Characters of the Mortal Kombat series

Portrayed by: Tom Woodruff Jr. (1995 film)

Voiced by: Herman Sanchez (MK4); Ken Lally (2011 game); Vic Chao (MKX, MK1); Kevin Michael Richardson (1995 film, Scorpion's Revenge); Ron Feinberg (The Journey Begins); Angus Sampson (2021 film)

Goro is the sub-boss of the first Mortal Kombat game. He is a Shokan, a half-human, half-dragon race distinguished by his four arms and enormous size. He became Grand Champion of the Mortal Kombat tournament after defeating the Great Kung Lao, and held the title for the next 500 years as part of evil sorcerer Shang Tsung's plan to manipulate the tournament in order to achieve Outworld emperor Shao Kahn's goal of dominance of Earthrealm. However, these plans were thwarted when the Earthrealm warrior Liu Kang defeated both Goro and Shang Tsung, allowing Earthrealm to regain control of the tournament. Goro disappeared thereafter and was believed to be dead. In Mortal Kombat II, Goro is succeeded by another member of his race, Kintaro, and is not seen again until the 1996 compilation game Mortal Kombat Trilogy, in which all the characters from the first three series games were playable. Goro was initially omitted from Mortal Kombat 4 (1997), but was included as a sub-boss in the home versions of the game.

In the training mode of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002), Goro is mortally wounded and presumed dead. In the 2004 follow-up game Mortal Kombat: Deception, he has been saved from death by Shao Kahn, with the promise of returning his fellow Shokan to their former glory and the banishment of their archenemies, the Centaurs, in exchange for his allegiance, and resumes his place at Shao Kahn's side. Goro was not playable in either game. He is a boss character in the 2005 beat 'em up title Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. In the 2011 Mortal Kombat series reboot, Goro resumes his role as the sub-boss of the Shaolin Tournament from the first game, and is again defeated by Liu Kang in the story mode. He is playable in the 2015 title Mortal Kombat X (2015) as a bonus pre-order character, again serving as a sub-boss in the game's arcade-ladder mode. In Mortal Kombat 11 (2019), Goro's corpse appears in the story mode and in his "Lair" stage during gameplay. Goro appears in Mortal Kombat 1 as an assist character, or "Kameo Fighter", and via a minor appearance in the story mode as a member of General Shao's army.

Goro's original design was as a two-armed humanoid character named Rokuro, a member of "a race of demon warriors" who would join the tournament "to restore the pride and respect of his race".[1] Series creators Ed Boon and John Tobias drew design inspiration from the stop motion adventure films of Ray Harryhausen, especially his depiction of Kali in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad in redesigning Goro with four arms.[2][3] He was originally named "Gongoro" before his final name was determined, and was constructed as a stop-motion clay figurine that eventually fell apart after excessive use in capturing its movements for the game.[4]

Goro has a prominent role in Malibu Comics' Mortal Kombat series that followed the events of the first game, and was the subject of the 1994 three-issue miniseries Goro: Prince of Pain. In the 2015 DC Comics Mortal Kombat X prequel series, he is featured in a subplot that shows him fighting and being maimed by Kotal Kahn in a battle for the Outworld throne.[5] Goro is the reigning champion in the 1995 film Mortal Kombat that follows the events of the original game, and was a life-sized animatronic model that cost over $1 million to construct and required over a dozen puppeteers to operate.[6][7] Goro again reprised his role as the defending tournament champion in the 2020 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge that retold the events of the original game, but was a supporting villain in the 2021 live-action reboot film Mortal Kombat, in which he was computer-generated.[8]

Goro has received positive critical reception for his formidableness as a boss character in the games,[9][10][11][12][13] but his cinematic portrayals, particularly in the 2021 film, have been negatively received.[14][15][16][17] Michael Kennedy of Screen Rant commented in 2021, "While the puppetry used to bring Goro to life [in the 1995 film] had its limitations, Goro played a vital role in the story, serving as a major roadblock to thunder god Raiden's defense of Earthrealm. While he returned in Mortal Kombat 2021, his inclusion felt more like an afterthought than anything."[18]

Portrayed by: Richard Divizio (MK—MK3); Sorin Brouwers (MKvsDC, MK9); Derek Pratt (MK11); Trevor Goddard (1995 film); Darren Shahlavi (Legacy); Josh Lawson (2021 film)

Voiced by: David Allen (2000–2006); Michael McConnohie (2008–2015); JB Blanc (MK11); Michael Des Barres (Defenders of the Realm); Robin Atkin Downes (Scorpion's Revenge); David Wenham (Snow Blind)

Kano is first depicted in the Mortal Kombat canon as a Japanese-born American who was the leader of the Black Dragon criminal empire and a wanted man in thirty-five countries.[19] He enters the Shaolin tournament in the original Mortal Kombat Game after hearing rumors that tournament host Shang Tsung's palace was filled with gold and other riches, with the intention of looting it for the Black Dragon. However, he is fervently pursued by U.S. Special Forces officer Sonya Blade, who holds a personal grudge against Kano that was left unspecified in the game's storyline. He evades capture by leaping onto Shang Tsung's junk bound for the tournament. When Sonya tracks him onto the private island, she is captured and forced to compete. She and Kano are among the competition's few survivors, and during the final battle between Shang Tsung and Shaolin monk Liu Kang, Sonya reluctantly teams up with Kano to fight off the Shokan Prince Goro. During their battle, the island immediately self-destructs following Shang Tsung's defeat, trapping Kano and Sonya in the otherworldly dimension Outworld.[20] Kano is unplayable in Mortal Kombat II (1993), in which he and Sonya are both captured and chained on display in Outworld emperor Shao Kahn's arena.

In Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), Kano escapes the Special Forces' clutches once again, and convinces Shao Kahn to spare his soul at the outset of the tyrant's invasion of Earth on the grounds that he can teach his armies how to use Earthrealm weaponry.

Kano was omitted from Mortal Kombat 4 in favor of new character Jarek, but returns in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002). He and Sheeva hatch a plan to assassinate Shao Kahn, but Kano turns on her by preventing the attack. As a reward, he is promoted to general of Outworld's reduced army and manages to repel Princess Kitana and her Edenian-Shokan army. However, after a weakened Kahn is killed by the titular Deadly Alliance of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, Kano declares his allegiance to them. He is assigned to oversee the enslavement of a small village that constructs a temple over Onaga's tomb to house a Soulnado. During its construction, Kano is assaulted by Li Mei, but Quan Chi intervenes, as the Alliance had made a deal with the Red Dragon leader Mavado to eliminate the swordsman Kenshi in exchange for the opportunity to fight and defeat Kano.

Kano appears in the 2000 spin-off platform game Mortal Kombat: Special Forces, in which he is not playable but is featured in the storyline, freeing fellow Black Dragon cohorts No Face, Tasia, Jarek, and Tremor from a Special Forces security facility under the pretense that they would reform the organization, though he really intended to use them as pawns to slow down any Special Forces agents who might pursue him. They kill an entire Special Forces unit during the prison break before Kano heads to Outworld, where he recovers the Eye of Chitian, an artifact through which he would acquire incredible power. While Special Forces Major Jax Briggs gets ahold of the object first and transports himself and Kano back to Earthrealm, the latter soon escapes custody.

Kano joins the then-entire playable roster in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006). In the game's training mode, the demigod Taven finds him being held prisoner by the Red Dragon Clan. Before escaping their facilities, Kano explains to Taven that the Red Dragon had been experimenting on him and their clansmen in an effort to create genetically engineered dragons and human-dragon hybrids. He is one of eleven Mortal Kombat characters representing the Mortal Kombat franchise in the 2008 crossover fighting game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.

In the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot that retells the stories of the first three games, Kano is the Black Dragon leader who tricked the Special Forces by acting as an informant and deliberately feeding them false intelligence that led to the deaths of many of Sonya and Jax's comrades, establishing their vendetta against him. During the events of the first Shaolin tournament, Kano battles Sonya following her fight with the pompous actor Johnny Cage, but he is defeated.[21] While Kano is later beaten by Sonya again after Shang Tsung presents him to her as a challenge, the tournament host forbids her from arresting him.[22] Following this, Kano becomes Shao Kahn's arms supplier, giving his armies Earthrealm weaponry for his impending invasion.[23][24][25] After Kabal, a reformed Black Dragon member turned SWAT officer, is severely burned by Kintaro, Kano takes him away to restore his health alongside Shang Tsung and outfit him with a respirator, mask, and hookswords in spite of his former ally's defection. However, Kabal is mortified by his condition and furious at Kano for siding against Earthrealm, so he bests him in combat and forces him to take him to Shao Kahn before knocking Kano out. Kano later joins Goro and Kintaro in holding a group of soldiers hostage before being frozen by the cyborg Sub-Zero. However, Kano manages to free himself and informs his ally Noob Saibot that Sub-Zero broke free of his controller, Sektor.[26]

In Mortal Kombat X, Kano infiltrates the Shaolin Temple and steals the fallen Elder God Shinnok's amulet for Shao Kahn's daughter, Mileena, to assist in a civil war against Outworld's new ruler, Kotal Kahn. He attempts to distract the new Kahn while Mileena sets up an ambush, but Kotal realizes Kano is going to betray him and defeats the criminal. After he defeats Mileena, Kano retreats to Earthrealm. He infiltrates an Outworld refugee camp but is caught by Kenshi and Sonya, who take him into custody.

In Mortal Kombat 11 (2019), Kano aligns himself with the keeper of time Kronika. To assist her further by fixing and mass-producing Sektor, she brings in a younger version of Kano.[27][28] The two Kanos attack the Special Forces base and kidnap younger versions of Johnny and Sonya to force them to fight for the Black Dragon's entertainment before Sonya's daughter Cassie Cage rescues them. Sonya kills the younger Kano, erasing the present version from existence.[29][30]

Kano was the final fighter added to the first game, with his role as the enemy of the female character Sonya.[31] He was initially named Kao, and his faceplate came from being shot while escaping Sonya in an early planned Special Forces game.[32] Kano's bionic metal faceplate was inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in The Terminator,[33][34] with the infrared eye added digitally.

Portrayed by: Richard Divizio (MKII); Sean Okerberg (MKvsDCU); Dennis Keiffer (Annihilation); Lateef Crowder (Rebirth); Fraser Aitcheson (Legacy); CJ Bloomfield (Mortal Kombat 2)

Voiced by: Dan Forden (MKG); Eric Wackerfuss (MK:D); Dan Washington (MKvsDCU); Bob Carter (MK9); Greg Eagles (MKX);[35] Steve Blum (2019-present)

Baraka is a member of a lowly Outworld race called the Tarkatans, who are known for their violent and unpredictable behavior and characterized by long gnashing teeth and a set of forearm-implanted retractable blades. He spearheads the attack on Liu Kang's Shaolin temple following the conclusion of the first Mortal Kombat tournament, which in turn lures Liu Kang into Outworld to seek vengeance. In Mortal Kombat Trilogy, he is a member of Kahn's forces that takes part in the invasion of Earthrealm.[36] Baraka is not playable in the next fighting installment, Mortal Kombat 4 (1997), but was added to the roster of the 2000 Sega Dreamcast-exclusive upgrade Mortal Kombat Gold, in which Quan Chi offers him a chance to rule the Outworld realm of Edenia by his side if he agrees to join the fallen Elder God Shinnok's army. While Baraka accepts, he secretly plans to betray his new masters. In Mortal Kombat: Deception, Baraka and the remainder of his Tarkatan (formerly "Nomad") race ally themselves with the arisen Dragon King Onaga, and recruits the mutant clone Mileena into Onaga's ranks in order to pose as Kitana. While Baraka is playable along with the entire series roster in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006), he was not among the seventeen characters therein who received an official biography by Midway and he played no part in the game's storyline.

In the second timeline where the events of the first four games being altered, Baraka appears as a recurring foe in the story mode of 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot, who is defeated by Johnny Cage, Cyrax, Jax, and Jade. In the retold storyline of Mortal Kombat II, he leads his Tarkatan armies in an invasion of Earthrealm. He is not playable in Mortal Kombat X, but appears in the game's story mode when his fellow Tarkatans aid D'Vorah in loading captive Shaolin monks before they are confronted and defeated by Raiden, Liu Kang, and Kung Lao. In a flashback sequence, Baraka serves under then-Outworld ruler Mileena alongside D'Vorah, but during a meeting with the Osh-Tekk Kotal Kahn, Baraka is killed after D'Vorah betrays Mileena. In Mortal Kombat 11, a past version of Baraka is brought to the present by the keeper of time Kronika. After learning of his death and Kotal Kahn rendering the Tarkatans to near-extinction, he initially allies himself with Kronika and a similarly time-displaced Shao Kahn.[37][38] However, Kitana convinces him to aid her in rescuing Kotal, and he and the Tarkatans take part in Kitana's battle against Shao Kahn and in the final battle against Kronika.[39][40]

In the new third timeline depicted in 2023 Mortal Kombat 1, he was once a well-respected Outworld merchant prior to becoming a leader of the Tarkatans, a species of mutated individuals who are exposed to the mysterious Tarkat virus and outcast to a disarrayed Outworld colony.[41]

The character was first conceived by Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias as a "savage barbarian demon warrior" who was initially planned to be in the first Mortal Kombat game.[42] He was visualized for MKII with a Nosferatu mask adorned with silver-painted false fingernails serving as his teeth, while his arm blades were constructed from silver cardboard.[43]

Baraka appears briefly in the 1997 feature film Mortal Kombat Annihilation, played by stuntman Dennis Keiffer. He has no dialogue and is killed in a fight scene with Liu Kang, and is only identified by name in the closing credits.[44] In the 2010 short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, Baraka is played by martial artist Lateef Crowder and depicted in the film's alternate modern setting as a psychotic former plastic surgeon named "Dr. Alan Zane", who surgically attaches a pair of long metal blades to his forearms. He later kills Jax's undercover operative, Johnny Cage, in a fight.[45] These changes were not carried over into the 2011 web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, in which he was played by Fraser Aitcheson and was reverted to his original Outworld origins.[46] Baraka makes a brief appearance in the 2021 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, in which he has no dialogue and is killed in a fight against Cage. CJ Bloomfield will play the character in the feature film Mortal Kombat 2.[47]

In 2009, Baraka ranked third on GameDaily's list of the "top ten ugliest game characters".[48] Dan Ryckert of Game Informer, in 2010, noted him among the characters wanted for the 2011 reboot game, as he felt that "people love Baraka" yet noted his absence in subsequent releases since his series debut.[49] Baraka has otherwise received positive reception from gaming media outlets for his character[50][51][52][53] and Fatalities.[54][55][56][57]

Portrayed by: Katalin Zamiar (MKII); Becky Gable (UMK3); Brenda Barrie (2011 game); Alexis Gaube (MK11); Irina Pantaeva (Annihilation); Tati Gabrielle (MK 2021 sequel)

Voiced by: Natalie Salzman (MK:D); Linda Lee (2011 game); Mela Lee (MK11); Emily O'Brien (Battle of the Realms)

Jade debuted in MKII as an unplayable secret character whom players could battle after following a specific set of instructions. She makes her official series debut in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 as one of Outworld emperor Shao Kahn's elite assassins along with his adopted stepdaughter Kitana, her fellow Edenian and close friend. After Kitana flees to Earthrealm after killing her evil twin Mileena, Kahn orders Jade to bring Kitana back to him alive, in turn forcing her to choose between disobeying her superior or betraying her close friend. In Mortal Kombat: Deception, she witnesses the deaths of Kitana and Raiden's chosen fighters at the hands of the Deadly Alliance (Shang Tsung and Quan Chi) and their subsequent resurrection by the Dragon King Onaga. Jade is forced to imprison a brainwashed Kitana in the Edenian palace dungeon before freeing Sindel and escaping with her to Outworld, while seeking revenge against traitorous fellow Edenian Tanya, who had joined forces with Onaga. In the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot game, Jade was born into Edenian royalty that served Shao Kahn after he conquered the realm. She served as bodyguard to Princess Kitana and the two became close friends, but was under orders to kill Kitana should she become disloyal to Kahn. They initially fight against the Earthrealm warriors, but Jade soon becomes suspicious of Kitana when the latter attempts to discover her true heritage, which ultimately leads to her capture. Jade switches allegiances as a result and helps the Earthrealm warriors free Kitana from captivity, and joins them as they prepare to fend off Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm, but as Raiden and Liu Kang commune with the Elder Gods, the Lin Kuei ninja clan and Kahn's queen Sindel attack; killing Jade and her allies before they are resurrected as undead revenants and enslaved in the Netherrealm by Quan Chi.

Jade was not included in Mortal Kombat X, with Kitana using her weapons in one of her three gameplay variations. She returns in her revenant form in Mortal Kombat 11, serving Kitana and Liu Kang's revenants in the Netherrealm after they become its new rulers in MKX as well as servant to the keeper of time, Kronika. Due to Kronika's plans to erase Raiden from history, a time anomaly she creates inadvertently brings past versions of Jade and Kitana to the present. The two lend their support to its new ruler Kotal Kahn, with whom Jade shared a romantic history with before she died. After Kitana becomes the new ruler of Outworld, she and Jade take part in the final battle against Kronika and their revenant counterparts alongside the combined Earthrealm and Outworld armies.

Jade had a minor role in the novelization of the 1995 film Mortal Kombat,[58] but she did not appear in the film. Siberian supermodel and actress Irina Pantaeva played Jade in the 1997 film Mortal Kombat Annihilation as a villainous mole inside Liu Kang's group, who's later killed by her master Shao Kahn. The character appeared in the 2021 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, and was voiced by Emily O'Brien. The character will appear in the sequel to Mortal Kombat, played by Tati Gabrielle.[59]

UGO's Chris Plante said in 2011, "Jade [seems] to fetishize Eastern culture. She is paradox: equal parts, exotic slave girl, her most powerful weapon being her sexuality. She's the mystical, foreign widow, a relic of postwar pulp novels."[60] However, Den of Geek said in 2015, "Jade gets to show up in modern games because she was in Mortal Kombat II, but she doesn't really bring anything to the table."[61] Jade and Kitana's MK9 incarnations represented the "women who fight" trope in Complex's 2012 list of stereotypical video game characters, as embodying "half-naked skanks who can fight, hurl lasers and perform aerobatic attacks while wearing thongs, high-heeled boots and keeping their giant breasts under scarves."[62] Reception to her Fatalities has been mixed.[63][64][65]

Voiced by: Rhasaan Orange (2011 game), Dave B. Mitchell (Battle of the Realms)[66]

Kintaro is the sub-boss of Mortal Kombat II and a sub-boss in the 2011 reboot. He is also the penultimate boss of Shaolin Monks. A Shokan, he shares his species' four arms and imposing size, but is distinguished by his tiger-like stripes. Kintaro participates in Shao Kahn's attempt to conquer Earthrealm during the second game's tournament, in which he is defeated by Liu Kang. In the reboot, he is defeated by Kung Lao during the tournament. The reboot also establishes him as being responsible for Kabal's injuries. In the 2015 Mortal Kombat X prequel comic, Kintaro is killed by Sonya Blade while she is under Havik's control.

The character was a stop-motion clay figure whose design was inspired by the Japanese mythological character Kintarō. He was initially conceived for MKII as an anthropomorphic fur-lined bipedal tiger, but the concept was scrapped due to the difficulty of creating such a complicated outfit.[67] According to series co-creator John Tobias, Kintaro was redesigned as a "Goro spinoff"[68] who was possibly a Shokan general, but not royalty.[69]

Kintaro appears in the animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, voiced by Dave B. Mitchell.[66]

Kintaro has received a middling reception due to his minor role in the series and is often unfavorably compared to Goro; UGO Networks opined in 2012 that Kintaro "serves no real purpose except for being a reskinned Goro whose sole purpose is to avenge the aforementioned's death" in the conclusion of the original game.[70] Game Informer, in 2021, rated him 56th among the series' 76 playable characters: "Kintaro’s arrival wasn’t as impactful as Goro's since the Shokan boss thing had already been done before. NetherRealm also seems content with giving him more and more feline attributes in place of a personality."[71] Den of Geek wrote that he "has virtually no story to speak of outside of the [MK9] retcon".[61] His "Reverse Rip" from the reboot was rated 35th by Prima Games in their 2014 list of the series' top fifty Fatalities.[63]

Portrayed by: Daniel Pesina (MKII); John Turk (MK3, MK4); Lawrence Kern (2011 game, MK11); J. J. Perry (Annihilation); Kimball Uddin (Legacy), Joe Taslim (Mortal Kombat 2)

Voiced by: Ed Boon (MK:D); Jamieson Price (2011 game); Sean Chiplock (MK11)

Noob Saibot is an undead wraith from the Netherrealm who is introduced as a member of a cult called the Brotherhood of the Shadow that worships a former Elder God (later revealed as Shinnok). In Mortal Kombat: Deception, he discovers the deactivated cyborg ninja Smoke in Shao Kahn's palace, and reactivates and enslaves him, intending to use his body as the basis for his personal undead cyborg army. In his ending, he is revealed as the resurrected form of Bi-Han, the first Sub-Zero in the original Mortal Kombat (1992) who was slain by Scorpion.[72] In the 2011 reboot of the first three Mortal Kombat games, Noob Saibot assumes this role in the retold events of Mortal Kombat 3 when he is resurrected offscreen by, and then supports, Quan Chi and Shao Kahn. Late in the game's story mode, he is sent to defend Quan Chi's Soulnado from Earthrealm's protectors, only to be defeated by the younger Sub-Zero, then kicked into the Soulnado by Earthrealm warrior Nightwolf and presumably killed. He is absent from Mortal Kombat X but returns in Mortal Kombat 11, having mysteriously survived the Soulnado and acquired amplified powers, with Quan Chi's death in Mortal Kombat X having freed him from his enslavement.

The character's name comes from the last names of the Mortal Kombat creators, Ed Boon and John Tobias, spelled backwards. He first appeared in Mortal Kombat II as an unplayable secret opponent who was a solid-black palette swap of the game's other male ninja characters, and whom players could fight after winning fifty straight matches. Spurred by the positive reaction to the hidden character Reptile from the first game, Boon added Noob Saibot into MKII without Tobias' knowledge, though Tobias would later create the character's initial backstory as a Netherrealm wraith.[73]

Noob Saibot briefly appears during the climactic final fight in the 1997 film Mortal Kombat Annihilation, and was played by stunt performer J. J. Perry. Martial artist Kimball Uddin played the character in one episode of the television series Mortal Kombat: Conquest.

The character has received positive critical reception,[70][61][52][74][75] and particularly for his "Make a Wish" Fatality from the 2011 reboot game.[54][76][77][78][79][80] In July 2011, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart played a video of the finisher while he explained the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that the ESRB could regulate video games without government intervention.[77]

Portrayed by: Daniel Pesina (MKII); John Turk (UMK3); Noah Fleder (MK1); Ridley Tsui (Annihilation)

Voiced by: Ed Boon (MKII, UMK3, MK:A); Ken Lally (2011 game); Andrew Bowen (MKX);[81] Jeremy Ratchford (Defenders of the Realm); Matthew Mercer (Battle of the Realms);[82] Yuri Lowenthal (MK1)[83]

Smoke debuted in Mortal Kombat II as an unplayable hidden character who randomly appeared at the start of a match and dropped vague clues on how to find and fight him, for which specific requirements had to be met by players. He moved with increased speed and used Scorpion's spear attack, all while gray smoke continuously emanated from his body. He was selectable in MK3 after being unlocked by players, and given a backstory of being a Lin Kuei assassin alongside the younger Sub-Zero, but after the clan transforms their best warriors into cyborgs (including Cyrax and Sektor), Smoke and Sub-Zero refused to take part and defected. Sub-Zero escapes but Smoke was captured, converted, and forced to hunt his old friend. However, he discovers with Sub-Zero's help that he had still retained his soul after the automation process. He aids Sub-Zero in defeating Cyrax and Sektor but is captured by Shao Kahn's Outworld forces and locked in the bowels of Kahn's fortress. During the events of Mortal Kombat: Deception, he is reactivated and reprogrammed by Noob Saibot into serving as both his ally and template for a future army of cyber-demons that was to rise from the Netherealm. In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, the pair stage an assault on the Lin Kuei temple located in Arctika, during which Smoke does battle with Taven but is eventually beaten. Sub-Zero tells Taven he will work to restore his brother's and Smoke's humanity.

In the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot, Smoke is a Czech member of the Lin Kuei named Tomas Vrbada. He is able to actually transform into smoke instead of just having it emanate from his body, as a result of his having been kidnapped as a youth by a cult who then sacrificed him to a demon by burning him alive. Smoke returned as an enenra and slew the cult members before resuming his human form.[84] He is again friends with Sub-Zero and part of Raiden's chosen warriors fighting to prevent Shao Kahn's takeover of Earthrealm. After having a vision of Smoke's conversion into a cyborg, Raiden rescues him, but it results in Sub-Zero being captured and converted instead. Near the end of the game's story mode, the Lin Kuei and Kahn's queen Sindel attack. Smoke is among several Earthrealmers killed and then resurrected by Quan Chi in the Netherrealm. Smoke remains a revenant in Mortal Kombat X and identifies as "Enenra"; he is unplayable and plays a minor role in the game's story mode, though the character Triborg can replicate Cyber Smoke's abilities from the previous timeline.

In the new third timeline in Mortal Kombat 1, Smoke became the adoptive brother of Sub-Zero (Bi-Han) and Scorpion (Kuai Liang) after his family was killed by the Lin Kuei for accidentally stepping onto their grounds during a hunt. He lacks supernatural abilities and instead relies on practical magic to fight alongside his brothers.

Smoke appears in one episode of the 1996 animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, which reprises his MK3 storyline of his serving the Lin Kuei clan and hunting down Sub-Zero. He makes a brief appearance in the 1997 film Mortal Kombat Annihilation, in which he is destroyed after a fight with Liu Kang.

The character has received mostly positive reception,[70][85][86][87] while his "Earth Detonation" Fatality from MK3 has been noted by critics for its outlandish nature.[88][89][90][91][92]

Portrayed by: John Turk (MKT)

Voiced by: Ed Boon (MKT)

Chameleon is a mysterious warrior who possesses the abilities of all the franchise' male ninjas. He is distinguished by his partially transparent appearance and an outfit that constantly changes its colors. Chameleon appeared in the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and PC versions of Mortal Kombat Trilogy with no biography or ending; he is instead only referred to as "one of Shao Kahn's deadliest warriors".[93] His Armageddon ending is also vague, revealing only that he had sought to become Mortal Kombat champion since the events of the first game.

The character was ranked 32nd in UGO's 2012 selection of the top fifty series characters, who wrote "They say copying is a form of flattery, so Chameleon makes our list."[70] Complex rated him tenth in their 2011 selection of the series' ten "most underrated characters",[94] but IGN's Mitchell Saltzman listed Chameleon and Khameleon as two of the worst Mortal Kombat characters. "Unlike all of the other ninja palette swaps that eventually gained their own identity and playstyle, both Chameleons ... feel more like gimmicks than anything."[95]

Portrayed by: Sal Divita (MK3, UMK3); Shane Warren Jones (Legacy)

Voiced by: Rhasaan Orange (2011 game); Ike Amadi (MK11); Artt Butler (Battle of the Realms)[66]

Cyrax debuts in Mortal Kombat 3 as a member of the Lin Kuei clan of assassins along with Sub-Zero, Sektor, and Smoke. When the clan decide to utilize modern technology by converting its members into soulless cyborgs, Sub-Zero refuses and defects, which leads to the clan's grandmasters marking him for death. As a result, Cyrax, along with Sektor, and Smoke, are assigned to hunt down and kill him.[96] However, during Outworld emperor Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm, Sub-Zero captures Cyrax and reprograms him with orders to destroy the emperor, but Shao Kahn is defeated beforehand by the other Earthrealm warriors. In Mortal Kombat Gold (2000), after Shinnok's defeat, Cyrax experiences flashbacks of his former life, and Sonya and Jax bring him to the Outer World Investigation Agency (OIA) headquarters, where they restore his humanity. As a token of gratitude, Cyrax joins the agency as an Earthrealm scout.[97]

In Deadly Alliance, Cyrax encounters the vampire Nitara, who offers to help him return home in exchange for his assistance in finding the egg of the Dragon King. Cyrax submerges himself in a lake of molten lava and discovers the orb that would separate her home realm from Outworld. In exchange for the egg, she honors her promise to Cyrax and sends him back to Earthrealm.[98]

In the Mortal Kombat reboot, Cyrax is introduced during the Shaolin Tournament as a human Tswana member of the Lin Kuei who relies on his chi rather than brute force to carry out clan missions, and is against the Lin Kuei's impending "Cyber Initiative" as he is reluctant to surrender his humanity. However, during the events of the second game, he is nonetheless captured by the clan and transformed offscreen.[99] After capturing Sub-Zero in Shao Kahn's arena during the second tournament and taking him away to be cyberized, Cyrax and Sektor pledging their services to Kahn in exchange. When the Outworld emperor launches an invasion of Earthrealm, the cyborgs attack the Earthrealm defenders to stop them from interfering, only to be thwarted by Nightwolf. Despite this, Shao Kahn's wife, Queen Sindel, arrives moments later and completes the cyborgs' mission.

Cyrax returns in Mortal Kombat 11 as a non-playable character brought to the present timeline by Kronika as part of her plan to restart time by taking part in Sektor's plot to capture Sub-Zero's Lin Kuei warriors and convert them into cyborgs to bolster her ranks. He attempts to stop Sub-Zero and Scorpion infiltrating the Cyber Lin Kuei factory to shut them down, but is defeated and his slave protocol disabled. Upon regaining his humanity, Cyrax is horrified to discover that he has become a machine and, despite Sub-Zero pledging to restore him, chose to sacrifice himself in the process of shutting down the factory.[100]

Cyrax appears in one episode of the 2011 web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, played by Shane Warren Jones. He and Sektor are shown being transformed at the Lin Kuei's secret headquarters with the operation overseen by Kano.

Cyrax was included with Sektor and Smoke atop GamesRadar's 2011 list of "gaming's most malicious machines",[101] and Complex ranked him the fourth-coolest robot in video games in 2012.[102] His episode of Legacy was well received,[103][104] but critical reaction to his Fatalities has been mixed.[105][106]

Portrayed by: Richard Divizio (MK3, UMK3); Carlos Pesina (MK:D, MK:A); Daniel Nelson (2021 film)

Voiced by: Jarod Pranno (MK:A); David Lodge (2011 game); Jonathan Cahill (MK11);[107] Kevin Michael Richardson (Defenders of the Realm); Damon Herriman (2021 film); Keith Silverstein (Snow Blind)[108]

Kabal was a member of the Black Dragon crime syndicate alongside Kano until Outworld emperor Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm, but after he is included among Raiden's chosen warriors to defend Earthrealm, he is attacked and maimed by Kahn's extermination squads, forcing him thereafter to rely on artificial respirators for survival and a mask to hide his now-disfigured face. However, the assault also results in him abandoning his life of crime in order to help the Earthrealm warriors successfully thwart Shao Kahn and his forces. Kabal is not playable in Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, though he has a significant role in the game's story mode when he is defeated in battle and his signature hookswords stolen by Mavado, a leading member of the Black Dragon's rival clan, the Red Dragon. In Mortal Kombat: Deception, the cleric of chaos Havik brings Kabal back from the brink of death and instructs him to restore the same Black Dragon that he had long tried to disassociate himself from. Kabal complies, recruiting arms dealer Kira and martial artist turned killer Kobra. Kabal later defeats Mavado and takes back his swords. Kabal appears with Kira and Kobra in the training mode of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon when he confronts the demigod Taven after the latter defeats the Black Dragon thugs. Impressed, Kabal offers him a chance to join the Black Dragon, but Taven refuses. Kabal challenges him to combat in response, but is defeated.

Kabal is a reformed Black Dragon member turned NYPD riot-control officer alongside Kurtis Stryker in the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot. Amidst the chaos of Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm, they confront and defeat Outworld warriors Reptile and Mileena, but Kabal is severely burned by Kintaro and kidnapped by Kano.[109] Despite Kabal leaving the Black Dragon, Kano restores his health with the sorcerer Shang Tsung's help, though with a respirator and mask as Kabal's lungs are damaged beyond repair. He is irate with Kano for supporting Outworld, and demands Kano take him to Shao Kahn, where they witness the emperor promote his wife Sindel to general of his armies, before Kabal flees back to Earthrealm. Raiden subsequently invites him to join his band of Earthrealm warriors, but while he and Liu Kang commune with the Elder Gods, Sindel and the Lin Kuei ninja clan ambush Kabal and the other Earthrealm defenders, killing most of them, including Kabal. The fallen are then resurrected by the necromancer Quan Chi as undead revenant slaves. The undead Kabal returns in Mortal Kombat X and is not playable with a minor role in the game's story, but is selectable in Mortal Kombat 11, in which the present Kabal is a revenant servant of Kronika in the story mode. After she causes a time anomaly as part of her plan to eliminate Raiden from history, she brings a Black Dragon-era Kabal into the present that Kano manipulates into fighting Sonya Blade by falsely claiming she was responsible for scarring him in the future.[110]

Kabal was nicknamed "Sandman" during the production of MK3 before his actual name was determined.[111] According to Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias, Kabal's overall design was inspired by the Tusken Raiders from Star Wars, while the circular lenses of his mask were inspired by 1940s-style aviator goggles.[112] Tobias, however, expressed his dissatisfaction with his original design of Kabal in a 2012 interview.[113]

Kabal made one appearance in the 1996 animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, which covered his backstory from MK3. Though he appeared in the script for Mortal Kombat Annihilation, his part was cut, but he was among Shang Tsung's chosen Outworld villains in the 2021 Mortal Kombat film. In the 2022 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind, he is part of Kano's Black Dragon henchmen.

The character has received mostly positive critical reception,[114][115][53][116] but received notoriety for being overpowered in MK3,[117][118] while response to his Fatalities throughout his series appearances has been mixed.[119][92][120][121][122][123]

Portrayed by: Becky Gable (MKT)

Voiced by: Johanna Añonuevo (Armageddon)

Khameleon is a Zaterran who possesses the abilities of the franchise's female ninjas. Introduced in the Nintendo 64 version of Mortal Kombat Trilogy, she is the last known female of her race.[124] Due to Shao Kahn's role in her race's near extinction, Khameleon seeks revenge against him. Khameleon was the franchise's only previously playable character excluded in the original release of Armageddon, but was added to the Wii version.[125] Series art director Steve Beran acknowledged that she was included in Armageddon due to heavy fan demand.[126]

In mortal kombat 1 Liu Kang's New Era, Khameleon is now a member of the Umgadi, commanded by Tanya. During the Sun Do festival, Khameleon was present while protecting the princesses Kitana and Mileena. He helped Tanya confront the zaterran Syzoth, but they failed and the group accompanying Syzoth escaped to the Earthrealm.

Later, Khameleon helped Tanya to confront Li Mei, who was convinced by Liu Kang about General Shao's plan to overthrow Sindel's empire, however, both of them did not listen and tried to expel them from the palace but were defeated.

The character placed 33rd in UGO's selection of the top fifty series characters,[70] but IGN's Mitchell Saltzman listed Khameleon with Chameleon among the series' worst. "Unlike all of the other ninja palette swaps that eventually gained their own identity and playstyle, both Chameleons ... feel more like gimmicks than anything."[95]

Portrayed by: Deron McBee (Annihilation)

Motaro is the sub-boss of Mortal Kombat 3 and its updates. A four-legged Centaurian, he leads Shao Kahn's extermination squads during the invasion of Earthrealm. In addition to his immense strength, he possesses the abilities to teleport, fire energy blasts from his tail, and deflect opponents' projectiles. He returns in Armageddon as a bipedal minotaur due to a curse placed on his species by the Shokan. Motaro is the only character from the first three installments not present during gameplay of the 2011 reboot; he only appears in the story mode's cinematics, which depict him being killed by Raiden.

John Tobias said that Motaro was inspired by a Micronauts toy figure of Baron Karza, which could be turned into a centaur by combining the toy with a horse figure packaged alongside it.[127] Described by Ed Boon as one of the "oddest shaped" Mortal Kombat characters, Motaro was nearly excluded from Armageddon due to the developers' difficulty of compensating for his unique half-horse body shape.[128][129] With fans desiring to see the character return, the developers removed Motaro's hind legs to allow him in the game.[130]

The character appears as one of Shao Kahn's main warriors in the 1997 film Mortal Kombat Annihilation and was played by Deron McBee. He also appears in two episodes of the 1996 animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm and the 2020 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge.

Motaro placed 31st in UGO's 2012 ranking of the top fifty Mortal Kombat characters, noting him being a tough sub-boss to defeat.[131] Den of Geek ranked Motaro 42nd in their 2015 rating of the franchise's then-64 playable characters.[61] Marcus Stewart of Game Informer rated Motaro 57th in his 2021 ranking of the 76 playable series characters. "You'd think a centaur would be a cooler character, but Motaro hasn't made a ton of noise since his '90s heyday."[132] The bipedal version of Motaro was criticized by Robert Naytor of Hardcore Gaming 101, who considered his four legs "the one cool thing he had going for him."[133] Likewise, the bipedal version was ranked as the worst Mortal Kombat character by ScrewAttack, stating Motaro lost his most defining trait by not having four legs.[134]

Portrayed by: John Turk (MKT); Tyrone Wiggins (Annihilation); Percy Brown (Conquest)

Voiced by: Rino Romano (Defenders of the Realm); Andrew Bowen (MKX);[135] Dempsey Pappion (MK11);[136] Noshir Dalal (MK1)[83]

Rain makes his first series appearance in the attract mode of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, in which he attacks Shao Kahn on the Portal stage.[137] He was then made a playable character in the home version of UMK3 and the compilation title Mortal Kombat Trilogy (1996) with his own distinct set of moves. In Trilogy, Rain has his own storyline in which he is an Edenian smuggled away from his homeland in the midst of the realm's takeover by Outworld emperor Shao Kahn. Thousands of years later, Rain resurfaces during Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm prior to the third Mortal Kombat tournament. Not wanting to suffer at the hand of Kahn's extermination squads, he betrays his homeland and sides with Kahn, who assigns him alongside fellow enslaved Edenians Kitana and Jade in fighting against the Earthrealm warriors.[138] Rain is absent from the series thereafter until the training mode of Mortal Kombat: Deception (2004), and returns as a playable character in the compilation title Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006). As one of only seventeen characters in the game to receive an official biography,[139] he plays his largest role in the original series continuity by learning of his true Edenian heritage from evil Outworld sorcerer Quan Chi, who informs Rain that he is a direct descendant of Argus, the protector god of Edenia, as well as the half-sibling of the game's protagonist Taven and his brother Daegon, both of whom were favored by their father to assume his mantle of Edenia's protectors.[140] Rain consequently starts to refer to himself as a prince of the realm, as seen in Armageddon's training mode, but he still chooses to independently fight on the side of evil. He confronts the game's protagonist Taven in the location of Arctika but is defeated in battle and flees into a portal.[141]

His storyline is altered in the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot, which makes no mention of his father or siblings, instead simply describing him as having been orphaned at a young age by Kahn's conquest of Edenia and raised under the protection of Edenian resistance fighters. As he gained a reputation as an exceptional warrior, his level of arrogance followed suit, and he betrayed his comrades after being refused leadership of the resistance. This caught the attention of Kahn, who offered the power-hungry Rain an army of his own in exchange for his services.[142] He was not part of the original playable roster but was later added to the game as downloadable content.

In Mortal Kombat X (2015), Rain is not playable and only appears in the game's story mode as Mileena's advisor, and tries to help her reclaim the Outworld throne from Kotal Kahn in the midst of a civil war. However, he plans to take the throne for himself when the war is over, but is stopped by D'Vorah. He returns in Mortal Kombat 11 again as downloadable content, and his role therein is that he manages to escape Kotal's capture. Rain's past is further explained in his arcade ending in which his father Argus had lied to Rain's birth mother, Amara, on the day after Rain was born and faked his death from her, leaving her to commit suicide out of heartbreak while Rain was callously sold to another family without her knowledge. Rain is furious upon later learning this information and swears vengeance against Argus and his own half-brothers Daegon and Taven, but leaves his stepmother Delia to suffer a similar fate as Amara.[143]

In the new timeline depicted in Mortal Kombat 1, Rain no longer has divine lineage, and is instead depicted as an ambitious sorcerer who became the High Mage of Outworld's Royal Court. He assists Shang Tsung and General Shao's attempt to overthrow Outworld's Royal family in the game's story mode. After Titan Shang Tsung's defeat, Rain joins with Havik to evade capture by Empress Mileena. Havik has him use his power to flood and destroy Seido. The destruction caused by their attack leaves Rain wracked with guilt, and he willingly gives himself up to Outworld's authorities to accept any punishment the Empress gives him.

Rain was inspired by the 1984 Prince song Purple Rain, along with MK co-creator Ed Boon, a longtime fan of the musician, also jokingly wondering what color palette had not yet been used for the series' ninja characters at the time Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was in production.[144] After MK Trilogy, the character was given his own distinct designs in future appearances.

Rain has received mixed to negative critical reception for his origins and his Fatalities.[145][92][146][147] UGO ranked him 28th out of the series' top 50 characters in 2012.[70] His later appearances were better received; Den of Geek ranked Rain 36th in his 2015 rating of the 64 series characters due to his MK9 ending and the expansion of his backstory in Armageddon as "a power-hungry jerk who believed that he was owed everything."[61] GamesRadar+ noted his purple palette in the 2011 reboot as "a nice, rarely used color for male fighting game characters", while "his moves are so weird and confounding that they make every match a constant guessing game."[148] Bleeding Cool considered Rain's MK11 appearance as his best to date due to his evolved moveset.[149]

Portrayed by: Sal Divita (MK3, UMK3); Peter Shinkoda (Legacy)

Voiced by: Andrew Kishino (2011 game); Dave B. Mitchell (MK11, Battle of the Realms)[66]

Sektor debuts in Mortal Kombat 3 as a member of the Lin Kuei clan along with Sub-Zero, Cyrax, and Smoke. When Sub-Zero defects after refusing to take part in the Lin Kuei's utilization of modern technology by converting its members into cyborgs, Sektor, along with Cyrax, is tasked with hunting down and killing Sub-Zero.[96] Sektor is a secret character in Mortal Kombat Gold, in which he is the only active cyborg out of the original three, after Smoke is shut down in an Outworld prison before being enslaved by Noob Saibot while Cyrax's human soul is restored and he joins Sonya and Jax's Outer World Investigation Agency. Sektor believes the Lin Kuei Grandmaster is inferior and kills him, but Sub-Zero in turn defeats Sektor in battle and claims the title of grandmaster for himself. Sektor flees to Japan thereafter and forms his own clan of cyborg ninja warriors.[150]

Sektor is not playable again until the compilation title Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, and plays a minor role in its training mode. In the 2011 series reboot, he is introduced during the first tournament as a human Chinese member of the clan who, along with Cyrax, is paid handsomely by tournament organizer Shang Tsung to compete and kill Earthrealm's fighters. Sektor is fervently supportive of the Lin Kuei's plan to robotize its members while Cyrax is the opposite; Sektor comes to blows with Cyrax when the latter refuses to kill Johnny Cage in battle, but is defeated. During the second Mortal Kombat tournament, a cyborg Sektor attempts to kidnap Smoke so he could be converted as well, only to be stopped by Raiden. However, in a reversal of Smoke and Sub-Zero's MK3 storylines, Sub-Zero is captured by the Lin Kuei inside Outworld emperor Shao Kahn's arena and eventually converted, with Sektor pledging his services to Kahn in exchange. When Shao Kahn launches an invasion of Earthrealm, Sektor and the cyberized Lin Kuei launch their own attack on the Earthrealm defenders to stop them from interfering with Kahn's plans, only to be thwarted by defeated by Nightwolf. Despite this, Shao Kahn's wife Sindel completes the clan's objective of slaughtering the Earthrealm warriors.

In Mortal Kombat X, Sektor is not playable, but his moveset is a part of Triborg's options and his remains appear in the story mode. In between the events of the 2011 reboot and Mortal Kombat X, Sektor became Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei and had the remaining members killed or cyberized. The recently revived Kuai Liang infiltrates their headquarters and uploads a virus into their system that frees Cyrax from Sektor's control as he confronts the Cyber Lin Kuei. With Cyrax's help, Sub-Zero defeats and kills Sektor before Cyrax self-destructs to destroy the facility and the remaining Cyber Lin Kuei.[151] As Sub-Zero begins a new Lin Kuei clan, he examines Sektor's memories from his remains and discovers the Lin Kuei had hired Quan Chi to eliminate the Shirai Ryu clan, leading to Sub-Zero to seek atonement by seeking peace with Scorpion and the newly reestablished Shirai Ryu.[152]

In Mortal Kombat 11, a time-displaced Sektor and his cyber Lin Kuei army are revived by the keeper of time Kronika and brought into her ranks. They are joined by Sub-Zero's former apprentice, Frost, who succeeds Sektor after she is converted into a cyborg. He, Cyrax, and Frost, backed by Noob Saibot, kidnap Sub-Zero's Lin Kuei warriors and forcibly robotize them. After learning of what they had done, Sub-Zero and Hanzo Hasashi (Scorpion) arrive at the Cyber Lin Kuei's factory to shut it down. Sektor declares to Sub-Zero that allying with Hanzo is dishonorable, but is soon deactivated when Cyrax shuts down the factory. Sektor's body is used by Kronika's allies to revive him and the cyber Lin Kuei.[100] The cyborgs join the Black Dragon crime cartel in storming the Special Forces base, where Kano uses a kill switch installed in Sektor's systems to destroy it.[153] In Sub-Zero's arcade ending, he discovers his deceased older brother Bi-Han having embraced Sektor’s corrupt practices in the Lin Kuei before his death and transformation into Noob Saibot.

Sektor appears in Sub-Zero's ending in Mortal Kombat 1, after Sub-Zero's (Bi-Han) brother Scorpion (Kuai Liang) defects from the clan to form the Shirai Ryu following Sub-Zero's betrayal of Earthrealm, Bi-Han attempts to bolster the Lin Kuei's forces with "Sektor's genius" by enacting the Cyber Lin Kuei initiative.[154]

Sektor appears in one episode of the 2011 web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, played by Peter Shinkoda. He and Cyrax are shown being transformed at the Lin Kuei's secret headquarters with the operation overseen by Kano. The character has a minor part in DC Comics' 2015 Mortal Kombat X: Blood Ties comic miniseries that is set before the events of the game,[155] and he appears in the animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (2021).[156]

Sektor was nicknamed "Ketchup" during production of MK3 before his official name was determined, while the robot ninjas' designs were inspired by Boba Fett and the Predator.[157] He has been lauded by gaming media outlets for his Fatalities over the course of the Mortal Kombat series.[158][159][160][76][161][162][163][164] UGO placed him 26th—one spot behind Cyrax—in their 2012 list of the top fifty series characters.[70]

Portrayed by: Marjean Holden (Annihilation)

Voiced by: Dawnn Lewis (Defenders of the Realm); Lori McClain (Armageddon); Lani Minella (2011 game); Vanessa Marshall (MK11)

Sheeva is a Shokan warrior like Goro and Kintaro, and is the series' lone female representative of the four-armed race. She has a long-standing rivalry with Motaro, as the Shokan and his race of Centaurians are bitter enemies. She debuts in MK3 as Queen Sindel's appointed bodyguard and protector following Shao Kahn's invasion of Earth. She is not playable in the series again until Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, in which the then-entire series roster is playable. In the 2011 reboot that retells the continuity of the first three games, she is immediately playable and plays a minor role in the game's story mode as Kahn's bodyguard and jailer. In Mortal Kombat 11, Sheeva was a late addition to the roster as downloadable content as part of the game's Aftermath expansion pack. She additionally has a more significant role in the series for the first time, as she aids a time-traveling Shang Tsung in retrieving Kronika's Crown of Souls so Liu Kang can restore history after exploiting her blood oath to Sindel. Sheeva assists in reviving Sindel so she can join them as well, but upon learning of her treachery Sheeva attempts to stop her but is defeated.

The character's name was derived from Shiva, the Hindu deity of destruction. She was added to the game due to fan requests for a playable version of Goro, like whom she was created as a stop motion-animated clay figurine.[165] Series co-creator John Tobias opted for a female version of the character as she would be physically smaller in size and thus take up less room on the screen.[166] She was omitted from the home versions of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 due to memory constraints.

Sheeva (voiced by Dawnn Lewis) had a recurring role in the 1996 animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm. In the 1997 film Mortal Kombat Annihilation, she was played by Marjean Holden in a minor role with her only action sequence being a brief scuffle with Motaro, though the film acknowledges her then-current role in the games as Sindel's personal protector. In the 2015 Mortal Kombat X: Blood Ties prequel comic miniseries produced by DC Comics, Sheeva is crowned by Kintaro as the current leader of the Shokan in a peaceful treaty with Kotal Kahn, following the death of previous rule King Gorbak. Sheeva mourns Kintaro's death after Sonya — possessed by Havik — kills him in battle.

Reception of the character has been mixed. While Wirtualna Polska featured Sheeva among gaming's top ten female villains in 2011,[167] she placed a middling 28th in UGO.com's 2012 ranking of their top fifty Mortal Kombat characters,[168] and 47th in Den of Geek's 2019 ranking of the series' 77 playable characters.[61] Game Informer, in 2010, stated that "despite a somewhat cool ground-pound move [in MK3], she was an addition to the series that never really served a purpose or did anything particularly noteworthy."[169] However, her Fatalities over the course of her appearances have been fairly well received.[170][171][172][173][174]

Portrayed by: Lia Montelongo (MK3); Musetta Vander (Annihilation); Beatrice Ilg (Legacy); Ana Thu Nguyen (Mortal Kombat 2)[175]

Voiced by: Laura Boton (MK:D); Lani Minella (MK 2011); Kelly Hu (MKX); Mara Junot (MK11, MK1)[176]

Sindel debuts as a playable character in Mortal Kombat 3 (MK3) as the queen of Edenia alongside her daughter, Princess Kitana, before their kingdom lost ten consecutive Mortal Kombat tournaments, leading to Shao Kahn invading them to forcibly merge their realms. After he killed her husband King Jerrod and adopted the then-infant Kitana, Sindel committed suicide to avoid becoming his consort. Years later however, Shao and Shang Tsung resurrect her without her memories and brainwash her to assist in the former's invasion of Earthrealm. After Earthrealm's defenders defeat Shao, Kitana convinces Sindel of her true past, turning her against Shao.

Sindel appears as a non-playable character (NPC) in Mortal Kombat 4 (MK4), in which her subject Tanya betrays Edenia and allows Shinnok's Netherrealm forces to invade her palace. Kitana escapes, but Sindel is imprisoned in her dungeon until Shinnok's forces are defeated. Following this, she sends Kitana to form an alliance with the Shokan armies and lead them into battle against a weakened Shao while Sindel stays behind to restore Edenia. Returning as a playable character in Mortal Kombat: Deception (MK:D), Edenia is invaded by Onaga, who killed, resurrected, and brainwashed Sindel, among others, before imprisoning her until she is freed by Jade. Sindel appears as a playable character in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, though she does not play a role in the story mode.

In Mortal Kombat (2011), due to Raiden altering the timeline and changing the events of the franchise's first three games, Sindel is instead resurrected by Quan Chi and receives Shang Tsung's powers before she kills most of Earthrealm's warriors and Kitana before Nightwolf sacrifices himself to kill her. Quan Chi subsequently converts the dead warriors into his undead revenant servants, a role Sindel fulfills while making a minor appearance as a NPC in Mortal Kombat X.

Sindel appears as a downloadable playable character in Mortal Kombat 11 (MK11) via the Aftermath expansion pack, in which her history is retconned. When Shao invaded Edenia, she willingly sided and married him, killed Jerrod herself for his perceived weakness, and claimed Shao did so to appease her subjects. Quan Chi, believing she was distracting Shao, later killed her and staged it as a suicide before using her soul to temporarily stop Shao from invading Earthrealm. In the present, Shang Tsung captures her revenant and revives her to help him steal Kronika's Crown of Souls.[177] Sindel agrees while also reconsolidating her power with Shao before betraying and defeating Kitana and Earthrealm's forces.[178][179] After helping Shang Tsung breach Kronika's keep however, the sorcerer in turn betrays Sindel and Shao, absorbing their souls in retaliation for killing him to empower Sindel.[180]

Sindel appears as a playable character in Mortal Kombat 1, in which Fire God Liu Kang created a second new timeline where Sindel is the Empress of Outworld and biological mother of Kitana and Mileena, the latter of whom is set to inherit her throne, who maintains the Mortal Kombat tournaments alongside Kang in the late Jerrod's memory. Though a fair and just ruler, Sindel is strict in preparing Mileena to succeed her and becomes more determined to protect her realm and the throne following Jerrod's death. She also employs Shang Tsung to help with Mileena's Tarkat disease, unaware that he and General Shao are conspiring against her and encouraging her to turn against Earthrealm until they are exposed by Kang and Earthrealm's warriors. Sindel is later reunited with Jerrod after Quan Chi uses his soul, among others, to create Ermac and the former gains control of the body, before she is killed by her counterpart from Titan Shang Tsung's timeline. Before she dies, she entrusts Mileena with Outworld's throne before Jerrod preserves her soul within Ermac, where the pair work together to fight off the other souls and maintain control of the body.

During production of MK3, Sindel was nicknamed "The Bride" and "Muchacha" by the developers before her official name was determined.[181] She was played by actress Lia Montelongo, who was nineteen years old at the time.[182]

Sindel appears as a supporting character in Mortal Kombat Annihilation, portrayed by Musetta Vander. In addition to her original trilogy backstory and role, she is also named the new general of Shao Kahn's extermination squads following her resurrection and brainwashing.[183] Amidst Earthrealm's warriors' final battle with Shao, Kitana defeats and spares Sindel. After Liu Kang defeats Shao, the latter's curse on Sindel is broken. She also appears in the Mortal Kombat Legacy episode "Kitana and Mileena - Part 1", portrayed by Beatrice Ilg, and will appear in the upcoming Mortal Kombat 2, portrayed by Ana Thu Nguyen.[47][184]

Sindel has been positively received for her role in the games[61][185] and her Fatalities,[164][186][187] but her MK11 retcon was met with heavy fan criticism,[188][189] while her portrayal in Annihilation has been ridiculed.[190][191][192][193]

Portrayed by: Michael O'Brien (MK3); Lawrence Kern (MK 2011); Tahmoh Penikett (Legacy); Eric Jacobus (Legacy II)

Voiced by: Ron Perlman (Defenders of the Realm); Matthew Mercer (2011 game, Battle of the Realms)

Kurtis Stryker is a NYPD riot control officer selected by Raiden to help defend Earthrealm against invading forces from Outworld. One of the franchise's few characters who does not possess any special powers, he employs modern weaponry such as explosives, firearms, tasers and nightsticks for his special moves and Fatalities. During the events of MK3, he was the leader of the riot control brigade when Outworld's portal opened over New York City. Stryker attempted to keep order among the populace in the ensuing chaos, but soon all human souls were usurped by Shao Kahn with the exception of those that belonged to Raiden's chosen warriors, including himself. Initially ignorant of why he was spared, he entered the fray with the intention of avenging the lives of the innocent that he had vowed to protect and serve. Along with the other warriors, he assisted in liberating Earthrealm from Shao Kahn's clutches. His next playable appearance is in MK Armageddon, in which he is still oblivious as to why he was chosen by the Elder Gods. In the Battle of Armageddon, he fights Mileena, Kabal and Kano, yet he is ultimately slain along with the other combatants. In the 2011 series reboot, Stryker is Kabal's SWAT team leader who joins Raiden and his followers in repelling the Outworld invasion. He is later killed, along with most of the Earthrealm heroes, by Sindel and subsequently resurrected by Quan Chi and forced to fight Raiden, in a losing effort. He makes brief nonplayable appearances in Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11 as an undead revenant fighting for Quan Chi and Shinnok.

A character named "Kurtis Stryker" was originally slated to appear in the first Mortal Kombat, but the idea was dropped in place of a female fighter (Sonya Blade). The character would appear in Mortal Kombat II renamed Jax, and Stryker was finally made an original character in MK3. Stryker was originally conceived by the developers as a SWAT-type character with several additional weapons, but the game's memory limitations prevented this. He appeared in Armageddon with a complete redesign into a much more futuristic-looking character, armed with two back-mounted knives that were never used.

Stryker has made several appearances in alternate series media, starting as a featured character (voiced by Ron Perlman) in the 1996 animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm. He appeared in the premiere episode of the 2011 first season of the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy as a SWAT leader under Jax's command, and had a recurring role in the 2013 second season. In the 2021 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, he represents Earthrealm in the tournament, defeating Baraka in battle but loses to Shang Tsung and is killed after Shang Tsung makes him impale himself on wall spikes and then tear off his own head.

The character has received negative reception for his "common man" presence in the otherworldly atmosphere of the Mortal Kombat series.[194][195][196][197] However, Den of Geek ranked Stryker 21st in their 2015 rating of the franchise's 64 playable characters, citing his sucker-punching of Mileena in Armageddon's opening cinematic sequence and Perlman's portrayal in the animated series, in addition to "really [becoming] something worth caring about in the reboot, where he came off as a likeable, disgruntled smart-ass."[61] Robert Naytor of Hardcore Gaming 101 praised Stryker in the reboot as being "so badass" and "the closest thing you'll get to being John McClane in a fighting game."[133]

Portrayed by: Anthony Marquez (MKM:SZ); Nic Toussaint (MKX)

Voiced by: Herman Sanchez (MK4), David Horachek (MK:A), Troy Baker (MKX), Matthew Yang King (MK11)

Fujin is the god of wind based on the Japanese deity of the same name. He first appears as an unnamed boss in Mythologies: Sub-Zero, in which he unsuccessfully guards Shinnok's amulet from Sub-Zero.[198] He makes his playable debut in Mortal Kombat 4 and succeeds Raiden as Earthrealm's protector when Raiden becomes an Elder God.[199] Fujin returns in Armageddon and is defeated by Taven after attempting to prevent him from continuing his quest.[200] In the rebooted timeline, Fujin appears in Mortal Kombat X's story mode fighting the Netherrealm's forces alongside Raiden, but is not playable until his inclusion in the Aftermath expansion for Mortal Kombat 11, in which he, Shang Tsung, and Nightwolf try to save their universe by obtaining Kronika's crown. Fujin is ultimately betrayed by Shang Tsung, who drains his soul, but keeps him alive to continue draining his powers for eternity. In Shang Tsung's ending, Fujin and Raiden become his servants.

Fujin placed 40th in UGO's 2012 listing of the top 50 series characters.[70] In 2014, Prima Games included Fujin among their twenty "cheapest" characters in the series due to having a crossbow as his primary weapon in Mortal Kombat 4.[117] For his later appearances, the crossbow could only be used for special attacks.

Portrayed by: Richard Divizio (MKM:SZ, MK4); Carlos Pesina (MK:D, MK:A); Adoni Maropis (Conquest); Michael Rogers (Legacy); Damon Herriman (MK 2021 sequel)[175]

Voiced by: Herman Sanchez (MK4, MK:A); Nigel Casey (MK:D); Ronald M. Banks (MK vs DC,2011 game, MKX); Nick Chinlund (Defenders of the Realm); Darin De Paul (Scorpion's Revenge); Sean T. Krishnan (MK1)

Quan Chi is a nefarious free-roaming sorcerer who is one of the Mortal Kombat series' main villains. He is first seen in MK Mythologies when he hires both Sub-Zero and his rival Scorpion to find a map leading to the amulet in hopes that they would meet in combat; indeed, Sub-Zero kills Scorpion in battle, after which Quan Chi eliminates Scorpion's Shirai Ryu clan and sends Sub-Zero to find the amulet, which is later revealed to be a fake while Quan Chi kept the real one for himself. After reviving Scorpion as an undead revenant, Quan Chi tells him that Sub-Zero was responsible for the deaths of his clan and family. He makes his playable debut in Mortal Kombat 4, in which he joins forces with disgraced Elder God Shinnok, who had been banished to the Netherealm by the thunder god Raiden after centuries of warring, in ruling the realm. He is the title character along with Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002), in which he brokers a deal with Shang Tsung for his assistance in reviving the army of Onaga (the game's final boss) in exchange for souls that would preserve Shang Tsung's youth, then eliminate evil Outworld emperor Shao Kahn and the perennial Mortal Kombat champion Liu Kang. They kill Raiden's Earthrealm defenders, but the partnership dissolves when Shang Tsung attempts to steal Shinnok's amulet to take control of Onaga's army for himself. In his futile attempt to stop Onaga, Raiden sacrifices himself by triggering a violent explosion and seemingly killing the Deadly Alliance as well. In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006), Quan Chi attempts to acquire the godlike power of the elemental Blaze. During the battle royal among the combatants on the Pyramid of Argus in the game's opening cinematic sequence, Quan Chi wounds Kenshi in battle before Shang Tsung (disguised as Ermac) throws him off the pyramid. In the game's training mode, Quan Chi suggests that he, Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, and Onaga work together to defeat the forces of good, but is secretly serving as a double agent for Shinnok.

Quan Chi was the lone playable character from the three-dimensional series of games included in the immediate roster of the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot. In the game's story mode, Quan Chi is present at the Shaolin Tournament from the outset, with the resurrected Scorpion serving as his personal assassin. They join forces in the tournament to face the Shaolin monk Liu Kang, but both are defeated. During the second tournament in Shao Kahn's Outworld arena, Quan Chi and Shang Tsung join forces against Kung Lao but are defeated. In the retold events of Mortal Kombat 3 therein, Quan Chi revives the deceased Queen Sindel in order to enable Shao Kahn to invade Earthrealm, after having resurrected the dead elder Sub-Zero — killed by Scorpion in the first tournament — as Noob Saibot to assist him in his plans. He later constructs a Soulnado to take every soul on Earth, but his plans are thwarted by Nightwolf. After Sindel massacres the Earthrealm warriors assembled to stop Shao Kahn's takeover, Raiden seeks cooperation between Earth and the Netherealm by offering Quan Chi their souls as compensation, but Quan Chi has transformed them into his revenant slaves. However, he inadvertently causes Shao Kahn's downfall when he reveals the Elder Gods are obligated to stop the tyrant for failing to honor Mortal Kombat's rules. Raiden kills Shao Kahn and halts his invasion, but Quan Chi makes preparations for Shinnok's invasion, leading Netherrealm's forces in attacking the weakened Earthrealm and Outworld. In Mortal Kombat X (2015), Quan Chi uses the Earthrealm revenants to aid him in retrieving Shinnok's amulet over the course of two years. Though he succeeds in doing so with the aid of D'Vorah, he is decapitated by the resurrected Hanzo Hasashi (Scorpion) once he learns the sorcerer conspired with the Lin Kuei ninja Sektor to kill the Shirai Ryu.

In Mortal Kombat 1, Quan Chi appears as a DLC character, but makes frequent appearances in the story. In Liu Kang's new timeline, Quan Chi led a meaningless life in the mines before being contacted by "Damashi", who helps him learn his sorcerer abilities.[201] He begins working with Shang Tsung and General Shao to deceive Empress Sindel into turning against Earthrealm and preparing a coup to overthrow her. While creating Ermac, Quan Chi attempts to prepare a soul stealer to unleash on Earthrealm before he is stopped by Ashrah. One of the souls that escapes the contraptions attacks him, resulting in his skin turning white.[202] After discovering that Damashi is Titan Shang Tsung, who is intent on killing everyone in the timeline, Quan Chi and Shang Tsung assist Liu Kang in stopping him. During the final battle, Titan Shang Tsung summons a Titan Quan Chi to assist him, but both ultimately lose.[203]

According to MK co-creator John Tobias, Quan Chi was created as a replacement for Shang Tsung as the main sorcerer character of the series.[204] NetherRealm Studios character artist Solomon Gaitan initially referenced actor Yul Brynner when digitally sculpting Quan Chi's facial features for Mortal Kombat X.[205] Gaitan said that series art director Steve Beran "wanted me to merge Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff's features" during the design process, in addition to researching vultures: "I wanted him to feel like he was in a permanent state of lurking and stalking; waiting for death to happen."[206]

Quan Chi made his Mortal Kombat series debut in one episode of the 1996 animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, and was voiced by Nick Chinlund.[207] The character appeared in four episodes of the 1998 television series Mortal Kombat: Conquest,[208] and in the 2011 web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Quan Chi appears at the climax of a two-part episode featuring Sub-Zero and Scorpion. In the 2020 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, Quan Chi serves as one of the two main antagonists along with Shang Tsung, and resurrects Hanzo Hasashi to turn him into Scorpion and employ him as his servant for eternity. Damon Herriman will play Quan Chi in the upcoming feature film Mortal Kombat 2.

Quan Chi has received mainly positive critical reception for his role in the games,[209][70][61][115][210] though Destructoid commented in 2015: "Quan Chi is a dark sorcerer shitbag that nobody likes, both in the fandom and in the series' narrative [for] unsuccessfully scheming behind the back of whatever master he is currently serving like an incompetent, bald Starscream."[211] However, Topless Robot cited Quan Chi in Defenders of the Realm as "the only contribution to [the] franchise that this series made."[212] Reception to his Fatalities has been divisive, with his "Leg Beatdown" from MK4 rated among the series' best,[209][213][214][163] and the "Neck Stretch" from Deadly Alliance among the worst,[215][216][217][65][218] a sentiment shared by the MK series' developers.[216][219]

Portrayed by: Lia Montelongo (MKM:SZ)

Voiced by: Danielle Nicolet (MKX), Mara Junot (MK1), Jennifer Grey (Cage Match)

Sareena is a demon from the Netherrealm. She debuts in Mythologies: Sub-Zero as an assassin assigned by Quan Chi to kill Sub-Zero.[220] After being spared by him, she assists him in defeating Quan Chi but is killed by Shinnok. Sareena returns as a playable character in the Tournament Edition port of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, which reveals Shinnok's attack banished her to a lower plane of the Netherrealm. Escaping through a portal, she is offered asylum in Earthrealm by the younger Sub-Zero. However, the training mode of Armageddon sees her again serving Quan Chi, leading to her being defeated by Taven.[221] Following a background cameo in the 2011 reboot, Sareena appears in the story mode of Mortal Kombat X, in which she assists the Special Forces in battling the Netherrealm's forces. In Mortal Kombat 1, she appears as an assist-based Kameo fighter, where she is able to switch between a human-like appearance and her true, demonic form. She also appears in Ashrah's Klassic Towers ending, in which Ashrah rescues her from Quan Chi's control.[203]

Sareena was ranked 26th on Den of Geek's 2015 rating of the series' 64 playable characters, for being "Sub-Zero's one moment of humanity snowballing into something meaningful".[61]

Portrayed by: Gary Wingert (MKM:SZ); Carlos Pesina (MK:A); Chris Bashen (MKX); Reiner Schöne (Annihilation)

Voiced by: John Tobias (MK4, MKG); Knute Horwitz (MK:A); Ken Lally (2011 game); Troy Baker (MKX, MK11); Robin Atkin Downes (Battle of the Realms, Cage Match)

One of the franchise's primary villains, Shinnok debuted as the boss of MK Mythologies and made his first playable appearance in the main series with Mortal Kombat 4 in 1997. He appears in MK4 as both a playable character and the final boss of Mortal Kombat 4 and Mortal Kombat X (2015). He is a banished former Elder God who invades and annexes the realm of Edenia with the aid of Quan Chi's forces and the traitorous Edenian Tanya before declaring war against the Elder Gods, specifically Raiden for his punishment, but his mission fails after he is defeated by perennial Mortal Kombat champion Liu Kang. Shinnok's next selectable appearance is along with the then-entire series roster in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006), and he features in the game's training mode as having been a longtime friend of the game's main protagonist Taven, who is under the impression that Shinnok is still a force of good as he rescues him from an attack by Li Mei. Shinnok also makes a brief appearance alongside the forces of evil in the battle royal in the opening cinematic sequence against the other combatants at the Pyramid of Argus, when he summons giant subterranean skeletal hands that pin Raiden to the ground before he is struck with a lightning blast.

Shinnok only appears in the closing of the story mode of the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot, but is the main villain of Mortal Kombat X. At the start of the story mode, he is sealed inside his own magical amulet, which is possessed over the next twenty-five years by many other characters until Quan Chi is beheaded by Scorpion, freeing Shinnok from inside the amulet. With the aid of D'Vorah and the undead Earthrealm warriors from the previous game, Shinnok invades the Sky Temple, where he subdues Raiden and corrupts the Jinsei (the source of Earthrealm's life force) until a Special Forces unit led by the game's protagonist Cassie Cage arrives to battle the transformed Shinnok (now known as "Corrupted Shinnok") and the revenant army. After Cassie is victorious over Shinnok, Raiden then purifies the Jinsei, which strips Shinnok of his powers. Shinnok returns in the prologue of Mortal Kombat 11 (2019), in which he is tortured and decapitated by Raiden after the events of MKX. His severed head is visited by new boss character Kronika, the Keeper of Time, who expresses sadness at his current state. The game's story mode reveals that Shinnok is actually Kronika's son, as well the brother of fellow Elder God Cetrion.[222]

Shinnok's likeness in Mortal Kombat 4 was based on that of series art director Steve Beran, and like Shang Tsung in the digitized Mortal Kombat games, he was able to mimic the special moves of his opponents, but the graphical limitations of Midway's then-new 3D software prevented him from physically transforming into the characters. Series co-creator and programmer Ed Boon admitted in turn that he felt Shinnok was not imposing enough as a final boss in MK4 due to his having no special moves of his own. He was playable in MKX upon completion of the story mode.[223]

Shinnok appears in the 1997 film Mortal Kombat Annihilation, played by Reiner Schöne and depicted as the father of both Shao Kahn and Raiden. He is not identified by name onscreen until the film's conclusion. The character appeared in the 2021 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms and was voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.[224]

Critical reception has been mainly negative due to his perceived weak stature as a final boss in the series,[70][225][226][227] though his Fatalities have been better received.[228][229] Den of Geek ranked Shinnok 35th in their 2015 rating of the series' 73 playable characters, critical of how he was "just a lazy Shang Tsung" in MK4, while "it wasn't until Armageddon and Mortal Kombat 9 that they were able to make him seem like an actual threat," and further adding that in MKX, he "was pretty fun as a hybrid of Emperor Palpatine and Loki."[61] However, Esquire described Shinnok in MKX as a "malignant [and] terrible shithead".[230]

Performed by: Mark Myers (MK4)

Voiced by: Jon Hey (MK4), James Freeman-Hargis (MK:A)

Jarek is a member of the Black Dragon clan. Established as the last known member of the Black Dragon, he possesses Kano's special moves and Fatalities. He helps defend Earthrealm against Shinnok, but falls off a cliff in the aftermath when the Special Forces attempt to arrest him. In Armageddon, Jarek is revealed to have survived and develops an obsession with killing all of his opponents.[231] Jarek also appears as one of the bosses in Special Forces (2000), in which he is defeated by Jax. In the Mortal Kombat X prequel comic, he is imprisoned in Outworld by Kotal Kahn.

The character makes an appearance in the 2022 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind.

Modeled after Midway character artist Herman Sanchez,[232] Jarek received a tepid reception for his similarities to Kano. The endings featuring him in Mortal Kombat 4 have also been maligned for their voice acting and dialogue.[61][233][234][235][236]

Portrayed by: Kimball Uddin (MK4)

Voiced by: Ed Boon (MK4)

Kai is a Shaolin Monk and member of the White Lotus Society who is one of the chosen warriors defending Earthrealm from Shinnok.[237] Afterwards, he goes on quest for self-enlightenment, although he returns in Armageddon.

According to Ed Boon, Kai was developed as an "African American character who was very nimble like Liu Kang" with vertical fireball projectiles. He was also the first character to perform a handstand during gameplay, which was intended to be his main fighting style in Armageddon, but Boon stated this was prevented by time limitations.[238]

Kai came in at 47th on UGO's 2012 list of the top 50 Mortal Kombat characters. Robert Naytor of Hardcore Gaming 101 said, "With all his projectile moves, he's basically the black Liu Kang".[133]

Meat was originally a skin created by art director Tony Goskie that would depict each fighter in Mortal Kombat 4 as a bloodied corpse.[239] After being established as a canonical character in Deception's Konquest mode, he received a backstory and unique special moves in Armageddon. His Armageddon ending reveals that he is an experiment created by Shang Tsung who escaped the sorcerer's clutches before he could be completed.[240] Prima Games' strategy guide for Armageddon also states that Meat assists Shinnok, although this relationship is not established in the game.[241]

Meat placed 49th in UGO's 2012 listing of the top fifty MK characters, noting that he became a fan favorite for his "ridiculously gruesome moves". Conversely, ScrewAttack ranked Meat fourth in its 2011 ranking of the series' ten worst characters for being "a generic [character] model" without flesh.[242] Ryan Aston of Topless Robot placed Meat second in his selection of eight characters "that are goofy even by Mortal Kombat standards," calling him "a gory riff" on Soulcalibur character Charade and his storyline "a truly flimsy excuse for his existence".[193]

Portrayed by: Jim Helsinger (Conquest), Nathan Jones (2021 film)

Voiced by: Ed Boon (MK:D), David Beron (MK:A), Robin Atkin Downes (Battle of the Realms),[66] Derek Phillips (MK1)[243]

Reiko is a general who has served Shinnok and Shao Kahn.[244] He first appears assisting Shinnok's invasion in Mortal Kombat 4, while Armageddon depicts him under Shao Kahn's command. After making a background cameo in the 2011 reboot, he appears in the Mortal Kombat X prequel comics, in which he becomes a blood god before being betrayed and killed by Havik.[245]

The character was added to Mortal Kombat 4 to replace Noob Saibot after the developers found the game had too many ninja characters. While his original ending simply depicted him walking through a portal, Reiko's FMV ending showed him wearing the helmet of Shao Kahn. This led to speculation that Reiko was Shao Kahn, which was dispelled when the Konquest mode of Deception revealed that Reiko would sneak into Shao Kahn's throne room to wear his helmet. In an interview, John Tobias stated Reiko was intended to be a reincarnation of Shao Kahn, but this story would be disregarded in later installments.[246] Nevertheless, Reiko's appearance and special moves in Armageddon would be stylized after Shao Kahn.[247]

Reiko was played by Jim Helsinger in the 1998 television series Mortal Kombat: Conquest, where he is one of Shao Kahn's generals. Reiko also appeared in the 2021 Mortal Kombat film, portrayed by Nathan Jones, as one of the Outworld champions. In the 2021 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, he is voiced by Robin Atkin Downes.[66] In the 2023 game Mortal Kombat 1, he is voiced by Derek Phillips.[248]

Reiko placed 42nd on UGO's 2012 list of the top 50 Mortal Kombat characters. Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek rated Reiko last in his 2015 ranking of the series' playable characters for what he considered the wasted potential of his storyline in regards to his connection to Shao Kahn.[61] WhatCulture ranked him fourteenth in their 2015 selection of the series' twenty worst characters for "having zero individuality".[249]

Performed by: Lia Montelongo (MK4)

Voiced by: Rosalind Dugas (MK4), Beth Melewski (MK:D), Jennifer Hale (MKX), Cherise Boothe (MK1)[250]

Tanya is an Edenian who often acts out of self-preservation. During Mortal Kombat 4 (MK4) and Mortal Kombat: Deception, she betrayed Edenia to join Shinnok and Onaga respectively. In Mortal Kombat X (MKX),[251] she joins Mileena's rebellion against Kotal Kahn with the intention of liberating Edenia from Outworld, only to be defeated by D'Vorah and spared at Cassie Cage's behest. In Mileena's ending in Mortal Kombat 11 (MK11), she and Tanya are revealed to be lovers.

In the new timeline depicted in Mortal Kombat 1 (MK1), Tanya is the leader of the Umgadi, a group of warrior priestesses that guard Outworld's royal family, having become one of its most trusted members after her predecessor Li Mei seemingly failed to save Emperor Jerrod and quit in disgrace. Additionally, Tanya is in a secret relationship with Princess Mileena despite the Umgadi's rules forbidding relationships.[252] After Jerrod is restored through Ermac and reveals Li Mei was not responsible for his death, Tanya investigates the incident and discovers the Umgadi's Matron Superiors were the true culprits and framed Li Mei. The newly crowned Empress Mileena subsequently puts Tanya in charge of reforming the Umgadi.[203]

Named after Ed Boon's sister Tania, Tanya was created to replace Kitana in MK4.[253] She placed 34th on UGO's 2012 list of the top 50 MK characters.[70] Complex named Tanya seventh in their 2011 selection of the top ten underrated MK characters, calling her "the traitor of all traitors in the series, switching her allegiance more times than we can count".[94] Conversely, Den of Geek rated her 68th in their 2015 ranking of the franchise's 73 player characters for being "a one-dimensional villain whose only quality is betrayal".[61]

Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore (MKX), Imari Williams (Snow Blind)

Tremor is a ninja member of the Black Dragon clan. As implied by his name, he is able to manipulate the Earth with his immense strength. He is initially depicted as a brown-clad ninja, but would be redesigned to have a body made out of rocks. Originally intended as a playable character for Mortal Kombat Trilogy,[254] Tremor instead debuted as a boss in Special Forces, in which he is defeated by Jax. He made his playable debut as a downloadable character in Mortal Kombat X, although he has no involvement in the story.[251] In the Mortal Kombat X prequel comic, it is revealed Tremor was imprisoned in Outworld by Kotal Kahn.

Voiced by: Simeon Norfleet (MK:A)

Blaze is a fire elemental created to monitor the warriors of the realms. He appears as a hidden character who is forced to protect the last known dragon egg by Onaga's followers. After the egg hatches, completing Onaga's resurrection, Blaze is able to continue monitoring the warriors and discovers they have become too powerful for the realms in his absence. He serves as the final boss of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, in which he brings all the fighters together for a final battle. As part of his mission to prevent an impending Armageddon, Blaze has Taven face him in a fight intended to either kill all the warriors or strip them of their powers. The story mode of the 2011 reboot reveals Blaze was instead defeated by Shao Kahn, prompting Raiden's efforts to change the timeline.

Prior to becoming to becoming a playable character, Blaze originated in the background of Mortal Kombat II's Pit II stage as a Liu Kang palette swap covered in flames and facing off against another Liu Kang palette swap.[255] The character was nicknamed "Torch" by fans, but due to the risk of copyright infringement on the Marvel character Human Torch, Midway officially named him Blaze.[256] In reference to his original role, he has made cameo appearances in Shaolin Monks, the 2011 reboot, Mortal Kombat X, and Mortal Kombat 11.

The character placed 37th on UGO's 2012 list of the top 50 Mortal Kombat characters, which remarked, "Although [guarding the Dragon Egg] doesn't sound like the job of a badass, you'll change your mind once you see Blaze steamrolling his way towards you".[70]

Voiced by: Carlos Pesina (MK:DA, MK:D, MK:A); Steve Blum (MKX)

Bo' Rai Cho is a martial arts master skilled in the style of drunken boxing. His attacks mostly center around his weight and bodily functions. An Outworld native, but an opponent of Shao Kahn's tyranny, he trained Liu Kang and many other Earthrealm warriors for the Mortal Kombat tournament as his participation would be on the behalf of Shao Kahn. Bo' Rai Cho trains Kung Lao after he learns of Liu Kang's death, and in Deception, he rescues Li Mei from having her soul trapped inside one of the corpses of Onaga's army. Bo' Rai Cho is later tricked by Mileena, posing as Kitana, into leading Kitana's army to certain defeat against Baraka's forces, but Bo' Rai Cho emerges victorious with the help of Liu Kang. He returns in Mortal Kombat X, in which he is attacked by Shinnok.

The character's name is a play on "borracho", the Spanish word for "drunk". According to Herman Sanchez, Bo' Rai Cho was created because Ed Boon sought to have a "slob" fighter, while John Vogel found that he filled the "master" role for the franchise.[257]

Reception to Bo' Rai Cho has been generally negative for his appearance and gross-out nature. Den of Geek ranked him 55th in their rating of the series' 73 characters, calling Bo' Rai Cho "a Shaw Brothers Boogerman, and the gag wears thin after the third time you use his puke attack".[61] Robert Naytor of Hardcore Gaming 101 unfavorably compared him to Virtua Fighter character Shun Di as "a big, fat guy" who is utilized to "throw up and fart a lot".[133] ScrewAttack rated him tenth in their 2011 list of the series' 10 worst characters, noting that his in-game weapon was plain wooden staff.[242] The character was listed as the eighth-worst Mortal Kombat character by Mitchell Saltzman of IGN, who opined, "Bo' Rai Cho feels like a mess of ideas all sloppily thrown together to create a character of contradictions."[95] However, Bo' Rai Cho placed 37th on UGO's 2012 list of the top 50 MK characters, which called his comic relief role "a breath of fresh air. Or, in his case, a belch of fresh air".[70] Complex named him one of the series' most underrated characters in 2011.[94]

Voiced by: Rich Carle (MK:D)

Drahmin is a demonic Oni who resides in the Netherrealm. He and Moloch are hired by Quan Chi to protect him against Scorpion in exchange for freedom from the Netherrealm, but after Quan Chi betrays them, they align themselves with Shang Tsung to help him counter Quan Chi's treachery. While in Shang Tsung's palace, Drahmin and Moloch encounter Scorpion, who they defeat by throwing into the palace's Soulnado. Drahmin returns in the Mortal Kombat X prequel comic, in which he is killed by Quan Chi.

Ed Boon described Drahmin as one of the most difficult characters to program because specific code had to be written to prevent Drahmin's arm-mounted club from switching sides whenever the character turned around during gameplay.[258] Den of Geek rated him 47th in their 2015 ranking of the 64 series characters, describing him as "a collection of cool concepts that doesn't make for much of a sum" whereas "Moloch does a lot more with less".[61]

Voiced by: Christine Rios (MK:A); Kelly Hu (MKX); Sara Cravens (MK11)

Frost is a Lin Kuei warrior who possesses the ability to control ice. She was trained directly by Sub-Zero due to the similarities between them and the potential he saw in her, but her skills were compounded by her arrogant nature. When Sub-Zero has her accompany him to help battle Quan Chi and Shang Tsung, Frost steals his Dragon Medallion and becomes frozen by her own powers. Frost is revealed to have survived in the Unchained port of Deception, in which Sub-Zero traps her in a block of ice after she attempts to kill him. She is freed by Taven in the Konquest mode of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, but attacks him after mistaking him for Sub-Zero and is defeated. Frost returns as a playable character in Mortal Kombat 11, which depicts her receiving cybernetic enhancements. Aligning herself with Kronika by leading the Cyber Lin Kuei against Earthrealm's heroes, she is defeated by Raiden, who shuts down the cyborgs by deactivating her link to them. Frost returns in Mortal Kombat 1 as a kameo fighter.

The character was the first designed by Herman Sanchez for Deadly Alliance.[259] She was placed eighth in Complex's selection of the series' ten most underrated characters in 2011.[94] Den of Geek placed Frost 37th in their 2015 ranking of the series' 73 player characters, calling her addition "a nice touch" to Sub-Zero's rebuilding of the Lin Kuei.[61]

Hsu Hao is a member of the Red Dragon clan distinguished by his cybernetic heart. After infiltrating the Special Forces, Hsu Hao destroys their Outerworld Investigation Agency branch with a nuclear device. He is eventually found by Jax, who kills him by ripping out his cybernetic heart. Despite this, he returns in Armageddon. Hsu Hao also appears in the Mortal Kombat X comic prequel, in which he is killed by Scorpion.

During development, the character was called Kublai Khan after the Mongolian emperor of the same name.[260] Steve Beran described him as "the anti-Jax" whose cybernetic heart was the result of experiments performed on him by the Chinese army. According to Ed Boon, Hsu Hao had a number of different iterations, with his "Hand Clap" special move inspired by superhero comics.[261]

Hsu Hao is widely regarded as one of the worst characters in the Mortal Kombat franchise. Den of Geek's 2015 ranking of the series' 73 characters placed him as the second-worst.[61] Robert Naytor of Hardcore Gaming 101 described the character as "a slightly racist take at a Village Person".[133] Naming him the series' worst character in 2014, Destructoid noted that "in a game that was littered with lackluster new additions, he was without a doubt the runt of that litter".[262] This negative reception is also present in the development team, with John Vogel intending his death in Deadly Alliance to be canon and Boon making him the first character officially omitted from the Mortal Kombat X playable character roster.[261][263] In reference to the negative reception, one of Erron Black's pre-match introductions in Mortal Kombat 11 depicts him tossing aside Hsu Hao's severed head. However, Hsu Hao was included in the Joker's MK11 ending, in which they join forces with Havik and Mileena in attacking Orderrealm.[264]

Voiced by: Lina Chern (MK:D); Tara Strong (MKX); Kelly Hu (MK1); Grey DeLisle (Battle of the Realms)

Li Mei is an Outworld native from a small village who is forced into a tournament by Shang Tsung and Quan Chi with the promise that her victory would free her village. However, upon winning the tournament, Shang Tsung attempts to place her soul into the corpse of one of Onaga's soldiers. Deception reveals that Li Mei was saved by Bo' Rai Cho, but her contact with the corpse causes her to feel a connection with Onaga. She makes a brief appearance in the story mode of Mortal Kombat X, where she leads a number of Outworld refugees into Earthrealm after Mileena uses Shinnok's amulet to destroy her village. Li Mei returns as a playable character in Mortal Kombat 1, depicted as the First Constable of Outworld's capitol Sun Do who once served Empress Sindel and led the Umgadi until Jerrod was murdered.

Reception to Li Mei has been mixed, with criticism directed towards her Deception design. Den of Geek rated her 57th in their 2015 ranking of the series' entire 73-character roster, feeling she was "only distinguished by her ridiculous outfit of a bandana and underwear".[61] Joe Pring of WhatCulture rated Li Mei sixth in his 2015 selection of the twenty worst Mortal Kombat characters for "[wearing] a bandana while dancing around in metal-plated underwear", which he stated "deserves to be ridiculed".[249]

Voiced by: Alex Brandon (MK:A)

Mavado is a high-ranking member of the Red Dragon clan. As his clan's top priority is the elimination of the Black Dragon, he aligns himself with Quan Chi and Shang Tsung when they promise to hand over Kano to him for his services. He also defeats Kenshi on their behest. Deception reveals Mavado was killed by Kabal after an unsuccessful attempt on Kabal's life, but he returns in Armageddon, continuing to serve the Red Dragon. Mavado has a minor role in the Mortal Kombat X comic prequel, in which he is killed by Cassie Cage.[265]

Originally named "Malvado", the Spanish word for "evil",[266] Steve Beran conceived a matador-style look for the character,[267] but the idea was nixed due to the belief that it did not fit in with the Mortal Kombat universe.[268] He is the first character in the series to use a physical object for a body-propel special attack, which he performs by shooting two bungee cords into the ground and slingshotting himself feet-first to dropkick his opponent.[268] This attack was incorporated into his "Boot Thrust" Fatality.

Robert Workman of GamePlayBook ranked him eighth in his 2010 selection of the worst MK characters, describing his Fatality as "stupid",[227] but Den of Geek, placed him 39th in their 2015 ranking of the series' 73 characters "for his bungee hook attacks" and taking Kabal's weapons after killing him.[61]

Voiced by Dusan Brown (Cage Match)

Mokap is a motion capture actor with an extensive martial arts background. He debuted as a hidden character in Deadly Alliance, but has no involvement with the story; his biography follows Johnny Cage's non-canonical ending of a Deadly Alliance film being created. Mokap also has a limited role in the conflict of Armageddon, in which his involvement is said to be by mistake.[269]

Named after the contraction for motion capture, Mokap is based on Midway graphic artist Carlos Pesina, who provided the motion capture work for Deadly Alliance. Pesina admitted it was "pretty flattering" being included in the game, but also remarked it was "weird" seeing Fatalities performed on him.[269]

Reception to Mokap has been mostly negative. Den of Geek rated him 55th in their 2015 ranking of the series characters, stating that he "didn't really work well as a comedy character because the game did little to differentiate the characters in terms of personality".[61] In their ranking of the 10 worst characters, ScrewAttack placed Mokap second because "nobody wants to play as a dude with balls on his body".[134]

Voiced by: Bob Ladewig (MK:D)

Moloch is the sub-boss of Deadly Alliance. An Oni demon of immense size and strength, he and Drahmin are hired by Quan Chi to protect him against Scorpion in exchange for freedom from the Netherrealm. After Quan Chi betrays them by leaving them behind, Moloch and Drahmin align themselves with Shang Tsung to help him counter Quan Chi's treachery. They also defeat Scorpion by throwing him into the Soulnado at Shang Tsung's palace. Moloch also appears in the Mortal Kombat X prequel comic, in which Quan Chi has him killed by the revenant Kitana. In reference to his comic death, Quan Chi is seen holding Moloch's severed head during his Mortal Kombat X pre-match introductions.[270]

Designed by Allen Ditzig, Moloch's concept changed little from his finalized design.[271] Den of Geek rated him 21st in their 2015 ranking of the series' 64 characters, praising his sub-boss role and possessing "some utter brutality that hadn't been felt in a Mortal Kombat boss since Kintaro".[61] Bryan Dawson of Prima Games named Moloch in his 2014 selection of the "cheapest" Mortal Kombat characters for his playable version in Armageddon having "a near infinite combo limited only by the size of the stage" and "ridiculous reach with most of his special moves".[117]

Portrayed by: Megan Fox (MK1, voice/model);[272] Cristina Vee (MK1, battle grunts);[273] Mel Jarnson (2021 film)

Nitara is a vampire from the realm of Vaeternus who seeks to destroy the orb that binds her realm to Outworld. As the orb is inside of a lava pit that Cyrax is able to enter, Nitara orchestrates a series of events to force Cyrax into helping her in exchange for passage back to Earthrealm.[274] She ultimately succeeds in destroying the orb with Cyrax's assistance, freeing Vaeternus.[275] Her biography in Armageddon states that Nitara leaves Vaeternus for Edenia in an effort to prevent her species from being exterminated by Ashrah, although this is not established during the game. In the rebooted timeline of Mortal Kombat 1, Nitara has a minor role in the game's story mode, in which she allies herself with Quan Chi to conquer Earthrealm in order to prevent mass starvation of her people after they overfed on Vaeternus' creatures.[202]

The character was designed by Luis Mangubat, and a male vampire counterpart was also planned for Deadly Alliance but the developers were unable to add him to the game in time.[276] Megan Fox, who voiced Nitara in MK1, described the character as "evil but she's also good. She's trying to save her people. I really like her. She's a vampire which obviously resonates for whatever reason."[277]

Nitara was played by Mel Jarnson in the 2021 feature film Mortal Kombat, in which she briefly appears as one of Shang Tsung's Outworld champions before she is killed by Kung Lao.[278]

UGO ranked Nitara 46th on their 2012 list of the top fifty series characters.[70] In 2011, Complex named her one of the series' most underrated characters, stating that "Buffy would get her ass handed to her by this chick".[94] However, Fox's voicework in MK1 was criticized by fans as "lifeless and boring".[279]

Voiced by: Johanna Añonuevo (MK:D, MK:A); Kelly Hu (Cage Match);[224] Susan Eisenberg (MK1)[280]

Ashrah is a demon from the Netherrealm who discovers a magical sword that cleanses her soul when she uses it to kill demons. As having a purified soul will allow her to escape the Netherrealm, Ashrah plots to kill Noob Saibot to complete her redemption. Her Armageddon biography reveals that after leaving the Netherrealm, she is tasked with killing the vampires in Vaeternus.[281] Ashrah returns in Mortal Kombat 1. While hunting down demons to cleanse her soul, she allies herself with Earthrealm's warriors to stop Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, and is welcomed into the Earthrealm by Liu Kang. After the defeat of Titan Shang Tsung, she began studying with the Shaolin Monks before briefly returning to Outworld to rescue Sareena from Quan Chi's control. After Liu Kang assists her in removing Quan Chi's control over her, Sareena joins Ashrah in Earthrealm to form the Order of Light. The pre-fight intros also reveal she and Reptile began dating each other.[203]

Ed Boon commented that the character was commonly misconceived as a female version of Raiden due to her similar outfit and believed she would have the "biggest impact" out of the new characters from Deception.[282] Ashrah was ranked 45th on UGO's 2012 list of the top 50 Mortal Kombat characters.[70] Den of Geek placed her 53rd in their 2015 ranking of the 64 series characters, opining that there was "nothing special about her".[61] Robert Naytor of Hardcore Gaming 101 made note of the character's "modest outfit" in contrast to the franchise's other female characters, but criticized her minor role in the story.[133] Although Kevin Wong of Complex found Ashrah to be "a Raiden knockoff", he praised her "Voodoo Doll" Fatality from Deception.[106]

Voiced by: Josh Schmittstenstein (MK:D)

Dairou is a mercenary from Orderrealm. He was formerly a member of his realm's guardsmen until he was arrested after killing an assailant out of rage and began following his own personal code once he escaped from prison. An alternate biography states he was tricked into killing the individual he believed murdered his family; it is implied that Darrius is the true culprit. In Deception, Dairou is hired by an unknown individual to assassinate Hotaru.[283] According to Darrius' ending, he is also hired to steal their realm's Declaration of Order.[284]

Dairou was slated to appear in Deadly Alliance as an armored samurai-type character wielding a pair of katanas,[285] but was left out of the game due to time constraints and the complexity of the design.[286] For Deception, his original design was eschewed in favor of a more classical Chinese appearance. Ed Boon deemed the character's "Tombstone Drop" maneuver, where he slams backfirst onto the ground and sends his opponent airborne for a combo, one of the best moves in the game.[287] He makes a brief appearance in the 2022 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind as one of Kano's Black Dragon henchmen, but has no dialogue.

In the new timeline introduced in Mortal Kombat 1, Dairou's character was merged with Havik: while retaining Havik's appearance and name, he has the original Dairou's anarchist beliefs and one pre-fight intro with Reptile reveals that Dairou is in fact his real name and "Havik" is an alias.[288]

Although Boon had praise for Dairou's appearance,[287] reception to the character has been negative. He was ranked 67th by Den of Geek in their 2015 rating of the series' 73 playable characters, describing him as "unbelievably generic",[61] and Dustin Thomas of Destructoid stated "there really isn't a whole lot to say about him" while ranking him third in his 2014 list of the series' five worst MK characters.[262] Despite this, his "Ribs to the Eyes" Fatality in Deception is regarded as one of the franchise's best.[262][54][289][290][291][292]

Voiced by: Steve Jones (MK:D)

Darrius is the leader of a resistance movement in Orderrealm. He seeks to overthrow his realm's government, believing they are too oppressive towards their citizens. To accomplish his goal, Darrius exploits the laws of his realm to manipulate others into joining his movement; his biography implies he had Dairou's family murdered to instigate Dairou's removal from the guardsmen.

Designed by Steve Beran, Darrius was the last new addition to the Deception roster.[293] Beran described Darrius as having "a 'take no B.S.' attitude, like a star athlete who had made his way to fame from a rough upbringing and humble beginnings",[293] while Ed Boon considered him a more "Americanized" fighting game character who had an indescribable "appeal" about him and Herman Sanchez called the character "lean and mean, aggressive, [and with] style." According to Beran, the character's look was inspired by 1960s and '70s comic book art, with his final appearance "intended to be a mixture of those elements fused with a sleek modern approach". His alternate costume was a homage to actor Jim Kelly. Lead storyteller John Vogel expressed his desire to see Darrius in future MK installments, although he has not reappeared since Armageddon.[294] He eventually made his return in Mortal Kombat 1 as a kameo fighter with appearances in the story mode.

Darrius was rated 44th in the 2015 ranking of the series' 73 player characters by Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek, who found him "worth revisiting down the line".[61] Conversely, ScrewAttack named Darrius the sixth worst Mortal Kombat character, calling him a "knock-off" of the Marvel Comics hero Blade.[134]

Voiced by: Ryan Rosenberg (MK:D, MK:A); Jacob Craner (MK1)[280]

Havik is a denizen of Chaosrealm. As with the rest of his realm, his primary goal is to spread disorder through the universe. He pursues his goal by luring the heroes into battle with Onaga. He also convinces Kabal to reform the Black Dragon after saving him from death. Havik is prominently featured in the Mortal Kombat X prequel comic, which sees him killed by Quan Chi. However, Shang Tsung states he is still alive during the events of Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath.

The character was designed by Steve Beran as an alternate outfit for Noob Saibot before being given a storyline of his own.[295] His original name during development of Deception was "Skab".[296] Ed Boon said that Havik was envisioned as a "decaying" character whose specials would look "disturbing" due to often featuring his limbs breaking.[297]

Havik is generally regarded as the best character introduced in Deception. Dustin Thomas of Destructoid called him "the only new character in Deception worthy of being a Mortal Kombat character".[262] Hardcore Gaming 101 described Havik as "probably the least lamest of the newcomers in Deception, even though that's not saying much".[133] Ranking him 30th in their 2015 rating of the series' 73 characters, Den of Geek said, "While the whole Orderrealm/Chaosrealm subplot never quite caught on, Havik is strong enough to exist on his own."[61]

Voiced by: Chase Ashbaker (MK:D)

Hotaru is a high-ranking guardsman in Orderrealm. Although not inherently evil, he aligns himself with Onaga due to Onaga's reputation for preserving order. As part of his alignment, Hotaru pursues Sub-Zero for killing many of Onaga's Tarkatan warriors. In turn, Hotaru is pursued by Dairou, who received a contract to assassinate him. He is depicted being killed by Dairou, Darrius, and Kenshi in their respective endings, but the 2011 reboot reveals that his death occurred during the final battle of Armageddon.[298]

The character was conceived as a foil to Havik.[299] His name is the Japanese word for firefly, which serves as the motif for his costume that was designed by Jennifer Hedrick.

Hotaru was ranked 43rd on UGO's 2012 list of the top 50 Mortal Kombat characters. Ranking him 60th in their 2015 rating of the series' 73 characters, Den of Geek remarked that "order tends to be the more boring [compared to chaos], but Hotaru has just enough of a cool factor".[61] Robert Workman of GamePlayBook rated Hotaru 10th in his selection of the worst series characters for his using lava as a weapon and "stealing" Liu Kang's Bicycle Kick for one of his special moves.[227]

Voiced by: Christine Rios (MK:A); Courtenay Taylor (Snow Blind)[300]

Kira is a member of the Black Dragon clan who possesses the abilities of Kano and Sonya Blade. She also wields the same daggers as Kano. Formerly an arms dealer, she becomes the first recruit of Kabal's new clan in Deception. Early into the Konquest mode of MK: Armageddon, Kira is seen guarding a bridge alongside Kobra. Kira, however, abandons Kobra during his battle with Taven.

John Vogel described Kira as the "most disciplined" of the Black Dragons, while Jay Biondo called her "the Fatal Attraction character".[301] Describing her as an "evil Sonya Blade" who was "a bit easier to take seriously" than Kobra, Den of Geek placed Kira 32nd in their 2015 ranking of the franchise's 64 player characters.[61] Her storyline as an arms dealer who disguised herself as a man was ranked fourth by John Harty of WhatCulture in his 2015 selection of the series' ten "Most Badass Backstories", calling it "a concept that speaks to a person having some serious balls".[302]

Voiced by: Alex Brandon (MK:A); Yuri Lowenthal (Snow Blind)

Kobra is a martial artist who serves the Black Dragon clan. Once a disciplined fighter, he turns criminal after he starts using his training to kill others. His bloodlust catches the attention of Kabal, who makes him the second recruit of his clan in Deception.[303] Kobra appears as Taven's first opponent in the Konquest mode of Armageddon, in which he unsuccessfully attempts to prevent Taven from crossing a bridge.

Kobra was given the placeholder name of "Ben Masters" while Deception was in production, due to his physical resemblance to Street Fighter character Ken Masters.[304] Ed Boon described Kobra in Deception as "the simple character that everybody can pick up and play" with easy-to-execute special moves.[305]

In the 2022 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind, Kobra is one of Kano's main Black Dragon henchmen.

GamePlayBook placed Kobra sixth in their 2010 listing of the 10 worst Mortal Kombat characters, unfavorably comparing him to Ken.[227] Den of Geek rated Kobra 35th in their 2015 ranking of the 64 series characters, calling him an "evil Johnny Cage".[61]

Voiced by: Nigel Casey (MK:D, MK:A)

Onaga is the final boss of Deception. Also known as the Dragon King, he was the emperor of Outworld until he was poisoned by Shao Kahn. Once resurrected, Onaga derives his power from the Kamidogu, six mystical relics that contain the essence of each main realm. Unbeknownst to Onaga, however, he is being manipulated by the One Being into unmaking reality through the Kamidogu. The Konquest mode of Deception reveals how he manipulated Shujinko into collecting the Kamidogu for him under the identity of his avatar Damashi. He is ultimately defeated by Shujinko, but returns in Armageddon, in which he begrudgingly enters an alliance with Shao Kahn and other major villains to destroy Blaze. Onaga does not appear in the rebooted timeline, although he is occasionally referenced. In Mortal Kombat 1's new timeline, Onaga was defeated and captured centuries ago by General Shao's ancestors, and General Shao tasks Reiko with taming him to use as a weapon against Outworld's Royal Court.[203]

The character was ranked 39th on UGO's 2012 list of the top 50 Mortal Kombat fighters.[70]

Voiced by: Max Crawford (MK:D, MK:A)

Shujinko is a veteran adventurer with the ability to copy the powers of his opponents. He serves as the protagonist of Deception's Konquest mode, which depicts how he was deceived into collecting the six mystical Kamidogu for Onaga. Upon learning of the deception, Shujinko seeks redemption by using the power he received from Onaga to defeat him. Shujinko emerges victorious by destroying the Kamidogu, but believing that he has not redeemed himself, he plots to destroy Onaga and the other villains during the events of MK: Armageddon. He appears in the Mortal Kombat X prequel comic, where he guards Chaosrealm's Kamidogu but becomes possessed by Havik. He also appears in Cassie Cage's ending in the Mortal Kombat X game, where he is defeated by Cassie after Raiden reported him stealing souls. In Mortal Kombat 1, he appears as an assist-based Kameo fighter. The new timeline's version also appears in Kung Lao's ending, where he trains under him. Due to Kung Lao not teaching him humility, he becomes a threat to the realms. After Liu Kang erases his memory, Kung Lao agrees to train him again but with Raiden at his side.[203]

Ed Boon deemed Shujinko the series' "next-generation Liu Kang",[306] but the character was not well received. Describing him as "one of the most gullible, susceptible dumbasses in video games", Den of Geek placed Shujinko 65th in their 2015 ranking of the series' 73 playable characters.[61] ScrewAttack ranked Shujinko the eighth worst Mortal Kombat character for being an "older and boring" Liu Kang.[242] Bryan Dawson of Prima Games named him one of the series' "cheapest" characters due to his moveset of other fighters' special attacks.[117]

Voiced by: Tom Taylorson (MK:A)

Daegon is the younger of the brothers tasked with preventing Armageddon. Due to being awoken prematurely from his incubation, however, he appears physically older than Taven. The premature awakening causes Daegon to become unbalanced, resulting in him killing his parents and forming the Red Dragon clan. When Taven is properly awoken during the events of Armageddon, Daegon fights him for the right to face Blaze, but he is defeated by his older brother. Along with a background cameo in the 2011 reboot, he appears in the Mortal Kombat X prequel comic, which establishes him as the killer of Takeda's mother.

The character was initially called "Doug" during the production of Armageddon as the developers had difficulty finding a name for him.[307] Daegon finished 56th in Den of Geek's 2015 ranking of the series' 73 characters.[61] He was criticized by Hardcore Gaming 101, who opined that his in-development name was "probably the most interesting thing about him".[133]

Voiced by: Shaun Himmerick (MK:A)

Taven is the older of the brothers tasked with preventing Armageddon. He serves as the protagonist of Armageddon's training mode, which depicts his quest to save the realms by claiming Blaze's power. The mode ends with Taven defeating Blaze, but his victory does not stop the final battle as it instead causes the other warriors to become more powerful. The 2011 reboot, however, establishes Shao Kahn claiming Blaze's power, implying Taven was defeated by Blaze. Taven has not been featured in the storyline of the rebooted timeline, although he has appeared in non-canonical endings.

Due to difficulty in naming the character, Taven was originally called "Bob" until his final name was determined. Ed Boon revealed that he initially opposed Taven's final name before it made "perfect sense" to him.[308] Reception to Taven was mostly negative; Hardcore Gaming 101 called him "utterly generic".[133] Destructoid named him the series' second-worst fighter, describing him as "the most bland character in MK history".[262] Similar criticism was shared by Den of Geek in their 2015 ranking of the series' 73 playable characters, which placed him 58th and opined "Taven's generic design didn't do him any favors" when Armageddon was "based around including every single playable Mortal Kombat character".[61]

Voiced by: Perry Brown and Patrick Seitz

Dark Kahn is the final boss of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. He is an amalgamation of Shao Kahn and DC Comics supervillain Darkseid, created through the accidental merging of their universes. Deriving his power from conflict, he attempts to fully merge the universes by manipulating the Mortal Kombat and DC warriors into fighting each other. Dark Kahn is ultimately defeated by Raiden and Superman, who manage to overcome his manipulation. Following Dark Kahn's destruction, Shao Kahn and Darkseid become trapped in their counterparts' universe; Darkseid is sent to the Netherrealm, while Shao Kahn is imprisoned in the Phantom Zone.

Voiced by: Beata Poźniak

Skarlet is a warrior created by Shao Kahn using sorcery and the blood of countless warriors. She debuts in the 2011 series reboot, where her purpose is to discern Quan Chi's true reason for attending the Mortal Kombat tournament. In Mortal Kombat 11, her background is changed to that as an orphan adopted by Shao Kahn to learn blood magic upon her eventual transformation into an imperial bodyguard and assassin. Skarlet uses kodachi swords and kunai knives as well as her power to turn into, and absorb the blood of her victims in addition to being able to manipulate her victim's blood.

Similar to the Ermac rumors in the first Mortal Kombat, Skarlet originated as a nonexistent character in Mortal Kombat II due to false reports of a glitch nicknamed "Scarlet" by players in which the palette swaps of either Kitana or Mileena would turn red.[309] Nearly two decades after the rumors originated, she was announced as one of the 2011 reboot's first downloadable (DLC) playable characters.[310] She plays a minor role in DC Comics' 2015 Mortal Kombat X comic series set before the events of the game, but does not appear in the game itself. Skarlet has been noted by gaming media outlets for the graphic nature of her character and her Fatalities.[311][312][313]

Voiced by: Kelly Hu (MKX, MK11), Debra Wilson (Battle of the Realms)[66]

D'Vorah is a Kytinn, a humanoid race with insect/arachnid traits.[314] Her name is derived from the Hebrew word for bee. She is first seen serving Kotal Kahn in Mortal Kombat X, but is secretly in allegiance with Shinnok, which results in her being defeated by Cassie Cage. In Mortal Kombat 11, D'Vorah joins Kronika's efforts in restarting the timeline. Although she kills the present version of Scorpion, she is forced to retreat after his past counterpart injures her; her subsequent fate is unknown.

D'Vorah appears in the 2021 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, voiced by Debra Wilson.[66]

The character has received a polarizing reception. Melody MacReady of Screen Rant noted that while D'Vorah is praised for her design, she has generated controversy for killing popular characters such as Baraka, Mileena, and Scorpion in the games' storyline.[315] She ranked 25th in Den of Geek's 2015 rating of the series' 73 playable characters, which called her "a great new addition to the roster" and lauded that she was "filled with all sorts of creepy surprises".[61]

Voiced by: Troy Baker

Erron Black is a mercenary from Earthrealm, but in the service of Outworld. Depicted as a 19th-century gunfighter from the Old West, his backstory reveals that his body's aging was slowed by Shang Tsung in exchange for murdering an unidentified Earthrealm warrior. As a result, he utilizes 19th century weaponry. He serves Kotal Kahn in Mortal Kombat X, which puts him into conflict with Earthrealm's warriors. Mortal Kombat 11 features a past version of Erron Black who both serves Shao Kahn and is a member of the Black Dragon, while his present counterpart assists Kitana in defeating Shao Kahn's forces.

Black appears in the 2022 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind as one of Kano's Black Dragon henchmen.

The character placed 10th in Den of Geek's rating of the series' 73 playable characters in 2015, the highest of any fighter not introduced in the first three games, which described him as "the Boba Fett of Mortal Kombat".[61]

Voiced by: Tara Strong (Ferra); Fred Tatasciore (Torr)

Ferra and Torr are a duo belonging to an Outworld symbiotic species. Through their relationship, the diminutive Ferra rides the massive Torr into battle, while Torr serves as their enforcer. During gameplay, the player controls Torr, with Ferra utilized for special attacks; as such, fatalities and brutalities are performed directly on Torr. Their ending in Mortal Kombat X establishes Ferra is a juvenile who will be mounted by a rider when she reaches maturity and Torr will die without her. In the story mode of Mortal Kombat X, Ferra and Torr serve Kotal Kahn, which leads to them fighting Earthrealm's warriors; they are ultimately incapacitated by Sub-Zero.

Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News called Ferra and Torr a "highlight" of the game, with their in-gameplay mannerisms "distracting enough to take your eye off the battle, and quirky enough that it's worth watching."[316] They ranked 39th in the ranking of the series characters by Den of Geek, who praised them as "the most original new race the series has introduced in years".[61]

Voiced by: Danielle Nicolet (MKX); Megalyn Echikunwoke (MK11)

Jacqui Briggs is a Special Forces operative who uses a pair of electronic gauntlets as her primary weapon. The daughter of Jax and best friend of Cassie Cage, she debuts in Mortal Kombat X as a member of Cassie Cage's unit, with whom she helps defeat the threatening forces of Outworld and the Netherrealm. She also becomes the love interest to Takeda. In Mortal Kombat 11, Jacqui and the past version of her father are forced to face the present version of Jax when he aligns himself with Kronika. After the present version realizes his mistakes, she fights alongside both versions of her father in the battle against Kronika's forces. In Mortal Kombat 1, Jacqui is not present in the new timeline as Jax had not married yet, but appears in the final battle as one of Shang Tsung's minions summoned to oppose Liu Kang.

Den of Geek ranked Jacqui 47th in their ranking of the 73 series characters, praising her for being "fun to play as" while finding that "she doesn't stand out nearly enough".[61] Ikhtear Shahrukh of The Daily Star opined that Jacqui "fit[s] into typical generic fighter game character stereotypes instead of being Mortal Kombat material".[317]

Voiced by: Phil LaMarr

Kotal Kahn is the emperor of Outworld in Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11. He is an Osh-Tekk, an Aztec-inspired species whose powers originate from the sun, and wields a macuahuitl as his primary weapon. Embroiled in a civil war against Mileena in Mortal Kombat X, he receives support from the Earthrealm warriors, but turns against them due to D'Vorah's deception. Kotal Kahn later leads an invasion of Earthrealm, which is driven back by the Lin Kuei. In Mortal Kombat 11, his rule is threatened by the return of Shao Kahn. After Shao Kahn cripples him, he names Kitana the new ruler of Outworld. He does not appear during the battle against Kronika in the original story mode, but Aftermath sees him participate after his injures heal; he is killed by Shao Kahn in a surprise attack.

The character was ranked 15th on Den of Geek's list of Mortal Kombat characters, which compared him to Black Adam and Namor as an "honorable" emperor who "will do anything to protect his planetary kingdom".[61]

Voiced by: Parry Shen

Takeda is a member of the Shirai Ryu clan whose primary weapon is a pair of bladed whips. The son of Kenshi, he was raised and trained by Scorpion after his mother's murder as Kenshi wanted him properly prepared to avenge his mother. He is depicted as a member of Cassie Cage's unit in Mortal Kombat X, where he helps defeat the threatening forces of Outworld and the Netherrealm. Takeda also serves as the love interest of Jacqui Briggs. Although he does not appear in Mortal Kombat 11, Jacqui mentions that they have become engaged. An alternate evil version of him appears alongside the rest of his unit in the final chapter of the story mode in Mortal Kombat 1, where they are all quickly killed by Titan Kitana. Takeda is also going to be a playable character in the game's Kombat Pack.

The character was ranked 36th in the list of Mortal Kombat characters by Den of Geek, which found that he "works best as an accessory to Scorpion, finally giving him some semblance of family and helping to give him closure".[61]

Voiced by: Vic Chao

Triborg is a cybernetic warrior created from the consciousnesses of Sektor, Cyrax, Smoke, and Sub-Zero.[318] As a result, he is able to replicate the abilities of each. Depending on the variation selected by the player, Triborg will appear as one of the Lin Kuei cyborgs and utilize his special moves during gameplay. He debuted as a downloadable character in Mortal Kombat X, where his backstory establishes that he seeks to destroy all organic life. However, he has no involvement in the storyline of the game. Triborg was excluded from the Den of Geek ranking of the series' fighters, as writer Gavin Jasper found him to be "a Voltron of existing characters".[319]

Voiced by: Mary Elizabeth McGlynn

Cetrion is the Elder Goddess of life and virtue. She utilizes nature and the elements as her primary powers. As the daughter of Kronika and sister of Shinnok, Cetrion is intended to balance the darkness represented by her brother. Despite her benevolent appearance, however, she maintains loyalty to Kronika. This loyalty leads to Cetrion allowing Kronika to absorb her essence in both the original story mode of Mortal Kombat 11 and the Aftermath expansion.

Ranking her 38th in his list of the series' characters, Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek called Cetrion "more nightmarish" than Shinnok.[319]

Voiced by: Dave B. Mitchell (MK11); Phil LaMarr (MK1)[320]

Geras is an artificial construct created by Kronika to serve as her primary enforcer. Named after the Greek deity of old age, his powers are based around manipulating sand and time. The story mode of Mortal Kombat 11 establishes that he also possesses regenerative abilities, effectively rendering him immortal. As the Earthrealm heroes are unable to kill him, Raiden defeats Geras by throwing him into Netherrealm's bottomless Sea of Blood. The Aftermath expansion, however, depicts Geras being killed by Shao Kahn, despite his immortality powers. In Mortal Kombat 1, Liu Kang makes Geras his advisor and entrusts him with monitoring the new timeline.

Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek ranked Geras 20th in his list of the series' characters, with praise for his time manipulation powers and calling his ability to alter the game's match timer "such a wonderful, brilliant asshole move".[319]

Voiced by: Andrew Morgado

Kollector is a Naknadan, a six-armed species in Outworld. His multiple arms allow him to utilize a wide array of weaponry, including a lantern, chain mace, bag bomb, and vials of fire.[321][322] As implied by his name, he served as tribute collector for Shao Kahn until the emperor's death. When Shao Kahn returns in the story mode of Mortal Kombat 11, Kollector rejoins his forces, but is defeated by Kitana. In the Aftermath expansion, he is the first to notice the time-displaced Shang Tsung, Fujin, and Nightwolf arrive in Outworld, leading to him being defeated by the lattermost.

Ranked 45th in his list of the series' characters, Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek spoke highly of the Kollector's animation and fighting style, but found that "he showed up a little too late to the party".[319]

Voiced by: Jennifer Hale

Kronika is the final boss of Mortal Kombat 11. She is a Titan, a deity predating the Elder Gods, and responsible for maintaining the universe's timeline. As such, her powers center around space and time manipulation. Mortal Kombat 11's story mode depicts her efforts to maintain the conflict between good and evil by restarting the timeline, while also removing Raiden from history. Although Kronika succeeds in bringing the timeline back to its beginning, she is destroyed by Fire God Liu Kang, who becomes the new keeper of time. Kronika returns in the Aftermath expansion when Shang Tsung goes back in time to retrieve her crown, which is required to control the timeline. She is ultimately erased from existence by Shang Tsung, while either Shang Tsung or Liu Kang becomes the keeper of time, depending on who the player selects in the battle between them.

In Mortal Kombat 1, Titan Shang Tsung disguises himself as Kronika and calls himself "Damashi" when visiting Liu Kang's new timeline to mentor his counterpart into becoming the powerful sorcerer he was in previous timelines.[323]

Originally developed as a male deity, Kronika is noted as the first female boss in the Mortal Kombat franchise.[324] She was ranked 23rd in the Den of Geek's series characters list, the second-highest final boss behind Shao Kahn, which praised her as "a great major villain" who was "scary not because of her pure might, but because of her affronting divinity".[319]

Belokk was originally slated for Mortal Kombat Gold but was cut from the final release.[325][326] He was created by Eurocom and, according to Ed Boon, was removed from the game as the developers did not have time to complete him.[327] Nevertheless, Eurocom accidentally sent information about the game with Belokk in it to Game Informer, and as a result, six screenshots of him were leaked to the public in a preview, upon special request.[328]