History Characters / MortalKombatShangTsung

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: The very moment [[spoiler:Titan!Shang Tsung's realm-konquering]] plans began to be derailed can be located in New Era!Shang Tsung's EvilGloating to Syzoth about how Tsung killed Syzoth's family, the reasoning being Tsung's dislike of leaving [[HeKnowsTooMuch "loose ends"]]. Prior to this speech, Syzoth was New Era!Tsung's muscle, working for him in exchange for Syzoth's family's lives not being threatened. Said speech triggers Syzoth's HeelFaceTurn, giving the Earthrealmers and Baraka the extra help they need to escape from his lab, and them stumbling in the Living Forest also leads to them finding Ashrah (thus even more extra help), discovering [[spoiler:Quan Chi's soulnado devices]], and Kenshi finally unlocking the power of Sento. Syzoth's abilities also play a key part on the gang's escape from Outworld once they discover where the portal is located, and discovering in the process [[spoiler:that General Shao and Reiko are in league with the evildoers. While a small war between Earthrealm and Outworld exploded, the amount of evidence gathered during the trip was fundamental in convincing Li Mei to assist Lord Liu Kang, [[EarnYourHappyEnding Li Mei finally having the opportunity to make amends with the royal family]], and Sindel stopping said war... as well as Liu Kang revealing his past to her and her daughters, prompting both sides to join for a common cause and getting Titan!Shang Tsung out of the bag. New Era!Shang Tsung and Quan Chi discovering that they were being used as pawns trigger ''their'' own HeelFaceTurn, and their help proves fundamental in the destruction of the portals, preventing a huge army to be deployed on this dimension. All of this ends with [[TheWarSequence the Battle of Armageddon]], where Titan!Shang Tsung and Titan!Quan Chi finally bite the dust for good]]. And absolutely ''none'' of this would have happened without that single speech.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: The very moment [[spoiler:Titan!Shang Tsung's realm-konquering]] plans began to be derailed can be located in New Era!Shang Tsung's EvilGloating to Syzoth. It all starts with the latter's HeelFaceTurn, giving the Earthrealmers and Baraka the extra help they need to escape from his lab, and them stumbling in the Living Forest also leads to them finding Ashrah (thus even more extra help), discovering [[spoiler:Quan Chi's soulnado devices]], and Kenshi finally unlocking the power of Sento. Syzoth's abilities also play a key part on the gang's escape from Outworld once they discover where the portal is located, and discovering in the process [[spoiler:that General Shao and Reiko are in league with the evildoers. While a small war between Earthrealm and Outworld exploded, the amount of evidence gathered during the trip was fundamental in convincing Li Mei to assist Lord Liu Kang, [[EarnYourHappyEnding Li Mei finally having the opportunity to make amends with the royal family]], and Sindel stopping said war... as well as Liu Kang revealing his past to her and her daughters, prompting both sides to join for a common cause and getting Titan!Shang Tsung out of the bag. New Era!Shang Tsung and Quan Chi discovering that they were being used as pawns trigger ''their'' own HeelFaceTurn, and their help proves fundamental in the destruction of the portals, preventing a huge army to be deployed on this dimension. All of this ends with [[TheWarSequence the Battle of Armageddon]], where Titan!Shang Tsung and Titan!Quan Chi finally bite the dust for good]]. And absolutely ''none'' of this would have happened without that single speech.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: The very moment [[spoiler:Titan!Shang Tsung's realm-konquering]] plans began to be derailed can be located in New Era!Shang Tsung's EvilGloating to Syzoth. It all starts with the latter's HeelFaceTurn, giving the Earthrealmers and Baraka the extra help they need to escape from his lab, and them stumbling in the Living Forest also leads to them finding Ashrah (thus even more extra help), discovering [[spoiler:Quan Chi's soulnado devices]], and Kenshi finally unlocking the power of Sento. Syzoth's abilities also play a key part on the gang's escape from Outworld once they discover where the portal is located, and discovering in the process [[spoiler:that General Shao and Reiko are in league with the evildoers. While a small war between Earthrealm and Outworld exploded, the amount of evidence gathered during the trip was fundamental in getting Sindel to stop said war... as well as Liu Kang revealing his past to her and her daughters, prompting both sides to join for a common cause and getting Titan!Shang Tsung out of the bag. New Era!Shang Tsung and Quan Chi discovering that they were being used as pawns trigger ''their'' own HeelFaceTurn, and their help proves fundamental in the destruction of the portals, preventing a huge army to be deployed on this dimension. All of this ends with [[TheWarSequence the Battle of Armageddon]], where Titan!Shang Tsung and Titan!Quan Chi finally bite the dust for good]]. And absolutely ''none'' of this would have happened without that single speech.

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

* GoldAndWhiteAreDivine: [[spoiler:Absorbing the souls of Raiden and Fujin to an extent allowed Shang Tsung to de-age himself to his physical prime whilst also being dressed in a white and gold costume to signal is newfound power]]. [[LightIsNotGood But then again]], this is [[ManipulativeBastard Shang Tsung]] we're talking about. [[spoiler: However, there’s a good version of him wearing similar attire in the finale of MK1.]]

* ArchEnemy:

* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: Got the short end of the stick in Liu Kang's New Era. Where his previous self was once a mighty soul-stealing sorcerer who ruled over his own island and [[VideoGame/MortalKombat11 whose schemes eventually saw him eclipse every other threat to the point that he nearly overthrew Liu Kang and seized control over time itself]], this incarnation is nothing more than an [[SnakeOilSalesman ordinary con man]], forced to scrape by day to day by selling fake cure-alls to Outworld peasants and left completely helpless when a mob of his bereaved customers beat him into the ground and rob him. At least until [[spoiler:Kronika/Damashi]] manages to find him anyway.
-->'''[[spoiler:Kronika/Damashi]]:''' You are uniquely resilient. Who else could eke out a living travelling Outworld's hinterlands, selling quack cures and fake magic?\\

* LaserGuidedKarma: The opening scene has Shang Tsung, then a huckster and SnakeOilSalesman, be confronted by an aggrieved customer whose daughter died despite Shang Tsung's "cure-all". His lies being exposed leads to an angry crowd beating up Shang Tsung, smashing his wares, and robbing him.

* {{Sadist}}: While more pragmatic this time, Shang Tsung is still a cold-blooded bastard who enjoys the suffering of others, even taking a moment to [[spoiler:emotionally torment Syzoth while leaving him to die]].

-->'''Shang Tsung:''' [[HoYay His soul is ours.]]

* AdaptationalWimp: [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-Zagged]] and [[JustifiedTrope justified]] as Fire God Liu Kang designed his life to be unfortunate and meaningless. He starts out as a struggling SnakeOilSalesman with none of his former Kung Fu prowess or dark sorcery but becomes cunning and capable again after meeting the mysterious woman. [[spoiler:His tower ending starts subvert this, as he discovers the Well of Souls and begins working on mastering its power]].

* CutLexLuthorACheck: One thing that separates him from his previous timeline counterpart is that, perhaps due to his origins as a conman in this timeline, he is ''aware'' of the more practical and monetary-centered uses his knowledge and powers bring him, and while he is averted to honest work he is ''not'' above pursuing the more unethical sides of such avenues if he considers them worth the effort. In one of the Pre-Match dialogues, Mileena accuses him of withholding a cure for Tarkat for his schemes, which Shang Tsung ''laughs off'', and reveals he not only doesn't have one, he ''wouldn't'' be merely withholding it for a scheme; by saying that if he really ''did'' have a cure, he would ''already'' be a rich man from ''ruthlessly profiting off all those afflicted''.

* EnlightenedSelfInterest: While Shang Tsung's entire career is based around being an utter bastard, he also likes being alive and [[PragmaticVillainy has no interest in evil that he can't profit or benefit from]]. [[spoiler:Titan Shang Tsung's plan to [[OmnicidalManiac destroy the timeline]] is a bridge too far for his New Era counterpart, and he immediately sides with Liu Kang to save the universe—or, more accurately, his own skin.]]

* AdaptationalWimp: [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-Zagged]] and [[JustifiedTrope justified]] as Fire God Liu Kang designed his life to be unfortunate and meaningless. He starts out as a struggling SnakeOilSalesman with none of his former Kung Fu prowess or dark sorcery but becomes cunning and capable again after meeting the mysterious woman.

* HatedByAll: Shang Tsung has the dubious honor of being the single most disliked and distrusted character in the entire ''11'' roster, and perhaps the entire ''series.''[[note]]This excludes ComicBook/TheJoker, a GuestFighter who somehow gets it ''even worse''[[/note]] Even when compared to Frost and Kano, the former being given certain pity and the latter having his clan, Shang Tsung has absolutely no friends and is viewed with scorn and wariness by just about every character. He probably prefers it.

* AbledInTheAdaptation: The original Shang Tsung sustained his life on the souls of others, a curse from the Elder Gods to punish him for stealing a soul in the first place. This version has no such curse, and as a presumed Edenian, he has no need to steal souls to keep himself alive for thousands of years.

* ArchEnemy: To Liu Kang, of course.

* {{Irony}}: Despite being a con man by trade, whether as a SnakeOilSalesman or as a conspirator against the throne, [[spoiler:Shang Tsung apparently never considered that Damashi might not be entirely on the level; he's gobsmacked to learn that not only is "Damashi" his own AlternateSelf, but that said counterpart played him and Quan Chi for fools and always intended on leaving them to die with the rest of Liu Kang's timeline. In short, the consummate con man never thought that ''he'd'' be the one getting conned.]]

* AdaptationalSympathy: Downplayed. He's still a cruel and insufferably smug backstabber, but he was born in squalor and has spent his entire life trying to claw out a living for himself through any means possible, so it makes sense why he'd immediately start reveling the moment he got an ounce of actual power. The original Shang Tsung never had any explanation for his villainy outside of him just being naturally power-hungry.