Mortal Kombat Characters

When Mortal Kombat hit arcades in 1992, it acted as direct competition to the growing popularity of Street Fighter II. What set it apart, however, were the realistic (for the time) digitized characters and over-the-top gory violence. In particular, the “fatality” maneuvers, like tearing an opponent’s heart out of his chest, were the cause for the controversy that surrounded the series. Mortal Kombat is typically credited for the public outcry against video game violence.

For characters introduced in Mortal Kombat II, check out Mortal Kombat Characters 2.

Seven characters were selectable in the first offering of the fighting game series, all of which were digitized from real actors and actresses, many of which inspired from existing movie personalities. For the purposes of this article, information regarding the characters will be based on the first Mortal Kombat.

Modeled after Jean-Claude Van Damme, Johnny Cage (real name: John Carlton) was trained by martial arts masters and used his skills to make him a silver screen celebrity. Star of such movies as Dragon Fist and Sudden Violence, he enters the tournament to prove that his martial arts ability is “real” and not simply Hollywood parlor tricks. Cage is seen wearing a pair of tight shorts with a red sash about his waist, and upon victory, he puts on his sunglasses and strikes a pose.

Signature moves:

• Green Bolt – shoots an arching green ball of energy
• Shadow Kick – a side thrust kick
• Ball Breaker – doing the splits, he punches the opponent’s crotch (inspired by Van Damme in Bloodsport)
• Fatality – A powerful uppercut that decapitates the opponent

A mercenary and a thief, Kano is the object of Sonya Blade’s quest. He is also leader of the ruthless Black Dragon criminal syndicate. In Mortal Kombat the upper right side of his face is covered in a metal mask housing a robotic red eye. This seems to have been inspired by the Terminator series of movies. Brutally aggressive and unrelenting, this native of Australia carries several weapons with him on his loose fitting thug’s outfit.

Signature moves:

• Knife Throw – tosses a large spinning blade
• Spin Attack – launches himself in a “Blanka ball” type move
• Fatality – Rips heart out of opponent’s chest

The powerful God of Thunder (according to Japanese mythology), Raiden (sometimes spelled Rayden), is rumoured to have received a personal invitation by Shang Tsung to participate in the tournament. Taking on the form of an Earthly human, Raiden is electric. It seems that his appearance, a far cry from the traditional Japanese view of the character, was heavily influenced by characters found in the movie Big Trouble in Little China, especially his cone-like straw hat.

Signature moves:

• Teleport – appears behind opponent surrounded by electricity
• Lightning – shoots a lightning bolt
• Torpedo – launches himself in “Superman” position
• Fatality – Intense electrocution

Once a member of the White Lotus Society alongside the legendary Kung Lao, Liu Kang enters the tournament representing the Shaolin order. His loud battle cries are immediately reminiscent of Bruce Lee, as is his basic look. He is the stereotypical fighting game character. In later versions of Mortal Kombat, this champion from the “Temple of Light” adds a red headband and tanktop to go with his loose-fitting black kung-fu pants.

Signature moves:

• Fireball – shoots a flaming ball
• Flying Kick – launches himself in a sidekick-like maneuver
• Fatality – Flipping cartwheel kicks followed by a devastating uppercut

It appears that Scorpion is an undead hell-spawned warrior whose loyalty changes depending on what is offered. Born Hanzo Hasashi of Japan, he seems to have a strong dislike, yet at the same time a definite respect for Sub-Zero. Some have proposed that his yellow ninja outfit is a mockery of Sub-Zero’s—he thinks the latter is cowardly and weak. This Champion of the Elder Gods is a very popular anti-hero among gamers.

Signature moves:

• Spear – shoots a harpoon with rope attached, pulls opponent toward him
• Teleport – jumps off the screen and reappears on other side in a jumping backfist
• Fatality – Removes mask to reveal a skull, shoots hellfire from his mouth, setting opponent aflame

Scorpion’s biggest rival and comrade, the original Sub-Zero (the current Sub-Zero is this character’s younger brother) is rumoured to have descended a race of Outworld cryomancers who can control the element of ice. A native of China, Sub-Zero is said to be a neutral character with a propensity for evil. Clad in a black and blue ninja outfit, he is somehow a part of the Lin Kuei clan. Eventually he was killed by Scorpion and resurrected as Noob Saibot.

Signature moves:

• Ice Freeze – shoots a ball of ice that freezes opponent on contact
• Power Slide – a sliding low kick
• Fatality – Tears off opponent’s head with spine attached

A member of the Secret Forces unit and leader of the Outworld Investigation Agency, Lieutenant Sonya Blade is the mortal enemy of Kano (he killed her former partner and twin brother Daniel). Her love interest is Johnny Cage, and the feeling is mutual. The only female chosen to defend the Earthrealm, Sonya is headstrong and impulsive. In the first Mortal Kombat, she is seen wearing a skin-tight green outfit and black headband.

Signature moves:

• Ring Toss – shoots a round hollow orb of energy
• Leg Grab -
• Square Wave Flight – jumps up and turns on a 90-degree angle with fist outstretched
• Fatality – blows a kiss of death that sets opponent on fire

The original Mortal Kombat had two non-selectable boss characters:

Champion of Shang Tsung’s annual kombat tournament for 500 years, Goro is the Prince of the Shokan race of four-armed warriors. He is a native of the Kuatan realm of Outworld. He has seven wives, reportedly all Shokan women. This 8 foot 2 inch, 550 pound beast did not have a fatality in the original Mortal Kombat, and with the exception of a fireball, his signature moves were merely extensions of his agility, speed, and incredible strength. For example, he would jump laterally and stomp very quickly.

A demonic shapeshifter bent on consuming countless souls, Shang Tsung is the organizer of the annual kombat tournament. He is the epitome of decadence, and needs to consume souls to maintain his vitality (but he gains his victims’ knowledge simultaneously). In this way, he appears much younger in Mortal Kombat II. He is originally from the Earthrealm, but escaped to the Outworld many millennia ago. In this way, his exact age is unknown.

Signature moves:

• Flaming skull – shoots up to three flaming skulls
• Shape shift – morphs into any character, taking on their appearance and all their moves
• Fatality – extracts soul from opponent

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