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Mortal Kombat 1 is launching with one of the strongest rosters in years. NetherRealm Studios has gone all out by including a mix of fan-favorite fighters and beloved classic characters.
Mortal Kombat 1‘s reboot is a masterful job of reintroducing series staples in fresh and exciting ways. While also introducing new characters like Tanya, Ashrah, Havik, and Nitara. This is an excellent opportunity to set up the new timeline the series is following.
Thus far, the Mortal Kombat 1 character roster features an impressive blend of traditional fighters and Kameo characters that provide assists.
Mileena
The twin sister of Kitana, Mileena, is a ruthless warrior from the hostile Outworld realm. She’s a formidable fighter with deadly skills, including her signature sais.
She fights with a pair of sais, and she has a number of fast attacks that open up brief juggle opportunities. She also has the ability to teleport short distances and become invisible for limited amounts of time.
Mileena is renowned for her extreme ferocity and cannibalistic tendencies, which are displayed in her Fatalities, where she cackles maniacally.
Kitana
Kitana is a key character in Mortal Kombat, often depicted as a heroic princess and assassin. She possesses razor-sharp fans, martial arts skills, and agility. Kitana is renowned for her elegant and deadly fighting style.
Despite her beauty, Kitana is a fierce fighter and one of the most dangerous women in the series. She uses razor-sharp fans to bludgeon and cut opponents but can also use them to sweep the opponent sideways or perform a Staff Smash. She can be upgraded to add armor to her fans, as well as increase their damage and amplify her ability to grab the opponent.
Scorpion
Scorpion, also known as Hanzo Hasashi, is one of the most iconic MK characters. He is a resurrected ninja specter seeking vengeance against Sub-Zero, who murdered him and his family. Scorpion wields hellfire-based powers and is recognized by his iconic spear and “Get over here!” catchphrase.
Scorpion is an undead ninja hell-bent on revenge. His affinity for hellfire makes him a deadly fighter, able to set anyone in his path ablaze. But he’s also fast and agile, using his kunai spear to harpoon enemies.
He also possesses the ability to generate a shield of pure energy, allowing him to block and counterattack at the same time. This enables him to quickly chain together his lightning-quick combos, while his X-ray attacks reveal opponents’ weaknesses for the entire team.
Sub-Zero
Sub-Zero is the younger brother of the Lin Kuei grandmaster Bi Han. While the elder brother was a merciless warrior who killed Scorpion, the younger brother has taken up the mantle of the clan’s protector, taking on the name Sub-Zero in the process.
As a descendant of cryomancers, Sub Zero has the ability to manipulate and create frost and ice to enhance his attacks. He can shoot frozen projectiles, freeze his opponents, or even create ice duplicates of himself to give him an edge in battle. Sub-Zero also has a range of air variations that can help him get to higher ground or pound enemies from the sky.
Johnny Cage
Johnny Cage is a flamboyant, arrogant action movie star with a wise-cracking sense of humor. His moveset includes powerful punches, kicks, and iconic green energy attacks. He often adds comic relief to the series.
Although he is no longer one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Johnny Cage has maintained a steady movie career. After several bad investments, however, he found himself deeply in debt and was unable to make any more films. As a result, he began to star in low-budget action films.
As he crashes a movie premier, he is arrested and sent to a crowded holding cell where he is approached by Raiden, the god of thunder. Despite his refusal to believe him, the thunder god promises to leave Johnny’s hallucinations alone if he agrees to join him in fighting for Earthrealm.
He enters the Mortal Kombat tournament to prove his amazing martial arts skills are real to his critics.
Raiden
Raiden, the God of Thunder, is a protector of Earthrealm in Mortal Kombat. He possesses electrifying powers and serves as a mentor and guide to other characters. He plays a crucial role in defending Earthrealm from threats.
With a brutish moveset, Raiden is one of the faster characters in the game. He can grab opponents and impale them with his blades. He can also charge his attacks to deal more damage. His attack combinations can include a concentrated strike and an electric stomp.
Liu Kang
Liu Kang is one of the original and most iconic characters in Mortal Kombat. He’s known for his strong martial arts skills and his role as Earthrealm’s champion. He often battles against the series’ main antagonist, Shang Tsung.
After a devastating loss in MK11, Liu Kang finds himself on the edge of death. But, as his soul searches for its body, the new world brings out the rage that he’d quelled in the past. It’s a brutal move that speaks to identity, suppression, and how well he knows the woman who used to be his wife in the old timeline.
In this new timeline, Liu challenges Raiden to a one-on-one match and emerges victorious. This earns him the title of Protector of Earthrealm and all the perks that come with it.
He also befriends Kung Lao, Johnny Cage, and Kitana while sparing Sub Zero in the process. Then, he takes on the evil remnant of Sindel and defeats him with his own version of a time aberration.
Kung Lao
Kung Lao is a skilled martial artist and warrior with a sharp, bladed hat. He is a friend and ally of Liu Kang, known for his agility and acrobatic fighting style.
Kung Lao is a Shaolin monk who debuted in Mortal Kombat II. He is the descendant of Great Kung Lao, a warrior who won the first Mortal Kombat tournament.
His main weapon is a metal hat, which he uses for melee and projectile attacks. Unlike some of the other characters, Kung Lao relies not on strength or speed but on his hat’s razor-edged frisbee abilities and his expert martial arts skills.
His hat toss decapitation Fatality is one of the franchise’s best finishing moves. He is also known for his savage squat kick that can split enemies in half.
Shang Tsung
Shang Tsung is a sorcerer and a primary antagonist in Mortal Kombat. He can steal the souls of his defeated opponents, gaining their abilities. He often serves Shao Khan, the series’ main villain.
Kano
Kano is a ruthless mercenary and a recurring villain in Mortal Kombat. He’s known for his cybernetic eye implant and brutal fighting style, including grappling and energy eye blasts.
Kenshi
Kenshi is a blind swordsman with psychic abilities and telekinesis. He’s a morally driven character who often seeks justice in the Mortal Kombat universe.
One day, he was approached by Johnny Cage, who asked him to join the forces of light. Kenshi declined as he believed it was a pointless conflict between good and evil.
He was wrong. His ancestral sword, Sento, held the spirits of warrior kings from his family lineage. He began to feel them guide him in combat, allowing him to sense enemies from afar.
This allowed him to use a skill called Blade Absorb, which absorbed an opponent’s projectile and threw it back at them. It is a great pressure character that works well with Kameos. The only downside is that he requires a decent setup to execute it. However, his unique kit is worth it. He is a good choice for players looking to break the meta.
Smoke
Smoke, also known as Tomas Vrbada, is a ninja that can transform into smoke and teleport. He has a gray cybernetic appearance and is known for his stealthy tactics.
He can use his karambit knife to stab and chop at his opponents while also emitting a constant stream of smoke to obscure his movements.
Rain
Rain is a character with hydrokinetic powers, allowing him to control water. He is often portrayed as a prince seeking to reclaim his royal status.
Baraka
Baraka is a Tarkatan warrior with a gruesome appearance, featuring blade-like arm extensions. He serves Shao Khan and is known for his vicious combat style.
Li Mei
Li Mei is a fighter from Outworld with mystical powers and a strong sense of justice. She has appeared in various Mortal Kombat titles.
Tanya
Tanya is a character known for her cunning and manipulative personality. She possesses pyromantic abilities and often aligns herself with different factions in the series.
Homelander
Homelander is a character from “The Boys,” a superhero TV series. He is the leader of The Seven, a group of super-powered individuals, and is known for his patriotic image and dark secrets.
Sindel
Sindel is a queen with sonic powers and a formidable fighter in the Mortal Kombat series. She’s often associated with the character Kitana.
Shao Kahn
Shao Kahn is the primary antagonist of the Mortal Kombat series, known for his tyrannical rule over Outworld and his desire to conquer Earthrealm.
Omni-Man
Omni-Man is a character from the “Invincible” comic series and animated TV show. He is a Viltrumite, an alien race with superhuman abilities, and plays a central role in the series.
Peacemaker
Peacemaker is a superhero and vigilante known for his extreme methods and dedication to achieving peace, even if it means resorting to violence. He is featured in “The Suicide Squad” movie and a spin-off TV series.
Cyrax
Cyrax is a cyborg ninja who has appeared in the Mortal Kombat series. He is often associated with the Lin Kuei clan and is known for his explosive abilities.
Geras
Geras is a character introduced in “Mortal Kombat 11” with time-manipulation powers. He can control time and has a formidable presence in the game’s storyline.
Reptile
Reptile is a reptilian ninja with unique abilities, such as spitting acid and camouflaging himself. He serves various masters throughout the Mortal Kombat series.
Havik
Havik is a character known for his chaotic and anarchic nature. He is part of the Chaos
realm and seeks to disrupt order in the Mortal Kombat universe.
Ashrah
Ashrah is a demon hunter who wields a mystical sword and seeks to purify her soul by defeating evil beings. She is a character with a strong sense of morality.
Ermac
Ermac is a collective entity composed of the souls of deceased warriors. He possesses telekinetic and telepathic powers and is often associated with Shang Tsung.
Quan Chi
Quan Chi is a powerful sorcerer and manipulator in the Mortal Kombat series. He serves as a major antagonist and often conspires with other villains.
Takeda
Takeda is a skilled fighter with a focus on weaponry, using whips and kunai in combat. He is associated with the Shirai Ryu clan and has appeared in recent Mortal Kombat titles.
Motaro
Motaro is a centaur-like character with a scorpion-like tail. He is a member of the Outworld’s Centaurians and serves Shao Khan.
Shujinko
Shujinko is a character known for his journey to master various fighting styles and abilities. He is a central character in “Mortal Kombat: Deception.”
Darrius
Darrius is a character who seeks to overthrow oppressive regimes and fight for freedom. He uses a unique fighting style and appears in “Mortal Kombat: Deception.”
Frost
Frost is a cryomancer with powers similar to Sub-Zero. She is known for her rebellious and ambitious nature.
Goro
Goro is a four-armed Shokan warrior and a classic Mortal Kombat character known for his strength and combat prowess.
Jax Briggs
Jax Briggs is a Special Forces soldier with cybernetic arms. He is known for his strong sense of duty and his close friendship with Sonya Blade.
Sareena
Sareena is a character who originally appeared as a demon but later seeks redemption and allies herself with Earthrealm warriors.
Sektor
Sektor is a member of the Lin Kuei clan known for his cybernetic enhancements and destructive weaponry.
Stryker
Stryker is a character portrayed as a police officer who joins the fight against evil forces in the Mortal Kombat universe.