Top 10 Mortal Kombat Characters

With the release of the trailer for the upcoming game Mortal Kombat X this week, I thought I would keep with the theme of Mortal Kombat (and of course ten, X). I have been a fan of the Mortal Kombat series since I remember, having been heavily influenced by a grand father who loved the game (and ignored the age restrictions, for which I'm thankful- in his defence MK1 graphics really weren't brutal or intimidating at all).

Throughout the years the story lines and Kombatants from the Mortal Kombat universe have adapted and become intricate detailed and fascinating tales! With that in mind I thought it would be nice to tell you all of my personal favourite characters from the Mortal Kombat universe. Majority of people always vote for Sub-Zero or Scorpion but many other huge fans, like myself, know that there are a lot more interesting and multi-dimensional characters than just the iconic and well known 'marketing material' characters. Thus I have given you my favourite ten characters and information about them. Each is unique and represents different elements and qualities that are apparent in the highly successful gaming franchise.

ASHRAH

Choosing to portray and identify herself as a pure, young and innocent woman by dressing in white in an elegant large hat and gown, Ashrah should not be taken at face value. In the Netherrealm no one is what they seem... she is in fact a demon. 

A demon of the Netherrealm and once a member of the Brotherhood of The Shadow, worshippers of Shinnok, she disobeyed an order and was hunted by the enraged Brotherhood. Running from the evil doers, she found a blade- The Kriss Blade. This blade was used to slay demons, and Ashrah decided she would utilise it for it's purpose. Ashrah, claiming her own destiny, became the Netherrealm's own demon slayer! 

Utilising the blade, on a path for self redemption, every soul she slayed took her further to her purification. Eventually she ascended to a higher plain and become the warrior of light and weilder of the Datatsu- a ancient vampire slaying weapon she once called The Kreiss. The beings of light ordered their champion to destroy the entire vampire race and any other demons she may encounter on the way.

First appearing in Mortal Kombat Deception, she was not included in the reinvention of the series Mortal Kombat (2011), however the upcoming game Mortal Kombat X may explore further realms and elements of the universe, in which I'm hoping Ashrah appears.

LI MEI

Li Mei's first appearance was in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance where we are told that she was a victim to slavery, along with her realm. Seeking revenge she attracted the unwanted attention of the evil sorcerer Quan-Chi. Quan-Chi offered her freedom if she would win a tournament, yet this was not the tournament of Mortal Kombat, but a tournament set by the Deadly Alliance: Devious sorcerer's Quan-Chi and Shang Tsung. Winning the tournament, the newly mentored warrior had fought and won her freedom, however everything comes with a cost.

But now that the timeline of Mortal Kombat had been rewritten the fate of Lei Mei is unknown.

Lei Mei is a highly popular character who's origin is still pretty unexplored. I believe this character has huge potential within the future of the MK Universe. Her involvement in Mortal Kombat X, could show her as the young slave we have been told about, or could show us the deadly warrior Quan-Chi manipulated. I'm voting for any of the above!

NIGHTWOLF

Nightwolf was introduced in Mortal Kombat 3 in which he is shown to be a powerful Shaman whom draws on spiritual power and energies both internally and externally. This manipulation of energies  allows him to create a bow and arrow from spiritual forces, along with a pair of Tomahawks- Nightwold's iconic weapons of choice. Nightwolf is one of Earth Realm's greatest warriors and defenders, working alongside Raiden whom he communicates with through visions. It is explained in later titles that he has the ability to 'Sin Eat' meaning he can take a persons sins away from them and spiritually cleanse them. Nightwolf is the only Native American fighter shown through the series and is shown to have a strong connection to wolves especially his companion Sheeba. This correlates with his Animality- his inner animal. Kind, honest and honourable Nightwolf the personification of good, however don't be fooled he is an admirable oponent in Kombat!

The idea of the character came from a contest after MK II in which fans sent in ideas for characters who would be weaves into the Mortal Kombat universe. Nightwolf was one of these winning applications- thankfully! 

RAIDEN

Raiden. The God of Thunder and Lightning and protector of Earth Realm is one of the few characters that have been apparent (and playable) from the very first title Mortal Kombat. 

Raiden leads the forces of Earth Realm and prepares them for the tournament called Mortal Kombat. A tournament which, if won by Earth Realm, can prevent the invasion of the realm by others. However when the rules of Mortal Kombat are breached he must be the first front for the protection of the realm. However turning turning back the clock to the start of the Mortal Kombat timeline, Raiden is haunted by the actions of his future self and what he has sent himself back to achieve. This changes many things avid fans thought they knew about the MK Universe and Raiden himself. Mortal Kombat X will have to deal with this and the darker parts of Lord Raiden's psyche. I think his storyline in MK X is going to be epic!

Plus anyone who can control lightning has to be in the top ten! I mean the guy's a God- Literally!

RAIN

Rain was originally a red herring placed by Ed Boon (Co-Creater of Mortal Kombat) in order for characters to search for 'Purple Rain' until eventually realising this was actually a pun of the popular song by the singer Prince: Purple Rain. After this Rain was given a playable role with the Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 game. However Ed Boon's humour did not end there. Rains backstory explained that he was Edenian royalty, a prince- another obvious reference to Prince!

Rain's backstory is actually extremely interesting and intricate. He is a living descendant of Edenian royalty, however he chose to turn his back on his people and side with the evil, tyrannical Emperor Shao Khan, whom invaded and enslaved Edenia. The idea that he turned his back on his people correlates to his past as the Edenian protector God Argus (Rain's biological father) abandoned him as a child after his sexual adventures with another woman. This meant that not only was Rain abandoned but also left to struggle with the burdens and power of being a Demi-God without a mentor to nurture such gifts. This is a popular theory as to why he is loyal to Shoa Khan and aligned himself with evil. As having been betrayed by his own people and realm was his very first early experience with an Edenian. Leaving him to believe he owed the Edenians nothing and that they deserved their fate.

Rain's power is immense, allowing him to conjure and manipulate water (and often lightning) using this ability to create walls of water, crush opponents with blasts of water and even liquefy himself. 

SHINNOK

The fallen Elder God Shinnok was once a neutral character within the universe however he always had a thirst for power and control. Driven by this thirst, he attempted to take Earth realm for himself and declare himself ruler. By use of a ancient amulet he diminished the powers of the barriers between realms allowing him to enter Earth realm. Due to this Shinnok went head to head in battle with the God of Thunder Raiden whom held the support and power of The Elder Gods. Raiden overthrew Shinnock and he was exiled to the darkest region of the Netherrealm. 

The character of Shinnok is an allegory of Satin- The devil. Once a being inhabiting heaven, due to his dark nature he wished for more control and authority than what he already held. The term fallen angel was given to Satin after his expulsion from heaven. Shinnock too, is identified as fallen. Shinnock then went on to overthrow Lucifer, the controller of the Netherrealm (another religious connotation representing the sun of Satin) and holds the Netherrealm, a hell like realm, as his kingdom. The idea of religion and and Satin is very strong throughout MK 4 in which he is introduced, showing players that the big bad of the game is the most dangerous and evil adversary the Kombantants have faced so far. The devilincarnate.  

SKARLET

Skarlet's first appearance originated in MK II in which it was believed that there was a glitch in the game that gave players the character Kitana dressed in red. Secrets and rumours over the scarlett coloured Kitana were discussed for years before Ed Boon created the character Skarlet to honour his fans and the mysterious woman who appeared in MK II. 

Skarlet is a dark being forged by Shoa Khan himself, with the blood of thousands of great and powerful fighters. She is loyal to Shoa Khan and is his ultimate weapon, as being blood thirsty is quite simply her nature. Very little is known about Skarlet other than her origins we were 'drip fed' in Mortal Kombat (2011). This game was her first actual appearance as the named warrior and not a rumour of a hidden character or a system glitch. I think this is a really nice addition to the MK Universe, having fans already built such a buzz around her for years, it was nice to finally see her actually a playable character with her own storyline.

SONYA BLADE

Lieutenant Sonya Blade is one of the original fighters within the Mortal Kombat tournament. Recruited by Raiden along with love interest Johnny Cage and Earth's champion Liu Kang Sonya reprinted Earth realm in the brutal contents. Sonya's reasoning for entering the tournament was to enact revenge on Kano, a warrior of Shang Tsung's, who brutally murdered her first partner. This pivotal event for Sonya causes her her to struggle with trusting and relating on others. These issues are challenged by her relationship with her new partner and fellow Kombatant Major Jaxon Briggs. 

As the first female fighter for earth realm Sonja deviates from sterotypical attributes so commonly found within female characters during the 90's and has become one of the most iconic female game characters, up there with the likes of Lara Croft. 

TANYA

Another original inhabitant of Edenia, Tanya had a lust for knowledge and magic (heavily forbidden by Shoa Khan after his invasion) which caused her to worship the fallen Elder God Shinnok. Thicorrupted Tanya greatly and showed her true loyalty- to evil and darkness of any form that would encourage her thirst for knowledge and power. The idea that this character became tainted after the lust to wield magic and be educated is a very interesting theme never before portrayed within a Mortal Kombat character. Her motives of longing for restricted knowledge allows players to question wether she is truly evil by nature of if the tight restrictions of knowledge and power that drove her to darkness. What would you do in that situation? Shouldn't everyone gain knowledge if they wish? Due to this Tanya is a relatable character. However Tanya's thirst soon becomes and obsession. Which could quite well happen to anyone who is suppressed by a dark and dangerous Emperor who has enslaved your people and restricts the mind's need to be nurtured! 

FUJIN

Fujin was first seen in the game titled Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero in which he is an unnamed god of wind. One of the four elemental gods who protect the Amulet of Shinnok. After this he is a playable character within MK 4 in which his lineage and back story is given to players.

The name derives from the Japanese god of wind with the same name. A protecting god of Earthrealm and ally to Raiden, Fujin is one of the four elemental gods who protect the amulet of Shinnock. The only surviving elemental god managed to escape death however the amulet was taken. Having failed in his protective role, Fujin joins Raiden and the defenders of Earth Realm against the dark perils of Shinnock and many other dark beings who seek to take Earth realm as their own.