October has finally come and Halloween will be here soon enough. Best time of the year to watch horror movies, ranging from subtle to shock and gore. Of course, this post isn't with subtle but instead lots and lots of gore. This is the month for Mortal Kombat!
(Just seeing the image would make you think of the theme song)
For this month, I'll be looking at some of my personal favorite characters from the series, as well as get a look at the story of MK's recent installation, Mortal Kombat 9.
For this list, there are a few guidelines I'm following:
1. These are my personal favorites, not the best overall.
2. I'll be looking at their backstory, character design, movesets, and pick my favorite fatality out of their set.
3. All these characters are pre-Mortal Kombat 9 (which is basically a reboot of the entire series, so most characters would be left out)
With that out of the way, time to get this list started:
10. Kano
(New meaning to the phrase 'evil eye')
The boss of the criminal organization, the Black Dragon, Kano is the kind of guy you don't expect a fair fight out of. Dangerous with knives and wielding a laser eye, Kano was among the first Mortal Kombat characters ever introduced in the series. He's had a longstanding rivalry with Special Forces member, Sonya Blade (see that thing he carries around his neck? Its a lock of Sonya's hair), as well as Jax and Red Dragon member Mavado. He's an Aussie you don't want to mess with.
His moveset is interesting, for starters. Aside from using knives and that laser eye, he's got an air roll that allows him to fly across the board and knock his opponents silly. Think Blanka from 'Street Fighter' to see what I mean. He's mostly known for his fatality of ripping out a person's heart, but there is another fatality that just speaks to me even more:
(Why rip out just the heart when you can take their entire skeleton?)
9. Bo' Rai Cho
(The 'teacher' of the MK universe)
Its alright for you to first think that Bo' Rai Cho would be considered useless, but not to me. Aside from being a teacher to one of Earthrealm's greatest fighters (Liu Kang), he's a strong fighter in his own right. Despite being from Outworld, he's a good guy who can get on the fun side if he wants. His overweight appearance hides his cunning and use of his weight that can throw off most opponents. Some people may take him as a joke, but he doesn't mind.
His moveset fits his appearance rather well. He mostly relies on Sumo techniques and the unpredictable Drunken Boxing style. His stomp can pop his opponent into the air and he has weaponized his puke to throw off his opponent's balance. While he doesn't have that many fatalities to his name, there is one that brings a classic fatality to mind:
(The dangers of mixing alcohol and fire, put to the extreme)
8. Cyrax
(Also known as Mustard to the MK crew)
One of the few robots in the MK universe, Cyrax stands out as the only one to turn good in the end. Having been turned into a cyborg by the ninja clan, the Lin Kuei, Cyrax has been working to try and regain his humanity that was taken from him. He ended up joining the forces of Good in the form of the Special Forces. While he has managed to recover his human soul, he still remains a partially robotic fighter.
Course, being a robot has given him some usefully abilities. Among his most notable are his series of bombs, a set of energy nets, a laser sword (yes, he has one), and the ability to teleport by coming apart and pulling himself back together again. His chest houses most of his weapons, including a massive buzz-saw that can cut up his opponent. Speaking of his chest...
(Not enough to get slammed repeatedly, but then put through the meat grinder)
7. Kabal
(Turns out that he was created from a contest. Weird, eh?)
Looking like the cross between a Predator and a burn victim, Kabal is definetly more than meets the eye. He was once a member of the Black Dragon criminal organization before turning good during Shao Kahn's invasion. After being ambushed and left for dead by Mavado, Kabal was helped by a cleric of Chaos named Havik. He soon returned to his evil ways, reforming the Black Dragon and becoming a true force of chaos upon the Earth. Not back for a guy who has been badly injured.
He does have some of the more stranger abilities in the MK universe. Aside from wielding his signature hookswords, he can also run fast enough to make his opponents spin, shoot energy blasts from his mask, and somehow summon sawblades from the ground. He sure loves his hookswords, though.
(Ouch. Just...ouch)
6. Johnny Cage
(Complete with 500-dollar sunglasses)
Its hard not to like Johnny Cage for his shear ridiculousness. A Hollywood actor with special abilities that most people figure are just special effects, Johnny Cage has been working as a force for good on Earth. While he may be a jerk at times, his heart is in the right place. Still, it doesn't stop him from being the butt monkey of the group, usually on the receiving end of a beat down most of the time. That ego of his hasn't exactly deflated throughout the years and it doesn't show signs of slowing down.
His powers, at least from what I've seen, deal with 'shadow energy'. It allows him to launch himself forward and lob energy balls at his opponent. Still, what most people associate with him is his famous nut punch. Johnny Cage does the splits just so he can punch someone in nuts. Its as hilarious as it sounds. There are times when it can be taken to the extreme, of course...
(Its at this point you're glad stuff like this can't happen in real life.)
5.Reptile
(Guess why he has that name?)
One of the last surviving members of a race called the Saurian, Reptile has been in the MK universe since the very beginning as a secret boss. Since then, while he's been made into a playable character, he has somewhat been turned into a butt monkey himself. He often gets screwed out of deals, being manipulated like hell, or just being used as a punching bag for the good guys. It may not be too hard to sympathize with him, but the fact that he'll just as quickly fight you as eat you, its better to keep a safe distance from this character.
Befitting his name and appearance, Reptile's abilities come from different species of reptiles. He can turn invisible, similar to a chameleon blending into its environment, as well as use his corrosive saliva to spit at enemies or fire powerful blasts. That same saliva is capable of eating through human flesh in moments if using quite a lot of it. Speaking off...
(Quite nasty)
4. Jade
(Ma'am.)
Like Reptile, Jade was once a bonus boss, this time for Mortal Kombat 2. Unlike Reptile, she is an Edenian along with the likes of Kitana and Sindel (Edenians aren't some Amazonian race, though they do provide a lot of the female cast) In any case, Jade has been a loyal friend to Kitana through thick and thin, helping out the forces of good whenever she can. Despite being utterly ruthless in battle, she is capable of a sincere and sometimes sarcastic personality. Besides, I didn't feel like making this entire list a sausage fest.
Jade tends to be thought of as a walking armory of sorts, since she has been known to mostly use weapons in the MK cast. Though she does have some magic that helps her deliver flying kicks and let projectiles pass through her, Jade utilizes razor sharp boomerangs and a special staff. By 'special', I mean the staff is often used to impale her opponents. For example...
(Just need a few more heads and she would have a complete set.)
3. Smoke
(Where to begin with Smoke?)
First appearing in the second Mortal Kombat, Smoke has had a very interesting history. He was once playable as just a regular ninja, like Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Then he ends up being unwillingly turned into a cyborg by the Lin Kuei. Since then, he's been flipping around between good and evil, eventually setting on good in the end. At that time, he's somehow become a nanite-infused smoke cloud (from what I'm getting at) who still has access to his smoke abilities through said nanites. Its been a confusing life for Smoke.
Naturally befitting his name, Smoke has a few smoke-based powers aside from the usual technology associated with cyborgs in the MK universe. This just amounts to a teleporting uppercut and the ability to turn invisible. Among his cybernetic gadgets is a trident that flies out his chest and impales people. (What fun)
Of course, there are his fatalities to take into consideration.
(No kill like overkill)
2. Sub-Zero
(New meaning to 'cold shoulder)
Surprisingly, Sub-Zero has actually been two different people (brothers who have used the same name). The Elder Sub-Zero died at the hands of Scorpion, but his younger brother took up the name after his parting. Seeing what the Lin Kuei was becoming, the younger Sub-Zero left the clan and became a force for good. He ended up rebuilding the clan into a more honorable group than what it was before. It has not been an easy life, with attacks from the ghostly specter Noob Saibot (actually his brother brought back to life) and the selfish Frost (another Cryomancer like the Sub-Zero brothers).
Not surprisingly, Sub-Zero has the ability to manipulate the cold. This comes in a variety of effects, like freezing people with an ice ball or using the ice to slide across the ground. He can also create ice clones that, upon being struck, freeze the attack as if an ice ball struck them. Of course, there have been some fatalities where the cold powers came in handy. In the first game however...
(You can pinpoint the moment when the ESRB was formed)
1. Scorpion
(The original Hellspawn)
What is there to say about Scorpion? He's become the main icon for Netherrealm Studios (he's on their logo) and has become one of the few re-occurring characters to be in every major Mortal Kombat game. After being slain by the Elder Sub-Zero, Scorpion came back as a specter for revenge. Over time, he has managed to fight alongside the Younger Sub-Zero and discover the killer of his ninja clan, Quan Chi. He;s been on the hunt for the sorceror since and refuses to give up. As a vengeful spirit, it is doubtful that Scorpion will every find peace in his afterlife.
As always, some of his moves are befitting that of a Hellspawn. He can teleport to deliver a fiery punch, summon hellfire from beneath his opponent, or perform a backflip that leaves behind hellfire. His iconic move is his throwing spear, shouting "GET OVER HERE!" as he launches it towards his opponent and reels them in like a big catch. Then there are his fatalities.
(Toasty.)
...and that would be my Top 10 Favorite Mortal Kombat characters. Next time, I'll be looking at 'Mortal Kombat 9' and wonder what to expect from the reboot of the series.
Until next time...
Mortal Kombat is owned by Netherrealm Studios and DC Interactive.
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