Mortal Kombat/Characters: Difference between revisions

Line 11:

* [[Mortal Kombat 3/Characters|Mortal Kombat 3]]

* [[Mortal Kombat 4/Characters|Mortal Kombat 4]]

* [[Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance/Characters|Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance]]

* [[Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance/Characters|Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance]]

* [[Mortal Kombat Deception/Characters|Mortal Kombat Deception]]

* [[Mortal Kombat: Deception/Characters|Mortal Kombat Deception]]

* [[Mortal Kombat Armageddon/Characters|Mortal Kombat Armageddon]]

* [[Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe/Characters|Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe]]

Line 32:

{{quote|'''Debut game''': ''[[Mortal Kombat (video game)|Mortal Kombat]]'' (Daniel Pesina/Ed Boon)<br />

'''Other appearances''': ''[[Mortal Kombat 2]]'' (Daniel Pesina/Ed Boon), ''Ultimate [[Mortal Kombat 3]]'' (John Turk), ''[[Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero]]'' (Sal Divita), ''[[Mortal Kombat 4]]'' (Ed Boon), ''[[~~Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance|~~Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance]]'' (Ed Boon), ''[[~~Mortal Kombat Deception|~~Mortal Kombat: Deception]]'' (Ed Boon), ''[[Mortal Kombat Armageddon|Mortal Kombat: Armageddon]]'' (Ed Boon), ''[[~~Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks|~~Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks]]'' (Ed Boon), ''[[Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe|Mortal Kombat vs. DCU Universe]]'' ([[Patrick Seitz]]/Ed Boon), ''[[Mortal Kombat 9]]''/''[[Mortal Kombat X]]'' ([[Patrick Seitz]]/Ed Boon)<br />

'''Other appearances''': ''[[Mortal Kombat 2]]'' (Daniel Pesina/Ed Boon), ''Ultimate [[Mortal Kombat 3]]'' (John Turk), ''[[Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero]]'' (Sal Divita), ''[[Mortal Kombat 4]]'' (Ed Boon), ''[[Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance]]'' (Ed Boon), ''[[Mortal Kombat: Deception]]'' (Ed Boon), ''[[Mortal Kombat Armageddon|Mortal Kombat: Armageddon]]'' (Ed Boon), ''[[Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks]]'' (Ed Boon), ''[[Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe|Mortal Kombat vs. DCU Universe]]'' ([[Patrick Seitz]]/Ed Boon), ''[[Mortal Kombat 9]]''/''[[Mortal Kombat X]]'' ([[Patrick Seitz]]/Ed Boon)<br />

'''Non-game appearances''': ''[[Mortal Kombat (film)|Mortal Kombat]]'' (Chris Casamassa/Ed Boon), ''[[Mortal Kombat: Annihilation|Mortal Kombat Annihilation]]'' (J.J. Perry/Ed Boon), ''[[Mortal Kombat: Conquest|Mortal Kombat Conquest]]'' (Chris Casamassa/Ed Boon), ''[[Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm]]'', ''[[Mortal Kombat Rebirth|Mortal Kombat: Rebirth]]''/''[[~~Mortal Kombat Legacy|~~Mortal Kombat: Legacy]]'' (Ian Anthony Dale/Ed Boon) }}

'''Non-game appearances''': ''[[Mortal Kombat (film)|Mortal Kombat]]'' (Chris Casamassa/Ed Boon), ''[[Mortal Kombat: Annihilation|Mortal Kombat Annihilation]]'' (J.J. Perry/Ed Boon), ''[[Mortal Kombat: Conquest|Mortal Kombat Conquest]]'' (Chris Casamassa/Ed Boon), ''[[Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm]]'', ''[[Mortal Kombat Rebirth|Mortal Kombat: Rebirth]]''/''[[Mortal Kombat: Legacy]]'' (Ian Anthony Dale/Ed Boon) }}

{{quote|Originally known as Hanzo Hasashi, he is the son of a former clansman who chose to live as an assassin, yet [[Papa Wolf|he is very devoted to his family]] and generally goes on and about the game, serving his own purposes and none other.}}

Line 48:

** The raised arm from his fighting pose in the first four games and the hilt of his swords (starting in ''Deception'') evoke a scorpion's stinger, while the pauldrons on his shoulder for both costumes in ''9'' are also modeled after a scorpion.

* [[Anti-Hero]] ([[Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes|Type IV or V]])/[[Anti-Villain]] ([[Sliding Scale of Anti-Villains|Type I]]): The best example in the entire series. Most characters in the series are either fully good or fully bad, but Scorpion is a [[True Neutral]], participating in the games' events for his own purposes. While he has exhibited a little bit of a conscience and his actions (unintentionally) help the good guys, he's when all's said and done in it for himself and no one else.

** The reboot slides him further into outright good guy territory towards the end of MKX. {{spoiler|While he risks making an enemy of everyone during his vengeance on Quan Chi, he goes out fo his way to order the Shrai-Ryu to "Wound, not kill" so only Quan Chi has to die. He also buries the hatchet with Sub-Zero the younger, who reveals to him the truth of his murdered family's actual perpetrators, so they are no longer enemies}}.

* [[Arch Enemy]]: Quan Chi.

* [[As Long as It Sounds Foreign]]: They went right with "[[Hattori Hanzo|Hanzo]]" for a first name, but his surname, Hasashi, is not even a word.

** The reboot does not even care, and his last name is uttered a few times as if it were an actual word.

* [[Author Avatar]]: In a sense, he could be considered to be one for series' co-creator Ed Boon. [[Word of God|Boon has gone on record several times noting]] that Scorpion is his favorite character and he even provides the voicework for Scorpion's "GET OVER HERE!"/"COME HERE!"

* [[Back ~~From~~ the Dead]]: After being killed by Bi-Han (the original Sub-Zero), Scorpion is back as [[The Undead|a wraith]] at the start of ''MK1''.

* [[Back from the Dead]]: After being killed by Bi-Han (the original Sub-Zero), Scorpion is back as [[The Undead|a wraith]] at the start of ''MK1''.

** Inverted in the reboot. By [[Mortal Kombat X]], he's brought back to his actual life when the process that made him a renevant is reversed.

** [[Papa Wolf]]: He had a family as a human, but they were killed, and he believed their deaths were caused by the Lin Kuei, hence his grudge against them. He goes back on his vow to protect the younger Sub-Zero after Quan-Chi [[Blatant Lies|implicates him in the murder of Scorpion's family]]. His son is later kidnapped by Quan-Chi immediately after being brought back to life in his ''Armageddon'' ending.

Line 89:

** Finally averted come MKX, where we get to see him as a human.

* [[Guest Fighter]]: Aside from the above cameos, he also appears in several other [[Midway Games]] titles: arcade game ''The Grid'' (alongside Sub-Zero and Noob Saibot), ''[[Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy|Psi Ops the Mindgate Conspiracy]]'' (as an unlockable skin), ''[[NBA Jam]]: [[Updated Rerelease|Tournament Edition]]'', and ''MLB Slugfest 2006'' (alongside Sub-Zero; both are accessible only by means of cheat codes).

* [[~~Heel~~ ~~Face Door Slam~~]]:

* [[Deadly Change-of-Heart]]:

** Raiden, having a premonition that Sub-Zero will become a greater force for evil if killed, tries to convince him to spare Bi-Han!Sub-Zero by offering to revive his family; and Scorpion agrees. {{spoiler|Unfortunately, after defeating Sub-Zero and intending to spare him, Quan Chi goads Scorpion into killing him by showing him a vision of Sub-Zero murdering his wife and son. Sub-Zero becomes the wraith Noob Saibot, and Scorpion stays in Quan Chi's employ}}.

** Like Sindel, the Arcade Ladder ending had Scorpion {{spoiler|eventually find out the truth on his own, and then rather than tormenting Quan Chi in the Netherrealm, he flats out burn him dead}}.

Line 178:

** [[Literally Shattered Lives]]

* [[Legacy Character]]: The codename "Sub-Zero" has been handed down from father to son (and from brother to brother) for years. He is the fifth to bear the name.

* [[~~Mis Blamed~~]]: An [[In-Universe]] example: he (and, by extension, the Lin Kuei) wasn't the one who killed Scorpion's clan. {{spoiler|It was Quan Chi.}}

* [[Misblamed]]: An [[In-Universe]] example: he (and, by extension, the Lin Kuei) wasn't the one who killed Scorpion's clan. {{spoiler|It was Quan Chi.}}

* [[Monochromatic Eyes]]

* [[Off with His Head]]: His infamous "Spine Rip" Fatality, which involved ripping out the opponent's head and spinal cord from their shoulders, which is almost single-handedly responsible for '''the whole ESRB rating creation!'''

Line 188:

* [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Proud Warrior Clan Guy]]: ''Very'' devoted to the Lin Kuei.

* [[The Rival]]: Of Scorpion.

* [[Ship Tease]]: In ''Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero'', there was a briefly hinted love interest between him and Sareena, which passed on to his brother in ''[[Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance|Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition]]''.

* [[Ship Tease]]: In ''Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero'', there was a briefly hinted love interest between him and Sareena, which passed on to his brother in ''[[Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance|Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition]]''.

* [[Tragic Hero]]: Though "hero" is a bit of a stretch, seeing as he was an unrelenting assassin in life, unlike his little brother who was more compassive.

* [[Trickster Archetype]]: In ''Mythologies'', Sub-Zero is noted to be the most clever and most skilled of all the Lin Kuei.

Line 260:

* [[Awesome Ego]]: Zigzagged. He's hilarious (in the reboot especially) because he's so egotistical, but he annoys the hell out of a lot of characters, good and bad, as a result.

* [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy]]

* [[Back ~~From~~ the Dead]]: ''Constantly''. [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] when, prior to joining the battle against the ''Deadly Alliance'', he was (unwillingly) starting to film ''Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage'', in which he was repeatedly killed and brought back to life.

* [[Back from the Dead]]: ''Constantly''. [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] when, prior to joining the battle against the ''Deadly Alliance'', he was (unwillingly) starting to film ''Mortal Kombat: The Death of Johnny Cage'', in which he was repeatedly killed and brought back to life.

** He was one of the few heroic characters to survive the story mode in ''[[Mortal Kombat 9|MK9]]''.

* [[Badass Boast]]: From the story mode of ''[[Mortal Kombat 9]]'':

{{quote|'''Johnny Cage:''' ''"Most people think my films just use a lot of special effects and wire work; they don't realize, I'' am ''the special effects."''}}

* [[Born Lucky]]: While other kombatants can justify their special powers for they went through a [[Training ~~From~~ Hell]], some are [[Physical God]]s themselves, and the rest are sorcerers and [[Ninja]]s/[[McNinja]]s; Johnny Cage has no background for how he got his energy blasts, he's simply naturally gifted, in ''MK9'' it is made even more obvious how his powers are so natural, Johnny initially is in disbelief about the whole Mortal Kombat and other realms thing, and yet he doesn't mention or see his powers as being equally unbelievable.

* [[Born Lucky]]: While other kombatants can justify their special powers for they went through a [[Training from Hell]], some are [[Physical God]]s themselves, and the rest are sorcerers and [[Ninja]]s/[[McNinja]]s; Johnny Cage has no background for how he got his energy blasts, he's simply naturally gifted, in ''MK9'' it is made even more obvious how his powers are so natural, Johnny initially is in disbelief about the whole Mortal Kombat and other realms thing, and yet he doesn't mention or see his powers as being equally unbelievable.

** The funny thing in all this is the whole reason he's there is because of people calling him out and saying he's all flash with no substance. He insists that his energy powers are legit and will prove it at the Mortal Kombat tournament... yet thinks nothing of them in spite of that.

** Turns out he's an even more literal version of this come MKX. He is descended from Mediterranean warriors who all had the same abilities he did, but they only become fully manifest [[Eleventh-Hour Superpower|during a time of deepest need, like seeing a loved one about to die]]. {{spoiler|And as his daughter finds out in the same game, it's hereditary.}}

Line 277:

** In his ''MK9'' victory pose, his shades break in half. No problem: he just takes out a brand new pair and puts it on!

** In MKX, if he fights Goro, one of his intro quotes is point out Goro still owes him a pair of shades.

** [[Sunglasses At Night]]

** [[Sunglasses at Night]]

* [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]]

* [[A Day in the Limelight]]: In ''[[Mortal Kombat 9]]'', he's the focus of the first chapter.

Line 303:

* [[Off with His Head]]: His classic Fatality, in which Cage delivers a savage uppercut that tears his opponent's head off.

** The intro of ''MK9'' inverts this: {{spoiler|he's shown decapitated}}.

* {{spoiler|[[Power Incontinence]]}}: His ending in ''9''. {{spoiler|His body begins to emit large, destructive bursts of energy in uncontrollable spasms, and neither Raiden nor Nightwolf are able to soothe them. Eventually, Raiden takes Johnny Cage to Seido to control his powers, which will result in him [[Took a Level In Badass|becoming more powerful than humanly imaginable.]]}}

* {{spoiler|[[Power Incontinence]]}}: His ending in ''9''. {{spoiler|His body begins to emit large, destructive bursts of energy in uncontrollable spasms, and neither Raiden nor Nightwolf are able to soothe them. Eventually, Raiden takes Johnny Cage to Seido to control his powers, which will result in him [[Took a Level in Badass|becoming more powerful than humanly imaginable.]]}}

* [[Papa Wolf]]: He does worry about his daughter Cassie in MKX, but largely trusts her to fend for herself, though anyone trying to threaten her will make him mad. It even gets to the point where if they do fight each other, he confesses reluctance to actually doing so.

* [[Person as Verb]]: Tried this with himself in ''Shaolin Monks'' and ''MK9''. "You just got ''Caged''"

Line 435:

** [[Lightning Bruiser]]: In ''9'', he's the second fastest character in the game behind Kabal.

* [[Kiai]]

* [[~~Martial Arts Headband~~]]: Liu Kang wore a red one starting from ''MKII'' onward.

* [[Hachimaki]]: Liu Kang wore a red one starting from ''MKII'' onward.

* [[Martial Pacifist]]: Before ''MKII''.

* [[The Messiah]]

Line 454:

=== Tropes related to Zombie!Liu Kang ===

* [[Amazing Technicolor Population]]: He displays an unhealty skin color combination of green and gray.

* [[Back ~~From~~ the Dead]]: {{spoiler|His soul is in Outworld, but his body just kept on fighting without him.}}

* [[Back from the Dead]]: {{spoiler|His soul is in Outworld, but his body just kept on fighting without him.}}

** [[Came Back Wrong]]: His corpse, revived by Raiden. {{spoiler|Subverted with his soul, which retains his true essence.}}

* [[Best Served Cold]]: Shows up in the ''Armageddon'' intro to confront Shang Tsung, his neck still snapped from when Shang killed him. After snapping his neck back, '''it's on'''. {{spoiler|If ''9'' is any indication, Zombie Liu Kang managed to kill Shang Tsung and prevent him from reaching the top of Argus' Pyramid.}}

Line 533:

=== Tropes related to Dark!Raiden ===

* [[Amazing Technicolor Population]]: His skin is grey.

* [[Back ~~From~~ the Dead]]

* [[Back from the Dead]]

** [[Came Back Wrong]]: A less extreme example than most, but according to Fujin, he should have been resurrected as a blank slate. Instead, he comes back [[Darker and Edgier]].

* [[Badass Cape]]: Tattered and torn in ''Deception'' and ''Armageddon''.

Line 576:

** In ''Ultimate 3'', he {{spoiler|gets a promise from Shao Kahn to revive his race if he kills Kitana. He does it, but Shao Kahn breaks his part of the deal. Reptile kills him, but this denies him the chance to know what his true race is.}}

** In ''4'', he {{spoiler|gets a denial, again, but this time from Shinnok. He's succeeded during his fight against Earthrealm's warriors, so he talks to Quan Chi in order to make him to convince Shinnok to make Reptile to return back in time to his homeworld before it was destroyed. After an useless speak, Shinnok appears, does a [[Neck Lift]] on him, and [[Your Head Asplode|Reptile's head explodes]].}}

** And, in (surprisingly) the only canonical ending of ''Deadly Alliance'', {{spoiler|he finds Cyrax and Nitara's essence, but not any of them. Later, he's caught by an energy cascade around what was a dragon embryo, his body providing a host for [[Mortal Kombat Deception|Onaga, the Dragon King]].}}

** And, in (surprisingly) the only canonical ending of ''Deadly Alliance'', {{spoiler|he finds Cyrax and Nitara's essence, but not any of them. Later, he's caught by an energy cascade around what was a dragon embryo, his body providing a host for [[Mortal Kombat: Deception|Onaga, the Dragon King]].}}

** In ''[[Mortal Kombat 9]]'''s story mode, despite that {{spoiler|he survived the events of the game}}, he seems to exist solely to get his ass repeatedly kicked by the heroes.

* [[Downloadable Content]]: In ''9'', his classic skin from ''MK1/2/3'' and his classic "Tasty Meal" fatality.

Line 667:

{{quote|During the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament, the final victory that would enable Shao Kahn to conquer Earth, Liu Kang, a Shaolin Monk, defeated Goro, breaking the streak. Liu Kang then challenged Shang Tsung in Kombat to restore the honour of the once-sacred tournament; Liu Kang prevailed, and Shang Tsung fled to Outworld. He confronted an enraged Shao Kahn and convinced him that, if they challenged Earthrealm to Mortal Kombat in Outworld, they would have to accept or forfeit. Kahn agreed to this plan, and restored Tsung's youth. Despite this, in the Tournament the sorcerer lost again to Liu Kang, who also defeated Kahn. Shortly after, with the aid of his cult of Shadow Priests, Shang Tsung managed to revive Shao Kahn's former queen, Sindel, on Earth, giving Kahn and his forces a way to invade the Realm. Tsung was granted more power than ever before, but during the invasion that followed he lost to Liu Kang once more.}}

{{quote|Some time after the merge of the two Realms failed, the fellow sorcerer Quan Chi come to Shang Tsung with an offer: if Tsung helped him revive the lost army of the Dragon King by means of his ability to transplant souls, he would open a "Soulnado" to the Heavens, giving him an endless supply of souls. Tsung accepted, and they formed the [[Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance|Deadly]] [[Title Drop|Alliance]]. Together, the sorcerers not only managed to assassinate both Liu Kang and Shao Kahn, but eventually the duo defeated Earthrealm's champions and triumphed over Raiden himself in a final battle. Their victory, however, would not be savored. Shang Tsung's lust for power and Quan Chi's suspicion finally came to light. The two fought, with Quan Chi emerged the victor, and immediately after that, Shang Tsung had to confront a revived Dragon King alongside the two enemies; in the battle that ensued, Tsung was killed by Raiden's self-sacrificial blast.}}

{{quote|Some time after the merge of the two Realms failed, the fellow sorcerer Quan Chi come to Shang Tsung with an offer: if Tsung helped him revive the lost army of the Dragon King by means of his ability to transplant souls, he would open a "Soulnado" to the Heavens, giving him an endless supply of souls. Tsung accepted, and they formed the [[Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance|Deadly]] [[Title Drop|Alliance]]. Together, the sorcerers not only managed to assassinate both Liu Kang and Shao Kahn, but eventually the duo defeated Earthrealm's champions and triumphed over Raiden himself in a final battle. Their victory, however, would not be savored. Shang Tsung's lust for power and Quan Chi's suspicion finally came to light. The two fought, with Quan Chi emerged the victor, and immediately after that, Shang Tsung had to confront a revived Dragon King alongside the two enemies; in the battle that ensued, Tsung was killed by Raiden's self-sacrificial blast.}}

{{quote|His soul, still bound to Kahn, reached the not-so-dead Emperor. Kahn provided Tsung with a host body and then allied with him and Goro in taking his kingdom back. Some time later, during the ''Armageddon'', the sorcerer formed an alliance with Onaga, Shao Kahn, and Quan Chi so that the group may prevent the Forces of Light from obtaining the power that Blaze possessed. }}