History Fridge / MortalKombat

** In ''1'', the focus is explicitly on the combatants posing victoriously with the body pushed off to the side. It feels almost like a metaphor for Liu Kang's efforts to make an ideal timeline; He tries to focus more on victory in the face of adversity and camaraderie between kombatants but no amount of his changes could undo the fact people will still kill each other given a justifiable enough reason. "It's in our blood" indeed.

[[folder:Midway era timeline and games]]
!! FridgeBrilliance

* If the tournament is supposed to decide the war between Earthrealm and Outworld, why are all the playable characters from Earth? Because Goro has ''dominated'' the nine previous tournaments, and Shang Tsung is confident enough to think he doesn't ''need'' any additional Outworld help.
* Shang Tsung's Soul Steal fatality in ''[=MK3=]'' was very different from the one he used in ''[=MK2=]'': rather than drain the victim's soul directly into himself, he levitates the victim and the soul flies away, unabsorbed. The reason for the change isn't apparent, but in ''[=MK3=]'', Shao Kahn's "Soulnado" is constantly pulling in every soul that isn't nailed down.
** Furthermore, Shang Tsung deliberately lets Shao Kahn get a few souls for the Soulnado to divert attention away from himself while he [[DragonWithAnAgenda schemes to overthrow his boss.]] Just look at his overthrow of Kahn alongside Quan Chi in ''Deadly Alliance.''
** How does Shang Tsung regain his strength? ''He drains the souls of his enemies'' - He can just let Shao Kahn take every soul in Earth Realm into the Soulnado, and then make his play for power ''with an unlimited supply of souls for him to feed on & gain power from whilst he does it''.

** Many of Nightwolf's abilities are [[MagicalNativeAmerican stereotypes]], but others require some research. Nightwolf's ability to reflect projectiles? Ghost Dance. Charging? Indians were notorious for running ability in the 19th century, which also relates to some brokenness in ''3''. His secondary style in ''Deception'' is UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}}. Difference in disciplines aside, [[ShoutOut Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell won a medal in a martial arts tournament in his youth.]]

!! FridgeHorror
* It's pretty much established by [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 the rebooted timeline]] that the canonical conclusion of ''Armageddon'' had [[TheBadGuyWins Shao Kahn winning]]. In the story mode, however, there's a part where Shang Tsung claims that everyone who pledged allegiance to him will return from the dead to continue serving him. And now that the Forces of Light are killed off...
* In his ''Armageddon'' bio, it's revealed that Shao Khan can revive allies of his who had once sworn allegiance to him, and if he died, so do they. Now, let's list all of the characters who had allied themselves with him: Kintaro, Motaro, Goro, Shang Tsung, Baraka, Reptile, Reiko, Mileena, Kitana, Sindel, Jade, Kano...
** Also, in that same game, it's revealed by Fujin that, when a god is destroyed, they're revived as a "blank state", forgetting all of their past life in the process. Note that this is ''not'' what happened to Raiden after his attempt to [[TakingYouWithMe take Onaga with him at the beginning of]] ''Deception''. So, what happened? According to EpilepticTrees, he was ''corrupted by Onaga in the attempt''.

[[redirect:Fridge/MortalKombat1992]]

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!! Fridge pages are Administrivia/SpoilersOff by default, so all entries have been folderized as a security measure. Proceed with caution. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.
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[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Midway era timeline and games]]
!! FridgeBrilliance
* The rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero:
** Scorpion and Sub-Zero are completely contrasting characters in almost every aspect. Scorpion's a LargeHam who controls flames, and Sub-Zero is more reserved, with ice-based powers. It's only natural that the ''fiery'' Scorpion is more prone to shouting and being hot-tempered, whereas Sub-Zero's personality is ''cooler'' in comparison.
** Scorpion making his own costume a yellow version of Sub-Zero's appears to be a mistake, since he's doing it to mock the Lin Kuei and call them cowards, when, in fact, the color yellow symbolizes courage in Japan, where he's from. It actually makes perfect sense, since his own yellow outfit as opposed to the Lin Kuei's non-yellow ones could be a symbolic way of saying ''"I have courage and you don't. Cowards."'' Also, in nature, the yellow scorpion (especially the brighter colored ones) are deadlier than the black ones. In other words, Scorpion is one of the deadliest of his clan.
** To add another element to the rivalry of Sub-Zero/The Lin Kuei Clan and Scorpion/The Shirai Ryu Clan is also a bit of GeniusBonus, too; the former and his tribe are Chinese ([[McNinja mostly]]) and the latter and his tribe are Japanese. In RealLife, China and Japan ''[[ArchEnemy absolutely]] [[TheRival hate]]'' each other and is arguably the most intense rivalry between nations in the ''world'', so it makes perfect sense to have two characters who happen to be each nationality have the franchise's primary (and most popular) rivalry.
* It is well known that the Shokan have four arms, but why is that? They are half-human dragons, and dragons have '''six limbs''': [[http://fc06.deviantart.net/images/i/2003/49/6/e/Blue_Dragon_Flying.jpg four legs and two wings]]! In the case of the Shokan, the hind legs became the legs, the forelegs became a pair of arms, and the wings became the second pair of arms!
* If the tournament is supposed to decide the war between Earthrealm and Outworld, why are all the playable characters from Earth? Because Goro has ''dominated'' the nine previous tournaments, and Shang Tsung is confident enough to think he doesn't ''need'' any additional Outworld help.
* Shang Tsung's Soul Steal fatality in ''[=MK3=]'' was very different from the one he used in ''[=MK2=]'': rather than drain the victim's soul directly into himself, he levitates the victim and the soul flies away, unabsorbed. The reason for the change isn't apparent, but in ''[=MK3=]'', Shao Kahn's "Soulnado" is constantly pulling in every soul that isn't nailed down.
** Furthermore, Shang Tsung deliberately lets Shao Kahn get a few souls for the Soulnado to divert attention away from himself while he [[DragonWithAnAgenda schemes to overthrow his boss.]] Just look at his overthrow of Kahn alongside Quan Chi in ''Deadly Alliance.''
** How does Shang Tsung regain his strength? ''He drains the souls of his enemies'' - He can just let Shao Kahn take every soul in Earth Realm into the Soulnado, and then make his play for power ''with an unlimited supply of souls for him to feed on & gain power from whilst he does it''.
* [[MakingASplash Rain]] can use lightning attacks in addition to water. Rain water becomes water vapor becomes clouds become rain water again through that familiar process we learned in school: evaporation, condensation, precipitation. And what usually causes thunderstorms? Those dark heavyweight-looking things called cumulonimbus clouds. So being able to use lightning is entirely within Rain's element, especially considering he's eventually established in canon as a demigod.
* Nightwolf:
** Like Rain and Raiden, he's also able to do the Shocking Bolt because he's in tune with powerful spirits who likely would grant him the ability to control water and thunder to some degree as well.
** He also draws on the power of Raiden himself, seeing as Nightwolf's bio for ''9'' confirms that he had communicated with Raiden for some period of time before the first tournament. Additionally, he refers to Raiden as Haokah (the spirit of thunder and lightning in Lakota mythology) a few times over the course of the story.
** In the first movie Raiden expresses a hint of behaving like a heyoka, when he laughs after saying something dramatic. In addition, according to Website/TheOtherWiki, Heyókȟa is also a spirit of thunder and lightning, who is said to use the wind as sticks to beat the drum of thunder. This is a common point with Japanese mythology, where Raiden is depicted as beating drums to create thunder.
** Many of Nightwolf's abilities are [[MagicalNativeAmerican stereotypes]], but others require some research. Nightwolf's ability to reflect projectiles? Ghost Dance. Charging? Indians were notorious for running ability in the 19th century, which also relates to some brokenness in ''3''. His secondary style in ''Deception'' is UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}}. Difference in disciplines aside, [[ShoutOut Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell won a medal in a martial arts tournament in his youth.]]
* The story for ''4'' goes that, long before the games even began, the Elder God Shinnok betrayed his fellow Elder Gods and attempted to usurp them, thus gaining power over all realms, a plot he reattempts in the actual game. Does this sound familiar? If you've heard the story of [[{{Satan}} Satan's origin]] even once, it should. Shinnok is ''the'' Satan of Mortal Kombat! (Made even more interesting by the fact that he ''overthrows Lucifer'' to become ruler of the Netherrealm!)
* Raiden, the protector of Earthrealm, is the God of Lightning and Thunder. In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero'', and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'', we are introduced to a friend of his, Fujin, the Earthrealm God of Wind, however lower down in the hierarchy to our thunder god protector. When Raiden is apparently promoted to Elder God, Fujin the God of Wind becomes Earthrealm's new protector. However, Fujin is nowhere to be found in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance'', and suddenly Raiden denies his position as an Elder God so he can return as Earthrealm's protector and gain a physical body. Fujin is wind, Raiden is lightning. Look at [[FireIceLightning the elemental triangles that balance power within most franchises]]. Wind obviously resembles flight and birds, lightning is obviously electric. Electric is usually super effective against things associated with wind. It's likely the creators were using underlining elemental logic to illustrate how superior Raiden really is, possibly why Fujin was the god ally likely brought into ''[=MK4=]''.
* Shujinko:
** Aside from the improbability of a Chinese person having a Japanese name in circa late-nineteenth century/early twentieth century China, his name does make some sense in-story. The name translates into English as "Protagonist" and what role is he playing when at the start of ''Deception''[='s=] Konquest Mode while playing a game of make believe with some fellow classmates? He's roleplaying as the hero against fellow students who are playing as the antagonistic Shang Tsung and Goro. Perhaps he got to play the role of hero so often that Shujinko stuck as a nickname.
** The sad thing about him is that, for all of the negative reception he got, he is, in fact, a shout out to all the loyal fans of the ''MK'' franchise. Consider what he is, his name is literally Japanese for "protagonist", his story is that of a normal person, who is given a superpower by a magical presence, that lets him duplicate the abilities of other fighters he meets. He goes onto meet with, battle/train with most if not all of the other characters in the series, and is even invited to take part in the MK Tournament itself. What is the key aspect of the ''Mortal Kombat'' video game? Switching to different fighters, and using their abilities as your own, as you take part in the game's events. What is the most common of fantasies about such a game? Being drawn into said game, and having your own personalized, and customized selection of powers from all of your favorite fighters, and taking part in said events. The various incarnations of Shujinko even represent the mindsets of the various fans. From the idealistic, young, newcomer, to the jaded, Master-class, expert who has been a part of it from the very beginning, and all of those in-between. Is Shujinko the developers way of saying thank you for all the years of loyalty and devotion, by bringing them as far into the game as realistically as they can?
* Early endings for Mileena (particularly ''II'' and ''Ultimate 3'') depicted Mileena and Baraka hinted at being an couple and being future King and Queen. However, prior to ''Deception'', Mileena realized she didn't need a man, and instead set out on her own to achieve her goals, making their fight scene in ''Deception'' completely logical.
* The Kreate-A-Fatality of ''Armageddon'' is one of the most criticized things about that game, however, there's some reasoning behind it. The other games were, more or less, [[TournamentArc formal tournaments]], and even those that weren't were [[LetsYouAndHimFight bouts between kombatants]]. ''Armageddon'' is different. Here, it's a chaotic free for all in what's set to be JustBeforeTheEnd. Would the warriors really have time to perform elaborate fatalities on each other on the field, or would they just settle for [[BoringButPractical hacking at each other until somebody dies]]? In the case of the latter, that's what the Kreate-A-Fatality seems to be simulating.
* The GambitRoulette in ''Armageddon'' has a spot is idiotic because it was revealed that the Mortal Kombat Tournament would lead to the end of the world as the realms' most powerful warriors grew in number and strength, yet the Elder Gods let it continue. It's understandable where they were coming from, but the point is why the Elder Gods ''wouldn't'' halt the tournament. Several things have been implied:
** Armageddon is likely the reawakening of the One Being, an event that would [[ApocalypseHow/ClassX destroy all realms]].
** This nearly happened back in ''Deception'' when Onaga nearly fused the Kamidogu.
** The reason for the tournament's interrealm existence was because of the Elder Gods attempting to slow Kahn's konquest of the realms -- ten tournaments spanning ten generations makes for a lot of time. Without the tournament, Kahn and his army could simply march in and complete a direct konquest, which isn't that hard for them. Therefore, by not halting the tournament, the Elder Gods actually ''protect the realms for a longer time'' by ''choosing the lesser of two evils'' until a true solution can be found.

!! FridgeHorror
* It's pretty much established by [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 the rebooted timeline]] that the canonical conclusion of ''Armageddon'' had [[TheBadGuyWins Shao Kahn winning]]. In the story mode, however, there's a part where Shang Tsung claims that everyone who pledged allegiance to him will return from the dead to continue serving him. And now that the Forces of Light are killed off...
* In his ''Armageddon'' bio, it's revealed that Shao Khan can revive allies of his who had once sworn allegiance to him, and if he died, so do they. Now, let's list all of the characters who had allied themselves with him: Kintaro, Motaro, Goro, Shang Tsung, Baraka, Reptile, Reiko, Mileena, Kitana, Sindel, Jade, Kano...
** Also, in that same game, it's revealed by Fujin that, when a god is destroyed, they're revived as a "blank state", forgetting all of their past life in the process. Note that this is ''not'' what happened to Raiden after his attempt to [[TakingYouWithMe take Onaga with him at the beginning of]] ''Deception''. So, what happened? According to EpilepticTrees, he was ''corrupted by Onaga in the attempt''.
[[/folder]]

!! Netherrealm Studios era timeline and games
[[index]]
* Fridge/MortalKombat9
* Fridge/MortalKombatX
* Fridge/MortalKombat11
[[/index]]

!! Other media
[[index]]
* Fridge/MortalKombatTheMovie
* Fridge/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm
[[/index]]
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* The GambitRoulette in ''Armageddon'' has a spot under DarthWiki/WhatAnIdiot because it was revealed that the Mortal Kombat Tournament would lead to the end of the world as the realms' most powerful warriors grew in number and strength, yet the Elder Gods let it continue. It's understandable where they were coming from, but the point is why the Elder Gods ''wouldn't'' halt the tournament. Several things have been implied:

* The GambitRoulette in ''Armageddon'' has a spot under WhatAnIdiot because it was revealed that the Mortal Kombat Tournament would lead to the end of the world as the realms' most powerful warriors grew in number and strength, yet the Elder Gods let it continue. It's understandable where they were coming from, but the point is why the Elder Gods ''wouldn't'' halt the tournament. Several things have been implied:

** In the first movie Raiden expresses a hint of behaving like a heyoka, when he laughs after saying something dramatic. In addition, according to Wiki/TheOtherWiki, Heyókȟa is also a spirit of thunder and lightning, who is said to use the wind as sticks to beat the drum of thunder. This is a common point with Japanese mythology, where Raiden is depicted as beating drums to create thunder.

* Johnny's entire style. Even though he's a very seasoned Kombatant and the current champion of Earthrealm (after Liu Kang's unfortunate fate), he is ''constantly'' underestimated by everyone. ''But that's the entire point.'' While he's powerful, he's not military like Sonya and Jax, a trained warrior from childhood like Liu Kang or Kung Lao, or [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu a god like Shinnok or Raiden]]. John is an ''actor'', first and foremost, and he's fighting ''way'' outside his weight class. His acting background is all about making the audience (in this case, an opponent) see what the actor wants them to see. And he wants them to see a loud-mouthed idiot so that they ''don't'' take his fighting abilities seriously. His Shadow Kick and other powers mostly rely on misdirection and confusion while his YouFightLikeACow taunting is designed to goad his opponents into making a mistake. The guy weaponized ObfuscatingStupidity, he's a first-rate GuileHero and the MK universe's answer to [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]].
* If the tournament is supposed to decide the war between Earthrealm and Outworld, why are all the playable characters from Earth? Because Goro has ''dominated'' the nine previous tournaments, and Shang Tsung is confident/cocky enough to think he doesn't ''need'' any additional Outworld help.

* [[MakingASplash Rain]] can do lightning thunder attacks. Rain water becomes water vapor becomes clouds become rain water again through that familiar process we learned in school: evaporation, condensation, precipitation. And what usually causes thunderstorms? Those dark heavyweight-looking things called cumulonimbus clouds. So being able to do thunder is entirely within Rain's element, especially considering he's eventually established in canon as a demigod.

* Raiden, the protector of Earthrealm, is the God of Lightning and Thunder. In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero'', and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'', we are introduced to a friend of his, Fujin, the Earthrealm God of Wind, however lower down in the hierarchy to our thunder god protector. When Raiden is apparently promoted to Elder God, Fujin the God of Wind becomes Earthrealm's new protector. However after ''4''s, in VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance, Fujin is pretty much discarded as a character totally, and suddenly Raiden denies his position as an Elder God so he can return as Earthrealm's protector and gain a physical body. Fujin is wind, Raiden is lightning. Look at [[FireIceLightning the elemental triangles that balance power within most franchises]]. Wind obviously resembles flight and birds, lightning is obviously electric. Electric is usually super effective against things associated with wind. It's likely the creators were using underlining elemental logic to illustrate how superior Raiden really is, possibly why Fujin was the god ally likely brought into ''[=MK4=]''.

** Aside from the improbably of a Chinese person having a Japanese name in circa late-nineteenth century/early twentieth century China, his name does make some sense in-story. The name translates into English as "Protagonist" and what role is he playing when at the start of ''Deception''[='s=] Konquest Mode while playing a game of make believe with some fellow classmates? He's roleplaying as the hero against fellow students who are playing as the antagonistic Shang Tsung and Goro. Perhaps he got to play the role of hero so often that Shujinko stuck as a nickname.

* The GambitRoulette has a spot under WhatAnIdiot because it was revealed that the Mortal Kombat Tournament would lead to the end of the world as the realms' most powerful warriors grew in number and strength, yet the Elder Gods let it continue. It's understandable where they were coming from, but the point is why the Elder Gods ''wouldn't'' halt the tournament. Several things have been implied:

* Though Scorpion's yellow coloration was originally meant to mock Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei, in nature, the yellow scorpion (especially the brighter colored ones) are deadlier than the black ones. In other words, Scorpion is one of the deadliest of his clan.
* Scorpion and Sub-Zero are completely contrasting characters in almost every aspect. Scorpion's a LargeHam who controls flames, and Sub-Zero is more reserved, with ice-based powers. It's only natural that the ''fiery'' Scorpion is more prone to shouting and being hot-tempered, whereas Sub-Zero's personality is ''cooler'' in comparison.

* Scorpion making his own costume a yellow version of Sub-Zero's appears to be a mistake, since he's doing it to mock the Lin Kuei and call them cowards, when, in fact, the color yellow symbolizes courage in Japan, where he's from. It actually makes perfect sense, since his own yellow outfit as opposed to the Lin Kuei's non-yellow ones could be a symbolic way of saying ''"I have courage and you don't. Cowards."''
* To add another element to the rivalry of Sub-Zero/The Lin Kuei Clan and Scorpion/The Shirai Ryu Clan is also a bit of GeniusBonus, too; the former and his tribe are Chinese ([[McNinja mostly]]) and the latter and his tribe are Japanese. In RealLife, China and Japan ''[[ArchEnemy absolutely]] [[TheRival hate]]'' each other and is arguably the most intense rivalry between nations in the ''world'', so it makes perfect sense to have two characters who happen to be each nationality have the franchise's primary (and most popular) rivalry.

* Nightwolf is also able to do the Shocking Bolt because he's in tune with powerful spirits who likely would grant him the ability to control water and thunder to some degree as well.
** It could very well be that he draws on the power of Raiden himself, seeing as Nightwolf's bio for ''9'' confirms that he had communicated with Raiden for some period of time before the first tournament. Additionally, he refers to Raiden as Haokah (the spirit of thunder and lightning in Lakota mythology) a few times over the course of the story.

* Many of Nightwolf's abilities are [[MagicalNativeAmerican stereotypes]], but others require some research. Nightwolf's ability to reflect projectiles? Ghost Dance. Charging? Indians were notorious for running ability in the 19th century, which also relates to some brokenness in ''3''. His secondary style in ''Deception'' is UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}}. Difference in disciplines aside, [[ShoutOut Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell won a medal in a martial arts tournament in his youth.]]
* The story goes that long before the games even began, the Elder God Shinnok betrayed his fellow Elder Gods and attempted to usurp them, thus gaining power over all realms, a plot he reattempts in the actual game. Does this sound familiar? If you've heard the story of [[{{Satan}} Satan's origin]] even once, it should. Shinnok is ''the'' Satan of Mortal Kombat! (Made even more interesting by the fact that he ''overthrows Lucifer'' to become ruler of the Netherrealm!)

* Aside from the improbably of a Chinese person having a Japanese name in circa late-nineteenth century/early twentieth century China, Shujinko's name does make some sense in-story. The name translates into English as "Protagonist" and what role is he playing when at the start of ''Deception''[='s=] Konquest Mode while playing a game of make believe with some fellow classmates? He's roleplaying as the hero against fellow students who are playing as the antagonistic Shang Tsung and Goro. Perhaps he got to play the role of hero so often that Shujinko stuck as a nickname.
* The sad thing about Shujinko, is that for all of the negative reception he has gotten, he is in fact a shout out to all the loyal fans of the ''MK'' franchise. Consider what he is, his name is literally Japanese for "protagonist", his story is that of a normal person, who is given a superpower by a magical presence, that lets him duplicate the abilities of other fighters he meets. He goes onto meet with, battle/train with most if not all of the other characters in the series, and is even invited to take part in the MK Tournament itself. What is the key aspect of the ''Mortal Kombat'' video game? Switching to different fighters, and using their abilities as your own, as you take part in the game's events. What is the most common of fantasies about such a game? Being drawn into said game, and having your own personalized, and customized selection of powers from all of your favorite fighters, and taking part in said events. The various incarnations of Shujinko even represent the mindsets of the various fans. From the idealistic, young, newcomer, to the jaded, Master-class, expert who has been a part of it from the very beginning, and all of those in-between. Is Shujinko the developers way of saying thank you for all the years of loyalty and devotion, by bringing them as far into the game as realistically as they can?
* Early Endings for Mileena (Particularly ''II'' and ''Ultimate'') depicted Mileena and Baraka hinted at being an couple and being future King and Queen, however, Mileena had an Girl Power moment, realized she didn't need an man and instead set out on her own to achieve her goals, making their fight scene in ''Deception'' completely logical.
* Although the Kreate-A-Fatality of ''Armageddon'' is one of the most criticized things about this game, there is some Fridge Brilliance involved here. The other games were, more or less, formal tournaments, and even those that weren't were bouts between kombatants. Armageddon is different. Here, it's a chaotic free for all. Would the warriors really have time to perform elaborate fatalities on each other on the field, or would they just settle for hacking at each other until somebody dies? In the case of the latter, that's what the Kreate-A-Fatality seems to be simulating.
* The GambitRoulette has a spot under WhatAnIdiot because it was revealed that the Mortal Kombat Tournament would lead to the end of the world as the realms' most powerful warriors grew in number and strength, yet the Elder Gods let it continue. It's understandable where they were coming from, but the point is why the Elder Gods ''wouldn't'' halt the tournament. Several things have been implied: Armageddon is likely the reawakening of the One Being, an event that would [[ApocalypseHow/ClassX destroy all realms]]. It has also been implied that this nearly happened in Deception when Onaga nearly fused the Kamidogu. It has also been implied that the reason for the tournament's inter-realm existence was because of the Elder Gods attempting to slow Kahn's konquest of the realms -- ten tournaments spanning ten generations makes for a lot of time. Without the tournament, Kahn and his army could simply march in and complete a direct konquest, which isn't that hard for them. Therefore, by not halting the tournament, the Elder Gods actually ''protect the realms for a longer time'' by ''choosing the lesser of two evils'' until a true solution can be found.

* It's pretty much established that Shao Kahn wins, but remember that part of the story where Shang Tsung claims that everyone who pledged allegiance to him will return from the dead to continue serving him? And now that the Forces of Light are killed off...
* In his bio, it's revealed that Shao Khan can revive allies of his who had once sworn allegiance to him, and if he died, so do they. Now, let's list all of the characters who had allied themselves with him: Kintaro, Motaro, Goro, Shang Tsung, Baraka, Reptile, Reiko, Mileena, Kitana, Sindel, Jade, Kano...

* Many of Nightwolf's abilities are [[MagicalNativeAmerican stereotypes]], but others require some research. Nightwolf's ability to reflect projectiles? Ghost Dance. Charging? Indians were notorious for running ability in the 19th century, which also relates to some brokenness in ''3''. His secondary style in ''Deception'' is [[UsefulNotes/MartialArts Tae Kwon Do]]. Difference in disciplines aside, [[ShoutOut Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell won a medal in a martial arts tournament in his youth.]]

* Fridge/MortalKombat1
* Fridge/MortalKombat3
* Fridge/MortalKombat4
* Fridge/MortalKombatDeception
* Fridge/MortalKombatArmageddon
* Fridge/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse

* Fridge/MortalKombatTheMovie
* Fridge/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm

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!![[center: Main games: [[Fridge/MortalKombat1 MK1]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombat2 MK2]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombat3 MK3]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombat4 MK4]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly Alliance]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombatDeception Deception]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombat9 MK9]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombatX MKX]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombat11 MK11]]\\
[-Spinoffs: [[Fridge/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero MKM: Sub-Zero]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombatSpecialForces Special Forces]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombatShaolinMonks Shaolin Monks]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MK vs. DC Universe]]\\
Non-videogame media: [[Fridge/MortalKombatTheMovie Mortal Kombat: The Movie]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombatTheJourneyBegins The Journey Begins]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombatAnnihilation Annihilation]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombatConquest Conquest]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm Defenders Of The Realm]] | [[Fridge/MalibuComicsMortalKombat Malibu Comics]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombatLegacy Legacy]] | [[Fridge/MortalKombatRebirth Rebirth]]-]]]

* Fridge/MortalKombat2

* Fridge/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance

* Fridge/MortalKombat11
* Fridge/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero
* Fridge/MortalKombatSpecialForces
* Fridge/MortalKombatShaolinMonks

* Fridge/MortalKombatTheJourneyBegins
* Fridge/MortalKombatAnnihilation
* Fridge/MortalKombatConquest

* Fridge/MalibuComicsMortalKombat
* Fridge/MortalKombatLegacy
* Fridge/MortalKombatRebirth

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!!FridgeLogic

* In ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 MK9]]'', [[spoiler:when Raiden goes to the Netherrealm to [[DealWithTheDevil strike a deal with Quan Chi]], the sorcerer reveals that he has dominion over the fallen heroes' souls. Among the lineup of characters is ''Cyber'' Sub-Zero. Since it is just Sub-Zero's soul (his body ''should'' still be in Earthrealm), shouldn't he be depicted as his human self? Similarly, shouldn't Jax be missing his cybernetic arms?]]
** [[spoiler: For Jax it's possible the soul takes a form based on the body when they pass on. As for Cyber Sub-Zero it's possible his soul didn't leave like Smoke in the original time line, and his soul took on the cyborg form when it finally passed on.]]
*** [[spoiler: Considering his soul came back for a HeelFaceTurn, Cyber Sub-Zero is definitely not like Cyber Smoke. As for why his soul took the cyborg form, my guess is that he came to terms with his new self before death, so his soul changed to signify that. Probably the same thing for Jax.]]
* Why does Quan Chi have his tattoos in ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatShaolinMonks Shaolin Monks]]'', ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 MK9]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MKVsDCU]]''? All three of those games are set before ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat4 MK4]]'', and he doesn't get the tattoos until before ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly Alliance]]'', whilst trapped in the Netherrealm after ''[=MK4=]''.
** Well, something also came to me about Quan Chi and your insight into his tattoos makes it seem more likely. Think how did Raiden transfer his thoughts to the past? Through his amulet. Now considering that Quan Chi has the amulet of Shinnok, a more powerful god than Raiden it is highly possible he did something similar and is paving his way to power by manipulating events with a clearer understanding of the future. He even throws in a quip about being a [[TitleDrop deadly alliance]] with Shang Tsung in story mode although it was likely just an in-joke.
** Either that or Shinnok ''himself'' pulled a Raiden (the real Shinnok survived the events of Armageddon alongside Shao Kahn. Taven, and Liu Kang's spirit; the one ingame was confirmed to [[ActuallyADoombot be a clone]]).
* A major part of Bo' Rai Cho's background is that he would easily be able to fight in a Mortal Kombat tournament, but doesn't because he's from Outworld and, if he wins, he would be allowing Outworld to get closer to conquering Earthrealm, which he doesn't want. Okay, that works. But Shang Tsung is from Earthrealm and serves Shao Kahn, so if he wins a tournament, he'd be preventing his master from invading Earthrealm like he wants to. In the first game, he's obviously counting on Goro winning, but in the second one, he's in by himself and has no excuse.
** Not as hard as you think. Shang Tsung is from Earthrealm, but is a resident of Outworld and a servant of Outworld's emperor. He fights for where he's living. Bo'Rai Cho, unfortunately, lives in Outworld. [[KnightMysterio My]] theory does create the fridge logic of why Bo' didn't just side with Earth, though, or if he's living on Earth why he didn't fight...
*** Bo ''doesn't even live in Outworld''. If memory serves, in ''Deception's'' Konquest mode he trains Shujinko in Earthrealm, and he was probably on Earthrealm if he trained Liu Kang prior to the first game.
*** Shang Tsung is a weird one, he can't be easily compared to Bo Rai Cho. For starters, Shang Tsung essentially had his soul bound to Shao Kahn himself, so spiritually became Shao Kahn's puppet. Meaning that his victories would automatically go towards the master who he is spirutally bound to, and is a puppet of. It's explained with dark magic, when Shang Tsung first took control of the tournament, and when reappearing as an old man after having been seen young prior before, he was essentially "renewed" by Outworld, thus his victories go towards his new, adopted realm. Second of all, that he's absorbed the souls of many warriors over a thousand years, from different realm origins, possibly negated his Earthrealm identification in regards to the tournament victories. Thirdly, and this is just a guess, but with the Elder God's intervening, the same one that presented Shang Tsung with the curse to consume souls for youth maintenance in the first place, it effectively meant Shang Tsung was denied Earthrealm identification for his treachery. With the Elder God's intervention, as well as his soul being spiritually tied to Shao Kahn, I believe it made Shang Tsung 'realmless' in a sense, not actually having a defined realm to belong in, I think that's part of his status as free roaming sorcerer.
*** Wasn't Rain fighting on the side of Shao Kahn during the events of the third game? Now, his heritage and birthrealm is Edenia, but yet his victories went towards Outworld, because he pledged his allegiance to Shao Kahn (and consequently Outworld). And, he betrayed his realm of Edenia, so surely that would deny him Edenian indentification, almost like being exiled. I imagine Shang Tsung follows the same course. Bo Rai Cho could have fought for Earthrealm as his adoptive home, he'd just need to be exiled from Outworld and denied identification from it. This didn't happen, he just left of his own accord as far as I know. Nothing more was done.
*** Edenia was still merged with Outworld during the events of the third game so Rain's realm is, technically, Outworld during that period. Kitana then got him to turn on Kahn for a while, until he learned of his true origins and decided to rule Edenia himself.
*** No wonder Outworld was able to conquer other realms so easily. Other realms willingly exile traitors from having the realm identification, meaning they lose numbers, and the victories of Shao Kahn's forces end up going to Outworld as their new adopted realm. I guess that's why Outworld seemed to have ridiculous amount of victories after all. Outworld would basically never exile fighters from it's realm, because obviously they'd gain a new realm identification in their new adopted realm, and suddenly they could compete in tournaments to assist Outworld's enemies, giving the invaded realms a better defence.
* How did Kitana go 10,000 years without noticing her twin sister has tarkatan features?
** MK9 [[spoiler: shows Milleena being created during the events of MK1.]]
*** That's a retcon; before ''9'' she was established as being created when Shao Kahn took over Edenia and was raised as Kitana's sister.
** Who's to say she didn't know? Kitana was evil all the way up until the end of MK2. She probably didn't really care.
*** Kitana discovered the truth about Mileena, and her past before MK2 began, it's why she turns against the Emperor and was helping Earthrealm. Mileena catches her in the act and that's why she was finally allowed to attack Kitana.
** [[CaptainObvious Mileena wears a mask.]] I'd honestly be surprised if more thought went into it than that.
* Movie example: it's assumed that during their fight, Scorpion teleported Cage into the Netherrealm. All right. Cage defeats Scorpion, whose head explodes, a MythologyGag to MKII is made, and the scene ends. Next time we see Cage, he's back on Tsung's island, with no mention of how he escaped from Hell.
** If Scorpion took him there, it could be assumed that killing him would take Cage back. Simple.
* How does ANYONE with a tarkatan mouth speak perfect, unmangled English?
** Two words: UniversalTranslator. Tarkatans probably speak in [[StarfishLanguage a language alien to at least the Earthrealm inhabitants]], it only seems that [[AliensSpeakingEnglish they can speak perfect English despite having that kind of mouth]]. This may also explain why ''Asian'' kombatants such as Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and the Sub-Zero brothers can ''converse'' with ''Americans'' like Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage. In English. ''Perfectly well''. Hell, since Raiden is GodInHumanForm, it is also possible that he also speaks in a StarfishLanguage, so the UniversalTranslator is pretty much the only way to explain why EVERYONE speaks in perfect English no matter which realm and country they might come from.
** Tarkatans are demon spawn, which mean they're creatures of magic. So, basically, AWizardDidIt
* How exactly can [[spoiler: Kung Lao be the reincarnation of the Great Kung Lao]] when a major plot point of MK4 and Mythologies: Sub-Zero was that Shang Tsung had absorbed the Great Kung Lao's soul, [[spoiler: meaning it wouldn't be available to be reincarnated]]?
** Through the magic of not being canon, like all the rest of MK9's Arcade endings.
** Or it could be a retcon. It's not like MK9 hasn't already retconned a character's backstory (see Mileena being born during the events of MK1 rather than knowing Kitana for years and how both of the Sub-Zeros were abducted as children in what is clearly East Asia rather being taken by their father away from their mother and sister in America). And while Mythologies was referred to in MK9, how much of the game as it was back then still applies is questionable.
* In the movie many people wonder how Johnny Cage escaped Netherealm after defeating Scorpion. Because Scorpion can't die, Cage didn't kill him per se. However even when controlled by Shang Tsung, [[HonorBeforeReason Scorpion follows a certain code of combat.]] So when Cage beat him after giving him everything he's got, he let Johnny leave. It makes sense why Johnny would do the [[DefeatEqualsFriendship Friendship Autograph, rather than Fatality as well.]]
* Why is it [[ForgottenSuperweapon never suggested]] that Earthrealm use [[NuclearOption its vast arsenal of continent-shattering, precision-guided superweapons]] against the other realms?
** Because [[AWizardDidIt sorcery]]. By the time this would even have been brought up, everyone would know that the constant invasion campaigns are being masterminded by people with tons of sorcery and magic at their disposal. No nuclear weapon can compete with that. Best case scenario, the bad guy just magically seizes the nukes and tosses 'em away harmlessly.
* Mokap can't have been a canon character. He can't even exist in the storyline at any point. His bio takes [[spoiler:Johnny Cage's ''MKDA'' ending]] as canon, in other words as having already happened (even though [[spoiler:it's a non-canon ending]]). His ending [[spoiler:simply builds off of that, saying he went from making the movie to making the game itself]]. His only ''real'' bit of story is [[spoiler:his ''Armageddon'' ending]], since he was one of the majority of characters who never received a bio for that game. The boiled down version of all this: Mokap simply never existed as a character in ''Mortal Kombat''.
** Mokkap is just a guy Johnny knows, his only canon contribution to the series was the final battle at the pyramid in Armageddon which involved everyone Johnny could round up at the time. His contribution in Deadly Alliance is non-canon but that doesn't erase the character.

----

!!FridgeBrilliance

* Mileena, in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', has what is probably the most {{stripperific}} [[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/03vhv0Dc6x8/maxresdefault.jpg outfit]] in the entire ''Mortal Kombat'' series. Her behavior in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' (and ''9'', to an extent) provides insight as to why exactly she would choose to show so much skin; she's portrayed as being very insecure and self-conscious about her looks. After winning a round in ''X'', she sometimes taunts the opponent with "I saw you staring" (which seems to be her trying to convince herself that this is the case). It also appears that she had some type of surgery to give her human lips, she flips out when Johnny Cage accuses her of having sex with Baraka (and also when he calls her a {{butterface}}), and she outright flirts with Liu Kang, Kung Jin, and Sub-Zero. Her choice to wear such a revealing outfit is possibly her way of getting attention-- she definitely comes off somewhat often as a [[ManChild woman child]]. - Tropers/RayAP9
** This explanation doesn't really work, since most of the other girls in MK9 (and throughout the franchise) wear similar outfits yet don't have the same personality issues - Tropers/Kn83
* Scorpion and Sub-Zero are completely contrasting characters in almost every aspect. Scorpion's a LargeHam who controls flames, and Sub-Zero is more reserved, with ice-based powers. It's only natural that the ''fiery'' Scorpion is more prone to shouting and being hot-tempered, whereas Sub-Zero's personality is ''cooler'' in comparison. - Tropers/RayAP9
* Earlier today, I was pondering the GambitRoulette in MortalKombat Armageddon. It has a spot under WhatAnIdiot because it was revealed that the Mortal Kombat Tournament would lead to the end of the world as the realms' most powerful warriors grew in number and strength, yet the Elder Gods let it continue. I could see where they were coming from, but I wanted to justify why the Elder Gods ''wouldn't'' halt the tournament. With one grand realization, I finally have a theory. Several things have been implied: Armageddon is likely the reawakening of the One Being, an event that would destroy all realms. It has also been implied that this nearly happened in Deception when Onaga nearly fused the Kamidogu. It has also been implied that the reason for the tournament's inter-realm existence was because of the Elder Gods attempting to slow Kahn's konquest of the realms -- ten tournaments spanning ten generations makes for a lot of time. Without the tournament, Kahn and his army could simply march in and complete a direct konquest, which isn't that hard for them. Therefore, [[spoiler: by not halting the tournament, the Elder Gods actually ''protect the realms for a longer time'' by ''choosing the lesser of two evils'' until a true solution can be found.]] -- Tropers/{{Gancena}}
** Actually, it is revealed in MK9 that simply walking in and taking a realm is all gravy with the realms; it's the ''merging'' that is forbidden. So, it is to prevent the One Being from re-awakening, but raises the question of why bother merging the realms in the first place, if you can just take 'em.
*** Going with the whole realm identification thing up there, there could be a few reasons. Shao Kahn can't grab everyone's souls (something necessary to make his sorcery more powerful) unless he merges the realms or it could be that any fighter from a conquered (but not merged) realm wouldn't be fighting for Outworld, Shao Kahn likes having the biggest realm around, etc.
* So. About MortalKombat 4. The story goes that long before the games even began, the Elder God Shinnok betrayed his fellow Elder Gods and attempted to usurp them, thus gaining power over all realms, a plot he reattempts in the actual game. Does this sound familiar? If you've heard the story of [[{{Satan}} Satan's origin]] even once, it should. Shinnok is ''the'' Satan of Mortal Kombat! (Made even more interesting by the fact that he ''overthrows Lucifer'' to become ruler of the Netherrealm!) --{{Gancena}}
** Another interesting Mortal Kombat discovery is that Raiden, the protector of Earthrealm, is the God of Lightning and Thunder. In Mortal Kombat Mythologies, and Mortal Kombat 4, we are introduced to a friend of his, Fujin, the Earthrealm God of Wind, however lower down in the hierarchy to our thunder god protector. When Raiden is apparently promoted to Elder God, Fujin the God of Wind becomes Earthrealm's new protector. However after Mortal Kombat 4, in Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, Fujin is pretty much discarded as a character totally, and suddenly Raiden denies his position as an Elder God so he can return as Earthrealm's protector and gain a physical body. So where's the fridge discovery? Well for a while I was bothred with how Fujin was just PutOnABus, but now it makes sense. [[spoiler: Fujin is wind, Raiden is lightning. Look at the elemental triangles, that balance power within most franchises. Wind obviously resembles flight and birds, lightning is obviously electric. Electric is usually super effective against things associated with wind. It's likely the creators were using underlining elemental logic to illustrate how superior Raiden really is, possibly why Fujin was the god ally likely brought into [=MK4=].]]-
*** [[EpilepticTrees WTF?]]
*** or it could be that Fujin is the protector of Earth Realm, the Deadly Alliance was in Outworld. Fujin didn't interfere because it was outside his jurisdiction.
*** As a matter of fact, Fujin WAS going to be the lead character of MK Deadly Alliance. But fans complained, so we got Raiden instead.
* Shang Tsung's iconic Soul Steal fatality in ''[=MK3=]'' was very different from the one he used in ''[=MK2=]'': rather than drain the victim's soul directly into himself, he levitates the victim and the soul flies away, unabsorbed. The reason for the change isn't apparent... until you remember that in ''[=MK3=]'', Shao Kahn's "Soulnado" is constantly pulling in every soul that isn't nailed down.
** Having just read this one, I have a suggestion for ''why'' this is: [[spoiler:Shang Tsung deliberately lets Shao Kahn get a few souls for the Soulnado to divert attention away from himself while he [[DragonWithAnAgenda schemes to overthrow his boss.]] Just look at his overthrow of Kahn alongside Quan Chi in ''Deadly Alliance.'']] - Tropers/JusticeReaper
*** Even better, how does Shang Tsung regain his strength? ''He drains the souls of his enemies'' - He can just let Shao Kahn take every soul in Earth Realm into the Soulnado, and then make his play for power ''with an unlimited supply of souls for him to feed on & gain power from whilst he does it''.
* It is well known that the Shokan have four arms, but why is that? This is something I always wondered about, then the answer hit me: they are half-human dragons, and dragons have '''six limbs''': [[http://fc06.deviantart.net/images/i/2003/49/6/e/Blue_Dragon_Flying.jpg four legs and two wings]]! In the case of the Shokan, the hind legs became the legs, the forelegs became a pair of arms, and the wings became the second pair of arms!
** I heard somewhere a rumor that the "half-dragon" part of the Shokan were from Onaga, their ancestor. Makes a bit of sense, given your Fridge Brilliance. However, look at Onaga's feet; they're hooves instead of normal dragon feet. Given your statement, it could be possible that the ''Centaurs'' are also part of Onaga's family, distantly related to the Shokan following a different evolutionary line. It could also explain why they want to one-up each other; they're instinctively trying to show which offspring of Onaga's is fit to rule.
** Frankly, the whole half-dragon thing seems to have been thrown out. They do still use the term ''occaisionally'', but there's nothing particularly dragon-y about Sheeva or Kintaro. In fact, Goro and Sheeva belong to one sub-race of Shokan, called the Draco lineage (let me finish) and Kintaro belongs to the Tigrar lineage. My real-life theory is that they just decided to abandon the half-dragon thing. But as for in-universe, it is possible that someone heard Goro was a Draco Shokan, and assumed that there was a connection to the Latin word.
* The new x-ray attacks inflict rather horrible damage to the victim, broken bones, destroyed organs, etc. And yet, characters can still keep fighting through injuries that would be fatal to normal human beings; presumably, everyone has sufficient superhuman stamina, durability, or regeneration to survive things like exploded spleens and smashed skulls. Suddenly, those end of fight fatalities make sense- they aren't gratuitous overkill, they are the only way to actually make your opponent *stay* down.
** The forth game had the ability to break bones as a standard move. These moves didn't actually cause any more permanent harm than any other move, even though a normal person would be left unable to fight, several characters could even do neck breaks. Tanya's breaker move was to wrap her thighs around her opponent's head and spin 180 to break their neck, and one of her fatalities was an enhanced version, where she spins around three times, because simply breaking their neck once will not kill them.
* Kabal is revealed to be Stryker's partner in the police force in the ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 Mortal Kombat]]'' [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 reboot]]. All of a sudden, it becomes a lot clearer why Rain captured them together in ''Mortal Kombat Annihilation'', doesn't it? - RyRodrigo
** That's more like HilariousInHindsight than actual FridgeBrilliance. In the original trilogy, there were no hints whatsoever that Stryker and Kabal were buddies.
*** Also, the fact that their Animalities (a skeletal, possibly prehistoric rhino and a tyrannosaurus, respectively) can possibly count.
* It bugged me that Quan Chi was in ''[=MK9=]'', considering it's a retelling of the original trilogy & Quan Chi didn't appear in the core games until ''[=MK4=]'', so he didn't really fit in with the roster. But then I realised - Quan Chi ''is'' from that era, he was introduced in ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm'' which was set during the events of ''[=MK3=]''. - Tropers/ChrisDV
** Well, technically speaking, he's a CanonImmigrant from ''[=DotR=]''. However, in the ''actual'' canon of the games, Quan Chi ''had'' been present before the events of the [[VideoGame/MortalKombat first game]], as seen in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero''.
*** I wasn't actually talking about the canon of the games, though. If we're going from the continuity, then EnsembleDarkhorse characters like Kenshi & Sareena should have been included on the disc too, as their back stories place them as being active in the canon at the time of the original trilogy, despite not making their first appearances until later games.
** Something that has been on my mind since I got the game is that no one should be surprised to see these characters. At first I was with you on seeing Quan Chi. Especially jarring was seeing Cyrax at the first tournament but while it takes place chronologically (sort of) before the games in which they were introduced, think about this: what kind of tournament only has 7 contestants? The original Mortal Kombat Tournament which we saw in the first game ''focused'' on the main cast, but we should assume that there WERE others there, just like in the movie. We just didn't see them because video games had small amounts of memory back then. And Kenshi and Sraeena ARE there.
* The character page for Scorpion says that Scorpion making his own costume a yellow version of Sub-Zero's is a mistake, since he's doing it to mock the Lin Kuei and call them cowards, when, in fact, the color yellow symbolizes courage in Japan, where he's from. It actually makes perfect sense, since his own yellow outfit as opposed to the Lin Kuei's non-yellow ones could be a symbolic way of saying "I have courage and you don't. Cowards." - Tropers/PutYaGunsOn.
* [[MakingASplash Rain]] can do lightning thunder attacks. How does this make sense? Rain water becomes water vapor becomes clouds become rain water again through that familiar process we learned in school: evaporation, condensation, precipitation. And what usually causes thunderstorms? Those dark heavyweight-looking things called cumulonimbus clouds. So being able to do thunder is entirely within Rain's element, especially considering [[spoiler:he's eventually established in canon as a demigod]]. - Tropers/SomeoneElse17
** Similarly, Nightwolf is also able to do the Shocking Bolt because he's in tune with powerful spirits who likely would grant him the ability to control water and thunder to some degree as well.
*** It could very well be that he draws on the power of Raiden himself, seeing as Nightwolf's bio for ''9'' confirms that he had communicated with Raiden for some period of time before the first tournament. Additionally, he refers to Raiden as Haokah (the spirit of thunder and lightning in Lakota mythology) a few times over the course of the story.
*** [[SadlyMythtaken But a heyoka is a Lakota contrary, and the spirit of thunder is Wakinyan.]]
*** However, in the first movie Raiden expresses a hint of behaving like a heyoka, when he laughs after saying something dramatic. In addition, according to Wiki/TheOtherWiki, Heyókȟa is also a spirit of thunder and lightning, who is said to use the wind as sticks to beat the drum of thunder. This is a common point with Japanese mythology, where Raiden is depicted as beating drums to create thunder.
* Many of Nightwolf's abilities are [[MagicalNativeAmerican stereotypes]], but others require some research. Nightwolf's ability to reflect projectiles? Ghost Dance. Charging? Indians were notorious for running ability in the 19th century, which also relates to some brokenness in 3. His secondary style in ''Deception'' is tae kwon do. [[ShoutOut Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell won a medal in that very event in his youth.]]
** Campbell was a martial artist, but the art he practiced was judo, not taekwondo.

* I was wondering how Kung Lao beat [[spoiler:The Deadly Alliance in MK9 but got killed by Shang Tsung alone in the original timeline. Then it hit me Shang Tsung had Liu Kang's soul which means he either got on hell of a power boost or used Liu Kang's memories against him making sure he never had a chance.]] Chunk127

* Raiden's attack babble has always been a feature of the games, always assumed to be random gibberish. But in ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 MK9]]'', when [[spoiler: Shao Kahn is defeating him in the Battle of Armageddon, we see him pick up his broken medallion and begin to chant in what we can assume to be an ancient language. That's most likely what he was always shouting.]] Sickoftakenusernames

** Also, lots of fans started complaining about Raiden's severe case of holding the [[IdiotBall Idiot Ball]] in this game, particularly when it came to [[spoiler:[[ArcWords "He Must Win"]]. If Raiden had sent himself the message, "Shao Kahn must win," then Kahn would have won the first (tenth, whatever) tournament fairly, legally allowing him to merge Earthrealm. So it actually did help that Raiden misinterpreted the message until the last minute.]]
[[spoiler: Well Raiden didn't exactly have much time to compose his message before Shao Kahn Splattered his head. Otherwise you'd think that he'd say something like "Beat Shao Khan in the Tournements, but let him win when he invades, so the Elder Gods will actually do something."]]

* While likely unintentional by the creators, just take a look at [[BigBad Shao Kahn's]] name. If you remove the "ao" in "Shao", replace it with "ere" and then switch the "a" and "h" in Kahn, you would get Shere Khan, the BigBad tiger from ''Literature/TheJungleBook''. Seems like nothing at first, but then take a look at Kahn's [[TheDragon]] and bodyguard Kintaro, who is a tiger-like Shokan, and then in MK9 in which he has a creature known as a [[PunnyName "TaiGore"]] for a pet in his throne room.

* With the new Reboot/Soft Reset to the series, it makes sense that the characters would take paths divergent than their earlier counterparts. What did make it confusing, though, is how they went from the somewhat punny-naming serial numbers LK-9T9(Ninety-Nine), LK-4D4(Forty-Four), and LK-7T2(Seventy-Two) to the unusual LK-52O(Five Two-Oh). Ends up, they were still being punny as all get out, just a bit more subtly so. 52O sounds structurally similar to Sub-Zero, but there's a possible deeper meaning (possibly overthinking.) 52O could also be a semi-numerical alteration of SZO, or Sub-[=ZerO=]. Phyrior
* Early Endings for Mileena (Particularly II and Ultimate) depicted Mileena and Baraka hinted at being an couple and being future King and Queen however, Mileena had an Girl Power moment, Realized she didn't need an man and instead set out on her own to achieve her goals. Making their fight scene in ''Deception'' completely logical. -Dark_Krystals
* This came to me doing the challenge tower in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''. One of the challenges is Johnny Cage vs his stunt double. That means anytime we see a mirror match (where the player's character fights themselves) with Johnny, he's fighting his stunt double.
* Do you remember the ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' scene featuring [[spoiler: Sindel killing all of the heroes, only for Nightwolf [[TakingYouWithMe to off her as well]]?]] I'm sure you do! It seems like a pure shock value scene, but ''maybe'' there could be more to this. Recall that [[VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]] was a last-ditch attempt to neutralize all of the Kombatants before they became a threat to existence (ignore the fact that it [[NiceJobBreakingItHero failed miserably]]). But if [[spoiler: powerful heroes like Liu Kang and Kung Lao die early in the timeline]], the chances of Armageddon will surely go down, right? What's more, many of the [[spoiler: dead characters were connected to future ones, and their absence/zombification may rule those characters out for future involvement]], further reducing the stress on the realms. For instance, [[spoiler: if Shang Tsung is dead]], [[ForWantofaNail there will be no Deadly Alliance]], meaning that several Kombatants will stay out of the conflict for the realms. -Kingler
* Unintentional, but In MK9's story mode, Smoke has a part where he wanders through the Living Forest. He's peeking out from behind a tree when he sees Shang Tsung and Kano making an arms deal. This ''could'' be seen as a nod to MK2, when he was peeking out from behind a tree in the Living Forest as a Secret Character.
* In The Movie Shang Tsung whenever he introduces himself and during the final battle puts his Fist over the Palm of his hand. When Liu Kang prepares to face him he does the traditional salute of putting his Palm over his Fist. The palm over fist symbolizes peace over power while Tsung's stance represents power over peace which is a symbol of his beliefs and obsession over gaining power and dominance.
* Why Sonya didn't fight back when Shang Tsung took her to outworld, even though earlier she proved to be an adept fighter. She figured out early that any form of physical fighting against him would be accepting his challenge. -STFilmmaker
* To add another element to the rivalry of Sub-Zero/The Lin Kuei Clan and Scorpion/The Shirai Ryu Clan is also a bit of GeniusBonus, too; the former and his tribe are Chinese ([[McNinja mostly]]) and the latter and his tribe are Japanese. In RealLife, China and Japan ''[[ArchEnemy absolutely]] [[TheRival hate]]'' each other and is arguably the most intense rivalry between nations in the ''world'', so it makes perfect sense to have two characters who happen to be each nationality have the franchise's primary (and most popular) rivalry. -Erin582
* Johnny's entire style. Even though he's a very seasoned Kombatant and the current champion of Earthrealm (after Liu Kang's unfortunate fate), he is ''constantly'' underestimated by everyone, up to and including his ex-wife. ''But that's the entire point.'' While he's powerful, he's not military like Sonya and Jax, a trained warrior from childhood like Liu Kang or Kung Lao, or [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu a god like Shinnok or Raiden]]. John is an ''actor'', first and foremost, and he's fighting ''way'' outside his weight class. His acting background is all about making the audience (in this case, an opponent) see what the actor wants them to see. And he wants them to see a loud-mouthed idiot so that they ''don't'' take his fighting abilities seriously. His Shadow Kick and other powers mostly rely on misdirection and confusion while his YouFightLikeACow taunting is designed to goad his opponents into making a mistake. The guy is a first-rate GuileHero and the MK universe's answer to [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]].
** So, Johnny's weaponized ObfuscatingStupidity? Sounds about right.

---
!!FridgeHorror

* If you thought [[spoiler: Shao Kahn emerging as the Grand Champion of Armageddon]] was bad, it was going to get a ''lot'' worse. According to Shang Tsung's bio from the same game, the sole reason he came back from then dead was due to his pact with Kahn- as a matter of fact, all warriors who pledge loyalty to Kahn will do this, in order to keep serving him. So, with that said, it stands to reason that [[spoiler: all of the villains who served under Shao Kahn will return, meaning that the Forces of Darkness will be free to run wild on every single plane of existence [[OhCrap without resistance since the Forces of Light are dead.]]]]
** A parallel example lies in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' as well. [[spoiler:It's hinted that if Shao Kahn dies, so will everyone who entered the pact with him. So when he is KilledOffForReal at the end of Story Mode, [[LoadBearingBoss that means.....]]]]
** [[spoiler:OhCrap, that means Shinnok will have less resistance with his invasion!]]
*** This pact explains why Shang [[spoiler:didn't join Sindel in the Netherrealm after she was killed by Nightwolf even though his soul was used to empower her.]]
** The Pact actually goes a long way to justifying Mortal Kombat's thusfar pretty pathetic deathtoll, the fact that its supposed to be a bunch of fights to the death yet hardly any characters seem to die. This means they ''did'' die- Liu Kang could have killed Shang Tsung, Goro and anyone else in the Outworld team in the original tournament, but they would have still returned for future games.
*** Would Mileena count as she is next for the throne though? Wouldn't Shao Kahn leave her some of his warriors?
* ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance'' was stated on this wiki to be the series turning point, [[spoiler: as it marks the moment the [[TheBadGuyWins that the villains start winning.]] Consider exactly what happened in that game: Liu Kang and Shao Kahn ([[NotQuiteDead not really]]) were killed off right at the beginning. [[OhCrap Now what has happened]] in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''? Oh sure, it's seems clear that dark times are ahead with Shinnok and Quan Chi getting ready to launch their own attacks on Earthrealm and Outworld, but when you consider that Kahn might really be dead this time...]]
** In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', it is implied that [[spoiler: Shao Kahn is officially dead, given that some pre-fight matches while using Ermac has implied that Kahn's soul is currently inside Ermac's body.]]

** In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', it is implied that [[spoiler: Shao Kahn is officially dead, given that some pre-fight matches while using Ermac has implied that Kahn's soul is currently inside Ermac's body.]]

This is a personal moment for the viewer, so every example is signed by the contributor. If you start off with "ThisTroper", really, you have no excuse. We're going to hit you on the head.

** Against an emperor who can survive having his torso carved out by a fire-charged pair of hands? You really think that would work?