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A finishing move first introduced in Mortal Kombat 2, and carried over into Mortal Kombat 3, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and Mortal Kombat Trilogy. After the correct button combination was inserted, the winning kombatant would transform their opponent into a crying baby. |
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A place of kombat during the third Mortal Kombat tournament. Located atop the Soul Chamber, Motaro stood guard over the collection of souls harvested from the departed. |
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One of many arenas where kombat took place during Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm. Shao Kahn's fortress can be seen standing ominously in the background. |
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An elder demon from the Netherrealm, Baphomet was one of many characters to never make the final cut. |
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Baraka was introduced as a mean, unforgiving, and unpredictable warrior in service of the evil Outworld emperor Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat 2. The race he belongs to is that of the Tarkata, a nomadic crossbreed between vile Netherrealm creatures and denizens of Outworld which populate the vast wastelands. Baraka, like most other members of his race, possesses long blades extending from his lower arms. Although he has had numerous incursions with the Earthrealm warriors, he appears not to have any particular rivalry or hatred towards Earth or its inhabitants. He fights for those he calls 'master', but invariably plots his own path to power. His nasty, deformed and brutish appearance has made him a fan favourite throughout the series.
In the events leading up to the second Mortal Kombat tournament, Baraka led the attack on the Shaolin Temple of Light in Earthrealm, which spurred Liu Kang to seek vengeance in Outworld (as predicted by Shao Kahn). During the ensuing tournament, Baraka partnered with Mileena (possibly romantically), but canon states that their plan to overthrow the emperor never came to fruition. Mileena was murdered and Baraka was sent away to quell an uprising in the lowlands of Outworld. Their second chance at obtaining power, after Mileena was resurrected during the events of Mortal Kombat Trilogy, failed as well.
Following Shao Kahn's fall from power after Mortal Kombat 2, Baraka escaped and spent time travelling alone. In the time before the events of Mortal Kombat Gold, Baraka encountered the necromancer Quan Chi while wandering through Edenia. Quan Chi offered Baraka a chance to rule the realm at his side if he agreed to join Shinnok's army. Eager for battle, he readily accepted. Once again Baraka planned to betray his new masters, but after Shinnok was utterly defeated, his opportunity was lost once again.
During the events of Mortal Kombat Deception, Baraka found yet another new master in the risen Dragon King Onaga, in whose strength he had great faith. Freeing Mileena from her prison, Baraka recruited her to Onaga's ranks. She posed as Princess Kitana, using her position to misdirect the Edenian forces into kombat against the Tarkatan raiding parties, well away from Onaga. This was intended to give the Dragon King the time he needed to complete his schemes.
In Baraka's Mortal Kombat Armageddon ending, he defeated Blaze and possessed godlike power. He decided that he would never serve anyone again. He threatened Shao Kahn and Onaga to bow before him or face certain death, but they responded by attacking him. Baraka's blades grew twice their normal size and he impaled both of them through their hearts, disposing of their lifeless bodies over the pyramid's side. Now the ruler of Outworld, he appointed Mileena as his queen. |
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Located beneath Wayne Manor, the Batcave is the centre for all of Batman's strategic operations. It was a playable area in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe and consisted of a number of levels, one of which contained the Bat Mobile. |
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Batman is a comic book superhero co-created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, who appears in publications by DC Comics. He first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May of 1939, and was a popular character in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.
Batman's secret identity is Bruce Wayne, a wealthy industrialist, playboy and philanthropist. After witnessing the murder of his parents as a child, Wayne trained himself both physically and intellectually and donned a bat-themed costume in order to disguise his true identity. Batman's main fight against crime takes place in Gotham City, where he operates from a secret Batcave beneath Wayne Manor. Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess any superpowers; he makes use of intellect, detective skills, specialised gadgets and vehicles, wealth, physical prowess and intimidation in his war against crime.
In Batman's Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe ending, he created an autonomous global security system to monitor any temporal breaches that would protect Earth from any future invasions. His system, OMAC (Outerworld Monitor and Auto-Containment), was designed to detect and trap invaders from alternate universes. He vowed to stop at nothing to keep his people safe. |
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Nestled in Outworld, this arena tests the wit and concentration of kombatants as they do battle in front of a crowd while maintaining a sixth sense as they try to avoid the numerous deathtraps. |
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The Beetle Lair is located in the realm of Outworld. This tomb-like structure is located high in the Lei Chen Mountains. It is said that it was a place of worship for a warrior demi-god as seen in the carvings on the wall. Blood Beetles roam freely and a powerful weapon known as the Thor Axe is said to be here. |
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The Belltower arena was the scene for many vicious battles during the third Mortal Kombat tournament. Giant spikes lined the bottom floor, ready to impale anyone unlucky enough to plummet through the storeys below.
The arena received a heavy facelift in Mortal Kombat Armageddon, consisting of two levels surrounding a giant bell. Beneath the bottom floor lay numerous sharp spikes, which would sever any defeated foe's limbs without fail. |
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Belokk was a scrapped character who would have been in Mortal Kombat Gold. He was invented by Eurocom, but Midway removed him as he wasn't created by their design team. Eurocom accidentally sent information about the game with Belokk in it to Game Informer, and as a result, six screenshots of him were leaked to the public. No official storyline exists for Belokk, but it was said and can be seen in his appearance that he was an Oni like Drahmin and Moloch who later made their debut in Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance.
Even though he was scrapped prior to the release of Mortal Kombat Gold, it was rumoured that he was still in the game as a secret character. In Mortal Kombat Gold, players can alternate costumes and weapons for a character by using the appropriate button combinations to rotate their portrait on the Character Select Screen. When rotating Tanya's portrait, it showed a question mark rather than the yin-yang behind other characters, causing rumours that the question mark represented Belokk. It was eventually dismissed and added to the long list of glitches and mistakes in Mortal Kombat Gold.
Belokk was also made too powerful and unoriginal. His move set copied that of other fighters in the game. |
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Steve Beran has been on the Mortal Kombat team for a number of years, and enjoys his position as lead character artist. His main role within the team is to oversee the design and production of all characters.
Beran's designs are inspired by action figures, comic books, movies, and even Star Wars. He has been responsible for the designs of characters such as Kabal, Ermac and Mileena. |
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According to legend, the Black Dragon split from its parent organisation (the Red Dragon) in 1947 and was founded by Morihei Ueshiba, who also fathered the martial art of Aikido. The reason the Black Dragon was founded was a deep-rooted discontent with the strict codes of honour and stealth that pervaded the Red Dragon.
While the Black Dragon garnered notoriety around the world, the Red Dragon marked every renegade for death, and the United States government formed the Special Forces to deal with their activities. In the events leading up to the first Mortal Kombat tournament, Kano and his Black Dragon gang lured Sonya Blade and her unit to Shang Tsung's island. Though Sonya was at a severe disadvantage with her unit massacred and forced to compete in the tournament held there, the tournament would also be the beginning of the end of the Black Dragon's current incarnation.
After the tournament, Shang Tsung fled to Outworld, taking both Sonya and Kano captive to appease Shao Kahn and to lure the other Earthrealm warriors to Outworld to compete in a second tournament. During this tournament, Jax rescued them both, but Kano soon escaped back into Outworld. He was able to convince Shao Kahn to spare his life in exchange for his assistance in training Outworld's army how to use modern weapons. Through deceit and trickery, he even made it to general after Kahn's foiled invasion of Earth, feigning death. At this time the Black Dragon had fallen apart, with its most notable members arrested, missing, turned away from criminal life, or simply killed.
The Red Dragon were persistent in eradicating all those who had once belonged to the Black Dragon. When the Deadly Alliance assumed power over Outworld, Mavado (one of the Red Dragon's operatives) defeated the swordsman Kenshi for them. In exchange he was able to secure an opportunity to kill Kano and reportedly had already killed Kabal in kombat. But unknown to him, Kabal was saved from the brink of death by the Chaosrealm cleric Havik. Though Kabal had renounced his life of crime, Havik was able to rekindle his anarchist ideals. After taking revenge on Mavado, Kabal reforged the Black Dragon more as an ideological than a purely criminal organisation, and vowed to learn from its past mistakes. Together with his two new recruits, Kira and Kobra, he travelled to Outworld to assist Havik in his schemes and test the strength of his new gang. |
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Lieutenant Sonya Blade is a member of a top United States Special Forces unit. She is a sternly beautiful, tough-as-nails lieutenant. Her impulsiveness is catalysed by her superior and good friend Major Jackson Briggs. Sonya represents a very emancipated and headstrong woman, but for all her stubbornness and pride, she deeply cares about the lives of her friends and comrades. Johnny Cage, her fellow Earthrealm warrior and friend, seems to view her as a romantic interest, but there has been no indications of her feelings for him, if any. She has a long-standing enmity with the thug Kano, who stands for everything Sonya despises.
Sonya and her team were in hot pursuit of Kano, the leader of the Black Dragon organisation. After he jumped onto a ship, they followed him to a remote island where Shang Tsung's Mortal Kombat tournament was being held. Upon arriving they were ambushed by Tsung's personal guard. To keep her team safe, she agreed to compete in the tournament. Shang Tsung, however, had no intention of fulfilling his end of the bargain. He had her unit killed and, after he was defeated by Liu Kang, took her and Kano prisoner to Outworld to appease the emperor, Shao Kahn.
Sonya was able to send a signal to her superior Jax from Outworld, however, and during the events of Mortal Kombat 2 he travelled there to find her. Jax made contact with the other Earthrealm warriors, and together they learned of Kahn's scheme to invade Earth. She was later freed and Kano arrested, but as soon as they had passed through the portal to Earth, Kano escaped and ran back into Outworld.
Sonya and Jax now had other things on their minds, however. They tried to warn the United States government of the impending invasion, but their claims went unheeded. As such, they began preparing by themselves for the coming invasion. When the fateful day finally came, Shao Kahn stripped Earthrealm of all human souls, with the exception of a few chosen warriors, one of which was Sonya, who would soon encounter her old nemesis Kano on top of a skyscraper near Kahn's fortress. A fierce battle was waged between the two. Kano gained the upper hand, and kicked Sonya onto a stone gargoyle. Sonya feigned defeat, but when Kano advanced to finish Sonya off, grabbing her by the hair, she performed her most infamous special move: the leg grab, and hurled Kano off the roof to his apparent death, taking a lock of her hair with him.
After her journey into Outworld and Shao Kahn's near destruction of Earth, Sonya became a member of Earth's own Outerworld Investigation Agency. The Black Dragon kept crossing her path, however. Its last known member, Jarek, had fled to Edenia while Sonya was chasing him. This lead Sonya and Jax to team up with Raiden and Liu Kang to free that realm from the fallen Elder God Shinnok's grasp, and to prevent him from coming to Earth. After Shinnok's defeat, in which Jarek had reluctantly participated to save himself, Jarek tried to kill Sonya, but died in the attempt.
Years later, Sonya would once again heed Raiden's call, this time to travel to Outworld after the Deadly Alliance had slain Shao Kahn and Liu Kang. For Sonya, this coincided with her search for two missing OIA agents, Cyrax and Kenshi. She was unable to find them, however, and was killed in a fight with the Deadly Alliance and its minions. The Deadly Alliance's victory was short-lived, as Onaga had been resurrected moments after their victory over Raiden himself, and reclaimed Outworld, as well as the amulet. With his ability to raise the dead at will, he resurrected and enslaved Sonya and her fallen comrades. |
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Blaze is an elemental of Outworld who embarked on a mysterious quest. As his name and appearance suggest, Blaze has some control over fire, though the extent of his abilities remains a mystery. In Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, Blaze is an unlockable character along with Mokap.
After his appearance in Deadly Alliance, fans were quick to conclude that he was the character seen on fire in the background of the Pit II stage in Mortal Kombat 2. This is most likely speculation, as nobody from Midway has confirmed this, and the flaming character was most likely just a joke at the time of the game's conception.
The mysterious Outworld elemental had long been on a quest throughout the realms. During his quest, an ancient sect of holy men still serving the long dead Dragon King ambushed him on a bridge. The holy men enslaved him through mystic incantations and forced him remain submerged beneath the molten rock of the incubation chamber as Guardian of the Egg.
However, during the course of Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, the chamber was infiltrated by Cyrax, Nitara, and Reptile. Nitara used Cyrax to reach the chamber, where she separated the vampire realm from Outworld using an orb before leaving. Soon after Reptile's entry into the chamber the giant egg hatched, sending the essence of Onaga into Reptile, making him the vessel of the returning Dragon King. At this moment Blaze was also freed of his obligation. He then resumed the quest he had undertaken before being subdued by his captors.
The purpose of his quest, which had previously been left unexplained, was finally divulged in the subsequent releases of Mortal Kombat Armageddon and Mortal Kombat Unchained. It is said that Blaze had been created to oversee the strength of all of the fighters in the realms. His creator (shown to be Taven and Daegon's mother Delia in Armageddon's Konquest mode) had prophesied that there would be a time when the fighters' power would become a threat to all of existence. Once this happened, it was Blaze's role to call out and awaken Taven and Daegon from their suspension. However, upon being freed from the egg incubation chamber, Blaze discovered that in his absence the power and numbers of these fighters had become too great and that Daegon had already been revived. He sounded the call to awaken Taven, then enacted the plan to bring all the fighters together into one final battle, where the actions of the two brothers would determine their fates and prevent armageddon. Sensing that something evil from the Netherrealm was influencing Daegon, Blaze decided to travel there in order to find its source.
In Armageddon's Konquest mode Blaze appears, confronting both Taven and Daegon after the former had defeated Scorpion. He informs the two that the quest was not going as planned, and they were not following the guidelines set by his creator. He transports them to Edenia, where the final battle is set to occur and where one of the brothers is destined to defeat him. However, Taven first defeats Daegon, who had become corrupted due to his premature awakening. Blaze informs Taven that the future of all the realms would then depend on the sole survivor, who needed to defeat him in Mortal Kombat to determine the fate of the remaining fighters. The Pyramid of Argus then forms in the nearby crater with Blaze waiting atop for Taven to destroy him.
In Blaze's Armageddon ending, it states that while he was enslaved by Onaga's men, he was corrupted by the spell that kept him bound to their wills. He then defeated Taven, Daegon, and all the kombatants, as well as all of reality. Because of this, it was indeed Blaze that ironically caused the armageddon which Delia predicted, rather than help prevent it. Meanwhile, because Blaze is the final boss, in everyone else's ending they defeat him and obtain the power of a god, which brings about a scenario which culminates the character's quest in the epitome of their benefit, although in some endings (such as the those of Quan Chi, Kobra, and Darrius) this benefit is not without its consequences. |
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Small carnivorous beetles with red shells that roam the floor in the Beetle Lair. |
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Bo' Rai Cho embodies the archetype of the drunken master. He is portrayed as physically obese, yet jovial and compassionate who teaches martial arts and has trained many students over a span of many years. He enjoys drinking alcoholic beverages, particularly the rice wine of Earthrealm. He is known to use unorthodox methods of fighting, including crude tactics such as vomiting and flatulence.
The quintessence of the drunken master exemplifies the proverb 'appearances can be deceiving'. Outwardly, the fat, drunken and crass Bo' Rai Cho does not appear to pose a threat, but he uses this illusion to take advantage of unsuspecting foes. He is revered for his great knowledge of martial arts and his fighting skills, and when necessary, is capable of commanding armies.
A native of Outworld, it has been revealed that Bo' Rai Cho has taught many great warriors, including the Great Kung Lao, Shujinko, Liu Kang, Li Mei and Kung Lao. Because he is originally from Outworld, he never entered the Mortal Kombat tournament as it would have meant competing on the behalf of Outworld and thus the brutal emperor Shao Kahn. Instead, he used his fighting prowess to train Earthrealm warriors, not becoming directly involved until the Deadly Alliance of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi emerged.
Upon hearing that his student, former tournament champion Liu Kang, had been murdered by the Deadly Alliance, he took Kung Lao under his wing and taught him the 'whirlwind kick' technique so that the Shaolin monk might slay Shang Tsung. While a group of Earthrealm warriors prepared for a frontal assault on the Deadly Alliance, Bo' Rai Cho himself secretly entered Shang Tsung's palace and escaped with the body of his student Li Mei. He regrouped with the other Earthrealm warriors, led by Raiden, and retreated to safety rather than join the attack.
In Bo' Rai Cho's Mortal Kombat Armageddon ending, he was transported to the heavens after defeating Blaze, where he stood before Argus. Argus, seeing the good in Bo' Rai Cho, made him a god and the new Protector of Outworld. |
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Born March 30, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, Ed Boon is a co-creator of the Mortal Kombat series. He continues to work on the series of games, movies and TV shows. He has also provided voice acting and motion capture for the games.
Boon graduated in 1986 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and computer science. |
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A dense jungle nestled at the heart of a large mountainous area. Taven made his way through this area in order to reach his father's temple in Mortal Kombat Armageddon's Konquest mode. |
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A fisherman whose life was in danger after having a dispute with Gohsk. He paid Shujinko koins to keep his location a secret as part of a side mission in Mortal Kombat Deception's Konquest mode. |
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One of many arenas introduced in Mortal Kombat 3, this bridge overlooks a sunset city deserted as a result of Shao Kahn's terror. |
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Nestled deep in the Netherrealm, this bridge connected the Prison of Souls to Shinnok's Fortress. It was guarded by four keepers from trespassers. |
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The Brotherhood of the Shadow are a cult based around Quan Chi and worship the fallen Elder God Shinnok, scheming and planning for his release from the Netherrealm. Its trademarks are stealth, secrecy, deception and involvement with black magic and necromancy. They achieved their goal when Quan Chi was able to get hold of the sacred amulet needed to free Shinnok from his prison, from where he already controlled the entire Netherrealm. Agents such as Noob Saibot and Reiko rose to prominence during the subsequent war with Edenia and the Earthrealm warriors during the events of Mortal Kombat 4.
Their joint effort ultimately failed and Shinnok was defeated. In the events leading up to Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance and Deception, Noob Saibot began eluding Quan Chi's control and prepared for the creation of his own armies, while Sareena and Ashrah left the cult. With Shinnok eliminated as a presence to reckon with and Quan Chi's own plans with the Deadly Alliance, the Brotherhood seems to have lost its importance or is on hold. It appears that for most members their time spent with the Brotherhood has been merely a catalyst for more important things to come. |
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A finishing move first introduced in the console ports of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and carried over into Mortal Kombat Trilogy. As the correct button combination was inserted, the winning kombatant would bash their opponent until they exploded.
In Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks, the Brutality finishing move took on a different form. Resembling more of a 'berserk' mode, players had a limited time to execute numerous deadly strikes at lightning speed. |
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| After this year's E3 2010 Expo, what are your thoughts on Mortal Kombat (2011)? |
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