Rate the Fighter (MK11): Shao Kahn

MORTAL KOMBAT!

On April 23, 2019, Mortal Kombat 11 was officially released for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC. The game happens to be not only the most gorgeous in terms of its graphics, but it also happens to be the most creative and bloodiest in the entire franchise. Alongside all these amazing spectacles is a game overflowing with content such as 25 characters in the game's base roster (including one DLC fighter, that is), hundreds of different equipment items to unlock, tons of skins, an amazing story mode involving time travel, and much, much more.

The true intent of this blog, if you haven't already guested what it is, will be revealed in but a moment. First, let's take a look at a small history lesson about the original game that started it all and talk about how the series has grown from there...

Beginning of the Bloodshed

Cover art for the home versions
of the first game.

In 1992, arcades everywhere were introduced to a fighting game that was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. I'm of course talking about Mortal Kombat. The game was developed and published by Midway Games Inc. (now known as NetherRealm Studios) and designed by the creative minds of Ed Boon and John Tobias. The game, which was developed in a matter of only ten months, became the subject of major controversy due to its depiction of extreme gore and violence, specifically from the finishing moves known as "Fatalities". It was so controversial that it, along with other games like Night Trap and Doom, led to the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which basically works as a rating system similar to that of movies and music.

Despite the controversy, it didn't stop the game from becoming a huge hit, leading to the creation of the franchise that is still going strong to this day. Tons of sequels were created due to the game's success, as well as a few spin off titles, many different ports of older games for other consoles, two live action movies, comics, cartoons, toys, the works. That of course brings us to the present, the present in which Mortal Kombat 11 is the current game in the series with fans eager to learn just who exactly is the best character in the game.

In this blog, I'll be taking a look at the 25 character roster for the game and will reviewing each character based off of things like their appearance, my favorite pieces of their equipment, their moveset, fatalities, among other things. I'll be grading using a ten point scale and will average the scores at the end of the post, giving my closing thoughts on the character as well as teasing the next character who will be reviewed.

Shao Kahn, the Konqueror of Worlds

Shao Kahn as he appears in Mortal Kombat 11.

Shao Kahn made his first appearance in Mortal Kombat history as the final boss of Mortal Kombat II, a title he would share in the sequel, Mortal Kombat III. Shao Kahn is a pretty big deal, being the primary antagonist of the entire franchise on multiple occasions. His ultimate goal in life is to conqueror and merge all of the realms together, effectively becoming the ruler of everything. In Mortal Kombat 11, Shao Kahn returns as a playable character who could only be unlocked if the game was pre-ordered before its release. He also appears in the story mode, serving as a secondary antagonist collaborating with the game's main antagonist, Kronika.

Appearance

Shao Kahn's last appearance in a main line series game was eight years ago in Mortal Kombat 9. Given the fact that console hardware has improved drastically in between those eight years, it should come as no surprise that Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat 11 is way more detailed than his appearance in Mortal Kombat 9. One detail in particular that is way more pronounced in Mortal Kombat 11 is how dragon-like Shao Kahn is in appearance. In previous Mortal Kombat games, Shao Kahn has always had dragon-like pupils while retaining a more traditional (albeit large) human-like body. In Mortal Kombat 11, however, in addition to the dragon-like pupils, Shao Kahn sports a more scaly body, spikes protruding from his skin, and sharp fangs.

Shao Kahn as he appears in Mortal Kombat 9 (Left)
and Mortal Kombat 11 (Right), as well as a close up
of his dragon-like eyes.

One important thing to mention is that all the characters in the game, have about three to four different appearances that can be unlocked and equipped. These articles of clothing will often feature multiple copies of the same outfit that happen to be colored differently, from your basic reds and blues to you sandy and ashy colors. In terms of Shao Kahn's body armor, it can vary from a mixture between spiked shoulder pads and gauntlets with an exposed torso to little to no armor that better shows off his dragon-like skin. My favorite skin, however, would have to be his fully decked out body armor that makes him resemble that of a Japanese samurai. Overall, I love Shao Kahn's appearance in this game. The choice that the developers took in terms of embracing the human/dragon look really helps cement Shao Kahn as a terrifying beast to be reckoned with and just adds to his already existing badass-ery.

For Shao Kahn's design, I give him a 9/10, with one point being taken away because, truthfully, I'm not a big fan of his more exposed skins. I'm more traditional in the sense that I like seeing warriors wearing cool looking armor, which explains why I love his samurai-like skins so much. This is just a personal opinion, of course, and Shao Kahn still looks amazing, so I don't see it as that big of a grade reduction.

Equipment

The equipment that can be customized for Shao Kahn include his iconic wrath hammer, helmet, and spear. Two of each equipment are unlocked from the start of the game, with everything else needed to be unlocked through playing the game. Below is a video showcasing all of the available pieces of equipment that can be unlocked. I will also be providing a list of my favorite equipment pieces for all the three different items.

Wrath Hammers

• Earthshaker
• The Kahn's Greathammer
• Dragon King's War Hammer
• Intimidator
• Demonslayer

Emperor's Helmets

• Commander of the Tarkatan Horde
• Destroyer of Worlds
• Kahn of Kahns
• Relentless Despot
• Keeper of Soul Magic
• Blood and Sand

Spears

• Killing Blade of Tsenker
• Golkalkyn Destroyer
• Kehrlen's Bane
• Lance of Bloody Slaughter

While I am a fan of nearly all the equipment, I'm pretty disappointed by how lacking the spears are when it comes to originality. Most of them are just red hot glowing versions of already existing spears. Now to be fair, most of the equipment happen to be slightly recolored versions of already existing equipment. The difference between the hammers and helmets in comparison to the spears, however, happen to be that most of them are recolored to be either darker in appearance or shinier. With the spears, however, they're just glowing red. Kinda lame if you ask me, I mean, why would I want to use the spears that aren't glowing when I can get the much cooler looking ones?

Overall, I'd give Shao Kahn's equipment an 8/10.

Moveset

When it comes to fighting games, whether it be Super Smash Bros. or Soul Caliber, I tend to gravitate towards the heavyweight characters. In every single Mortal Kombat game, Shao Kahn is built like a house and hits like a tank, which makes sense given his status as a final boss in most games. However, in order to compensate for the fact that Shao Kahn would be able to be used against other player in the game's various online modes, his overpowered nature from the previous games had to be ditched. Now when he hits an opponent with a special move, it doesn't take off a ridiculous amount of health, rather it does the same amount of damage that most special moves do. My favorite special moves happen to the annihilation move, the ridicule move, the war hammer toss, and the shoulder charge.

Now, truth be told, I suck at trying to pull of combos. Thankfully, the person in the video below is amazing at doing so, so I suggest you give it a quick watch. You'll quickly see why Shao Kahn is such a force of nature.

Overall, Shao Kahn's moves hit hard and really make you feel like you're controlling the battle. I give his moveset an 8/10.

Fatalities and Fatal Blow

Below is a video showcasing both Shao Kahn's fatalities and his fatal blow. Give it a watch (if you aren't squeamish) and I'll give my thoughts on all three moves.

Fatality #1, Back Blown Out:

• This fatality, while bloody and gory, is more comical to me than anything else. Shao Kahn is essentially playing golf with his opponent's head. The freeze frame of the head at the end of the fatality is the cherry on top of the sundae for me. 8/10.

Fatality #2, Kahn-Sequences:

• Oh man, this fatality is so freakin' brutal. The fact that the person who gets their head smashed in is still conscious and moving before Shao Kahn stabs them with his spear is so painful to watch, and yet it adds to the whole experience. 9/10.

Fatal Blow, YOU SUCK:

• I love how this fatal blow incorporates all of Shao Kahn's weapons and even throws in his classic shoulder lift. The highlight of the fatal blow for me is when he completely stabs his spear through the stomach of his opponent and smashes their head with his hammer. 10/10.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, I believe that Shao Kahn is a really great addition to the game. He looks like a badass, has powerful special moves and deadly combos, and his fatalities are amzing. The only real negative things I have to say is that some of his equipment and skins are a little lacking, but it really isn't enough to bother me to the point where I can't play him.

In total, Shao Kahn gets a 9 out of 10.

Who's Next?

Next up, we'll be taking a look at the champion of Mortal Kombat. He's the man who has defeated Shao Kahn on multiple different occasions. He's a Shaolin Monk that bends fire to his will. I'm of course talking about Lui Kang.

Stay tuned!