City Hunter Predator: A Yautja Profile
The City Hunter, also known as "Ghost," was a Yautja from the Lost Tribe who made his mark during the heatwave and gang wars in Los Angeles in 1997. As a young hunter, he sought worthy prey in the "concrete jungle" of Earth during the events of Predator 2. His hunt led him into confrontations with drug gangs, the LAPD, and eventually a government task force. Despite his advanced skills and weaponry, the City Hunter met his end at the hands of Detective Mike Harrigan.
Arrival On Earth
The City Hunter arrived on Earth as part of the Lost Tribe, in a ship that was hidden in the sewers of the city. The Elder of the group, Greyback, assigned him to Los Angeles to prove his worth. The city’s gang wars and record heatwave created a perfect hunting ground. The Yautja’s arrival was marked by mysterious killings, earning him the nickname "psycho vigilante." Unlike his predecessors, the City Hunter embraced urban chaos, targeting both gang members and law enforcement personnel.
Hunting Columbians
The City Hunter’s first major hunt was against the Colombian Scorpions cartel. After observing them engage in a brutal firefight with the LAPD, he struck their stronghold from above. Using his array of weapons, he slaughtered the gang members with efficiency. Bodies were found skinned and hung from rafters, a macabre signature of the Yautja. The LAPD’s discovery of the scene hinted at something beyond human, setting the stage for further investigations.
Hunting Jamaicans
Following the massacre of the Colombians, the City Hunter turned his attention to their rivals, the Jamaican Voodoo Posse. The gang’s ritualistic murder of a Colombian leader attracted his attention. Using weapons like the Wristblades and Combistick, he decimated the Jamaicans, leaving behind a gruesome display. One survivor, Vega’s mistress, described him as "El Diablo." The aftermath of his attack left the LAPD and witnesses in awe, reinforcing the fear and confusion surrounding his presence.
City Hunter vs. King Willie
King Willie, the leader of the Jamaican Voodoo Posse, became a prime target after most of his gang was wiped out. Willie suspected that his end was coming, predicted in the bones as part of his Voodoo ritual. After Willie attempted to defend himself with a rapier in an alley, the City Hunter swiftly decapitated him in an unseen fight. Willie’s skull was taken as a trophy, and displayed aboard the Yautja’s ship alongside a Xenomorph skull. The trophy-taking ritual further demonstrated the cultural importance of the hunt, as each kill added to the Yautja’s personal legacy and standing within his tribe.
Hunting LAPD
The City Hunter’s activities drew the attention of Detective Mike Harrigan and his team. He stalked them, seeing Harrigan as a worthy adversary. Daniel "Danny Boy" Archuleta was the first victim, killed during the investigation of the Jamaican gang massacre location. During a subway confrontation later, the City Hunter killed Detective Jerry Lambert and several armed civilians but spared Detective Leona Cantrell upon discovering she was pregnant. The decision to spare Leona underscored the Yautja’s complex morality, which values the sanctity of life under certain conditions.
City Hunter vs. OWLF
The government’s OWLF task force, led by Peter Keyes, attempted to capture the City Hunter. Using advanced heat-shielding suits and "freeze guns", they ambushed him in a slaughterhouse, where the hunter occasionally came to eat beef. However, the Yautja adapted quickly, using alternate vision modes to locate and eliminate the team. Although Peter Keyes survived at first, he was soon after cut in half with the Predator's smart disc. Despite their advanced technology, the OWLF operatives stood little chance against his superior weaponry and combat skills.
Showdown With Harrigan
Horrified by the predator’s massacre of the OWLF team, Harrigan decided to take matters into his own hands. Wearing protective plates beneath his clothes and body armor and armed with various weapons, Harrigan confronted the Predator. In the intense fight that followed, City Hunter struck him with a plasma shot, but the protective plates saved him. Harrigan disabled the Predator’s plasma caster and briefly knocked it out with repeated shotgun blasts. Thinking City Hunter was incapacitated, Harrigan removed its bio-mask and expressed disgust at its appearance. The predator suddenly awoke, roared in his face, tossed him aside, shattered his shotgun, and escaped to the roof.
Losing An Arm
On top of the slaughterhouse roof, Harrigan ambushed the City Hunter with his own spear, resulting in both of them being left hanging on the roof's edge. Somewhat heedlessly, the City Hunter activated his self-destruct device, ready to kill thousands of people and possibly even his tribe members. However, Harrigan sliced through the hunter's wrist gauntlet arm, stopping the countdown. After losing his arm, the City Hunter fell into a nearby apartment building, ending up inside a bathroom. He then used a Medicomp to melt pieces of the bathroom wall to create a substance to cauterize his wound. After an injection of an adrenaline-like substance, he continued his crazed escape back to the ship, coincidentally under the building elevator.
The Death Of The City Hunter
The final battle took place aboard the Yautja’s ship under the LA sewers, where Harrigan followed the wounded Hunter. Harrigan used the Smart Disc to fatally wound the City Hunter, slicing open his stomach. The City Hunter finally succumbed to the multiple wounds he had received. The rest of the Lost Tribe then revealed themselves to Harrigan, intimidating him to drop the weapon. Recognizing Harrigan’s victory as honorable, they spared him, leaving the City Hunter’s legacy behind.
Final Honors By The Lost Tribe
Greyback, the Elder of the Lost Tribe, honored Harrigan with an antique flintlock pistol, with the engraving "Raphael Adolini 1715". This gesture acknowledged Harrigan’s prowess as a warrior, being able to take down a Predator in a fair fight. It also provided insight into the Yautja’s respect for worthy opponents and the sharing of trophies, a recurring theme in their culture. Scout and Stalker Predator carried the body of City Hunter to another section of the ship, in preparation for departure. The Lost Tribe ship then left Earth, possibly returning to Yautja Prime. Some of the later exploits of the Lost Tribe (now without City Hunter) were described in the NECA bio-s of their representive figures.
Gears And Weapons
The City Hunter’s main arsenal included Wristblades, a Plasmacaster, a Combistick, a Smart Disc, and a Netgun. The Yautja also showcased exotic "blink and you miss it" weapons like the speargun and the wrist rocket. In that regard, the City Hunter's weaponry was much bigger than the Jungle Hunter's. He also relied less on ranged weapons, favoring close-quarters combat, which is considered more honorable by Yautja standards. His Bio-helmet was enhanced with multiple vision modes (including ultraviolet), while his large Medicomp allowed for field treatment of injuries. The City Hunter occasionally used his cloaking device to hide from his prey, making him nearly invisible to the naked eye.
The City Hunter's Rank And Type
Multiple sources, including the Predator 2 script and the novelization, depict the City Hunter as a young Predator, perhaps even on his first hunt. It can be theorized that initially a Young Blood, the City Hunter would have earned the rank of Blooded during this hunt. His overconfidence, erratic behavior, and tendency to leave equipment behind highlighted his youth and inexperience. The City Hunter is from the "Lost Tribe", a Predator clan with at least ten members and a more "tribal" appearance than some of the Predator clans seen later in Yautja lore. The Lost Tribe Predators have darker skin than the Jungle Predator clan, hinting at an origin from another part of Yautja Prime.
Behind The Scenes
The City Hunter Predator in Predator 2 was redesigned to contrast with the original film's creature, with director Steven Hopkins aiming for a "more urban and hip" look. Special effects designer Stan Winston emphasized that the new Predator was a distinct individual of the same species, featuring a shallower, steeper forehead with a circular "horned brow ridge," thorn-like mandible protrusions, and darker skin tones. Winston's team had more time to refine the design, creating intricate details like detachable armor and advanced animatronics for close-up shots. The City Hunter's bio-helmet was angular and bronze, while the armor featured ridged patterns and matched the helmet's color. Additionally, unused weapons from the first film, such as the Speargun and Combistick, were incorporated, with innovative storage integrated into the suit.
Conclusion
The City Hunter, a young Yautja from the Lost Tribe, conducted a hunt in Los Angeles during a 1997 heatwave and gang war. Known as "Ghost," he targeted gang members, law enforcement, and government agents, leaving a trail of skinned bodies and chaos. His confrontations with the LAPD, the Jamaican Voodoo Posse, and the government task force OWLF demonstrated his advanced weaponry and combat skills. Despite his prowess, he was ultimately defeated by Detective Mike Harrigan, who used ingenuity and bravery to overcome the Predator's superior technology. The City Hunter’s death aboard his clan's ship ended his hunt, earning Harrigan recognition from the Lost Tribe.
Tag Categories: Individual Predators, Predators From The Movies
