In my earnest opinion, the most coherent read of Cheval's character is one where he's TransFem and just hadn't realized it yet in the first Monster Hunter Stories game. It adds a lot of new, fun layers to his characterization, and I really shouldn't be shocked that it's not the most common reading - Transmisogyny and the prioritization of men and men's stories are rampant and pervasive - but it still does surprise me that, from what I've seen, I may be the first person to think of that? Or, at least, I may be the first to post about it online, publicly. Because to me, it's just such a clear reading of his character that I was genuinely blindsided to see him still identifying as male in Wings of Ruin.
To kind of explain my thought processes here... Let's start at Rathi. Keep in mind, I haven't gotten too deep into the anime - I'm only a couple episodes in - so that may color my takes here.
The Player's Rider in Monster Hunter Stories is, by default, a boy with a Rathalos - which is, more or less, The Boy Dragon - which is then mirrored by Cheval with his Rathian - which is, more or less, The Girl Dragon - both in that inherent Dragon Gender Difference, and in their respective roles of Protagonist (fell into the role) and Antagonist (self-assigned). A subtle note here is that while the Protagonist - our Rider, who is male by default - is, in Monster Hunter Stories, playing a distinctly Masculine role in the narrative, Cheval is, arguably, playing a distinctly Feminine role by contrast.
The Rider is being pushed along a "Traditional Hero's Journey" narrative, most often reserved for men and marked by a focus on "action" rather than feeling, while Cheval's journey - a clear mental health spiral invoked by grief - is notably far more invested in exploring his emotions, which is the driving force of literally all of his actions. The inciting action for the Rider is finding that Rathalos egg. The inciting action for Cheval is the loss of his mother, Vlau.
Cheval's grief over his mother's death, an event he watched unfold with his own two eyes at such a young age, morphs into a - as I like to put it - soul-rotting rage, which - wrongfully but very understandably - morphs into a kind of Hatred of Monsters that. While this hatred is literal, it does, at some points, begin to branch into the (logically) metaphorical, with his insistence that anything that is a threat to any human needs to be eliminated. It's easy to see that he's quietly suffering an intense case of Survivor's Guilt, earnestly believing that he needs to become stronger, stronger, and stronger still so that he can be the one that protects everyone from harm. It's his job, he needs to do this, he failed once already, and he can never do it again.
A Maternal Instinct.
One we see that Rathi, Cheval's Rathian, also holds towards him - sensible, considering she's, in all the ways she logically can, taking on the role of Cheval's mother in the absence of his real mother, though interesting, if one were to be reading into the (potential) themes here. (Side Note - the relationship between Rathi, Vlau, and Cheval being analogous to Neon Genesis Evangelion's EVA Unit-01, Yui Ikari, and Shinji Ikari is something I also thought of, find interesting, and may expand upon in the future.)
It goes without saying, how noteworthy it is that what seems to be the only thing Cheval has to remember his mother by is that little bird pendant. Did you remember the fact that it's a mirror? Did you realize that, when we see Cheval in the second game, he's begun tying his hair back in a braid, just like his mother did? Remember how much he looked like his mom? Remember how that armor he's got is a seemingly incomplete version of the Rath Soul Armor? The Rath Soul Armor, constructed of parts of an Azure Rathalos... A Blue Rathalos. Image of Masculinity on top of Image of Masculinity. It looks wrong on him - something he donned as a rejection of his softer, kinder, more feminine, happier younger self. Something he donned to telegraph that he's a threat now. A masculinity that's rough, frightening, and so very wrong. The armor is the first thing you notice when he first appears as an antagonist. The armor is the first thing that communicates to you just how badly he's doing. The armor, a symbol of masculinity as something to be feared, something that looks totally wrong on him, is a farcical construction. It's not who he is - it's something he's wearing as a mask while roiling away in a particularly angry sea of guilt, trauma, and self-loathing. It's a costume. The patriarchal, masculine garb he wears is a costume, and it's not protecting him in the slightest.
You know, that mirror might've been broken during Vlau's death, but maybe, just maybe... After everything's said and done... After he sheds that broken, half-finished Azure Rathalos Armor - a symbol of his masculinity, relationship with masculinity, and his heart-rending battle with trauma and grief... Maybe after that, he can look into that mirror and finally see his mother again.
Her mother would be proud of her. I just know it.
I'm of the mind that she felt guilt about changing her name. It's another one of the few things he has of her to live by, so "throwing it away", so to speak, was challenging. But it was a sacrifice made to further himself along the path of healing. But that doesn't mean he can't still use his mother's naming scheme.
"Cheval" is a French word, meaning a male horse. It relates quite well to riders as a concept, and brings to mind images of knighthood and chivalry. It works quite well for him, and it suits him - but thats just the issue, right? It suits him. It does not suit her. "Merrie" is a Dutch word, meaning a female horse. The tie-in with riders remains, the naming scheme remains, but she's no longer playing the role of Knight against the Black Dread. She's no longer driving himself mad with obsession and sadness. She's just here, she's alive, and she's happy again. She's merry. She's Merrie. :)
