History Characters / MortalKombat1992

Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion I (Hanzo Hasashi)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot (Bi-Han)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKano Kano]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II/Scorpion II (Kuai Liang)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKitana Kitana]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatMileena Mileena]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShao Shao Kahn/General Shao]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatQuanChi Quan Chi]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKotalKahn Kotal Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKronika Kronika]]-]]]

For [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]]; [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero]]; [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]];[[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]]; [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]]; or [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]], see their respective pages.

For [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]]; [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero]]; [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]]; [[Characters/MortalKombatKano Kano]]; [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]]; [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]]; or [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]], see their respective pages.

[[folder:Reptile]]
!!Reptile (Syzoth)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reptile_render.png]]

-> '''Debut game''': ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1992'' (Daniel Pesina)
-> '''Other appearances''': ''VideoGame/MortalKombatII'' (Daniel Pesina), ''VideoGame/MortalKombat3'' (John Turk), ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' (John Turk/Dan Forden), ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance'', ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception'' (cameo), ''VideoGame/MortalKombatShaolinMonks'', ''VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon'' (Tom Taylorson), ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' (Creator/SteveBlum, English; Creator/EduardoGarza, Latin American Spanish), ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' (non-playable cameo in the Krypt)
-> '''Non-game appearances''': ''Film/MortalKombatTheMovie'' (Keith Cooke), ''Film/MortalKombatAnnihilation'' (Mark Caso/Sultan Uddin), ''Series/MortalKombatConquest'' (Jon Valera), ''WebVideo/MortalKombatRebirth'' (Richard Dorton), ''Film/MortalKombat2021''

->A green-garbed, human-like reptilian creature. Reptile is said to be physically hideous and repulsive, but he is renowned for his great stealth, impressive fighting skills and unquestioning loyalty. Reptile has an obsession about finding the last remaining member of his race, the Saurians, and freeing his homeworld Zaterra from Outworld's grasp; While well-meaning and sincere, this obsession is so important to him that it causes him temporary fits of insanity.\\\
After acting as a stealthy bodyguard to Shang Tsung during the first Mortal Kombat, he returned to his master, Shao Kahn, in order to aid him in the Outworld tournament, under the promise that Kahn would release the remaining members of Reptile's race from slavery if he would unquestioningly do his bidding. Such an opportunity arose During the Earthrealm invasion: he and Jade were to recapture an escaped Kitana, killing her if necessary. He did not succeed, as Jade betrayed him to help Kitana. After the war, he was bought to Edenia as a prisoner, and subsequently exiled to the Netherealm. Reptile grasped the opportunity to join Shinnok's army, hoping for the rogue Elder God to revive his race. Alas, when he found himself on the losing side once more, he decided to resume his service to Shao Kahn.\\\
Because of his state of separation from the other members of his race, especially his matriarch, Reptile had begun to show signs of devolution, becoming progressively more insane and saurian-like. When Reptile wasn't able to protect his master from the recently formed Deadly Alliance, he went into an even greater madness. Desperately looking for a new master, he eventually came across the vampire Nitara, who shared with him artifacts and knowledge of his lost people, the Zaterran. This was enough to gain Reptile's trust; she send him to fight Cyrax in order to advance her own agenda. Afterward, when Reptile realized that she was going to leave him behind, he tracked her down to an ancient incubating chamber, but she was already gone. All that remained was the almost fully incubated egg of Onaga the Dragon King. The egg hatched, a beam of light struck Reptile as the Saurian's body became the vessel for the reincarnated Onaga.\\\
After the fall of the Dragon King at the hand of the Forces of Light, Reptile found himself free from the villain's possession. At the time of the ''Armageddon'', he seems to be part of the Red Dragon clan's human-reptilian hybrids experimentations. It's not clear if he's willing, but this might have been another way, in his eyes, to get his Saurian race to be restored.\\\
Reptile is pretty much the same he's ever been in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'': an assassin for Shang Tsung and a foot soldier for Outworld. As a minor modification to his role, he no longer hides in the shadows of the Mortal Kombat tournament but is instead an official participant, fighting on behalf of Outworld. He is quickly eliminated but continues to offer his services to Shang Tsung in other areas as the tournament progresses. In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', Reptile's real name of Syzoth is revealed and when Outworld plunges into a civil war, he's among the first to join up with the newly-appointed emperor, Kotal Kahn.

* BaritoneOfStrength: Always portrayed with having a deep and menacing voice.

* FanservicePack: In the original game, she was played by a dancer. In ''3'', she was played by a Playboy model. This trope is most prevalent in ''9'', since she manages to bear a NavelDeepNeckline with a bulletproof vest.] This is reversed in ''X'' and ''11'', which give her more modest outfits.

-> '''Other appearances''': ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat3 Mortal Kombat Trilogy]]'', ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat4 Mortal Kombat Gold]]'' (Herman Sanchez), ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube version only), ''VideoGame/MortalKombatShaolinMonks'', ''VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon'' (Nigel Casey), ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' (Ken Lally), ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' (DLC; Vic Chao, English; Carlos Hernández, Latin American Spanish), ''Videogame/MortalKombat1'' (Kameo)

* TheDragon: To Shao Kahn, Goro is one of Shao Kahn’s strongest and most loyal servants. He's also literally a dragon-human hybrid.

** In the movie, he is beaten rather easily by Johnny Cage. He gives him a [[GroinAttack groin shot]] almost immediately as the bell rings and lures him outside to a cliff and ambushes him, knocking him off to his death.

Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion I (Hanzo Hasashi)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot (Bi-Han)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKano Kano]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II/Scorpion II (Kuai Liang)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKitana Kitana]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatMileena Mileena]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShao Shao Kahn/General Shao]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShinnokAndQuanChi Shinnok and Quan Chi]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKotalKahn Kotal Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKronika Kronika]]-]]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/goro_mk_render.png]]

* TheProtagonist: The first and only female main character to be featured and one of the few female characters to appear in almost every ''Mortal Kombat'' game.

* TheProtagonist: The first and only female main character to be featured and one of the few female characters to appear in almost every ''Mortal Kombat'' game.

Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion I (Hanzo Hasashi)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot (Bi-Han)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II/Scorpion II (Kuai Liang)]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKitana Kitana]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatMileena Mileena]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShao Shao Kahn/General Shao]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShinnokAndQuanChi Shinnok and Quan Chi]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKotalKahn Kotal Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKronika Kronika]]-]]]

For [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]]; [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero]]; [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]]; [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]]; [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]]; or [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]], see their respective pages.

[[folder:Kano]]
!!Kano
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kano_9.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Gotta stay sharp!"'']]

-> '''Debut game''': ''Mortal Kombat'' (Richard Divizio)
-> '''Other appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat II'' (cameo), ''Mortal Kombat 3'' (Richard Divizio), ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatSpecialForces Mortal Kombat: Special Forces]]'' (David Allen), ''Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'' (Richard Divizio), ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'' (cameo), ''Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks'', ''Mortal Kombat: Armageddon'', ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'' (Creator/MichaelMcConnohie), ''Mortal Kombat 9'' (Creator/MichaelMcConnohie), ''Mortal Kombat X'' (Creator/MichaelMcConnohie, English; Creator/RicardoTejedo, Latin American Spanish), ''Mortal Kombat 11'' (Creator/JBBlanc, English; Derek Pratt, Face Model; Luis Leonardo Suarez, Latin American Spanish), ''Videogame/MortalKombat1'' (Kameo)
-> '''Non-game appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat: The Movie'' (Creator/TrevorGoddard), ''Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm'' (Michael Des Barres), ''Mortal Kombat: Legacy'' (Darren Shahlavi), ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' ([[LawyerFriendlyCameo ...sort of]]; Brian Kesinger), ''Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge'' (Creator/RobinAtkinDownes), ''Film/MortalKombat2021'' (Josh Lawson), ''Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind'' (Creator/DavidWenham)

->Kano is the leader of the Black Dragon organization, a criminal empire of cut-throat madmen. A portion of Kano's face is covered with a metal plate as a result of wounds he sustained at the hands of Major Jackson Briggs prior to the events of the series, with the plated eye being a glowing red orb capable of emitting laser-like beams. He entered Shang Tsung's Mortal Kombat tournament after hearing rumors that Tsung's palace was filled with gold and other riches; after the final battle between Shang Tsung and Liu Kang, Kano teamed up with Sonya and Johnny Cage to fight Goro. During the battle, the island began to crumble because of Shang Tsung's defeat, and before they knew it, Kano and Sonya found themselves in a forest in Outworld. They were found and captured by Shang Tsung. Kano managed to save his own life by convincing Shao Kahn to accept him as a weapons instructor for his armies, and later, during the events of ''Mortal Kombat 3'', Sonya tossed Kano to his surmised death from the roof of a high building, only for Kano to be healed back to life by Motaro.\\\
Eventually, Kahn's forces were defeated. Earthrealm was free, and so was Edenia. Shao Kahn's act of promoting Kano, however, proved to be a lucky shot, as Kano was a very competent general. During the events of ''Deadly Alliance'' Kano declared his allegiance to the Sorcerers; however, he was attacked and apparently captured by Red Dragon member Mavado. In ''Armageddon'''s Konquest mode, Kano is found by Taven to have been held prisoner by the Red Dragon Clan for quite some time. Before escaping their facilities, Kano explains to Taven that the Red Dragon Clan had been experimenting on him, in an effort to create Human-Dragon Hybrids, yet without apparent effects on Kano.\\\
Kano is pretty much the same as in the previous games in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', but is a more willing soldier to Outworld than before, even going so far as to sell the forces of Outworld Earthrealm weapons to help in Shao Kahn's invasion of Earth. Pretty much, he's a race-betraying prick (although he gets his comeuppance late in the game by being frozen by Cyber Sub-Zero). During the lead-up to ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', Kano has been keeping on the down-low in Earthrealm following Shao Kahn's invasion and subsequent defeat but supplying various Outworld conflicts with weapons to keep himself in business. When Kotal Kahn overthrows Mileena as emperor of Outworld, he immediately offers to give Kotal Kahn consultation and weapon supply services to secure a place in the new regime. However one must never trust Kano too much as he also sells Mileena and her rebel armies his expertise as well, allowing him to supply both sides of the same conflict and reap the benefits all over. Mileena pays Kano to assassinate Kotal Kahn but ends up losing to him in a duel. Afterwards, he escapes to Earthrealm and winds up in an Outworld refugee camp where is discovered by Sonya. The two battle and Sonya nearly kills him until Johnny talks her down and instead he is arrested and leads the Earthrealm Special Forces to the whereabouts of Mileena's rebel encampment and Shinnok's amulet.\\\
Despite his arrest by Sonya, another Kano is later recruited by Kronika as part of her EvilPlan in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', while the present-day one is freed by her as well.

* AbhorrentAdmirer: Not a single female kombatant is charmed by him, his lecherous comments often mutate into a more murderous statement afterwards upon voicing said disgust. Assuming he has some attraction to her and isn't just doing it to provoke her, he has a habit of calling Sonya pet names and acting like she's an ex he still pines for, which only adds to the list of reasons why Sonya wants him dead.
* AbusiveParents: His ending in ''MKX'' [[spoiler:shows him torturing and beating the crap out of his son as part of the Black Dragon initiation]].
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: In his arcade ending in ''11'', Kano quickly [[spoiler:gave up Kronika's powers due to a feeling of "VictoryIsBoring" and "WantingIsBetterThanHaving", and so reset the timeline so there's at least a chance of failure. In ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatLegendsSnowBlind'', he was no problem staying the top dog and even uses Kronika's power to try to keep his position.]]
* AdaptationalBadass: His counterpart in ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatLegendsSnowBlind'' is actually capable of [[spoiler:killing a fully-powered Shang Tsung.]]
* AdaptationalJerkass: While he's no saint, Kano ''never'' did the crimes he committed in ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatLegendsSnowBlind'', which included terrorizing small towns [[spoiler:and deliberating unleashing a hodre of revenants so he could TakeOverTheWorld.]]
* AdaptationalNationality: After Trevor Goddard's portrayal in the movie, he was [[RetCanon changed]] from [[ButNotTooForeign expediate American]] descent in the games to [[LandDownUnder Australian]]. While Goddard played Kano as Cockney English, his accent was misinterpreted as Australian, leading to the retcon.
* ALighterShadeOfBlack: Several interactions with Raiden have him express he never takes action against Kano because, in his eyes, he is simply a petty crook compared to the likes of some other villains in the series. However, he [[NotSoHarmlessVillain voices his regret]] in certain other intros and expresses he should have killed Kano long ago.
* TheAlcoholic: Many of his intros, taunts, and even one of his Fatalities in ''11'' feature him downing a large bottle of booze. His default intro and Brutality win pose even have him drunkenly urinating on the ground.
* AintTooProudToBeg: [[VillainousValor Averted.]] While he does many cowardly things to often save his skin, he is never going to stoop to this with his enemies or rivals.
-->'''Shao Kahn:''' Beg my forgiveness.\\
'''Kano:''' Sorry mate, I don't grovel.
* AndShowItToYou: His infamous "Heart Rip" Fatality. He holds the heart up for everyone to see, including the victim in several games.
** Notably got away with being able to do this [[WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph in a freaking Disney movie]]. ''On-screen'', no less.
** In ''3'', this escalates even further as Kano pulls out ''the victim's entire skeleton from their mouth'' before showing it to the camera while the victim collapses into a boneless pile of agony. The strangest part is that the skeleton is ''spotless'', [[BloodlessCarnage without so much as a speck of blood or any organs]] to show where it came from.
* AnimalMotifs: ''11'' has a dog motif going on for him. He gets called such by Jade, calls himself a "dog with a bone" against Sonya and, against Kitana, says his pissing is a form of marking his territory.
* ArchEnemy:
** The Special Forces. He's quite... "invested" with his most personal enemy Sonya[[note]]in ''Deadly Alliance'', he hung a lock of her hair obtained by tearing it from her head during their battle atop the skyscraper in ''[=MK3=]'' around his neck as a symbol of their rivalry[[/note]], and Jax is responsible for the metal plate on his face.
** The Red Dragon clan. They're a longtime enemy of Kano's Black Dragon Clan.
** Since he has an eye for Sonya and Cassie, he becomes this with Johnny Cage as well.
* ArmsDealer: The primary market for the Black Dragon's operations are in weapons dealing. Kano is always looking for buyers for his wares, regardless of how they'll be used. He frequently deals with Outworld customers and sells weapons to any party in the realm, even if they're in conflict with one another or intend to use them against Earthrealm.
* AwesomeAussie: A brutal killer who comes from the land down under. ''11'' adds a significant amount of references to Australian slang and culture to his character. This is also reflected in the name of several of his ''11'' Skins, such as "Brisbane Brigand", "Melbourne Delinquent" and "Canberra Assassin".
* AxCrazy: Less obviously unhinged than some other villains, but Kano is still the kind of guy to rip out your heart with his bare hands and laugh about it, among many other creatively gory Fatalities involving careful extraction of hearts, skulls, [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs hearts and skulls]], and entire skeletons.
* BadBoss: In ''Special Forces''. The other Black Dragon clansmen (barring the possibility of Jarek) [[UndyingLoyalty are unquestionably loyal to Kano]], who exploits them as distractions for Jax to deal with (and unlike [[PlotArmor Jarek]], they might all be dead by Jax's hands, too).
* BenevolentBoss: A twisted example. Despite his backstabbing tendencies, Kano cultivates certain loyalty in his clan through charisma and profit. Kabal trusts his lies without a doubt in ''11'', and other Black Dragons are seen to be decently loyal to him throughout the series. Even when being badmouthed or facing inevitable mutiny, Kano hardly drops his jovial demeanor and tries to recruit his underlings back. The only thing that makes [[BerserkButton Kano lose his cool]] is the prospect of his subordinates [[TheStarscream attempting to usurp him]].
* BaldOfEvil: Sports a shaved head appearance in ''[=MK3=]'', where he has gone from being an evil crook to an agent of Shao Kahn's invasion forces. The younger version of himself in ''11'' also has this appearance to contrast the more grizzled and bearded present self and likewise has joined forces with Kronika in her EvilPlan.
* BeardOfEvil: In most of his appearances he sports a beard to match his role as a grizzled criminal. It started out as a PermaStubble (shaven clean in ''[=MK3=]''), and became a full beard since ''[=MKvsDCU=]''.
* BeatStillMyHeart: The heart still beats when he first rips it out of the body.
* BerserkButton: Little ever fazes Kano. Even defecting Black Dragons that threaten or beat the crap out of him doesn't make Kano lose his snarky demeanor. However, what truly does make Kano [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness murderously angry]] is being confronted for leadership over his clan.
* BicepPolishingGesture: Kano's counter move in ''11'' has him flex his arm to catch the opponent off guard and ram a knife through their arm.
* BigBad: of Mortal Kombat: Special Forces, and Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind.
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Has elbow blades in ''MKX'', yet they appear to be mostly for show.
* TheBogan: Kano is a violent, depraved, uncouth Australian. Nowhere is this more prominent than in ''11''. He swears, he tries uncouth ways to chat up women, and he's prone to spitting, downing beer, and urinating whenever he enters the battlefield. Kitana actually says that [[IAmAHumanitarian Baraka]] is more civilized than him, and even [[EvilSorcerer Shang Tsung]], [[YourSoulIsMine of all people]], takes umbrage at his existence and refers to him as a "disrespectful cretin". One of his Skins in the game is literally named "Bogan".
* BoringButPractical: His Fatalities as a whole tend to lack the over-the-top spectacle of some of the other Kombatants, being simple, brutal, and sadistic.
* TheBrute: Serves as this somewhat to Outworld, selling them weapons. He's a go-to-guy in terms of direct combat and weaponry.
* BullyingADragon:
** Sure, Kano. Go ahead and [[RelativeButton threaten Cassie]] in [[MamaBear Sonya Blade's]] presence, while on [[TooDumbToLive her base and surrounded]]. [[SarcasmMode That sounds like a great idea.]] It goes about as well as you'd expect.
** During his fight with Sonya in the movie, Kano says "Gimme a break" after getting caught in Sonya's [[MurderousThighs signature leg grab]]. This proved to be [[NeckSnap a poor choice of words]].
** [[spoiler:Does it again in ''11''. Let's go ahead and remind Past Sonya that Past Johnny's murder would erase Cassie from existence, ''while she already has her boot pressed down'' on Past Kano's neck. It's not like she isn't in prime position to simply draw a gun, barely have to move it to aim, and blow his past counterpart's brains out and kill them both at once. Worse for him, his threat about Cassie's CessationOfExistence is precisely what reminds her she can do this. This time, it comes back to fatally bite his slobbery ass.]]
** Certain opening interactions with Raiden indicate Kano is aware the god does not see him as much of a threat. Kano [[SuicidalOverconfidence is determined to make him think otherwise]].
** One of his intros with Shao Kahn involves him stating he's holding Kollector for ransom. Not even Shao Kahn's threat of murder stirs him.
* CardCarryingVillain: ''11'' has him proud of being immoral. He agrees with Raiden's assessment that he lives a life of "sin and licentiousness", admits against Nightwolf that he hasn't and never will care about others and, against Geras, advises him not to "double-cross a double-crosser". Against Kotal, he bluntly says that, yes, his business is about cheating buyers.
* CarpetOfVirility: Since Trevor Goddard's portrayal in the live-action film, Kano has usually been shown having a rather hairy chest to match his reputation as a rugged criminal.
* CensoredForComedy: A variant; as a probable TakeThat to Australia's censorship laws prohibiting ''Mortal Kombat 9'' from being sold there, Kano in ''11'' has a number of expletives bleeped in his base game intro dialogues.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: He will take any offer that allows his own preservation. Sonya even calls Kabal out in a ''11'' intro for being dumb enough to believe him.
-->'''Sonya:''' Who said I tortured you?\\
'''Kabal:''' Kano. He's got no reason to lie.\\
'''Sonya:''' Except, y'know, he's ''KANO!''
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: His different Variations in ''MKX'' give his bionic eye and heart different colors. Cybernetic gives him his classic red eye, his Commando variation colors it yellow, and his Cut-Throat variation colors it blue.
* CombatPragmatist: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The appropriately named]] "Dirtbag" variation Kano has in ''11'' sees him using every dirty street fighting trick to win.
* CounterAttack: The main thrust of his "Commando" fighting style in ''X'', which allows him to catch-and-return enemy attacks with a range of grapples.
* TheCorrupter: Kano promises extravagant wealth and a place of belonging to those he handpicks into the Black Dragon. He is so effective at this he instilled UndyingLoyalty in Kabal, to where his past self couldn't fathom Kano lying to him. He was also almost successful in corrupting Grey Cloud in the past before the latter barely broke free from his influence.
* {{Cyborg}}: Only insomuch as needing a synthetic eye that has also been outfitted with a heat-emitting beam (justified as the surgeon who gave it to him has a high proficiency in areas of technology). The rest of him is human. However, in ''[=MKX=]'', his robotic eye covers more of his head due to a bad altercation with Kuai Liang about a decade prior and he sports a loosely defined "heart" that seems to be a power source for his new eye. "Cybernetic" is even the name of one of his three Combat Variations. His younger self retains the power pack in ''11'' and can be customized with gear alongside his eye.
* DeadpanSnarker: He would give Johnny a run for his money in this department. At the end of the day, Kano rarely takes anything seriously despite his life of danger.
-->'''Kano:''' [[SayMyName Jackson Briggs]]...\\
'''Jax:''' Ready to end this, Kano?\\
'''Kano:''' ''Well, we ain't here to [[CensoredForComedy f*ck]] spiders.''
* DeadGuyPuppet: A variant; one fatality in ''11'' has Kano dance with the victim's body as they spew blood out of a beer bottle he stabbed into their throat.
* DeathByPragmatism: [[spoiler:Kano has the bright idea to kill young Johnny Cage so that both older Johnny and Cassie cease to exist, taking out three enemies at once. Unfortunately for him, Sonya exploits this idea as well and kills younger Kano, causing the old one to die as well.]]
* DemonicPossession: {{Inverted}}. [[spoiler:Quan Chi's non-canon ''Deadly Alliance'' ending sees Kano assist the Netherrealm sorcerer in betraying Shang Tsung, [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder and Quan Chi executes the Black Dragon mercenary in turn.]] However, a wayward soul released from Shang Tsung's corpse takes possession of Kano's body. Whose soul, you ask? None other than Liu Kang's! One can only imagine an alternate timeline where Liu Kang uses Kano's body to re-join the Forces of Light.]]
* DidNotDoTheBloodyResearch: In ''11'', Kano uses a lot more Australian slang than before but occasionally Netherrealm misses the mark; such as referring to money with 'quid' (a British expression, a 'quid' is £1)
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: Not even gods and devils are spared his characteristic irreverence.
-->'''Kano:''' What are you, the Prince of Darkness?\\
'''Noob Saibot:''' I am Death's Hand!\\
'''Kano:''' Bugger off, mate!
* DisneyVillainDeath: His fate in the Battle of Armageddon.
* DirtyCommunists: His Kold War outfit in ''MKX'' evokes the image of one by giving him a trench coat and Red Star capped beret.
* TheDon: With the Black Dragon more or less having become TheMafia of the ''Mortal Kombat'' universe, Kano is this.
* DualWielding: His weapon style has him wielding a pair of Butterfly Knives.
* EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: In the first three arcade games, he was bald (or at least balding in the first one) and either clean-shaven or with a stubble, wearing a karate Gi or a tunic. He was also portrayed as Japanese-American, and though he didn't have voiced dialogue, he wasn't conceived as having a Cockney or Australian accent. Starting with [[VideoGame/MortalKombatSpecialForces the Special Forces spin-off]], every appearance of Kano had him take after Trevor Goddard's portrayal in [[Film/MortalKombatTheMovie the 1995 movie]], with full hair, practical clothing and the accent (and most times a beard too). Even when he does wear a tunic like in the arcade games (such as in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''), he has the movie-styled look and behavior. In ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', the present-day Kano (with a very movie-like attire) gets to [[MeetYourEarlyInstallmentWeirdness meet a past self that looks like the bald, clean-shaven MK3 Kano]].
* EnemyMine: In Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, he is forced to help the heroes stop Dark Kahn.
* ElectronicEyes: His right eye was replaced with a cybernetic prosthetic following an unfortunate battle with Jax. It's customizable in ''11'' as part of the gear system.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Entirely PlayedForLaughs. When Cassie makes a hilariously atrocious impression of an Aussie accent in front of Kano, he [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore negatively remarks of American tourists and their penchant for doing the same]].
** For a more straightforward variant, Kano clearly has no patience for the Joker and considers the anarchy he creates bad for the Black Dragon's prospects.
** He also isn't very fond of Skarlet's literal bloodthirst.
* EvilBrit: In the [[Film/MortalKombatTheMovie 1995 film]], Kano was portrayed with a Cockney English accent, and the film expands upon his rivalry with Sonya, which began with Kano murdering Sonya's partner, causing Sonya to seek revenge against him. The accent was misinterpreted as Australian, [[RetCanon then carried on to the game canon]].
* EvilCounterpart: He’s one to Jax, as both are being on opposing militaristic factions (Special Forces and Black Dragon respectively). Also, both Kano and Jax have cybernetic parts and in their respective [=MK9=] endings, they both enter into {{Cyberspace}} to kill each other. In addition to this, Jax and Kano have their own children as well, but while Jax loves and cherishes his daughter, Kano tortures and abuses his unnamed son.
* EvilLaugh: Though Kano frequently chuckles, he lets out an especially menacing laugh in one of his outros in ''11.''
* EvilSoundsDeep: He's a ruthless criminal and his portrayals by Creator/MichaelMcConnohie and Creator/JBBlanc give him a deep, Broad Australian accent.
* ExcrementStatement: His Brutality win pose and an intro in ''11'' have him lazily urinating on the floor.
* EyeBeam:
** It took three games, but he finally showed he was capable of doing it, in Fatality form, and later as a special move from ''Deadly Alliance'' onwards.
** In the intro to ''Armageddon'', he kills Stryker with one.
* EyeScream: Jax disfigured his eye once, hence his metal plate. It happens again in ''[=MXK=]'' issue 9 when it's shown Sub-Zero froze his cybernetic eye and shattered it, forcing Kano to get an upgrade.
-->'''Baraka:''' What happened to your eye?\\
'''Kano:''' Special Forces bastard took it.\\
'''Baraka:''' [[BlackComedy I'll take the other one!]]
** In ''11'', [[spoiler:Sonya kills the past version of Kano by shooting him through his left eye. Present Kano then stumbles around, [[TorsoWithAView a gaping hole through his head and eye]], before crumbling into dust]].
* AFatherToHisMen: A VERY VERY low-end version of this but while he is a complete sociopath who would subject his own son to gruesome and sadistic torture to harden him, he doesn't take kindly to his fellow Black Dragons being harassed or killed. He especially seems to take a liking to Kabal, even if the feeling there isn't mutual.
* FauxAffablyEvil: His casual demeanor towards his foes belies a nasty streak as wide as Outworld. For female fighters, it slips into perversion and feigned admiration, even if it's clear he intends on killing them.
-->'''Kano:''' Still mad as a cut snake.\\
'''Sonya:''' A lot of my guys got killed because of you.\\
'''Kano:''' ''But look how it brought us together.''
* {{Foil}}: ''11'' plays up the parallels between Kano and Johnny Cage. Like Johnny, Kano spends a significant portion of the story in the company of his own past self, but whereas the Present Johnny is embarrassed and contemptuous of his obnoxiously arrogant past self, Present Kano gets along swimmingly with his own "evil twin". This goes to show how much [[CharacterDevelopment Johnny changed and developed over the course of the series]], whereas Kano [[StaticCharacter stubbornly remained the same vain, rotten scumbag he was at the start]]. Kano has also always had a twisted psychosexual interest in Sonya, but Johnny worked on himself to properly earn Sonya's love and affection.
* GadgeteerGenius: He may seem like a lazy and uneducated brigand, but Kano certainly has some skill with surgery and technology, as he creates Kabal's respirator and is hinted to regularly upgrade his eye and battery.
* GatlingGood: [[spoiler:He attempts to gun down Sonya and Cassie with a minigun during the events of ''11'', and it nearly works, too.]]
* GiantSpider: Kano's Animality in ''[=MK3=]'' involves him turning into a giant tarantula, then squeezing his opponent to death.
* GrievousBottleyHarm: One of his Fatalities in ''11'' has him chug a beer bottle in one, smash it against the opponent's head and drive the broken bottle into their neck so that blood spews out of it while Kano dances with their corpse.
* GuysAreSlobs: ''11'' plays up the trashy side of Kano's personality. He's seen relieving himself in one of his intros and Brutality victory animations, takes a big swig out of a beer bottle in several of his animations, and his arcade ending has him overlook cage matches between Sonya and Cassie while the two are dressed in skimpy clothing. His disgusting habits are negatively lampshaded by Kitana ''and'' [[EvenEvilHasStandards Shang Tsung]].
* HandwrapsOfAwesome: He often wears these.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: In Nightwolf's Arcade ending, [[spoiler:we find that after Kano unsuccessfully tried to tempt Grey Cloud into betraying the Matoka, and Grey Cloud gained the mantle of Nightwolf as a reward for standing up to him, the Australian got cut in half at the waist. Presumably, he managed to get lifesaving surgery in time afterwards, but that doesn't happen when Grey Cloud chooses another, female Matokan to replace him as Nightwolf, and drive the Black Dragon out of their land]].
* HappilyAdopted: In the original arcade game, it mentioned in his origin that he was adopted by a rich Japanese woman and [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas it doesn't appear that he holds any dislike for her]].
* HatedByAll: By the time of ''11'', it's expressed through character banter that ''no one'', [[EvenEvilHasStandards not even the worst villains]], trusts or likes Kano. The only character on the roster to get a worse treatment is ComicBook/TheJoker, and for good reason.
-->'''Shao Kahn:''' Not even I trust [[ChronicBackStabbingDisorder the Black Dragon]].\\
'''Kabal:''' [[LampshadeHanging Can't say that's a bad call.]]\\
'''Shao Kahn:''' How does your clan survive?
* HonestJohnsDealership: If one of his intros with Baraka is any indication, he's not above selling faulty weaponry.
* {{Hunk}}: Of the Aussie, villainous kind.
* IFightForTheStrongestSide: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. One of his dialogues with Mileena in ''X'' suggests that he likes to align himself with the party that has the most advantage regardless of who it puts him up against (which explains why he's so ready to jump over to whatever invading force is visiting Earthrealm) but the reality is he'll play for any team that can line his wallet (hence why he's actually been selling weapons and consultation services to both Kotal Kahn and Kahn's enemy, Mileena, as regardless who comes out on top he'll be the one who profits from it).
* IAmTheNoun: In one match intro, where Kabal announces [[TheStarScream his intent to assume leadership]], Kano threateningly tells him he ''is'' the Black Dragon.
* ImageSong: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNFFTeAepw8 "Kano, Use Your Might"]], where the vocalist sings about how great Kano is, how she is on his side, and describes him as a fallen angel. Also doubles as TheVillainSucksSong.
* {{Jerkass}}: Kano tends to be rather snide and selfish with any casual and affable moments being a cover for his nasty habits of greed and betrayal.
* {{Jobber}}: Kano is one of the primary characters used in the story modes when they need an opponent to beat up. In fact, he has the distinction of being the character to lose the most battles out of any other characters in the Netherrealm trilogy (9,X, and 11) with 11 losses and no wins.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: After escaping punishment by the end of ''9'', Kano gets beaten up and imprisoned in ''X''. [[spoiler:Taken even further in ''11'', when, after escaping prison with Kronika's help and finally outliving his ArchEnemy Sonya, Kano makes the mistake of taking Past Johnny captive when Past Sonya has a gun to the head of Kano's own past self. Sonya promptly fires a bullet through Past Kano's eye and erases his present-day self from history, killing him for good.]]
* KickTheDog:
** Taunts Cassie's parents about her possible fate while she's kidnapped in the comics. Sonya actually has to ''hold [[TheHeart Johnny]] [[PapaWolf Cage]] back from beating him up''.
** In Story Mode, "Uncle Kano" threatens to visit Cassie. [[{{Irony}} Johnny's the only reason]] [[MamaBear Sonya]] [[{{Irony}} doesn't straight-up murder his ass]]. You'd think he'd learn...
** Present Kano throws Past Sonya into a fighting ring without her gear, throws Past Johnny in there with her and orders them to fight to the death, ''then'' later abducts Past Johnny and threatens his and Cassie's lives while Sonya has Past Kano pinned by his neck.
* KillAndReplace: In ''X'', he attempts to escape to Earthrealm after the failed assassination attempt on Kotal Khan by killing a random Outworld refugee and assuming her identity via a holographic disguise. His plan fails due to the discovery of the victim's corpse, which allows Sonya to see through Kano's ruse.
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Within the rules of Kronika's shenanigans, the current Kano undergoes a CriticalExistenceFailure after Sonya kills his past self and subsequently [[RetGone fades from existence]].]]
* LackOfEmpathy: This has been present through most of his story, but is made clearer in ''11''. When Nightwolf accuses him of thinking nothing of others, Kano replies that he never has and never will.
* LargeHam: Rich Divizio has stated he played Kano as over-the-top as possible. Trevor Goddard's portrayal in the live-action film famously makes him a boastful character who loves grandstanding. Creator/MichaelMcConnohie doesn't do too bad in ''9'' either, although he's more toned down in ''MKX'', while Creator/JBBlanc goes in a more energetic direction in ''11''.
* LaserBlade: ''[=MK3=]'' turned his knives into laser blades.
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:''X'' finally ends with him behind bars after he and the other rebels are apprehended by the OIA (and it's fully canon) giving Sonya's grudge against him some true closure.]]
** [[spoiler:And after '''years''' of being a thorn in everyone's side and being a constant threat to Sonya, Cassie and Johnny, Past Sonya puts a bullet in Past Kano's head in ''11'', causing the Present Kano to fade from existence, forever.]]
* LaughablyEvil: While undoubtedly a black-hearted backstabbing scumbag who [[CardCarryingVillain makes no secret of it]], his crudeness, nonchalance in the face of more threatening characters, and [[CasanovaWannabe ineffectual attempts at flirtation]] make him a lot more comical than the likes of [[EvilOverlord Shao Kahn]] or [[HateSink D'Vorah]].
* LawyerFriendlyCameo: See the "sort of" under his ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' appearance in the list above? Well, the character in question is only listed in the credits as "Cyborg", and features plenty of subtle differences from Kano like a robotic arm in addition to his eye and a lack of an Australian accent, but is clearly supposed to represent him, even performing his signature Heart Rip Fatality (yes, [[{{Bowdlerization}} onscreen in a Disney movie]]). You'd assume, then, that it's just a CaptainErsatz of Kano, right? Except not only have the directors explicitly called him Kano on occasion, but he appeared in the film with the express permission of WB and [=NetherRealm=]. So he's a lawyer-friendly cameo that's actually fully endorsed by the original creators, if that makes any sense.
* LoonyFan: If the comic book is anything to go by, he was a ''huge'' fan of Johnny Cage's movies before the first tournament. [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame Johnny didn't take this well]], especially after Kano picked a fight on the way there, and Kano's admiration [[BrokenPedestal ended quickly]].
* MadeOfEvil: According to Noob Saibot and Cetrion, Kano is so evil his soul has decayed to become ''pitch black and void of light.'' It surprisingly [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness unsettles him to hear it from Noob]], but other intros have him broodingly claiming that [[CardCarryingVillain it doesn't matter]].
* MillionairePlayboy: He boasts to Shang Tsung he is the richest man in Earthrealm. Considering Kano can afford his cybernetic enhancements and a ''nuclear bomb'', it's somewhat believable he is insanely rich.
* TheMafiya: His fight club in ''11'' is stated to be in Russia. Although none of the named Black Dragon members is stated to be Russian (with Kano himself being Australian), an interaction with Johnny Cage has Kano say they set up there for his fans. Something which Johnny can't help but admire.
* MoeGreeneSpecial: [[spoiler:How Sonya kills ''both'' Kanos off in ''11'', the older Kano being {{retgone}} thanks to his younger self suffering this, complete with lovely [[GoryIndiscretionShot view of the hole on both]].]]
* MundaneUtility: His Friendship in ''11'' has him utilize his laser eye to light a grill.
* MyFutureSelfAndMe: In ''11'', Geras introduces Kano to his own past self from the time of the second tournament. Unlike Johnny who sees his past self as an "evil twin", the two Kanos practically fawn over each other (though Present Kano sees himself as the better half of the duo). True to his word, the one person Kano never thinks to betray is himself.
* NeckLift: His Chokehold move.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain:
** In his ''[=MK3=]'' ending, his attempt to replace Shao Kahn's tyranny with his own backfires when, after annihilating Kahn and his forces, he is unable to take control of all the souls and suffers a violent death for his troubles. He dies unaware that "he saved the world he tried to conquer", his actions creating a power vacuum that the good can fill.
** In the rebooted timeline, he ends up being responsible for Kabal joining Raiden's champions. Stubbornly believing that Kabal will drop his quest to redeem himself for the atrocities he committed as a Black Dragon and join Outworld, Kano takes Kabal's body after it is mauled and burned by Kintaro and has him revived through technology and Outworld sorcery. The sorcery grants Kabal super speed, and Kano's actions give Outworld a new enemy.
** In ''11'', [[spoiler:after Past Sonya defeats him, his modern self tries to pull a hostage gambit by threatening to kill a wounded Past Johnny and reminding her that if he dies so does Cassie since she'll never be born. Once Sonya was clued into this she used it to ''her'' advantage, resulting in Sonya shooting Past Kano in the head through his good eye. Subsequently killing his modern self as well]].
* NoNonsenseNemesis:
** Cassie Cage will mock and degrade any of the other fighters, up to and including [[GodOfEvil Shinnok]]. When she's up against Kano, she's as dead-serious as her mother.
--->'''Cassie:''' Three strikes and you're dead, Kano.\\
'''Kano:''' I only need two strikes to gut you.\\
'''Cassie:''' Know what? ''That'' was Strike Three!
** Even Johnny has little patience with Kano in ''11''.
--->'''Johnny''': Stay away from Cassie and Sonya.\\
'''Kano''': Can't. I'm like a dog with a bone.\\
'''Johnny''': You're gonna be a dog with [[AssShove a fist up its ass]].
* NukeEm: He wiped out over ''half of Kintaro's besieging forces'' with a handheld device that launched a nuclear scaled blast.
* OlderThanTheyLook: He's ''60'' come the events of ''[=MKX=]'' (as he was 35 during the first tournament). Despite still fitting the trope, he clearly hasn't aged as well as Sonya or Cage, although in ''11'' his present self is rather youthful-looking.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: His reason for joining Shang Tsung's tournament [[spoiler:and for siding with Outworld and selling stuff for them]].
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: He laments that Sonya was killed by "those Netherrealm stiffs", only because he would've rather been the one to do her in.
* OnlyOneName: Has only ever been known as Kano. It's not even clear whether that's his first name, his last name, or even just an alias.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: There are a few interactions where he drops his attitude and snark to actually consider what his opponent says. Best seen in one interaction with Noob, who is MadeOfEvil, [[EvenEvilHasStandards says that Kano's soul is black as pitch]]. Kano is taken aback by this. And, like everyone else, [[EvenEvilHasStandards even he is utterly repulsed by]] [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]].
* PetTheDog:
** In ''9'', he's the one who saves [[spoiler:Kabal (his former Black Dragon cohort)]] from dying and surgically implants him with [[spoiler:his mask and breathing apparatus after Kintaro roasted him alive]].
** When he heard of Kabal's [[NotQuiteDead apparent demise]] at the hands of Mavado, it is said that he would have most likely hounded the Red Dragon leader and had his head if not for his post in Outworld as the leader of Shao Kahn's armies. Kabal had long since forsaken the ways of the Black Dragon at that point though.
** In his arcade ending in ''11'', [[spoiler:he lets Kronika go after defeating her. Considering most other characters kill her and easily take control of her hourglass afterward, there's no real reason for him to do this]].
** He reacts negatively to Erron Black telling Kano that he killed a fellow Black Dragon member, Kobra, to his face.
* PlayingBothSides: Combines with WarForFunAndProfit. According to his ''[=MKX=]'' bio, Kano has taken the role of technical adviser and weapons supplier to Kotal Kahn after Mileena was deposed as Outworld empress, but also gives Mileena's rebel armies the exact same support in their campaign to reclaim her throne. Prior to that, he had also been involved in moving guns into Outworld to fuel regional conflicts around the realm.
* PragmaticVillainy: Kano is OnlyInItForTheMoney, and expresses wanton anarchy is bad for business when the Joker invites him in spreading chaos.
* PsychoForHire: He likes to get paid huge amounts of money, but also loves the killing.
-->'''Kano:''' Turning on Shao Kahn was pooor sport.\\
'''Jade:''' He hired you to punish me?\\
'''Kano:''' Hired? ''I'm doing this one for fun!''
* PsychoKnifeNut: Kano is an AxCrazy {{Sociopath}} who loves to use his knives to kill people in various gruesome ways. He uses knives for many of his attacks, and his "Cutthroat" variation in ''MKX'' focuses specially on knife-fighting.
* QualityOverQuantity: Unlike the Red Dragon, Kano's Black Dragon clan is comparatively very small and exclusive with membership. [[EvenEvilHasStandards He outright rebukes the Joker's attempt at joining]], claiming it's "invitation-only".
* TheQuisling: Basically, he's willing to sell out all of humanity.
* ResignationsNotAccepted: Of course, it doesn't stop most Black Dragons, but Kano tries to uphold this when confronting a defecting Tremor, Erron, and Kabal.
* RaceLift: He was originally concieved as Japanese American (hence the Japanese name Kano), but portrayed as British by Trevor Goodard in the 90s film. This lead to a misinterpretation of the cockney accent to be Australian and therefore Kano is portrayed as White Australian in all versions. [[note]] except for Mortal Kombat Legacy where he is portrayed British Iranian Darren Shahlavi using his natural British accent [[/note]]
* {{Retgone}}: In ''11'', [[spoiler: Past Sonya blows a hole through Past Kano's head, killing him. With his old version dead, Present Kano is effectively finished as he crumbles into sand.]]
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: His ''[=MK3=]'' attire has him sporting a black tunic with red trim as part of Shao Kahn's invasion force. He retains similar outfits in the reboot trilogy.
* ReducedToRatburgers: One of his mid-fight taunts in ''11'' has him stab a lizard that was crawling nearby and munch on it for a bit. Of course, being [[GuysAreSlobs Kano]], it may have been less "reduced to" and more that he just [[ForTheEvulz felt like it]].
--> ''"Nice bit of tucker!"''
* RippleEffectIndicator: Just like Johnny Cage's example below, when his past self takes a notable injury in ''11'', the damage appears on the future self too. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for Kano, a bullet blowing out half one's brain is decidedly more fatal than a bullet grazing the cheek, and Future Kano [[RetGone Dissolves into dust]] for it.]]
* RollingAttack: The Cannonball attack, in which he tosses himself at the opponent while keeping arms and legs folded into his body.
* TheSociopath: Of the sadistic kind completely lacking in any empathy. Nightwolf calls him out for how unfeeling he is, and his response [[CardCarryingVillain is to brag about it]].
-->'''Nightwolf:''' [[LackOfEmpathy You think nothing of others.]]\\
'''Kano:''' [[{{Jerkass}} Never have, never will.]]\\
'''Nightwolf:''' No wonder [[HatedByAll you're an outcast]].
* SoreLoser: Even though a past encounter with Kuai Liang ends in a stalemate with the man fleeing, Kano is incredibly sore over the fight still ending in Kuai's favor. He hasn't gotten over it in the present, where he moans he would have won with his new cybernetics.
* ShoutOut: He quotes one of his movie lines in his intro dialogue against Sonya.
--> ''"Hello, baby. Did you miss me?"''
** [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom Let's not forget his fatality]], and the whole [[Film/TheTerminator "exposed metal plate with a glowing metal eye" look]]...
* SigilSpam: In ''Deadly Alliance'' and ''Armageddon'', the back of his vest sports the emblem of the Black Dragon clan.
* SlasherSmile: In his ''11'' fatality as he is beating his opponent's head in, it switches to a POV shot from the victim's perspective before the [[YourHeadAsplode final blow]]. Kano has a wide and manic grin across his face. The final shot of his other fatality in that game has one grow across his face as he dances with the victim's corpse.
* StalkerWithACrush: There's no two ways about it, Kano is creepily obsessed with Sonya, and she is equally driven to bring him to justice. In ''Deadly Alliance'', he steals a lock of her hair and wears it as a necklace. Yuck.
* StanceSystem: In ''Deadly Alliance'', he has Xing Yi and Aikido as his unarmed styles, and Butterfly Knives as weapon style. In ''Armageddon'', he drops Aikido.
* StrawNihilist: A few interactions in ''11'' say that he lives his villainous life without regret because he doesn't think to be noble or heroic matter in the end.
* TattooedCrook: In ''MK vs. DC'', he has a tattoo of the Black Dragon emblem on his left bicep; but the trope was employed in full force since ''9'', where he has both upper arms and chest tattooed.
* ThroatSlittingGesture: A victory pose for him in ''3'', ''9'' and ''11''. It's also present in the character select screen in ''X''.
* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:He holds Past Johnny hostage in order to stop Sonya from killing him, not a bad idea. He then [[StupidEvil reminds her that if he kills Johnny, then Cassie will have never been born because Johnny will be dead in the present]]. It doesn't even take Sonya ten seconds to piece together how to [[MoeGreeneSpecial kill him for good]].]]
* TookALevelInBadass: In-game, he gets a huge one compared to his debut. In the first game, he had two special moves (since everyone was almost the same in terms of normal attacks, it's the special moves that are the deciding factor), his iconic cannonball and knife toss attacks. And they both carried heavy drawbacks. The cannonball required a 360 motion with the joystick that was rather clumsy to do and doing the knife toss relied on a strange back and worth wiggle (improvements to this were made in the home versions). To top it off, his knives looked intimidating but did the least amount of damage for a normal projectile (Sub-Zero and Scorpion's did less but more than made up for it with special properties). After being brought back in [=MK3=], Kano becomes a lot more versatile with his different cannonball attacks and melee moves. Plus his attacks became more damaging compared to most other kombatants. Later games would give and take away his laser eye, but he's certainly much better than his first incarnation.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: According to Richard Divizio ([[InkSuitActor the actor who portrayed Kano in all of the titles using digitized actors]]), Kano enjoys White Castle hamburgers (it's probable that this is Divizio's favorite meal as well).
* {{Troll}}: While Kano has shown these traits before, ''11'' made it a huge part of his personality along with a penchant for BlackComedy, seen in his intro dialogues and the "Last Dance" fatality, where he dances with his opponent's corpse.
* TheUnapologetic: Chances of him expressing genuine remorse for anything are null.
-->'''Kano:''' I'd apologise, Kotal, but why [[BlatantLies insult you]]?\\
'''Kotal Kahn:''' [[ThisIsUnforgivable I would not stay my hand regardless!]]
* UnwittingPawn: Realizes this and [[ShipperOnDeck more]] during his mirror match in ''X''.
* UseYourHead: Kano has a hard noggin that he uses to inflict massive damage to his opponent and is even able to smash heads by headbutting people. Having a metal-plated eye probably helps, too.
* VictoryIsBoring: His arcade ladder in ''11'' depicts him [[spoiler:sparing Kronika for her powers over time, and for a while, he enjoys things like [[EvilIsPetty subjecting Cassie and Sonya to cage matches against each other]]. He eventually realises a lack of needed effort just takes the fun out of things, and seemingly gives up his powers to resume his original thrillseeking way of life (though he still stacks the odds slightly in his favour).]]
* VocalEvolution: His younger and older selves in ''11'' have notably different inflections, with his older self sounding much more grizzled and weathered.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Has had more than a few costumes, particularly in the live-action film, ''MKX'' and ''11'' that either have him go shirtless or wear a vest to expose his chest.
* WantingIsBetterThanHaving: In a surprisingly philosophical turn, this is the reason why he decides VictoryIsBoring; [[spoiler:in his rebooted timeline after his ''11'' arcade ending he sets things up so he ''mostly'' wins but not always. As such, he always has something to aspire to]].
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: One of his special moves in ''11'' is an exact replication of the "Lumbar Check" move used by wrestler Cedric Alexander, to the extent of being given the same name, and one of his normal throws is a scoop slam, particularly the variation used by Wrestling/RandyOrton.
* YouHaveGOTToBeKiddingMe!: Kano finds Joker's claim to criminality a load of bluster, and says that the Clown Prince sounds as arrogant as Johnny Cage. Perhaps why he wouldn't let Joker into the Black Dragon.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sonya Blade]]
!!Sonya A. Blade
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sonya_4.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Always gotta be the hard way..."'']]

-> '''Debut game''': ''Mortal Kombat'' (Elizabeth Malecki)
-> '''Other appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat II'' (cameo), ''Mortal Kombat 3'' (Kerri Hoskins), ''Mortal Kombat 4'' (Kerri Hoskins), ''Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'', ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'', ''Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks'', ''Mortal Kombat: Armageddon'' (Christine Rios), ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'' (Dana Lyn Baron), ''Mortal Kombat 9'' (Dana Lyn Baron), ''Mortal Kombat X'' (Creator/TriciaHelfer, English; Rebeca Patiño, Latin American Spanish; Creator/AngelicaSantos, Brazilian Portuguese), ''Mortal Kombat 11'' (Creator/RondaRousey, English; Bridgette Wilson, English (Voice and Face Model, Klassic MK Movie Skin Pack DLC); Rebeca Patiño, Latin American Spanish; Creator/AngelicaSantos, Brazilian Portuguese), ''Videogame/MortalKombat1'' (Kameo)
-> '''Non-game appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat: The Movie'' (Creator/BridgetteWilson), ''Mortal Kombat: Annihilation'' (Creator/SandraHess), ''Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm'' ([[Creator/OliviaDAbo Olivia d'Abo]]), ''Mortal Kombat: Rebirth''/''Mortal Kombat: Legacy'' (Creator/JeriRyan), ''Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge'' (Creator/JenniferCarpenter), ''Film/MortalKombat2021'' (Creator/JessicaMcNamee), ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatLegendsBattleOfTheRealms'' (Creator/JenniferCarpenter)

->''Mortal Kombat''[='=]s [[TheSmurfettePrinciple Smurfette]], at least at first. A member of a top United States Special Forces unit known as Outer World Investigation Agency (OIA), Lt. Sonya Blade is a beautiful, stern, tough-as-nails Earthrealm warrior. Her impulsiveness is catalyzed by her superior and good friend Major Jackson "Jax" Briggs. Sonya represents a very emancipated and headstrong woman, but for all her stubbornness and pride, she deeply cares about the lives of her friends and comrades.\\\
Sonya and her team were in hot pursuit of Kano at the time of the original game; after following him to a remote island they were ambushed by Tsung's personal guard. To keep her team safe, she agreed to compete in the Mortal Kombat tournament. Shang Tsung, however, had no intention of fulfilling his end of the bargain and had her unit killed. After Tsung's defeat, she and Kano were taken prisoner to Outworld to appease the emperor, Shao Kahn, only to be later rescued by her comrade Jax. The two privates were among the few chosen warriors left to oppose the invasion of Earthrealm in ''[=MK3=]''. Sonya meet her old nemesis Kano on top of a skyscraper during the invasion; in the fight that ensued, she managed to hurl Kano off the roof to his apparent death.\\\
In ''Mortal Kombat 4'', Sonya and Jax, having formed the Outworld Investigation Agency, team up with Raiden and Liu Kang to free Edenia from the Fallen Elder God Shinnok's grasp and prevent him from coming to Earth, as well as to capture the last known member of the Black Dragon Clan, Jarek, who apparently dies in his attempt to kill Sonya. Years later, Sonya would once again heed Raiden's call, this time to travel back to Outworld -- for Sonya, this coincided with her search for two missing OIA operatives, Cyrax and Kenshi. She is killed in a fight with the Deadly Alliance and its minions, only to be resurrected and enslaved by Onaga, along with her fallen comrades. She would eventually be freed from Onaga's control by Ermac and Liu Kang, in time to participate in the events of ''Armageddon''.\\\
''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' sees Sonya being pretty much the same tough lady she's always been, although her pursuit of Kano is ''massively'' derailed by the events of the game, making her take a much more active role in the defense of Earthrealm. Sometime after the events of ''9'' (which saw her remain as one of the only surviving Earthrrealm warriors from Shao Kahn's invasion), she and Johnny settled down and had a daughter named "Cassie" but divorced prior to the events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX''. She eventually reconciles with Johnny in the end... only to pull a HeroicSacrifice later during the Special Forces' attack on Netherrealm at the start of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', to Cassie and Johnny's horror. This doesn't mean she's gone though, as another Sonya showed up as a result of Kronika's actions, oblivious to her future of having a family.
----

Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKitana Kitana]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatMileena Mileena]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShao Shao Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShinnokAndQuanChi Shinnok and Quan Chi]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKotalKahn Kotal Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKronika Kronika]]-]]]

Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion I]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKitana Kitana]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatMileena Mileena]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShao Shao Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShinnokAndQuanChi Shinnok and Quan Chi]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKotalKahn Kotal Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKronika Kronika]]-]]]

* InterspeciesRomance: According to various intros in ''[=MK1=]'', he has one going with Ashrah, a demon.

Main series: MK (1992) | [[Characters/MortalKombatII MK2]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat3 MK3]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat4 MK4]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly Alliance]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDeception Deception]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MK vs. DC Universe]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat9 MK9]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatX MKX]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat11 MK11]]\\

Main series: MK (1992) | [[Characters/MortalKombatII MK2]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat3 MK3]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat4 MK4]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly Alliance]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDeception Deception]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MK vs. DC Universe]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat9 MK9]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatX MKX]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat11 MK11]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat1 MK1]]\\

Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion I]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatBiHan Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II/Scorpion II]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKitana Kitana]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatMileena Mileena]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShao Shao Kahn/General Shao]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShinnokAndQuanChi Shinnok and Quan Chi]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKotalKahn Kotal Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKronika Kronika]]-]]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reptile_mk1_render.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Earthrealmers aren't ready to see the ''real'' me."'']]

-> '''Other appearances''': ''VideoGame/MortalKombatII'' (Daniel Pesina), ''VideoGame/MortalKombat3'' (John Turk), ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' (John Turk/Dan Forden), ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance'', ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception'' (cameo), ''VideoGame/MortalKombatShaolinMonks'', ''VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon'' (Tom Taylorson), ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' (Creator/SteveBlum, English; Creator/EduardoGarza, Latin American Spanish), ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' (non-playable cameo in the Krypt), ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1'' (Creator/AndrewMorgado, English; Creator/ArturoMercadoJr, Latin American Spanish)

Reptile is pretty much the same he's ever been in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'': an assassin for Shang Tsung and a foot soldier for Outworld. As a minor modification to his role, he no longer hides in the shadows of the Mortal Kombat tournament but is instead an official participant, fighting on behalf of Outworld. He is quickly eliminated but continues to offer his services to Shang Tsung in other areas as the tournament progresses. In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', Reptile's real name of Syzoth is revealed and when Outworld plunges into a civil war, he's among the first to join up with the newly-appointed emperor, Kotal Kahn.\\\
Though he does not appear in ''11'' and ends up erased from existence during the story events of that game, Reptile is reincarnated in the New Era of ''Mortal Kombat 1'' created by Fire God Liu Kang. In this new universe, Syzoth remains a Zaterran, but unlike his past incarnation who was a reptilian-humanoid hybrid, he is fully reptilian with the ability to shapeshift into a human form. His unique ability among his people resulted in him being treated as an outcast, exiled from their lands. He finds a new purpose allying with Liu Kang's chosen champions.

** His backstory in the games, while inconsistent at times, has remained largely the same. A lone Zaterran serving his masters after his home-realm was mysteriously destroyed and his race was driven to extinction.

** His backstory is completely overhauled in ''1'', where his race is once again alive and well, but his ability to turn into a human makes him a freakish mutant in their eyes and he's an outcast to them.

** Finally averted in ''1'', where he plays a more central role as one of the heroes, who are actually impressed by his abilities.

** Subverted in ''1'', where he is only known as Syzoth within the narrative. He is still referred to as Reptile by the announcer, and Johnny proposes calling him this in an intro dialogue.

* DependingOnTheArtist: Reptile (as well as his fellow Saurians in general) tend to change dramatically in appearance between entries and media. Introduced strictly as a human in the first game, ''2'' then established him as being in fact [[LizardFolk a literal reptile man]] who merely took the guise of a human, and appearances since then have jumped between almost entirely human-looking, a grotesque beast-man with a snout, tail, bare lizard feet and somewhere in between. ''1'' finally addressed the discrepancies by revealing that he can turn into a human at will and that this is a unique (and by the standards of his race, heavily scandalized) ability of his.

** Averted in ''1'', where other characters call him by his actual name and [[ComicBookMoviesDontUseCodenames never refer to him as "Reptile"]] aside from Johnny suggesting it in a pre-fight intro.

* GreenAndMean: He is a reptilian warrior clad in green clothing who fights for Outworld. The "mean" part is averted in ''1'', where he's recast as a heroic character.

* HumansAreUgly: ''1'' gives him a human form that is strikingly handsome by our standards, but his ability to turn into a human ''at all'' is considered a freakish mutation by others of his race and he's a pariah to them because of it.
* IHaveAFamily: In ''1'', he is forced to serve Shang Tsung due to the sorcerer taking his wife and son hostage, threatening to hurt them if he disobey. [[spoiler:When Shang Tsung reveals to him that he already killed them long ago, this is the push that brings him over to the Earthrealmers side.]]

* LastOfHisKind:
** Well, he and Khameleon. Other Saurians ''do'' appear in the ''MKX'' mobile game, but its canonicity is as debatable as Reptile finding his long-lost kin.
** Averted in ''1'', where Syzoth's race is alive and well, but they consider him an outcast.

** ''1'' features the New Era's Reptile making significant use of this trait, defaulting to an almost perfect human form, but able to regularly shift into his natural Saurian form. In this game, he becomes [[HulkingOut a massive reptilian beast]] and unlike previous installments, [[{{Animorphism}} he can transform between the two forms in combat]], even [[PartialTransformation partially]] (for example, one of his moves has him in human form briefly producing his massive Saurian tail [[TailSlap to whip into his opponent]], another has him transform his upper half to deliver his [[AcidAttack acid breath]]). This ability also plays into the backstory of this new incarnation of Reptile: while in this new timeline, his race is still around, [[FantasticRacism him being able to appear human made him a freak among his people, leading him to be terrorized and exiled]]. It's also implied that the resulting emotional trauma has made him ''more'' comfortable in his human form, since he's shown in that form even when he has no reason to be, only taking his lizard form for purposes of kombat or intimidation.

** ''1'' throws the biggest bone he's ever received: a new incarnation with a much better backstory. In the New Era, despite him being an outcast from his race due to being able to his ability to take on a human form, the Zaterrans are alive and well, and Syzoth is a free agent who willingly chooses to aid Liu Kang, firmly on the side of the Forces of Light rather than serving outright villains or anti-heroic rulers.
* TookALevelInBadass: In ''1'', New Era Reptile is finally shown taking a central heroic role and acting on his own accord rather than merely going from one villain's minion to the next.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In the first three arcade games, he was bald (or at least balding in the first one) and either clean-shaven or with a stubble, wearing a karate Gi or a tunic. He was also portrayed as Japanese-American, and though he didn't have voiced dialogue, he wasn't conceived as having a Cockney or Australian accent. Starting with [[VideoGame/MortalKombatSpecialForces the Special Forces spin-off]], every appearance of Kano had him take after Trevor Goddard's portrayal in [[Film/MortalKombatTheMovie the 1995 movie]], with full hair, practical clothing and the accent (and most times a beard too). Even when he does wear a tunic like in the arcade games (such as in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''), he has the movie-styled look and behavior. In ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', the present-day Kano (with a very movie-like attire) gets to [[MeetYourEarlyInstallmentWeirdness meet a past self that looks like the bald, clean-shaven MK3 Kano]].

* ThroatSlittingGesture: A victory pose for him in ''3'', ''9'' and ''11''. It's also presentr in the character select screen in ''X''.

* IHaveAFamily: In ''1'', he is forced to serve Shang Tsung due to the sorcerer taking his family hostage, threatening to hurt them if he disobey. [[spoiler:When Shang Tsung reveals to him that he already killed them long ago, this is the push that brings him over to the Earthrealmers side.]]

** The only time you're allowed to touch the block button to find Reptile in the first game is when inputting Sonya's Fatality, the only one in the game that requires block.

** Averted in ''1'', where other characters call him by his actual name and [[ComicBookMoviesDontUseCodenames never refer to him as "Reptile"]].

* GreenIsGross: On top of being green and spitting acid, His "Noxious" variation in ''[=MKX=]'' has him covered in a [[DeadlyGas green poisonous gas]] [[EvilSmellsBad and surrounded by flies]]. In some of his intro dialogues in that game, Jax and Johnny Cage comment on [[WiltingOdor his smell]]. Also, his "Force Ball" attack is green and slimey looking.
* GuideDangIt: ''MK (1992)'' required sheer perfection and luck on one specific fight in order to obtain him. Every so often, the game would have him pop out and drop a hint on this. You are required to be on The Pit stage ("[[SdrawkcabName Tip eht fo mottob]]") when something passes by the moon, which happens every sixth game ("Look to la luna"), win with a double FlawlessVictory ("Perfection is the key") and finish the opponent with your character's fatality ("Fatality is the key") and NOT Block ("Blocking will get you nowhere").

** Reptile is extremely loyal to Kotal Kahn as well, probably more than he was to any of his previous masters, but as mentioned under ThrowTheDogABone, this is much healthier and more justified case since Kotal treats him far better and values him more than any of them ever did.

** Averted in ''1'', where other characters call him by his actual name.

* IHaveAFamily: In ''1'', he is forced to serve Shang Tsung due to the sorcerer taking his family hostage, threatening to hurt them if he disobey.

* InterspeciesRomance: According to various intros in ''MK1'', he has one going with Ashrah, a demon.