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** While on the topic of ''11'', he can be subjected to this via MirrorMatch, which he himself lampshades in his intro. Doubly so if his double also ends up stealing his soul.
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* SoulJar: ''11'' gives him a literal one, in the form of his phylactery, from which he frequently draws his power (and more souls!). The player can unlock more Soul Jar options for him by playing.
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* SoulJar: ''11'' gives him a literal one, in the form of his phylactery, from which he frequently draws his power (and more souls!). The player can unlock more Soul Jar options for him by playing. Subverted in that his phylacteries only contain the souls of those he killed and not his own.
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* SoulJar: ''11'' gives him a literal one, in the form of his phylactery, from which he frequently draws his power (and more souls!). The player can unlock more Soul Jar options for him by playing.
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* PetTheDog: Zig-Zagged in ''Aftermath''. When Shang Tsung travels to his abandoned island, he discovers that his minions have hung themselves, unable to cope with is previous [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/MortalKombat9/ death]]. Tsung is genuinely touched by this devotion. However, he's largely touched by their fanaticism to him and not necessarily the minions themselves.
* PlayingWithFire: Summons skulls on fire as projectiles.
* PlayingWithFire: Summons skulls on fire as projectiles.
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* PetTheDog: Zig-Zagged in ''Aftermath''. When Shang Tsung travels to his abandoned island, he discovers that his minions have hung themselves, unable to cope with is previous [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/MortalKombat9/ [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 death]]. Tsung is genuinely touched by this devotion. However, he's largely touched by their fanaticism to him and not necessarily the minions themselves.
themselves.
** Speaking of his island. For once, Shang Tsung is shown to be all but wholly generous, as he allows the Descendant of Apep to loot his hoard in the Krypt to the player's desire. Even if he may throw in a snide remark or two when the player gets killed by a trap or critter, he'd still gladly resurrect them at the nearest checkpoint no worse for wear, no matter how many times they die. Keep in mind, the Descendant is, for all intents and purposes, an insignificant stranger whom he holds no obligation towards, who came to basically steal his valuables, and yet he'd happily give them a treatment worthy of Goro.
* PlayingWithFire: Summons skulls on fire as projectiles.
** Speaking of his island. For once, Shang Tsung is shown to be all but wholly generous, as he allows the Descendant of Apep to loot his hoard in the Krypt to the player's desire. Even if he may throw in a snide remark or two when the player gets killed by a trap or critter, he'd still gladly resurrect them at the nearest checkpoint no worse for wear, no matter how many times they die. Keep in mind, the Descendant is, for all intents and purposes, an insignificant stranger whom he holds no obligation towards, who came to basically steal his valuables, and yet he'd happily give them a treatment worthy of Goro.
* PlayingWithFire: Summons skulls on fire as projectiles.
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** ''11'' provides a very graphic demonstration of his soul stealing. Not only does Shang Tsung extract the soul out of his opponents, but they also visibly shrivel and become rotten, desiccated corpses after he's done with them, as if he's channeling his inner [[Film/TheMummy1999 Imhotep]]. And most of the time, his victims are fully conscious and aware of their rapid demise, too.
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* DeathByIrony: Shang Tsung is notable for killing his foes by sucking out and then absorbing his souls. Nearing the climax ''Mortal Kombat 9'', Shao Kahn extracts his soul, killing Shang Tsung and transferring them to Sindel.
** [[spoiler:He does deliver a payback in ''Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath'' by killing Shao Kahn and Sindel and absorbing their souls]]. [[spoiler: He in turn gets another taste of this in the heroic ending as he falls for Liu Kang's deception, effectively being beaten at his own game.]]
** [[spoiler:He does deliver a payback in ''Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath'' by killing Shao Kahn and Sindel and absorbing their souls]]. [[spoiler: He in turn gets another taste of this in the heroic ending as he falls for Liu Kang's deception, effectively being beaten at his own game.]]
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* DeathByIrony: On rare occasions, Shang Tsung is notable for killing gets a taste of his foes by sucking out and then absorbing his souls. own medicine.
** Nearing the climax of ''Mortal Kombat 9'', Shao Kahn extracts hissoul, killing Shang Tsung and transferring them soul in order to Sindel.
**empower Sindel. [[spoiler:He does deliver a payback in ''Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath'' ''Aftermath'', by killing stealing back Shao Kahn Kahn's and Sindel and absorbing their souls]]. Sindel's near the endgame]].
*** [[spoiler: He in turn gets another taste of this in the heroic ending as he falls for Liu Kang's deception, effectively being beaten at his own game.]]]]
** Going back to ''9'', the notorious soul stealer gets his soul stolen by Mileena in her ladder ending.
** Nearing the climax of ''Mortal Kombat 9'', Shao Kahn extracts his
**
*** [[spoiler: He in turn gets another taste of this in the heroic ending as he falls for Liu Kang's deception, effectively being beaten at his own game.
** Going back to ''9'', the notorious soul stealer gets his soul stolen by Mileena in her ladder ending.
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-->'''Shang Tsung:''' ''You'' let ''me'' win!
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* ColorFailure: He can invoke this on his enemies in ''11'' by stealing their souls. Somehow draining a person of their soul and life force will also bleach the colors out of their ''clothing''.
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* KillAndReplace: Most of his Brutalities in ''11'' let him assume the form of his last victim.
* PowerCopying: Whenever Shang Tsung steals somebody's soul, he can learn their techniques and incorporate their powers into his own repertoire. Starting with ''9'', if he performs a Soul Steal during gameplay, Shang Tsung will briefly morph into his victim and gain a damage buff, whereas doing so in ''11'' will let him use their Krushing and Fatal Blows, as well as their unlocked Brutalities if the match ends while he's still transformed.
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* TeleFrag: One of his fatalities in ''[=MK11=]'' involves opening a summoning portal inside his opponent, from which ''Kintaro'' will burst out from.
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* TeleFrag: One of his fatalities in ''[=MK11=]'' involves opening a summoning portal inside his opponent, from which ''Kintaro'' will burst out from. His ''Spatial Override'' Brutality works in a similar fashion, only with Tsung himself doing the telefragging instead of a minion.
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* SicklyGreenGlow: Green is his signature color owing to his soul-based powers.
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* AGodAmI: [[spoiler:After killing Kronika, Shang Tsung wastes no time in waxing how powerful he has become. Still, he did manage to kills Titan and was wearing her crown]].
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* AGodAmI: [[spoiler:After killing Kronika, Shang Tsung wastes no time in waxing how powerful he has become. Still, he did manage to kills Titan become and was wearing her crown]].bathes in his newfound powers. Even when challenged by the literal PhysicalGod that is Liu Kang, he's still gloating like it's going out of style]].
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* ManipulativeBastard: One of his specialities. He once tricked Kenshi into leading him right to the souls of his warrior ancestors by posing as a harmless old man, posed as friends of Earth warriors in order to attack them from behind, lied about the terms of at least one tournament in order to further his agenda, and is generally an all-round untrustworthy bastard.
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* ManipulativeBastard: One of his specialities.specialties. He once tricked Kenshi into leading him right to the souls of his warrior ancestors by posing as a harmless old man, posed as friends of Earth warriors in order to attack them from behind, lied about the terms of at least one tournament in order to further his agenda, and is generally an all-round untrustworthy bastard.
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* YourSoulIsMine: The TropeNamer. As expected of him, Shang Tsung has the power to suck out and devour the souls of his enemies to extend his own lifespan [[TheAssimilator and grant him the skills of his opponents]]. During gameplay, by sucking a portion of his opponent's soul, this would grant him a temporary change to his opponent's playstyle and abilities.
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* YourSoulIsMine: The TropeNamer. As expected of him, Shang Tsung has the power to suck out and devour the souls of his enemies to extend his own lifespan [[TheAssimilator and grant him the skills of his opponents]]. During gameplay, by sucking a portion of his opponent's soul, this would grant him a temporary change to his opponent's playstyle and abilities. As it stands, he can even absorb the souls of those who explicitly lack one, such as the Terminator or Noob Saibot.
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** In the non canon Shaolin Monks, he is this compared to Shao Kahn. The plot of the game was set up by Shang Tsung luring Liu Kang and Kung Lao to fight and kill enemies so Shang Tsung could feed on the souls of those who died and gain the power to overthrow Shao Kahn. The end of the game shows that Shao Kahn was aware of Shang Tsung's plot the entire time and from the looks of things, Shang Tsung didn't have much chance of overthrowing him.
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** In the non canon Shaolin Monks, non-canon ''Shaolin Monks'', he is this compared to Shao Kahn. The plot of the game was set up by Shang Tsung luring Liu Kang and Kung Lao to fight and kill enemies so Shang Tsung could feed on the souls of those who died and gain the power to overthrow Shao Kahn. The end of the game shows that Shao Kahn was aware of Shang Tsung's plot the entire time and from the looks of things, Shang Tsung didn't have much chance of overthrowing him.
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* He functions as one in ''Scorpion's Revenge''. He never participates in any tournament fights.
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* IControlMyMinionsThrough: Loyalty [[spoiler: According to him the monks of his island are so devouted to him that news of his death was such that they committed mass suicide rather then live in a world without him. When Night Wolf scoffs at this Tsung even ''chides'' him on his lack of compassion.]]
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* IControlMyMinionsThrough: Loyalty Loyalty. [[spoiler: According to him him, the monks of on his island are were so devouted to him that him: news of about his death was were such traumatizing that they committed chose mass suicide rather then live over living in a world without him. When Night Wolf Nightwolf scoffs at this this, Tsung even ''chides'' him on his lack of compassion.]]
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* LifeDrinker: Shang Tsung adds to his life time by consuming the souls of his victims, and he's lived for ''millennia'', so that's a lot of lives drunk. PowerCopying is a bonus.
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* LifeDrinker: Shang Tsung adds to his life time lifetime by consuming the souls of his victims, and he's lived for ''millennia'', so that's a lot of lives drunk. PowerCopying is a bonus.
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* MoreThanMindControl: [[spoiler: ''Aftermath'' is an huge showcase of how this formerly mortal man lasted millenia. He is able to convince enemies, many of whom include demi gods to work with him. Now the circumstances are such that this allience is needed but evey other person attacks Night Wolf and Fujin thinking they are under som form of mind control. They aren;t Tsung is that good of a persuader.]]
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* MoreThanMindControl: [[spoiler: ''Aftermath'' is an huge a '''huge''' showcase of how this formerly mortal man lasted millenia. ''millennia''. He is was able to convince enemies, his enemies - many of whom include demi gods demigods - to work with him. Now Now, the circumstances are such so dire that this allience alliance is needed needed; but evey every other person character attacks Night Wolf Nightwolf and Fujin thinking they that both are under som form some kind of mind control. MindControl. They aren;t aren't: Shang Tsung is that good of a persuader.at persuading.]]
* He functions as one in ''Scorpion's Revenge''. He never participates in any tournament fights.
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* TheSociopath: Shang Tsung appears very polite and approachable towards allies and foes alike, [[FauxAffablyEvil an artificial mindset which is never inherently sincere]]. He is also very fixated on his goals and his desires, not giving a damn about anyone and is more than welcome to be mocking and sadistic when it comes to killing and absorbing those. His parasital characteristics come to a head when he attacks Kronika's keep, [[spoiler:betraying everyone he comes across without a shred of remorse and his trait of boasting and caring only for himself becomes more pronounced after killing Kronika and developing a [[AGodAmI God-Complex]]]].
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* TheSociopath: Shang Tsung appears very polite and approachable towards allies and foes alike, [[FauxAffablyEvil an artificial mindset which is never inherently sincere]]. He is also very fixated on his goals and his desires, not giving a damn about anyone and is more than welcome to be mocking and sadistic when it comes to killing people and absorbing souls out of those. His parasital parasitical characteristics come to a head when he attacks Kronika's keep, Keep, [[spoiler:betraying everyone he comes across without a shred of remorse - and his trait of boasting and caring only for himself becomes more pronounced after killing Kronika and developing a [[AGodAmI God-Complex]]]].
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* TheUnfought: In ''Scorpion's Revenge''.
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* LifeDrinker: Shang Tsung adds to his life time by consuming the souls of his victims, and he's lived for ''millennia'', so that's a lot of lives drunk. PowerCopying is a bonus.
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* CastFromHitPoints: [[WordOfGod According to the official comic]], Shang's signature Flaming Skulls are in fact the lifeforce of deceased souls, which Shang Tsung depends upon to sustain himself.
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* CastFromHitPoints: CastFromLifeSpan: [[WordOfGod According to the official comic]], Shang's signature Flaming Skulls are in fact the lifeforce of deceased souls, which Shang Tsung he depends upon to sustain himself.himself. [[GameplayAndStorySegregation Casting this during gameplay doesn't actually affect his health no matter how many are spent, even if the move is amplified]].
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* FingerTenting: His signature scheming pose.
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* OhCrap: In the intro to ''Armageddon'', he gets to face the revived zombie of [[spoiler: Liu Kang]], who promptly snaps his neck back into place after Tsung personally performed a NeckSnap on him. Tsung ''flinches'' at this, all too aware of the irony and danger he was in at that point.
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* OhCrap: OhCrap:
** In the intro to ''Armageddon'', he gets to face the revived zombie of [[spoiler: Liu Kang]], who promptly snaps his neck back into place after Tsung personally performed a NeckSnap on him. Tsung ''flinches'' at this, all too aware of the irony and danger he was in at thatpoint.point.
** [[spoiler:The looks on his face when he's about to be {{Ret Gone}}d by Fire God Liu Kang in the good ending of ''Aftermath'' can only be described as a mix of ThisCannotBe and absolute horror.]]
** In the intro to ''Armageddon'', he gets to face the revived zombie of [[spoiler: Liu Kang]], who promptly snaps his neck back into place after Tsung personally performed a NeckSnap on him. Tsung ''flinches'' at this, all too aware of the irony and danger he was in at that
** [[spoiler:The looks on his face when he's about to be {{Ret Gone}}d by Fire God Liu Kang in the good ending of ''Aftermath'' can only be described as a mix of ThisCannotBe and absolute horror.]]
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* IControlMyMinionsThrough: Loyalty [[spoiler: According to him the monks of his island are so devouted to him that news of his death was such that they committed mass suicide rather then live in a world without him. When Night Wolf scoffs at this Tsung even ''chides'' him on his lack of compassion.]]
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* MoreThanMindControl: [[spoiler: ''Aftermath'' is an huge showcase of how this formerly mortal man lasted millenia. He is able to convince enemies, many of whom include demi gods to work with him. Now the circumstances are such that this allience is needed but evey other person attacks Night Wolf and Fujin thinking they are under som form of mind control. They aren;t Tsung is that good of a persuader.]]
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* DidntSeeThatComing: [spoiler: He genuinely failed to anticipate that Liu Kang would lie and effectively let his allies die in order to create an opportunity to take Kronika's Crown back once she was taken care of.]]
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* DidntSeeThatComing: [spoiler: [[spoiler: He genuinely failed to anticipate that Liu Kang would lie and effectively let his allies die in order to create an opportunity to take Kronika's Crown back once she was taken care of.]]
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** [[spoiler:He does deliver a payback in ''Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath'' by killing Shao Kahn and Sindel and absorbing their souls]].
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** [[spoiler:He does deliver a payback in ''Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath'' by killing Shao Kahn and Sindel and absorbing their souls]]. [[spoiler: He in turn gets another taste of this in the heroic ending as he falls for Liu Kang's deception, effectively being beaten at his own game.]]
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* DidntSeeThatComing: [spoiler: He genuinely failed to anticipate that Liu Kang would lie and effectively let his allies die in order to create an opportunity to take Kronika's Crown back once she was taken care of.]]
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* CessationOfExistence: [[spoiler: This is his fate if Liu Kang wins their final battle in ''Aftermath'', as his defeat has him dissolve into sand and removed from the timeline for good.]]
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* NakedOnRevival: [[spoiler:In Ermac's ending in ''X'', Shang Tsung is completely nude as he drains Ermac of all his souls. The cameras don't show anything below his waist, naturally.]]
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* NakedOnRevival: [[spoiler:In Ermac's ending in ''X'', Shang Tsung is completely nude as he drains Ermac of all his souls. The cameras [[ShouldersUpNudity don't show anything below his waist, naturally.naturally]].]]
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* 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.
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* 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. power]]. [[LightIsNotGood But then again, again]], this is [[ManipulativeBastard Shang Tsung]] we're talking about.
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** Of course, this is only after Shang Tsung managed to backstab (in rapid succession, [[spoiler: Sheeva, Kitana, Raiden, Fujin, Shao Kahn,and Sindel. Even Kronika seemed stunned at the depths of his treachery.]]
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** Of course, this is only after Shang Tsung managed to backstab (in rapid succession, [[spoiler: Sheeva, Kitana, Raiden, Fujin, Shao Kahn,and Kahn, and Sindel. Even Kronika seemed stunned at the depths of his treachery.]]
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* DeaderThanDead: [[spoiler:In ''Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath's'' Good Ending, Liu Kang obliterates him. Liu Kang's words imply he didn't just kill him, but [[RetGone erase him from time.]]]]
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* VillainRespect: [[spoiler:When Fire God Liu Kang arrived in Shang Tsung's moment of victory, he immediately deduced that he must have let him win due to his superior usage of the soul crown to Kronika's. He let him basically doomed his friends to death or worse, and Shang is visibly impressed throughout, calling it ''Deliciously Cold-Blooded''.]]
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** [[spoiler:He eventually becomes the very last opponent to fight against in the ''Aftermath'' expansion of Mortal Kombat 11. That is if you choose to side with Liu Kang.
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** [[spoiler:He eventually becomes the very last opponent to fight against in the ''Aftermath'' expansion of Mortal Kombat 11. That is if you choose to side with Liu Kang.]]
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder: A-G]]
[[folder: A-G]]
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[[/folder]]
[[folder: H-O]]
[[folder: H-O]]
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[[/folder]]
[[folder: P-Y]]
[[folder: P-Y]]
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[[/folder]]
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----
!Shang Tsung
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shangtsung.png]]
-->[[caption-width-right:350:''"{{Your soul is mine}}!"'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see his older self]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shangtsungold.png]][[/labelnote]]
-> '''Debut game''': ''Mortal Kombat'' (Ho Sung Pak, Eric Kincaid)[[labelnote:note]]The latter was revealed to be the original actor for Shang Tsung, as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKgu4wGKSkw in this video]]. Kincaid was left uncredited for the role, and Ho Sung Pak was actually TheOtherDarrin for him.[[/labelnote]]
-> '''Other appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat II'' (Phillip Ahn, M.D.), ''Mortal Kombat 3'' (John Turk), ''Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero'' (Richard Divizio), ''Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'', ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'' (cameo), ''Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks'', ''Mortal Kombat: Armageddon'', ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'' (James Kyson-Lee), ''Mortal Kombat 9'' (Andrew Kishino, Richard Epcar [[labelnote:note]]"Bang Bang!" Fatality only, reused audio from The Joker's "The Killing Joke" Fatality from ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe''[[/labelnote]]), ''Mortal Kombat 11'' (DLC) (Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa, English; Galo Balcázar, Latin American Spanish)
-> '''Non-game appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat: The Movie'' (Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa), ''Mortal Kombat: Conquest'' (Bruce Locke), ''Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm'' (Neil Ross), ''Mortal Kombat: Rebirth'' (James Lew), ''Mortal Kombat: Legacy'' (Johnson Phan in the first season, Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa in the second), ''Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge'' (Artt Butler)
->A powerful and deadly sorcerer and a primary villain in the ''Mortal Kombat'' series, Shang Tsung is a demonic shapeshifter who needs to consume souls in order to sustain his health and life. Throughout his unnatural lifespan, he has achieved an intellectual and mental sophistication far greater than that of any other baddie of the series.
->Several centuries before the start of the series, a young and promising Tsung was taken to Outworld and trained by the Emperor in the Black Arts. For a time, Shang Tsung would be the Grand Champion of Mortal Kombat himself, but when he lost his title to the legendary Shaolin warrior, the Great Kung Lao, he had to wait several years for his greatest student, the Shokan prince Goro, to restore once more Outworld's domination of the Mortal Kombat Tournament. This time Tsung, now aged and weakened, secured his domain on the Tournament, by becoming its sole Grandmaster and holding future competitions on his private island, a zone in between Earth and the Outworld.
->During the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament, the final victory that would enable Shao Kahn to conquer Earth, Liu Kang, a Shaolin Monk, defeated Goro, breaking the streak. Liu Kang then challenged Shang Tsung in Kombat to restore the honour of the once-sacred tournament; Liu Kang prevailed, and Shang Tsung fled to Outworld. He confronted an enraged Shao Kahn and convinced him that, if they challenged Earthrealm to Mortal Kombat in Outworld, they would have to accept or forfeit. Kahn agreed to this plan, and restored Tsung's youth. Despite this, in the Tournament the sorcerer lost again to Liu Kang, who also defeated Kahn. Shortly after, with the aid of his cult of Shadow Priests, Shang Tsung managed to revive Shao Kahn's former queen, Sindel, on Earth, giving Kahn and his forces a way to invade the Realm. Tsung was granted more power than ever before, but during the invasion that followed he lost to Liu Kang once more.
-> Sometime after the merge of the two Realms failed, the fellow sorcerer Quan Chi come to Shang Tsung with an offer: if Tsung helped him revive the lost army of the Dragon King by means of his ability to transplant souls, he would open a "Soulnado" to the Heavens, giving him an endless supply of souls. Tsung accepted, and they formed the [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly]] [[TitleDrop Alliance]]. Together, the sorcerers not only managed to assassinate both Liu Kang and Shao Kahn, but eventually, the duo defeated Earthrealm's champions and triumphed over Raiden himself in a final battle. Their victory, however, would not be savored. Shang Tsung's lust for power and Quan Chi's suspicion finally came to light. The two fought, with Quan Chi emerging the victor, and immediately after that, Shang Tsung had to confront a revived Dragon King alongside the two enemies; in the battle that ensued, Tsung was killed by Raiden's self-sacrificial blast.
->His soul, still bound to Kahn, reached the not-so-dead Emperor. Kahn provided Tsung with a host body and then allied with him and Goro in taking his kingdom back. Sometime later, during the ''Armageddon'', the sorcerer formed an alliance with Onaga, Shao Kahn, and Quan Chi so that the group may prevent the Forces of Light from obtaining the power that Blaze possessed.
-> The events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' happen pretty much the same for Shang Tsung as in the previous games, with an exception: [[spoiler:nearing the end of the events of ''Mortal Kombat 3'', Outworld's general, Motaro, has been slain and Shao Kahn is running out of options. In a last-ditch effort to weaken Earthrealm's forces, he siphons Shang Tsung's life energy into Sindel and sends Sindel and a squad of Lin Kuei cyber-warriors to the Earthrealm base]].
-> Despite all of this, however, Shang Tsung returns in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' as a [=DLC=] character. Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa - his original actor from the first ''Mortal Kombat'' live-action movie and the second season of ''Mortal Kombat Legacy'' web series - reprises his role as the shapeshifting sorcerer. Also, he is one of the characters playing the pivotal role in the ''Aftermath'' expansion of the Story Mode.
----
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Shang Tsung has the dubious honor of being the single most disliked and distrusted character in the entire ''11'' roster, and perhaps the [[UpToEleven 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.
* AintTooProudToBeg: A very tame and downplayed example. He anxiously but calmly begs Shao Kahn for another chance in an ''11'' match intro, to which the Kahn responds to by [[JerkAss saying Shang sickens him.]]
* AllYourPowersCombined: ''Mortal Kombat 11'' allows him to transform into ''all the colored ninjas'' (except Tremor) in order to use one of their special abilities.
* AmbiguouslyHuman: We don't really know where Tsung came from initially, but his biography in ''Mortal Kombat 9'' confirms he is from Earthrealm. His ''Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition'' bio states his origin as "Earthrealm/Outworld."
* AmbitionIsEvil: Shang Tsung is heavily motivated to prove his worth to Shao Kahn as well as betraying him and seeking ultimate power ([[spoiler:which he succeeds in doing do]]).
* AmplifierArtifact: Somewhat. He wears a runestone around his neck that [[SoulJar houses all of the souls he's absorbed over the ages]] and is able to replenish his strength.
* ArchEnemy:
** He's this to Liu Kang [[spoiler: and to a lesser degree to Kung Lao in ''Deadly Alliance'']]; the one who corrupted the tournament in the first place, absorbed the soul of the Great Kung Lao, and is one of the most prominent enemies of Earthrealm. This intensifies when he ends up [[spoiler: killing Liu Kang, causing his zombie to become vengeful]].
** He also becomes a major nemesis to Kitana, both as the person who created Mileena, and because she is in love with Liu Kang. In ''11'', he even taunts her by revealing he killed Ermac ''just'' to rub having Jerrod's soul in her face.
* AnimalMotifs: Has a minor one for serpents, representing his intelligent, but untrustworthy nature. It also highlights his rivalry with Liu Kang (who has a dragon motif).
* TheAssimilator: Every soul he devours makes him that much stronger, and grants him their knowledge and skills. According to some banter in ''[=MK11=]'', Shang Tsung even gains special abilities related to the souls he takes (which is true, considering how his transformations allow him to use the other characters' movesets with no difference from the original):
-->'''Kabal:''' Stealing my soul won't make you [[SuperSpeed faster]].\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' Actually, that is ''precisely'' how it works.\\
'''Kabal:''' [[OhCrap ...Ah, shit.]]
* BadassBoast: Delivers one to Raiden in his gameplay trailer for ''11''.
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' I will torment you for eternity.\\
'''Raiden:''' [[BringIt Do your worst,]] Shang Tsung!\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' And now, a taste of things to come...
* BadassLongcoat: In the movie. Proved so badass that it was included as one of his alternate costumes in ''11''.
* BadassMustache: As of ''11'', he sports impressive Fu Manchu plus goatee combo for his older look.
* BadPowersBadPeople: PlayedWith. One would assume the ability to steal and manipulate souls for their own ends can only be evil, but Shang Tsung has demonstrated many positive uses for his abilities. Shang's soul-based magic can halt aging, heal people, [[SupportPartyMember greatly empower allies,]] ''resurrect the dead,'' and if his ''9'' ending is anything to go by, can be reversed from its inherently malevolent nature into a force of good. It's just Shang Tsung is so evil that any time he uses his abilities these ways, it's only for his own gain.
* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler:Should you choose his ending in the final battle Aftermath, Shang Tsung successfully defeats Kronika ''and'' Fire God Liu Kang to become the new Keeper of Time and shape reality to his liking, becoming an all-powerful dictator of the realms.]]
* BeardOfEvil: White in the first game, black in the other ones.
* BigBad:
** Of the first game, being the foreseer of the Mortal Kombat tournament and the most immediate threat to Earthrealm. However, the sequel reveals that Shao Kahn was TheManBehindTheMan.
** [[spoiler: Comes full circle in Aftermath, where he is the Big Bad once more. For bonus points, he's manipulated Shao Kahn into getting DemotedToDragon without him even realizing it.]]
** Acts this in ''Shaolin Monks'', manipulated Liu Kang and Kung Lao into various locations to fight and kill enemies so he can use the souls of those they kill to grow stronger. Shao Kahn is in the game but only appears at the end, so he is instead a GreaterScopeVillain.
* BigBadEnsemble: He forms this with Kronika in the Aftermath DLC storyline.
* BigBadWannabe: After the first game. He has ambitions to overthrow Shao Kahn, but never able to get anywhere with them until he forms the [[VillainTeamup Deadly Alliance]] with Quan Chi. This still leaves him as this trope since their alliance ends with Quan Chi pulling an EvilerThanThou on him, before Onaga pulled an EvilerThanThou on both of them. [[spoiler: Averted in Aftermath, where manages to become the BigBad for the first time since the original game.]]
** In the non canon Shaolin Monks, he is this compared to Shao Kahn. The plot of the game was set up by Shang Tsung luring Liu Kang and Kung Lao to fight and kill enemies so Shang Tsung could feed on the souls of those who died and gain the power to overthrow Shao Kahn. The end of the game shows that Shao Kahn was aware of Shang Tsung's plot the entire time and from the looks of things, Shang Tsung didn't have much chance of overthrowing him.
* TheBusCameBack: After his [[DroppedABridgeOnHim sudden death]] in ''9'', he returns as the host for the Krypt in ''11'', and later as a fully playable [[DownloadableContent DLC character]]. He also transitions his absence from the events of 11's story mode into a major role in the ''Aftermath'' story expansion.
* {{Catchphrase}}: He's the TropeNamer for YourSoulIsMine, and gets good mileage from the phrase.
* CastFromHitPoints: [[WordOfGod According to the official comic]], Shang's signature Flaming Skulls are in fact the lifeforce of deceased souls, which Shang Tsung depends upon to sustain himself.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: In fact, he is so untrustworthy that as soon as he was brought back to life via the time merger, Kronika sealed him in a temporal prison so that he couldn't be a potential SpannerInTheWorks. Even ''[[{{Jerkass}} Frost]]'' of all people calls him out on it.
-->'''Frost:''' Kronika's worried about your loyalty.\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' As if [[EnemyMine I would ally with Raiden...]]\\
'''Frost:''' You're capable of anything.
** An exchange with Geras confirms that Shang Tsung's untrustworthiness is truly a universal constant.
-->'''Geras:''' You scheme against Kronika.\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' Prove your slander, Geras.\\
'''Geras:''' In all previous timelines, you betrayed her.
** And of course, several lines from ''Aftermath'' trailer allude to this.
-->'''Fujin:''' I must ask, sorcerer: how long before you betray us?
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' I find your lack of faith amusing...
** This is such a well known trait of his that in ''Aftermath'', the first action that almost every single person he recruits to help against Kronika takes upon joining his team is to state how little they trust him. Fire God Liu Kang weaponizes this knowing full well that Shang Tsung would backstab everyone on his way to get the crown, lying to him by saying he has to stay with the Hourglass. After defeating Kronika, Liu Kang steps in at the last moment to take the crown from him. Liu Kang knows his arch-enemy far too well.
** Of course, this is only after Shang Tsung managed to backstab (in rapid succession, [[spoiler: Sheeva, Kitana, Raiden, Fujin, Shao Kahn,and Sindel. Even Kronika seemed stunned at the depths of his treachery.]]
-->'''Kronika:''' You have no one left to betray.
* CoDragons: With Goro to Shao Kahn.
* ColdHam: Thanks to Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's incredible delivery, Shang Tsung in ''[=MK11=]'' is an amazing ham while almost never raising his voice.
* CourtMage: Part of his job for Shao Kahn.
* CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption: It should be fairly obvious and justified, but anyone that fights Shang and loses [[YourSoulIsMine isn't leaving alive]] regardless of a fatality not being performed.
* CursedWithAwesome: When Shang Tsung committed the atrocity of taking a soul, he was cursed by the Elder Gods not only to kill his enemies but to take their souls as well. Only in this way would he hold off his grim fate: [[RapidAging to age rapidly and die prematurely]]. However, as a side effect of his consuming the souls of others, Tsung was able to access their memories and knowledge, a happenstance which would greatly benefit him in the future. [[spoiler:''11'' reveals that Kronika orchestrated this so she could use the Well of Souls he created as a back-up power source in case she needed it.]]
* ADayInTheLimelight: In ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MK vs. DCU]]'', he's the focus of the ''MK'' side's Chapter 6. The ''Aftermath'' story expansion for ''11'' also focuses on his return after his absence from story mode, with him as the final chapter.
* DeadpanSnarker: Of the very dry and downplayed kind. Compared to most of the other villains, Shang Tsung is rather humorless.
* DeathByIrony: Shang Tsung is notable for killing his foes by sucking out and then absorbing his souls. Nearing the climax ''Mortal Kombat 9'', Shao Kahn extracts his soul, killing Shang Tsung and transferring them to Sindel.
** [[spoiler:He does deliver a payback in ''Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath'' by killing Shao Kahn and Sindel and absorbing their souls]].
* DemonicPossession: In ''MKII'', he enters his opponent's body, which violently shakes until it explodes as Shang appears in the opponent's place. It inspires one of Liu Kang's ''Deception'' Fatalities, and in ''[=MK9=]'' it comes full-circle with it being based on Liu Kang's version instead of his own from ''MKII''.
* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: [[spoiler: His ''[=MK11=]'' ending has him become the new Master of Time after killing Kronika, and in doing so he gains power and influence among his newfound peers: [[EldritchAbomination the Titans]].]]
* DittoFighter: A trademark of the character which [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut varies from continuity to continuity]].
** In the original trilogy, Shang Tsung could transform into any member of the roster with the corresponding command, with bosses mostly being an exception. This allowed him to perform their specials, combos and Fatalities - he'd revert back to normal in ''[=MK2=]'' after doing one except in the case of characters with unique post-Fatality win poses like Kung Lao; this doesn't pop up in ''[=MK3=]''.
** In ''Deadly Alliance'' and ''Armageddon'', engine restrictions and the latter's large roster meant that he could not keep his shapeshifting.
** ''MK vs. DCU'' saw this return, but only as he transforms into his opponents for his win pose and one of his Fatalities. His Soul Steal move in ''[=MK9=]'' allows him to temporarily fight as his opponent if it lands, gaining a damage boost in the process; unlike the classic games, he cannot perform other Fatalities as he transforms after performing the match-ending blow. As a boss, he could willing transform into two other fighters in addition to the player's.
** In ''11'', he could transform into any of the male ninjas to perform a move of theirs. His specials are taken from Rain, Smoke, Reptile and Ermac while he transforms into Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Noob Saibot (funny enough, the three sole ninjas in the base roster) for his Fatal Blow. As was the case in ''9'', he can transform into his opponent with his Soul Steal move. While he still can't copy their Fatalities, he does gain access to all their Crushing Blows and Brutalities; much like the previous games, he stays transformed if he successfully wins a match with a Brutality, complete with copying his opponents' win poses.
* TheDogBitesBack: A downplayed example since Tsung would certainly have betrayed them anyway, [[spoiler: Tsung takes time out of his attack on Kronika to betray and murder both Shao Kahn and Sindel. Given former spent the last several eons treating him like garbage and the former used his soul as a power source in a previous game, Tsung seems even more giddy to torment them than usual. Which says a lot.]]
* DownloadableContent: The second character in ''11'' after [[BigBad Shao Kahn]].
* TheDragon: To Shao Kahn. While he may have been the Big Bad of the first game he’s actually Shao Kahn’s right-hand man and to that end in both ''II'' and ''9'' you always fight Shang Tsung before you go onto the final bosses as the last regular opponent.
* DragonWithAnAgenda: In spite of the above, Shang Tsung has his own ambitions to fulfil and is not above trying to usurp or kill Shao Kahn if it means furthering his goals. He joins forces with Quan Chi, another DragonWithAnAgenda at some point with Quan Chi being the more authoritative figure. Again, Shang makes no pretence of taking out Quan Chi regarding his personal objectives.
* DressingAsTheEnemy:
** Inverted. He disguised himself as Kung Lao in order to get the drop on Liu Kang in ''Deadly Alliance''.
** In ''Aftermath'', he appears as Raiden to get Fujin to give him Kronika's crown.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: His death in ''9'' is rather sudden and no mention is made of him afterwards.]]
* EnemyMine: In ''Aftermath'', he invokes this to position himself as an ally to Liu Kang, Raiden, and the other heroic characters against Kronika. [[spoiler:Inevitably, he goes on to betray the heroes and side with Shao Kahn and Sindel before backstabbing and killing them as well]].
* EnergyAbsorption: In later games, he can absorb part of his opponent's soul during a fight to restore his health.
* EverythingsBetterWithRainbows: His Friendship in ''MKII''.
* EvilMentor: To Goro, the Shokan prince. To the point that he ''misses him the most'' in ''11''.
* EvilOldFolks: As his old form, he definitely qualifies given he was the original final boss.
* EvilSmellsBad: He has a particular odor that Baraka can exploit to instantly detect him through his shapeshifting.
* EvilSoundsDeep: In the movie and in ''[=MK11=]'', courtesy of Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa - who brings his smooth, rich baritone to the role. After almost ''25 years'', this Evil sounds ''[[StillGotIt even deeper.]]''
* FantasyGunControl: Subverted. In ''9'', he was very interested in modern weaponry and bought rocket launchers and shotguns from Kano.
-->''"Well done. You might tell your fellow Black Dragon that I'm very interested in your merchandise."''
* FauxAffablyEvil: His politeness is ''never'' genuine when he's in Kombat.
-->'''Jade:''' You cloned Kitana, you despicable fiend!\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' Would you like a sister too, Jade?\\
'''Jade:''' I would like to end your life.
** However, during his reveal in [=MK11=]'s Krypt, he does sport Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's trademark polite behaviour and charm... ''which still makes him legitimately creepy.'' The following words are not helping, either:
--->'''Shang Tsung:''' Take what you want... ''[[ImpliedDeathThreat within reason]].''
** Also, this moment from the Krypt:
--->'''Shang Tsung:''' Behold [[KilledOffForReal the final resting place]] of Kenshi Takahashi. Valiant and brave, he was an excellent warrior. Which made [[YourSoulIsMine feeding on his soul]] most enjoyable...
* FinalBoss: The elderly Shang Tsung is the last opponent a kombatant faces in the premiere game's ladder, and can shapeshift into any of the player characters plus Goro, though he also has a powerful flaming skull attack (complete with screams) when in his true form.
** [[spoiler:He eventually becomes the very last opponent to fight against in the ''Aftermath'' expansion of Mortal Kombat 11. That is if you choose to side with Liu Kang.
* FlamingSkulls: He uses them as projectiles in some games.
* {{Foil}}: As Liu Kang's nemesis, they naturally mirror each other in a few ways.
** Tsung himself used to be Mortal Kombat Champion before the Great Kung Lao defeated him, and operates as Shao Kahn's champion compared to Liu Kang who is Raiden's.
** Shang Tsung is doomed to prolong his life through souls, compared to Liu Kang's agelessness as Mortal Kombat Champion... although [[CursedWithAwesome taking souls doesn't make Shang any weaker]].
* ForScience: His stated reason for his horrific experiments.
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' If your arms are cut off, will they grow back?\\
'''Kollector:''' I am not one of your experiments, sorcerer.\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' Come, Kollector. It's for science.
* GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger: As an homage to the first movie, Shang does this ''[[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou to the player]]'' in ''11'', complete with his iconic line.
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' ''{{Your soul is mine}}!''
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: In some of his incarnations.
* AGodAmI: [[spoiler:After killing Kronika, Shang Tsung wastes no time in waxing how powerful he has become. Still, he did manage to kills Titan and was wearing her crown]].
* GodhoodSeeker: [[spoiler:This is his primary motive for wanting Kronika's Hourglass and Crown.]]
* 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.
* GrievousHarmWithABody: One of his new moves in ''11'' involves summoning a mutilated corpse to fall on his opponent. Enhancing the move causes the corpse to [[PopGoesTheHuman explode]].
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: One of his fatalities from ''2'', in which he morphs into Kintaro and punches the upper half of the opponent's body clear across the stage.
* HazyFeelTurn: The most likely interpretation of his Ladder ending in ''9'', in which [[spoiler:Bo' Rai Cho trains him to help defeat a power-mad and newly-deified Liu Kang]].
** [[spoiler: This also seems the be the case for his return in ''Aftermath'', as he potentially stands to gain from aiding Fire God Liu Kang in retrieving Kronika's crown.]]
* HiddenAgendaVillain: Shang Tsung arrives to Fire God Liu Kang and Raiden's presence to allow for an alliance to retrieve Kronika's Crown so that the timeline could be merged proper. [[spoiler:In reality, he seeks to acquire the crown and Kronika's Hourglass so that [[AGodAmI he could become a god-like]] MultiversalConquerer. Something that Liu Kang saw coming from the very beginning]].
* IHaveYourWife:
** He forced Sonya to participate in the first tournament by taking her unit hostage (in the new timeline, this was altered to be just Jax).
** Ironically, he forced Jax and the other Earthrealm heroes to fight in the second tournament by capturing Sonya.
** He will occasionally use the souls he's captured as leverage to comply with their loved ones to do his bidding. In ''11'', he specifically tries to force Jade's service by revealing he's taken (or plans to take) her parents' souls.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice:
** In ''[=MK3=]'', Tsung can summon a bed of nails onto which he slams his dazed opponent as a finisher.
** [[HoistByHisOwnPetard He meets his demise this way in the movie.]]
* {{Immortality}}: Strongly implied. Several endings in Mortal Kombat X anticipate his return, and an interaction between him and Raiden has him asking the god if he's surprised to see him. Raiden is only surprised that it took long.
* InkSuitActor: His appearance in ''Mortal Kombat 11'' is literally that of Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa - his reprising actor from the first live-action movie and the second season of ''Legacy''.
* IWasQuiteTheLooker:
** Compare [[http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110912181333/mk/images/b/bf/Shang_tsung_render_1000px.png his elder form]] to when [[http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxz8z0zPlv1r5gqil.jpg his youth is restored.]]
** His appearance in ''Mortal Kombat 11'' for most of his costumes, as one of his match intros has him morph from his elderly self into a far younger form roughly around Liu Kang's age. As a bonus, he's modeled after his appearance from [[Film/MortalKombat the movie]].
* KillTheGod: [[spoiler:Shang Tsung kills Kronika in order the usurp the throne. He even gets to kill and absorb the soul of Fire God Liu Kang in the bad ending.]]
* KungFuWizard: While a sorcerer, he does plenty of fighting with his bare hands as well. Emphasized in ''11'' where a good chunk of his moves involve using either magic scrolls or magical lava.
* LargeHam: Especially in the first movie.
--> (''to [[MultiArmedAndDangerous Goro]], after he gets [[GroinAttack punched in the goolies]] by [[FakeUltimateHero Johnny Cage]]'') ''"You '''IMBECILE'''! Follow him! {{FINISH HIM}}!"''
** There's also his behavior in ''[=MK9=]'''s story mode, especially after [[spoiler:he has his youth restored]].
** [[spoiler: The moment he puts on Kronika's crown in the final chapter of ''Aftermath'', he effectively steals the soul of every single scene thereafter.]]
* LifeDrain: His soul-based moves in ''11'' give a small bit of health back to him each use.
* ManipulativeBastard: One of his specialities. He once tricked Kenshi into leading him right to the souls of his warrior ancestors by posing as a harmless old man, posed as friends of Earth warriors in order to attack them from behind, lied about the terms of at least one tournament in order to further his agenda, and is generally an all-round untrustworthy bastard.
* MirrorMatch: Whether through shapeshifting powers or flesh pit cloning, he is usually considered to be ''the only reason'' for this whenever the characters meet their exact duplicates. As of ''11'', ''Shang himself'' gets this exchange:
-->'''Shang Tsung 1:''' [[MythologyGag Shang Lao]], I presume? [[note]]Shang Lao was what Shang Tsung was originally going to be named; presumably in-universe due to Kronika's manipulations there was a previous version of Tsung who had this identity [[/note]]
-->'''Shang Tsung 2:''' You presume correctly, brother.
-->'''Shang Tsung 1:''' When you die, you will be forgotten.
* MonochromaticEyes: [[ProphetEyes White]] in the original (and ''9''), green in ''3''.
* MonsterClown: One of his ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' Fatalities has him turn into one and execute his opponent with a gun, which doubles as a TakeThat to ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MK vs. DCU]]''[='s=] censorship of ComicBook/TheJoker's fatality.
* MoreDakka: When he was the final boss in the first game, he could unleash up to 6 fireballs that each hit as hard as a roundhouse kick. In VideoGame/MortalKombat2 when he was made a playable character, the damage was reduced and the number of fireballs got toned down to 4 and then 3 in later updates. In VideoGame/MortalKombat3, he was given a multiple fireball move from the ground that could combo with his regular fireballs for plenty of hits. And all this took place when every other character could only shoot one projectile at a time.
* MugglesDoItBetter: Despite being an EvilSorcerer, Shang Tsung is shown to be quite fascinated by modern Earthrealm technology (particularly in the field of weaponry).
** In ''9'', Shang Tsung hires the Black Dragon clan to provide Outworld's supernatural armies [[FantasyGunControl with conventional military equipment]], and one scene even shows him and Kano casually testing [=RPGs=] in the Living Forest.
** In ''11'', Shang Tsung goes as far as to muse that "Perhaps technology ''is'' superior to magic" upon encountering Franchise/TheTerminator.
--->'''Shang Tsung:''' You feel no pity or remorse?\\
'''Terminator:''' I cannot feel human emotion.\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' [[AdmiringTheAbomination Perfect...]]
* MultiversalConqueror: [[spoiler:Alongside wanting to become a god who rivals the Titans in might, Shang Tsung's end goal is also to have a firm grip in invading and taking over the many realms of the Mortal Kombat Universe, as can be attested to the ''[[DownerEnding bad ending]]'' of ''Aftermath''.]]
* NakedOnRevival: [[spoiler:In Ermac's ending in ''X'', Shang Tsung is completely nude as he drains Ermac of all his souls. The cameras don't show anything below his waist, naturally.]]
* NeckSnap: In ''Deadly Alliance'', he delivers one to [[spoiler:Liu Kang]], killing him for good. This comes back in the Battle of Armageddon, where [[spoiler:Undead!Liu Kang]] necksnaps him.
* NightmareFace: Showcased in ''Aftermath''. [[spoiler: In the Netherrealm, when Revenant Nightwolf loses the fight against his living counterpart, Shang Tsung is quick enough to begin consuming the undead warrior's soul... ''sporting nightmarish rotting face on top of that''. Thankfully, Tsung gets rejuvenated back to his old self.]]
* NoCampaignForTheWicked: He has no playable sections in the story mode for ''Mortal Kombat 9''. Then [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] hard when Shang Tsung has a chapter all to his own in the ''Aftermath'' campaign of ''Mortal Kombat 11''.
* NonActionBigBad: A relative example. While he is capable of fighting, he's more reliant on his souls and manipulation when dealing with others. In the movie, he even consciously avoids fighting Liu Kang until the last possible moment. Compared to his battle with Reptile, Liu Kang quickly shows that he is Shang Tsung's superior in combat.
* OffWithHisHead: In ''9'', he possesses his opponent then uses their own hand to rip off their head as his Fatality.
* OhCrap: In the intro to ''Armageddon'', he gets to face the revived zombie of [[spoiler: Liu Kang]], who promptly snaps his neck back into place after Tsung personally performed a NeckSnap on him. Tsung ''flinches'' at this, all too aware of the irony and danger he was in at that point.
* OldMaster: ''[[OlderThanTheyLook Way]]'' old.
* OnlySaneMan: In the ''vs. [=DC=] Universe'' crossover, he has apparently the strongest self-control of all characters from both worlds, as he never gives up to the Rage [[spoiler:until Dark Khan reveals himself and makes Rage take everybody.]] But even after ''that'', he managed to bring himself back to normal, while Raiden was still under Dark Kahn's influence. It's also worth noting that he agrees with a Rage-stricken Raiden that while Shang Tsung himself might have taken the time to betray him right there and then, EvilVersusOblivion means that he genuinely wants to defeat Dark Kahn.
* PetTheDog: Zig-Zagged in ''Aftermath''. When Shang Tsung travels to his abandoned island, he discovers that his minions have hung themselves, unable to cope with is previous [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/MortalKombat9/ death]]. Tsung is genuinely touched by this devotion. However, he's largely touched by their fanaticism to him and not necessarily the minions themselves.
* PlayingWithFire: Summons skulls on fire as projectiles.
* PowerFloats: He's floating off the floor of Goro's Lair in the fight against him in the original game, making him impervious to sweeping attacks until he shapeshifts. He also uses this in ''Mortal Kombat 9'', but not in battle.
* ThePunishment: This is what the Elder Gods call his soul-sucking ability. Admittedly, it's required to keep him sustained, but he can do much more with it than that - and he's definitely ''not'' objecting.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: [[spoiler:And he is capable of slowing down the aging process of anyone, as stated by Erron Black's Arcade ending in ''MKX''.]]
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: He wears a black kimono shirt under a crimson robe in ''9''.
* ScaledUp: He could turn into a cobra to finish his opponents as an Animality in ''[=MK3=]''.
* SealedEvilInACan: Even though the timequake in ''11'' brings him back, he's put into a temporal prison offscreen by Kronika to prevent his inevitable betrayal. [[spoiler: Her death at the hands of Fire God Liu Kang is what releases him and sets off the events of ''Aftermath''.]]
* SeriousBusiness: Implied in ''[=MK11=]''. Even though Shang Tsung personally welcomes the nameless traveller who came to the Krypt (with an obvious intention to rob the place), he gives said traveller a subtle warning (see FauxAffablyEvil above). Considering the fact that the Krypt is located on ''Shang Tsung's private island''...
** Becoming [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 a source of power]] for Sindel ''yet again'' is not a good course of action for Shang Tsung. [[ProperlyParanoid And he doesn't need a reminder.]]
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' I've heard rumors.
-->'''Sindel:''' Tales of me "acquiring" your power?
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' Obviously, such stories concern me.
-->'''Shao Kahn:''' Come, Sindel awaits.
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' Why, so you can transfer her my power?
-->'''Shao Kahn:''' Where would you get that idea?
* ShadowDictator: Shang Tsung fashions himself as one of these. It's implied that he prefers to [[TheChessmaster subtly influence all sides of conflict]] from the shadows while his pawns and enemies destroy each other on his behalf. [[spoiler:''Especially if said pawns are Titans themselves''.]]
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' I have use for you, D'Vorah.\\
'''D'Vorah:''' You lead no faction, Shang Tsung.\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' Why lead one when I can influence all?
** His intro with Jade also applies:
---> '''Shang Tsung:''' An invisible hand must guide Outworld.\\
'''Jade:''' ''Your'' hand, Shang Tsung?\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' Such it has always been, princess.
* ShapeShifter: His signature move is the ability to turn into other characters.
* ShapeShifterGuiltTrip: In the movie.
* ShapeshifterModeLock: [[spoiler:Intro dialogue to most of the mirror matches in ''MKX'' imply that he came back like this.]]
* ShapeShifterSwanSong: His demise in the first game.
* ShipperOnDeck: According to [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX Kano's mirror match intro]], Shang Tsung is this to Kano and ''Mileena'', if making multiple Kanos can translate to anything.
* ASinisterClue: Given his weapon style in later games, Shang would appear to be a lefty.
* SmugSnake: He just couldn't bare a minute without evil smirk.
* TheSociopath: Shang Tsung appears very polite and approachable towards allies and foes alike, [[FauxAffablyEvil an artificial mindset which is never inherently sincere]]. He is also very fixated on his goals and his desires, not giving a damn about anyone and is more than welcome to be mocking and sadistic when it comes to killing and absorbing those. His parasital characteristics come to a head when he attacks Kronika's keep, [[spoiler:betraying everyone he comes across without a shred of remorse and his trait of boasting and caring only for himself becomes more pronounced after killing Kronika and developing a [[AGodAmI God-Complex]]]].
* SoftSpokenSadist: Compared to the bombast and boisterousness many of the portrayals in ''[=MK11=]'' deliver, Shang Tsung is notably this, almost never raising his tone and delivering threats in Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's trademark smooth baritone.
* SorcerousOverlord: Is this in the first game and the first third of ''[=MK9=]'', since he personally hijacked the Mortal Kombat tournament and disgraced it.
* StalkerWithACrush: ''11'' adapts his movie version's creepy crush on Sonya Blade, and hints that he might be similarly interested in Cassie as well.
-->'''Cassie Cage:''' Another "friend" of my parents...\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' I have always been ''so'' fond of your mother.\\
'''Cassie Cage:''' Do you ''practice'' being creepy?
* StanceSystem:
** In ''Deadly Alliance'', he has Snake and Crane as unarmed styles and Straight Sword as weapon style.
** In ''Deception'', he swaps Crane with Mantis.
** In ''Armageddon'', he has Snake as unarmed style, while keeping the weapon stance.
* TheStarscream: The degree varies with the adaptation, but he's always just a little too ambitious to be a good NumberTwo. With the exception of ''9'', his ending in every game amounts to him overthrowing his current boss and taking over, and the only reason he fails there is because he's killed before he gets the chance.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Most noticeable in ''11'': Shang Tsung can morph into ''Reptile'', ''Ermac'', ''Smoke'' and ''Rain'' to use their special moves during the fight - and into ''Sub-Zero'', ''Scorpion'' and ''Noob Saibot'' for his Fatal Blow. This trait practically makes him a substitute for Chameleon, with his third competitive variation having a unique ability which grants him all of the ninja abilities at the cost of being able to mix and match them with his other options.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: In his younger form.
* TeleFrag: One of his fatalities in ''[=MK11=]'' involves opening a summoning portal inside his opponent, from which ''Kintaro'' will burst out from.
* TookALevelInKindness: A very minor example in the Krypt section of [=MK11=]. He's surprisingly polite to the player, basically inviting them to help themselves to whatever treasure they find as long as they don't get greedy. He even mourns [[spoiler:Goro]] in his own way.
* TournamentArc: He ''really likes'' these, to the point that, in ''[=MKvDCU=]'', when he encounters Captain Marvel in the Netherrealm, he has his allies face off against Marvel one at a time, announcing results between rounds as if it were Arcade Mode ("Captain Marvel wins!").
** In ''11'', Shang even brags to Nightwolf that he was able to finish Nightwolf's ancestor with FlawlessVictory.
* TreacherousAdvisor: He serves as this to Shao Kahn, acting as his NumberTwo while having his own designs. This culminates in him betraying Shao Kahn to form the Deadly Alliance with Quan Chi in the original timeline.
* UnlimitedWardrobe: There's no better example in this franchise. Shang Tsung's "main" appearance has changed considerably from game to game, except in ''Armageddon'', which reutilized his ''Deadly Alliance'' model.
* VillainDecay: While all the villains suffered from this in the new timeline, Shang Tsung got it the worst. Most of his roles were given to Quan Chi, reducing Shang Tsung to another henchman, one who loses every single fight he takes part in. He can't even win a fight with Kung Lao with Quan Chi's help. [[spoiler: This ends when he returns in ''Aftermath'' and becomes the new BigBad.]]
* VillainousCrush: His pre-fight banter with several characters demonstrates that Shang Tsung has an incredibly strong perverse interest in Sonya Blade. [[AbhorrentAdmirer Which she is NOT enthused about.]]
* VillainProtagonist: Is effectively the main character of ''Aftermath'', being the one who drives almost the entire plot and the focus of most characters' attention. Despite allying himself with the heroes and helping them save the world from Kronika, it's openly stated that zero characters trust him, and will kill him at the slightest sign of betrayal.
* VillainWorld:
** His ladder ending in ''11'' sees him make one out of the entire universe after claiming Kronika's powers [[spoiler:and manipulating the other Titans.]]
** [[spoiler:In the evil ending of ''Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath'', Shang Tsung uses the hourglass to set himself up as a MultiversalConquerer and [[GodIsEvil sole apparent elder god of the cosmos]], with corrupted versions of Raiden and Fujin as his CoDragons.]]
* WalkingShirtlessScene: After his rejuvenation.
* WhatTheHellHero: For the atrocity of stealing a soul, Shang Tsung was condemned to... ''do it over and over again'', with the punishment of aging and dying prematurely if he relents. Just to twist the knife, Shang ''doesn't give a crap'' about the souls he takes - ''and'' it actually makes him more and more powerful! It's like condemning a murderer to life as a SerialKiller, while the murderer [[ForTheEvulz enjoys killing]] and giving him no incentive (or ability) to repent of his crimes. The 11th game does provide an explanation, however: [[spoiler:Kronika engineered the situation in the event she ever needed the power provided by absorbing souls for her works]].
* YellowPeril: In the original game, though it's balanced by the fact that the main protagonist is also Chinese.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Some of Tsung's dialogue with Shao Kahn lampshades the fact that Kahn turned against Shang Tsung the ''instant'' he failed, despite over a millennium of capable service.
-->'''Shao Kahn:''' You've failed me too often, sorcerer...\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' Over a millennium, I've failed you ''twice.''\\
'''Shao Kahn:''' THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE!
* YoungerThanTheyLook: According to WordOfGod, he was biologically nineteen years old in ''MKII''. [[http://mortalkombat.fandom.com/wiki/File:Shang_Tsungend2.gif He doesn't exactly look like it.]]
* YourSoulIsMine: The TropeNamer. As expected of him, Shang Tsung has the power to suck out and devour the souls of his enemies to extend his own lifespan [[TheAssimilator and grant him the skills of his opponents]]. During gameplay, by sucking a portion of his opponent's soul, this would grant him a temporary change to his opponent's playstyle and abilities.
** In ''9'', [[spoiler: this ironically happens ''to him''. After Motaro's death, Shao Kahn chooses to use Shang Tsung to [[SuperEmpowering empower]] Sindel, fueling the massacre of the heroes]].
** One of his victory poses in ''11'' has him recreate the iconic shot from the movie after stealing his opponent's soul, complete with quoting the trope verbatim.
** [[spoiler:Taken to extreme in ''Aftermath''. Quite a lot of characters get their souls siphoned out of them by Shang Tsung... not even ''Shao Kahn'' or '''''Kronika''''' are safe!]]
!Shang Tsung
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shangtsung.png]]
-->[[caption-width-right:350:''"{{Your soul is mine}}!"'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see his older self]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shangtsungold.png]][[/labelnote]]
-> '''Debut game''': ''Mortal Kombat'' (Ho Sung Pak, Eric Kincaid)[[labelnote:note]]The latter was revealed to be the original actor for Shang Tsung, as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKgu4wGKSkw in this video]]. Kincaid was left uncredited for the role, and Ho Sung Pak was actually TheOtherDarrin for him.[[/labelnote]]
-> '''Other appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat II'' (Phillip Ahn, M.D.), ''Mortal Kombat 3'' (John Turk), ''Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero'' (Richard Divizio), ''Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'', ''Mortal Kombat: Deception'' (cameo), ''Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks'', ''Mortal Kombat: Armageddon'', ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'' (James Kyson-Lee), ''Mortal Kombat 9'' (Andrew Kishino, Richard Epcar [[labelnote:note]]"Bang Bang!" Fatality only, reused audio from The Joker's "The Killing Joke" Fatality from ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe''[[/labelnote]]), ''Mortal Kombat 11'' (DLC) (Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa, English; Galo Balcázar, Latin American Spanish)
-> '''Non-game appearances''': ''Mortal Kombat: The Movie'' (Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa), ''Mortal Kombat: Conquest'' (Bruce Locke), ''Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm'' (Neil Ross), ''Mortal Kombat: Rebirth'' (James Lew), ''Mortal Kombat: Legacy'' (Johnson Phan in the first season, Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa in the second), ''Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge'' (Artt Butler)
->A powerful and deadly sorcerer and a primary villain in the ''Mortal Kombat'' series, Shang Tsung is a demonic shapeshifter who needs to consume souls in order to sustain his health and life. Throughout his unnatural lifespan, he has achieved an intellectual and mental sophistication far greater than that of any other baddie of the series.
->Several centuries before the start of the series, a young and promising Tsung was taken to Outworld and trained by the Emperor in the Black Arts. For a time, Shang Tsung would be the Grand Champion of Mortal Kombat himself, but when he lost his title to the legendary Shaolin warrior, the Great Kung Lao, he had to wait several years for his greatest student, the Shokan prince Goro, to restore once more Outworld's domination of the Mortal Kombat Tournament. This time Tsung, now aged and weakened, secured his domain on the Tournament, by becoming its sole Grandmaster and holding future competitions on his private island, a zone in between Earth and the Outworld.
->During the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament, the final victory that would enable Shao Kahn to conquer Earth, Liu Kang, a Shaolin Monk, defeated Goro, breaking the streak. Liu Kang then challenged Shang Tsung in Kombat to restore the honour of the once-sacred tournament; Liu Kang prevailed, and Shang Tsung fled to Outworld. He confronted an enraged Shao Kahn and convinced him that, if they challenged Earthrealm to Mortal Kombat in Outworld, they would have to accept or forfeit. Kahn agreed to this plan, and restored Tsung's youth. Despite this, in the Tournament the sorcerer lost again to Liu Kang, who also defeated Kahn. Shortly after, with the aid of his cult of Shadow Priests, Shang Tsung managed to revive Shao Kahn's former queen, Sindel, on Earth, giving Kahn and his forces a way to invade the Realm. Tsung was granted more power than ever before, but during the invasion that followed he lost to Liu Kang once more.
-> Sometime after the merge of the two Realms failed, the fellow sorcerer Quan Chi come to Shang Tsung with an offer: if Tsung helped him revive the lost army of the Dragon King by means of his ability to transplant souls, he would open a "Soulnado" to the Heavens, giving him an endless supply of souls. Tsung accepted, and they formed the [[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly]] [[TitleDrop Alliance]]. Together, the sorcerers not only managed to assassinate both Liu Kang and Shao Kahn, but eventually, the duo defeated Earthrealm's champions and triumphed over Raiden himself in a final battle. Their victory, however, would not be savored. Shang Tsung's lust for power and Quan Chi's suspicion finally came to light. The two fought, with Quan Chi emerging the victor, and immediately after that, Shang Tsung had to confront a revived Dragon King alongside the two enemies; in the battle that ensued, Tsung was killed by Raiden's self-sacrificial blast.
->His soul, still bound to Kahn, reached the not-so-dead Emperor. Kahn provided Tsung with a host body and then allied with him and Goro in taking his kingdom back. Sometime later, during the ''Armageddon'', the sorcerer formed an alliance with Onaga, Shao Kahn, and Quan Chi so that the group may prevent the Forces of Light from obtaining the power that Blaze possessed.
-> The events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' happen pretty much the same for Shang Tsung as in the previous games, with an exception: [[spoiler:nearing the end of the events of ''Mortal Kombat 3'', Outworld's general, Motaro, has been slain and Shao Kahn is running out of options. In a last-ditch effort to weaken Earthrealm's forces, he siphons Shang Tsung's life energy into Sindel and sends Sindel and a squad of Lin Kuei cyber-warriors to the Earthrealm base]].
-> Despite all of this, however, Shang Tsung returns in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' as a [=DLC=] character. Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa - his original actor from the first ''Mortal Kombat'' live-action movie and the second season of ''Mortal Kombat Legacy'' web series - reprises his role as the shapeshifting sorcerer. Also, he is one of the characters playing the pivotal role in the ''Aftermath'' expansion of the Story Mode.
----
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Shang Tsung has the dubious honor of being the single most disliked and distrusted character in the entire ''11'' roster, and perhaps the [[UpToEleven 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.
* AintTooProudToBeg: A very tame and downplayed example. He anxiously but calmly begs Shao Kahn for another chance in an ''11'' match intro, to which the Kahn responds to by [[JerkAss saying Shang sickens him.]]
* AllYourPowersCombined: ''Mortal Kombat 11'' allows him to transform into ''all the colored ninjas'' (except Tremor) in order to use one of their special abilities.
* AmbiguouslyHuman: We don't really know where Tsung came from initially, but his biography in ''Mortal Kombat 9'' confirms he is from Earthrealm. His ''Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition'' bio states his origin as "Earthrealm/Outworld."
* AmbitionIsEvil: Shang Tsung is heavily motivated to prove his worth to Shao Kahn as well as betraying him and seeking ultimate power ([[spoiler:which he succeeds in doing do]]).
* AmplifierArtifact: Somewhat. He wears a runestone around his neck that [[SoulJar houses all of the souls he's absorbed over the ages]] and is able to replenish his strength.
* ArchEnemy:
** He's this to Liu Kang [[spoiler: and to a lesser degree to Kung Lao in ''Deadly Alliance'']]; the one who corrupted the tournament in the first place, absorbed the soul of the Great Kung Lao, and is one of the most prominent enemies of Earthrealm. This intensifies when he ends up [[spoiler: killing Liu Kang, causing his zombie to become vengeful]].
** He also becomes a major nemesis to Kitana, both as the person who created Mileena, and because she is in love with Liu Kang. In ''11'', he even taunts her by revealing he killed Ermac ''just'' to rub having Jerrod's soul in her face.
* AnimalMotifs: Has a minor one for serpents, representing his intelligent, but untrustworthy nature. It also highlights his rivalry with Liu Kang (who has a dragon motif).
* TheAssimilator: Every soul he devours makes him that much stronger, and grants him their knowledge and skills. According to some banter in ''[=MK11=]'', Shang Tsung even gains special abilities related to the souls he takes (which is true, considering how his transformations allow him to use the other characters' movesets with no difference from the original):
-->'''Kabal:''' Stealing my soul won't make you [[SuperSpeed faster]].\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' Actually, that is ''precisely'' how it works.\\
'''Kabal:''' [[OhCrap ...Ah, shit.]]
* BadassBoast: Delivers one to Raiden in his gameplay trailer for ''11''.
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' I will torment you for eternity.\\
'''Raiden:''' [[BringIt Do your worst,]] Shang Tsung!\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' And now, a taste of things to come...
* BadassLongcoat: In the movie. Proved so badass that it was included as one of his alternate costumes in ''11''.
* BadassMustache: As of ''11'', he sports impressive Fu Manchu plus goatee combo for his older look.
* BadPowersBadPeople: PlayedWith. One would assume the ability to steal and manipulate souls for their own ends can only be evil, but Shang Tsung has demonstrated many positive uses for his abilities. Shang's soul-based magic can halt aging, heal people, [[SupportPartyMember greatly empower allies,]] ''resurrect the dead,'' and if his ''9'' ending is anything to go by, can be reversed from its inherently malevolent nature into a force of good. It's just Shang Tsung is so evil that any time he uses his abilities these ways, it's only for his own gain.
* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler:Should you choose his ending in the final battle Aftermath, Shang Tsung successfully defeats Kronika ''and'' Fire God Liu Kang to become the new Keeper of Time and shape reality to his liking, becoming an all-powerful dictator of the realms.]]
* BeardOfEvil: White in the first game, black in the other ones.
* BigBad:
** Of the first game, being the foreseer of the Mortal Kombat tournament and the most immediate threat to Earthrealm. However, the sequel reveals that Shao Kahn was TheManBehindTheMan.
** [[spoiler: Comes full circle in Aftermath, where he is the Big Bad once more. For bonus points, he's manipulated Shao Kahn into getting DemotedToDragon without him even realizing it.]]
** Acts this in ''Shaolin Monks'', manipulated Liu Kang and Kung Lao into various locations to fight and kill enemies so he can use the souls of those they kill to grow stronger. Shao Kahn is in the game but only appears at the end, so he is instead a GreaterScopeVillain.
* BigBadEnsemble: He forms this with Kronika in the Aftermath DLC storyline.
* BigBadWannabe: After the first game. He has ambitions to overthrow Shao Kahn, but never able to get anywhere with them until he forms the [[VillainTeamup Deadly Alliance]] with Quan Chi. This still leaves him as this trope since their alliance ends with Quan Chi pulling an EvilerThanThou on him, before Onaga pulled an EvilerThanThou on both of them. [[spoiler: Averted in Aftermath, where manages to become the BigBad for the first time since the original game.]]
** In the non canon Shaolin Monks, he is this compared to Shao Kahn. The plot of the game was set up by Shang Tsung luring Liu Kang and Kung Lao to fight and kill enemies so Shang Tsung could feed on the souls of those who died and gain the power to overthrow Shao Kahn. The end of the game shows that Shao Kahn was aware of Shang Tsung's plot the entire time and from the looks of things, Shang Tsung didn't have much chance of overthrowing him.
* TheBusCameBack: After his [[DroppedABridgeOnHim sudden death]] in ''9'', he returns as the host for the Krypt in ''11'', and later as a fully playable [[DownloadableContent DLC character]]. He also transitions his absence from the events of 11's story mode into a major role in the ''Aftermath'' story expansion.
* {{Catchphrase}}: He's the TropeNamer for YourSoulIsMine, and gets good mileage from the phrase.
* CastFromHitPoints: [[WordOfGod According to the official comic]], Shang's signature Flaming Skulls are in fact the lifeforce of deceased souls, which Shang Tsung depends upon to sustain himself.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: In fact, he is so untrustworthy that as soon as he was brought back to life via the time merger, Kronika sealed him in a temporal prison so that he couldn't be a potential SpannerInTheWorks. Even ''[[{{Jerkass}} Frost]]'' of all people calls him out on it.
-->'''Frost:''' Kronika's worried about your loyalty.\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' As if [[EnemyMine I would ally with Raiden...]]\\
'''Frost:''' You're capable of anything.
** An exchange with Geras confirms that Shang Tsung's untrustworthiness is truly a universal constant.
-->'''Geras:''' You scheme against Kronika.\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' Prove your slander, Geras.\\
'''Geras:''' In all previous timelines, you betrayed her.
** And of course, several lines from ''Aftermath'' trailer allude to this.
-->'''Fujin:''' I must ask, sorcerer: how long before you betray us?
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' I find your lack of faith amusing...
** This is such a well known trait of his that in ''Aftermath'', the first action that almost every single person he recruits to help against Kronika takes upon joining his team is to state how little they trust him. Fire God Liu Kang weaponizes this knowing full well that Shang Tsung would backstab everyone on his way to get the crown, lying to him by saying he has to stay with the Hourglass. After defeating Kronika, Liu Kang steps in at the last moment to take the crown from him. Liu Kang knows his arch-enemy far too well.
** Of course, this is only after Shang Tsung managed to backstab (in rapid succession, [[spoiler: Sheeva, Kitana, Raiden, Fujin, Shao Kahn,and Sindel. Even Kronika seemed stunned at the depths of his treachery.]]
-->'''Kronika:''' You have no one left to betray.
* CoDragons: With Goro to Shao Kahn.
* ColdHam: Thanks to Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's incredible delivery, Shang Tsung in ''[=MK11=]'' is an amazing ham while almost never raising his voice.
* CourtMage: Part of his job for Shao Kahn.
* CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption: It should be fairly obvious and justified, but anyone that fights Shang and loses [[YourSoulIsMine isn't leaving alive]] regardless of a fatality not being performed.
* CursedWithAwesome: When Shang Tsung committed the atrocity of taking a soul, he was cursed by the Elder Gods not only to kill his enemies but to take their souls as well. Only in this way would he hold off his grim fate: [[RapidAging to age rapidly and die prematurely]]. However, as a side effect of his consuming the souls of others, Tsung was able to access their memories and knowledge, a happenstance which would greatly benefit him in the future. [[spoiler:''11'' reveals that Kronika orchestrated this so she could use the Well of Souls he created as a back-up power source in case she needed it.]]
* ADayInTheLimelight: In ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MK vs. DCU]]'', he's the focus of the ''MK'' side's Chapter 6. The ''Aftermath'' story expansion for ''11'' also focuses on his return after his absence from story mode, with him as the final chapter.
* DeadpanSnarker: Of the very dry and downplayed kind. Compared to most of the other villains, Shang Tsung is rather humorless.
* DeathByIrony: Shang Tsung is notable for killing his foes by sucking out and then absorbing his souls. Nearing the climax ''Mortal Kombat 9'', Shao Kahn extracts his soul, killing Shang Tsung and transferring them to Sindel.
** [[spoiler:He does deliver a payback in ''Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath'' by killing Shao Kahn and Sindel and absorbing their souls]].
* DemonicPossession: In ''MKII'', he enters his opponent's body, which violently shakes until it explodes as Shang appears in the opponent's place. It inspires one of Liu Kang's ''Deception'' Fatalities, and in ''[=MK9=]'' it comes full-circle with it being based on Liu Kang's version instead of his own from ''MKII''.
* DidYouJustScamCthulhu: [[spoiler: His ''[=MK11=]'' ending has him become the new Master of Time after killing Kronika, and in doing so he gains power and influence among his newfound peers: [[EldritchAbomination the Titans]].]]
* DittoFighter: A trademark of the character which [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut varies from continuity to continuity]].
** In the original trilogy, Shang Tsung could transform into any member of the roster with the corresponding command, with bosses mostly being an exception. This allowed him to perform their specials, combos and Fatalities - he'd revert back to normal in ''[=MK2=]'' after doing one except in the case of characters with unique post-Fatality win poses like Kung Lao; this doesn't pop up in ''[=MK3=]''.
** In ''Deadly Alliance'' and ''Armageddon'', engine restrictions and the latter's large roster meant that he could not keep his shapeshifting.
** ''MK vs. DCU'' saw this return, but only as he transforms into his opponents for his win pose and one of his Fatalities. His Soul Steal move in ''[=MK9=]'' allows him to temporarily fight as his opponent if it lands, gaining a damage boost in the process; unlike the classic games, he cannot perform other Fatalities as he transforms after performing the match-ending blow. As a boss, he could willing transform into two other fighters in addition to the player's.
** In ''11'', he could transform into any of the male ninjas to perform a move of theirs. His specials are taken from Rain, Smoke, Reptile and Ermac while he transforms into Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Noob Saibot (funny enough, the three sole ninjas in the base roster) for his Fatal Blow. As was the case in ''9'', he can transform into his opponent with his Soul Steal move. While he still can't copy their Fatalities, he does gain access to all their Crushing Blows and Brutalities; much like the previous games, he stays transformed if he successfully wins a match with a Brutality, complete with copying his opponents' win poses.
* TheDogBitesBack: A downplayed example since Tsung would certainly have betrayed them anyway, [[spoiler: Tsung takes time out of his attack on Kronika to betray and murder both Shao Kahn and Sindel. Given former spent the last several eons treating him like garbage and the former used his soul as a power source in a previous game, Tsung seems even more giddy to torment them than usual. Which says a lot.]]
* DownloadableContent: The second character in ''11'' after [[BigBad Shao Kahn]].
* TheDragon: To Shao Kahn. While he may have been the Big Bad of the first game he’s actually Shao Kahn’s right-hand man and to that end in both ''II'' and ''9'' you always fight Shang Tsung before you go onto the final bosses as the last regular opponent.
* DragonWithAnAgenda: In spite of the above, Shang Tsung has his own ambitions to fulfil and is not above trying to usurp or kill Shao Kahn if it means furthering his goals. He joins forces with Quan Chi, another DragonWithAnAgenda at some point with Quan Chi being the more authoritative figure. Again, Shang makes no pretence of taking out Quan Chi regarding his personal objectives.
* DressingAsTheEnemy:
** Inverted. He disguised himself as Kung Lao in order to get the drop on Liu Kang in ''Deadly Alliance''.
** In ''Aftermath'', he appears as Raiden to get Fujin to give him Kronika's crown.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: His death in ''9'' is rather sudden and no mention is made of him afterwards.]]
* EnemyMine: In ''Aftermath'', he invokes this to position himself as an ally to Liu Kang, Raiden, and the other heroic characters against Kronika. [[spoiler:Inevitably, he goes on to betray the heroes and side with Shao Kahn and Sindel before backstabbing and killing them as well]].
* EnergyAbsorption: In later games, he can absorb part of his opponent's soul during a fight to restore his health.
* EverythingsBetterWithRainbows: His Friendship in ''MKII''.
* EvilMentor: To Goro, the Shokan prince. To the point that he ''misses him the most'' in ''11''.
* EvilOldFolks: As his old form, he definitely qualifies given he was the original final boss.
* EvilSmellsBad: He has a particular odor that Baraka can exploit to instantly detect him through his shapeshifting.
* EvilSoundsDeep: In the movie and in ''[=MK11=]'', courtesy of Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa - who brings his smooth, rich baritone to the role. After almost ''25 years'', this Evil sounds ''[[StillGotIt even deeper.]]''
* FantasyGunControl: Subverted. In ''9'', he was very interested in modern weaponry and bought rocket launchers and shotguns from Kano.
-->''"Well done. You might tell your fellow Black Dragon that I'm very interested in your merchandise."''
* FauxAffablyEvil: His politeness is ''never'' genuine when he's in Kombat.
-->'''Jade:''' You cloned Kitana, you despicable fiend!\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' Would you like a sister too, Jade?\\
'''Jade:''' I would like to end your life.
** However, during his reveal in [=MK11=]'s Krypt, he does sport Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's trademark polite behaviour and charm... ''which still makes him legitimately creepy.'' The following words are not helping, either:
--->'''Shang Tsung:''' Take what you want... ''[[ImpliedDeathThreat within reason]].''
** Also, this moment from the Krypt:
--->'''Shang Tsung:''' Behold [[KilledOffForReal the final resting place]] of Kenshi Takahashi. Valiant and brave, he was an excellent warrior. Which made [[YourSoulIsMine feeding on his soul]] most enjoyable...
* FinalBoss: The elderly Shang Tsung is the last opponent a kombatant faces in the premiere game's ladder, and can shapeshift into any of the player characters plus Goro, though he also has a powerful flaming skull attack (complete with screams) when in his true form.
** [[spoiler:He eventually becomes the very last opponent to fight against in the ''Aftermath'' expansion of Mortal Kombat 11. That is if you choose to side with Liu Kang.
* FlamingSkulls: He uses them as projectiles in some games.
* {{Foil}}: As Liu Kang's nemesis, they naturally mirror each other in a few ways.
** Tsung himself used to be Mortal Kombat Champion before the Great Kung Lao defeated him, and operates as Shao Kahn's champion compared to Liu Kang who is Raiden's.
** Shang Tsung is doomed to prolong his life through souls, compared to Liu Kang's agelessness as Mortal Kombat Champion... although [[CursedWithAwesome taking souls doesn't make Shang any weaker]].
* ForScience: His stated reason for his horrific experiments.
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' If your arms are cut off, will they grow back?\\
'''Kollector:''' I am not one of your experiments, sorcerer.\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' Come, Kollector. It's for science.
* GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger: As an homage to the first movie, Shang does this ''[[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou to the player]]'' in ''11'', complete with his iconic line.
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' ''{{Your soul is mine}}!''
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: In some of his incarnations.
* AGodAmI: [[spoiler:After killing Kronika, Shang Tsung wastes no time in waxing how powerful he has become. Still, he did manage to kills Titan and was wearing her crown]].
* GodhoodSeeker: [[spoiler:This is his primary motive for wanting Kronika's Hourglass and Crown.]]
* 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.
* GrievousHarmWithABody: One of his new moves in ''11'' involves summoning a mutilated corpse to fall on his opponent. Enhancing the move causes the corpse to [[PopGoesTheHuman explode]].
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: One of his fatalities from ''2'', in which he morphs into Kintaro and punches the upper half of the opponent's body clear across the stage.
* HazyFeelTurn: The most likely interpretation of his Ladder ending in ''9'', in which [[spoiler:Bo' Rai Cho trains him to help defeat a power-mad and newly-deified Liu Kang]].
** [[spoiler: This also seems the be the case for his return in ''Aftermath'', as he potentially stands to gain from aiding Fire God Liu Kang in retrieving Kronika's crown.]]
* HiddenAgendaVillain: Shang Tsung arrives to Fire God Liu Kang and Raiden's presence to allow for an alliance to retrieve Kronika's Crown so that the timeline could be merged proper. [[spoiler:In reality, he seeks to acquire the crown and Kronika's Hourglass so that [[AGodAmI he could become a god-like]] MultiversalConquerer. Something that Liu Kang saw coming from the very beginning]].
* IHaveYourWife:
** He forced Sonya to participate in the first tournament by taking her unit hostage (in the new timeline, this was altered to be just Jax).
** Ironically, he forced Jax and the other Earthrealm heroes to fight in the second tournament by capturing Sonya.
** He will occasionally use the souls he's captured as leverage to comply with their loved ones to do his bidding. In ''11'', he specifically tries to force Jade's service by revealing he's taken (or plans to take) her parents' souls.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice:
** In ''[=MK3=]'', Tsung can summon a bed of nails onto which he slams his dazed opponent as a finisher.
** [[HoistByHisOwnPetard He meets his demise this way in the movie.]]
* {{Immortality}}: Strongly implied. Several endings in Mortal Kombat X anticipate his return, and an interaction between him and Raiden has him asking the god if he's surprised to see him. Raiden is only surprised that it took long.
* InkSuitActor: His appearance in ''Mortal Kombat 11'' is literally that of Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa - his reprising actor from the first live-action movie and the second season of ''Legacy''.
* IWasQuiteTheLooker:
** Compare [[http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110912181333/mk/images/b/bf/Shang_tsung_render_1000px.png his elder form]] to when [[http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxz8z0zPlv1r5gqil.jpg his youth is restored.]]
** His appearance in ''Mortal Kombat 11'' for most of his costumes, as one of his match intros has him morph from his elderly self into a far younger form roughly around Liu Kang's age. As a bonus, he's modeled after his appearance from [[Film/MortalKombat the movie]].
* KillTheGod: [[spoiler:Shang Tsung kills Kronika in order the usurp the throne. He even gets to kill and absorb the soul of Fire God Liu Kang in the bad ending.]]
* KungFuWizard: While a sorcerer, he does plenty of fighting with his bare hands as well. Emphasized in ''11'' where a good chunk of his moves involve using either magic scrolls or magical lava.
* LargeHam: Especially in the first movie.
--> (''to [[MultiArmedAndDangerous Goro]], after he gets [[GroinAttack punched in the goolies]] by [[FakeUltimateHero Johnny Cage]]'') ''"You '''IMBECILE'''! Follow him! {{FINISH HIM}}!"''
** There's also his behavior in ''[=MK9=]'''s story mode, especially after [[spoiler:he has his youth restored]].
** [[spoiler: The moment he puts on Kronika's crown in the final chapter of ''Aftermath'', he effectively steals the soul of every single scene thereafter.]]
* LifeDrain: His soul-based moves in ''11'' give a small bit of health back to him each use.
* ManipulativeBastard: One of his specialities. He once tricked Kenshi into leading him right to the souls of his warrior ancestors by posing as a harmless old man, posed as friends of Earth warriors in order to attack them from behind, lied about the terms of at least one tournament in order to further his agenda, and is generally an all-round untrustworthy bastard.
* MirrorMatch: Whether through shapeshifting powers or flesh pit cloning, he is usually considered to be ''the only reason'' for this whenever the characters meet their exact duplicates. As of ''11'', ''Shang himself'' gets this exchange:
-->'''Shang Tsung 1:''' [[MythologyGag Shang Lao]], I presume? [[note]]Shang Lao was what Shang Tsung was originally going to be named; presumably in-universe due to Kronika's manipulations there was a previous version of Tsung who had this identity [[/note]]
-->'''Shang Tsung 2:''' You presume correctly, brother.
-->'''Shang Tsung 1:''' When you die, you will be forgotten.
* MonochromaticEyes: [[ProphetEyes White]] in the original (and ''9''), green in ''3''.
* MonsterClown: One of his ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' Fatalities has him turn into one and execute his opponent with a gun, which doubles as a TakeThat to ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MK vs. DCU]]''[='s=] censorship of ComicBook/TheJoker's fatality.
* MoreDakka: When he was the final boss in the first game, he could unleash up to 6 fireballs that each hit as hard as a roundhouse kick. In VideoGame/MortalKombat2 when he was made a playable character, the damage was reduced and the number of fireballs got toned down to 4 and then 3 in later updates. In VideoGame/MortalKombat3, he was given a multiple fireball move from the ground that could combo with his regular fireballs for plenty of hits. And all this took place when every other character could only shoot one projectile at a time.
* MugglesDoItBetter: Despite being an EvilSorcerer, Shang Tsung is shown to be quite fascinated by modern Earthrealm technology (particularly in the field of weaponry).
** In ''9'', Shang Tsung hires the Black Dragon clan to provide Outworld's supernatural armies [[FantasyGunControl with conventional military equipment]], and one scene even shows him and Kano casually testing [=RPGs=] in the Living Forest.
** In ''11'', Shang Tsung goes as far as to muse that "Perhaps technology ''is'' superior to magic" upon encountering Franchise/TheTerminator.
--->'''Shang Tsung:''' You feel no pity or remorse?\\
'''Terminator:''' I cannot feel human emotion.\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' [[AdmiringTheAbomination Perfect...]]
* MultiversalConqueror: [[spoiler:Alongside wanting to become a god who rivals the Titans in might, Shang Tsung's end goal is also to have a firm grip in invading and taking over the many realms of the Mortal Kombat Universe, as can be attested to the ''[[DownerEnding bad ending]]'' of ''Aftermath''.]]
* NakedOnRevival: [[spoiler:In Ermac's ending in ''X'', Shang Tsung is completely nude as he drains Ermac of all his souls. The cameras don't show anything below his waist, naturally.]]
* NeckSnap: In ''Deadly Alliance'', he delivers one to [[spoiler:Liu Kang]], killing him for good. This comes back in the Battle of Armageddon, where [[spoiler:Undead!Liu Kang]] necksnaps him.
* NightmareFace: Showcased in ''Aftermath''. [[spoiler: In the Netherrealm, when Revenant Nightwolf loses the fight against his living counterpart, Shang Tsung is quick enough to begin consuming the undead warrior's soul... ''sporting nightmarish rotting face on top of that''. Thankfully, Tsung gets rejuvenated back to his old self.]]
* NoCampaignForTheWicked: He has no playable sections in the story mode for ''Mortal Kombat 9''. Then [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] hard when Shang Tsung has a chapter all to his own in the ''Aftermath'' campaign of ''Mortal Kombat 11''.
* NonActionBigBad: A relative example. While he is capable of fighting, he's more reliant on his souls and manipulation when dealing with others. In the movie, he even consciously avoids fighting Liu Kang until the last possible moment. Compared to his battle with Reptile, Liu Kang quickly shows that he is Shang Tsung's superior in combat.
* OffWithHisHead: In ''9'', he possesses his opponent then uses their own hand to rip off their head as his Fatality.
* OhCrap: In the intro to ''Armageddon'', he gets to face the revived zombie of [[spoiler: Liu Kang]], who promptly snaps his neck back into place after Tsung personally performed a NeckSnap on him. Tsung ''flinches'' at this, all too aware of the irony and danger he was in at that point.
* OldMaster: ''[[OlderThanTheyLook Way]]'' old.
* OnlySaneMan: In the ''vs. [=DC=] Universe'' crossover, he has apparently the strongest self-control of all characters from both worlds, as he never gives up to the Rage [[spoiler:until Dark Khan reveals himself and makes Rage take everybody.]] But even after ''that'', he managed to bring himself back to normal, while Raiden was still under Dark Kahn's influence. It's also worth noting that he agrees with a Rage-stricken Raiden that while Shang Tsung himself might have taken the time to betray him right there and then, EvilVersusOblivion means that he genuinely wants to defeat Dark Kahn.
* PetTheDog: Zig-Zagged in ''Aftermath''. When Shang Tsung travels to his abandoned island, he discovers that his minions have hung themselves, unable to cope with is previous [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/MortalKombat9/ death]]. Tsung is genuinely touched by this devotion. However, he's largely touched by their fanaticism to him and not necessarily the minions themselves.
* PlayingWithFire: Summons skulls on fire as projectiles.
* PowerFloats: He's floating off the floor of Goro's Lair in the fight against him in the original game, making him impervious to sweeping attacks until he shapeshifts. He also uses this in ''Mortal Kombat 9'', but not in battle.
* ThePunishment: This is what the Elder Gods call his soul-sucking ability. Admittedly, it's required to keep him sustained, but he can do much more with it than that - and he's definitely ''not'' objecting.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: [[spoiler:And he is capable of slowing down the aging process of anyone, as stated by Erron Black's Arcade ending in ''MKX''.]]
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: He wears a black kimono shirt under a crimson robe in ''9''.
* ScaledUp: He could turn into a cobra to finish his opponents as an Animality in ''[=MK3=]''.
* SealedEvilInACan: Even though the timequake in ''11'' brings him back, he's put into a temporal prison offscreen by Kronika to prevent his inevitable betrayal. [[spoiler: Her death at the hands of Fire God Liu Kang is what releases him and sets off the events of ''Aftermath''.]]
* SeriousBusiness: Implied in ''[=MK11=]''. Even though Shang Tsung personally welcomes the nameless traveller who came to the Krypt (with an obvious intention to rob the place), he gives said traveller a subtle warning (see FauxAffablyEvil above). Considering the fact that the Krypt is located on ''Shang Tsung's private island''...
** Becoming [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 a source of power]] for Sindel ''yet again'' is not a good course of action for Shang Tsung. [[ProperlyParanoid And he doesn't need a reminder.]]
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' I've heard rumors.
-->'''Sindel:''' Tales of me "acquiring" your power?
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' Obviously, such stories concern me.
-->'''Shao Kahn:''' Come, Sindel awaits.
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' Why, so you can transfer her my power?
-->'''Shao Kahn:''' Where would you get that idea?
* ShadowDictator: Shang Tsung fashions himself as one of these. It's implied that he prefers to [[TheChessmaster subtly influence all sides of conflict]] from the shadows while his pawns and enemies destroy each other on his behalf. [[spoiler:''Especially if said pawns are Titans themselves''.]]
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' I have use for you, D'Vorah.\\
'''D'Vorah:''' You lead no faction, Shang Tsung.\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' Why lead one when I can influence all?
** His intro with Jade also applies:
---> '''Shang Tsung:''' An invisible hand must guide Outworld.\\
'''Jade:''' ''Your'' hand, Shang Tsung?\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' Such it has always been, princess.
* ShapeShifter: His signature move is the ability to turn into other characters.
* ShapeShifterGuiltTrip: In the movie.
* ShapeshifterModeLock: [[spoiler:Intro dialogue to most of the mirror matches in ''MKX'' imply that he came back like this.]]
* ShapeShifterSwanSong: His demise in the first game.
* ShipperOnDeck: According to [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX Kano's mirror match intro]], Shang Tsung is this to Kano and ''Mileena'', if making multiple Kanos can translate to anything.
* ASinisterClue: Given his weapon style in later games, Shang would appear to be a lefty.
* SmugSnake: He just couldn't bare a minute without evil smirk.
* TheSociopath: Shang Tsung appears very polite and approachable towards allies and foes alike, [[FauxAffablyEvil an artificial mindset which is never inherently sincere]]. He is also very fixated on his goals and his desires, not giving a damn about anyone and is more than welcome to be mocking and sadistic when it comes to killing and absorbing those. His parasital characteristics come to a head when he attacks Kronika's keep, [[spoiler:betraying everyone he comes across without a shred of remorse and his trait of boasting and caring only for himself becomes more pronounced after killing Kronika and developing a [[AGodAmI God-Complex]]]].
* SoftSpokenSadist: Compared to the bombast and boisterousness many of the portrayals in ''[=MK11=]'' deliver, Shang Tsung is notably this, almost never raising his tone and delivering threats in Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's trademark smooth baritone.
* SorcerousOverlord: Is this in the first game and the first third of ''[=MK9=]'', since he personally hijacked the Mortal Kombat tournament and disgraced it.
* StalkerWithACrush: ''11'' adapts his movie version's creepy crush on Sonya Blade, and hints that he might be similarly interested in Cassie as well.
-->'''Cassie Cage:''' Another "friend" of my parents...\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' I have always been ''so'' fond of your mother.\\
'''Cassie Cage:''' Do you ''practice'' being creepy?
* StanceSystem:
** In ''Deadly Alliance'', he has Snake and Crane as unarmed styles and Straight Sword as weapon style.
** In ''Deception'', he swaps Crane with Mantis.
** In ''Armageddon'', he has Snake as unarmed style, while keeping the weapon stance.
* TheStarscream: The degree varies with the adaptation, but he's always just a little too ambitious to be a good NumberTwo. With the exception of ''9'', his ending in every game amounts to him overthrowing his current boss and taking over, and the only reason he fails there is because he's killed before he gets the chance.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Most noticeable in ''11'': Shang Tsung can morph into ''Reptile'', ''Ermac'', ''Smoke'' and ''Rain'' to use their special moves during the fight - and into ''Sub-Zero'', ''Scorpion'' and ''Noob Saibot'' for his Fatal Blow. This trait practically makes him a substitute for Chameleon, with his third competitive variation having a unique ability which grants him all of the ninja abilities at the cost of being able to mix and match them with his other options.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: In his younger form.
* TeleFrag: One of his fatalities in ''[=MK11=]'' involves opening a summoning portal inside his opponent, from which ''Kintaro'' will burst out from.
* TookALevelInKindness: A very minor example in the Krypt section of [=MK11=]. He's surprisingly polite to the player, basically inviting them to help themselves to whatever treasure they find as long as they don't get greedy. He even mourns [[spoiler:Goro]] in his own way.
* TournamentArc: He ''really likes'' these, to the point that, in ''[=MKvDCU=]'', when he encounters Captain Marvel in the Netherrealm, he has his allies face off against Marvel one at a time, announcing results between rounds as if it were Arcade Mode ("Captain Marvel wins!").
** In ''11'', Shang even brags to Nightwolf that he was able to finish Nightwolf's ancestor with FlawlessVictory.
* TreacherousAdvisor: He serves as this to Shao Kahn, acting as his NumberTwo while having his own designs. This culminates in him betraying Shao Kahn to form the Deadly Alliance with Quan Chi in the original timeline.
* UnlimitedWardrobe: There's no better example in this franchise. Shang Tsung's "main" appearance has changed considerably from game to game, except in ''Armageddon'', which reutilized his ''Deadly Alliance'' model.
* VillainDecay: While all the villains suffered from this in the new timeline, Shang Tsung got it the worst. Most of his roles were given to Quan Chi, reducing Shang Tsung to another henchman, one who loses every single fight he takes part in. He can't even win a fight with Kung Lao with Quan Chi's help. [[spoiler: This ends when he returns in ''Aftermath'' and becomes the new BigBad.]]
* VillainousCrush: His pre-fight banter with several characters demonstrates that Shang Tsung has an incredibly strong perverse interest in Sonya Blade. [[AbhorrentAdmirer Which she is NOT enthused about.]]
* VillainProtagonist: Is effectively the main character of ''Aftermath'', being the one who drives almost the entire plot and the focus of most characters' attention. Despite allying himself with the heroes and helping them save the world from Kronika, it's openly stated that zero characters trust him, and will kill him at the slightest sign of betrayal.
* VillainWorld:
** His ladder ending in ''11'' sees him make one out of the entire universe after claiming Kronika's powers [[spoiler:and manipulating the other Titans.]]
** [[spoiler:In the evil ending of ''Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath'', Shang Tsung uses the hourglass to set himself up as a MultiversalConquerer and [[GodIsEvil sole apparent elder god of the cosmos]], with corrupted versions of Raiden and Fujin as his CoDragons.]]
* WalkingShirtlessScene: After his rejuvenation.
* WhatTheHellHero: For the atrocity of stealing a soul, Shang Tsung was condemned to... ''do it over and over again'', with the punishment of aging and dying prematurely if he relents. Just to twist the knife, Shang ''doesn't give a crap'' about the souls he takes - ''and'' it actually makes him more and more powerful! It's like condemning a murderer to life as a SerialKiller, while the murderer [[ForTheEvulz enjoys killing]] and giving him no incentive (or ability) to repent of his crimes. The 11th game does provide an explanation, however: [[spoiler:Kronika engineered the situation in the event she ever needed the power provided by absorbing souls for her works]].
* YellowPeril: In the original game, though it's balanced by the fact that the main protagonist is also Chinese.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Some of Tsung's dialogue with Shao Kahn lampshades the fact that Kahn turned against Shang Tsung the ''instant'' he failed, despite over a millennium of capable service.
-->'''Shao Kahn:''' You've failed me too often, sorcerer...\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' Over a millennium, I've failed you ''twice.''\\
'''Shao Kahn:''' THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE!
* YoungerThanTheyLook: According to WordOfGod, he was biologically nineteen years old in ''MKII''. [[http://mortalkombat.fandom.com/wiki/File:Shang_Tsungend2.gif He doesn't exactly look like it.]]
* YourSoulIsMine: The TropeNamer. As expected of him, Shang Tsung has the power to suck out and devour the souls of his enemies to extend his own lifespan [[TheAssimilator and grant him the skills of his opponents]]. During gameplay, by sucking a portion of his opponent's soul, this would grant him a temporary change to his opponent's playstyle and abilities.
** In ''9'', [[spoiler: this ironically happens ''to him''. After Motaro's death, Shao Kahn chooses to use Shang Tsung to [[SuperEmpowering empower]] Sindel, fueling the massacre of the heroes]].
** One of his victory poses in ''11'' has him recreate the iconic shot from the movie after stealing his opponent's soul, complete with quoting the trope verbatim.
** [[spoiler:Taken to extreme in ''Aftermath''. Quite a lot of characters get their souls siphoned out of them by Shang Tsung... not even ''Shao Kahn'' or '''''Kronika''''' are safe!]]
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Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]] | [=Johnny Cage=] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShaoKahn Shao Kahn]]-]]]
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Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]] | [=Johnny Cage=] [[Characters/MortalKombatJohnnyCage Johnny Cage]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] | [=Shang Tsung=] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShaoKahn Shao Kahn]]-]]]
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!![[center: Main series: [[Characters/MortalKombat1 MK1]] ([[Characters/MortalKombat1Part1 Part 1]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat1Part2 Part 2]]) | [[Characters/MortalKombat2 MK2]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat3 MK3]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat4 MK4]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Deadly Alliance]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDeception Deception]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatArmageddon Armageddon]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse MK vs. DC Universe]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat9 MK9]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatX MKX]] | [[Characters/MortalKombat11 MK11]]\\
[-Spinoffs: [[Characters/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero Mythologies: Sub-Zero]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatSpecialForces Special Forces]]\\
Non-videogame: [[Characters/MortalKombatTheMovie The Movie]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatConquest Conquest]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm Defenders of the Realm]]\\
Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]] | [=Johnny Cage=] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShaoKahn Shao Kahn]]-]]]
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[-Spinoffs: [[Characters/MortalKombatMythologiesSubZero Mythologies: Sub-Zero]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatSpecialForces Special Forces]]\\
Non-videogame: [[Characters/MortalKombatTheMovie The Movie]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatConquest Conquest]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm Defenders of the Realm]]\\
Individual Characters: [[Characters/MortalKombatHanzoHasashi Scorpion]] | [=Johnny Cage=] | [[Characters/MortalKombatLiuKang Liu Kang]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatRaiden Raiden]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatKuaiLiang Sub-Zero II]] | [[Characters/MortalKombatShaoKahn Shao Kahn]]-]]]
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!! Spoilers for ''Mythologies'' will be unmarked
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