Sandbox / Mortal Kombat – Kung Lao

Mortal Kombat Main Character Index
Original and Reboot Timeline: MK (1992) | MK2 | MK3 | MK4 | Deadly Alliance | Deception | Armageddon | MK vs. DC Universe | MK9 | MKX | MK11
The New Era: MK1
Spin-offs: Mythologies: Sub-Zero | Special Forces
Non-video game: The Movie | Conquest | Defenders of the Realm | 2021 Movie
Individual Characters: Scorpion I (Hanzo Hasashi) | Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot (Bi-Han) | Johnny Cage | Liu Kang | Raiden | Shang Tsung | Kung Lao | Sub-Zero II/Scorpion II (Kuai Liang) | Kitana | Mileena | Shao Kahn/General Shao | Quan Chi

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Kung Lao

"For the Shaolin!"

^{Click here to see his Revenant form}
"I serve Shinnok and the Netherrealm."

Debut game: Mortal Kombat II (Tony Marquez)

Other appearances: Mortal Kombat 3 (Tony Marquez), Mortal Kombat Gold (Joshua Y. Tsui), Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Mortal Kombat 9 (Jin Hyong), Mortal Kombat X (Will Yun Lee, English; Eduardo Garza, Latin American Spanish), Mortal Kombat 11 (Sunil Malhotra, English; Alan Fernando Velázquez, Latin American Spanish; Tian Shuai, face model), Mortal Kombat 1 (Sunil Malhotra, English; Alan Fernando Velázquez, Latin American Spanish; Tian Shuai, face model)

Non-game appearances: Mortal Kombat: Legacy (Mark Dacascos), Mortal Kombat (2021) (Max Huang; Arturo Castañeda, Latin American Spanish), Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (Matthew Yang King)

A member of the same Shaolin order as Liu Kang, Kung Lao is the descendant of the Great Kung Lao who defeated Shang Tsung many generations before. His trademark feature is his razor-brimmed hat, which he can throw as a weapon.

Kung Lao is a quiet man who does not advocate violence or conflict. As such, he decided to omit himself from the Mortal Kombat tournament that Liu Kang attended and subsequently won (though this is retconned in 9). Later on, the Shaolin temple was attacked by Outworld monsters and Kung Lao decided that now was the time to act and stepped through the portal to Outworld to fight off the evil alongside Liu Kang. Upon returning from their success in Outworld, Kung Lao attempted to reunite the White Lotus Society, but was derailed when Shao Kahn invaded Earthrealm. Chosen as one of Raiden's protected warriors, he once again left his life of peace to defend Earthrealm from Outworld.

After driving back Shao Kahn's invasion, Kung Lao decided to retire to a solitary existence and led his companions to believe he perished from injury. When word of Shinnok's ambition reaches him along with rumors that Goro, the man who had killed his namesake ancestor, is still living he returns to battle. He encounters Goro but rather than come to blows, the two warriors come to peace and end generations of bitterness. Kung Lao was the first to discover Liu Kang's body following Shang Tsung and Quan Chi's ambush and swears vengeance. He trains himself under the same master as Liu Kang with the hopes that his newfound skill would bring justice. Unfortunately, this was not the case and he would find himself unable to stand against Tsung and was vanquished. He was revived to serve Onaga's goals during Deception but frees his spirit in time to climb the pyramid in Armageddon.

Kung Lao's story changes quite dramatically in Mortal Kombat 9. For starters, he is present at the original tournament, unlike the first canon (though it does take after the events of Shaolin Monks where he dresses up as a guard), having snuck into the tournament out of jealousy towards Liu Kang. Raiden exposes him and has him fight Scorpion so he can be eliminated and not affect the course of events. Later on he participates in the Outworld tournament and this time Raiden allows him to face Outworld's champion, Kintaro, instead of Liu Kang. Unfortunately this has the negative effect of Shao Kahn simply snapping his neck from behind and killing him instantly after he wins, leaving Liu Kang to avenge his death and events mostly play out as they did in Mortal Kombat II as a result. His soul is resurrected as a Netherrealm slave by Quan Chi, and he does not escape from his captor come the events of Mortal Kombat X.

Thanks to Kronika meddling with time in Mortal Kombat 11, another version of himself and Liu Kang ended up being involved with the plot and they're clearly disgusted at what their older revenant selves have become as servants of Kronika and the Netherrealm.

In the New Era that begins with Mortal Kombat 1, Kung Lao's backstory has changed. Tales of heroes and legends were always present in Kung Lao's life, especially since his namesake ancestor was the great champion of the tournament between Earthrealm and Outworld. He has constantly imagined himself wreathed in glory much like the characters from those myths, but his simple life as a farmer in Fengjian is quite the opposite of his dreams, making him yearn for new adventures. Still, under Madame Bo's tutelage, Kung Lao may yet achieve the greatness he has always dreamed of.

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Tropes that apply to Kung Lao in the Midway and Original Netherrealm Timelines ^note  Tropes that appear across all of Kung Lao's appearances from Mortal Kombat II to Mortal Kombat 11

Tropes that apply to Kung Lao in the Midway and Original Netherrealm Timelines

• Adaptational Jerkass:
  • In Shaolin Monks, the same Kung Lao who was once a humble warrior who did not seek the spotlight is now an honor-obsessed, ill-tempered Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy who endlessly teases Liu Kang about Kitana, not to mention buying into Shang Tsung's scheme.
  • Downplayed in Armageddon and MK9 and X'' in the rebooted timeline. He's still a humble warrior like his old characterization but he wants to prove that he can be as good as, if not better than, Liu Kang.
  • However, it comes back in full force in the intro dialogues of 11; he's very arrogant, narcissistic and jealous to the point that he's as bad as Johnny Cage pre-Character Development. Lao believes he deserves be the "The Chosen One" and thinks he's a better match for Kitana (of course she disagrees). His revenant is no better compared his normal self, and throws in his lot with Kronika, completely lacking the Being Evil Sucks mentality displayed in MKX.
• Adapted Out: Of the original live-action movie, where Liu Kang is stated to be the Great Kung Lao's descendant instead. He was also left out of the Defenders of the Realm cartoon despite it being largely inspired by the third game, in which he was a playable character.
• Always Second Best:
  • Towards Liu Kang in Armageddon and 9 a little bit. Extremely blatant in Shaolin Monks.
  • A favorite insult against him among the X and 11 roster is to unfavorably compare him to Liu Kang.
• Animal-Themed Fighting Style: He uses Mantis Kung Fu in Deadly Alliance.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Initially, he was the exact opposite of this but ever since he was re-written as a battle hungry, glory seeker in Shaolin Monks, this has been his default personality.
• Back from the Dead: Subverted in Mortal Kombat X. His regular appearance belongs to the multiplayer Alternate Universe; he's still a revenant by the end of the story mode.
• Bald of Evil: An interesting variation. While as a revenant under the service of Quan Chi (and bound to his will), he's completely bald. Other revenants like Stryker or Liu Kang have full heads of hair.
• Bash Brothers: With Liu Kang. Shaolin Monks is practically this trope and they have a chapter in 11 focused on them infiltrating the Wu Shi Academy and taking on their undead counterparts.
• Berserk Button:
  • Some interactions in X and 11 show that he quite likes his hat, and does not appreciate people insulting it.
    Kung Lao: Why are you here, Cage?
    Johnny Cage: To tell you Zorro's mom wants her hat back.
    Kung Lao: Any hope for mercy is lost.
  • His interactions with Bo' Rai Cho, Cassie Cage and Kitana show he's also not very happy with the idea of being compared to Liu Kang.
    Kung Lao: The lesser Cage.
    Cassie Cage: Liu Kang lite.
    Kung Lao: A mouth in search of a fist.
  • Similar to Liu Kang and Kitana, Raiden is probably this in X since he most likely blames their deaths on him as well, since he "allowed" them to happen. Unlike Liu Kang and Kitana, he doesn't actually enjoy being a revenant, so he pretty much seems just as unhappy with him as they are.
  • As revealed by certain intro dialogues in 11, he doesn't take kindly to people mocking his name.
• Big Brother Instinct: He despises his family's treatment of Kung Jin, in which he tells Raiden in one of his intros.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: While obviously a capable fighter, his interactions with Liu Kang in 11 suggests that he's a bit of a slacker when it comes to his duties as a monk.
  • Demonstrated well in 11 when attempting to pass traps in the Shaolin temple, Liu Kang watches the swinging blades and jumps through at the perfect moment of safety. Kung Lao opts for a more creative, but equally effective tactic. He uses his hat to jam the gears of the blades movement, stopping them all with a single move, take his hat back once he'd walked through safely.
• Cain and Abel: Being revived as a revenant and his cousin becomes one of Earthrealm's heroes, Lao becomes the Cain to Jin's Abel.
• Celibate Hero: As a Shaolin, this is almost a requirement. But that doesn't stop him from flirting with women in 11.
• Characterization Marches On: Kung Lao's appearances before Shaolin Monks indicated that he was a serious, humble warrior with no rivalry or insecure feelings towards his best friend, Liu Kang. Come Shaolin Monks, he's presented as jealous of Liu Kang and driven to show he's just as worthy to be a hero as him. While the game is of dubious canonicity, elements of it were used in later games, in this case namely Kung Lao's characterization (the earliest game after SM to have this is Armageddon in the case of Kung Lao's ending).
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: In general, he's rash, immature, and definitely not as great as he wants anyone to believe. However, he is shown to be stronger than most of the kombatants when push comes to shove. He was able to take down Goro, Kintaro and even the Deadly Alliance, a duo that even Raiden couldn't beat.
• A Day in the Limelight:
  • In Mortal Kombat 9, he's the focus of Chapter 11.
  • In Mortal Kombat 11, he's the focus of Chapter 3, along with Liu Kang.
• Deadpan Snarker: Kung Lao does this quite a bit more in pre-fight banter in both MKX and 11, especially if he's facing a comedic character.
  Kung Lao: What have you done to your body?
  Frost: Allowed Kronika to make me the greatest.
  Kung Lao: To think, all I needed was a hat.
• A Death in the Limelight: At the end of his chapter in MK9, his neck is snapped by Shao Kahn.
• Defector from Decadence: His ladder ending in X shows that he wants to find a way out of the Netherrealm. Kung Jin, who has not given up any hope on Lao, aids him to redeem his soul and return him to the side of good.
• Dressing as the Enemy: According to both Shaolin Monks and 9, Kung Lao disguised himself as one of Shang Tsung's bodyguards to infiltrate the first game's tournament. In the latter, one of Raiden's "hot flashes" tips him off to this, causing the Thunder God to berate the monk and force him into battle against Scorpion so that he'd lose and be disqualified.
• Driven by Envy: In 11, Kung Lao's Revenant incarnation is excessively envious of Liu Kang. Once the Revenant Liu Kang is taken out of the picture, Kung Lao shreds any prior restraint in expressing his seething jealousy.
  It should have been me!
• Earn Your Happy Ending:
  • His MKX Arcade ending has Kung Jin coming to his aid to help redeem his soul and return him to life. Unfortunately, this ending is shown to be non-canon in 11.
  • In the MK11 Arcade ending, after acquiring Kronika's time manipulation powers, he manages to prevent his ancestor's death at Goro's hands and becomes a revered leader of the White Lotus Society, with its members counted in millions. Due to the timeline being fractured by Liu Kang and Shang Tsung's battle, this Kung Lao becomes a Titan and a Keeper of Time, later aiding his friend in a war against Titan Shang Tsung.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • Even the usually cocky Lao can't stand Frost's arrogance in 11, remarking in one intro that he at least respects his elders.
  • He does not support his family's treatment of Kung Jin.
  Kung Lao: You know of Kung Jin's interests?
  Raiden: You sit in judgement, Kung Lao?
  Kung Lao: Of my family's shameful treatment of him.
• The Expy With No Name: Elements of his design in the original games, namely his badass demeanor and his face being constantly obscured by the shadow of his hat, were inspired by Clint Eastwood as The Man with No Name.
  • His primary weapon being a razor-sharp hat seem to be taken from Auric Goldfinger's chief henchman, Oddjob.
• Faking the Dead: He was apparently killed by Shao Kahn during Trilogy. He survived, but for a time allowed his allies to believe him dead.
• Famous Ancestor: The descendant of the Great Kung Lao, the Champion of Mortal Kombat who prevented Shang Tsung's tenth victory ages ago and was eventually killed by Goro. This Kung Lao is Kung Lao X. In his arcade ending in 9, it turns out he's actually the Great Kung Lao reincarnate.
• Fantastic Racism: Kung Lao hates Tarkatans quite passionately. The Tarkatans may have started the conflict, but Kung Lao is willing to commit genocide against them, whereas Raiden and Liu Kang understand He Who Fights Monsters and are generally more level-headed in their contempt. In 11, Kung Lao is appalled that Kotal Kahn made peace with the Tarkatans and outright states that Mileena's Tarkatan blood is enough of a reason to hate her. But in his defense, Baraka outwardly admits that he hopes he can change Kitana's mind so they they may attack Earthrealm once more.
• Fatal Flaw: In 9, Pride. It gets him into a fight he can't win in the first tournament and he gets a nice Neck Snap while he's grandstanding after a victory.
• Femme Fatalons: As a revenant, disturbingly enough.
• Fighting Spirit: In 11, one of his equip abilities allows him to call upon the spirit of his ancestor to aid him in battle.
• Flying Weapon: Kung Lao can telekinetically control the direction and movement of his hat. One of his moves involves him knocking his opponent against the hat while it spins and hovers in place.
• Future Me Scares Me: In 11, due to Timey-Wimey Ball, the living Kung Lao is able to meet the revenant Kung Lao… and he's not pleased of what he becomes.
  The thought of me becoming you sickens me!
• Glory Seeker: Ever since Shaolin Monks rewrote him into this, Lao has been depicted this way. Played with in that, more than just being The Chosen One, he wants to prove worthy of the name of his ancestor, who died at the hands of Goro, and that he'd also rather live a life of peace and solitude.
• Green-Eyed Monster: Revenant Kung Lao drops any pretense of respect he has towards his rival and proudly declares he'll help Kronika destroy the current timeline if it lets him one-up Liu Kang in the next.
• Half the Man He Used to Be: He can invoke this on his enemies by subjecting them to a number of fatalities involving his hat, usually bisecting them vertically.
• Heel–Face Turn: With Kung Jin's aid, he is able to pull one in his MKX ending.
• Heroic Neutral: Played with. Kung Lao is a key player in the battle against evil, and he can be quite brash and cocky, but at his core, he's a man of peace and would prefer to live a life of solitude and tranquility after demonstrating his worth.
• Heroic Willpower: In his (and Kung Jin's) MKX Arcade Ladder endings with Jin's help he's able to fight the corruption in his soul and fight for good.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Liu Kang. Shaolin Monks goes the Vitriolic Best Buds route (more so from Kung Lao's side), whereas 9 and 11 try to strike a fine balance: they don't always get along, but they're nonetheless stalwart friends and allies.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: He has this going for him, big time. Best shown when Sheeva teases Kung Lao by making a light jab at Earthrealmers, to which he responds by angrily asserting he is as strong as any Shokan. She then lampshades how easily his ego is bruised.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Kung Lao is very self-assured to the point of arrogance and comparisons to Liu Kang are a sore spot for him. When actually in contact with Liu Kang, however, any animosity mostly amounts to playful ribbing and he shows nothing short of pride in witness to his friends' accomplishments, even when he became a god.
  • In 11, he's understandably more openly skeptical of Raiden after learning that he was responsible for his fate in the new timeline. When confronted over this by the revenants, he makes it clear that he doesn't hold it against him like they do.
  Kung Lao: Lord Raiden may make mistakes, but he doesn't murder his followers.
  • Unlike Liu Kang in the last game, Kung Lao, in one of his intro dialogues, is accepting of his nephew’s sexual orientation and laments how the rest of his family mistreated the boy.
• Killer Rabbit: Literally! Two of his Vs. Fatalities in Shaolin Monks involve him pulling a rabbit out of his hat; the first has him beat them to death with it, the second has the rabbit viciously maul them until they're dead.
• The Lancer: To Liu Kang, who he generally accompanies as a fellow Shaolin and is frequently shown to be his best friend and closest confidant.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Generally depicted with long hair, often wrapped in a ponytail. Subverted as a revenant.
• Manchild: He's 24, but has the temperament of a lazy teenager. His bio in MKX outright states that his immaturity and impetuousness are the reasons to why he's not taken as seriously as Liu Kang.
• Martial Pacifist: Generally avoids picking fights, but is more than capable of finishing them.
• Named After Somebody Famous: His name comes from his ancestor, The Great Kung Lao.
• "No. Just… No" Reaction: When Mileena flirts with him. "Do not even THINK of it!" indeed.
• Opposites Attract: He and Liu Kang are best friends in spite of having completely different personalities.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: This is increasingly the case with him when it comes to Liu Kang, in spite of the former being a decent warrior and being more well-received in his debut by the fandom than the latter. This is most glaring in 9; while Liu Kang was (once again) the hero and involved with and included in many of the storylines, Kung Lao's time on-screen alive didn't even span 15 minutes.
• Panthera Awesome: He turns into a cheetah for his Animality.
• Reforged into a Minion: Like Sub-Zero and Jax, he was brainwashed to serve Quan Chi and Shinnok in 9, and remains a brainwashed one in X. However, his MKX arcade ending shows that he seems to dislike his current status as a revenant, and wants to get out of the Netherrealm. Kung Jin, who didn't give up any hope on him, comes to his aid and redeems his soul to the side of good thanks to his Heroic Willpower.
• Refusal of the Call: Original canon only; in both Shaolin Monks and 9, he decides to disguise himself as a bodyguard and head to the MK tournament anyway (however, the latter gives him a justifiable reason, by having Kung Lao wanting to defeat Goro to avenge his ancestor).
• Reincarnation: His MK9 arcade ending reveals that he is The Great Kung Lao reborn in the modern day, which also means he got the chance to redeem his loss against Goro from 500 years ago.
• Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Kung Lao's ending in 3 has him dying in battle against Shao Kahn and his absence in vanilla 4 reinforced the idea he was Killed Off for Real. The Updated Re-release, Gold, revealed that Lao had simply gone into hiding to live a life of peace until he learned of Goro's return and decided to avenge his ancestor's death at the Shokan prince's hands.
• Revenge Before Reason: Kung Lao decided that the best time get his revenge on Goro is when the latter is in the midst of peaceful negotiations with Kitana by scarring the Shokan's chest. Indeed, Kitana does call him out on it and the only reason Lao's stunt doesn't ruin the negotiations is because Goro is very understanding.
• The Rival: Kung Lao has been depicted as Liu Kang's rival in Shaolin Monks. However, later games make this more of a Friendly Rivalry.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: He's the first to discover Liu Kang's corpse when Shang Tsung and Quan Chi kill Liu Kang in Deadly Alliance. He doesn't take it well, and trains with Bo' Rai Cho to learn some new tricks to defeat the two. It... doesn't quite work out the way Kung Lao intended.
• Sacrificial Lion: Poor Kung Lao tends to get saddled with the role of "designated hero casualty" more often than not. He's killed off fairly early in Mortal Kombat 9, and gets offed in two films. It's especially ironic because he actually outlived The Hero, Liu Kang, in the original games' timeline.
• Self-Serving Memory: He tells his past human self that Shao Kahn snapped his neck and Raiden saw it coming, but did not intervene. In actuality, Raiden (and nobody for that matter) did not anticipate it and was incredibly furious at Shao Kahn for doing so.
• Shadow Archetype: Serves as one to his past self in 11. Revenant Kung Lao is what would happen if Kung Lao was purely Driven by Envy towards his friend and rival Liu Kang, and only cared about avenging the death of his ancestor instead of fighting for a greater good just as his ancestor did. His entire reason for joining Kronika is so he can have a do-over and defeat Shao Kahn in the tournament to one-up Liu Kang.
• Soul Power: In 11, Kung Lao has an equip ability called "Soul Burst" which allows him to fire blasts of spirit energy.
• Sour Outside, Sad Inside: In his and Kung Jin's MKX arcade endings, Kung Lao seems to dislike his current status as a revenant, and wants to get out of the Netherrealm. Kung Jin, who didn't give up any hope on him, comes to his aid and redeems his soul to the side of good. Though this ending is not canonical.
• Spin Attack: Kung Lao has a special move in which he spins like a tornado to launch the opponent into the air, setting them up for a combo. In some games, he can move back and forth while spinning.
• Stance System: Mantis Kung Fu and Shaolin Fist in Deadly Alliance, and just Shaolin Fist in Armageddon, as Shujinko becomes the Mantis practitioner.
• The Stoic: In the original timeline only, Kung Lao was a serious, strong-and-silent type who hated the spotlight, almost the exact opposite of his counterpart from the rebooted timeline.
• Summon Magic: In 11, a customization move allows him to summon the spirit of the Great Kung Lao to assist him.
• Technical Pacifist: In the original timeline, Kung Lao, like Liu Kang, is a pacifistic Shaolin warrior who refuses to kill unless as a last resort. This runs contrary to the fact that he wields a deadly bladed weapon and has some of the bloodiest, most gruesome Fatalities in the series...
• Teleportation: One of his signature moves allows him to teleport near the opponent.
• There Is Another: He is Earthrealm's backup champion in case Liu Kang fails or is killed somehow. He knows this and isn't all that pleased about it.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: A lot in 11 where his personality more resembles Kung Jin or pre Character Development Johhny Cage than it does the Kung Lao from previous games.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: He's 5'10".
• They Killed Kenny Again: He was supposedly killed in MK3 but revealed to be alive in the update of MK4, was revealed to have been killed along with all the other heroes except Sub-Zero in the opening of Deception, was shown to be dead again in the events of Armageddon in the opening of 9 and died during the story mode of 9. In Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, Kung Lao is drowned in the Sea of Blood by Shao Kahn and Sindel while his Revenant self is killed by Shang Tsung. Mortal Kombat (2021) continues the trend by having Kung Lao be the only casualty among the heroes and Mortal Kombat Battle For The Realms has him as one of the only two heroes killed. It seems that Kung Lao has taken Jonny Cage's place as the hero who dies to show serious the threat is.
• Uncertain Doom: In 11. His past self in Aftermath is tossed overboard into the bottomless Sea of Blood, courtesy of Sindel or Shao Kahn. Considering how his revenant is still alive and kicking when Shang Tsung assaulted Kronika's hideout later, it's safe to assume that the original isn't dead, somehow.
• The Unchosen One: A huge source of Angst for Kung Lao in the rebooted timeline is that he is never selected as Earthrealm's champion by Raiden and would've missed the first Mortal Kombat tournament entirely if he hadn't infilitrated it by disguising himself as one of Shang Tsung's guards. During the second tournament, Raiden finally considers Kung Lao as "he who must win" after Liu Kang forfeits, but he is Instantly Proven Wrong.
• Undeathly Pallor: A grayish-white skin after being revived as a brainwashed minion.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: While he is envious of Liu Kang and the two bicker constantly, they are still best friends and practically brothers who will do anything to help when the other is in need.
• Volcanic Veins: He gains these upon being revived as a brainwashed minion of Quan Chi.
• Warrior Monk: Like Liu Kang, he's a shaolin monk who fights for Earthrealm, although he's far more reluctant about it in the original timeline.
• Weaponized Headgear: Kung Lao has one of the most iconic killer hats in fiction, which is inspired by Oddjob's. Not only is his hat's brim an Absurdly Sharp Blade that can easily slice someone in half, he can also psychically control it for precise long-range attacks.
• You're Insane!: Not to the enemy, but in his own words to Liu Kang in 11, their future is "insane".

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Tropes that apply to Kung Lao in the New Era ^note Tropes that appear across all of Kung Lao's appearances from Mortal Kombat 1 onwards

Tropes that apply to Kung Lao in the New Era

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• Adaptational Relationship Overhaul: Liu Kang and Kung Lao are typically best friends and fellow Shaolin Monks. This timeline reimagines them as mentor and student, with Raiden taking Kang's role as Lao's friend and fellow monk.
• Adaptational Wimp: This Kung Lao so far lacks the teleportation powers the one from the original timeline had.
• Anti-Mentor: In Lao's tower ending, he becomes Shujinko's teacher at the Wu Shi Academy. Despite Raiden's concerns that Lao alone is not an adequate teacher, Lao insists on being Shujinko's sole teacher; Raiden's warnings are validated as Lao's inability to teach Shujinko humility and patience — traits Lao is greatly lacking in himself — results in the young man becoming a danger to the realms. After Shujinko's memories are erased and his powers removed, a much more humble and cooperative Lao begins his student's tutelage anew with Raiden to aid him.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Severely downplayed compared to his most popular characterization, but between him and Raiden, he obviously loves to show off his skills.
  Kung Lao: Being prideful doesn't make me evil.
  Ashrah: But it does make you insufferable.
• A Day in the Limelight: Kung Lao is the focus of the first chapter.
• Badass Boast: He gives one off in his story mode chapter towards Bi-Han:
  Sub-Zero: I've had enough of you.
  Kung Lao: Then go, before I put you down like the rest of your Lin Kuei!
• Big Eater: Kung Lao has a large appetite, as shown after he and Raiden finish eating a meal at Madam Bo's teahouse and Raiden suggests that the food that Kung Lao ordered makes up most of the bill, with Kung Lao burping immediately afterwards. Later during dinner at Outworld, Kung Lao is seen eating without slowing down and with poor table manners. Johnny's pre-intro fight with Nitara also reveals that Kung Lao doesn't hold back when eating at Madam Bo's.
  Raiden: (Looking at the bill for their meal) You were hungry.
  Kung Lao: *Burp* Ohhh…
• Break the Haughty: While certainly not canon, game over screens with him as the playable fighter will describe him being humbled by his defeat by certain fighters, even someone trying to outright kill him, like Bi-Han and Kuai Liang upon fighting them in the Tea House.
• Broken Win/Loss Streak: Every time Raiden and Kung Lao fought in the past, Lao always won. In Raiden's chapter, he wins for the first time.
• Casanova Wannabe: Pre-fight intros see Kung Lao trying to flirt with Ashrah, though he gets nowhere. She prefers to start a relationship with Syzoth, much to Kung Lao's disappointment.
• Everyone Has Standards: Despite Kung Lao's arrogant attitude, he keeps his language very clean; he's aghast when Johnny throws out a "you bitch" when the heroes confront Shang Tsung.
• Failed Attempt at Drama: Before his fight with Sub-Zero, Kung Lao flings his hat at the cryomancer... only for the straw hat to bounce off harmlessly, failing to do more than annoy Bi-Han.
• Friendly Rivalry: He and Raiden's chapter begins with a friendly competition to see who can finish their farm work for the day first. This competitiveness is also applied in their martial arts training.
• Gasshole: Belches conspicuously both after the dinner at Madam Bo's and during the feast in Outworld. Kenshi, Reiko and Shao were unlucky enough to sit right next to him at the table during the latter.
• Glory Seeker: He doesn't let it control his life, but Kung Lao clearly hungers for fame and recognition. When he worked the fields in Fengjian, Kung Lao dreamed of a life of adventure, and when the opportunity to fight for Earthrealm presents itself, he jumps at the chance. Later, he's gleeful at the idea of appearing in one of Johnny's movies (though Raiden quickly reminds him that they have other priorities).
• Humble Pie: Kung Lao's Tower ending humbles him greatly, as he realizes that Shujinko's fall to evil was due to Kung Lao's failure to teach him humility.
• Iconic Attribute Adoption Moment: His chapter shows how he got the idea of his Weaponized Headgear, after throwing his straw hat at Sub-Zero, to little effect, then throws a nearby chakram at him, which works a lot better. After defeating the cryomancer, he looks at his hat and the chakram and is clearly inspired. He later shows off his new weaponized hat to Raiden at the Wu Shi temple.
• In Spite of a Nail: Still seen as Always Second Best, this time in comparison to Raiden instead of Liu Kang.
• Jabba Table Manners: While his village life and his Shaolin training have made him quite good at a lot of things, his table etiquette certainly leaves room for improvement, as he eats and drinks loudly and often belches, much to the discomfort of others, in addition to other implications.
  Nitara: What could be more deadly than a Vaeternian?
  Johnny Cage: Kung Lao after dinner at Madam Bo's. (makes a grimace of disgust) I mean, like, damn.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Kung Lao may be a glory-seeking, self-promoting, ill-mannered young man, but when the chips are down, he's always ready to do the right thing, such as defending Madam Bo from the Lin Kuei or accepting Raiden as Earthrealm's champion and being sincerely happy for his friend.
• Jumped at the Call: Kung Lao, who's desperate for some excitement in his mundane life, eagerly accepts Liu Kang's invitation of joining his Earthrealm champions.
• My Greatest Failure: After the events of the 1's story, Kung Lao was inducted into the ranks of the Shaolin Masters to teach the next generation of warrior monks, among the first of which was a young Shujinko who he regarded as his most promising student. Unfortunately, Kung Lao neglected to instil proper martial ethics or morality alongside physical skills and Shujinko, never having learned any humility, turned on Earthrealm in an act of narcissistic egomania. While quickly subdued, Kung Lao regards Shujinko's fall as his personal failing and a dark reflection of his own ego, causing him to take a much humbler and cooperative stance to teaching alongside Raiden going forward.
• The Nicknamer: Pre-fight intros have him dub Ashrah "the Shaolin Demon", a name which Ashrah herself likes, but which Liu Kang considers too flippant.
• Sore Loser/Graceful Loser: In some pre-kombat dialogues, he claims that Raiden got lucky in their fight (e.g. when fighting Nitara), in others, he admits that the better man won (e.g. when fighting Liu Kang).
• Too Hungry to Be Polite: Kung Lao is a messy and loud eater, which no one bats an eye to in Fengjian. But when he eats just as wildly at a more formal dinner hosted in Outworld, Shao and Reiko stare at him with a mix of judgement and disbelief.
• Weaponized Headgear: His trademark steel-rimmed hat. Pre-kombat dialogue reveals that some fighters (such as Sub-Zero and Reptile) think it's silly, while others (such as Scorpion and Smoke) actually like it. Either way, it proves to be a very effective weapon and, as always, Lao's Fatalities make good use of it.