* ActingForTwo: Several cases:
** Andrew Bowen plays Johnny Cage, Smoke, and Rain.
** Danielle Nicolette plays both Jacqui Briggs and Sareena.
** Creator/DeeBradleyBaker is the one behind the Alien and Predator's vocal sound effects.
** Creator/KarenStrassman plays both Kitana and Mileena.
** Creator/JamiesonPrice plays both Ermac and the game's announcer.
** Kelly Hu plays D'Vorah, Sindel, and Frost.
** Creator/SteveBlum plays Sub-Zero, Reptile, and Bo' Rai Cho.
** Creator/TroyBaker voices both Erron Black, Fujin, and Shinnok.
** Vic Chao plays Kenshi, Goro, Sektor, and Triborg.
* AscendedMeme: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyOzzd53ssY "Portal Kombat"]] became one of the modifiers for Test Your Luck.
* CelebrityVoiceActor:
** Creator/TriciaHelfer voices Sonya.
** Jax's [[Film/{{Predator}} Dillon]] costume comes complete with Creator/CarlWeathers providing a voice track unique to the costume.
** In the Brazilian version, Cassie is voiced by pop-rock singer [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitty Pitty]], complete with a slyly inserted [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkk0nbdX79w reference]] to one of her hits. (it was not well-received, and once Cassie's banter for DLC characters had another voice, players were soon demanding a whole re-recording with the new actress!)
* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: The Gaucho Kung Lao skin is often called a "Mexican" skin, despite being in a DLC that's straight-up called "'''Brazil''' Pack". While Gauchos are also characteristic of Argentina and certain regions of Chile, the skin is specifically based on Gauchos from Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and has nothing to do with Mexico.
* LyingCreator: Some of the statements made by Ed Boon before the game was released have turned out to be total bollocks. Most can be seen as half truth FromACertainPointOfView though:
** Kotal Kahn not remaining Emperor of Outworld for the whole game (he does).
** Quan Chi's goals being finally realized. He ends up [[spoiler:losing most of his powers and playing second fiddle to D'Vorah and Shinnok before being killed off by Scorpion]].
** The game containing a bigger number of new characters introduced than ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly Alliance]]'', which has 12 (this game has 8).
** Another ambiguous case of lying / half-truth came after the game's release; when answering fan mail during the "No One Can Hear You Scream" Kombat Kast, [=NetherRealm=] Studios was asked about rumors that Cyber Sub-Zero would return. They immediately dismissed the rumor as false, stating that as [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial Sub-Zero had become a revenant there was no way he could return as a robot]]. With the release of ''Mortal Kombat XL'', it turns out that [[spoiler:Cyber Sub-Zero is a secret variant of [[ExactWords Triborg, not Sub-Zero.]]]]
** Boon had stated that the BigBad and/or FinalBoss would be a "surprise returning character". It is false in that the foreshadowed villain in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'''s Stinger would be this game's main antagonist. However, it can still be considered true in that [[spoiler:Shinnok's Corrupted form was visible again for the first time in close to two decades after it had debuted in VideoGame/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero]].
* MeaningfulReleaseDate: Jason was announced as a guest character on Franchise/FridayThe13th.
* TheOtherDarrin: Several returning characters from ''[=MK9=]'' have new voice actors while Rain and Kenshi now have proper voices instead of just grunts:
** Baraka: Bob Carter -> Greg Eagles
** Goro: Ken Lally -> Vic Chao
** Jax: Gerald C. Rivers -> Greg Eagles
** Johnny Cage: Jeff Pilson -> Andrew Bowen
** Kung Lao: Jin Hyong -> Will Yun Lee
** Sektor: Andrew Kishino -> Vic Chao
** Shinnok: Ken Lally -> Troy Baker
** Sindel: Lani Minella -> Kelly Hu
** Smoke: Ken Lally -> Andrew Bowen
** Sonya: Dana Lyn Baron -> Tricia Helfer
** Sub-Zero: Jim Miller -> Steve Blum
** Creator/JamiesonPrice voices Ermac, even though Creator/MichaelMcConnohie returned to voice Kano.
** While Creator/KarenStrassman does reprise her role of Kitana, some of her battle grunts were oddly borrowed from Creator/GreyDeLisle during her stint as Catwoman in ''Injustice''. This was due to the fact that [=DeLisle=] was supposed to take over as Kitana but only managed to record the gameplay lines before having to leave due to having her baby, so Karen Strassman did the role for the story mode.
* PreOrderBonus: Pre-Ordering ''Mortal Kombat X'' unlocked Goro from the start.
* PopStarComposer: Music/SystemOfADown lended "Chop Suey!" for the game's TV launch trailer.
* RealSongThemeTune:
** Wiz Khalifa's "Can't Be Stopped" was used in the game's first trailer ever.
** "Chop Suey!" by Music/SystemOfADown was chosen for the game's launch trailer.
* RefittedForSequel: [[RefittedForSequel/MortalKombat Shares a page with the rest of the franchise]].
* RoleReprise:
** Creator/RichardEpcar as Raiden.
** Creator/PatrickSeitz as Scorpion.
** Creator/MichaelMcConnohie as Kano.
** Ronald M. Banks as Quan Chi.
** Creator/KarenStrassman as Kitana and Mileena.
** Tom Choi as Liu Kang.
** Creator/JamiesonPrice as the Announcer.
** Octavio Rojas as Scorpion in the Latin American dub, six years after voicing him in a [[TheCameo cameo]] in ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether''.
* SameVoiceTheirEntireLife:
** Kung Lao and Liu Kang retain their older selves' voices during Raiden's flashback in Chapter 10, set during the events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''. {{Justified|Trope}} in that [[spoiler:they both died at the end of ''9'', so they're basically the same age as when they died]].
** Johnny Cage, Kenshi, and Sonya Blade retain their older selves' voices during the flashbacks in Chapter 1 (Johnny Cage's flashback, which happens almost instantly after the end of ''9'') and Chapter 5 (Sonya Blade's). Johnny's flashback takes place [[WritersCannotDoMath nearly]] 25 years before the events of ''X'' (meaning no member of the cast which was present in ''9'' in this flashback is voiced by their [=VAs=] from ''9''), while Sonya's take place 12 years before.
** While the exact time frame between him becoming Chujin of the Shirai Ryu clan and his recruitment in the Special Forces is unknown, Takeda retains his older self's voice both in the ''X'' timeline as well as during his Chujin ceremony flashback.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Stage transitions were considered, and there were even two interconnected arenas, but this was axed.
** Cassie Cage's "Brawler" variant originally had glowing green hands, but it was later changed to yellow gloves.
** Kano's "Cutthroat" variant originally had his cybernetic heart and eyes glow green, but it was later changed to blue. The initial green instead was used for the "no variation chosen" model.
** Raiden's X-Ray, when it was initially shown, started with a roundhouse kick to the jaw, followed by a shock to the back and crushing an organ. It was later changed to a more aerial and electric combo, the initial roundhouse kick being re-purposed to the start of Johnny Cage's X-Ray. Furthermore, his "Master of Storms" variation was originally called "Storm Lord".
** Leatherface [[https://www.artstation.com/artwork/xBg3W originally had a mask]] resembling that of his appearance in ''Film/TexasChainsaw3D''.
** Other variations on Mileena's redesigned face were considered, [[https://www.artstation.com/artwork/mortal-kombat-x-mileena including a snake-like jaw.]]
** This game was previously announced in late 2014 to feature console exclusive guest characters for the [=PlayStation=] and Xbox consoles. Creator/{{Sony}} gave no specifics aside from saying that it would not be [[VideoGame/GodOfWar Kratos]] [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 again]], while Creator/MicrosoftStudios had hinted that theirs would be one from ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct''. For whatever reason, neither set of characters made the cut.
** Judging by images in the Krypt for Erron Black's Brutalities, he was originally intended to keep his hat for all his variations instead of just the Gunslinger one. Also, Brian Chard, one the writers, stated in [[https://twitter.com/bcharred/status/600842734920814592 a Twitter post]] that the character that would become the final version's Erron Black was originally conceived as a female.
** [[http://mortalkombat.fandom.com/wiki/Thread:93630 Other statements by the creators]] include that Jarek and Kira were considered for making cameo appearances in story mode.
** The game had versions for the Platform/PlayStation3 and Platform/Xbox360 platfors under development. However, in August 2015, it was announced that these versions had been cancelled.
** Michael Myers was strongly considered for DLC. He was passed up because the pending ''Halloween'' film in the works at the time was cancelled.
* WordOfGay: [=NetherRealm=] staffers [[https://twitter.com/domcianciolo/status/588050845763301376 confirmed on Twitter]] that the dialogue between Kung Jin and Raiden in Jin's flashback stage is exactly what it sounds like.
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