Rate the Fighter (MK11): Kano

Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition!

Welcome back everyone to Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition. Today we'll be taking a look at the ruthless criminal known as Kano. If you missed the last blog post, we went over D'Vorah, the female Kytinn who managed to score a perfect 10 outta 10 from me. Check her out if you're interested and without further ado, let's being with Kano.

Kano, Leader of the Black Dragon

Kano as he appears
in Mortal Kombat 11.

Much like a lot of the characters we've looked at so far, Kano hails from the very first Mortal Kombat game that was released in 1992, being one of seven lucky characters that helped spawn a franchise. Kano is most famous for being the leader of a criminal organization known as the Black Dragon, as well as being Sonya Blade's longtime rival. As far as mercenaries go, Kano is probably the best of the worst. Known for being incredibly cruel and selfish, he'd stab his own mother in the back if it meant it would benefit him.

In Mortal Kombat 11, both a younger version and older version of the character exist and work to help Kronika with her plans. Having been promised that their clan would become the world leader in basically anything black market related, the two agree to work for Kronika. Spoiler alert: It does not go well for them.

Appearance

Present day Kano (Top) vs.
Past Kano (Bottom)

Kano's default appearance got a major overhaul from Mortal Kombat X. In that game, he looked incredibly old and just so ragged. Luckily in Mortal Kombat 11, he's back to looking more like he did in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe and Mortal Kombat 9. In fact, he seems to look more like the actor that played the character in the first movie more than anything.

As I mentioned above, both future and past Kano are available as skins that you can equip in this game. What's great about his younger appearance is how it's an exact replica of how the character looked back in Mortal Kombat 3, down to the lack of any hair and his clothing preferences. Variations of these two appearances come in the form of Kano either adding a shirt under his cybernetic heart or not having one at all. While I see what they were going for, it kinda feels lazy.

In the end, I'll reward Kano a 7/10 for his appearance, which is held back by the lack of creativity when it comes to the variations of each timeline's Kano.

Equipment

Kano's iconic cyber equipment are fully customizable in this game and include his cybernetic eye and cybernetic heart. On top of that, his knives can also be customized. Below is a video that showcases all of Kano's unlockable equipment and a list of my favorite items.

Eye Shields

• Maxitronic Catalyzer
• Russian EKSK Outlaw
• Downhearted
• Red Eye Mine
• Multiocular Razor
• kill u tonight
• Klassic Kano Prime
• Scanning Darkly

Cybernetic Hearts

• Laser-Blade Circular Saw
• Hubcap Style
• Molten Heart
• Dragon Stalker
• Heart of the Crossworlder
• Motherboard & Shield
• Klassic Pad 9219
• Kard-Carrying Gangster
• Future According to 1994
• Skin Toaster

Shanks

• Stolen From Quan Chi
• Warlock Dagger
• Lethal Lightwing
• Black Dragon Utility Knife
• 9219 Irradiated Carbon Blade
• Me Mum's Old Club
• Lowlands Copperhead

I think a lot of these were designed with the same thought process behind it as Johnny Cage's gear. It seems that there's gear made specifically for young Kano and older Kano. I'm quite a fan of this thought process, so I gladly welcome this decision. You can also tell that the developers had a lot of fun naming these items, especially with names such as kill u tonight and Future According to 1994.

Really nothing to complain about here, which earns Kano's equipment a 9/10.

Moveset

Kano's cruel and psychopathic nature really shines through his moveset. With cybernetic enhancements such as his eye and heart, it should come as no surprise that this madman would find a way to modify them to help him out in battle. Some of Kano's special moves include:

• Black Dragon Ball: A strange move where Kano rolls himself up into a ball and propels himself forward at the opponent. Maybe it's best if we don't ask how it works.
• Optic Blast: Kano fires out a laser bolt from his cybernetic eye.
• Snake Bite: Kano leaps at his foes and drives his blades into their chests.
• Rack Off: Allows Kano to counter the opponent's basic attacks.
• Molotov Cocktail: Kano throws a burning bottle of alcohol at his opponents. The bottle explodes on contact with the ground and the fire will linger in the area, burning the opponent if they stand in it.

Kano clearly doesn't fight fair. Admittedly, that's what makes him such a fun character to use, to see all these different, messed up ways you can hurt your opponent. I'll rate his moveset a solid 8/10.

Fatalities and Fatal Blow

Fatality #1, Last Dance:

• God, I love this fatality. It perfectly captures who Kano is as a character: A demented criminal who gets off to the sickest things. The cherry on top of it all is the music that plays in the background while Kano and his opponent dance. Just absolutely brilliant. 10/10.

Fatality #2, Face Like A Dropped Pie:

• Oh man, this fatality just plain sucks. What's sad is that it could've been a great fatality, honestly. The thing that absolutely ruins it is the fact that the opponent's head explodes at the end of the final headbutt. It would've been so much better if Kano continued to headbutt the opponent's lifeless body as the screen faded to black. That would've made the fatality great but as it stands now, it gets a 3/10.

Fatal Blow, Not Here to F*ck Spiders:

• Kano's fatal blow is just so dirty and fits in line perfectly with his character. The gut stab, the kick to the ribs (my favorite part), and the stab in the throat all just add up to one hell of a great fatal blow. 10/10.

Closing Thoughts

If you like playing as and rooting for the bad guys, Kano should be your right hand man, implying he doesn't stab you, of course. I personally feel that Kano is a bit underrated, as I haven't seen him being used that much in tournaments, but hopefully that'll change soon once more people start to pick him up and give him a shot. Kano gets an 8 out of 10 from me.

Who's Next?

Who is next? That's a very good question. I really don't know at the moment because I'm planning on taking a bit of a break from this blog. I certainly do want to continue with it, but there are a lot of characters I have yet to play as, so I feel I should take the time to learn them before attempting to review them.

With all that being said, thank you to those who found this blog interesting and worthy of your time to read. Hopefully what I've said has inspired you to either try out a certain character in Mortal Kombat 11 or if you don't have the game, perhaps I've convinced you to go a try it out. Whatever the reason may be, thank you for reading and until next time, always be prepared to test your might!

Rate the Fighter (MK11): D'Vorah

Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition!

Welcome back everyone to Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition. Last time we looked at the gunslinger from Texas known as Erron Black. In this blog post we'll be looking at a rather grotesque character who quickly became a fan favorite, leading to her inclusion in Mortal Kombat 11. Let's get straight to business and start talking about the Kytinn known as D'Vorah.

D'Vorah, Head of the Hive

D'Vorah, much like Erron Black, is still a relatively new character. Having been introduced to the franchise in Mortal Kombat X, D'Vorah quickly found herself being adored by the fans for things like her unique appearance, voice, characteristics, and moves. D'Vorah is also famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) in the sense that she brutally killed Mileena, a character who has been in the franchise since Mortal Kombat II. She accomplished this by kissing her and transferring hundreds of insects onto her face to eat away at her skin until the bone was showing. Messed up.

D'Vorah as she appears in Mortal Kombat 11.

In Mortal Kombat 11, D'Vorah now serves the game's main antagonist, Kronika. Working under the promise that Kronika would make sure her species would end up surviving once she created a new era, D'Vorah does what she's told. She even reveals to Shao Kahn that he killed his daughter Mileena, news that he does not receive well. Then again, neither would you.

Appearance

Due to the fact that this is only D'Vorah's second appearance in the Mortal Kombat franchise, a huge redesign wasn't something that was needed like Shao Kahn or Frost. Due to this, D'Vorah looks very much like she did in Mortal Kombat X, albeit with much more detail in areas like her face and upper body. She honestly looks pretty scary, which is something I hope the developers were going for.

When it comes to the skins available for her to equip, that's when things start to get really scary. Each skin that comes after one another seems to get more grotesque and insect-like in appearance. Her default appearance starts off normal enough I suppose, but then it's followed by a skin that removes her hood and gives her black strands of hair. After that, she literally gets protective armor made out of chitinous hide.

Two different appearances D'Vorah can take on.

It's all so disgusting that I can't help but love it and give D'Vorah's appearances a 10/10.

Equipment

D'Vorah's equipment comes not in the form of clothing or weapons, but rather her body and children. Available to be customized are D'Vorah's ovipositors, swarm, and wings. As always, a video showcasing all the available equipment will be posted below and I'll be sharing a list of each of my favorite pieces of gear.

Ovipositors

• Blight Bringers
• Preying Mantis
• Insidious Protruscis
• Beatdown Beetles
• Cotinis Mutabilae
• Skeliphrons
• Larval Mutations
• Lavendrix Implanters

Swarm

• Stinging Throng
• Ravenous Invertebrates
• Venomous Biters
• Deathwatchers
• Darkling Weevils
• Killer Wasps
• Lethal Lightning Bugs
• Vein-Biting Flies
• Eye-Tunneling Beetles
• Flesh-Piercing Hooktips

Wings

• Furious Flight
• Ariel Kombatant
• Insectoid Aviation
• Kytinn Commando
• Demented Hellbug
• Hardened Battle Hindwings
• Breezy Death-Dealer
• D'Vorah's Decay

I really like how all of D'Vorah's gear is perfectly crafted and textured to resemble real life insects to a tee. What's also great about these three specific gear pieces is the fact you'll constantly see them clearly, given the fact that they are always on screen and are being used at all times. One thing I am a bit disappointed with though is that D'Vorah's ovipositors looked like they were starting to blend in with one another after a while. However, this nitpick aside, I'll rate D'Vorah's equipment an 8/10.

Moveset

D'Vorah utilizes her insect abilities to their full potential in this game, even more so than in Mortal Kombat X. Not only does she utilize the pinchers on her back, but she can also do things like spawn swarms of bugs to attack her opponents. A list of such abilities include the following:

• Fireflies: A projectile attack in which D'Vorah lobs a bug at the opponent.
• Super Swarm: Enhances the wasps that surround D'Vorah's body, causing them to harm any opponent that gets too close.
• Fly By: Allows D'Vorah to fly in the air. What else did you expect?
• Widow's Kiss: Drop from the sky and wrap your opponent up in silk, allowing you the chance to get a free hit on them.
• Flippin' Out: D'Vorah spins forwards, attacking with her her ovipositors multiple times.
• Mother Bug: A unique move that allows D'Vorah to transform into a large flying insect whenever she loses the final round of the fight, giving her a second chance to make a comeback.

All these moves and more transform D'Vorah into a true powerhouse of an all around character. She's great at attacking up close, attacking from a far, setting up combos, turning the floor into a minefield, etc. For all these reason's and more, D'Vorah's moveset gets a 10/10.

Fatalities and Fatal Blow

Fatality #1, New Species:

• Much like Kabal's Road Rash fatality, this one speaks for itself when it comes to how brutal and amazing it is. On top of it being hard to watch, it's also pretty creative. I mean, making a giant bug out of the top of your opponent's body? Genius. 10/10.

Fatality #2, Can't Die:

• Good lord, this fatality is somehow even harder to watch then the previous one. The way she just effortlessly pulls back the opponent's skin and the noise it makes is a whole new level of burtal. 9/10.

Fatal Blow, Buggin' Out:

• This fatal blow is okay, I suppose, but it's also nothing special. I will say that I do love how she incorporates her flying abilities and stingers into the move. I'm also a big fan of how she is able to create that little spike from the palm of her hand. Even though I like these things, the fatal blow just doesn't really seem like it could belong to D'Vorah and D'Vorah alone. 6/10.

Closing Thoughts

D'Vorah was an amazing character in Mortal Kombat X and when it comes to Mortal Kombat 11, they made everything about her even better. Seriously her appearance, moveset, and fatalities all surpass those from the previous game, putting her on a whole new level. For all these reason's and more, D'Vorah easily scores a perfect 10/10 rating.

Who's Next?

Seeing as how I already covered both Erron Black and Kabal, members of the Black Dragon, I thought it would fair if I took a look at the last Black Dragon member of this game. I've mentioned his name quite a few times throughout this blog, but now it's finally time I give him the spotlight. Join me next time for when I talk about Kano, the leader of the Black Dragon.

Stay tuned!

Rate the Fighter (MK11): Erron Black

Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition!

Welcome back everyone to Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition. In the last post we took a look at the Hollywood actor turned defender of the planet, Johnny Cage. Today we'll be going down south and will examine a character that definitely stands out from the crowd. Let's not waste any more time and jump straight into our analysis of the cowboy named Erron Black.

Erron Black, Cowboy for Hire

Erron Black is actually one of the newest characters in the entire franchise, having made his first appearance in Mortal Kombat X, the game that came before Mortal Kombat 11. He, much like Kano and Kabal, is a mercenary, selling his services to anyone who's able to pay for them. According to his arcade mode ending from Mortal Kombat X, Erron Black is apparently 150 years old and was given the gift of slowed aging from Shang Tsung, the final boss of the first Mortal Kombat game. In Mortal Kombat 11, his younger self is still working for the Black Dragon, taking orders from Kano and the rest of the game's villains, so long as he gets what he was promised.

Appearance

Much like Kano and Johnny Cage, a younger version of Erron Black appears in the game's story mode. Unlike those two, however, I don't believe an older, present day version of the character is actually shown in the story. That being said, Black's default appearance and other skins depict him with wrinkles on his face and gray hair, while his younger skins depict him as he did in Mortal Kombat X, though even younger. Seeing as how this is only Erron Black's second appearance in a Mortal Kombat game, I believe the developers took some creative liberties and tried to make Black's default appearance older to match the idea that he's over 150 years old.

Erron Black as he appears in Mortal Kombat X (Top) and
how he appears in Mortal Kombat 11's story mode (Bottom).

As for Black's skins, I really like them. All of them are designed to look like what you would imagine a cowboy would wear. Tons of leather, cloth that blows elegantly in the wind, lightweight metal molded into protective armor, he's got it all. If you're interested in what these skins look like, I highly suggest you continue watching the video I linked below for the "Equipment" section of this post. After all the gear is shown, his skins will be shown. Look at what they look like and you'll see why I'm giving his appearances a 9/10.

Equipment

This cowboy is packing. Hot lead, that is. Get your mind out of the gutter. Available for you to customize are Erron Black's cowboy hat, his rifle, and his pistols. You should know the drill by now, video and a list of my favorite gear pieces, blah blah blah, let's begin.

Hats

• Outlander
• Old Fashioned
• Tumbleweed
• Erron Klassic
• Silver Tongue
• Sand Scout
• Lone Stranger
• Quiet Man
• Ghastly Rider
• Harvest Moon

Rifles

• Ragnarok .30-30
• Vurhonga .30-30
• Goldheart .270
• Rottweiler .270
• Elkhorn .270
• Hogwylder .270
• London Jack .308
• Claims Adjuster 7MM
• Black Dragon .338
• Snowblind .338

Pistols

• Smack & Down
• Ham & Eggs
• Mack & Macky
• Scorpion & Sub-Zero
• Buck & Wild
• Naughty & Nice
• Blood & Guts
• Death & Rebirth
• Romeo & Juliet
• Kitana & Jade
• Whiskey & Regret

I honestly love all of the equipment you can get for Erron Black, so much so in fact that I really had to restrict myself from putting them all down on my lists. One thing that does kinda bug me though is that some of the rifles and pistols Erron has available to him are a bit too modern and kinda mesh with his old west gunslinger shtick. That's not to say I don't like how they look, it's just that they don't exactly fit well with Erron's character. With all that being said, however, I'm going to rate Erron's equipment a 9.5/10.

Moveset

It should come as absolutely no surprise that the majority of Erron Black's moves utilize his guns. Some of these moves include Scud Shot, a move that allows you to parry and destroy projectiles and Rifle Stance, which allows you to pull out your rifle and do a series of actions based on whichever button you press. Such moves include unloading you ammo into your opponent, bashing them with the butt of your weapon, and reloading said weapon. He also makes good use of explosives using his TNT Toss move and acid with his Saurian Acid move.

A fun character who's really good at keeping the opponent away from you, Erron Black's moveset gets a 9/10.

Fatalities and Fatal Blow

For the video provided below, it showcases everything listed below in reverse order, which is sort becoming the norm at this point.

Fatality #1, Melted:

• This fatality is...not very good. To me, it would have been so much better if the person Erron was forcing into the acid had their head slowly being dissolved instead of him stomping it into pieces. Would've been much more brutal in my eyes. 5/10.

Fatality #2, Death Trap:

• While this fatality is much better than his first one, it still isn't anything special. The most brutal thing about it in my eyes would have to be when Black crams his rifle into his opponent's body and my favorite part is how the eyes fly out of the person's head. Not bad, but still nothing amazing. 7/10.

Fatal Blow, Ghost Koins:

• An incredible spectacle of a fatal blow, it really just goes to show you how good Erron Black is at being not only a cowboy, but a mercenary. The way he quickly fires off his pistol, throws it into his opponent's face and catches it before ricocheting the bullets off the coins... Simply awesome. 10/10.

Closing Thoughts

One of the more zoning focused characters in the game, Erron Black never fails to put a smile on my face. Seriously, when I'm playing as him I feel genuinely happy, which might be due to the fact that he's got such a great appearance on top of having great dialogue being spoken by the legendary Troy Baker. In the end, I'll give Erron Black an 8/10, which might seem harsh but due to his lack of amazing fatalites, it kind sours the experience, especially seeing as how his fatalities weren't that good in Mortal Kombat X, either.

Who's Next?

The next character we'll be looking at instantly became one of my favorite characters in the entire franchise when I first played her in Mortal Kombat X. If you're scared of bugs, then you're going to want to skip the next blog post. Next time, we'll be looking at the literal lady bug known as D'Vorah.

Stay tuned!

Rate the Fighter (MK11): Johnny Cage

Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition!

Welcome back everyone to Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition. Last time we chilled with the Lin Kuei grandmaster Sub-Zero. In today's blog post we'll be taking a trip to Hollywood to take a look at a wise cracking smart ass who eventually became one of Earthrealm's greatest warriors. Prepare to bow and get caged because today we'll be talking about Johnny Cage!

Johnny Cage, Hollywood's Bitch

Young Johnny Cage as he
appears in Mortal Kombat 11.

Johnny Cage, much like everybody we've been talking about recently, made his first appearance in the franchise in the original 1992 arcade game. Back then he was just a movie star that was desperate to prove to the world that his martial art skills were real. Now on the other hand? Well for starters, he defeated Shinnok at the very beginning of Mortal Kombat X's main story mode. He married and had a daughter with Sonya Blade known as Cassie cage. Oh and uh, Cassie also defeated Shinnok at the end of the Mortal Kombat X story mode, so this name is already carrying along pretty well.

In Mortal Kombat 11, the current Johnny Cage finds himself working with his past self, a version of the character that is much more immature and a pain in the ass. Together, the two must work together at a certain point in the story mode to fend off the Black Dragon clan and its leader, Kano. Should the two men fail to do so, the future of their daughter and wife will be lost to time...

Appearance

Johnny Cage didn't receive that big of a redesign compared to most returning characters in this game. For the most part, Johnny looks more aged as evident by the gray hairs in his hair. However, that's actually only one variation of this character. Since both past and present versions of Johnny Cage meet each other in the story mode, it should come as no surprise that a younger version of Johnny Cage is also available with its own set of skins.

When it comes to what I'll call "Old Man Cage", his outfits are designed around looking militaristic. His default appearance, for example, dresses him in a combat vest but can also be replaced with skins that throw either a tank top or a fighter pilot jacket. As for Johnny's younger self, he wears clothes that exaggerate the fact that he's an actor with a big ego. Prime examples of this are the fact that he wears a leather jacket with his own initials on it, as well as a skin that simply exposes his upper body, showing us that Cage has his first name tattooed across his chest. As an added bonus, he also gets a tank top like his older self, only this time it appears to be a tank top that fitness junkies used to wear in the 80's with the Mortal Kombat logo on the front of it.

An exclusive set of skins came with the purchase of the game's season pass downloadable content known as the Kombat Pack. These skins turn Johnny Cage into someone known as the Ninja Mime. For those that may not know the lore of Mortal Kombat, Ninja Mime was a film staring Johnny Cage. It was horrible and was panned by critics in America, yet it ended up becoming a huge hit in France. The inclusion of these skins, while they may be locked behind a paywall, are a nice, silly addition to the game.

So yeah, that wraps up my thoughts on how Johnny Cage looks. Overall, I love the variety that comes with picking each age. Like I said above, the inclusion of the Ninja Mime skins were a great addition and really help this character's appearance go above and beyond. I'm rating Johnny's appearances a 10/10.

Johnny Cage's more older appearance
in Mortal Kombat 11.

Equipment

For Johnny Cage, looking sexy seems to be the top priority and that's something he can't do unless he's got good gear. Luckily for us, he does in the shape of his shades, hand wraps, and belt buckles. The video below showcases all the gear available for Johnny and I'll be including a list of my favorites once again.

Shades

• Summer Hi-Rays
• Final Countdown
• Deluxe Dealmaker
• Squib Technician
• Radical Ski Instructor
• Rocka Flair

Hand Wraps

• Stage Hands
• More Than a Beating
• MK9219 Gauntlets
• Shadow Punches
• White Ninja
• Park City Payback
• Utility Gloves
• Ribbons of Glory

Buckles

• Throwback Knot
• Armageddon Cage
• Headliner
• Steel Bars
• #1 with a Bullet
• Bullet Gang is Fine
• Driven to Greatness
• Bite Me
• Cage 2 Cage

When it comes to gear pieces that a relatively small compared to the rest of your character, sometimes it can be hard to find something you like. Thankfully, Johnny Cage is able to pull this off thanks to the fact that most of this gear was made specifically to fit with both his young and old skins in mind. For his older variations, more futuristic and advance hand wraps and shades can be equipped to fit the style while actual cloth hand wraps and ego-inflating buckles can be given to his Hollywood skins.

It's for this reason why I'm able to find so much enjoyment with these gear pieces, resulting in Johnny's equipment earning a 9/10.

Moveset

Cage is famous for a very unique power of his that he genetically shares with his daughter, Cassie Cage. Green energy surrounds Cage, enabling him to do things like propel himself forward and increase the strength of his attacks. It even allows him to throw a green ball of energy at his opponents and can be customized to thrown straightforward or lobbed at an angle. Some of his more popular special moves that utilize this power are his Shadow Kick, Force Ball, and Green Shadow Uppercut. Of course, Johnny doesn't just have to rely on his special powers to help him win the fight, especially when it comes to his most famous special ability: the Nut Punch. It's exactly what it sounds like, Johnny does the splits and punches his opponent (male or female) in the groin. Ouch.

There are so many more moves at Johnny's disposal, but we really should move on. Yet another combo video will be posted right below, so check that out if you're interested in trying to pull things off that I still can't succeed at doing. As for the rest of Cage's moves, 8/10.

Fatalities and Fatal Blow

For the video provided below, it showcases everything listed below in reverse order just like with Sub-Zero.

Fatality #1, Mr. Cage's Neighborhood:

• An absolutely brilliant fatality that just screams "Johnny Cage". Seriously, this fatality speaks for itself when it comes to how funny it is. The added bonus to it all is the audience throwing the tomatoes and Johnny's reaction to it hitting the opponent's lifeless corpse. 10/10. 

Fatality #2, Who Hired This Guy:

• Much like the first fatality, it's both hilarious and a fatality that could only belong to Johnny Cage. The best part about it though is the fact that it references a glitch from Mortal Kombat II that would result in Johnny punching the head off of his opponent three times. Much like with the glitch, Johnny punches the opponent's head three times before the fatality finally ends. Amazing. Simply amazing. 9/10.

Fatal Blow, The Award Goes To:

• While this fatal blow is admittedly pretty standard all things considered, I love how flashy it is at the beginning. The highlight of it all is, of course, the award trophy that Johnny pulls out and stabs into his opponent. 8/10.

Closing Thoughts

While I haven't really played with Johnny Cage that much compared to the other characters on this list, I can vouch for him and say that he's fun. I'm honestly a really big fan of how he looks in general, with each piece of gear seeming to belong to a specific skin, as if it were made for it. I'm going to award Johnny Cage with a 9 outta 10.

Who's Next?

Next up is a rootin' tootin' former member of the Black Dragon clan. Armed to the teeth will all sorts of western gear, this cowboy isn't the brand new sheriff coming along to clean up the town. No, he's trying to kill it. Look out for the next blog post where we'll be talking about Erron Black.

Stay tuned!

Rate the Fighter (MK11): Sub-Zero

Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition!

Welcome back to yet another Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition blog post. Last time we inspected the mascot of the franchise and the one character that most people think about when the Mortal Kombat name is mentioned: Scorpion. Today, we'll be looking at his counterpart, someone who actually used to be Scorpion's biggest rival. A master of cyromancy, it's time to go over the character known as Sub-Zero.

Sub-Zero, Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei

Sub-Zero (Kuai Liang) as he
appears in Mortal Kombat 11.

When it comes to identifying which game Sub-Zero first appeared in, it really depends on which Sub-Zero we're talking about. Two people in the Mortal Kombat franchise bear the title "Sub-Zero", Bi-Han and Kuai Liang. Bi-Han first appeared in the first Mortal Kombat but was soon killed some time in between the first and second game by Scorpion, thinking that he was the man who murdered his family and clan. Kuai Liang was brought in as the replacement Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat II. He was Bi-Han's younger brother who went under the name Tundra before taking his older brother's name to honor his death.

He would continue to be the main Sub-Zero from that point on and Bi-Han would actually find himself being resurrected as a Netherrealm wraith known as Noob Saibot. In the franchise's new timeline that was rebooted in Mortal Kombat 9 and continued into Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11, Hanzo Hasashi (Scorpion) and Kuai Liang actually end up making peace with one another. The two become brothers in arms, something that is shown off greatly in the game's main story mode.

Appearance

For Sub-Zero's default appearance in this game, he seems to have dressed in a way that better represents his Chinese heritage. Adding to this is a skin that remove Sub-Zero's hood and replace it with a headband and a skin that adds a different looking hood along with a stylish ponytail.  Of course, much like Scorpion, Sub-Zero has skins dedicated to making him look like he did in the classic Mortal Kombat games. One interesting thing to note is that depending on what color your skin is will also change the color of the ice axes you use. I love to wear skins that are red because the axes resemble blood and yellow because I'm five years old.

Overall, I don't really have that much to say when it comes to how Sub-Zero looks in this game. He's fine, nothing special, neither good nor bad, etc. I'll rate him a 7/10.

Equipment

Sub-Zero, much like Scorpion, can customize his mask as well as the weapons he uses. Well, technically one of his "weapons" is actually a belt that holds small knives that you can't actually use in-game, but you get my point. The video and my list are once again below, so let's get started.

Ninja Masks

• Lin Kuei Grandmaster
• Mantle of Black Ice
• King of Ice Masks
• Grandmaster's Hoarfrost
• Frozen Tengu
• De of the Hailbringer
• Lin Kuei Assassin
• Face of Winter Wind
• Master of Cold Justice
• Enemy of Shirai Ryu

Battle Axes

• Glacierbreaker
• Axe of Bitter Cold Death
• Lin Gui Snowman
• Death by Whiteout
• Ice Storm Executioner
• Blade of Bingdianxia
• Stormbreaker of Arctika

Belts

• Frozen Brother's Arsenal
• Arsenal of Sektor's Killer
• Snowbound Lin Gui Arsenal
• Rimed Arsenal of Xueshen
• Cold Gang Arsenal
• Lin Gui Gang Arsenal

Sub-Zero's equipment is very, very "cool". Puns aside, I love how most of the gear has both a normal version of what it is and then a frozen version of the gear. It really helps give you the sense that Sub-Zero handcrafted these weapons himself with his own powers. Overall, these gear pieces are just really solid and worthy of a 9/10.

Moveset

Interestingly, Sub-Zero barely has any default special moves in this game. In fact, all he has Ice Ball, Slide, and Kreeping Ice, with three other special moves needing to be equipped. I like to equip the Death-Cicle Barrage, a move where Sub-Zero shoots out tiny icicles from his hand, Kold Shoulder, a move that replaces Slide with a shoulder charge, and Rising Ice, a move that essentially works as a land mind that can freeze your opponents should they step on it.

Of course the lack of special moves can really only mean one thing, which is that Sub-Zero has a whole ton of combos at his disposal. Like I've stated before, I'm not good at all when it comes to pulling off combos. All I basically do with Sub-Zero is freeze whoever I'm fighting and then try to mash the buttons into what I hope is a combo. I'm going to rate his moveset a 6/10 for a huge lack of special moves available at all times and I'll be including a link to a video detailing how to do some basic combos with this character.

Fatalities and Fatal Blow

For the video provided below, it showcases everything listed below in reverse order.

Fatality #1, Ice-Cutioner:

• Pretty good, not bad. I love the bit at the end where Sub-Zero picks up the decapitated head, freezes it, and smashes it into pieces. It really helps the fatality as a whole because without it, it would've just been so lame. 7/10.

Fatality #2, Frozen in Time:

• Now we're talking! My favorite types of fatalities are the ones that incorporate a special move a character can normally perform into the move. With this one, it's both the ice clone and slide. But none of that really matters in the end because the real spectacle is the fact that the fatality includes part of iconic spine rip fatality that Sub-Zero has known to use ever since the first game. 9/10.

Fatal Blow, Chill Out:

• I love this fatal blow for one very specific detail: the opponent's blood gets frozen before it hits the floor. Can you imagine having your blood in the process of leaving your body, only for it to get frozen and broken apart inside your body? Brutal, absolutely brutal and I love it. 9/10.

Closing Thoughts

All in all, while it may seem like I'm not a fan of Sub-Zero, it's quite the opposite. I like Sub-Zero and I've been playing with him a lot recently, but he's just kind of one of those characters where I'm neutral on the matter. For newer players out there, Sub-Zero seems to be a really good character to start off with, as I've seen a lot of people mention that he's very balanced. Not a bad idea to be honest.

Final rating for Sub-Zero will be a 8/10.

Who's Next?

When it comes to the next character I review, I was thinking about do someone who's a bit of a comedian. Someone who's always making an ass out of themselves. Someone who's enough of a prick to tattoo their own name onto their chest. That prick I'm talking about will be none other than Johnny Cage!

Stay tuned!

Rate the Fighter (MK11): Scorpion

Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition!

Welcome back to Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition. Last time we took a look at one of the most powerful character in the entire franchise, Raiden. Today we'll be looking at the most iconic character in the entire franchise. Let's not waste anymore time and let's get to talking about Scorpion.

Scorpion, Grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu

Scorpion as he appears
in Mortal Kombat 11.

Scorpion aka Hanzo Hasashi, appeared in the original Mortal Kombat all the way back in 1992. If you are someone you know has fond memories of playing the game in the arcades or on their SNES/Genesis, chances are you/they picked Scorpion first before anyone else. Sporting a cool ninja getup, his iconic rope spear, and a fatality that revealed that his mask was covering up a flaming skull for a head, gamers quickly fell in love with the character, essentially making him the mascot of the whole franchise. In Mortal Kombat 11, Scorpion and Sub-Zero, having finally become allies in the previous game, must work together to accomplish their missions given to them to help stop Kronika from erasing time. But when the Scorpion of the past meets with the Scorpion of the future, who will come out on top as the one true Hanzo Hasashi?

Appearance

Given the fact that both alive and undead versions of Scorpion appear in the game's main story mode, it should come as no surprise that he has gain a lot of different skins. His living form, which I'll refer to as "Hanzo Hasashi" from now on, can be modified to either have a hood or not, revealing his hair. His undead form, which I'll call "Klassic Scorpion", is quite the blast from the past. In this undead form of his, his outfits happen to be designed to match his appearance in the first few Mortal Kombat games, complete with a simplistic design to his robes and hood.

An example of one of Scorpion's "Klassic" skins.

This is one of those rare times where I actually can't decide on which version of the character I like more. Both Hanzo Hasashi and Klassic Scorpion have amazing designs, with Hanzo being more complex and Japanese while Klassic Scorpion is simple and a great callback to the past games. Basically, Scorpion's appearance in this game is perfection. 10/10.

Equipment

Scorpion's mask, sword, and iconic spear are all your to customize. Well, after you unlock the items through playing the game, that is. Damn loopholes. Just like before, I will provide a list of my favorite equipment pieces for all the three different items.

Ninja Masks

• Visage of Blazing Anger
• Tachijutsu Master
• Fudoshin Warrior
• Furious Akuma
• Pouncing Tiger
• Grandmaster's Godai Mask
• Kazan Inferno

Katanas

• Dojigiri
• Juzumaru
• Muramasa
• Burning Blade of Netherrealm Rage
• Folded Makuri Katana
• Wariha Tetsu Devil Edge

Spears

• Donryu's Fire
• Fiery Hell Spear of the Mejin
• Flaming Rope Dart of Goko
• Wani's Tail
• Ryujin's Claws
• Revenant's Devil Dart

The developers did an absolutely fantastic job at capturing the Japanese and the history of their ninja ancestors in Scorpion. I'm going to go out on a limb and honestly say that Scorpion has the most beautiful looking gear in the game. My favorite colored gear pieces were the ones that were glowing hot, as they just add onto Scorpion's whole hellfire powers shtick. These equipment pieces deserve a 9/10.

Moveset

Scorpion's special moves make great use of his hellfire and ninja abilities. For instance, his Demon Dash engulfs his body in flames, dashing through the opponent an then grabbing them by the back of their neck, sending them flying with a burst of fire. Misery Blade allows Scorpion the ability to enter a defensive stance and pressing any of the attack buttons will result in him doing a different type of attack. And of course, I'd be doing everybody a great injustice if I didn't mention Spear. This move has been with Scorpion since the beginning and involves him throwing his kunai at his opponent. Should Scorpion manage to snag his target, he'll yank them all the way towards him after yelling out "GET OVER HERE!" or "COME HERE!" For combos, I find myself utilizing the Death Spin move, which ends up hitting multiple times and can be chained into other attacks. The video below goes into great detail about how to pull of some of Scorpion's trickier combos.

Scorpion's moveset gets a perfect 10 outta 10.

Fatalities and Fatal Blow

Just like in the last post, the video below starts off with the fatal blow and then shows the two fatalities.

Fatality #1, You're Next:

• This actually happened to be the first fatality shown off for the game when it was revealed. They made the right call choosing this fatality to show off because holy crap is it good. My favorite part has got to be the opponent's head reacting to the spear being shoved through its mouth. I do find it a little strange though that when Scorpion burns through the opponent, he doesn't burn up their spine, either. Strange. 9/10.

Fatality #2, Chain Reaction:

• A fun, creative fatality that utilizes two of Scorpion's most iconic abilities: his hellfire and his rope spear. 9/10.

Fatal Blow, Get Over Here:

• If it weren't for the fact that Scorpion absolutely destroys the opponent's eyes, this fatal blow would just be average. But because of the fact that he targets the eyes specifically, it hurts to watch, in a good way that is. 8/10.

Closing Thoughts

It should come as no surprise to everyone that the franchise's mascot is an extremely well developed, fun to play as character. Much like Raiden, I feel that this character will be easy to pick up for newer players. At the same time, however, I also feel like he'll be hard to master.

With all that said, I give Scorpion a final rating of 9 out of 10.

Who's Next?

In the next blog post, we'll be taking a look at a character I mentioned earlier in this blog post. He used to be Scorpion's most hated enemy until the two made peace with one another in Mortal Kombat X. Yep, I'm referring to Sub-Zero, the grandmaster of his own clan of assassins.

Stay frosty, everyone!

Rate the Fighter (MK11): Raiden

Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition!

Welcome back to Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition. Last time we took a look at Kabal, a super sonic speedster working for a big bad criminal organization. Today, we'll be taking a look at a shocking character who was slightly teased at the end of the last post. This next character is not only one of the most recognizable fighters in the entire franchise, but he also happens to be one of the most powerful. Bringer of truth and light, this demigod often finds himself at odds with his own actions, leading to some of the biggest events in Mortal Kombat history. The character I refer to is none other than Raiden.

Raiden, now corrupted, as he
appears in Mortal Kombat 11.

Raiden, the God of Thunder

Raiden, much like Liu Kang, made his first appearance in the very first Mortal Kombat arcade game. A powerful demigod who can control thunder and lightning, he is known as the Defender of Earthrealm and as such, his ultimate goal is to protect our world from those who attempt to conquer it. After Shinnok's defeat at the hands of Cassie Cage at the end of Mortal Kombat X, something known as the Jinsei, which is basically Earthrealm's life force, becomes corrupted by the fallen Elder God. Though Raiden is able to rid the tainted liquid and restore the Jinsei to its original state, it comes at a steep price in the form of Raiden's entire being becoming corrupted. Sporting a much darker appearance as well as a much more cruel personality, the newly formed Dark Raiden vows to no longer sit idly by and wait for potential threats to Earthrealm. He will seek his enemies out and destroy them before they destroy that which he protects...

Appearance

Like I mentioned above, Raiden has gone full dark side, meaning that his default appearance is now that of Dark Raiden, a version of the character that was first introduced in Mortal Kombat Deception. However, if Dark Raiden isn't your cup of tea and you'd rather play as Raiden prior to his corruption, then I have good news for you. Raiden's more recognizable classic appearance is available to unlock. In terms of how the two versions of Raiden differ appearance wise, Dark Raiden will have glowing red eyes, red lightning, and the main change to his outfits will be the type of armor he wears. For "Klassic Raiden", his eyes will be glowing blue, his lightning will be blue, and his outfits will consist mainly of different looking kinds of robes.

Dark Raiden (Top) in comparison to Klassic Raiden (Bottom)

As for which Raiden I personally prefer, I go ahead and equip regular Raiden rather than any variation of Dark Raiden. This is mainly due to the fact that this version of Raiden serves more of a purpose in the story than Dark Raiden, so I more or less identify him as that specific version of the character. Overall, Raiden looks pretty awesome no matter which skin you select for him, with his darker self having cooler looking armor while his lighter self resembles his appearances in past Mortal Kombat games. For these reasons, I give Raiden's appearance an 8/10.

Equipment

Consisting of his iconic bamboo hat, stave, and medallion, Raiden has some very unique looking gear. Of course, I'll be sharing with you guys a list of my favorite pieces. Without further ado, let's begin.

Hats

• Haokah
• Truth and Light
• Unconquerable Spirit
• Emissary of the Elder Gods
• Relentless Element
• Face of the Guardian

Staves

• Chain Lightning Staff
• Cloudflash
• Thundercrack
• Rod of the Heavens
• Truth Bringer
• Jinsei Stave

Medallions

• Sky Temple Sigil
• Infinite Fortune
• Eternal Watchman
• Supernatural Kombatant
• Godsend

When it comes to Raiden's equipment, I mentioned before that they are quite unique. I have to say that I really love his equipment for this reason in particular, as no other characters really seem to have these kinds of mythical, ancient feel to them. But you know, I suppose that when you're such an important character in the franchise (as well as a demigod), getting the special treatment is to be expected. So in the end, thanks to the sleek, ancient design of Raiden's unique gear, I'm going to give his equipment a 9/10.

Moveset

Raiden's attacks and special moves largely consist of him summoning lightning to electrify his opponents. I know, I know, who would've guessed? It's quite the "shocking" realization. Now that the puns are out of the way, let me go into detail about how I use this character. Like with a lot of characters, I find myself using special moves more than I do combos. My favorite special move of his is without a doubt the Torpedo move. A move that dates back all the way to the very first game, Raiden propels himself forward, grabbing his opponent and pushes them against a wall. It's a great move that can't be escaped from and enhancing it will cause Raiden to slam the opponent on the ground, dealing more damage. Other special moves include Lightning Bolt, Electric Burst, and Storm Cell, just to name a few.

Ending off this section of the review, I'm going to give Raiden's moveset a 9/10. While I have yet to pull off any huge combos with Raiden, or any combos at all for that matter, I'm able to get the job done when it comes to fighting my opponents. However, if you're curious as to what some of Raiden's best combos look like, refer to the video below.

Fatalities and Fatal Blow

For the video below, the fatalities and fatal blow aren't switch around that much like they were for Liu Kang and Kabal. However, the fatal blow appears first in this video, followed by the first and second fatality. Keep that fact in the back of your brain as we move on.

Fatality #1, Alternating Kurrent:

• This fatality is honestly a massive letdown. It starts off really promising with the opponent's arms and legs being torn off with lightning. It isn't until Raiden clumps them together and blasts them to the sides with a ball of lightning that it becomes anticlimactic. It really would have been better if he had blown everything below the neck into a bloody mess. 5/10.

Fatality #2, Direct Kurrent:

• This fatality is way, waaaaaaay better than the first one. What really makes it for me is the sound the opponent's body makes when Raiden yanks their torso off of their bottom portion. It's so gory and disgusting sounding... I love it. 9/10.

Fatal Blow, Thunder Take You:

• Raiden's fatal blow is relatively simple, but I must say that I do like that they incorporated his stave into rather than just him using his lightning and hands. When I first saw it, I didn't really think highly of it, but after seeing it over and over again, it's started to grow on me. 7/10.

Closing Thoughts

When it comes to my final thoughts about Raiden, the most important thing I have to say about him is the fact that he's a pretty balanced character in terms of how he plays. In my honest opinion, he seems like he should be the go to character for newer players, given versatility and unique designs. It's a shame that one of his fatalities and his fatal blow aren't mind blowing like a lot of the characters I've already reviewed. Raiden's always had a history of his finishing moves not being that good and it's a shame to see it continue somewhat in this game.

Raiden gets a 9/10.

Who's Next?

Next up is a true classic character that even people who don't play Mortal Kombat will recognize. In the next blog post, we'll take a look at the yellow clad, fire wielding hell spawn who's most popular for shouting at you to come over by him. Yep, that's right. The mascot of the franchise: Scorpion!

Stay tuned, mortals!

Rate the Fighter (MK11): Kabal

Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition!

Welcome back to Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition. In our last post we took a look at the franchise's hero, Liu Kang, and I came to the conclusion that he was basically a perfect character. Today, we'll be analyzing one of the members of the Black Dragon, a massive criminal organization. For fans that know what I'm talking about, you'll be a little disappointed to hear that I'm not going to be talking about the leader of the Black Dragon, Kano. Instead, I'm going to be talking about one of his lackeys: Kabal.

Kabal, the Speeding Scourge

Revenant Kabal as he appears
in Mortal Kombat 11.

Mortal Kombat 3 marked Kabal's first appearance in the franchise. Appearing as a hideously burned man with long black hair and a respirator, his origins were basically unknown. It was revealed in his arcade mode ending, however, that he was actually a member of the Black Dragon clan. Kabal has an interesting history of whether or not the developers want him to be a bad guy or good guy. All the way from Mortal Kombat 3 up until Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Kabal is depicted as evil. Yet, come Mortal Kombat 9, he's actually a good guy... until he's killed and resurrected as an evil revenant in Mortal Kombat X. In Mortal Kombat 11, his younger self when he was an evil Black Dragon member and his future revenant self are present in the game.

I personally love the idea of Kabal being a good guy, but alas, the creators don't share my opinion.

One incredibly important thing to mention when discussing Kabal is his trademark ability. I'm of course talking about his super speed, something that allows him to run so fast that he can turn his opponents into a miniature tornado, run so fast that he appears on the opposite side of the screen, or spin his foes around so hard that their skin starts to fly off!

Appearance

Much like Liu Kang, Kabal has a lot of different skin options. This is mainly due to the fact that Kabal's skin comes in three different... let's say "flavors". There's burnt revenant, his default appearance, burnt human, his appearance prior to being killed, and pre-burnt human, his appearance before the horrible accident that scarred him for life. Me personally, I'm a fan of his revenant and burnt human skin. I like these two in particular due to the fact that this is the appearance Kabal normally has alongside his super speed ability.

You see, back when Kabal was "normal" it's implied that he never had the ability to run at super high speeds. However, in Mortal Kombat 9 we're told that Kabal's exposure to the magic in Outworld must have given him his ability to run fast. Now, how can a young, non-burnt Kabal run incredibly fast if, from a storytelling perspective, he hasn't been in Outworld yet? Yeah, you see what I'm getting at here.

Below is a video showcasing all of Kabal's skins, timestamp included and everything!

So overall, any skin that turns Kabal into his undead counterpart or his horribly mangled human self is something I'll pick. Even though I don't like the idea of using "Young Kabal" for lore reasons, I still really appreciate the thought and surprisingly many different articles of clothing they have for this version of the character. Kabal's appearances get an 8/10.

Equipment

Oh ho man, let me just start this off by saying that I love Kabal's equipment so freakin' much! Consisting of face shields, hook swords, and gas canisters, you're given plenty of options to make a truly bad ass looking black market thug. Much like before, the video below will show you all of the gear the game has to offer Kabal, and I'll be listing my favorite pieces.

Face Shields

• Double Time
• Klassic Kabal
• Avarice Accelerated
• Deathgrin
• Bound to Run
• Black Dragon Slickhelm
• Plague of Point Pleasant
• No Cure for Sadness

Hook Swords

• Klassic Kabal
• Better Shred Than Dead
• Hu Tou Gou
• Song Dynasty OG
• Baguazhang
• Shandong Praying Mantis
• Razors of Armageddon

Gas Canisters

• Second Wind
• O2+ Black Dragon Enhancer
• Amino Recovery Pack
• Guarana-Ginkgo Vitality
• Erron Black's Magic Bullet
• ATP Energizer
• NSAIDs
• Meldonium
• Androstenedione
• Ephedrine

I don't even need to say anything, really. You look at these equipment pieces and you instantly know why they're so good, the masks especially. I absolutely love the inclusion of the Klassic Kabal face shield and the No Cure for Sickness face shield, as the former mask is a perfect replica of his mask from Mortal Kombat 3 and the latter is a perfect replica of his mask from Mortal Kombat 9. I'm always a big fan of games taking something old and reintroducing it for new audiences while at the same time satisfying fans of the older games.

The only negative thing I could think of this these equipment pieces would have to be that some of the gas canisters are too small. Given the fact that they are located on Kabal's back, it makes something hard to see even more difficult. But all in all, I'm going to rate Kabal's equipment a 9/10.

Moveset

Much like Liu Kang, I'm actually able to pull off a lot of combos with Kabal. I normally achieve this by initiating a move known as Nomad Dash, a move in which Kabal dashes forward, spinning the opponent in place and dizzying them, allowing me to attack once again. A then perform a move that makes Kabal spin in place with his hook swords extended out, hitting the opponent. Next, I use a move called Extended Hook, reaching out and causing the opponent to stumble before I finish the combo off with an uppercut. Yeah, yeah, I know, it's not that good of a combo, but it's honestly the best I can pull off.

Kabal's special moves all have to do with his buzz saws that he throw at opponents, his hook swords for close to medium ranged attacks, and his gas canister to force your opponent to choke, giving you the chance to land a free hit or start a combo. All of them are great to use and players skilled enough to combo all of them together are sure to easily win the match. Examples of this can be seen in the video below.

I don't really have any problems with Kabal's moveset, so I'm going to rate it a 10/10.

Fatalities and Fatal Blow

Much like the fatalities and fatal blow segment in my Liu Kang post, the video below is a bit out of order, so timestamps will be provided for each move.

Fatality #1, Road Rash (3:15):

• I really don't have anything to say about this fatality, as it clearly speaks for itself when it comes to how great it is. 10/10

Fatality #2, Hooked (3:37):

• This fatality is one of those rare fatalities where it's actually really hard to watch. The fear in your opponent's eyes and the noises they make as they choke on your hook swords makes this almost as brutal as Kabal's first fatality. 10/10.

Fatal Blow, Broken and Beaten (2:27):

• This fatal blow perfectly captures what Kabal is all about. Speed, ruthlessness, a scene that's hard to watch? It rewards this fatal blow a 10/10.

Closing Thoughts

There's a lot to love about Kabal in this game. Old fans of the franchise will no doubt be happy with his return to Kano's side in the Black Dragon and new players will find a rich variety of amazing outfits, equipment, and special moves. Kabal is quickly becoming a main of mine in this game, but he still hasn't taken over Liu Kang's spot yet.

At the end of the day, I give Kabal a 9 out of 10, as some of my thoughts towards some of his skins just barely stopped him from being a 10 out of 10.

Who's Next?

That's a very good question, who exactly will I be covering next? Heh, you'll just have to wait until the next blog post to find out. Trust me, though, the next character we'll be looking will be quite "shocking".

Stay tuned.

Rate the Fighter (MK11): Liu Kang

Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition!

Welcome back to Rate the Fighter: Mortal Kombat 11 Edition. In our last post we took a look at the franchises' most well known antagonist, Shao Kahn, and went into an in depth look at his appearance, equipment, fatalities, among other things. Today, we'll be looking at the Shaolin Monk who is often portrayed as the hero of the Mortal Kombat franchise. I'm of course talking about Liu Kang, so let's begin.

Liu Kang, the Chosen One

Liu Kang as he appears in Mortal Kombat 11.

Liu Kang made his first appearance in Mortal Kombat history as one of the original seven playable characters in the very first Mortal Kombat released for arcades in 1992. Liu Kang is actually an even BIGGER deal than Shao Kahn due to the fact that, like I mentioned before, he's always been depicted as the hero of the entire franchise. Whether it be the games, the movies, or the comic book series, Liu Kang is often the one to overcome the antagonists of the franchise. Goro, Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, Shinnok... he's overcome every single one of them. In Mortal Kombat 11, Liu Kang returns once again, both in his past human form and his future revenant form. It's up to him to stop Kronika from erasing time and save those that he loves.

Appearance

Adding to the claim that Liu Kang happens to be the main character of the Mortal Kombat franchise is the fact that he is given a total of SEVEN skins with multiple different color palettes.

• Armored Revenant Liu Kang
• Shirtless Revenant Liu Kang
• Shaolin Monk Revenant Liu Kang
• Shirtless Human Liu Kang
• Shaolin Monk Human Liu Kang
• Tattooed Human Liu Kang
• Fire God Liu Kang

The video below will link you to a full display of all of Liu Kang's skins.

I love the fact that the developers made sure to include different variations of the character depending on whether or not you chose the revenant version or human version of the character. My favorite skins for the revenant version of Liu Kang would have to be the version of him with the armored variation and his shirtless variation. I like the armored variation because I feel it blends well with the idea that this once great hero is now a shadow of his former self. I also love the shirtless variation on him because he looks like who he did as a zombie in Mortal Kombat Deception.

In terms of his human appearance, my favorite skins would have to be his shirtless variation once again, as well as his Fire God variation. The shirtless variation reminds me a lot of how he looked in the older Mortal Kombat games. His Fire God variation on the other hand, well... do I really need to say anything? He's a combination of himself and Raiden, so of course it's going to look awesome.

Overall, thanks to the variety of skins available to Liu Kang and the fact that he didn't get a drastic redesign, I'm going to have to give his appearance a full on 10/10.

Equipment

For Liu Kang, the items he can customize are his headband, nunchakus, and bracers. Just like with Shao Kahn, two of each equipment items are unlocked from the start of the game, with everything else needed to be unlocked through playing the game. Below is yet another video showcasing all of the available pieces of equipment that can be unlocked. Just like before, I will be providing a list of my favorite equipment pieces for all the three different items.

Headbands

• Kombatant Supreme
• Immortal Dragon
• Blessed of the White Lotus
• Wu Shu Master
• Pouncing Tiger

Nunchakus

• First Heaven Defenders
• Chen Jun
• Curse of Chisongzi

Bracers

• Legend of the Fist
• Growling Tiger Strike
• Taizu Long Fist
• Flower Boxer
• Liang Yi Quan
• Lion's Roar

Truthfully, Liu Kang's equipment is what I would expect from someone who happens to be a monk. Nothing showy or flashy like Shao Kahn, just a lot of things that happen to be made to get the job done. I like that more of Liu Kang's items seem to have more variety when it comes to recoloring said items, being either brighter to match with his human appearance or darker to match his undead appearance.

Overall, give the fact that Liu Kang isn't trying to show off, I'll give his equipment a 9/10 simply because it really fits his character.

Moveset

When it comes to Liu Kang's moveset, I'm happy to report that I'm actually able to pull of a few combos with him. Most of them aren't anything that impressive, just a lot of one two punches that combo into his famous bicycle kick. Still, that's more then can be said for how I play Shao Kahn. For his special moves, I absolutely LOVE his bicycle kick, something that can now be extended up to two times and result in about 20ish hits. His classic fireball also returns and a special move can be equipped that allows him to perform a low fireball. Other special moves make great use of his nunchakus, allowing him to parry moves or destroy projectiles.

So yeah, Liu Kang is tons of fun. Despite liking heavyweight characters, his swift and speedy moves are enough to win me over. Overall, I give Liu Kang's moveset a 9/10.

Fatalities and Fatal Blow

Below is a video showcasing Liu Kang's fatalities and fatal blow. They're a bit out of order, so I'll include a timestamp to each of the three spectacles.

Fatality #1, Burn Out (0:32):

• This fatality is, truthfully, not that impressive (though I'm not saying it's bad). I do love the fact that it seems that Liu Kang is weakening his opponent's body by punching four holes into them, finishing them off with a huge fiery explosion. Not bad, but not spectacular. 6/10.

Fatality #2, Belly of the Beast (0:50):

• This one I'm quite a fan of due to the fact that the beginning of it references Liu Kang's very first fatality from the very first Mortal Kombat. They take something old and make it new by adding the fiery uppercut and Liu Kang using his weapon to destroy the falling body parts. Nostalgic and kick ass, it gets a 9/10.

Fatal Blow, Enter the Dragon (0:00):

• I love this fatal blow thanks to two things: the slow motion when Liu Kang smacks his opponent across the face with his nunchakus and the giant flaming dragon. Much like Shao Kahn, this fatal blow does a great job at incorporating a bunch of different things that Liu Kang has used over the years. 9/10.

Closing Thoughts

I love Liu Kang to death in this game, so much so that he's actually the character I've spent the most time playing. He looks cool, has a major stake in the game's story mode, fun moves, and awesome fatalities.

All in all, Liu Kang scores a perfect 10 out of 10.

Who's Next?

In the next blog post, we'll be taking a look at yet another Mortal Kombat villain. He's a ruthless Black Dragon mercenary, and I'm not talking about Kano. No, the man I'm talking about wields a pair of hook swords and has the gift of super speed. I'm of course talking about Kabal.

Stay tuned for more!