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* NoodleIncident: One of her intros with Spawn in ''11'' indicates she's somehow familiar with the ''Phlebiacs'' (Violator's species).
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* TheCameo: [[spoiler:He appears during the New Era's Battle of Armageddon in [=MK1=].]]
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* TheCameo: [[spoiler:He appears during the New Era's Battle of Armageddon in [=MK1=]. Or, rather, an EvilCounterpart as a part of an evil group of Kombat Kids does.]]
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Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion I (Hanzo Hasashi)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot (Bi-Han)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKano Kano]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II/Scorpion II (Kuai Liang)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKitana Kitana]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatMileena Mileena]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShao Shao Kahn/General Shao]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatQuanChi Quan Chi]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKotalKahn Kotal Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKronika Kronika]]-]]]
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Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion I (Hanzo Hasashi)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot (Bi-Han)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKano Kano]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II/Scorpion II (Kuai Liang)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKitana Kitana]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatMileena Mileena]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShao Shao Kahn/General Shao]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatQuanChi Quan Chi]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKotalKahn Kotal Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKronika Kronika]]-]]]Chi]]-]]]
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For [[Characters/MortalKombatKotalKahn Kotal Kahn]], see his page.
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[[folder:Kung Jin]]
!!Kung Jin
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1b99f7e257274b8c4ef68ca97e4690aa.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''"Kotal Kahn. Under Outworld law, I claim the right of Defense... by Kombat."'']]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JohnnyYongBosch (English), Creator/IrwinDaayan (Latin American Spanish)
->A descendant of the Great Kung Lao, and nephew to the current one. After the death of Kung Lao in the second Mortal Kombat tournament, the Kung family line fell on hard times, causing Jin to abandon his home and become a common highwayman. After an attempted theft of Raiden himself, to recover a family heirloom he felt Raiden didn't deserve, he was convinced to give up his ways and join the Shaolin monks. He wields a bow that comes equipped with various arrows and doubles as a staff.
!!Kung Jin
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1b99f7e257274b8c4ef68ca97e4690aa.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''"Kotal Kahn. Under Outworld law, I claim the right of Defense... by Kombat."'']]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JohnnyYongBosch (English), Creator/IrwinDaayan (Latin American Spanish)
->A descendant of the Great Kung Lao, and nephew to the current one. After the death of Kung Lao in the second Mortal Kombat tournament, the Kung family line fell on hard times, causing Jin to abandon his home and become a common highwayman. After an attempted theft of Raiden himself, to recover a family heirloom he felt Raiden didn't deserve, he was convinced to give up his ways and join the Shaolin monks. He wields a bow that comes equipped with various arrows and doubles as a staff.
to:
!!Kung Jin
[[quoteright:250:https://static.
!!Kotal Kahn
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.
->A descendant of the Great Kung Lao, and nephew to the current one. After the death of Kung Lao
-> '''Other appearances''': ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' (Creator/PhilLamarr (English), David Hicks (Face Model), Humberto Solórzano (Latin American Spanish), ''Film/MortalKombat2021'' (cameo)
->Kotal Kahn was a young boy in the
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* AccuserOfTheBrethren: Kotal has severe difficulty in understanding the concept that not every member of a group or race is represented by the actions of a few individuals. Most attacks on either him or his empire are met with a FinalSolution response. As just one example, he committed genocide against the Tarkatans purely because Baraka sided with Mileena's rebellion.
* ALighterShadeOfBlack: He's clearly [[AntiVillain the lesser evil]] of the EnemyCivilWar, and enters an uneasy alliance with the Earthrealm warriors for most of ''MKX'''s Story Mode. His intros and interactions with Shao Kahn in ''11'' also demonstrate that Kotal, for all his flaws, is a better option for Outworld's ruler than his predecessor.
* AlliterativeName: '''K'''otal '''K'''ahn.
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Subverted. His greenish-blue skin tone is simply war paint, and his alternate costume shows his true skin tone. In his intro with Jacqui in ''11'', Kotal reveals that the greenish-blue war paint he wears is a special color worn only by Osh-Tekk in the position of Kahn. It is also less perfect in-game now too, as his regular skin tone shows through.
* AmazonChaser: According to Jade, this is what Kotal primarily sees in her.
* AndIMustScream: According to WordOfGod, Kotal's absence in the original timeline was due to being locked up in Shang Tsung's Flesh Pits for experimentation.
* AndShowItToYou: An Osh-Tekk tradition calls for feasting on their opponents' hearts, and Kotal is all to eager to oblige.
* {{Animorphism}}: New moves in ''11'' have him transform into a jaguar.
* AntiAir: His Air Takedown/Anti-Air Throw command grab in ''MKX'' is this, with Anti-Air Throw juggling the opponent.
* AntiHero: During his better moments, he's pretty much this. Even at his worst, it is for the sake of protecting the realm he claims leadership over.
* AntiVillain: Between Type III and IV (that is, a WellIntentionedExtremist and a Villain In Name Only). While he is a blood-drinking warlord, he genuinely cared for the Mayans he ruled, rebelled against Mileena because he felt she was mad, and tries to [[TeethClenchedTeamwork grudgingly work alongside Earthrealm]] in the prequel comics. He only embraces his bloodlust after [[spoiler:Goro's betrayal and murder of his father]]. He's nowhere near as megalomaniacal as Shao Kahn, scheming as Reiko, or balls-to-the-wall deranged as Mileena. In fact, he barely even seems villainous at all, solely interested in ruling Outworld, and not in conquering other realms. [[spoiler: The most villainous thing he does is try to kill Cassie's group. However he does this to try and save his realm, not for any other reason the previously mentioned villains would do.]] Come ''11'', and he's squarely in the Type IV category bar a few outlining moments.
* ArchEnemy:
** [[spoiler: D'Vorah]]. Kotal does ''not'' [[spoiler:take her betrayal well]] and actively seeks retribution.
** He eventually serves as Shao Kahn's second most personal enemy after refusing to vacate rulership of Outworld and outright dismissing him as Kahn.
** There's also Mileena, who he took the throne from. Considering she wants it back, it goes without saying the two don't really get along, with Outworld involved in civil war between the two for a good portion of ''X''.
* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: Kotal became Kahn by overthrowing Mileena and fighting off her many attempts to regain power over the years. He has also defeated Goro and his father, King Gorbak, and when Shao Kahn first returns in ''11'', Kotal succeeds, albeit with effort, in winning his first fight with his former emperor.
-->'''Kotal Kahn:''' ''You are Kahn no more.''
* BarbarianHero: A more {{Mayincatec}} flavored take, but he ticks off many of the boxes to qualify for the trope.
* BaritoneOfStrength: Has a rather deep voice courtesy of Phil Lamarr.
* BattleCouple: ''[=MK11=]'' reveals that he and Jade have been lovers since even before his introduction to the franchise.
* BeautyEqualsGoodness: His predecessor Shao Kahn is muscular, but also has draconic features, with his appearance under the helmet [[{{Gonk}} reflecting that.]] Kotal, meanwhile, is firmly TallDarkAndHandsome in the game where they face off.
* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: The prequel comics and flashbacks in ''X'' show that Kotal was once very sensible and progressively-minded, with his coup against Mileena being motivated by her refusal to heed any solutions to credible threats. After some years of succeeding her as Outworld's ruler, he unfortunately picked up many of the same habits and, while progressive in some ways, maintained Shao Kahn's feudal, authoritarian grip over the realm.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: Came to Earthrealm's pre-Maya people and benevolently (or so he claims) guided their civilization. One of the aspects he taught them was the cultural trait of eating the hearts of their fallen enemies. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome This led to]] [[spoiler:their deaths via blood poisoning]] when the foreign Spanish invaded.
* BenevolentBoss: He's earned the respect of his generals, doesn't treat Reptile like a toadie but works in a mutually beneficial deal with the Zaterran, offered his father a useful place in his regency and is perfectly willing to hear out the people who had just shot him in the leg instead of blindly attacking. While most of this behavior might be pragmatic in a sense, Outworld has never quite had a ruler like Kotal.
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: One of Kahn's brutalities in ''MKX'' involves ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQbS859--HI killing himself]]'' with a ceremonial knife. And he's the only combatant to have a brutality that involves suicide that is not a form of TakingYouWithMe.
* {{BFS}}: His War God variation in ''X'' has him using a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macuahuitl macuahuitl]] around half his size. In ''11'' he seems to have traded up for a more traditional blade in the same style, which he carries regardless of loadout.
* BloodLust:
** One of his ''MKX'' Fatalities involves cutting out his opponent's chest, [[AndShowItToYou ripping out the heart]], crushing said heart, and then drinking the heart's blood. He also has the Blood God variation, which centers around blood totems.
** In ''11'', he gains a command grab, which can be equipped as a custom variation move, that has him slash his opponent's torso open and hold them over his head, letting their blood spill into his mouth. This gives him a temporary damage boost that he can stack up to 3 times.
* BloodMagic: Kotal Kahn cuts his hand with his knife between rounds and during certain match intros in ''MKX''. According to the comics, [[spoiler:the knife is a Kamidogu, and]] he uses it to invoke the power of ancient "Gods before the Gods". This empowers him but drains him physically.
* BrightIsNotGood: His TronLines, especially the Blood God version (in the comics, it's shown that [[spoiler: they come from his SelfHarm with a Kamidogu]]).
* BrokenPedestal: Kotal grew up admiring Shao Kahn, and even became a general in the Emperor's service. After he was betrayed by Shao and consigned to the Flesh Pits, however, Kotal holds his former master in contempt. That said, Kotal is initially willing to offer the temporally displaced Shao Kahn refuge, per Osh-Tekk custom regarding refugees, though after Shao spits it in his face and demands his throne back, he and Kotal remain at each other's throats going forward.
* ButtMonkey: ''Mortal Kombat 11'' is a near-endless series of humiliations for Kotal. To wit:
** [[spoiler:After he pointlessly orders the executions of the restored Tarkatans, his own lover Jade kicks his ass in front of the whole camp.]]
** [[spoiler:When Shao Kahn ambushes the camp, Kotal gets beaten and dragged by his heels to the Koliseum, where he is then degradingly immobilised in pillory stocks for his public execution by Shao Kahn's own hand (ironically similar to the way Kotal intended to publicly execute Kollector at the very beginning of the story).]]
** [[spoiler:Shao Kahn proceeds to break Kotal's back, crippling him. With the Shokan and Tarkatans unwilling to follow him in his weakened state, Kotal cedes the throne to Kitana.]]
** In ''Aftermath'', it only gets worse. He gets [[spoiler:humiliatingly choked out by Sheeva while recovering from his wounds in the Soul Chamber, and later [[KilledOffscreen decapitated offscreen]] by Shao Kahn and Sindel (in all fairness, [[DarkestHour the altered final battle goes terribly for all of the heroes]])]].
** Kotal Kahn gets killed by Jacqui Briggs in his own [=MK11=] reveal trailer.
* TheCameo: The 2021 film features a photograph of a bust of him in one scene.
* CareerEndingInjury: In ''[=MK11=]'', [[spoiler:during chapter 7, Kotal's spine was snapped by Shao Kahn; some banter intros reveal that he is slowly recovering, which impairs his ability to serve on the front. Either way, given Kitana surpassed him on the diplomatic front, he took it as a hint that his reign was over.]]
* CastFromHitPoints: "Blood Offering" has him cut himself across the chest to give himself a damage buff for the next three attacks in exchange for a small chunk of his health. He can kill himself this way if used at the wrong time, and is the only character in ''MKX'' capable of losing a match via [[EpicFail self-inflicted]] Brutality.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: Most of his more questionable decisions as Kahn can be chalked up to him doing what he thinks he must to maintain peace and order. Considering he's trying to rule [[CrapsackWorld Outworld]], little surprise he believes he can give no mercy to petty thieves and slaughter enemies that may prove disloyal. Jade notes in ''11'' that his heart has hardened since she knew him before he became Kahn.
* ChickMagnet: While conversing with Jade, he notes that becoming Kahn of Outworld attracted many suitors hoping to become his queen. He turned them all down, intent on staying faithful to Jade even decades after her death, although D'Vorah in one of their intros in ''11'' implies there has been a fling between them. Even Sheeva admits in one interaction that she used to have a crush on him.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: In ''MKX'', his TronLines change colour based on his variation: yellow for Sun God, blue for War God, and red for Blood God. Each variation also gets a [[SupernaturalGoldEyes corresponding]] [[OccultBlueEyes eye]] [[RedEyesTakeWarning glow]].
* CombatPragmatist: In his chapter in ''11'', he bites Shao Kahn's hand during their scuffle. In their second fight, he throws sand in Shao Kahn's face.
* TheComicallySerious: He comes off as this in the introduction dialogue of some non-canon fights:
** When faced against fighters like Johnny Cage. Then again, [[TheFriendNobodyLikes so does everyone]].
---> '''Kotal Kahn:''' My fury will be brought to bear!\\
'''Johnny Cage:''' Well bring it soon, I got dinner plans.[=/=]Bring all the bears you want.\\
'''Kotal Kahn:''' Now you will perish.
** This exchange with Cassie stands out.
---> '''Cassie Cage:''' Nice miniskirt.\\
'''Kotal Kahn:''' A joke at my expense?\\
'''Cassie Cage:''' Nah, it's yours for free.
* ContinuitySnarl: The story is somewhat inconsistent with the nature of Kotal's light-blue skin. The comics suggest that it's his natural skin tone, but then the game claims that it's only war paint, with an alternate costume showing his true skin tone. Then in ''11'', he claims that his specific color is meant only for Osh-Tekk Kahns, despite the comics showing multiple Osh-Tekk with the same color.
* CreepyGood: On his better days, when he is not blinded by anger. He may be a blood-drinking demon and warlord, but he is still the most benevolent of the rulers of Outworld, cares for his subjects, and [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure is willing to hear out mortals]] in the prequel comics.
* CruelMercy: He spares [[spoiler:Goro]] after ripping and chopping off all of his arms under the pretext of [[spoiler:Shokan tradition]]. {{Deconstructed}} in that this act is seen as a slap in the face to the Shokan people, especially Goro's father, who then nearly wipes out all of the Osh-Tekk .
* ADayInTheLimelight: He's the focus of ''MKX's'' and ''11's'' Story Mode Chapter 2.
* DeadlyDisc: (Burning) Sunstone is this, a flaming stone disc with a skull carved into it that Kotal Kahn hurls across the screen.
* DeadlyHug: One of his fatalities involves him crushing his opponent to death in a bear hug.
* DeathByIrony:
** Unsuccessfully tries to pull this with Goro by hoping to exploit Shokan tradition after cutting off all four of his arms, with the expectation that Goro would be killed by his father after the latter used Shokan tradition to justify his betrayal.
** [[spoiler:Successfully]] happens to himself in the ''Aftermath'' DLC expansion. [[spoiler:One of his last majors act in the original story was attempting to behead all of the Tarkatans in their own war camp, and the last we see of him in ''Aftermath'' is his own head being tossed down the boarding plank of the ship Shao Kahn and Sindel commandeered as they make landfall at Kronika's Keep.]]
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: While he may be the most fair and reasonable emperor in Outworld's history, he still commands a brutal, oppressive dictatorship, and has a disturbing tendency to inflict DisproportionateRetribution on those who don't submit to his rule.
* DemocracyIsBad: Holds a low view of this form of government in ''11''. One of his intros with Cassie has him stating that "all democracies are doomed to fail". Given that he is an emperor, it makes sense for Kotal to think like this.
* DespairEventHorizon: This is likely the reason [[spoiler:he continued to fight Cassie's group once Shinnok corrupted the Jinsei]] in ''MKX''. [[spoiler:He saw Earthrealm as doomed so he figured that he may as well appease to Shinnok for Outworld's sake while he could.]]
* {{Determinator}}: For better or worse, Kotal Kahn does not give up easily. He stands against threats from Mileena, Reiko, [[spoiler:the Shokan and Havik]] without trepidation. Even when Shao Kahn is brought BackFromTheDead, Kotal repeatedly stands defiantly against him, [[spoiler:though this gets his back broken and in ''Aftermath'' beheaded.]]
* DidntThinkThisThrough: Happens again after the misunderstanding of [[spoiler:D'Vorah's betrayal and Cassie's team breaking free]]. Apparently, Kotal has a bad habit of acting recklessly and making bad decisions when he's angry.
* DisproportionateRetribution:
** In ''MKX'', he tries to publicly execute a ''bread thief'' and this trope is lampshaded by Cassie's group.
** Comments from him in ''11'' imply that he exterminated ''all'' the Tarkatans - including their women and children - for Baraka siding with Mileena. [[spoiler:He attempts to do so again when they return, but is stopped by Jade.]]
** When Kollector rebukes Kotal's claim of him being a disgrace to his people by expressing he's viewed positively, Kotal immediately vows to ''banish his entire race from Outworld.''
** While every member of the Black Dragon is a varying degree of scumbag, Kotal has put every member accountable for death ''solely'' due to Kano's actions.
* TheEmperor: Kotal becomes this after deposing Shao Kahn's original successor, Mileena. In 11, [[spoiler:he gracefully abdicates to Kitana after being paralyzed by Shao Kahn]].
* EveryoneHasStandards: He [[WouldntHurtAChild is above kidnapping children]], and does not tolerate betrayal. Kotal similarily makes to execute Kollecter because he finds taking such "tribute" from Outworld's people despicable. [[spoiler:Aftermath shows that he also has no patience for necromancy, declaring it forbidden, and especially if it involves resurrecting Sindel]].
* FantasticRacism: Views Tarkatans with withering contempt from his experiences with Mileena and Baraka by extension, to the point he is willing to execute any on sight for the former's transgressions. Women and children included. Jade is, naturally, appalled by this and kicks his ass for it.
* FatalFlaw: [[FuryFueledFoolishness Idiocy born of anger]]. If Kotal's angry, expect him to really clench the IdiotBall as if it's a part of his body.
** The first time he got pissed off in the comics, he left Goro armless, but refused to kill him, forgetting that EvenEvilHasLovedOnes, and then King Gorbak proceeded to wipe out the Osh-Tekk, making Kotal TheLastOfHisKind.
** In ''MKX'''s story, [[spoiler:when D'Vorah betrayed him, he lets his anger against her and Earthrealm get in the way of reason, deciding to outright kill Cassie's group instead of helping them stop Shinnok, almost bringing ruin to the realms.]]
** It comes up again in ''11'' when [[spoiler:he tries to save Jade from the Tarkatans. He gets enraged and attempts to commit genocide on them. This in turn prompts Jade to fight and defeat him, leaving him to be easily captured by Shao Kahn.]]
* {{Foil}}: To Cassie Cage. Both struggle to gain respect from their own respective parents of the same gender and are military experts. Cassie has an easygoing attitude but manages to think and act quickly when something unexpected happens, while Kotal is serious and no-nonsense but has trouble keeping his head cool when he's double-crossed. Also, both have an alliterative name.
* ForgivenButNotForgotten: While a lot of Baraka's match dialogue with Kotal in ''[=MK11=]'' indicates he's content with him as he is, he makes it clear Tarkata and him haven't forgotten the past...
-->'''Baraka:''' [[PetTheDog All of Tarkata reveres]] [[TheParagon Jade.]]\\
'''Kotal:''' An honor richly deserved.\\
'''Baraka:''' ''You,'' on the other hand...
* FourStarBadass: Before he was betrayed by Shao Kahn, Kotal served as a general of Outworld's armies.
* FuryFueledFoolishness: He has a well-documented record of making poor decisions when he's sufficiently pissed off.
* TheGoodChancellor: [[spoiler:Several intros show that he is molding Kitana into a benevolent but effective ruler.]]
* GoodCounterpart: ''11'' paints him as Shao Kahn's as his chapter does its part to establish the differences in how they view leadership of Outworld, with Kotal mostly concerned with keeping his people afloat, while Shao insists that empires will die if they do not conquer. Their differences in ideology is summarized by the Osh-Tekk himself right before they fight:
-->''"[[KirkSummation Your conquest]] [[ItsAllAboutMe served you alone]], [[TheGoodKing not Outworld's people!]]"''
* TheGoodKing: Um... as good as it gets in Outworld, anyway. Leagues better than his predecessor or major rival, certainly. He may demand public executions for petty theft (in a time of war, at least), but he doesn't let thugs like Kollector pillage innocent villages, and has no interest in conquering all his neighbors. [[spoiler: He does eventually abdicate in favor of Kitana, whom he concedes is probably a much better ruler]].
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler: After getting the sense literally knocked into him by Jade, Kotal comes to agree that his treatment of the Tarkatans was extreme and unjust. His biggest point towards this trope is when Kitana is crowned the new Kahnum of Outworld, Kotal supports her reign. Even in pre-fight dialog, Kotal tries to mentor her in being a fair ruler.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: Turned on the heroes in ''MKX'', but is back on their side in ''11'', and is fully cooperative with them the whole time.
* HereWeGoAgain: His ''MKX'' arcade ending has him [[spoiler:blindsided by Raiden, who promptly conquers Outworld. In desperation, Kotal beseeches the Elder Gods for help, and they respond by re-establishing the Mortal Kombat tournament, thus repeating history. Only this time the roles are reversed, with Outworld as the underdog defenders and Kotal having to handpick potential fighters with each tournament, just as Raiden had done before.]]
* HeroicBuild: Though he did have muscles in ''X'', the guy got ''even more jacked'' in ''11'', gaining muscles that would make Jax blush.
* HiddenDepths: In the comic, he genuinely sympathizes with Johnny and Sonya having their daughter in danger due to being the LastOfHisKind and offers his aid in saving her.
* HonorBeforeReason: In ''MKX'', he permits [[spoiler:Kung Jin]] to finish him after the latter defeats him in a trial by kombat for having interrupted the execution of a petty thief. This despite [[spoiler:still being the Kahn of all Outworld and having no heir beyond his rival, Mileena]].
* HooksAndCrooks: Aside from his {{BFS}}, he carries twin sickles to either parry attacks or carve up his opponents, which Kotal demonstrates on some Tarkatans before confronting Mileena. These sickles are customizable in ''11''.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: He trusted (and, it's implied, [[InterspeciesRomance more than trusted]]) D'Vorah, even appointing her as his first minister. [[spoiler:She's a minion of Shinnok and betrays Kotal without blinking as soon as she can serve her true master.]]
* {{Hunk}}: Made more obvious in his alternate costumes in ''11'' that show him without his body paint.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Refuses to allow Edenia to split off from Outworld for reasons of solidarity and stability. [[spoiler:Immediately scraps the Reiko Accords with Earthrealm as soon as they're inconvenient for him, even outright attacking the realm when the very reason they had a non-aggression pact gains the upper hand.]] Kung Jin even lampshades this in a dialogue quote between him and the emperor, who attempts to justify that by claiming that [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight a leader adapts to the circumstances]].
** Made even worse by the fact that [[spoiler:one of reasons cited for his overthrowing Mileena, was the fact that she refused to ally with Earthrealm against Shinnok the first time he was released]].
** In ''11'', an intro with Shang Tsung has him calling the sorcerer's magic evil. When Shang flips it back and points out how the same can be said for his blood magic, Kotal's response is to justify it as a "necessary evil", which is just a DistinctionWithoutADifference. Given how both forms of magic basically are almost the same in terms of how one would need to obtain it, it's hypocritical to say the least.
** In general, Kotal tends to be very consistently unaware of his own flaws and hypocrisy. Osh-Tekk law essentially declares AllCrimesAreEqual, considering that Kotal is willing to execute a petty thief who was hungry. And he outright tells Robocop in a pre-fight intro "leniency leas only to greater transgressions." But based on his own people's beleifs, Kotal should be dead many times over for any wrong he's committed against any other. Such as attempting to wipe out the Tarkatans, turning against Earthrrealm when Shinnok returned, or even his own youthful ignorance in incidentally killing off many of the Aztecs due to teaching them to consume the hearts of their enemies, thus leading them to die of blood disease.
* IdiotBall: Pissing him off will lead to him holding it like a champ, making things a lot more difficult for him and the heroes.
* InterspeciesRomance: The fact that he's an Osh-Tekk doesn't seem to bother Jade (an Edenian) too much. He's also implied to have been in a relationship with D'Vorah (a Kytinn).
* {{Irony}}: He takes [[spoiler:Shinnok's amulet]] for himself in ''MKX'', chiding that [[spoiler:Earthrealm forces can't be trusted with it since it wound up being stolen from them.]] However just as he's shipping it away for safe-keeping, [[spoiler:his own trusted general, D'Vorah, enacts her betrayal and steals it from him.]]
* IronicEcho: He seems fond of making these. First after he [[spoiler: chops off Goro's arms]] Kotal choses not to kill him because [[spoiler: Shoakan tradition forbids mercy.]] And [[spoiler: Shoakan tradition was how Goro justified his betrayal.]] Second, when Kano betrays him in the Story Mode, and they fight. After defeating Kano, Kotal repeats what Kano had said to him regarding how much the Emperor wanted to pay him.
-->'''Kotal Kahn:''' You're not worth the dirt on my shoe.
* KickTheDog: When an innocent Tarkatan gives away his location while scouting Shao Kahn's camps out of sheer fear, he decides to line every last Tarkatan there along with her for beheading [[EveryoneHasStandards until Jade intervenes]].
* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler:Shao Kahn and Sindel have him decollated offscreen before making it to Kronika's Isle. His head is then thrown in the shore of the isle before they join the battle]].
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: In ''11'', [[spoiler:he realizes after Shao Kahn breaks his back and Kitana unites the Outworld people under her that his time as Kahn is up.]]
* LastOfHisKind:
** In the comics, Kotal says he's the LastOfHisKind after [[spoiler:the death of his father, the rest of the Osh-Tekk having been wiped out by Reiko and Goro]]. This was no doubt an exaggeration, as other Osh-Tekk appear later in his army. Also in ''MKX'', several of his forces (which are dubbed as Osh-Tekk in the mobile game) are present.
* LastStand: The Alien's ending in ''MKX''. [[spoiler:The Xenomorph ends up growing a hive of his own kind by impregnating the various races that live in Outworld. They grow so strong that they swiftly take over Outworld, and Kotal Kahn makes a futile effort to fight them off with the last remaining forces he has left]].
* LightIsGood: For the Mayan civilization that worshiped this sun god at least. He genuinely cared for them and their deaths still weigh on him. May count for Outworld to an extent, as he is more or less the best ruler it's ever had.
* LightIsNotGood: Especially when angered. Downplayed in that he's [[ALighterShadeOfBlack the less evil]] of the two factions in the EnemyCivilWar.
* LoveRedeems: Having his LostLenore Jade around slowly helps Kotal remind himself of the noble warrior he used to be and she fell in love with before he became Kahn. [[spoiler:No doubt her making peace with him influences his decision to cede Outworld's throne to Kitana.]]
* MadeOfIron: Kotal can take plenty of punishment and return it. In ''11'', he had a stone pillar dropped on top of him and got up like it was nothing, before proceeding to clean house on Shao Kahn's forces. Three times he falls from great heights (once by Rain, once by Skarlet, and once by D'Vorah) and he gets right back on his feet. [[spoiler:That Shao Kahn was able to break his spine later says less about Kotal and more about how freakishly strong his predecessor must be.]]
* MagicKnight: Kotal combines godlike strength, skill in weaponry and BloodMagic in battle.
* {{Mayincatec}}: Averted; he is an overall faithful representation of [[Myth/AztecMythology Huitzilopochtli]], and his name bears resemblance to Quetzal'''coatl'''. Though the prequel comics establish that he came from a realm known as Osh-Tekk, then ruled over the Mayans when he travelled to Earthrealm. They in turn label him as Buluc, the Mayan War God. He also renovated Outworld into looking more like a Mayan city after taking over as Kahn, getting his warriors to dress up in paint that make them resemble his fellow Osh-Tekk. In the Kotal's Koliseum stage in ''11'', you can see the visual differences between how it looks now, and how it looked when Shao Kahn was emperor.
* MeaningfulName: It sounds a lot like Kukulkan, the Mayan God of the Sun, doesn't it?
* MightyGlacier: In ''11'', he's one of the few characters capable of healing himself, letting him take a bit more punishment than other kombatants. The downside is that his speed took a hit between games, possessing fewer fast attacks and not having any way to close in on a zoning opponent without equipping Tecuani Maul. That said, with his numerous methods of boosting his damage, on top of his already high damage output, you ''will'' feel anything he hits you with.
* MusclesAreMeaningful: He's tall, well-built and strong enough to crush human skulls into pulp even in his youth. Kotal Kahn kills [[spoiler:Gorbak, king of the Shokan]] by pulverizing his head with a clap and grapples somewhat equally with Shao Kahn in ''11''.
* MrFanservice: Tall, muscular, stoic, brooding, [[WalkingShirtlessScene scantily dressed]], with a DarkAndTroubledPast and a compelling voice. Taken further in ''11'' where he not only got taller and more muscular, but he gains a variety of skins that remove his body paint to make him look much more human as a result.
* NeverMyFault: During a back-and-forth with Tanya, she says that there will never be peace under Kotal Kahn and he responds that their rebellion is all that prevents it. This is ignoring the fact that Tanya aided Mileena's rebellion because Kotal Kahn refused to free Edenia as an independent realm.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:Kotal Kahn attacking Cassie and Co. near the end of the story is a minor example of this. Even when they said that they intended to stop Shinnok he was beyond reason at the moment and kept on with his attack. Thankfully he didn't make things any worse than what they already were but he came pretty damn close.]]
** [[spoiler:Played straight however in taking the amulet from the Earthrealm forces after they finally beat Millena. In doing so, this allowed D'Vorah to easily swipe it from under his grasp and bring Shinnok back into the picture.]]
* NoSell: (Master) Mace Parry sees Kotal Kahn block any attack with his snake sickles and gives Kotal Kahn an opening to attack (with Master Mace Parry even doing additional damage to the attacker).
* NobleDemon:
** He is actually very reasonable. He goes out of his way to avoid conflict even when [[PoorCommunicationKills he is shot by Sonya]], and in making the Mayan civilization, he tried to make them as strong as possible. His only problem is [[spoiler:he didn't realize that humans can get sick from drinking blood]] and he has some serious anger issues to work out. On the whole, he comes off as decent and reasonable but quick to violence and making decisions that could come back and bite him in the ass. In ''MKX'', [[spoiler:he also opts to imprison Cassie's group instead of executing them when he takes Shinnok's Amulet from them and even has his soldiers hand them bread.]]
** [[spoiler:After Shao Kahn's defeat in ''11'', Kotal sincerely thanks Baraka and Sheeva for aiding him despite the slights upon their peoples, swearing to return the favor. He subsequently relinquishes the position of Emperor of Outworld to Kitana both because of his CareerEndingInjury and because she proves better at uniting the realm than himself. A decision Shao Kahn would've never made.]]
* NotSoAboveItAll:
** He's well aware that he struck gold with Jade, and isn't above flaunting.
--->'''Erron Black:''' So you and Jade, eh?\\
'''Kotal Kahn:''' Jealous, Erron Black?
** On a darker note, for being ALighterShadeOfBlack than Shao or Mileena, Kotal is still willing and able to enact genocide for petty reasons.
* NotSoStoic: He manages to stay cool-headed even after he's shot, avoiding what would have been a carnage between his minions and Sonya's group. However, when he's angered, he behaves much less rationally.
* NumberTwo: Served as Shao Kahn's right hand man; while his boss was busy conquering realms, he ruled the realm for him.
* OffWithHisHead: [[spoiler: In 11's ''Aftermath'' story, he is beheaded by Shao Kahn offscreen.]]
* OldShame: In-Universe. A few of his intro quotes in ''11'' suggest that he's not proud of betraying the heroes back in ''MKX''.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When confronted with Rain in ''11'' matches, he raises his voice to an uncharacteristically murderous growl ''never'' heard before even when he has enemies like D'Vorah and Shao Kahn.
* OurOrcsAreDifferent: His Dark Lord costume has him dress like an Orc.
* PantheraAwesome: In ''[=MK11=]'', he can turn into a black jaguar, appropriately for a {{Mayincatec}}-themed character. This might be a call-back to the Animalities from MK 3.
* PerpetualFrowner: This guy is almost ''never'' in a good mood. Unless he's with Jade.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero:
** His treatment of the Tarkatans in both ''X'' and ''11'' show that Kotal, while a better man than Shao Kahn, isn't above FantasticRacism, though after Jade stops him from repeating his genocide and [[spoiler:Kitana convinces Baraka to fight against Shao Kahn]], Kotal seems to at least moderate his views.
** Kotal has a low opinion of democracy, believing that all such governments are "doomed to fail".
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Osh-Tekk warriors, like Kotal, are empowered by the sun and weakened by darkness. One of his moves calls down a ray of sunlight, which heals him and damages enemies. His Sun God Throw (in his Sun God variation) in ''MKX'' and his [=''MK1''=] front throw also have him burn the enemy with a sunbeam.
* ProphetEyes: His eyes are a blank white, though his variations, ColorCodedForYourConvenience, add a slight glow to match his TronLines.
* PublicDomainCharacter: Sort of. While Kotal Kahn is his own character, he is the figure the Mayans came to worship as Buluc Chabtan, who was a legit deity of the Mayan pantheon.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure:
** For the most part. Kotal Kahn is very patient and honorable, respects people of other realms and is willing to cooperate with them if necessary, and quite frankly he is the best ruler Outworld has ever had by a long shot. [[FuryFueledFoolishness Whenever he snaps however, he tends to make some very stupid mistakes]].
** He further demonstrates this in ''11'' where he [[spoiler:abdicates the Kahnum to Kitana after Shao Kahn breaks his back, and he witnesses Kitana do what he could not: unite all the people of Outworld under her.]]
** His ''11'' Tower ending sees him as one of the very few where the kharacter [[spoiler:refuses to use Kronika's powers to reshape the timeline, preferring to let mortals decide their own fate and defending her hourglass against those who would wish to use its power]].
* RedBaron: While trying to salvage a worsening diplomatic incident, Kung Jin addresses Kotal Kahn as "The Fire that Burns the Sun."
* RedeemingReplacement: For Shao Kahn and the other Outworld leaders before him, concerned entirely with ruling Outworld and defending it, and not at all with expanding. At his worst he does make some very stupid mistakes but nothing worse than what the previous rulers had done, and at his best he's basically Outworld's savior. As he himself notes, previous rulers were too focused on [[TakeOverTheWorld conquering]] and didn't pay much attention to [[{{Realpolitik}} ruling]], even when the latter would be far more prudent.
* RememberTheNewGuy: The comics show that he had been working under Shao Kahn from at least the events of II onward. WordOfGod has stated that his absence in the original timeline was due to him being tortured and experimented on in Shang Tsung's flesh pits. We're still learning about his past in the sequel, including his affair with Jade. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''11'', where Raiden comments that he hadn't met Kotal, only knowing him by reputation.
* TheRival: Towards Mileena after usurping her throne.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: He is the sitting emperor of Outworld but he gets his hands dirty as much, if not moreso, than Shao Kahn did as ruler. As a ProudWarriorRaceGuy, he considers it duty and obligation to not only rule one's people, but to fight when approached as well.
* SelfServingMemory: In ''11'', he confronts Raiden's past self and tells him that he becomes a ruthless tyrant who threatens all the realms following their team-up to defeat Shinnok. What ''actually'' happened is that Kotal tried to kill Cassie and her team - throwing Earthrealm under the bus in the process - to ''appease'' Shinnok and buy time for Outworld.
* ShoutOut: His design and several attacks resemble Ancient Ogre from the VideoGame/{{Tekken}} series to an extent in that they're both based on Huitzilopochtli, and he also seems to be influenced by Ahau Kin from ''VideoGame/WarGods'', a past Midway project.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Given that he still carries a torch for her over 25 years after her death, it's safe to say that Kotal loves Jade and Jade alone.
-->'''Jade:''' I'm surprised no woman has claimed your bed and become your queen.\\
'''Kotal Kahn:''' Many have tried.\\
'''Jade:''' Yet they failed? Why?\\
'''Kotal Kahn:''' None of them were you.
** Although in one of their intro dialogues in ''11'' D'Vorah implies that she and Kotal were in an intimate relationship after Jade's death. However, Kotal no longer has anything but hatred for her.
--->'''D'Vorah:''' Did you tell Jade about us?\\
'''Kotal Kahn:''' There is nothing to tell, D'Vorah.\\
'''D'Vorah:''' Such deception, Kotal.
* SpockSpeak: Kotal constantly uses metaphors and talks in riddles, possibly thanks to his ego.
* TheStarscream: He was Mileena's war chief. His dethroning of her boiled down to her refusal to work with Earthrealm's forces against the Netherrealm army.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: In the prequel comics, Kotal teaches the Mayan tribe he rules over to drink the blood of their enemies hearts, like the Osh-Tekks do. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, with human biology being ill-suited for it, they die of blood poisoning.]]
* TallDarkAndHandsome: Again, this aspect of him is more obvious with the body paint off.
* TemptingFate: As he prepares to execute Kollector near the beginning of ''11'', Kotal declares that Shao Kahn is dead, his laws are moot, and Outworld will never suffer his oppression again. Mere moments later, [[TimeCrash the time merger occurs]], bringing back, among others, Shao Kahn.
* TheTimeTravellersDilemma: His ending in ''11'' sees him confronted with this, being given the ability to change history as he sees fit, and briefly wondering about it, until he firmly decides that, as every instant, every moment of your life makes you who you are, changing even one of them would mean he is no longer himself, and thus decides to simply guard the Hourglass against anyone who would wish to use it.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Pointed out in-universe by Jade: It's clear that his experiences as Kahn have molded him into a much more temperamental person than he was before. He outright tries to publicly execute a peasant for merely stealing bread, wiped out the Tarkatans for aiding Mileena, and is implied to have uneasy relations with the Shokan. It takes a while for him to [[HeelRealization realize this]] himself in ''Mortal Kombat 11''.
* TookALevelInKindness: Following his HeelRealization [[spoiler:and ceding the title of Kahn to Kitana]] in ''11'', Kotal is much more reasonable, as shown in his interactions with others. He can give compliments to allies like Hanzo, Sonya or Cassie, repeatedly affirms his support [[spoiler:for Kitana]], and is genuinely invested in making reparations with Baraka.
* TrapMaster: God Ray/Sunlight has him create rays of sunlight on the battlefield that heal Kotal while harming opponents. A Brutality in ''MKX'' involves killing an opponent with the ray.
* TronLines: His body markings. Extra bonus points for glowing during certain moves. They also glow different colors depending on the variation (red for Blood God, blue for War God, orange for Sun God).
* UnstoppableRage: In ''MKX'', [[spoiler:he did ''not'' take the news of D'Vorah's betrayal lightly. And since he believed that she conspired with Raiden and Cassie's group to return the amulet to Earthrealm he led an attack against Raiden and even stooped to attempting to kill Cassie Cage's group the next time they crossed paths.]]
* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:To D'Vorah and her master, Shinnok]] in ''MKX''.
* TheUsurper: After Shao Kahn's death, Kotal wrested rule over Outworld from Mileena. But not out of greed or self-entitlement; he seeks to bring order to Outworld and actually focus on ruling rather than just conquering like his predecessors.
* VillainHasAPoint:
** When he gets called out on allying himself with the Black Dragon clan, Kotal responds that he was promised Earthrealm assistance by Raiden and was denied it by Sonya when he asked for it.
** In ''MKX'', [[spoiler:he also takes Shinnok's Amulet from Cassie's group as soon as Mileena is disposed of on the grounds that Earthrealm couldn't be trusted with it. Given that it used to be in Earthrealm's possession until Mileena got her hands on it (and it's not clear who stole it for her, likely Kano or Rain, though Tremor's ladder ending favors Kano as the thief) he's not willing to take that chance a second time. Unfortunately, he manages to bring the amulet straight into D'Vorah's grasp, who is in cahoots with Quan Chi and Shinnok.]]
* WalkingShirtlessScene: His armor only covers his shoulders and the top of his chest, leaving the rest of the torso exposed.
* WarGod: One of his variations in ''MKX''. His Blood God variation also counts.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Eventually defied in the prequel comics. [[spoiler:His father serves ''under'' him when he launches his rebellion, indicating that he ''did'' manage to win that respect.]]
* WhenHeSmiles: In ''[=MK11=]'', he's reunited with his lost love Jade and spends most of his time with her in lighter spirits than we've ever seen before.
* WholeCostumeReference: ''11'' gives him a DLC costume based on ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982''.
* WrongGenreSavvy:
** In the comics, after [[spoiler:sparing Goro's life]], he thinks that [[spoiler:the Shokan will be killed by his father for his failure]]. He realizes too late that [[spoiler:[[PapaWolf King Gorbak loves his son too much]] to do so and will gather the Shokan army to fight against him.]]
** It also happens in ''MKX'' when he decides that [[spoiler:Earthrealm isn't trustworthy of protecting the amulet, since Mileena was able to steal it. He gives it to D'Vorah instead, who betrays him and steals the amulet]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Kung Jin]]
!!Kung Jin
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1b99f7e257274b8c4ef68ca97e4690aa.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''"Kotal Kahn. Under Outworld law, I claim the right of Defense... by Kombat."'']]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JohnnyYongBosch (English), Creator/IrwinDaayan (Latin American Spanish)
->A descendant of the Great Kung Lao, and nephew to the current one. After the death of Kung Lao in the second Mortal Kombat tournament, the Kung family line fell on hard times, causing Jin to abandon his home and become a common highwayman. After an attempted theft of Raiden himself, to recover a family heirloom he felt Raiden didn't deserve, he was convinced to give up his ways and join the Shaolin monks. He wields a bow that comes equipped with various arrows and doubles as a staff.
----
* ALighterShadeOfBlack: He's clearly [[AntiVillain the lesser evil]] of the EnemyCivilWar, and enters an uneasy alliance with the Earthrealm warriors for most of ''MKX'''s Story Mode. His intros and interactions with Shao Kahn in ''11'' also demonstrate that Kotal, for all his flaws, is a better option for Outworld's ruler than his predecessor.
* AlliterativeName: '''K'''otal '''K'''ahn.
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Subverted. His greenish-blue skin tone is simply war paint, and his alternate costume shows his true skin tone. In his intro with Jacqui in ''11'', Kotal reveals that the greenish-blue war paint he wears is a special color worn only by Osh-Tekk in the position of Kahn. It is also less perfect in-game now too, as his regular skin tone shows through.
* AmazonChaser: According to Jade, this is what Kotal primarily sees in her.
* AndIMustScream: According to WordOfGod, Kotal's absence in the original timeline was due to being locked up in Shang Tsung's Flesh Pits for experimentation.
* AndShowItToYou: An Osh-Tekk tradition calls for feasting on their opponents' hearts, and Kotal is all to eager to oblige.
* {{Animorphism}}: New moves in ''11'' have him transform into a jaguar.
* AntiAir: His Air Takedown/Anti-Air Throw command grab in ''MKX'' is this, with Anti-Air Throw juggling the opponent.
* AntiHero: During his better moments, he's pretty much this. Even at his worst, it is for the sake of protecting the realm he claims leadership over.
* AntiVillain: Between Type III and IV (that is, a WellIntentionedExtremist and a Villain In Name Only). While he is a blood-drinking warlord, he genuinely cared for the Mayans he ruled, rebelled against Mileena because he felt she was mad, and tries to [[TeethClenchedTeamwork grudgingly work alongside Earthrealm]] in the prequel comics. He only embraces his bloodlust after [[spoiler:Goro's betrayal and murder of his father]]. He's nowhere near as megalomaniacal as Shao Kahn, scheming as Reiko, or balls-to-the-wall deranged as Mileena. In fact, he barely even seems villainous at all, solely interested in ruling Outworld, and not in conquering other realms. [[spoiler: The most villainous thing he does is try to kill Cassie's group. However he does this to try and save his realm, not for any other reason the previously mentioned villains would do.]] Come ''11'', and he's squarely in the Type IV category bar a few outlining moments.
* ArchEnemy:
** [[spoiler: D'Vorah]]. Kotal does ''not'' [[spoiler:take her betrayal well]] and actively seeks retribution.
** He eventually serves as Shao Kahn's second most personal enemy after refusing to vacate rulership of Outworld and outright dismissing him as Kahn.
** There's also Mileena, who he took the throne from. Considering she wants it back, it goes without saying the two don't really get along, with Outworld involved in civil war between the two for a good portion of ''X''.
* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: Kotal became Kahn by overthrowing Mileena and fighting off her many attempts to regain power over the years. He has also defeated Goro and his father, King Gorbak, and when Shao Kahn first returns in ''11'', Kotal succeeds, albeit with effort, in winning his first fight with his former emperor.
-->'''Kotal Kahn:''' ''You are Kahn no more.''
* BarbarianHero: A more {{Mayincatec}} flavored take, but he ticks off many of the boxes to qualify for the trope.
* BaritoneOfStrength: Has a rather deep voice courtesy of Phil Lamarr.
* BattleCouple: ''[=MK11=]'' reveals that he and Jade have been lovers since even before his introduction to the franchise.
* BeautyEqualsGoodness: His predecessor Shao Kahn is muscular, but also has draconic features, with his appearance under the helmet [[{{Gonk}} reflecting that.]] Kotal, meanwhile, is firmly TallDarkAndHandsome in the game where they face off.
* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: The prequel comics and flashbacks in ''X'' show that Kotal was once very sensible and progressively-minded, with his coup against Mileena being motivated by her refusal to heed any solutions to credible threats. After some years of succeeding her as Outworld's ruler, he unfortunately picked up many of the same habits and, while progressive in some ways, maintained Shao Kahn's feudal, authoritarian grip over the realm.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: Came to Earthrealm's pre-Maya people and benevolently (or so he claims) guided their civilization. One of the aspects he taught them was the cultural trait of eating the hearts of their fallen enemies. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome This led to]] [[spoiler:their deaths via blood poisoning]] when the foreign Spanish invaded.
* BenevolentBoss: He's earned the respect of his generals, doesn't treat Reptile like a toadie but works in a mutually beneficial deal with the Zaterran, offered his father a useful place in his regency and is perfectly willing to hear out the people who had just shot him in the leg instead of blindly attacking. While most of this behavior might be pragmatic in a sense, Outworld has never quite had a ruler like Kotal.
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: One of Kahn's brutalities in ''MKX'' involves ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQbS859--HI killing himself]]'' with a ceremonial knife. And he's the only combatant to have a brutality that involves suicide that is not a form of TakingYouWithMe.
* {{BFS}}: His War God variation in ''X'' has him using a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macuahuitl macuahuitl]] around half his size. In ''11'' he seems to have traded up for a more traditional blade in the same style, which he carries regardless of loadout.
* BloodLust:
** One of his ''MKX'' Fatalities involves cutting out his opponent's chest, [[AndShowItToYou ripping out the heart]], crushing said heart, and then drinking the heart's blood. He also has the Blood God variation, which centers around blood totems.
** In ''11'', he gains a command grab, which can be equipped as a custom variation move, that has him slash his opponent's torso open and hold them over his head, letting their blood spill into his mouth. This gives him a temporary damage boost that he can stack up to 3 times.
* BloodMagic: Kotal Kahn cuts his hand with his knife between rounds and during certain match intros in ''MKX''. According to the comics, [[spoiler:the knife is a Kamidogu, and]] he uses it to invoke the power of ancient "Gods before the Gods". This empowers him but drains him physically.
* BrightIsNotGood: His TronLines, especially the Blood God version (in the comics, it's shown that [[spoiler: they come from his SelfHarm with a Kamidogu]]).
* BrokenPedestal: Kotal grew up admiring Shao Kahn, and even became a general in the Emperor's service. After he was betrayed by Shao and consigned to the Flesh Pits, however, Kotal holds his former master in contempt. That said, Kotal is initially willing to offer the temporally displaced Shao Kahn refuge, per Osh-Tekk custom regarding refugees, though after Shao spits it in his face and demands his throne back, he and Kotal remain at each other's throats going forward.
* ButtMonkey: ''Mortal Kombat 11'' is a near-endless series of humiliations for Kotal. To wit:
** [[spoiler:After he pointlessly orders the executions of the restored Tarkatans, his own lover Jade kicks his ass in front of the whole camp.]]
** [[spoiler:When Shao Kahn ambushes the camp, Kotal gets beaten and dragged by his heels to the Koliseum, where he is then degradingly immobilised in pillory stocks for his public execution by Shao Kahn's own hand (ironically similar to the way Kotal intended to publicly execute Kollector at the very beginning of the story).]]
** [[spoiler:Shao Kahn proceeds to break Kotal's back, crippling him. With the Shokan and Tarkatans unwilling to follow him in his weakened state, Kotal cedes the throne to Kitana.]]
** In ''Aftermath'', it only gets worse. He gets [[spoiler:humiliatingly choked out by Sheeva while recovering from his wounds in the Soul Chamber, and later [[KilledOffscreen decapitated offscreen]] by Shao Kahn and Sindel (in all fairness, [[DarkestHour the altered final battle goes terribly for all of the heroes]])]].
** Kotal Kahn gets killed by Jacqui Briggs in his own [=MK11=] reveal trailer.
* TheCameo: The 2021 film features a photograph of a bust of him in one scene.
* CareerEndingInjury: In ''[=MK11=]'', [[spoiler:during chapter 7, Kotal's spine was snapped by Shao Kahn; some banter intros reveal that he is slowly recovering, which impairs his ability to serve on the front. Either way, given Kitana surpassed him on the diplomatic front, he took it as a hint that his reign was over.]]
* CastFromHitPoints: "Blood Offering" has him cut himself across the chest to give himself a damage buff for the next three attacks in exchange for a small chunk of his health. He can kill himself this way if used at the wrong time, and is the only character in ''MKX'' capable of losing a match via [[EpicFail self-inflicted]] Brutality.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: Most of his more questionable decisions as Kahn can be chalked up to him doing what he thinks he must to maintain peace and order. Considering he's trying to rule [[CrapsackWorld Outworld]], little surprise he believes he can give no mercy to petty thieves and slaughter enemies that may prove disloyal. Jade notes in ''11'' that his heart has hardened since she knew him before he became Kahn.
* ChickMagnet: While conversing with Jade, he notes that becoming Kahn of Outworld attracted many suitors hoping to become his queen. He turned them all down, intent on staying faithful to Jade even decades after her death, although D'Vorah in one of their intros in ''11'' implies there has been a fling between them. Even Sheeva admits in one interaction that she used to have a crush on him.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: In ''MKX'', his TronLines change colour based on his variation: yellow for Sun God, blue for War God, and red for Blood God. Each variation also gets a [[SupernaturalGoldEyes corresponding]] [[OccultBlueEyes eye]] [[RedEyesTakeWarning glow]].
* CombatPragmatist: In his chapter in ''11'', he bites Shao Kahn's hand during their scuffle. In their second fight, he throws sand in Shao Kahn's face.
* TheComicallySerious: He comes off as this in the introduction dialogue of some non-canon fights:
** When faced against fighters like Johnny Cage. Then again, [[TheFriendNobodyLikes so does everyone]].
---> '''Kotal Kahn:''' My fury will be brought to bear!\\
'''Johnny Cage:''' Well bring it soon, I got dinner plans.[=/=]Bring all the bears you want.\\
'''Kotal Kahn:''' Now you will perish.
** This exchange with Cassie stands out.
---> '''Cassie Cage:''' Nice miniskirt.\\
'''Kotal Kahn:''' A joke at my expense?\\
'''Cassie Cage:''' Nah, it's yours for free.
* ContinuitySnarl: The story is somewhat inconsistent with the nature of Kotal's light-blue skin. The comics suggest that it's his natural skin tone, but then the game claims that it's only war paint, with an alternate costume showing his true skin tone. Then in ''11'', he claims that his specific color is meant only for Osh-Tekk Kahns, despite the comics showing multiple Osh-Tekk with the same color.
* CreepyGood: On his better days, when he is not blinded by anger. He may be a blood-drinking demon and warlord, but he is still the most benevolent of the rulers of Outworld, cares for his subjects, and [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure is willing to hear out mortals]] in the prequel comics.
* CruelMercy: He spares [[spoiler:Goro]] after ripping and chopping off all of his arms under the pretext of [[spoiler:Shokan tradition]]. {{Deconstructed}} in that this act is seen as a slap in the face to the Shokan people, especially Goro's father, who then nearly wipes out all of the Osh-Tekk .
* ADayInTheLimelight: He's the focus of ''MKX's'' and ''11's'' Story Mode Chapter 2.
* DeadlyDisc: (Burning) Sunstone is this, a flaming stone disc with a skull carved into it that Kotal Kahn hurls across the screen.
* DeadlyHug: One of his fatalities involves him crushing his opponent to death in a bear hug.
* DeathByIrony:
** Unsuccessfully tries to pull this with Goro by hoping to exploit Shokan tradition after cutting off all four of his arms, with the expectation that Goro would be killed by his father after the latter used Shokan tradition to justify his betrayal.
** [[spoiler:Successfully]] happens to himself in the ''Aftermath'' DLC expansion. [[spoiler:One of his last majors act in the original story was attempting to behead all of the Tarkatans in their own war camp, and the last we see of him in ''Aftermath'' is his own head being tossed down the boarding plank of the ship Shao Kahn and Sindel commandeered as they make landfall at Kronika's Keep.]]
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: While he may be the most fair and reasonable emperor in Outworld's history, he still commands a brutal, oppressive dictatorship, and has a disturbing tendency to inflict DisproportionateRetribution on those who don't submit to his rule.
* DemocracyIsBad: Holds a low view of this form of government in ''11''. One of his intros with Cassie has him stating that "all democracies are doomed to fail". Given that he is an emperor, it makes sense for Kotal to think like this.
* DespairEventHorizon: This is likely the reason [[spoiler:he continued to fight Cassie's group once Shinnok corrupted the Jinsei]] in ''MKX''. [[spoiler:He saw Earthrealm as doomed so he figured that he may as well appease to Shinnok for Outworld's sake while he could.]]
* {{Determinator}}: For better or worse, Kotal Kahn does not give up easily. He stands against threats from Mileena, Reiko, [[spoiler:the Shokan and Havik]] without trepidation. Even when Shao Kahn is brought BackFromTheDead, Kotal repeatedly stands defiantly against him, [[spoiler:though this gets his back broken and in ''Aftermath'' beheaded.]]
* DidntThinkThisThrough: Happens again after the misunderstanding of [[spoiler:D'Vorah's betrayal and Cassie's team breaking free]]. Apparently, Kotal has a bad habit of acting recklessly and making bad decisions when he's angry.
* DisproportionateRetribution:
** In ''MKX'', he tries to publicly execute a ''bread thief'' and this trope is lampshaded by Cassie's group.
** Comments from him in ''11'' imply that he exterminated ''all'' the Tarkatans - including their women and children - for Baraka siding with Mileena. [[spoiler:He attempts to do so again when they return, but is stopped by Jade.]]
** When Kollector rebukes Kotal's claim of him being a disgrace to his people by expressing he's viewed positively, Kotal immediately vows to ''banish his entire race from Outworld.''
** While every member of the Black Dragon is a varying degree of scumbag, Kotal has put every member accountable for death ''solely'' due to Kano's actions.
* TheEmperor: Kotal becomes this after deposing Shao Kahn's original successor, Mileena. In 11, [[spoiler:he gracefully abdicates to Kitana after being paralyzed by Shao Kahn]].
* EveryoneHasStandards: He [[WouldntHurtAChild is above kidnapping children]], and does not tolerate betrayal. Kotal similarily makes to execute Kollecter because he finds taking such "tribute" from Outworld's people despicable. [[spoiler:Aftermath shows that he also has no patience for necromancy, declaring it forbidden, and especially if it involves resurrecting Sindel]].
* FantasticRacism: Views Tarkatans with withering contempt from his experiences with Mileena and Baraka by extension, to the point he is willing to execute any on sight for the former's transgressions. Women and children included. Jade is, naturally, appalled by this and kicks his ass for it.
* FatalFlaw: [[FuryFueledFoolishness Idiocy born of anger]]. If Kotal's angry, expect him to really clench the IdiotBall as if it's a part of his body.
** The first time he got pissed off in the comics, he left Goro armless, but refused to kill him, forgetting that EvenEvilHasLovedOnes, and then King Gorbak proceeded to wipe out the Osh-Tekk, making Kotal TheLastOfHisKind.
** In ''MKX'''s story, [[spoiler:when D'Vorah betrayed him, he lets his anger against her and Earthrealm get in the way of reason, deciding to outright kill Cassie's group instead of helping them stop Shinnok, almost bringing ruin to the realms.]]
** It comes up again in ''11'' when [[spoiler:he tries to save Jade from the Tarkatans. He gets enraged and attempts to commit genocide on them. This in turn prompts Jade to fight and defeat him, leaving him to be easily captured by Shao Kahn.]]
* {{Foil}}: To Cassie Cage. Both struggle to gain respect from their own respective parents of the same gender and are military experts. Cassie has an easygoing attitude but manages to think and act quickly when something unexpected happens, while Kotal is serious and no-nonsense but has trouble keeping his head cool when he's double-crossed. Also, both have an alliterative name.
* ForgivenButNotForgotten: While a lot of Baraka's match dialogue with Kotal in ''[=MK11=]'' indicates he's content with him as he is, he makes it clear Tarkata and him haven't forgotten the past...
-->'''Baraka:''' [[PetTheDog All of Tarkata reveres]] [[TheParagon Jade.]]\\
'''Kotal:''' An honor richly deserved.\\
'''Baraka:''' ''You,'' on the other hand...
* FourStarBadass: Before he was betrayed by Shao Kahn, Kotal served as a general of Outworld's armies.
* FuryFueledFoolishness: He has a well-documented record of making poor decisions when he's sufficiently pissed off.
* TheGoodChancellor: [[spoiler:Several intros show that he is molding Kitana into a benevolent but effective ruler.]]
* GoodCounterpart: ''11'' paints him as Shao Kahn's as his chapter does its part to establish the differences in how they view leadership of Outworld, with Kotal mostly concerned with keeping his people afloat, while Shao insists that empires will die if they do not conquer. Their differences in ideology is summarized by the Osh-Tekk himself right before they fight:
-->''"[[KirkSummation Your conquest]] [[ItsAllAboutMe served you alone]], [[TheGoodKing not Outworld's people!]]"''
* TheGoodKing: Um... as good as it gets in Outworld, anyway. Leagues better than his predecessor or major rival, certainly. He may demand public executions for petty theft (in a time of war, at least), but he doesn't let thugs like Kollector pillage innocent villages, and has no interest in conquering all his neighbors. [[spoiler: He does eventually abdicate in favor of Kitana, whom he concedes is probably a much better ruler]].
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler: After getting the sense literally knocked into him by Jade, Kotal comes to agree that his treatment of the Tarkatans was extreme and unjust. His biggest point towards this trope is when Kitana is crowned the new Kahnum of Outworld, Kotal supports her reign. Even in pre-fight dialog, Kotal tries to mentor her in being a fair ruler.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: Turned on the heroes in ''MKX'', but is back on their side in ''11'', and is fully cooperative with them the whole time.
* HereWeGoAgain: His ''MKX'' arcade ending has him [[spoiler:blindsided by Raiden, who promptly conquers Outworld. In desperation, Kotal beseeches the Elder Gods for help, and they respond by re-establishing the Mortal Kombat tournament, thus repeating history. Only this time the roles are reversed, with Outworld as the underdog defenders and Kotal having to handpick potential fighters with each tournament, just as Raiden had done before.]]
* HeroicBuild: Though he did have muscles in ''X'', the guy got ''even more jacked'' in ''11'', gaining muscles that would make Jax blush.
* HiddenDepths: In the comic, he genuinely sympathizes with Johnny and Sonya having their daughter in danger due to being the LastOfHisKind and offers his aid in saving her.
* HonorBeforeReason: In ''MKX'', he permits [[spoiler:Kung Jin]] to finish him after the latter defeats him in a trial by kombat for having interrupted the execution of a petty thief. This despite [[spoiler:still being the Kahn of all Outworld and having no heir beyond his rival, Mileena]].
* HooksAndCrooks: Aside from his {{BFS}}, he carries twin sickles to either parry attacks or carve up his opponents, which Kotal demonstrates on some Tarkatans before confronting Mileena. These sickles are customizable in ''11''.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: He trusted (and, it's implied, [[InterspeciesRomance more than trusted]]) D'Vorah, even appointing her as his first minister. [[spoiler:She's a minion of Shinnok and betrays Kotal without blinking as soon as she can serve her true master.]]
* {{Hunk}}: Made more obvious in his alternate costumes in ''11'' that show him without his body paint.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** Refuses to allow Edenia to split off from Outworld for reasons of solidarity and stability. [[spoiler:Immediately scraps the Reiko Accords with Earthrealm as soon as they're inconvenient for him, even outright attacking the realm when the very reason they had a non-aggression pact gains the upper hand.]] Kung Jin even lampshades this in a dialogue quote between him and the emperor, who attempts to justify that by claiming that [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight a leader adapts to the circumstances]].
** Made even worse by the fact that [[spoiler:one of reasons cited for his overthrowing Mileena, was the fact that she refused to ally with Earthrealm against Shinnok the first time he was released]].
** In ''11'', an intro with Shang Tsung has him calling the sorcerer's magic evil. When Shang flips it back and points out how the same can be said for his blood magic, Kotal's response is to justify it as a "necessary evil", which is just a DistinctionWithoutADifference. Given how both forms of magic basically are almost the same in terms of how one would need to obtain it, it's hypocritical to say the least.
** In general, Kotal tends to be very consistently unaware of his own flaws and hypocrisy. Osh-Tekk law essentially declares AllCrimesAreEqual, considering that Kotal is willing to execute a petty thief who was hungry. And he outright tells Robocop in a pre-fight intro "leniency leas only to greater transgressions." But based on his own people's beleifs, Kotal should be dead many times over for any wrong he's committed against any other. Such as attempting to wipe out the Tarkatans, turning against Earthrrealm when Shinnok returned, or even his own youthful ignorance in incidentally killing off many of the Aztecs due to teaching them to consume the hearts of their enemies, thus leading them to die of blood disease.
* IdiotBall: Pissing him off will lead to him holding it like a champ, making things a lot more difficult for him and the heroes.
* InterspeciesRomance: The fact that he's an Osh-Tekk doesn't seem to bother Jade (an Edenian) too much. He's also implied to have been in a relationship with D'Vorah (a Kytinn).
* {{Irony}}: He takes [[spoiler:Shinnok's amulet]] for himself in ''MKX'', chiding that [[spoiler:Earthrealm forces can't be trusted with it since it wound up being stolen from them.]] However just as he's shipping it away for safe-keeping, [[spoiler:his own trusted general, D'Vorah, enacts her betrayal and steals it from him.]]
* IronicEcho: He seems fond of making these. First after he [[spoiler: chops off Goro's arms]] Kotal choses not to kill him because [[spoiler: Shoakan tradition forbids mercy.]] And [[spoiler: Shoakan tradition was how Goro justified his betrayal.]] Second, when Kano betrays him in the Story Mode, and they fight. After defeating Kano, Kotal repeats what Kano had said to him regarding how much the Emperor wanted to pay him.
-->'''Kotal Kahn:''' You're not worth the dirt on my shoe.
* KickTheDog: When an innocent Tarkatan gives away his location while scouting Shao Kahn's camps out of sheer fear, he decides to line every last Tarkatan there along with her for beheading [[EveryoneHasStandards until Jade intervenes]].
* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler:Shao Kahn and Sindel have him decollated offscreen before making it to Kronika's Isle. His head is then thrown in the shore of the isle before they join the battle]].
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: In ''11'', [[spoiler:he realizes after Shao Kahn breaks his back and Kitana unites the Outworld people under her that his time as Kahn is up.]]
* LastOfHisKind:
** In the comics, Kotal says he's the LastOfHisKind after [[spoiler:the death of his father, the rest of the Osh-Tekk having been wiped out by Reiko and Goro]]. This was no doubt an exaggeration, as other Osh-Tekk appear later in his army. Also in ''MKX'', several of his forces (which are dubbed as Osh-Tekk in the mobile game) are present.
* LastStand: The Alien's ending in ''MKX''. [[spoiler:The Xenomorph ends up growing a hive of his own kind by impregnating the various races that live in Outworld. They grow so strong that they swiftly take over Outworld, and Kotal Kahn makes a futile effort to fight them off with the last remaining forces he has left]].
* LightIsGood: For the Mayan civilization that worshiped this sun god at least. He genuinely cared for them and their deaths still weigh on him. May count for Outworld to an extent, as he is more or less the best ruler it's ever had.
* LightIsNotGood: Especially when angered. Downplayed in that he's [[ALighterShadeOfBlack the less evil]] of the two factions in the EnemyCivilWar.
* LoveRedeems: Having his LostLenore Jade around slowly helps Kotal remind himself of the noble warrior he used to be and she fell in love with before he became Kahn. [[spoiler:No doubt her making peace with him influences his decision to cede Outworld's throne to Kitana.]]
* MadeOfIron: Kotal can take plenty of punishment and return it. In ''11'', he had a stone pillar dropped on top of him and got up like it was nothing, before proceeding to clean house on Shao Kahn's forces. Three times he falls from great heights (once by Rain, once by Skarlet, and once by D'Vorah) and he gets right back on his feet. [[spoiler:That Shao Kahn was able to break his spine later says less about Kotal and more about how freakishly strong his predecessor must be.]]
* MagicKnight: Kotal combines godlike strength, skill in weaponry and BloodMagic in battle.
* {{Mayincatec}}: Averted; he is an overall faithful representation of [[Myth/AztecMythology Huitzilopochtli]], and his name bears resemblance to Quetzal'''coatl'''. Though the prequel comics establish that he came from a realm known as Osh-Tekk, then ruled over the Mayans when he travelled to Earthrealm. They in turn label him as Buluc, the Mayan War God. He also renovated Outworld into looking more like a Mayan city after taking over as Kahn, getting his warriors to dress up in paint that make them resemble his fellow Osh-Tekk. In the Kotal's Koliseum stage in ''11'', you can see the visual differences between how it looks now, and how it looked when Shao Kahn was emperor.
* MeaningfulName: It sounds a lot like Kukulkan, the Mayan God of the Sun, doesn't it?
* MightyGlacier: In ''11'', he's one of the few characters capable of healing himself, letting him take a bit more punishment than other kombatants. The downside is that his speed took a hit between games, possessing fewer fast attacks and not having any way to close in on a zoning opponent without equipping Tecuani Maul. That said, with his numerous methods of boosting his damage, on top of his already high damage output, you ''will'' feel anything he hits you with.
* MusclesAreMeaningful: He's tall, well-built and strong enough to crush human skulls into pulp even in his youth. Kotal Kahn kills [[spoiler:Gorbak, king of the Shokan]] by pulverizing his head with a clap and grapples somewhat equally with Shao Kahn in ''11''.
* MrFanservice: Tall, muscular, stoic, brooding, [[WalkingShirtlessScene scantily dressed]], with a DarkAndTroubledPast and a compelling voice. Taken further in ''11'' where he not only got taller and more muscular, but he gains a variety of skins that remove his body paint to make him look much more human as a result.
* NeverMyFault: During a back-and-forth with Tanya, she says that there will never be peace under Kotal Kahn and he responds that their rebellion is all that prevents it. This is ignoring the fact that Tanya aided Mileena's rebellion because Kotal Kahn refused to free Edenia as an independent realm.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:Kotal Kahn attacking Cassie and Co. near the end of the story is a minor example of this. Even when they said that they intended to stop Shinnok he was beyond reason at the moment and kept on with his attack. Thankfully he didn't make things any worse than what they already were but he came pretty damn close.]]
** [[spoiler:Played straight however in taking the amulet from the Earthrealm forces after they finally beat Millena. In doing so, this allowed D'Vorah to easily swipe it from under his grasp and bring Shinnok back into the picture.]]
* NoSell: (Master) Mace Parry sees Kotal Kahn block any attack with his snake sickles and gives Kotal Kahn an opening to attack (with Master Mace Parry even doing additional damage to the attacker).
* NobleDemon:
** He is actually very reasonable. He goes out of his way to avoid conflict even when [[PoorCommunicationKills he is shot by Sonya]], and in making the Mayan civilization, he tried to make them as strong as possible. His only problem is [[spoiler:he didn't realize that humans can get sick from drinking blood]] and he has some serious anger issues to work out. On the whole, he comes off as decent and reasonable but quick to violence and making decisions that could come back and bite him in the ass. In ''MKX'', [[spoiler:he also opts to imprison Cassie's group instead of executing them when he takes Shinnok's Amulet from them and even has his soldiers hand them bread.]]
** [[spoiler:After Shao Kahn's defeat in ''11'', Kotal sincerely thanks Baraka and Sheeva for aiding him despite the slights upon their peoples, swearing to return the favor. He subsequently relinquishes the position of Emperor of Outworld to Kitana both because of his CareerEndingInjury and because she proves better at uniting the realm than himself. A decision Shao Kahn would've never made.]]
* NotSoAboveItAll:
** He's well aware that he struck gold with Jade, and isn't above flaunting.
--->'''Erron Black:''' So you and Jade, eh?\\
'''Kotal Kahn:''' Jealous, Erron Black?
** On a darker note, for being ALighterShadeOfBlack than Shao or Mileena, Kotal is still willing and able to enact genocide for petty reasons.
* NotSoStoic: He manages to stay cool-headed even after he's shot, avoiding what would have been a carnage between his minions and Sonya's group. However, when he's angered, he behaves much less rationally.
* NumberTwo: Served as Shao Kahn's right hand man; while his boss was busy conquering realms, he ruled the realm for him.
* OffWithHisHead: [[spoiler: In 11's ''Aftermath'' story, he is beheaded by Shao Kahn offscreen.]]
* OldShame: In-Universe. A few of his intro quotes in ''11'' suggest that he's not proud of betraying the heroes back in ''MKX''.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When confronted with Rain in ''11'' matches, he raises his voice to an uncharacteristically murderous growl ''never'' heard before even when he has enemies like D'Vorah and Shao Kahn.
* OurOrcsAreDifferent: His Dark Lord costume has him dress like an Orc.
* PantheraAwesome: In ''[=MK11=]'', he can turn into a black jaguar, appropriately for a {{Mayincatec}}-themed character. This might be a call-back to the Animalities from MK 3.
* PerpetualFrowner: This guy is almost ''never'' in a good mood. Unless he's with Jade.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero:
** His treatment of the Tarkatans in both ''X'' and ''11'' show that Kotal, while a better man than Shao Kahn, isn't above FantasticRacism, though after Jade stops him from repeating his genocide and [[spoiler:Kitana convinces Baraka to fight against Shao Kahn]], Kotal seems to at least moderate his views.
** Kotal has a low opinion of democracy, believing that all such governments are "doomed to fail".
* ThePowerOfTheSun: Osh-Tekk warriors, like Kotal, are empowered by the sun and weakened by darkness. One of his moves calls down a ray of sunlight, which heals him and damages enemies. His Sun God Throw (in his Sun God variation) in ''MKX'' and his [=''MK1''=] front throw also have him burn the enemy with a sunbeam.
* ProphetEyes: His eyes are a blank white, though his variations, ColorCodedForYourConvenience, add a slight glow to match his TronLines.
* PublicDomainCharacter: Sort of. While Kotal Kahn is his own character, he is the figure the Mayans came to worship as Buluc Chabtan, who was a legit deity of the Mayan pantheon.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure:
** For the most part. Kotal Kahn is very patient and honorable, respects people of other realms and is willing to cooperate with them if necessary, and quite frankly he is the best ruler Outworld has ever had by a long shot. [[FuryFueledFoolishness Whenever he snaps however, he tends to make some very stupid mistakes]].
** He further demonstrates this in ''11'' where he [[spoiler:abdicates the Kahnum to Kitana after Shao Kahn breaks his back, and he witnesses Kitana do what he could not: unite all the people of Outworld under her.]]
** His ''11'' Tower ending sees him as one of the very few where the kharacter [[spoiler:refuses to use Kronika's powers to reshape the timeline, preferring to let mortals decide their own fate and defending her hourglass against those who would wish to use its power]].
* RedBaron: While trying to salvage a worsening diplomatic incident, Kung Jin addresses Kotal Kahn as "The Fire that Burns the Sun."
* RedeemingReplacement: For Shao Kahn and the other Outworld leaders before him, concerned entirely with ruling Outworld and defending it, and not at all with expanding. At his worst he does make some very stupid mistakes but nothing worse than what the previous rulers had done, and at his best he's basically Outworld's savior. As he himself notes, previous rulers were too focused on [[TakeOverTheWorld conquering]] and didn't pay much attention to [[{{Realpolitik}} ruling]], even when the latter would be far more prudent.
* RememberTheNewGuy: The comics show that he had been working under Shao Kahn from at least the events of II onward. WordOfGod has stated that his absence in the original timeline was due to him being tortured and experimented on in Shang Tsung's flesh pits. We're still learning about his past in the sequel, including his affair with Jade. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''11'', where Raiden comments that he hadn't met Kotal, only knowing him by reputation.
* TheRival: Towards Mileena after usurping her throne.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: He is the sitting emperor of Outworld but he gets his hands dirty as much, if not moreso, than Shao Kahn did as ruler. As a ProudWarriorRaceGuy, he considers it duty and obligation to not only rule one's people, but to fight when approached as well.
* SelfServingMemory: In ''11'', he confronts Raiden's past self and tells him that he becomes a ruthless tyrant who threatens all the realms following their team-up to defeat Shinnok. What ''actually'' happened is that Kotal tried to kill Cassie and her team - throwing Earthrealm under the bus in the process - to ''appease'' Shinnok and buy time for Outworld.
* ShoutOut: His design and several attacks resemble Ancient Ogre from the VideoGame/{{Tekken}} series to an extent in that they're both based on Huitzilopochtli, and he also seems to be influenced by Ahau Kin from ''VideoGame/WarGods'', a past Midway project.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Given that he still carries a torch for her over 25 years after her death, it's safe to say that Kotal loves Jade and Jade alone.
-->'''Jade:''' I'm surprised no woman has claimed your bed and become your queen.\\
'''Kotal Kahn:''' Many have tried.\\
'''Jade:''' Yet they failed? Why?\\
'''Kotal Kahn:''' None of them were you.
** Although in one of their intro dialogues in ''11'' D'Vorah implies that she and Kotal were in an intimate relationship after Jade's death. However, Kotal no longer has anything but hatred for her.
--->'''D'Vorah:''' Did you tell Jade about us?\\
'''Kotal Kahn:''' There is nothing to tell, D'Vorah.\\
'''D'Vorah:''' Such deception, Kotal.
* SpockSpeak: Kotal constantly uses metaphors and talks in riddles, possibly thanks to his ego.
* TheStarscream: He was Mileena's war chief. His dethroning of her boiled down to her refusal to work with Earthrealm's forces against the Netherrealm army.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: In the prequel comics, Kotal teaches the Mayan tribe he rules over to drink the blood of their enemies hearts, like the Osh-Tekks do. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, with human biology being ill-suited for it, they die of blood poisoning.]]
* TallDarkAndHandsome: Again, this aspect of him is more obvious with the body paint off.
* TemptingFate: As he prepares to execute Kollector near the beginning of ''11'', Kotal declares that Shao Kahn is dead, his laws are moot, and Outworld will never suffer his oppression again. Mere moments later, [[TimeCrash the time merger occurs]], bringing back, among others, Shao Kahn.
* TheTimeTravellersDilemma: His ending in ''11'' sees him confronted with this, being given the ability to change history as he sees fit, and briefly wondering about it, until he firmly decides that, as every instant, every moment of your life makes you who you are, changing even one of them would mean he is no longer himself, and thus decides to simply guard the Hourglass against anyone who would wish to use it.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Pointed out in-universe by Jade: It's clear that his experiences as Kahn have molded him into a much more temperamental person than he was before. He outright tries to publicly execute a peasant for merely stealing bread, wiped out the Tarkatans for aiding Mileena, and is implied to have uneasy relations with the Shokan. It takes a while for him to [[HeelRealization realize this]] himself in ''Mortal Kombat 11''.
* TookALevelInKindness: Following his HeelRealization [[spoiler:and ceding the title of Kahn to Kitana]] in ''11'', Kotal is much more reasonable, as shown in his interactions with others. He can give compliments to allies like Hanzo, Sonya or Cassie, repeatedly affirms his support [[spoiler:for Kitana]], and is genuinely invested in making reparations with Baraka.
* TrapMaster: God Ray/Sunlight has him create rays of sunlight on the battlefield that heal Kotal while harming opponents. A Brutality in ''MKX'' involves killing an opponent with the ray.
* TronLines: His body markings. Extra bonus points for glowing during certain moves. They also glow different colors depending on the variation (red for Blood God, blue for War God, orange for Sun God).
* UnstoppableRage: In ''MKX'', [[spoiler:he did ''not'' take the news of D'Vorah's betrayal lightly. And since he believed that she conspired with Raiden and Cassie's group to return the amulet to Earthrealm he led an attack against Raiden and even stooped to attempting to kill Cassie Cage's group the next time they crossed paths.]]
* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:To D'Vorah and her master, Shinnok]] in ''MKX''.
* TheUsurper: After Shao Kahn's death, Kotal wrested rule over Outworld from Mileena. But not out of greed or self-entitlement; he seeks to bring order to Outworld and actually focus on ruling rather than just conquering like his predecessors.
* VillainHasAPoint:
** When he gets called out on allying himself with the Black Dragon clan, Kotal responds that he was promised Earthrealm assistance by Raiden and was denied it by Sonya when he asked for it.
** In ''MKX'', [[spoiler:he also takes Shinnok's Amulet from Cassie's group as soon as Mileena is disposed of on the grounds that Earthrealm couldn't be trusted with it. Given that it used to be in Earthrealm's possession until Mileena got her hands on it (and it's not clear who stole it for her, likely Kano or Rain, though Tremor's ladder ending favors Kano as the thief) he's not willing to take that chance a second time. Unfortunately, he manages to bring the amulet straight into D'Vorah's grasp, who is in cahoots with Quan Chi and Shinnok.]]
* WalkingShirtlessScene: His armor only covers his shoulders and the top of his chest, leaving the rest of the torso exposed.
* WarGod: One of his variations in ''MKX''. His Blood God variation also counts.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Eventually defied in the prequel comics. [[spoiler:His father serves ''under'' him when he launches his rebellion, indicating that he ''did'' manage to win that respect.]]
* WhenHeSmiles: In ''[=MK11=]'', he's reunited with his lost love Jade and spends most of his time with her in lighter spirits than we've ever seen before.
* WholeCostumeReference: ''11'' gives him a DLC costume based on ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982''.
* WrongGenreSavvy:
** In the comics, after [[spoiler:sparing Goro's life]], he thinks that [[spoiler:the Shokan will be killed by his father for his failure]]. He realizes too late that [[spoiler:[[PapaWolf King Gorbak loves his son too much]] to do so and will gather the Shokan army to fight against him.]]
** It also happens in ''MKX'' when he decides that [[spoiler:Earthrealm isn't trustworthy of protecting the amulet, since Mileena was able to steal it. He gives it to D'Vorah instead, who betrays him and steals the amulet]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Kung Jin]]
!!Kung Jin
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1b99f7e257274b8c4ef68ca97e4690aa.png]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''"Kotal Kahn. Under Outworld law, I claim the right of Defense... by Kombat."'']]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/JohnnyYongBosch (English), Creator/IrwinDaayan (Latin American Spanish)
->A descendant of the Great Kung Lao, and nephew to the current one. After the death of Kung Lao in the second Mortal Kombat tournament, the Kung family line fell on hard times, causing Jin to abandon his home and become a common highwayman. After an attempted theft of Raiden himself, to recover a family heirloom he felt Raiden didn't deserve, he was convinced to give up his ways and join the Shaolin monks. He wields a bow that comes equipped with various arrows and doubles as a staff.
----
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* TheCameo: [[spoiler:She appears during the New Era's Battle of Armageddon in MK1.]]
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* TheCameo: [[spoiler:She appears during the New Era's Battle of Armageddon in MK1.[=MK1=].]]
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* TheCameo: [[spoiler:He appears during the New Era's Battle of Armageddon in MK1.]]
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* TheCameo: [[spoiler:He appears during the New Era's Battle of Armageddon in MK1.[=MK1=].]]
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* TheCameo: [[spoiler:He appears during the New Era's Battle of Armageddon in MK1.]]
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* TheCameo: [[spoiler:He appears during the New Era's Battle of Armageddon in MK1.[=MK1=].]]
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Trope was cut/disambiguated due to cleanup
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* ArcherArchetype: Has shades of this; in addition to using a bow, he's the one member of his team to vocally oppose Cassie Cage.
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Trope was cut/disambiguated due to cleanup
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* DropTheHammer: Kotal Kahn gave him Shao Kahn's Wrath Hammer to help him in his quest.
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Spelling/grammar fix(es)
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* TheGhost: Kung Jin of the New Ear would be this. An intro between Kung Lao and Kenshi in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1'' has the former mention Jin's interest in the Yakuza, with the latter strongly advising Kung Lao to quash said interest.
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* TheGhost: Kung Jin of the New Ear Era would be this. An intro between Kung Lao and Kenshi in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1'' has the former mention Jin's interest in the Yakuza, with the latter strongly advising Kung Lao to quash said interest.
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* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In [=MK11=], His sole appearance is a cameo in [[spoiler:Shao Kahn's, Cetrion's and Cassie's]] Tower Ending, with references to him and Jacqui's romance in a few win quotes between Jax, Jacqui and/or Scorpion. His absence is especially conspicuous since the worthiness of the new Shirai Ryu is a major driving force behind Scorpion's HeelFaceTurn. An intro featuring Cassie has her claim him to be on a classified mission.
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* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In [=MK11=], His sole appearance is a cameo in [[spoiler:Shao Kahn's, Cetrion's and Cassie's]] Tower Ending, with references to him and Jacqui's romance in a few win intro quotes between Jax, Jacqui and/or Scorpion. His absence is especially conspicuous since the worthiness of the new Shirai Ryu is a major driving force behind Scorpion's HeelFaceTurn. An intro featuring Cassie has her claim him to be on a classified mission.
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* TheGhost: Kung Jin of the New Ear would be this. An intro between Kung Lao and Kenshi in ''MK1'' has the former mention Jin's interest in the Yakuza, with the latter strongly advising Kung Lao to quash such interest.
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* TheGhost: Kung Jin of the New Ear would be this. An intro between Kung Lao and Kenshi in ''MK1'' ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1'' has the former mention Jin's interest in the Yakuza, with the latter strongly advising Kung Lao to quash such said interest.
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* TheGhost: Kung Jin of the New Ear would be this. An intro between Kung Lao and Kenshi in ''MK1'' has the former mention Jin's interest in the Yakuza, with the latter strongly advising Kung Lao to quash such interest.
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* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: The Tarkatan variation has the Alien lean into that aspect of its design—and thus, is the closest thing ''MKX'' has to Baraka.
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* ActorAllusion: This is more of a coincidence than anything else, but Troy Baker also voiced a Texas-accented gunslinger in the form of Revolver Ocelot in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain''. Black's voice in [=MK11=] is much closer Troy's take on Ocelot as well.
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* ActorAllusion: This is more of a coincidence than anything else, but Troy Baker also voiced a Texas-accented gunslinger in the form of Revolver Ocelot in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain''. Black's voice in [=MK11=] is much closer to Troy's take on Ocelot as well.
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Added example(s), Trope was cut/disambiguated due to cleanup
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->A GuestFighter from ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre'', Leatherface is a SerialKiller who butchers people to turn into meat for his family. According to his biography, his brothers kicked him out of the house until he could bring back new "meat." Stumbling across a portal, Leatherface has now begun butchering the inhabitants of various realms to serve as new Sawyer chili ingredients with Kytinn being his favorite. He was made available as part of the Kombat Pack 2 DLC.
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->A GuestFighter from ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre'', Leatherface is a SerialKiller who butchers people to turn into meat for his family. According to his biography, his brothers kicked him out of the house until he could bring back new "meat." Stumbling across a portal, Leatherface has now begun butchering the inhabitants of various realms to serve as new Sawyer chili ingredients with Kytinn Kytin being his favorite. He was made available as part of the Kombat Pack 2 DLC.
* BludgeonedToDeath: Two Brutalities involve him using his hammer to kill his opponent, one involving repeated blows to the head while the other involves him killing the opponent during his X-Ray move with a combination hammer/chainsaw strike.
* BrutishCharacterBrutishWeapon: His "Butcher" variation specializes in quick but fierce hammer blows. It is also used during his X-Ray move.
* BrutishCharacterBrutishWeapon: His "Butcher" variation specializes in quick but fierce hammer blows. It is also used during his X-Ray move.
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* DropTheHammer: His "Butcher" variation specializes in quick but fierce hammer blows. It is also used during his X-Ray move.
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* FatBastard: Has quite a gut.
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* FatBastard: Has quite a gut.bit of a gut and he's a ferocious cannibal killer.
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* TheresNoKillLikeOverkill: His "Tenderizer" Brutality has him bash his opponent repeatedly in the head with his hammer until they collapse to the ground. When they reveal themselves to still be alive after a futile arm raise, he repeats the process once more.
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!![[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre Leatherface (Jedidiah "Jed" Sawyer)]]
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* ActorAllusion: This is more of a coincidence than anything else, but Troy Baker also voiced a Texas-accented gunslinger in the form of Revolver Ocelot in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid5ThePhantomPain''. Black's voice in [=MK11=] is much closer Troy's take on Ocelot as well.
to:
* ActorAllusion: This is more of a coincidence than anything else, but Troy Baker also voiced a Texas-accented gunslinger in the form of Revolver Ocelot in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid5ThePhantomPain''.''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain''. Black's voice in [=MK11=] is much closer Troy's take on Ocelot as well.
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None
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* HiveQueen: Various bits of dialogue imply that D'Vorah is not merely a member of the Kytinn race, but that she ''[[HiveMind is]]'' the Kytinn race in its entirety.
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* {{Hypocrite}}: Views the entire human race with unabashed, patronizing contempt. Yet she spends the bulk of Story Mode committing acts that paint ''only'' unflattering images for both herself and her people. She finds Kano "repulsive" despite, as it turns out, [[spoiler: sharing the same [[{{Sadist}} bad habits]] that [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder define him most]] as a person.]] To make things worse, [[spoiler:even her official bio deceives; D'Vorah is NOT loyal]]. Add the fact that said trait's described as "unusual" amongst her kind, and it all suggests a [[AlwaysChaoticEvil darker, sinister reality about the Kytinn, as a whole]]. The high-horsing even gets lampshaded by Takeda.
-->'''Takeda:''' D'Vorah.\\
'''D'Vorah:''' Your race disgusts This One.\\
'''Takeda:''' [[HypocrisyNod Hi pot! I'm the kettle]]!
** Continued in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', as during her tower ending, she remarks that "kin does not kill kin". Yet she delightedly admits to Sheeva that Kytinn eggs and larvae are "delicious".
-->'''Takeda:''' D'Vorah.\\
'''D'Vorah:''' Your race disgusts This One.\\
'''Takeda:''' [[HypocrisyNod Hi pot! I'm the kettle]]!
** Continued in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', as during her tower ending, she remarks that "kin does not kill kin". Yet she delightedly admits to Sheeva that Kytinn eggs and larvae are "delicious".
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* {{Hypocrite}}: {{Hypocrite}}:
** Views the entire human race with unabashed, patronizing contempt. Yet she spends the bulk of Story Mode committing acts that paint ''only'' unflattering images for both herself and her people. She finds Kano "repulsive" despite, as it turns out, [[spoiler: sharing the same [[{{Sadist}} bad habits]] that [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder define him most]] as a person.]] To make things worse, [[spoiler:even her official bio deceives; D'Vorah is NOT loyal]]. Add the fact that said trait's described as "unusual" amongst her kind, and it all suggests a [[AlwaysChaoticEvil darker, sinister reality about the Kytinn, as a whole]]. The high-horsing even gets lampshaded byTakeda.Takeda in a playable intro.
-->'''Takeda:''' D'Vorah.--->'''D'Vorah:''' Your race disgusts This One.\\
'''D'Vorah:''' Your race disgusts This One.\\
'''Takeda:''' [[HypocrisyNod [[LampshadeHanging Hi pot! I'm the kettle]]!
**Continued in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', as In ''11'', during her tower ending, she remarks that "kin does not kill kin". Yet she delightedly admits to Sheeva that Kytinn eggs and larvae are "delicious"."delicious".
* HypocriteHasAPoint: Despite her hypocrisy, even D'Vorah was sincerely surprised in an intro to just how ''no one'', save for Shao Kahn, likes [[EvilMatriarch Sindel]].
** Views the entire human race with unabashed, patronizing contempt. Yet she spends the bulk of Story Mode committing acts that paint ''only'' unflattering images for both herself and her people. She finds Kano "repulsive" despite, as it turns out, [[spoiler: sharing the same [[{{Sadist}} bad habits]] that [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder define him most]] as a person.]] To make things worse, [[spoiler:even her official bio deceives; D'Vorah is NOT loyal]]. Add the fact that said trait's described as "unusual" amongst her kind, and it all suggests a [[AlwaysChaoticEvil darker, sinister reality about the Kytinn, as a whole]]. The high-horsing even gets lampshaded by
**
* HypocriteHasAPoint: Despite her hypocrisy, even D'Vorah was sincerely surprised in an intro to just how ''no one'', save for Shao Kahn, likes [[EvilMatriarch Sindel]].
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* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Leaves the plot after killing Hanzo, and with time resetting it's most likely she will never pay for her crimes.]]
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* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Leaves [[spoiler:Leaves the plot after killing Hanzo, and doesn't even get an appearance in ''Aftermath'', so with time the timeline resetting it's most likely she will never pay for her crimes.]]
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* KneelBeforeZod: In MKX comic books she kneels before Mileena and even ready to kiss her boots before being brutally kicked in the face by her, still staying humble after that.
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* KneelBeforeZod: In MKX the ''MKX'' comic books books, she kneels before Mileena and is even ready to kiss her boots boots, before being brutally kicked in the face by her, still staying humble after that.
