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
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| 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.
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