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1[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wallpaper_mortal_kombat_deadly_alli_7149.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:320:''[[TagLine A fight so brutal - so evil - so deadly.]]'']]
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4->''"I have relinquished my status as Elder God, to return to Earth, and lead you all into battle against our old adversaries. We must act '''now!''' We must stop this [[TitleDrop Deadly Alliance!]]"''
5-->-- ''Raiden, briefing our heroes on the newest and most dire threat yet.''
6
7''Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'' is the fifth fighting game installment in the ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' franchise. Notable for being the first game in the series to skip the arcades (getting a straight-to-console release instead) and for [[StoppedNumberingSequels dropping the numerals from the titles]] (although the logo does resemble a Roman numeral "V"). It was released for the [[Platform/NintendoGameCube GameCube]], Platform/PlayStation2, and Platform/{{Xbox}} in 2002, the year of the first game's 10th anniversary.
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9Scorpion's ending in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' shows Quan Chi being imprisoned in the Netherrealm -- but he escapes this fate, and in the process, he discovers an ancient tomb with the mummified remains of Onaga the Dragon King, the first emperor of Outworld (and the dragon portrayed in the franchise's logo). Quan Chi figures out how to resurrect Onaga's dark army -- the souls of various warriors must be implanted into the army's dead bodies -- and he strikes a deal with Shang Tsung to gain immortality in exchange for Tsung's help. The [[TitleDrop deadly alliance]] has two major problems in its path -- Shao Kahn and Liu Kang -- but they are taken care of in short order: [[BackStab Kahn is killed while the duo swears a false allegiance to him]], and [[OurHeroIsDead Liu Kang is killed when Tsung disguises himself as Kung Lao and approaches a none-the-wiser Kang]]. After consuming their souls, Tsung and Quan Chi return to Outworld and begin their plans to resurrect Onaga and his fallen army -- which is when Raiden gathers together Earthrealm's strongest warriors to stop them.
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11Although still suffering from VideoGame3DLeap-related problems, ''Deadly Alliance'' was praised as the ''Mortal Kombat'' game which resurrected the franchise as a whole after the failures of ''Mortal Kombat Gold'' and ''VideoGame/MortalKombatSpecialForces''. It was the first game to include a StanceSystem -- which allowed fighters to switch between two separate fighting stances and a weapon-based stance -- and it also dropped the Running mechanic and it's corresponding meter.
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13[[folder:Character roster]]
14* ''Returning from VideoGame/MortalKombat1992'': [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]], [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]], [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]], [[LastOfHisKind Reptile]], [[ActionGirl Sonya Blade]], Kano and [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]].
15* ''Returning from VideoGame/MortalKombatII'': [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II]], [[Characters/MortalKombatKitana Kitana]], [[AllAmericanFace Jax]] and [[TheLancer Kung Lao]].
16* ''Returning from VideoGame/MortalKombat3'': [[UnwillingRoboticisation Cyrax]].
17* ''Returning from VideoGame/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero'': [[Characters/MortalKombatQuanChi Quan Chi]].
18* ''Newcomers'': [[TheAlcoholic Bo' Rai Cho]], [[RedBaron Drahmin]], [[TheStarscream Frost]], [[ButtMonkey Hsu Hao]], [[BlindWeaponmaster Kenshi]], [[PluckyGirl Li Mei]], [[HooksAndCrooks Mavado]], [[NobleDemon Nitara]], [[DumbMuscle Moloch]], [[ElementalEmbodiment Blaze]] and [[LethalJokeCharacter Mokap]].
19[[/folder]]
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21Two versions of this game were released for the Platform/GameBoyAdvance. Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, and Scorpion feature in both versions. The first, which is named the same as this game, also features Frost, Jax, Sub-Zero, Kano, Kung Lao, Kenshi, Kitana, Li Mei, and Sonya. The second, ''Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition'', featured Bo 'Rai Cho, Cyrax, Drahmin, Hsu Hao, Johnny Cage, Mavado, Nitara, Raiden, and Reptile, plus the exclusive characters Sektor, Noob Saibot, and Sareena (making ''TE'' the only ''Mortal Kombat'' game aside from ''Special Forces'' to not feature Sub-Zero as a playable character).
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23Followed by ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception''.
24----
25!!See also:
26* [[DevelopersForesight/MortalKombat the franchise's Developers' Foresight page]]
27* [[ShoutOut/MortalKombat the franchise's Shout Out page]]
28----
29!!The game has examples of:
30* ArtisticLicenseMartialArts: In this game and the two following ones, some of the fighting styles are shown to be quite inaccurate, despite all the motion capture work. Sonya's UsefulNotes/TaeKwonDo is one of the most prominent examples, as it's not [[ExtremityExtremist focused on kicking]] in the slightest, unlike the real thing.
31* TheBadGuyWins: The eponymous Deadly Alliance of Quan Chi and Shang Tsung manage to [[spoiler: [[BackFromTheDead revive]] all of Outworld's ancient army.]]
32* BigBadDuumvirate: The "Deadly Alliance" of Quan Chi and Shang Tsung.
33%%* ConceptArtGallery
34* DarkerAndEdgier: While already obviously a dark and violent franchise, this game starts with hero [[BigGood Liu Kang]] brutally murdered at the hands of the Deadly Alliance in the opening cutscene, and there's minimal humor within the game itself.
35* DidntThinkThisThrough: In Quan Chi's ending, [[spoiler:he decides he no longer needs Shang Tsung, and [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness has Kano kill him]]. As the accumulated souls fly out of Shang Tsung's body, Quan Chi decides to clean up loose ends and kills Kano. One of the souls then suddenly flies into Kano's body. [[OhCrap Liu Kang lives again]].]]
36* DownerBeginning: Complete with a HopeSpot and everything as Shang Tsung and Quan Chi attack Liu Kang and ultimately kill him in a two-vs-one battle.
37* DownerEnding: Jax, Johnny Cage, Kitana, Kung Lao, and Sonya are [[spoiler:all killed in battle against the Deadly Alliance and their Tarkatans]], Frost betrays Sub-Zero and [[spoiler:steals the Dragon Medallion, causing her to freeze herself with her own ice powers]], Sub-Zero is left searching for [[spoiler:a way back to Earthrealm]], Kenshi is defeated by Mavado and [[spoiler:left for dead]], Scorpion is [[spoiler:tossed into the Soulnado by Drahmin and Moloch and seemingly torn to shreds]], Cyrax is unable to [[spoiler:return to Outworld]] due to all his available means of inter-realm travel being compromised, Li Mei is [[spoiler:imprisoned in one of Onaga's soldiers]] and Bo' Rai Cho diverts from the mission to [[spoiler:save her]], and the only one left is Raiden, traveling to Shang Tsung's palace in a desperate attack on the Deadly Alliance. [[spoiler:He loses.]]
38* EnforcedPlug: Done in-universe. Some of the extras found in the Krypt are comedy commercials where [[ProductPlacement fictitious products and services are sponsored by the cast.]] Some of these also hint at HiddenDepths for some of the characters. For example, Scorpion is an ardent chef, Quan Chi is a soulful saxophone player, Kitana and Goro are golf buffs, Li Mei is a ventriloquist, etc.
39* {{Expy}}: Li Mei of Mileena, with her general appearance, use of sai as weapons, and color scheme, but thankfully not her face.
40%%* FanservicePack
41* HopeSpot: In the fight during the Intro, Liu Kang appears to have Shang Tsung on the ropes when they fight. [[spoiler: Too bad he did not notice Quan Chi sneaking up from behind]]
42* HotterAndSexier: All of the returning women here are notably more well-endowed and [[{{Stripperiffic}} less-covered]] than they were back in the day.
43* JigglePhysics: Ayup. Mostly played straight, although there ''is'' the case of [[FanDisservice Bo' Rai Cho's gut]] and some cursory examination shows that it is Jiggle Physics done ''wrong'', as the 3D artists animated malleable flesh the same way cloth would be animated. This is very noticeable when you jump around with a female character: boobs are not supposed to shake ''that'' way!
44* LaResistance: Mostly notably Li Mei, who is part of a different movement from the Earthrealm warriors altogether.
45* MoneyGrinding: It takes quite a bit of work to earn enough currency to unlock all the items in the Krypt. This is especially true for the hidden characters, which cost thousands of koins.
46* MythologyGag: In ''Series/MortalKombatConquest'', there was a character called Master Bo. Bo 'Rai Cho is clearly a reference to this man (with the other two syllables in his name forming a pun on ''borracho'', the word "drunk" in Spanish).
47* OurHeroIsDead: At the beginning of the game, Shang Tsung shapeshifts into Kung Lao and kills Liu Kang using a NeckSnap.
48* PracticalTaunt: Each character has an action that can be activated with the R1 button and varies from style to style. Among these are taunts that either heal a small portion of health or boost attack power for a period of time.
49* SealedArmyInACan: The Outworld's ancient army Shang Tsung and Quan Chi are trying to resurrect.
50* SecretCharacter: About half the cast, including TheProtagonist, Raiden. Though "unlockable" is a better term, since some of them (especially those on the heroes' group) are known to the player form the beginning. [[JokeCharacter Mokap]] and [[AscendedMeme Blaze]] play it straight, as their existence is hidden from the player at the start, their unlock method differs from the other characters, and selecting them involves a secret code.
51%%* SequelReset
52* ShownTheirWork: ''A lot'' of effort and research went into the implementation of a multiple RealLife martial arts and weapon styles in this game, ''Deception'', and ''Armageddon'', a fact that should become readily apparent if you bother to fight through Konquest Mode here.
53* ShowsDamage: Though it is just the characters bleeding nonstop.
54%%* SNKBoss: Moloch. Quan Chi and Shang Tsung cannot match him.
55* StanceSystem: ''DA'' is the first game in the series where you can do this. All the characters have a weapon stance and two fighting stances (except for Blaze and Mokap, who instead utilize three fighting stances).
56* StatusBuff: Each style had its own unique personal action (such as shoving away blocking opponents, hastily putting space between combatants, parrying attacks to leave enemies open for a hit, [[BringIt taun]][[IShallTauntYou ting]] to regain some health), including techniques that could briefly power up all attacks. [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception Havik]] and a few characters in ''Armageddon'' have access to either these techniques or the self-healing taunts.
57* StockScream: The infamous, widely-used [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf6_hok4-lo Howie Long scream]] and an oft-used female scream can be randomly heard among the screamers in The Krypt.
58* StoppedNumberingSequels: Other than the logo resembling the Roman numeral V, ''Mortal Kombat'' games from here on until ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' were not numbered[[note]]''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' is not officially numbered; we just use the ''9'' to distinguish it from the 1992 original. While ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' is the tenth game in the series and "X" is the Roman numeral for 10, it is officially referred to as "Mortal Kombat Ecks"[[/note]].
59%%* SupernaturalMartialArts
60* TheHeroDies: The Deadly Alliance kill Liu Kang in the opening of the game.
61* TheWorfEffect: How are we told that we need to take the Deadly Alliance seriously? They kill Liu Kang and [[BigBad Shao Kahn]] in the opening movie. [[spoiler:However, the Kahn they killed was ActuallyADoombot whereas Kang gets better... [[CameBackWrong Kinda]].]]
62* TitleDrop: The last line of the intro.
63--> '''Raiden:''' ''"We must act now; we must stop this Deadly Alliance."''
64* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom:
65** Moloch and Drahmin. After Scorpion makes a truce with the younger Sub-Zero and drags Quan Chi back to the Netherrealm (as seen in ''4''), he starts chasing the wizard throughout the lands, beating the white off of his ass as repayment for killing his family (this is shown in ''Deception''[='s=] Konquest mode). The two onis stop Scorpion, allowing Quan Chi to flee and discover Onaga's tomb. ''They are indirectly responsible for jumpstarting a WhamEpisode that has continued [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 to the present day]] and [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX into the]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombat11 future]].''
66** There ''are'' other factors, such as Nitara leading Reptile astray (according to his bio, Reptile knew of the Deadly Alliance's assassination attempt on Shao Kahn and would have been able to stop them had he not been sidetracked), but most of the blame can be traced back to the two Oni, as they prevented Scorpion from killing Quan Chi.
67%%* VillainOpeningScene
68* WhamEpisode: This was the straw that broke the camel's back. To put this into perspective, [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception five]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon games]] ([[LongRunners and two decades]]) [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 la]][[VideoGame/MortalKombatX te]][[VideoGame/MortalKombat11 r]], we are ''still'' dealing with the repercussions of ''one'' event.
69* WhamLine: In the intro:
70--> [[spoiler: '''Raiden:''' ''"Liu Kang... is dead."'']]
71* WhamShot: Multiple in the intro. Shang Tsung and Quan Chi [[spoiler: seemingly killing Shao Kahn, formerly established as being a huge threat, in a CurbStompBattle]], and perhaps even worse, [[spoiler: the shot of Liu Kang’s corpse after being murdered by the two sorcerers.]]
72* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: At the end of ''4'', Raiden was promoted to Elder God and Fujin took over as protector of Earthrealm. In ''Deadly Alliance,'' Raiden has stepped down as an Elder God and Fujin is never mentioned.
73* WhatTheHellPlayer: Mild version, but if you spend too long reading the intro explanations in konquest mode, the little apprentice avatar turns to the camera and shrugs
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