Sektor
This is a list of playable and boss characters from the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise and the games in which they appear. Created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, the series depicts conflicts between various realms. Most characters fight on behalf of their realm, with the primary heroes defending Earthrealm against conquering villains from Outworld and the Netherrealm. Early installments feature the characters participating in the eponymous Mortal Kombat tournament to decide their realm's fate. In later installments, Earthrealm is often invaded by force.
A total of 77 playable fighters have been featured in the series, in addition to unplayable bosses and guest characters. Much of the franchise's mainstays were introduced during the first three games. Nearly all of the characters have been killed at a point in the story, but have rarely stayed dead.
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". 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. 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.
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. 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. 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.
Goro has received positive critical reception for his formidableness as a boss character in the games, but his cinematic portrayals, particularly in the 2021 film, have been negatively received. 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."
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 (Australian in later games.) who was the leader of the Black Dragon criminal empire and a wanted man in thirty-five countries. 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. 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. 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. Following this, Kano becomes Shao Kahn's arms supplier, giving his armies Earthrealm weaponry for his impending invasion. 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.
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. 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.
Kano was the final fighter added to the first game, with his role as the enemy of the female character Sonya. He was initially named Kao, and his faceplate came from being shot while escaping Sonya in an early planned Special Forces game. Kano's bionic metal faceplate was inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in The Terminator, 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); 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 Shao Kahn's forces that takes part in the invasion of Earthrealm. 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.
Baraka is a recurring foe in the story mode of 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot, in which the events of the first three games are retold, and he 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. 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.
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.
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. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
In 2009, Baraka ranked third on GameDaily's list of the "top ten ugliest game characters". 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. Baraka has otherwise received positive reception from gaming media outlets for his character and Fatalities.
Voiced by: Rhasaan Orange (2011 game), Dave B. Mitchell (Battle of the Realms)
Kintaro is the sub-boss for both Mortal Kombat II and also in the 2011 reboot. He is also the penultimate boss of Mortal KombatShaolin 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. According to series co-creator John Tobias, Kintaro was redesigned as a "Goro spinoff" who was possibly a Shokan general, but not royalty.
Kintaro appears in the animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, voiced by Dave B. Mitchell.
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. 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." Den of Geek wrote that he "has virtually no story to speak of outside of the [MK9] retcon". His "Reverse Rip" from the reboot was rated 35th by Prima Games in their 2014 list of the series' top fifty Fatalities.
Portrayed by: Daniel Pesina (MKII); John Turk (UMK3, MK4); Lawrence Kern (2011 game, MK11); J. J. Perry (Annihilation); Kimball Uddin (Conquest), 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 and a member of a cult called the Brotherhood of the Shadow who worships a fallen Elder God, later revealed to be Shinnok. In Mortal Kombat: Deception, he discovers, reactivates, and reprograms the cyborg ninja Smoke, intending to use his body as the basis for an undead cyborg army. In his ending, he is revealed to be a ressurrected Bi-Han, who previously operated as Sub-Zero before he was killed by Scorpion. In Mortal Kombat (2011), Saibot is resurrected off-screen by Quan Chi and Shao Kahn. While defending the former's "Soulnado", Saibot is defeated by his brother and new Sub-Zero Kuai Liang and presumed dead after being pulled into the Soulnado. In Mortal Kombat 11, Saibot resurfaces as a servant of Kronika, having gained increased power.
The character's name comes from the last names of Mortal Kombat's creators, Ed Boon and John Tobias, spelled backwards. Saibot first appeared in Mortal Kombat II (MKII) as a non-playable hidden character and a solid-black palette swap of the game's other male ninja characters, 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 Saibot to MKII without Tobias' knowledge, though Tobias would later create the character's initial backstory as a Netherrealm wraith.
He makes a cameo appearance in Mortal Kombat Annihilation, played by J. J. Perry, and in a self-titled episode of Mortal Kombat: Conquest, played by martial artist Kimball Uddin.
Noob Saibot has received positive critical reception, and particularly for his "Make a Wish" Fatality from the 2011 reboot game. In July 2011, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart played a video of the finisher while explaining the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that the ESRB could regulate video games without government intervention.
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); Jeremy Ratchford (Defenders of the Realm); Matthew Mercer (Battle of the Realms); Yuri Lowenthal (MK1)
Smoke debuted in Mortal Kombat II (MKII) as a non-playable hidden character who emanates smoke from his body and randomly appears at the start of a match to provide vague clues on how to find and fight him, for which specific requirements had to be met by players. Appearing as an unlockable playable character in Mortal Kombat 3 (MK3), he is stated to be a Lin Kuei assassin who works with Kuai Liang / Sub-Zero. After their clan starts turning their best warriors into cyborgs, Smoke attempts to join Liang in leaving the Lin Kuei. However, the former is captured, converted, and forced to hunt the latter against his will. With Liang's help, Smoke discovers he still retains his soul and aids him in defeating Lin Kuei cyborgs Cyrax and Sektor, only to be captured by Shao Kahn's forces. During the events of Mortal Kombat: Deception, Smoke is reactivated and reprogrammed by Noob Saibot into serving him as an ally and template for an army of cyber-demons. In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Smoke helps Saibot stage an assault on a Lin Kuei temple in Arctika until he is defeated by Taven.
In Mortal Kombat (2011), during which Raiden creates a new timeline while attempting to avert the events of Armageddon, Smoke is rewritten to become Tomas Vrbada, a Czech member of the Lin Kuei who can transform into his namesake. As a child, he was kidnapped by a cult who sought to sacrifice him to a demon, only for Smoke to become an enenra and slay the cultists. In the present, Smoke is chosen by Raiden to help him stop Shao Kahn from taking over Earthrealm. Though Raiden saves Smoke from becoming a cyborg, Liang is converted in his place before Smoke is killed by Shao Kahn's queen Sindel. Following this, Smoke is resurrected by Quan Chi as an undead revenant, a role he fulfills while making a minor non-playable appearance in Mortal Kombat X (MKX). Additionally, the downloadable playable character Triborg possesses a form based on Smoke's cyborg form.
In Mortal Kombat 1 (MK1), in which Fire God Liu Kang creates a third new timeline, Tomas / Smoke is rewritten once more to become an adoptive brother to Bi-Han / Sub-Zero and Kuai Liang / Scorpion after Smoke's family was killed for accidentally trespassing on Lin Kuei grounds. Though he lacks supernatural abilities, Smoke is skilled in practical magic. After Bi-Han betrays them to join forces with Shang Tsung, Smoke joins Liang in breaking off to found the Shirai Ryu clan to oppose him.
Smoke, based on his MK3 portrayal, appears in the Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm episode "Old Friends Never Die". Furthermore, he makes a cameo appearance in Mortal Kombat Annihilation, in which he is killed by Liu Kang.
Smoke has received mostly positive reception, while his "Earth Detonation" Fatality from MK3 has been noted by critics for its outlandish nature.
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". 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." Complex rated him tenth in their 2011 selection of the series' ten "most underrated characters", 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."
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)
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. 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.
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.
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. 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.
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", and Complex ranked him the fourth-coolest robot in video games in 2012. His episode of Legacy was well received, but critical reaction to his Fatalities has been mixed.
Portrayed by: Richard Divizio (MK3, UMK3 and MKT); Carlos Pesina (MK:D, MK:A); Daniel Nelson (2021 film)
Voiced by: Jarod Pranno (MK:A); David Lodge (2011 game); Jonathan Cahill (MK11); Kevin Michael Richardson (Defenders of the Realm); Damon Herriman (2021 film); Keith Silverstein (Snow Blind)
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. 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.
Kabal was nicknamed "Sandman" during the production of MK3 before his actual name was determined. 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. Tobias, however, expressed his dissatisfaction with his original design of Kabal in a 2012 interview.
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, but received notoriety for being overpowered in MK3, while response to his Fatalities throughout his series appearances has been mixed.
Portrayed by: Becky Gable (MKT)
Voiced by: Johanna Añonuevo (Armageddon)
Khameleon is a Zaterran who possesses the abilities of the franchise's female ninjas. She is the last known female of her race. She was introduced in the Nintendo 64 version of Mortal Kombat Trilogy. 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. Series art director Steve Beran acknowledged that she was included in Armageddon due to heavy fan demand.
In the new timeline depicted in Mortal Kombat 1, Khameleon makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the story mode as a member of the Umgadi, warrior priestesses who guard Outworld's royal family. Additionally, she also appears as a downloadable assist character, or "Kameo Fighter".
The character placed 33rd in UGO's selection of the top fifty series characters, 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."
Portrayed by: Deron McBee (Annihilation)
Motaro is a Centaurian from Outworld who possesses immense strength, the ability to teleport, fire energy blasts from his tail, and deflect incoming projectiles. First appearing as a sub-boss in Mortal Kombat 3 and its updates, he leads Shao Kahn's extermination squads during his invasion of Earthrealm. Motaro returns in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon as a minotaur due to a curse on his species placed by the Shokan.
Motaro makes minor non-speaking appearances in Mortal Kombat (2011) and Mortal Kombat 1 (MK1), with the former seeing him being killed by Raiden and the latter seeing him serve as a member of General Shao's rebellion. Additionally, Motaro appears as an unlockable assist character, or "Kameo Fighter", in MK1 and his quadrupedal physique was restored for both games.
Motaro has also appeared in Mortal Kombat Annihilation, Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, and Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge.
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. 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. With fans desiring to see the character return, the developers removed Motaro's hind legs to allow him in the game.
Motaro placed 31st in UGO's 2012 ranking of the top fifty Mortal Kombat characters, noting him being a tough sub-boss to defeat. Den of Geek ranked Motaro 42nd in their 2015 rating of the franchise's then-64 playable characters. 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." The bipedal version of Motaro was criticized by Robert Naytor of Hardcore Gaming 101 and ScrewAttack, with the former considering his four legs "the one cool thing he had going for him" and the latter stating that he had lost his most defining trait.
Portrayed by: John Turk (MKT); Tyrone Wiggins (Annihilation); Percy Brown (Conquest)
Voiced by: Rino Romano (Defenders of the Realm); Andrew Bowen (MKX); Dempsey Pappion (MK11); Noshir Dalal (MK1)
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. 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. 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, 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. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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. UGO ranked him 28th out of the series' top 50 characters in 2012. 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." 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." Bleeding Cool considered Rain's MK11 appearance as his best to date due to his evolved moveset.
Portrayed by: Sal Divita (MK3, UMK3); Peter Shinkoda (Legacy)
Voiced by: Andrew Kishino (2011 game); Dave B. Mitchell (MK11, Battle of the Realms)
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. 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.
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. 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.
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. 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. 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's original cyberized form appears in Mortal Kombat 1 as an assist-based Kameo fighter while his human counterpart in Liu Kang's new timeline appears in Sub-Zero's ending. 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.
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, and he appears in the animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (2021).
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. He has been lauded by gaming media outlets for his Fatalities over the course of the Mortal Kombat series. UGO placed him 26th—one spot behind Cyrax—in their 2012 list of the top fifty series characters.
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. 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. 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, she placed a middling 28th in UGO.com's 2012 ranking of their top fifty Mortal Kombat characters, and 47th in Den of Geek's 2019 ranking of the series' 77 playable characters. 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." However, her Fatalities over the course of her appearances have been fairly well received.
Portrayed by: Lia Montelongo (MK3); Musetta Vander (Annihilation); Beatrice Ilg (Legacy); Ana Thu Nguyen (Mortal Kombat 2)
Voiced by: Laura Boton (MK:D); Lani Minella (MK 2011); Kelly Hu (MKX); Mara Junot (2019–present)
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. Sindel agrees while also reconsolidating her power with Shao before betraying and defeating Kitana and Earthrealm's forces. 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.
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. She was played by actress Lia Montelongo, who was nineteen years old at the time.
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. 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.
Sindel has been positively received for her role in the games and her Fatalities, but her MK11 retcon was met with heavy fan criticism, while her portrayal in Annihilation has been ridiculed.
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 (MK 2011, Battle of the Realms)
Kurtis Stryker is a coast 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 losing to Shang Tsung, after which he is magically manipulated into killing himself by the sorcerer.
The character has received negative reception for his "common man" presence in the otherworldly atmosphere of the Mortal Kombat series. 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." 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."
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. He makes his playable debut in Mortal Kombat 4 and succeeds Raiden as Earthrealm's protector when Raiden becomes an Elder God. Fujin returns in Armageddon and is defeated by Taven after attempting to prevent him from continuing his quest. 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. 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. 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)
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. 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
Similar Artists