History YMMV / MortalKombat

!Individual titles:
* ''[=~Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks~=]'' derailed many details of the established canon, some important, some less so. Of course, whether or not that matters at all, is [[YourMileageMayVary a matter of varying mileage]].
* Whether ''[[MortalKombatVsDCUniverse Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe]]'' is [[CrazyAwesome ridiculously awesome]] or just plain ridiculous is [[BrokenBase up for debate]].

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![[MortalKombat The series as a whole]]:

** The inclusions of CaptainMarvel and (especially) Deathstroke as playable characters in ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'' [[TheUnexpected stunned a lot of people]].
** The short film ''Mortal Kombat: Rebirth''.
*** Bigger rejoice: ''Rebirth'' has been Ok'd by WarnerBrothers as a 10 episode webseries.
** The announcement and subsequent trailer for ''MortalKombat9'', which takes the game back to its 2-D roots. With copious amounts of blood, violence and carnage, to top it all.
*** Anyone who doubted the game could possibly be bloody enough to stand out was shut up with the news that [[GodOfWar Kratos]] [[GuestFighter would be joining the carnage]].
* BaseBreaker:
** Jax
** Bo'Rai Cho.
** [[GodOfWar Kra]][[GuestFighter tos]]. You've got the fans who think he's a great addition to the roster, the fans who are vehemently against his presence in the game, the fans pestering Netherrealm Studios to add a 360 exclusive character, and the fans who just don't care about him being in the game.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
** Motaro appears out of the blue in a random Earthrealm village in ''Deception'''s Konquest mode to give you some koins, then vanishes. Its a rare occurrence and the player has to be quick to make it happen, so its more of an EasterEgg.
** Meat randomly appears with a British accent in the Netherrealm in ''Deception'''s Konquest mode to give you some koins, then disappears.
* CharacterDerailment:
** Kung Lao in ''[=~Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks~=]''. For many years the Shaolin Monk had been introduced as a reluctant warrior who never wanted to be champion. In this game he's not only arrogant but resentful and jealous of his cousin Liu Kang being champion instead of him. He creates a "rivalry" with a fellow monk and relative.
** To an extent, Scorpion, in the same game. He attacks the two heroes for no real reason other than being evil despite many fans (and past canon) considering him to be a neutral warrior who wouldn't attack them just ForTheEvulz. And then he gives a ''{{Terminator}}''-[[MemeticHandGesture style]] "thumbs up", [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation possibly implying]] that he was [[StealthMentor testing their might]].
** Jax was changed from an all-American to a cliche {{blaxploitation}} stereotype in ''MKDA''. ''Special Forces'' may have started the transition, but ''Deadly Alliance'' took it UpToEleven.
* CharacterRerailment: ''Shaolin Monks'' and ''vs. DCU'' seem to be closer in line with Jax's original characterization (see above). The former is justified in that it's supposed to be a [[BroadStrokes retelling]] of ''[=MK2=]''. He still has the all-American image; he has a victory pose in ''[=MK9=]'' that has him wrapping himself in the American flag.
* CrazyAwesome: Havik.
* CrowningMomentOfFunny:
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-c4U6XRtvc Cooking with Scorpion!]]
** Bo'Rai Cho's [[{{Fartillery}} second fatality]]:
-->"Oooohhh, that was a stinky one, hohohoho..."
* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: Mortal Kombat 3 had a number of these [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV2jo0npRUs&nofeather=TrueThe Bank ]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fai6JGkq2Y&feature=related Subway Stage]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xu2h-cimQ8 The Bridge]].
* DarkerAndEdgier: Even in comparison to the original, MK2 was arguably even darker, and then MK3 came along [[UpToEleven and was even darker than THAT]].
** And it doesn't get any darker and edgier than ''Rebirth'', considering it's set in a Real Life scale alternate universe.
* DorkAge: What many would prefer to think of Kung Lao's [[CharacterDerailment portrayal]] in ''Shaolin Monks''. He's suddenly jealous of Liu Kang, when in the past he had only cared for the protection of Earthrealm. Unfortunately, it appears to be canon as of ''Armageddon'', with Kung Lao's ending having him TimeTravel back to the time of his ancestor, [[LegacyCharacter the Great Kung Lao]] and request to take his place so he can have the spotlight and [[OvershadowedByAwesome step out of Liu Kang's shadow]]. Of course, the canonicity of much of the non-Daegon/Taven story in ''Armageddon'' is up-in-the-air.

** Quan Chi. The creators just love this guy, and so do a lot of fans.
** Kitana.
** Jax.
** Mileena, who is regarded as the most iconic villainess of the series.
** Baraka. The creators have admitted in one of their videos that Baraka is one of their most popular characters, albeit not having been in a lot of the games. Case in point: his inclusion in [[MortalKombatVsDCUniverse the DC crossover]].
** Kung Lao.
** Sareena, who is most likely the best example of this next to [[CanonImmigrant Quan Chi]]. Despite debuting in an unpopular spinoff, there was quite a bit of fan interest to see her return for future games. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen After several attempts]] to make it into the series proper, she's finally made playable in ''Armaggedon'', where she proves to be a [[ShipTease valuable]] [[BattleCouple ally]] of Younger Sub-Zero and is made into a top-tier character. [[{{Understatement}} Not bad.]]
** Kabal and Ermac started out as mild {{Base Breaker}}s due to their [[GameBreaker initial overpoweredness]], but when toned-down for their return in ''Deception'', the two cemented themselves as this. Ermac even gets [[AscendedExtra to play cleanup for the heroes]]!
** Kenshi. One of the few post ''[=MK3=]'' characters to earn unanimous praise from the fanbase. If there's one character from those games that fans want back, it's ''him''.
** Khameleon, introduced in the [=N64=] port of ''Trilogy''. Fans were not pleased that she wasn't included in ''Armageddon'', to the point that she was added to the Wii release of the game.
* EvenBetterSequel: ''MortalKombat2'', Due to being TheSameButMore of the original.
* FanDumb:
** Hating every character who came out since [[strike:1997]] 1995 because they're "new".
** A lot of fans still can't grasp that the reason Motaro is missing two legs is to accommodate ''Armageddon''[='=]s physics. It was either that or not include him at all. [[WallBanger But they still insist on whining...]]
* FanonDiscontinuity: There are fans who regard the entire story as this. There's simply too much contradictory to established canon or even popular fanon for them to even to begin to accept any of it. Not that the gameplay itself can't be enjoyed by these same fans.
* FetishFuel: Apparently, in Kahn's arena, in ''MortalKombat9'', there are other characters outside Kano and Sonya that are chained up... including [[LadyOfWar Kitana]]. Judging on how {{Stripperiffic}} her costume is, as well as how her mouth cover can make it look like a [[BoundAndGagged gag]]... Well...
* FetishFuelStationAttendant / FetishRetardant:
** Mileena.
** Taja, from ''Conquest''.
* FranchiseOriginalSin: The series' [[RuleOfCool sense of cool]] started to dissipate with ''MortalKombat3'', with the main reasons being:
** All the [[HighlyVisibleNinja colorful ninjas]] [[ConservationOfNinjutsu pouring off]] [[PaletteSwap an assembly line]], riding [[SuperPrototype Scorpion and Sub-Zero's]] popularity.
** [[TheScrappy Stryker]], forcing us to admit a lot of the series' [[ImpossiblyCoolClothes designs]] were actually kind of dorky and the games ran on [[GameBreaker cheapness]].
** The fatalities becoming extremely stupid and lazily done, with things like static dismemberment (imagine cutting up a photograph with scissors and you'll get the idea of how this looked) and exploding bodies raining down dozens of limbs, skulls and ribcages--''[[YouFailBiologyForever all from]] [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill a single]] [[WildMassGuessing victim]]''.
** It was the moment when the cast gained familiar, western tropes. Until then even the American characters were still [[SupernaturalMartialArts supernatural martial artists]] in exercise clothes. Now you had the [[MagicalNativeAmerican magical Indian]], the SuperCop, the [[VaderBreath deformed guy with a respirator helmet]], and a whole mess of {{cyborgs}}. Ignoring how the first three just happened to be [[GameBreaker incredibly]] [[TierInducedScrappy broken]], all their concepts were things we'd grown up [[CaptainEthnic seeing]] [[TheWesley done]] [[GasMaskMooks better]]. Some of us paused for a second and wondered, "[[FridgeHorror Is this how the rest of the game looks to Asians?]]"
** Bears repeating: [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot ROBOT NINJAS]].
** Yet shockingly enough, many fans still love ''[=MK3=]''.
* FridgeLogic:
** When you perform a fatality on Green Lantern, in ''[[MortalKombatVsDCUniverse Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe]]'', how come his ring doesn't fly off in search of a new host?
** Green Lantern's other [[strike:Fatality]] [[ThouShaltNotKill Heroic Brutality]], "Orb Squeeze", involves him encasing his enemy in an orb, then levitating it, and crushing his enemy by shrinking the orb, a la Sonya Blade in ''MortalKombat3''. Where's the problem? It's NOT supposed to be lethal, however, during most other Heroic Brutalities, the loser wiggles around on the ground alot to prove they're not dead. But after this one the loser is eerily still...
** In ''MK3'', one of Sheeva's Fatalities is to use her fists to hammer her opponent in to the ground like a railroad spike. In ''MK v. DCU'', Superman performs this exact same finisher, but it is somehow non-lethal (unlike the above example, the opponent is clearly wriggling around uncomfortably).
* GameBreaker: Various characters at various points, which is why the series has never been particularly popular for TournamentPlay. In some of the games, the bosses are available for use, but, keeping with a general rule for {{Fighting Game}}s, playing as them is nothing more than an easy way to get people to stop playing with you.
** Kitana's fan lift/pummeling combo in ''[=MK2=]'', a nigh-indefensible move so widely abused that it was nerfed by a software update that made it difficult to corner an opponent. Some players found a workaround anyway.
** In ''MortalKombat3'', among others, [[TheWesley Stryker]], [[MagicalNativeAmerican Nightwolf]], [[SdrawkcabName Noob Saibot]], [[GasMaskMooks Kabal]], and (at least in the SegaGenesis version of ''[[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate]]'') [[PhysicalGod Rain]].
*** Kurtis Stryker went from out of place in ''[=MK3=]'' to out of place and freaking annoying to fight in ''[=UMK3=]'' when Midway gave him a gun for one of his special moves. This blew him to full-on [[TheWesley Wesleydom]] and cemented his being {{put on a bus}} until ''Armageddon''.
*** Nightwolf had this early on in the original ''[=MK3=]'''s life cycle. In early arcade versions, he could run faster than he could throw. This let him pull off combos which were both impossible to avoid and not actually supposed to be possible in the first place. Thankfully, later revisions slowed down Nightwolf's running speed and kept him from Stryker's fate.
*** Both Rain and Noob Saibot have unlimited combos in ''Trilogy'', the former using his screen-wrapping roundhouse over and over, and latter using his Teleport Slam.
*** In an example that ended up defining him instead of making him an annoyance, Kabal was the fastest character in the game. Add in the Run button and you've got some really quick beatdowns.
*** Kabal and Ermac in their respective debuts (vanilla ''[=MK3=]'' and ''[=UMK3=]'') at least ''approached'' this status, so the dev team was savvy enough to tone them down a bit in the {{Updated Rerelease}}s.
** In ''Armageddon'', Sareena is seen as a high-tier character for one reason and one reason alone: her knives. As [[WordOfGod Ed Boon]] best put it, they are among the fastest projectiles in the game. You can also juggle opponents with them, leading a few combos rivaling Kitana's infamous fan lift setup in terms of litigiousness.
* HighOctaneNightmareFuel:
** Sub-Zero's ''[=MK4=]'' ending, specifically when [[spoiler:Quan Chi's head rolls right in front of the camera after being blown up by Scorpion.]]
** Naturally occurring in any series that involves fighters who can rip peoples spines out with their bare hands, but particularly in the upcoming ''MortalKombat9'', with the x-ray combos showing bones snapping like twigs (and in one case a major internal organ being frozen and shattered).
*** Goro's X-ray move deserves special mention, he lifts up his opponent, this squeezes their head ''so hard'' their skull CRACKS, exposing some of the brain. This is then followed by a stomp which breaks the skull and neck even further.
* LargeHam:
** Scorpion.
** Shao Kahn takes time during the fight to [[YouFightLikeACow personally insult you]], spouting such nonsense:
--> "I AM SHAO KAHN... BOW TO ME!"
--> "You weak, pathetic FOOL"
--> "FEEL THE '''POWER''' OF SHAO KAHN!"
--> "It's official... [[ThisLoserIsYou You Suck]]!"
* LoveItOrHateIt: The news of [[GodOfWar Kratos]] being in the game has been met with either [[AndTheFandomRejoiced praise for adding someone outside of the MK universe that would fit perfectly/adding a character from a series that was influenced by MK itself]], or [[RuinedForever overwhelming hate about how it ruins the whole point of how MK was going back to its roots/how corporations have yet again added needless elements into a game just to make some more money.]]
* MissedMomentOfAwesome:
** In his Zombie persona in ''Deception'', Liu Kang wears [[ChainedByFashion a pair of chains with hooks]] attached to his gauntlets, which are shown in [[CutscenePowerToTheMax cutscenes to be quite effective, cool weapons]]. Sadly, those chains are merely cosmetic in-game and cannot be used as such.
** In ''Deception'', Stryker could be seen in Seido, aspiring to be a Seidan Guard. This led many fans to believe that, upon his return in Armageddon, he would return as a full-fledged officer of Order, giving his much-lauded character some depth at last. According to WordOfGod, he remained in Earthrealm THE WHOLE TIME in-between the events of ''3'' and ''Armageddon'', making his appearance in Seido non-canon and entirely pointless.
* MostAnnoyingSound:
** [[BruceLeeClone Liu Kang's]] [[{{Kiai}} voice]].
** [[BigBad Shao Kahn's]] announcer voice in ''[=MK3=]''.
* {{Narm}}: The intro to ''[=~Mortal Kombat: Special Forces~=]'' tells you all you need to know. See it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZyO8P3930E here.]]
* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: Mileena, again. The fact that she's this ''and'' a FetishFuelStationAttendant cements Mileena as CreepySexy, and her admirers as {{Nightmare Fetishist}}s.
* PortingDisaster:
** ''Trilogy''. The Playstation/Saturn version contains every available character (a few with multiple iterations), but being on a disc, there's LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading involved, and the game is prone to locking up. The N64 version, by contrast, has a much smaller character roster, is missing frames of animation, and has the problem with the N64's controller design, but is arguably more stable and contains a few additional features. You're pretty well boned no matter what version you opt to get.
** ''MortalKombat4''. When ported to home consoles, the graphics were greatly reduced, and suffered from LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading. Wich then lead to the UpdatedRerelease, unfortunately, it was only for the Dreamcast. The GameBoyColor version was a cheap and unplayable bastardization because of technical and graphical limitations.
** Not for nothing but ''Mortal Kombat Gold'' was shit in almost every aspect so anyone wanting the UpdatedRerelease isn't missing much.
* ReplacementScrappy:
** Shujinko was the target of a lot of hate for replacing Liu Kang. It didn't help that he was [[TooDumbToLive terminally naive]] and stole the special moves and even ''appearances'' of the other characters (during Konquest mode, you watch Shujinko grow up--and he cycles through resembling Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and even Jarek while doing so.) It probably didn't help that Boon hamfisted him down the fandom's throat [[TheWesley by labeling him "The next generation Liu Kang"]] in an interview, or that his name ''literally means'' [[MeaningfulName "Protagonist."]] However, his status as an UnwittingPawn has some [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation view him]] as TheWoobie (perhaps an IronWoobie?), with their main argument being that while easily manipulated, he was merely a guy who wanted to face Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat, [[AscendedFanboy actually got the chance to join that world]], [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone never meant for any of this to happen]], [[TheAtoner and works his butt off to rectify his mistake]]. [[BrokenBase It's a very polarizing debate.]]
* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Stryker got a new look and some cooler gadgets in ''Armageddon''.
* TheScrappy:
** Stryker, before his ''Aramgeddon'' redesign.
** Jarek was hated by fans who felt that he was nothing but a re-hash of Kano's moves. This is because he was originally supposed to be Kano, but the developers wanted more "new" characters, so they reskinned him.
** Hsu Hao. [[CreatorBacklash Even the devs hate him]].
--> '''John Vogel:''' We were fully prepared to say "Yes, [Jax killing him] really happened. He's dead. He's gone." But ''[=~Mortal Kombat: Armageddon~=]'' is about bringing every character back to life, so Hsu Hao is back... much to my dismay.
** Kira and Kobra.
* TakeThatScrappy: Several of the post-''MortalKombat3'' characters appear in the background of some stages in ''MortalKombat9'', such as [[MortalKombat4 Tanya]], [[MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Li-Mei]], and [[MortalKombatDeception Kira]], chained in Kahn's arena (or some others, enjoying the Acid Pit Fatality as background image).
* ThatOneBoss: Motaro, [[OurCentaursAreDifferent a centaur]], who can teleport behind you and chain attacks with no end. Not to mention his immunity to projectiles. [[ItGotWorse And then there's the uber-fast Shao Kahn...]]
* [=~They Just Didn't Care~=] for ''[=~Mortal Kombat: Armageddon~=]''.
* TierInducedScrappy: In the ''[=MK3=]'' era, [[GameBreaker Nightwolf ran faster than he threw people]]. Thankfully, ''Deception'''s lack of a Run button prevented a redux of this.
* WhatAnIdiot: Raiden's thoughts about Shujinko's quest, in a nutshell. The fandom tends to agree.
* TheWesley: The designers anticipated that Stryker would become one of the most popular characters in the series. When this didn't happen ([[TheScrappy quite the reverse, actually]], thanks to his design clashing with the rest of the series) they responded by increasing his power until he was a GameBreaker, which just made people hate him more. Some players, however, like the contrast, and the irony in how he's a darkhorse for being the most normal character in the game. It helps that his grenades are great against jumpers.
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!''Film/MortalKombat'' (movies)
* AdaptationDecay:
** Scorpion and Sub-Zero are mindless slaves to Shang Tsung in the first movie, [[CharacterDerailment completely derailing]] their stories from the original game (Sub-Zero was only there to kill Shang Tsung, Scorpion was only there to kill Sub-Zero). Although some people have said that part of the reason Sub-Zero and Scorpion are cool in the movie is because they don't talk much. VideoGames can give character biographies but it isn't always practical for a movie. The second movie hints at their rivalry and the LegacyCharacter aspect, but that doesn't make it any better.
** In the first movie, Shang Tsung does mention that they were "deadliest of enemies". This suggests that their backstories remained essentially the same, the only change to their characters is being mind-controlled slaves as opposed to entering the tournament willingly.
** Their backstories and motivations are expounded upon in the animated prequel ''The Journey Begins'', sort of. There's no explanation for why Sub Zero is working for Shang Tsung, but Scorpion IS there just to kill Sub Zero and is merely manipulated by Shang Tsung into going after the trio so that they don't kill his prey before he does.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The fight against Reptile, added to the movie in the last minute. Without explanation the CG critter Reptile fuses with a statue he was kicked inside to take an appearance similar as in the games, and have a long fight sequence with Liu Kang. It's never mentioned again.
* CrowningMomentOfAwesome:
** When Liu Kang bicycle kicks Reptile near the end of the first film.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9f4-w9WSCk The fight scene between Younger Sub-Zero and Scorpion]] in ''Annihilation'' was [[YourMileageMayVary probably one of the best in the entire film]]. It also rectified one of the complaints about the first movie: [[MissedMomentOfAwesome Sub-Zero and Scorpion never getting to go head-to-head]]. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fICD6HTBKfM The music helped too,]] although the movie's cut made it something of a WastedSong.
* CrowningMomentOfFunny:
** Johnny Cage's GroinAttack towards Goro.
** Less so but still good, Cage leaves an autographed photo after defeating Scorpion as a nod to his Friendship from the games.
** When the PowerTrio are leaving Shang Tsung's throne room and are trying to find Kitana, Cage is certain she went down a certain passageway ([[WhatAnIdiot despite the fact there are hallway-wide spider webs still intact]]). The passageway ends up leading them right back into the throne room.
* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: The first one has tons of this. Besides the main theme, there's the remix of said theme by the Utah Saints, the instrumental version of "Control" that plays while Liu Kang and Reptile are fighting, Halycon and On and On...and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
* FridgeLogic: So if Mortal Kombat is a tournament... how come Liu Kang has a bunch of fights and Sonya only fights once? To which FridgeBrilliance says, Shang Tsung set it up that way, since the tournament is corrupted in his hands, he's trying to duck Liu Kang and have Sonya emerge to the final, even telling Kano she is not to be harmed.
* LargeHam:
** Shang Tsung, Raiden, Kano, Goro... and this is just from the first film!
** Shao Kahn in the second, bordering on HamAndCheese.
--> ''"Father, the merger has begun! '''[[ThisIsSPARTA AND IT. IS. GLORIOUS!]]'''"''
* {{Narm}}: Almost every line out of Kitana's mouth in the first film--either blunt exposition or hokey, faux-"deep" nonsense. It must run in the family:
--> ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIt0VY7Yg2w "Too bad YOU............. will DIE!"]]''
* [=~So Bad It's Good~=]: The more charitable viewpoint some people have of the second film.
* TheyJustDidntCare: Remember how the first film starts with some CGI pits of fire that turn out to be the Mortal Kombat logo? Yeah, they use the exact same title sequence in the second one. The only change is that now the letters of "Mortal Kombat" flip to reveal the subtitle. What's more, they reuse clips from the first movie in several places.
* WorldOfHam: Especially the second film.
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* [=~So Okay It's Average~=]: ''[=~Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero~=]''. At least compared with [[SoBadItsHorrible Special Forces]].

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: The soundtracks, especially the opening theme, which doubles as an EarWorm. The fact that it hasn't become a CanonImmigrant and appeared in the games themselves is inexcusable.

* BaseBreaker: Jax, Bo'Rai Cho.

* AndTheFandomRejoiced: The short film ''Mortal Kombat: Rebirth''.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Motaro appears out of the blue in a random Earthrealm village in ''Deception'''s Konquest mode to give you some Koins, then vanishes. Its a rare occurrence and the player has to be quick to make it happen, so its more of an EasterEgg.

** Kung Lao in ''[=~Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks~=]''. For many years the Shaolin Monk had been introduced as a reluctant warrior who never wanted to be champion. In this game he's not only arrogant but resentful and jealous of his cousin Liu Kang being champion instead of him. He creates a "rivalry" with a fellow monk and relative. [[SarcasmMode Yeah, wonder why that didn't go over well with fans]].
** To an extent, Scorpion, in the same game. He attacks the two heroes for no real reason other than being evil despite many fans (and past canon) considering him to be a neutral warrior who wouldn't attack them just ForTheEvulz.
*** And then he gives a ''{{Terminator}}''-[[MemeticHandGesture style]] "thumbs up", [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation possibly implying]] that he was [[StealthMentor testing their might]].
** Jax was changed from an all-American to a cliche {{blaxploitation}} stereotype in ''MKDA''.
*** To be honest, ''Special Forces'' kinda started the transition, but ''Deadly Alliance'' took it UpToEleven.
* CharacterRerailment: ''Shaolin Monks'' and ''vs. DCU'' seem to be closer in line with Jax's original characterization (see above). The former is justified in that it's supposed to be a [[BroadStrokes retelling]] of ''[=MK2=]''.
** He still kinda has the all-American image; he has a victory pose in ''[=MK9=]'' that has him wrapping himself in the American flag.

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-c4U6XRtvc Cooking with Scorpion!]]

* DorkAge: What many would prefer to think of Kung Lao's [[CharacterDerailment portrayal]] in ''Shaolin Monks''. He's suddenly jealous of Liu Kang, when in the past he had only cared for the protection of Earthrealm.
** Unfortunately, it appears to be canon as of ''Armageddon'', with Kung Lao's ending having him TimeTravel back to the time of his ancestor, [[LegacyCharacter the Great Kung Lao]] and request to take his place so he can have the spotlight and [[OvershadowedByAwesome step out of Liu Kang's shadow]].
*** Of course, the canonicity of much of the non-Daegon/Taven story in ''Armageddon'' is up-in-the-air.

* FanDumb: Hating every character who came out since [[strike:1997]] 1995 because they're "new".

* FetishFuelStationAttendant / FetishRetardant: Mileena.

* FridgeLogic: When you perform a fatality on Green Lantern, in ''[[MortalKombatVsDCUniverse Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe]]'', how come his ring doesn't fly off in search of a new host?
** His other [[strike:Fatality]] [[ThouShaltNotKill Heroic Brutality]], "Orb Squeeze", involves him encasing his enemy in an orb, then levitating it, and crushing his enemy by shrinking the orb, a la Sonya Blade in ''MortalKombat3''. Where's the problem? It's NOT supposed to be lethal, however, during most other Heroic Brutalities, the loser wiggles around on the ground alot to prove they're not dead. But after this one the loser is eerily still...

*** Kurtis Stryker went from out of place in ''[=MK3=]'' to out of place and freaking annoying to fight in ''[=UMK3=]'' when Midway gave him a gun for one of his special moves. This blew him to full-on [[TheWesley Wesleydom]] and cemented his being [[PutOnABus put on a bus]] until ''Armageddon''.

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: [[spoiler:Sub-Zero's ''[=MK4=]'' ending, specifically when Quan Chi's head rolls right in front of the camera after being blown up by Scorpion.]]

* LargeHam: Scorpion.

* MissedMomentOfAwesome: In his Zombie persona in ''Deception'', Liu Kang wears [[ChainedByFashion a pair of chains with hooks]] attached to his gauntlets, which are shown in [[CutscenePowerToTheMax cutscenes to be quite effective, cool weapons]]. Sadly, those chains are merely cosmetic in-game and cannot be used as such.

* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: Mileena, again.
** The fact that she's this ''and'' a FetishFuelStationAttendant cements Mileena as CreepySexy, and her admirers as {{Nightmare Fetishist}}s.
* PortingDisaster: ''Trilogy''. The Playstation/Saturn version contains every available character (a few with multiple iterations), but being on a disc, there's LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading involved, and the game is prone to locking up. The N64 version, by contrast, has a much smaller character roster, is missing frames of animation, and has the problem with the N64's controller design, but is arguably more stable and contains a few additional features. You're pretty well boned no matter what version you opt to get.

*** Not for nothing but Mortal Kombat Gold was shit in almost every aspect so anyone wanting the UpdatedRerelease isn't missing much.
* ReplacementScrappy: Shujinko was the target of a lot of hate for replacing Liu Kang. It didn't help that he was [[TooDumbToLive terminally naive]] and stole the special moves and even ''appearances'' of the other characters (during Konquest mode, you watch Shujinko grow up--and he cycles through resembling Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and even Jarek while doing so.) It probably didn't help that Boon hamfisted him down the fandom's throat [[TheWesley by labeling him "The next generation Liu Kang"]] in an interview, or that his name ''literally means'' [[MeaningfulName "Protagonist."]]
** However, his status as an UnwittingPawn has some [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation view him]] as TheWoobie (perhaps an IronWoobie?), with their main argument being that while easily manipulated, he was merely a guy who wanted to face Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat, [[AscendedFanboy actually got the chance to join that world]], [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone never meant for any of this to happen]], [[TheAtoner and works his butt off to rectify his mistake]]. [[BrokenBase It's a very polarizing debate.]]
* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Stryker gets a new look and some cooler gadgets in ''Armageddon''.
* TheScrappy: Stryker, before his redesign.

* AdaptationDecay: Scorpion and Sub-Zero are mindless slaves to Shang Tsung in the first movie, [[CharacterDerailment completely derailing]] their stories from the original game (Sub-Zero was only there to kill Shang Tsung, Scorpion was only there to kill Sub-Zero).
** Although some people have said that part of the reason Sub-Zero and Scorpion are cool in the movie is because they don't talk much. VideoGames can give character biographies but it isn't always practical for a movie. The second movie hints at their rivalry and the LegacyCharacter aspect, but that doesn't make it any better.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: When Liu Kang bicycle kicks Reptile near the end of the first film.

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: Johnny Cage's GroinAttack towards Goro.

* FridgeLogic: So if Mortal Kombat is a tournament... how come Liu Kang has a bunch of fights and Sonya only fights once?
** To which FridgeBrilliance says, Shang Tsung set it up that way, since the tournament is corrupted in his hands, he's trying to duck Liu Kang and have Sonya emerge to the final, even telling Kano she is not to be harmed.
* LargeHam: Shang Tsung, Raiden, Kano, Goro... and this is just from the first film!

-->"Father, the merger has begun! '''[[ThisIsSPARTA AND IT. IS. GLORIOUS!]]'''"
* {{Narm}}: Almost every line out of Kitana's mouth in the first film--either blunt exposition or hokey, faux-"deep" nonsense.
** It must run in the family:
-->[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIt0VY7Yg2w "Too bad YOU............. will DIE!"]]

* FetishFuelStationAttendant: Mileena.

** Sareena, who is most likely the best example of this next to [[CanonImmigrant Quan Chi]]. A one-shot character from a unmemorable spinoff title (''MK Mythologies'') who gets some ShipTease with Elder Sub-Zero and then [[DroppedABridgeOnHim gets laser blasted by Shinnok]], only to garner a sizable fanbase and ([[WhatCouldHaveBeen after several attempts]]) make it into the series proper with ''Armaggedon'', where she proves to be a [[ShipTease valuable]] [[BattleCouple ally]] of Younger Sub-Zero and is made into a top-tier charatcer. Not bad.

** Kenshi. If there's one character from the post-''[=MK3=]'' titles that fans want back, it's ''him''.

** The inclusions of CaptainMarvel and (specially) Deathstroke as playable characters in ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'' [[TheUnexpected stunned a lot of people]].

*** To an extent, Scorpion, in the same game. He attacks the two heroes for no real reason other than being evil despite many fans (and past canon) considering him to be a neutral warrior who wouldn't attack them just ForTheEvulz.

*** CharacterRerailment: ''Shaolin Monks'' and ''vs. DCU'' seem to be closer in line with his original characterization. The former is justified in that it's supposed to be a [[BroadStrokes retelling]] of ''[=MK2=]''.
** He still kinda have the all American image, As he has a victory pose in MK9 that has him wrapping himself in the American flag as a winning pose.

** Sareena, who is most likely the best example of this next to [[CanonImmigrant Quan Chi]]. A one-shot character from a unmemorable spinoff title (''MK Mythologies'') who gets some ShipTease with Elder Sub-Zero and then [[DroppedABridgeOnHim gets laser blasted by Shinnok]], only to garner a sizable fanbase, and ([[WhatCouldHaveBeen after several attempts]]) make it into the series proper with ''Armaggedon'', where she proves to be a [[ShipTease valuable]] [[BattleCouple ally]] of Younger Sub-Zero and is made into a top-tier charatcer. Not bad.

* FanonDiscontinuity: There are Fans who regard the entire story as this. There's simply too much contradictory to established canon or even popular fanon for them to even to begin to accept any of it. Not that the gameplay itself can't be enjoyed by these same fans.

** It was the moment when the cast gained familiar, western tropes. Until then even the American characters were still [[SupernaturalMartialArts supernatural martial artists]] in exercise clothes. Now you had the [[MagicalNativeAmerican magical Indian]], the SuperCop, the [[VaderBreath deformed guy with a respirator helmet]], and a whole mess of [[HollywoodCyborg cyborgs]]. Ignoring how the first three just happened to be [[GameBreaker incredibly]] [[TierInducedScrappy broken]], all their concepts were things we'd grown up [[CaptainEthnic seeing]] [[TheWesley done]] [[GasMaskMooks better]]. Some of us paused for a second and wondered, "[[FridgeHorror Is this how the rest of the game looks to Asians?]]"

** In ''MortalKombat3'', among others, [[TheWesley Stryker]], [[MagicalNativeAmerican Nightwolf]], [[SdrawkcabName Noob Saibot]], [[GasMaskMooks Kabal]] and at least in the SegaGenesis version of ''[[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate]]'', [[PhysicalGod Rain]].
*** Kurtis Stryker went from out of place in MK3 to out of place and freaking annoying to fight in UMK3 when Midway gave him a gun for one of his special moves. This blew him to full-on [[TheWesley Wesleydom]] and cemented his being [[PutOnABus put on a bus]] until Armageddon.
*** Nightwolf had this early on in the original MK3's life cycle. In early arcade versions, he could run faster than he could throw. This let him pull off combos which were both impossible to avoid and not actually supposed to be possible in the first place. Thankfully, later revisions slowed down Nightwolf's running speed and kept him from Stryker's fate.

* MissedMomentOfAwesome: In his Zombie persona in ''Deception'', Liu Kang wears [[ChainedByFashion a pair of chains with hooks]] attached to his gauntlets, which are shown in [[CutscenePowerToTheMax cutscenes to be quite effectives, cool weapons]]. Sadly, those chains are merely cosmetic in-game and cannot be used as such.

** [[BigBad Shao Kahn's]] announcer voice in MK3.
* {{Narm}}: The intro to ''[=~Mortal Kombat: Special Forces~=]'' tells you all you need to know. See it here [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZyO8P3930E&feature=related]].

* ThatOneBoss: Motaro, [[OurCentaursAreDifferent a centaur]], who can teleport behind you and chain attacks with no end. [[ItGotWorse And then there's the uber-fast Shao Kahn...]]

** Sub-Zero. You don't get your own BeatEmUp {{Spinoff}} for no reason. It's ironic, since while ''he'', the older brother, starred in ''Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero'', '''his younger brother''' is the character that proved popular enough to justify the spinoff in the first place.

** Kitana
** Jax

** Kung Lao

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: [[spoiler:Sub-Zero's ''MK4'' ending, specifically when Quan Chi's head rolls right in front of the camera after being blown up by Scorpion.]]

** MortalKombat4. When ported to home consoles, the graphics were greatly reduced, and suffered from LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading. Wich then lead to the UpdatedRerelease, unfortunately, it was only for the Dreamcast. The GameBoyColor version was a cheap and unplayable bastardization because of technical and graphical limitations.

* SoOkayItsAverage: ''[=~Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero~=]''. At least compared with [[SoBadItsHorrible Special Forces]].

* FanDumb: Hating every character who came out since 1997 because they're "new".

** CharacterDerailment: Jax was changed from an all-American to a cliche {{blaxploitation}} stereotype in ''MKDA''.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Scorpion and Sub-Zero.

** The announcement of [[GodOfWar Kratos]] as the GuestFighter in the PS3 version of the game.

** In ''MortalKombat3'', [[TheWesley Stryker]], [[MagicalNativeAmerican Nightwolf]], and at least in the SegaGenesis version of ''[[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate]]'', [[PhysicalGod Rain]].
** Both Rain and Noob Saibot have unlimited combos in ''Trilogy'', the former using his screen-wrapping roundhouse over and over, and latter using his Teleport Slam.
** Kabal and Ermac in their respective debuts (vanilla ''[=MK3=]'' and ''[=UMK3=]'') at least ''approached'' this status, so the dev team was savvy enough to tone them down a bit in the {{Updated Rerelease}}s.
** Give Kabal a Run button and he'll beat you senseless before you can say "OhCrap."

* TakeThatScrappy: Several of the post-''MortalKombat3'' characters appear in the background of some stages in ''MortalKombat9'', such as [[MortalKombat4 Tanya]], [[MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Li-Mei]], and [[MortalKombatDeception Kira]] chained in Kahn's arena (or some others, enjoying the Acid Pit Fatality as background image).

* {{Narm}}: Almost every line out of Kitana's mouth in the first film--either blunt exposition or hokey, faux-'deep' nonsense.

** Although some people (including TheNostalgiaCritic) have said that part of the reason Sub-Zero and Scorpion are cool in the movie is because they don't talk much. VideoGames can give character biographies but it isn't always practical for a movie. The second movie hints at their rivalry and the LegacyCharacter aspect, but that doesn't make it any better.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Motaro appears out of the blue in a random Earthrealm village in Deception's Konquest mode to give you some Koins, then vanishes. Its a rare occurance and the player has to be quick to make it happen, so its more of an EasterEgg.
** Meat randomly appears with a British accent in the Netherrealm in Deception's Konquest mode to give you some koins, then disappears.

** Give Kabal a Run button and he'll beat you senseless before you can say "[[OhCrap]]."

--> "FEEL THE '''POWER''' OF SHAO KAHN"

* TakeThatScrappy: Several of the post-''MortalKombat3'' characters appear in the background of some stages in ''MortalKombat9'', such as [[MortalKombat4 Tanya]], [[MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Li-Mei]] and [[MortalKombatDeception Kira]] chained in Kahn's arena (or some others, enjoying the Acid Pit Fatality as background image).
* TierInducedScrappy: In the MK3 era, [[GameBreaker Nightwolf ran faster than he threw people]]. Thankfully, Deception's lack of a Run button prevented a redux of this.