History Characters / MortalKombat1Part2

[[redirect:Characters/MortalKombat1]]

!![[center:''Franchise/MortalKombat'' '''[[Characters/MortalKombat Main Character Index]]'''\\
Main series: [[Characters/MortalKombat1 MK1]] ([[Characters/MortalKombat1Part1 Part 1]] | [=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 pertaining to Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Kano, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade, see [[Characters/MortalKombat1Part1 Part 1]].
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[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Liu Kang]]
!!Liu Kang
See [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Raiden]]
!!Raiden
See [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]]
[[/folder]]



[[folder:Shang Tsung]]
!!Shang Tsung
See [[Characters/MortalKombatShangTsung Shang Tsung]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Reptile]]
!!Reptile (Syzoth)
[[quoteright:233:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/89b1f20fb40c0da1cee840358afc1a76.png]]
[[caption-width-right:233:''"You will have my teeth at your throat!"'']]

-> '''Debut game''': ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1'' (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 [[spoiler: when Outworld plunges into a civil war, he's among the first to join up with the newly-appointed emperor, Kotal Kahn]].

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* AcidAttack: Reptile can spit acid as a projectile attack. His fatality in ''Ultimate VideoGame/MortalKombat3'' has him vomit a gallon of HollywoodAcid on his opponent, melting their flesh clear off their skeleton and he has acid fatalities in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' and ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance''.
* AlienBlood: It's green. Averted in ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatLegendsScorpionsRevenge'', where his blood is clearly red, as you can tell when Sonya cuts off his head.
* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: 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. However in the film ''Scorpion's Revenge'' his race is alive and he participates in the Mortal Kombat tournament for unknown reasons.
* AdaptationalJobChange: In ''Mortal Kombat (1992)'', and ''Mortal Kombat (2011)'', he works for Shang Tsung as his bodyguard and protector during the first Mortal Kombat tournament, however in the film adaptation ''Scorpion's Revenge'' he loses this role, and only participates in the first tournament to combat Sonya Blade.
* AndYourRewardIsClothes: Before being part of the [[DownloadableContent Klassic Pack]], buying the game from Amazon or Amazon UK gave you certain outfits.
* AntiVillain:
** Even though he sides with the likes of Shao Kahn and Shinnok, all he wants is to revive his extinct reptilian race. Later games suggest that over the centuries since his race's destruction, he's been ever so slowly going mad, and [[ExtremeDoormat attaches himself to whatever authority figure he can]]. After Shao Kahn's apparent death, he almost ''immediately'' enters Nitara's servitude. Since one of his endings shows him going mad from his abuse into OmnicidalManiac territory, and that none of his employers treats him with a hint of respect, he fits squarely into WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds.
** MKX has a new leader of Outworld; Kotal Kahn. Reptile is under his command as well, though Kotal has earned Reptile's respect instead of pressing him into service.
* TheArtifact: He was originally conceived as a composite version of Sub-Zero and Scorpion and wore a green ninja garb to reflect this. From ''Mortal Kombat II'' and onward, he gained his own moveset and backstory, and was no longer tied to Scorpion and Sub-Zero (he wasn't even a member of the Shirai Ryu nor the Lin Kuei). Despite this, he was still depicted as a palette swap of Scorpion and Sub-Zero until the switch to [=3D=] with ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'', where he was given a more reptilian appearance better suited for his namesake.
* BadassBoast: He gets some nasty ones in ''MKX''.
-->'''Reptile:''' Spawn of Briggs.\\
'''Jacqui:''' "Spawn"? I'm not a fish.\\
'''Reptile:''' ''I will gut you as one.''\\
\\
'''Ermac:''' [[IAmLegion We are many.]]\\
'''Reptile:''' ''You will die one by one.''\\
\\
'''Reptile:''' I have found you.\\
'''Kung Lao:''' I was not hiding.\\
'''Reptile:''' ''You will wish you had.''
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: The basis of his loyalty to Kotal, the first real BenevolentBoss he has served under.
* BilingualBonus: ''Kirehashi'' translates to "scraps", "cut end", or "cut-off piece", all of which [[OddlyShapedSword adequately describe the sword's shape]].
* BodyguardingABadass: At the beginning of the series, Reptile's job was to be Shang Tsung's personal bodyguard, which seems odd given Tsung isn't exactly a push-over himself. [[spoiler: Reptile turned this to his advantage in MKX, where he revealed that spending years shadowing Shang Tsung meant he was the only one left who knew Mileena's true origins.]]
* BonusBoss: The very first.
* ButtMonkey: With the exceptions of ''MKII'' (as it's his first time), ''Armageddon'', ''9'' and [[spoiler: ''MKX'']], pretty much every other ending of his can be boiled down to "His employers screwed him over":
** In ''Ultimate 3'', he [[spoiler:gets a promise from Shao Kahn to revive his race if he kills Kitana. He does it, but Shao Kahn breaks his part of the deal. Reptile kills him, but this denies him the chance to know what his true race is.]]
** In ''4'', he [[spoiler:gets a denial, again, but this time from Shinnok. He succeeded during his fight against Earthrealm's warriors, so he talks to Quan Chi so that he may convince Shinnok to send Reptile back in time to his homeworld before it was destroyed. After a useless plea, Shinnok appears, does a NeckLift on him, and [[YourHeadASplode Reptile's head explodes]].]]
** And, in (surprisingly) the only canonical ending of ''Deadly Alliance'', [[spoiler:he finds Cyrax and Nitara's essence, but not any of them. Later, he's caught by an energy cascade around what was a dragon embryo, his body providing a host for [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception Onaga, the Dragon King]].]]
** In ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'''s story mode, despite that [[spoiler:he survived the events of the game]], he seems to exist solely to get his ass repeatedly kicked by the heroes. Although in the non-canon Arcade Mode, [[spoiler:he DOES get what he wants when he forced Shang Tsung to recreate his race, and then (presumably) kills him before he gets screwed again. [[OmnicidalManiac And the rest of the existing races in Outworld]] before they can screw him.]]
** MKX, however, is better for Reptile. His boss and personal friend, Kotal Kahn, actually respects him, and in his ending [[spoiler: he finds a hidden enclave of Raptors hidden beneath Earthrealm, along with a new queen to serve.]] While he still shows up in story mode mostly to have his ass handed to him by the heroes once again, he has finally been given the respect he deserves and seems a lot more stable as a result of this.
* TheCameo: [[spoiler: In [=MK11=]'s Krypt. In fact, he's one of the few aversions of DeathByCameo in there.]]
* CanonName: ''X'' reveals his true name is Syzoth. Most everyone else still calls him Reptile.
* CompositeCharacter: In the 1992 original, where he was essentially Scorpion and Sub-Zero combined into one fighter, which is reflected by his color scheme (blue and yellow makes green).
* DevelopersForesight:
** The only time you're allowed to [[spoiler:touch the block button is when inputting Sonya's fatality, the only one in the game that requires block.]]
** As part of MKX's homage [=MK1=] Tower, Reptile is once again a hidden fighter for that one. What you have to do is [[spoiler:achieve a flawless victory in the winning round of fight 6, and perform a Fatality or Brutality.]]
* DivergentCharacterEvolution: From ''Mortal Kombat II'', he gained his own moveset and a unique backstory.
* DoesntLikeGuns: In an intro with Jax, Reptile tells him that "only cowards use firearms". Of course, Jax points out that spitting acid on people isn't exactly noble, either.
* TheDogBitesBack:
** In MKX, [[spoiler: as he defects to Kotal Kahn's side, Reptile lets it slip that Mileena is not really Shao Kahn's daughter, but was a clone made by Shang Tsung, further weakening her image in the eyes of Outworld.]]
** His ''9'' ending is this. After years of having [[BadBoss Bad Bosses]] or otherwise getting screwed over in many of his endings, he finally lets that pent-up rage loose by slaughtering everything in sight with his race recreated. And it is ''[[NightmareFuel horrifying]]''.
* DownloadableContent: In ''9'', his classic skin from ''[=MK1/2/3=]'' and his classic "Tasty Meal" fatality.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: His Chimp Animality from ''[=UMK3=]''.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: [[JustifiedTrope Besides, who, other than Raiden, even knows that Reptile's real name is Syzoth]]?
* FlashStep: His Running Serpent. Also pronounced in his Nimble variation in X.
* GreenAndMean: He is a reptilian warrior clad in green clothing who fights for Outworld.
* GuideDangIt: ''[=MK1=]'' 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. And if you want to know, you are required to [[spoiler: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").]]
* HollywoodAcid: His vomit is strong enough to melt someone down into a skeleton in under a minute.
** His fatality in ''[=UMK3=]'' and ''4'' has him vomit a gallon of "acid" on his opponent, [[ImMelting melting their flesh clear off their skeleton]].
** His fatality in ''Deadly Alliance'' has him reducing the enemy's head to a mere skull via acid. Immediately after, [[ToServeMan he eats it]].
** His fatalities in ''X'' employ his acid spit: one to melt the flesh off of his opponent's skull before splitting it like a watermelon, and another to reduce his opponent's body to a single hand (and making a snack of his victim's head before it can be melted away).
* ImagineSpot: Due to his [[SanitySlippage waning lucidity]], ''Deadly Alliance'''s Konquest Mode notes that Reptile's imagination tends to get out of hand frequently, causing him to daydream about hypothetical battles (such as the thwarting the Deadly Alliance's assassination attempt on Shao Kahn).
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain:
** Reptile always ends each game no step closer to restoring his race, or even worse for wear. Even in half of his non-canonical endings [[ILied he gets screwed over by his employers]]. Even in his ''fantasies'' he thinks lowly of himself. On top of being a common {{Jobber}} of the series. [[ButtMonkey Poor guy can never catch a break]].
** PlayedWith in ''X'', but in a significant way. While several intro dialogues between fighters show that they have no respect or feel remotely threatened by him, he finally gets a BenevolentBoss in the form of Kotal Kahn who repurposes him as a scout and to set up ambushes with his invisibility. While he still is a {{Jobber}} in the story mode, [[ThrowTheDogABone he finally has the respect he's been searching for]].
* {{Invisibility}}: He can turn invisible in nearly every game where he's playable. [[spoiler: The MKX comics show him capable of applying it to an area of effect]].
* IOweYouMyLife: After his failure in the Mortal Kombat tournament against Johnny Cage at the beginning of [=MK9=], Reptile fell out of favor with Shao Kahn, and was ordered executed by Kotal's hand. The Osh-Tekk saw purpose in Reptile, however, and recruited him to his personal unit, figuring Reptile's skills would be of far more use there than as a foot soldier. For this, and the personal friendship between the two, Kotal has earned Reptile's [[UndyingLoyalty undying loyalty]].
* ItWasAGift: The Kirehashi blade that he uses in ''Deadly Alliance'' and ''Armageddon'' is an [[AncestralWeapon ancient Raptor weapon]] offered to him as a sign of peace by Nitara. While this was mostly done to get Reptile's guard down and gain his trust so that Nitara could lure him over to her side, this also suggests that there is some sort of shared history between the people of Zaterra and Vaeternus (the Vampire race is said to be a record-keeper of the history of other races, but it's unknown how deep their connection with other species were).
* {{Jobber}}: Has a tendency to repeatedly show up during ''9''[='=]s story mode to get beaten up.
* KiManipulation: His [[EnergyBall Force Ball]], a projectile sphere attack that is mainly used to set up the enemy for a juggle.
* LastOfHisKind: Well, he and Khameleon. Other Saurians ''do'' appear in the MKX mobile game, but its canonicity is debatable.
* LuckBasedMission: Even after all that, [[spoiler:a shadow has to fly past the moon for it to work ("Look to la luna")]], which only occurs '''ONCE IN EVERY 6 CONSECUTIVE GAMES!''' (unless you're cheating on a console version, in whose case you don't get the bonus points).
* NeckSnap: He has a non-lethal version of this.
* NoRespectGuy: Nobody ever gives him respect, until ''X'', and even then the good guys still enjoy taking potshots at him.
* NowBuyTheMerchandise: His Friendship in ''2'', in which he invites the player to "Buy a Reptile doll!"
* OverlyLongTongue: His Tasty Meal Fatality, and a few moves in MKX, like his grabs and Heart Attack Brutality.
* PetTheDog: After decades of abuse, Reptile finally gets a good petting in MKX; His new master Kotal Kahn is not only the first master to not turn on him, but the first to treat Reptile as a valued member of his honor guard rather than a lackey.
* RollingAttack: In some games, Reptile could curl himself up into a ball and roll forward, knocking the enemy down.
* SanitySlippage:
** Starting with ''Deadly Alliance'', it has been shown that Reptile is mentally unstable due to his separation from his race, and his mental state has continued to deteriorate. In Konquest he's having full-blown battles with hallucinatory opponents, even once mistaking his then-master, Nitara, as one of the sorcerors. At the end, he "fights" the enemy he thinks has been the source of all his failures to the death. It was [[spoiler:[[MirrorMatch himself]].]]
** ''9'' also brings up his insanity. [[spoiler:In his arcade ending, he finally snaps and becomes an OmnicidalManiac]].
* SecretCharacter: The first secret character in the series and in fighting games in general. [[PromotedToPlayable Later became a regular character]].
* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: Inverted. Reptile prefers to take on a more human form, with his resemblance to a human or humanoid lizard varying from game to game. Yet, members of his race can lose their humanoid appearance when separated for long periods of time from their monarchal leader, with hints that Reptile's [[SanitySlippage temporary insanity]] is what caused his more bestial appearance in ''Deadly Alliance''.
* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: His Alternate in ''MKDA'' is a caveman-inspired look, with an animal skull as a chestpiece. In ''X'', he is wearing what looks to be splint mail made from bone and teeth.
* SlideAttack: He's had this move since the first game. In ''Shaolin Monks'', ''9'' and ''X'', he secretes a trail of slime when he slides similar to the ice trail the one Sub-Zero leaves when he does his Slide Attack.
* TheSpeechless: In ''9'', he has no spoken dialogue during the story mode, though he "converses" with Shang Tsung using growls at one point. He does have a few text-based lines in the Challenge Tower.
* {{Sssssnaketalk}}: He had it in the comics, and it was carried over to ''4'' and X. For some reason, however, he does not have it in ''Armageddon''.
* StanceSystem:
** In ''Deadly Alliance'', he has Hung Gar and Crab as unarmed styles and Kirehashi as weapon style.
** In ''Armageddon'', he has Pao Chui as unarmed style, while keeping his weapon style from ''DA''.
** In ''X'', his variations are [[DeadlyGas Noxious]], [[InvisibleMonsters Deceptive]] and [[SuperSpeed Nimble]].
* SuddenlyVoiced: In ''X'', he starts exchanging "pleasantries" with other kombatants.
* ToServeMan: He can swallow an entire human head in one bite, and some of his fatalities have him ripping and eating [[OffWithHisHead the opponent's head]], chameleon-style.
* ThrowTheDogABone: [[spoiler:''MKX'' seems to be one for Reptile. Unlike Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung, Quan Chi and Shinnok, Kotal Kahn seems to genuinely care for Reptile, sharing the bond of being the [[LastOfHisKind Last of Their Kinds]], and sparing and recruiting him during the events of [=MK9=]. In turn, Reptile serves him with undying loyalty and much stabler than normal.]]
* {{Troll}}: He can actually due this to ''[[MirrorMatch himself]]'' in ''MKX'' by proclaiming "It is I, [[ShapeShifter Shang Tsung!]]"
* UndyingLoyalty: This is Reptile's FatalFlaw. Mostly due to his status as an ExtremeDoormat and his misguided hopes that he'll eventually be rewarded with the revival of his race, but once Reptile enters the service of most his masters, he is violently determined to protect and serve them. Even more pitiable is the fact that what Reptile perceives as failure starts weighing heavily on his conscience. When he's unable to defeat Cyrax at Nitara's command and flees, Reptile (in an odd ''villainous'' variation of HeroicSelfDeprecation) starts beating himself up for being unable to carry out the wishes of another master.
** 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,
* UselessUsefulSpell: Invisibility sounds cool, but it's a fairly difficult move, and the [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the AI is unaffected, since all it does is turn off the model display.]] [[spoiler: Not so much when you want to ambush some Red Dragon mooks alongside D'Vorah, Ferra and Torr]].
* WalkingShirtlessScene: In ''4'', '' Deadly Alliance'', and ''Armageddon''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Goro]]
!!Goro
[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mkx_goro_render_by_wyruzzah.png]]
[[caption-width-right:260:''"I will grant you a warrior's death!"'']]

-> '''Debut game''': ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1''
-> '''Other appearances''': ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat3 Mortal Kombat Trilogy]]'', ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat4 Mortal Kombat Gold]]'', ''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)
-> '''Non-game appearances''': ''Film/MortalKombatTheMovie'' (Creator/KevinMichaelRichardson and Creator/FrankWelker), ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatLegendsScorpionsRevenge'' (Kevin Michael Richardson), ''Film/MortalKombat2021'' (Creator/AngusSampson)

->Proud member of the half-dragon race, the Shokans, son of the Shokan King Gorbak and the Shokan Queen Mai, Prince Goro was the undefeated Champion of Mortal Kombat, being able to win nine consecutive tournaments over a span of 500 years. He helped Shang Tsung grow ever closer to achieving Shao Kahn's goal of domination over Earthrealm.

->In his tenth title defense, however, he faced and lost to Liu Kang. In the tournament's aftermath, he went missing after a battle where he fought Kano, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, and was believed to be dead. He would later resurface after Shao Kahn's defeat to lead his fellow Shokans in a war against the Centaurians. Kitana intervened and negotiated both races an uneasy truce and peace accord. When Shinnok and his legion were defeated and Edenia was once again free, Goro and the Shokan race decided to ally with the Edenians.

->Years later, during the time of the Deadly Alliance, the united Edenians and Shokans marched on Shao Kahn's weakened army. Goro was exhausted from battle and was struck from behind by Noob Saibot. He was mortally wounded, apparently dying from the injury. So, Princess Kitana held a royal funeral for her former ally. However, Goro was able to survive, being saved from death by Shao Kahn himself, with the promise to return the Shokans to their former glory and the banishment of the Centaurians in exchange for his allegiance. Agreeing to these terms, Goro resumed his place at Shao Kahn's side and helped him to become once again the Emperor of the Outworld during the time of the ''Armageddon''.

->Goro has a similar role in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', although he is much less important in the story and sticks around after his initial defeat to get [[VillainDecay beaten again and again]], [[spoiler: culminating in him losing his four arms by Kotal Kahn's hand in the Outworld civil war, where the Shokan fought for Mileena in exchange for returning his race to its past glory. After losing his father and his claim to the throne due to his wounds, he went into exile, seeking Daegon after hearing of Onaga's supposed healing factor]].
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* AdaptationalWimp:
** 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.
** In ''Scorpion's Revenge'', [[spoiler: Goro gets killed in one shot by titular character's kunai spear.]]
* TheAgeless: Before the games, since being the Mortal Kombat champion meant that his already-slow Shokan aging came to an outright halt.
* AnArmAndALeg:
** One of his fatalities has him using his four arms to rip off his opponent's limbs.
** In the comics, [[spoiler: he was on the receiving end of it, as he lost ALL FOUR ARMS when fighting Kotal Kahn. And to rub salt on the wound? Kintaro told him that the loss of his arms now disqualify any claim he has to the Shokan throne after his father, Gorbak, fell against Kotal Kahn]].
* AmbiguousSituation: Due to the comics never receiving a continuation, it is unclear what exactly Goro's fate by ''11'' is. Sheeva makes it clear his alliance with Daegon was a success and he returned to Outworld with Onaga's powers, launching a campaign of terror before being somehow stopped. Kotal suggests he killed Goro for good, but Sheeva implies Goro is suffering some FateWorseThanDeath out of being on the wrong end of Onaga's wrath.
* AntiVillain: Ultimately just trying to protect his people.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Prince of the Shokan race and also their strongest warrior.
* BadassArmFold: Due to having four arms, he can even pull off this pose and DynamicAkimbo ''at the same time.''
* BigEater: [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mkwikia/images/b/bc/Screenshot_2015-03-15-17-13-46.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150901151430 As seen in the comic]], he tends to indulge. Although given his build, this is only natural.
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: The Dragon Fangs, which he's used in ''Deception'', ''Armageddon'', and ''X'' as a variation.
* BreathWeapon: Able to shoot fireballs from his mouth or breathe a stream of fire from his mouth like a dragon.
* TheCameo: Appears in ''Film/ReadyPlayerOne'' as an avatar disguise used briefly by co-protagonist [=Art3mis=]. As an extra little MythologyGag, she breaks out of him using a [[Franchise/{{Alien}} Chestburster]] hand puppet, which was of course possible to do to Goro as a Xenomorph Brutality in ''Mortal Kombat X''.
* TheChampion: Of Outworld. Was champion of the Mortal Kombat tournament 9 times in a row.
* CoDragons: Goro and Shang Tsung served as Co-Dragons under Shao Kahn.
* DeadGuyOnDisplay: Curiously, a long-deceased Goro can be seen resting on the chair he always sat in his lair in ''Mortal Kombat 11''.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Was Champion of Mortal Kombat for 500 years prior to the first game.
* TheDragon: To Shao Kahn, Goro is one of Shao Kahn’s strongest and most loyal servants. He's also literally a dragon-human hybrid, somehow...
* DynamicAkimbo: He does a [[MultiArmedAndDangerous four-armed]] version of this, with the upper two arms usually making a bicep flex.
* EnemyCivilWar: [[spoiler:The prequel comics have revealed he's involved in Outworld's civil war and is allied with Mileena; in return for seeing the Shokan race restored to glory, he has vowed to kill Kotal Kahn, a desire that became Freudian when Kotal kills his father, King Gorbak, which sends Goro into exile]].
* EvilIsBigger: When allied with Shao Kahn and the like.
* FlungClothing: Goro arrives to battle in ''X'' wearing a cape, which he discards before the fight begins during his intro sequence.
* GoombaStomp: His Leaping Stomp, an attack which is shared with the other four-armed characters of the series.
* HalfHumanHybrid: The other half being dragon.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: His intro in ''MKX'' has him rip a random person ''in half''. While conversing with someone.
* HandicappedBadass: [[spoiler: Even when armless, he still beats Red Dragon mooks into submission and managed to somehow beat up Kenshi]].
* HatesSmallTalk: His intro dialog in ''MKX'' is very curt and to the point, without any of the clever quips or flowery threats the other Kombatants trade with each other. It's pretty clear he would prefer not to trade words. Even his BadassBoast lines are as brief as possible.
-->'''Goro:''' Prepare yourself.\\
'''Erron Black:''' That's it? No stirring speech?\\
'''Goro:''' I fight. That is all.
* TheHedonist: Discussed. In a conversation with Sheeva and Fujin about Goro, Sheeva says Goro was the kind of person that chased every impulse that ran down his spine. Fujin compliments Sheeva being a very restrained ruler by comparison.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: The only constant in his motive is his desire to do right by the Shokan race, and he will ally himself with whoever can provide them with the best status. To wit: started out as Evil in the first ''Mortal Kombat'', then was more Neutral in ''[=MK4=]'', then turned Good at the end of ''[=MK4=]'' and ''Deadly Alliance'' (to the point of even making peace with Kung Lao over Goro's rivalry with Lao's ancestor; [[YankTheDogsChain he's then killed by Noob Saibot]]) then back to Evil in ''Deception'' by teaming up with Shao Kahn.
* HulkSpeak: Averted, though when he refers to the humans he says "[[PunyEarthlings puny humans]]."
%%* ImplacableMan
* TheJuggernaut: He plows through all of the main heroes in the MKSM opening and the only people who aren't defeated with ease are those who dodge out of his path.
* LargeAndInCharge: He's huge (official data has Goro at an imposing 8'2" and 550 pounds), but he still answers to Shao Kahn and his father the Shokan King Gorbak.
* LargeHam: Especially in the first movie. Also this in the Malibu comics. ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' [[RuleOfThree as well]].
* LeftForDead: His appearance in ''Deception'' is explained in that Goro was defeated in battle, to the point a funeral was held for him, but was saved from dying by [[ActuallyADoombot a still alive]] Shao Kahn.
* LightningBruiser: His original appearance. The original comic states that his speed was incredible and his strength unmatched.
* {{Loincloth}}: Usually the only thing he wears. Occasionally, he'll put on something like chest armor or a helmet, but that's about it.
* MightyGlacier: In the later games. This was done in order to make him a balanced playable character.
* MonsterModesty: Subverted with his alt. in ''Deception'' and ''Armageddon'', which decks Goro out in armor and a shirt that covers most of his chest.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: A four-armed Shokan warrior prince and reigning Mortal Kombat champion for many centuries.
* NeutralNoLonger: [[spoiler: Goro's ending in the Arcade mode of X (apparently ignoring the comic storyline) explains his absence from the game as just him avoiding being involved with the Outworld Civil War entirely. But after the conflict with Shinnok he decides to conquer Outworld himself and crushes both sides of the war with a Shokan army.]]
* OddFriendship: With Kitana. If ''Deadly Alliance'' is indication, the two are old friends, to the point that she attended his funeral at Kuatan Palace after he was slain by Noob Saibot sometime between ''4'' and ''DA''.
* OurGiantsAreBigger: There are others who embody this as well (such as his fellow Shokan, Moloch, and Onaga), but Goro is probably the most well-known example within ''MK''.
* NobleTopEnforcer: Goro only serves under Shao Kahn for the good of the Shokan race. Unlike most of the bloodthirsty or sinister warriors in Kahn's army, Goro is an honorable warrior despite his monstrous appearance. When Kung Lao wanted to avenge his ancestor the Great Kung Lao's death at the hands of Goro, He made peace with Kung Lao noting that his ancestor was a great man and a noble warrior. He also joined the side of good after ''[=MK4=]'' and waged war on Shao Kahn alongside Kitana.
* PreOrderBonus: Pre-Ordering ''Mortal Kombat X'' unlocks him from the start.
* PlayingWithFire: He can throw fireballs either from his hands, up to four in a row in some games, or [[BreathWeapon from his mouth]]. ''MKX'' gives him the "Tigrar Fury" Variation which especially focuses on this.
%%* PointyEars
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: A member of the Shokan race.
* PunchClockVillain: Really doesn't have that much interest in Outworld politics beyond how it pertains to the Shokan race. He's only as involved with the conquest of Earth as he is because Shao Kahn needed a ringer to win the tournament. [[spoiler:Changes his tune regarding politics when Kotal Khan rises to power; when Goro's attempt to dethrone him leads to the loss of his arms and then his father. His ending in this game sees him defeat Kotal and take over Outworld as Emperor.]]
* ReallyGetsAround: In his profile on the official comic and instruction manual for the first game, he is stated to be a polygamist, having seven wives. Fans often assume that Sheeva was one of them, but this has not been proven.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: At the time of the first ''Mortal Kombat'', he has already lived something like ''2000 years''.
%%* RedEyesTakeWarning
* RedHerring: The line that Goro could "eat you alive" from [[AllThereInTheManual the Sega Genesis instruction manual]] had many believing the Goro could perform a fatality in the first game. However, he gets fatalities of his own in the [=GameCube=] version of ''Deception'' and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''.
* TheRival: To Kung Lao and Liu Kang, since he was the one who killed their ancestor. He manages to make peace with Kung Lao in the end though.
** To Johnny Cage, mainly in the movie.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: He is the son of the Shokan King Gorbak and was commander of Outworld's armies and also won 9 Mortal Kombat Tournaments for Outworld.
%%* SlipknotPonytail
* SoreLoser: Moderate example. His pre-fight dialogue with Liu Kang in ''X'' shows he ''really'' doesn't like being reminded of their first fight.
-->'''Goro:''' I nearly bested you.\\
'''Liu Kang:''' With the aid of Shang Tsung's magic.\\
'''Goro:''' ''THAT IS A LIE!''
* SNKBoss: In the early games, Goro was far from balanced. All of his moves did way more damage than all of the other characters and certain special moves like Johnny Cage's Shadow Kick or Kano's Cannonball would only stumble him a little rather than knock him down, and because of that, he was notoriously difficult to defeat in the first game.
* SpinAttack: Goro's Spinning Slaps.
* StanceSystem:
** In ''Deception'', he has Shokan and Kuatan as unarmed styles, and Dragon Fangs as weapon style.
** In ''Armageddon'', he has drops Kuatan.
** In ''X'', his variations are [[BladeBelowTheShoulder Dragon Fangs]], [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown Kuatan Warrior]] and [[KillItWithFire Tigrar Fury]].
* TheStarscream: [[spoiler: Well, ''maybe''. In the comic book adaptation of ''X'', he originally served Kotal Kahn, betrayed him for Mileena, and Reiko speculates that he intends to backstab her to bring Outworld under Shokan rule. He may be the biggest WildCard right now.]]
* StopMotion: In his very first incarnation he was animated this way. This set the precedent for [[VideoGame/MortalKombat2 Kintaro]], [[VideoGame/MortalKombat3 Sheeva, and Motaro]].
* SuperStrength: Able to effortlessly rip a person in half and swing a giant stone pillar like a baseball bat.
* ThirdPersonPerson: In the Malibu Comics, Goro refers to himself by name. Like every other main character, by the way.
--> '''Goro:''' ''[as he prepares to [[PreMortemOneLiner "discipline" the staff]]]'' You do not deserve to be guards for Shang Tsung. All you deserve is ''death.'' Death at the hands of ''Goro.''
%%* UnderwearOfPower
* WarriorPrince: His official title is Prince Goro. You know what he's the prince of? ''[[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Kicking]] [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething your]] [[CurbStompBattle ass]]''. In the Malibu Comics, Goro is known as the 'Prince of Pain.' How appropriate.
* TheWorfEffect: Goro was originally a big deal in the early games and presented as a huge threat. In more recent games, he's typically beaten more often and with less effort.
* WorthyOpponent: According to pre-fight dialogue, he views [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX Ferra/Torr]] as this.
[[/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]]-]]]

* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: 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. However in the film ''Scorpion's Revenge''. his race is alive and he participates in the Mortal Kombat tournament for unknown reasons.
* AdaptationalJobChange: In ''Mortal Kombat (1992)'', and ''Mortal Kombat (2011)'', he works for Shang Tsung as his bodyguard and protector during the first Mortal Kombat tournament, however in the film adaptation ''Scorpion's Revenge'' he loses this role, and only participates in the first tournament to combat Sonya Blade.

* AdaptationalJobChange: In ''Mortal Kombat (1992)''. and ''Mortal Kombat (2011)''. he works as Shang Tsung's bodyguard and protector during the first Mortal Kombat tournament, however in the film adaptation ''Scorpion's Revenge''. he loses this role, and only participates in the first tournament to combat Sonya Blade.

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]]-]]]

* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: 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. However in the film ''Scorpion's Revenge'' his race is alive and he participates in the Mortal Kombat tournament for unknown reasons.

* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: 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. However in the film 'Scorpion's Revenge' his race is alive and he participates in the Mortal Kombat tournament for unknown reasons.

Non-video game: [[Characters/MortalKombatTheMovie The Movie]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatConquest Conquest]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm Defenders of the Realm]]\\

-> '''Non-game appearances''': ''Film/MortalKombatTheMovie'' (Keith Cooke), ''Film/MortalKombatAnnihilation'' (Mark Caso/Sultan Uddin), ''Series/MortalKombatConquest'' (Jon Valera), ''WebVideo/MortalKombatRebirth'' (Richard Dorton)

-> '''Non-game appearances''': ''Film/MortalKombatTheMovie'' (Creator/KevinMichaelRichardson and Creator/FrankWelker), ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatLegendsScorpionsRevenge'' (Kevin Michael Richardson), ''Film/MortalKombat2021'' (Angus Sampson)

-> '''Non-game appearances''': ''Film/MortalKombatTheMovie'' (Creator/KevinMichaelRichardson and Creator/FrankWelker), ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatLegendsScorpionsRevenge'' (Kevin Michael Richardson), ''Film/MortalKombat2021''

** As part of MKX's homage [=MK1=] Tower, Reptile is once again a hidden fighter for that one. What you have to do is [[spoiler: Achieve a flawless victory in the winning round of fight 6, and perform a Fatality or Brutality.]]

* HandicappedBadass: [[spoiler: Even when armless, he still beats Red Dragon mooks into submission and managed to somehow beat up Kenshi]].

* DeadGuyOnDisplay: Curiously, a long-deceased Goro can be seen resting on the chair he always sat in his lair in Mortal Kombat 11.

* LargeAndInCharge: [[WordOfGod Official canon]] has Goro at an imposing 8'2" and 550 pounds but he still answers to Shao Kahn and his father the Shokan King Gorbak.

-> '''Non-game appearances''': ''Film/MortalKombatTheMovie'' (Creator/KevinMichaelRichardson and Creator/FrankWelker), ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatLegendsScorpionsRevenge'' (Kevin Michael Richardson)