History Characters / MortalKombat1Part1

[[redirect:Characters/MortalKombat1]]

!![[center:''Franchise/MortalKombat'' '''[[Characters/MortalKombat Main Character Index]]'''\\
Main series: [[Characters/MortalKombat1 MK1]] ([=Part 1=] | [[Characters/MortalKombat1Part2 Part 2]]) | [[Characters/MortalKombat2 MK2]] ([[Characters/MortalKombat2Part1 Part 1]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat2Part2 Part 2]]) | [[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]]\\
[-Spin-offs: [[Characters/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero Mythologies: Sub-Zero]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatSpecialForces Special Forces]]\\
Non-video game: [[Characters/MortalKombatTheMovie The Movie]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatConquest Conquest]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm Defenders of the Realm]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat2021 2021 Movie]]\\
Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]] | [[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/MortalKombatShaoKahn Shao Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShinnokAndQuanChi Shinnok and Quan Chi]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKronika Kronika]]-]]]
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!! Spoilers for ''Mythologies'' will be unmarked

For tropes relating to Liu Kang, Raiden, Reptile, Goro, and Shang-Tsung, see [[Characters/MortalKombat1Part2 Part 2]].
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[[foldercontrol]]


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[[folder:Scorpion]]
!!Scorpion (Hanzo Hasashi)
See [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Hanzo Hasashi]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sub-Zero I (Bi-Han)]]
!!Sub-Zero (Bi-Han)
[[quoteright:167:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Elder_Sub-Zero_1340.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:167:''"Now you will feel death's cold embrace!"'']]

-> '''Debut game''': ''Mortal Kombat'' (Daniel Pesina)
->'''Other appearances as Sub-Zero:''' ''Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3'' (John Turk), ''Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero'' (John Turk), ''Mortal Kombat 9'' (Creator/JamiesonPrice), ''Injustice 2'' (Creator/SteveBlum, MirrorMatch only), ''Mortal Kombat 11'' (Creator/SteveBlum, MirrorMatch only)
->'''Non-game appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat: The Movie'' (François Petit), ''Mortal Kombat: Legacy'' (Kevan Ohtsji), ''Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge'' (Creator/SteveBlum), ''Film/MortalKombat2021'' (Creator/JoeTaslim)
->A professional assassin, originally named Bi-Han, of the legendary Lin Kuei clan. As his name implies, he has the ability to control ice. After succeeding in killing Scorpion, his rival, he is hired by Quan Chi to reclaim Shinnok's amulet. Along the way, he fights four of the Earthrealm gods (including Fujin), but before moving onward, he is confronted by Raiden, who reveals Quan Chi's true intentions. Furious at Quan Chi for duping him, he travels to the Netherealm to stop the evil plot, and on the way encounters Sareena, one of Quan Chi's Oni servants, and befriends her. He defeats Quan Chi, but this does not stop him from reviving Shinnok, and after retaking Shinnok's amulet in a surprise move, he escapes the Netherealm through a portal, leaving Shinnok trapped again.\\\

->Later he is hired to assassinate Shang Tsung during the Mortal Kombat tournament. He makes his way up the ladder until he faces a newly revived Scorpion, who exacts revenge by burning him alive.\\\

->Thus was the life of Sub-Zero.\\\

NOTE: Tropes regarding the younger Sub-Zero and Noob Saibot should go into [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang his]] and the ''Characters/MortalKombat2'' character sheets, respectively.

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* AdaptationalHeroism: A {{Downplayed}} example in ''Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge'' as unlike the games there is no evidence he ever worked for Quan Chi, [[spoiler:he also isn't the one who killed Scorpion]]. In the same movie, he kicks Kano off of a roof and berates him for dishonoring the tournament for brining his goons, who weren't invited to participate. In the first game, he was only at the tournament to kill Shang Tsung, and didn't show any respect for the tournament itself.
* AnIcePerson: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKAtUeWCfrE Chinese Ninja Warrior with your HEART SO COLD!]]
* AnIceSuit: His leather ninja gear wouldn't protect him from the cold, if he wasn't naturally immune to that.
* AntiHero: Of the NominalHero and OnlyInItForTheMoney sort. Especially plays this to a hilt in ''Mythologies'', which entirely focuses on him. This aspect of him seems to get a little bit better, but he still remains a {{Jerkass}} and gets killed by Scorpion.
* BadassBaritone: In ''[=MK9=]'' and the times Creator/SteveBlum voiced him. His ''MK: Mythologies'' voice was more akin to GutturalGrowler.
* BlackScreenOfDeath: His Spine Rip Fatality in ''[=UMK3=]'', as none of the fighters had animations in place that would make it feasible to show, as well as to mock the controversy the move causes in the original game.
* BullyingADragon: In ''9'', after Scorpion defeats Cyrax and Sektor in the tournament. Granted, Sub-Zero did (canonically) defeat Scorpion twice in ''Mythologies'', but it's not a good idea to piss off the one hellspawn who ''seriously wants you dead''.
-->'''Scorpion:''' I will have my revenge, but I will not kill Sub-Zero.\\
'''Sub-Zero:''' Will not? Or ''[[BadassBoast cannot]]''?\\
'''Scorpion:''' You! The Shirai Ryu are dead. You shall suffer as they did.\\
'''Sub-Zero:''' To ''hell'' with your clan.\\
'''Scorpion:''' No... '''TO HELL WITH YOU'''! ''[[[LiteralMetaphor drags Sub-Zero into]] [[FireAndBrimstoneHell the]] [[{{Mordor}} Netherrealm]]]''
* ButNotTooForeign: He was originally the son of an American woman and a Chinese man. Said father was also descended from the Cryomancer race, thus making the Sub-Zero brothers [[UnevenHybrid not fully human]]. ''9'' retcons this by showing the parents of both of the brothers in a region that is pretty clearly in East Asia. It also explicitly states that both Bi-Han and Kuai-Liang were abducted as children which contradicts the earlier backstory of the brothers having been born to an American woman with a sister and then later on being taken by their father to China.
* CanonName: ''9'' reveals that his birth name is Bi-Han.
* DeathByIrony: Somewhat. Scorpion claims his spine as a trophy after defeating him in battle, similar to how he died by his hand, but the actual killing was seemingly done by Scorpion's breathing hellfire upon him.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: In ''Mythologies'', he beats the tar out of all four of the elemental gods. [[spoiler:Sub-Zero also has the chance to defeat Shinnok, which would put his total up to 5.]]
* FaceDeathWithDignity: In stark contrast to Scorpion, who essentially begged for his life before he killed him, Bi-Han was remarkably composed about meeting his death-by-hellfire at the former's hand. The only umbrage he seemed to take was when he found out that Scorpion was going to kill him for a crime he didn't commit, and pointed out this fact in vain before he was killed.
* TheFaceless: Unlike Kuai Liang, Bi-Han's face is never shown while he was alive. As Noob Saibot, his unmasked visage in ''11'' is disfigured, making it hard to estimate what he might have looked like back then.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: ''Mythologies'' serves as one big build-up for his eventual fate as Noob Saibot.
* HarmlessFreezing: His ice blasts deal rather weak damage, but they do set enemies up for devastating further attacks.
* HeelRealization: Raiden's words that darkness existed in his soul [[ContemplateOurNavels deeply troubles]] Sub-Zero. [[IgnoredEpiphany Too bad he didn't do much to change anything]].
* HeroOfAnotherStory: ''Mythologies'' retroactively makes him into one by revealing he stopped Shinnok and Quan Chi's plot to conquer earth long before Liu Kang did.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: In the movie, he's pitted in a fight against Liu Kang. He seems to get the upper hand when he starts to freeze his surroundings and is rapidly cornering Liu Kang; unluckily for him, his chilling power backfires when Liu [[KillItWithWater throws a bucket of water at him]], which freezes, impales, and kills him.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: His justification for killing Scorpion, and presumably, for every other murder he's likely had to commit. It is somewhat reasonable in Scorpion's case, as not killing him probably would have gotten Bi-Han killed by his own Grandmaster, given their clans' rivalry.
-->'''Scorpion:''' You killed me in cold blood.\\
'''Sub-Zero:''' I had no choice.\\
'''Scorpion:''' You could have let me live!\\
'''Sub-Zero:''' Then ''I'' would be the dead one.
* InsistentTerminology: {{Justified|Trope}} in that they're ''Chinese'' assassins, not ninjas, and he dislikes being called one.
--> "Let's get something straight here: I am not a {{ninja}}. I am Lin Kuei! ''[[TheRival Scorpion]]'' was a ninja."
%% Very nattery example, not sure how to fix it * {{Jerkass}}: From what we've seen of him in ''9''. Still, the above must hold true, given how much his younger brother idolizes him. This is pure speculation however, since we don't seem them interact until after Bi-Han had become Noob Saibot, who more or less proclaims that ThatManIsDead.
%%** ''Mythologies'' is still canon, so whatever concerns him and Sareena still holds true. This is referenced in the Story Mode of ''X'', when Sareena confronts the undead Kitana.
%%--->'''Sareena:''' It is possible to escape Quan Chi, Kitana. I can aid you as Bi-Han aided me.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's rather coarse when seen alive in ''[=MK9=]'', but shows a softer side [[ShipTease around Sareena]] and Kuai Liang's idolization of him would indicate this.
* {{Jobber}}:
** Has a tendency to repeatedly show up during ''9'''s story mode to get beaten up.
** The trailers for ''9'' and ''X'' show him fighting Scorpion and losing, getting killed gruesomely.
* KillItWithIce: His preferred method of killing.
* LegacyCharacter: The codename "Sub-Zero" has been handed down from father to son (and from brother to brother) for years. He is the fifth to bear the name.
* MeaningfulName: While Chinese names are not usually hyphenated, "Bi-Han" has multiple translations depending on the characters used. These include "forced cold," referring to his obvious Cryomancer powers, "corrupted man" referring to the darkness Raiden sensed in him that led to his eventual downfall, and "avoid regret" describing his openly ruthless and uncaring personality as Noob Saibot.
* MisBlamed: An InUniverse example: he (and, by extension, the Lin Kuei) wasn't the one who killed Scorpion's clan. [[spoiler:It was Quan Chi.]]
* NominalHero: Bi-Han's motivation in life is about self-preservation (hence why handing the amulet to Quan Chi didn't invoke any sensation of transgression on his part when Raiden admonished him for it). He'll do some heroic things (like sparing Sareena) but in the end, he's not someone who acts because it is the "right thing to do" (his brother is keener on being the heroic type).
* OffWithHisHead: His infamous "Spine Rip" Fatality, which involves ripping out the opponent's head and attached spinal cord from their shoulders (also a case of a DecapitationPresentation). [[spoiler: Ironically, this is how he dies in ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 the original timeline]]''.]]
* OnlyInItForTheMoney:
** He entered the ''[=MK1=]'' tournament just to assassinate Shang Tsung and collect the large bounty on his head.
** He also tells Raiden in ''Mythologies'' that he was just earning his living after Quan Chi escapes with Shinnok's amulet.
-->"I was just earning my living."
* PaletteSwap: Of Scorpion. Interestingly, he is ''not'' a mere PaletteSwap of his ''own'' character in ''Mortal Kombat 9''. If you choose Sub-Zero's alternate outfit, he also gains the voice samples of Bi-Han instead of Kuai Liang, which means the alternate outfit is Bi-Han.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: ''Very'' devoted to the Lin Kuei.
* {{Retirony}}: In his ''[=MK1=]'' ending, it's revealed that assassinating Shang Tsung would've been his last job for the Lin Kuei and he would retire from his dangerous job afterwards. Unfortunately, by canon, Scorpion puts the trope in full effect, and possibly by Retcon, Bi-Han is shown to be so devoted to the Lin Kuei that he wouldn't even think about retiring.
* TheRival: Of Scorpion.
* ShipTease: In ''Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero'', there was a briefly hinted love interest between him and Sareena, which passed on to his brother in ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition]]''.
* SlideAttack: His "Slide" move.
* TragicHero: Though "hero" is a bit of a stretch, seeing as he was an unrelenting assassin in life, unlike his little brother who was more compassionate.
* TheTrickster: In ''Mythologies'', Sub-Zero is noted to be the most clever and most skilled of all the Lin Kuei.
* UnexpectedCharacter: Treated in-universe as this in his ''[=UMK3=]'' ending.
* WhatTheHellHero: Raiden chews a large bite of Cyromancer pie out of Sub-Zero when it turns out that [[spoiler:[[NiceJobBreakingItHero he's supplied Quan Chi with the means of freeing Shinnok from his imprisonment in the Netherrealm.]]]]
* YoureInsane: Once he discovers the true purpose of the [[spoiler:Amulet of Shinnok, he is quick to call Quan Chi this - plus, to say that the amulet is worth nothing.]]
[[/folder]]

[[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)
-> '''Non-game appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat: The Movie'' (Creator/TrevorGoddard), ''Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm'' (Creator/MichaelDesBarres), ''Mortal Kombat: Legacy'' (Darren Shahlavi), ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' ([[LawyerFriendlyCameo ...sort of]]; Brian Kesinger), ''Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge'' (Creator/RobinAtkinDownes), ''Film/MortalKombat2021'' (Josh Lawson)

->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.

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* AbhorrentAdmirer: Not a single female kombatant is charmed by him, and his lecherous comments often mutate into a more murderous statement afterwards.
* AbusiveParents: His ending in ''MKX'' [[spoiler:shows him torturing and beating the crap out of his son as part of the Black Dragon initiation]].
* 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 Raiden 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.
* 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.
* BadassMoustache: As well as a BeardOfEvil.
* 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: His appearance in ''[=MK3=]''. The younger version of himself in ''11'' also has this appearance to contrast the more grizzled and bearded present self.
* BeardOfEvil: In most of his appearances. Started as a 5 o'clock shadow (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.
* 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.
* 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, [[spoiler: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 him.]]
** 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.]]
* 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.
* 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 ''Mortal Kombat 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 ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', a lot more of his body has been cybernetically enhanced, in particular, his heart and right ear. His robotic eye is also different due to a bad altercation with Kuai Liang about a decade prior. "Cybernetic" is even the name of one of his three Combat Variations. His younger self retains it in ''11'' and it can be customized with gear.
* 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.
* 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.]]
* DidNotDoTheBloodyResearch: In ''Mortal Kombat 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)
* 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.
* 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.
* 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 ''Mortal Kombat X'' 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 ''Mortal Kombat 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.]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Entirely PlayedForLaughs. When Cassie makes a hilariously atrocious impression of an Aussie accent in front of Kano, he 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.
* 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: When voiced by Creator/MichaelMcConnohie or Creator/JBBlanc, he has a deep, Broad Australian accent.
* 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.
* 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=]''.
* 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, 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, [[spoiler: 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 it doesn't appear that he holds any dislike for her.
* HatedByAll: By the time of the eleventh game, 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.
* {{Irony}}: Kano was cut from ''MKII'' due to being unpopular. And he's now one of the most popular baddies in the franchise.
* {{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.
* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: After escaping punishment by the end of ''9'', Kano gets beaten up and imprisoned in ''10''. [[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. Sonya actually has to ''hold [[TheHeart Johnny]] [[PapaWolf Cage]] back from beating him up.''
** In Story Mode, "Uncle Kano" threatens to visit Cassie. Johnny's the only reason Sonya 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. [[spoiler:Three strikes and you're dead, Kano... ...know what? ''That'' was strike three.]]
* 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.]]]]
* KnifeNut: In particular, the "Cutthroat" variation in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' is centered around Kano's knife fighting skills. The knives are a customizable option through gear in ''11'', and he also has hidden blades in his boots.
* 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. Michael [=McConnohie=] doesn't do too bad in ''9'' either, although he's more toned down in ''MKX'', while [=JB=] Blanc 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.]]
* 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, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids 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 [[StrawNihilist that 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 {{Ret Gone}}d thanks to his younger self suffering this, complete with lovely [[GoryIndiscretionShot view of the hole on both]].]]
* 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'', 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, [[spoiler: 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.
** 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]].
* 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 has no light within his greed-blackened soul]]. Kano is taken aback by this.
** And, like everyone else, even he is utterly repulsed by ComicBook/TheJoker.
* 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'', 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 ''Mortal Kombat X'' 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.
* 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.]]
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
** In ''X'', his variations are [[EnergyWeapon Cybernetic,]] [[WrestlerInAllOfUs Commando]] and [[KnifeNut Cutthroat.]]
* 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'' and ''11''.
* 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 [[BoomHeadshot kill him for good.]]]]
* TookALevelInBadass: Ingame, he gets a huge one compared to his debut. In the first Mortal Kombat, 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.
* UnwittingPawn: Realizes this and [[ShipperOnDeck more]] during his mirror match in ''[[Videogame/MortalKombatX 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 ''Mortal Kombat 11'' depicts him 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 comes to recognize this as monotonous and seemingly gives up his powers to resume his original thrillseeking way of life.
* 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 ''[=MK11=]'' that either have him go shirtless or wear a vest to expose his chest.
* WantingIsBetterThanHaving: In surprisingly philosophical turn this is the reason why he decides VictoryIsBoring as noted above; In his rebooted timeline after his [=MK11=] 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 ''[=MK11=]'' 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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Johnny Cage]]
!!Jonathan "Johnny Cage" Carlton
See [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sonya Blade]]
!!Sonya A. Blade
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sonya_4.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I guess I'll have to do this 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), ''Mortal Kombat 11'' (Creator/RondaRousey, English; Bridgette Wilson, English (Voice and Face Model, Klassic MK Movie Skin Pack DLC); Rebeca Patiño, Latin American Spanish)
-> '''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'' [[spoiler:(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''. [[spoiler: 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.]]\\\

->[[spoiler: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.]]

----
* AbsoluteCleavage: Her default attire in ''9'' manages to pull this off with ''a bulletproof vest''.
* AbsurdPhobia: ''[=MX11=]'' reveals that she gets freaked out over having papercuts, of all things. Her daughter Cassie is not pleased to find out that she shares this particular fear with her mother.
--> '''Sonya''': Sorry, Cass. Must be genetic.
* ActionMom: She's a badass Special Forces soldier, and stays that way even after giving birth to Cassie.
* ActionGirl: The first one in the series and consistently a tough fighter. [[spoiler: She actually manages to make it through the events of ''9'' alive.]]
* AmazonianBeauty: Given she's a soldier, it's reasonable that Sonya is the most muscular of the women, while also having quite the curves and pretty face.
* AmicableExes: [[spoiler: She finally warms up to Johnny after Cassie kicks Shinnok's ass in MKX. To the point that they basically get back together by the time ''11'' rolls around.]]
* AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: In her ''11'' tower ending, [[spoiler: defeating Kronika promoted her from Major to goddess, as the protector of Earthrealm. She soon realized however she cannot do it alone, so she turned her friends and family to gods as well as part of her "God Squad": Cassie, Jax, and Jacqui. [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg Oh, and Johnny too.]]]]
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: She's promoted to Major and given field command of the Special Forces after Jax's death in [=MK9=]. In MKX, she is a General and she still can throw down with the best of them.
* AttackDrone: Her "Special Forces" variation in ''X'' gives her one that floats next to her until a command is given. If not used, its lights will flash after some time and then it will disappear. Her "Demolition" variation causes a drone to appear to give her more [[ThrowDownTheBomblet grenades]].
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Her concern comes to the fore whenever Johnny or Cassie's life is at stake.
* BadassBookworm: One mirror match dialogue in 11 implies she has an interest in marine biology, with one of them coming from a timeline where she actually fulfilled that dream.
* BadassInDistress: Almost in every game and other media, usually rescued by Johnny Cage, Jax or her other Earthrealm friends. In [=MKII=] she's spending the Outworld tournament chained up and doing nothing to reduce her badassitude, saved by Jax in [=MK3=]. In [=MK4=] Jax tried and failed to save her from being killed by Jarek, revenging her non-canon death in his ending. In [=MK9=] she's saved by Johnny Cage, then the second time by Jax. In [=MKX=] Johnny rescues Sonya from revenant Jax. In [=MK11=] she's rescued by Johnny from Cyber Lin Kuei. She's also spend some time as "damsel in distress" in MK movie, Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realms, Malibu and MKX (with other characters) comic books, being captured probably more times then all the other characters combined.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Her alternate costume in ''Deadly Alliance'' and ''Armageddon'' is a military dress uniform.
* BareYourMidriff: Every game has at least one outfit with her abs on display.
* TheBaroness: Her Kold War costume in ''MKX'' invokes the look of a classic Russian Sexpot villainess.
* BerserkButton: If her fight dialogue with Jax in X is an indication, she ''[[TheMaidenNameDebate does not ever]]'' want to be called "Mrs. Cage."
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: shares this with Raiden in saving Johnny's life from Quan Chi.]]
* BikerBabe: In her Arcade Ladder ending from ''9''.
* {{Brainwashed}}:
** To serve Onaga in ''Deception''.
** In Malibu Comics' non-canon ''Mortal Kombat'' series, Sonya was kidnapped and hypnotized by Reptile into marrying Shao Kahn.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Corrupted by the Blood Code by Cassie in the MKX comics.
* BraidsOfAction: Cammy would be proud of the single long braid Sonya rocks in both the comics and the game proper.
* ColonelBadass: In the MKX comics.
* CombatStilettos: One alternate outfit in ''Deadly Alliance'' features this.
* CounterAttack: Her "Covert Ops" variation in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' has a lot of parry moves that let her intercept opponent attacks. As an interesting twist, the parries have different attacks that can be branched out of them once you catch an opponent's attack, giving you varied responses once you've intercepted their offense.
* ADayInTheLimelight:
** In ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MK vs. DCU]]'', she's the focus of the ''MK'' side's Chapter 2.
** In ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', she's the focus of Chapter 2.
** In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', she's the focus of Chapter 5.
** In ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', her past self gets the focus of Chapter 8.
* DaChief: She commands the Special Forces' Earthrrealm Strategic Defense.
* DeathGlare: Whenever Johnny is in the room making wisecracks and witty remarks, she directs them at him.
* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: Her younger self in ''11'' wonders aloud just how on Earth did she end up shacking up with Johnny Cage after the guy shamelessly wanted to "tap" her. The entire room full of SF operators and her own daughter didn't appreciate having to hear that.
-->'''Past Sonya:''' How the hell do I ever sleep with that guy?...Who's your father. I can't believe I just said that.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: '''Heavily implied''' in her '11' tower ending. [[spoiler: After defeating Kronika and [[AscendedToAHigherPlaneOfExistence becoming a goddess]], she realized she needs help in governing Earthrealm for eternity, but soon found out that in order to make a new god, ''an old one'' must be killed first in order to make room, so she searched for the oldest one, a god worshipped in a ''realm with an unpronounceable name'', and killed it. It didn't help that the imagery used was that of a planet-sized squid monster.]]
* DisappearedDad: According to ''9'', she's been searching for her MIA father, although she fears that he might already be dead. [[spoiler:In her Arcade Ladder ending, she encounters a ghost claiming to be that of her father, but it's unknown if the apparition is real or if it's an aftereffect of her PTSD in the aftermath of the battle with Shao Kahn.]]
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:In her Arcade Ladder Ending in ''9'' she almost falls into this after the deaths of her friends and companions. Fortunately, an apparition claiming to be her father helped pull her out of it and encourage her not to give up. (This is later proven non-canon, given the events of ''X''.)]]
* DivorceIsTemporary: By the time of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' she is very happily back with Johnny again.
* DoingInTheWizard: In the original games, Sonya's "Armed Forces", "Energy Rings" and "Kiss of Death" moves seemed to be a result of SupernaturalMartialArts. In the reboot games, her energy blasts are due to a laser blaster she wears on each arm and her Kiss of Death is a powder she takes out of a pouch.
* DrillSergeantNasty:
** Her intro dialogues shows this to her ([[{{irony}} ironically]]) sergeant:
--->'''Sonya Blade''': Sergeant...\\
'''Cassie Cage''': Damn it, Mom! I'm Cassie!\\
'''Sonya Blade''': Right now, you're just a disrespectful soldier.
** And again to the Tarkatan in ''11''.
--->'''Sonya''': How do I earn your respect?\\
'''Baraka''': ''Beat me unmercifully.''\\
'''Sonya''': [[InvokedTrope Drill Sergeant Blade reporting.]]
* DualWielding: In ''Deadly Alliance'' and ''Armageddon'', she could use a pair of kali sticks in battle.
* DudeMagnet: A lot of men have given her their attention, almost all of them have flirted with her in their intro dialogues.
* EveryoneLovesBlondes: At least Johnny would like to think so.
* FamilyVersusCareer: In MKX. [[spoiler: Career won, which is the cause of much of the familial strife with her ex-husband and daughter.]]
-->'''Johnny:''' There was a time when you cared more about your family than your job... ''General.''
** In VideoGame/MortalKombat11 she has reconciled the two options. She is very close with her daughter again and she's back together with Johnny.
* {{Fanservice}}: Her shirt and pants tearing in exactly the right places.
* FanservicePack: In the original, 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 AbsoluteCleavage with a bulletproof vest. ''X'' and ''11'' have given her more modest outfits.
* FirstNameBasis: Hardly anyone refers to her using her last name and when not this, she usually goes for a FullNameBasis.
* FourStarBadass: As of ''MKX'', she's been promoted to General.
* GoGoEnslavement: [[BigBad Shang Tsung]] abducts her on the pretext of challenging her, rather than [[TheHero Liu Kang]], for the final match. By the time Liu and [[TheLancer Johnny Cage]] show up, Sonya has, for no readily apparent reason, been dressed up in an unflattering leather dress (which actually covers more of her than the tank top and shorts she'd been wearing up to that point), is barefoot, and her hair has been thoroughly teased. Cage even teases her by saying the dress looks nice, which of course she responds with an eye roll.
* GreenEyedMonster: Not drastic as most examples, but Sonya is very much aware that [[DaddysGirl Cassie]] prefers to be with Johnny than her. This may be the source of her animosity towards Johnny during the MK X storyline.
* GreenThumb: In her friendship in ''Ultimate [=MK3=]'', Sonya would salute and flowers would grow all over the floor.
* GroinAttack: Sonya gets in on the act by stepping on Quan Chi's Netherrealm nethers in her chapter of the ''Mortal Kombat X'' story to detain him while [[spoiler:Raiden undoes the revenant spell]].
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Her fate in the Battle of Armageddon (It is not known who did it to her). In game, she can do this to her opponent with her "[[MurderousThighs Scissor Split]]" fatality.
* HandBlast: She can fire pink energy blasts from her fists. Originally, this seemed to be an internalized ability but starting from ''[=MK9=]'' they are depicted as being generated by a high-tech weapon worn on her wrists.
* HeroicWillpower: Here's the situation: You're tied up, hanging by a hook over [[HollywoodAcid The Dead Pool]], with Sheeva watching you, and her boss has signed your death warrant, so it's clear what's likely going to happen here soon... And you still haven't lost your DeadpanSnarker attitude. ("What is it with you Shokan and underground cesspools?") Yeah, she ''definitely'' qualifies for this.
* HiddenDepths:
** In ''Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge'', Sonya appears to be able to read Simplified Chinese. In the movie, she reads an invitation to the Mortal Kombat tournament and asks her contact if Kano will be there as opposed to asking for a translation.
** A MirrorMatch pre-match intro in ''11'' shows that Sonya once dreamed to become a marine biologist.
* HotScientist: Had aspired to become one if she didn't graduate from a military academy.
-->'''Sonya Blade 1:''' You graduate from the academy?\\
'''Sonya Blade 2:''' Nope. Got my degree in marine biology.\\
'''Sonya Blade 1:''' That was my dream.
* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]: Is Jacqui's, although much like Sonya's own relationship with Cassie, she prefers to not have any familial ties mentioned while on duty.
* HotterAndSexier: She has a much more revealing outfit in ''[=MK9=]'' than in previous games. Inverted by ''MKX''.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: A dilemma she faces in ''MKX.'' As a General Commander of the Special Forces is a demanding and rigid career, repelling Outworld enemies at bay and protecting Earthrealm's safety, she sacrificed being a [[FamilyMan family woman]] and time spent raising her daughter, a decision she isn't happy with, but ultimately satisfied.
-->'''Sonya''': I gave up my daughter's childhood to make her world safe. That was the right thing to do.
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Appears in chains in Shao Kahn's arena in MKII. [[BigBad Shang Tsung]] abducts [[ActionGirl Sonya Blade]] on the pretext of challenging her, rather than [[TheHero Liu Kang]], for the final match in MK movie. Almost became Shao Kahn's trophy wife in Malibu comic books.
* InkSuitActor: Like Kano, Sonya's model in the 3D games resemble her actresses in the movies. From ''Deadly Alliance'' to ''Armageddon'', she takes after Sandra Hess, whereas in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', she takes a lot after Bridgette Wilson-Sampras. This tradition even carries on into ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'', where she takes after her newest voice actress, Ronda Rousey (where there's also an even more straightforward case with a skin pack to downright turn Sonya into the Bridgette Wilson-Sampras version from the movie, complete with voiceovers by the actress).
* {{Irony}}: She's the {{Jerkass}} of the heroes in MKX, taking over for ''Johnny'' who was the biggest example of this (especially in [=MK9=]).
* KissOfDeath:
** Her main fatality; it comes in [[PlayingWithFire fiery]], [[LudicrousGibs crushing]], [[UniversalPoison poisonous]], and [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe slicing]] varieties. In a variant on the trope, she blows her kisses at her foes.
** From ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance'' to ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', she was given a short-ranged stun move where she blows pink dust [[AHandfulForAnEye into the opponent's face the same way.]]
* LeeroyJenkins: Whenever she shouts "[[CatchPhrase Kombat Time!]]" in ''Defenders of the Realm'''.
* LonelyAtTheTop: By the time she's a Colonel, she and Johnny are divorced, and her relationship with Cassie is strained.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Her energy rings are either supernatural (one of the [=MK3=] guidebooks states it's her focused chi) or one of her weapons (''[=MK9=]'' onwards had her equipped with wrist bands that visibly shoot lasers, which are customizable as a gear option in ''11'').
* MajorlyAwesome: Her rank during Shinnok's invasion of Earthrealm.
* MamaBear:
** In issue 9 of ''Mortal Kombat X'', she leads an expedition into Outworld to rescue Cassie.
** Kano threatens to harm Cassie if Sonya does not negotiate with him. Sonya ends up almost strangling him to death before Johnny steps in and tells her not to go through with it.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Inverted. Her influence makes Johnny wiser and less insufferable. Cassie even tells her past self that she rubbed off on him.
* MarriedToTheJob: What cost her her marriage to Johnny and earned Cassie's resentment. One particular example is seen in the MKX comics, in which she chose to rescue Kenshi rather than attend Cassie's birthday party.
* MissingMom: Becomes this to Cassie due to her job. Johnny calls her out on this.
* MomLooksLikeASister: In ''11'', since her future self died and her past self was transported to the future. Cassie lampshades this.
* MoreDakka: In ''X'' and ''11'', Sonya has grenades and attack drones integrated into her gameplay.
* MurderousThighs:
** One of her earliest fatalities was a leg scissor hold that [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe literally cut the opponent in half]].
** The movie has a more restrained version of the leg scissor, which merely broke her opponent's neck.
* MsFanservice: She's stunningly beautiful, never visibly ages, and all of her outfits either reveal or accentuate her athletic physique. This came to a head in ''9'', and was dialed back for ''X'', where her default costume is a military outfit showing very little skin.
* MyGreatestFailure: Sees choosing her job over spending time with her daughter as this. She even admits this to Johnny in the comics.
-->'''Sonya''': "All I know for certain is if we fail, if we don't save her, then I gave up all those years for nothing. I never knew my own daughter, and she never knew how much her mother cares."
* MysteriousMiddleInitial: Her middle name has been confirmed to start with "A". Beyond that, we know nothing.
* NeckSnap: A move from ''4''. She also uses a variant with her legs to [[NeckSnap break Kano's neck]] in the first movie.
* NiceHat: Usually present in her military-themed outfits.
* NoFlowInCGI: Her ponytail in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4''.
* OfficialCoupleOrdealSyndrome: [[spoiler: Despite being put through the wringer during the events of ''9'', she does eventually get together with Johnny Cage, as evidenced by their daughter Cassie Cage appearing in ''Mortal Kombat X''. They reconcile by ''11'' only for her to perform a HeroicSacrifice in the opening chapter. Her past self's chapter leaves hope for their relationship to still happen and survive this time around.]]
* OffWithHisHead: She does this to [[spoiler:''Kintaro'' while under the Blood Code]]. ''With her bare hands''.
** Her second Fatality in ''9'' has her pop off her opponent's head with a garrote and both of her finishers in ''X'' involve decapitation (for the first a drone blows off their head with a grenade and the second she garrotes their head off then feeds it to her drone's machine gun before taking it as a trophy on her belt).
* OlderThanTheyLook: She's 51 in ''MKX'' (as she was 26 during the first tournament), but you really can't tell.
* PaintedOnPants: Her earlier appearances.
* RageBreakingPoint: In ''MKX's'' story, Sonya intends to beat Kano into submission and get him to reveal the whereabouts of Shinnok's amulet, but when he makes the mistake of threatening Cassie's life, she throws caution (and the plan) to the wind and nearly ''kills'' him had not Johnny interfered.
* RankUp: Several are mentioned in the various pieces of ''Mortal Kombat X''. First, in the time of the Netherrealm War (before the prequel comics and the main story of the game), she's MajorlyAwesome. Second, after the war but before the main story of the game, she's a ColonelBadass. Third, by the time of the main story of the game proper, she's a FourStarBadass who is also a FrontlineGeneral.
* RedOniBlueOni: She's the red To Jax's blue in general and the blue to Johnny's red in [=MK9=]. In [=MKX=] however, the red and blue between her and Johnny Cage ''switches''.
* RelativeButton:
** We get this gem between Sonya and Jax:
---> '''Sonya''': Mr. Briggs.\\
'''Jax''': ''Mrs. Cage.''\\
'''Sonya:''' You're gonna pay for that.
** Also between her and Geras. Not that she'll admit it openly.
--->'''Geras''': I will kill Johnny Cage.\\
'''Sonya''': Do it. He's a pain in the ass.\\
'''Geras''': You bluff ''poorly'', Sonya Blade.
* RescueRomance: Her relationship with Johnny starts after they both took turns saving each others' lives: He saved her from Shinnok and then she returned the favor against Quan-Chi. [[spoiler: Past Sonya starts warming up to Past Johnny after he took a bullet trying to defend her and she saved his life against both Kanos.]]
* TheRival: With Frost, although neither of them has ever given a reason. The rivalry is given a small nod in MKX in her pre-battle dialogue with Sub-Zero
--> '''Sonya:''' Why no female Lin-Kuei?\\
'''Sub-Zero:''' There are, Frost chief among them.\\
'''Sonya:''' I'll kick her ass next.
* SadisticChoice: She is given one in her ''X'' arcade ending where, in a dream, Kano gives her the choice between Cassie or Jax. She chooses the former and wakes up to Johnny Cage, who tells her that Jax was killed by an assassin's bullet. (Exactly how canon this ending is has not yet been revealed.)
* SheFu:
** Her signature move starts with her doing a backflip, grabbing the opponent between her legs, and throwing them.
** In both ''4'' and ''9'' she has a fatality where she does a handstand and ''tears the opponent in half with her legs''.
* ShesGotLegs: As we can see in the first movie, and in her alternate outfit in ''9''.
* ShipTease:
** Hinted in various media, starting with the first movie, between her and Johnny Cage. ''[=MK9=]'' has Johnny trying to woo her.
** In ''Defenders of the Realm'', the teasing is instead directed at Jax, although it's ([[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther usually]]) of the BelligerentSexualTension variety.
* SilverVixen: For a woman in her early fifties, she surprisingly has a lack of grey hairs, stretch marks, and has a surprisingly still athletic body.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: It's implied that she fell for Johnny when he selflessly took a blast from Shinnok's amulet and fought Shinnok himself to defend her. She even started calling him Johnny from there on, signifying that she now sees him in another light.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: She was the only female character in the original game. [[spoiler:She is also the only surviving woman at the end of the story mode in ''[=MK9=]''.]]
* SoProudOfYou: Both the older and younger versions of Sonya make it known they're proud of Cassie.
* SpamAttack: Her Bicycle Kick move.
* StanceSystem:
** In ''Deadly Alliance'', she has Tae Kwon Do and Kenpo as unarmed styles, and Kali Sticks as weapon style.
** In ''Armageddon'', she drops Kenpo.
** In ''X'', her variations are [[AttackDrone Special]] [[DroneDeployer Forces]], [[CounterAttack Covert Ops]] and [[ThrowDownTheBomblet Demolition]].
** In ''9'' and her Covert Ops variation in ''X'' she has the Military Stance.
* StatuesqueStunner: Her [[WordOfGod official bio]] has her at 5'9".
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Her costumes tend to show her chest and midriff and emphasize her legs, but she dresses somewhat more modest than the other women. Subverted in ''MKX.''
* SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome: After surviving to the ends of ''9'' and ''X'', [[spoiler:Sonya dies after the first chapter of ''11'' and is replaced by her past self. That said, Fire God Liu Kang might be able to fix that.]]
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Shown to be cold and judgmental towards most people but has a soft spot for the people that she cares about.
* SuperCuteSuperPowers: She has a KissOfDeath fatality where she blows a kiss at her opponent. Sometimes the kiss takes the form of a floating fireball, but other games has it be a little pink heart that flitters towards the opponent, and once it hits, the enemy [[MoodWhiplash explodes bloodily]].
* TankTopTomboy: She wears some variation on a tank top, muscle shirt, or some kind of vest similar to either in each game.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: With her ex. With a healthy dose of BelligerentSexualTension and [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther hints of lingering affection]]
* 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.
* ThrowDownTheBomblet: Her "Demolition" variation in ''X'' is focused around grenades. She can toss frag or stun grenades and when she runs out, she can summon a drone who is able to supply her with more. The drone itself is also able to toss grenades (with the Enhanced version) and she has a back roll that lets her drop grenades on wakeup.
* {{Tomboy}}: The way she dresses seem to suggest this.
* TomboyishPonytail: More often than not since ''3''.
* TookALevelInBadass: Happens gamewise, when she first debuted she may be the worst character in gameplay and certainly the worst to use against Goro. The only move she had that really worked on him was her energy rings and that move was clumsy to do in the arcade (you had to hold punch and then make your joystick motion). After being brought back for [=MK3=] and the games after, she gained a number of special moves that eliminated the previous gaps in her gameplay and her character was generally made faster.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Dear God, with the way she treats both Johnny and Cassie in [=MKX=], it appears she took ''several''. You'd think she was an understudy for [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk General Ross]] or [[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas Colonel Moore]] with her degree of jerkass-ness.
--> '''Sonya:''' (upon finding out that Kano is hiding in the camp) Kenshi, continue with Li Mei. I'm going to the refugee camp. Gotta get to him before he finds a way out.\\
'''Johnny:''' I'll come with.\\
'''Sonya:''' Go get an update on camp security from Colonel Flagg.\\
'''Johnny:''' Why?\\
'''Sonya:''' Because then you won't be here.
* TookALevelInKindness: Her older self loses all of her hostility towards Johnny and strictness towards Cassie after the events of ''X''. [[spoiler: ''11'' has her warmly congratulate her daughter while promoting her and smile proudly as Johnny throws in a congratulatory hug; and she's openly affectionate towards her husband.]]
* {{Tsundere}}: In her interactions with Johnny, as part of the ShipTease. Better seen in the movie, where she mostly acts annoyed at him, but EveryoneCanSeeIt.
* {{Tuckerization}}: Sonya is named after one of Ed Boon's sisters, as [[WordOfGod he]] confirms in a video interview in the special edition of ''Deception''.
* UnderwearOfPower: In the first game, she visibly has a thong over her pants (the actress added that inspired by what her aerobics students would wear).
* UnlimitedWardrobe: She's had some quite different outfits from time to time.
* VaporWear: In ''9'', it's clear she doesn't wear a bra under her vest or tank top. Her nipples are even visible in the latter. [[https://i.imgur.com/N2D5Js5.jpg She also has no issues]] [[https://i.imgur.com/45su9Ws.jpg being brutally murdered without panties on either.]]
* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: When Johnny gets [[spoiler:stabbed and is on the brink of death, her reaction and subsequent beatdown of Quan Chi]] speaks volumes.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Sonya can morph into a hawk to finish her opponents as her Animality in ''[=MK3=]''.
* WillTheyOrWontThey: In regards to her hooking up with Johnny, [[TheyDo she does.]] And they get divorced down the line.
* WholeCostumeReference: A DLC costume released alongside the Franchise/{{Terminator}} in ''Mortal Kombat 11'' gives her the outfit worn by Sarah Connor in the second half of ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay''.
* WorkingWithTheEx: She divorced from Johnny at some point. As much as he pisses her off (A LOT), it doesn't stop her from stepping up with him in Earthrealm's defense.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: During her rooftop battle with Kano in ''3'', Sonya feigned defeat in order to lure him to the edge of the building and throw him off of it.
[[/folder]]

Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]] | [[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/MortalKombatShaoKahn Shao Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShinnokAndQuanChi Shinnok and Quan Chi]]-]]]

* AdaptationalHeroism: A {{Downplayed}} example in ''Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge'' as unlike the games there is no evidence he ever worked for Quan Chi, [[spoiler:he also isn't the one who killed Scorpion]].
** In the same movie, he kicks Kano off of a roof and berates him for dishonoring the tournament for brining his goons, who weren't invited to participate. In the first game, he was only at the tournament to kill Shang Tsung, and didn't show any respect for the tournament itself.

* [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]: Is Jacqui's, although much like Cassie, she prefers to not have any familial ties mentioned while on duty.

'''Nightwolf:''' No wonder [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating you're an outcast.]]

Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]] | [[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/MortalKombatShaoKahn Shao Kahn]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShinnok Shinnok]]-]]]

-> '''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)