gets it from the Burst Arowana he eats (a conscious decision or just a coincidence?). And his fur isn't actually turning white - that's hardened soap, which he allows to dry simply because he doesn't feel the need to groom himself anymore. It softens again after he coats himself with his Attack Bubbles, a pretty genius tactic. It's a shame the normal Mizutsune hasn't yet figured out how to monopolize on that.

Plus, his "bubble sense" is actually foreshadowed in MHGen, where Mizutsune senses Zinogre's approach. So it's not an ass-pull, just a more developed ability that the species already has.

On the other hand... water vapor? No. Water can't spontaneously burst into flames. How does becoming blind and eating boomfish grant you the ability to make fire erupt from your eye socket? And even if you assume he's further developed simply with age, the fact he's grown extra claws and whiskers and whatnot is still a really weird design choice. Plus, the only two new moves I've seen from him (the claw attack and backslam) are pretty much copy-pasted from Zinogre. You could chalk it up to Mizutsune learning from his rival, but it's still lazy. It would make more sense to give him more advanced tail and bubble attacks.

Soulseer is a bit of a mess in my opinion - conceptually he's pretty cool but design- and gameplay-wise he's one of my least favorite Deviants.