Mortal Kombat Main Character Index
Original and Reboot Timeline: MK (1992) | MK2 | MK3 | MK4 | Deadly Alliance | Deception | Armageddon | MK vs. DC Universe | MK9 | MKX | MK11
The New Era: MK1 (Playable Kombatants | Kameos and NPCs)
Spin-offs: Mythologies: Sub-Zero | Special Forces
Non-video game: The Movie | Conquest | Defenders of the Realm | 2021 Movie
Individual Characters: Scorpion I (Hanzo Hasashi) | Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot (Bi-Han) | Johnny Cage | Liu Kang | Raiden | Shang Tsung | Sub-Zero II/Scorpion II (Kuai Liang) | Kitana | Mileena | Shao Kahn/General Shao | Quan Chi

Spoilers for both of the previous timelines will be unmarked

Here, we're going to list the characters introduced in Mortal Kombat 1.

For Liu Kang, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Raiden, Johnny Cage, Kitana, Mileena, Shang Tsung, Quan Chi and General Shao, see their respective pages.

open/close all folders

Playable Roster

Earthrealm

Geras

"Duty is my highest calling."

Debut Game: Mortal Kombat 11
Portrayed by: Phil LaMarr (English), Esteban Desco (Latin American Spanish), Brandon Green (face model)

Forged at the dawn of time by Liu Kang in his image^note and patterned after his predecessor, Geras is the Guardian of the Hourglass, given the responsibility of safeguarding the timeline and monitoring it for irregularities in Liu Kang's absence after he willingly gave up his mantle as Keeper.

For tropes applying to Geras in the previous timeline, click here.

Adaptational Curves: Geras in the original timeline was the most muscular character in the MK11 cast, edging out even Shao Kahn. This Geras, while still muscular, is much slimmer, fitting with the overall art design of the game.
Adaptational Heroism: Whereas his previous incarnation served as a minion of Kronika's, Geras is now a loyal servant and old friend of Liu Kang who has been appointed guardian of the Hourglass while Liu Kang primarily concerns himself with defending Earthrealm. Despite being given far more freedom to think and act independently of his new creator, Geras chooses to follow Liu Kang's designs because he genuinely believes in them.
Adaptational Nice Guy: Geras in 11 was a ruthless, loyal, implacable servant of the Keeper of Time. Here he's a willing ally of Liu Kang with the latter considering him a friend. Geras shows himself to be surprisingly concerned for Liu Kang by storing Liu Kang's Keeper of Time powers in a safe location without telling him so he might not feel pressured to abandon his role as protector of Earthrealm, which Geras sees Liu Kang enjoys. Liu Kang points out that Geras could have at any time made himself the Keeper of Time, but Geras replies he believes in Liu Kang's design for the timeline and thus never felt the temptation. In his Tower ending, Liu Kang opts to make Geras his successor as Keeper of Time.
Ambiguous Situation: Is he the same Geras who once served Kronika, or an entirely new being? Geras himself speaks of having been forged in Liu Kang's image (which suggests the latter), but he also speaks of living "billions" of lifetimes and demonstrates knowledge of both Kronika and the Hourglass that Liu Kang doesn't (which suggests the former). There's also the implication that he predates Kronika, since he has experiences knowing of at least one Keeper of Time who predated Kronika and Liu Kang, which further complicates the matter on the existence of Geras if he's the same character from 11 or a new iteration like everyone else in the New Era, but he undoubtedly serves a bigger function than let on in the function of maintaining time.
Artificial Human: Much like in 11, albeit (re)forged in Liu Kang's image. Though unlike under Kronika, he's not only firmly benevolent but doing his duty voluntarily as a friend and ally rather than as a slave.
Bald Head of Toughness: He's the same powerhouse as before, relying as much on his sheer strength as his time manipulation, with the bald head to match.
Complete Immortality: It's not as obvious in the story mode of 1, but multiple intros indicate that Geras is still eternal and cannot be killed by anything. A few intros even have him warning opponents that while they can't really kill him, the best they could do is slow him down.
Cryptic Background Reference: An intro with Sindel has Geras refer to a Keeper of Time who preceded Kronika and apparently originated the position; who this individual was, what became of them, and how Geras knows of them is left unrevealed.
Difficult, but Awesome: Whereas his debut had him be a rather straightforwardly painful grappler, Geras is widely considered one of the hardest kombatants to play in MK1, with very technical and precise time-based abilities which include: a charged "Countdown" ability that when fully charged (or enhanced) freezes the opponent in time, an ability to mark his current position to teleport back to after a few seconds, and an ability to create a clone that recreates inputs and strings while you're summoning it, all of which can be strung together and overlap one another amidst Geras' usual strings and combos. Difficult to understand, even harder to execute and brainstorm combos for, but featuring massive potential that can overwhelm his opponents if done right.
The Friends Who Never Hang: He's staunch allies on friendly terms with Lord Liu Kang, but due to his taciturn, duty-minded nature and the responsibilities that come with safeguarding the Hourglass, he's "not one for social calls", only consulting him when it comes to grave matters. The two haven't seen each other for eons by the time Geras first appears in the story.
A God I Am Not: When Smoke mistakes him for a deity like Liu Kang in one of their intros, Geras is quick to correct him, saying that he is merely the instrument of Liu Kang's will.
Good Costume Switch: His appearance here has a much less artificial aesthetic, with a more natural-looking face and less futuristic clothing. This reflects his new status as an ally of Liu Kang, as opposed to a servant of Kronika.
Heel–Face Turn: Went from Kronika's enforcer who stood against Raiden's forces to Liu Kang's trusted advisor to watch over his timeline.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: Liu Kang considers him an old friend and entrusts him with guarding the Hourglass. Geras in turn loyally oversees the Hourglass despite the freedom Liu Kang grants him because he believes in Liu Kang's vision.
Humanity Is Infectious: Downplayed. While this rendition of Geras is similarly taciturn and duty-minded like his incarnation in 11, he's noticeably more expressive (if subdued) and empathetic than before. Likely the result of his friendship with Liu Kang.
Implied Death Threat:
Geras: By defying your destiny, you have shortened your existence.
Shang Tsung: Is that a polite way of saying you're here to kill me?
The Lancer: In the New Era, he serves as the right hand man to Liu Kang by monitoring the timeline while he defends Earthrealm.
Loyal to the Position: Geras is the time-divorced guardian of the Hourglass. Previously The Dragon to Kronika, he now serves as an advisor to Liu Kang.
Off with His Head!: For one of his fatalities, Geras opens a portal into the future and bashes in his opponent's face with their own decapitated head before a past Geras rips off their head to complete the loop.
Sand Blaster: He once again controls the sands of time, using them to hurt his opponent in a myriad of ways.
Stable Time Loop: One of his Fatalities uses this. See Off with His Head! above.
The Stoic: Geras is composed and calm at all times. Even world-shaking revelations like the multiverse's existence don't get a strong reaction from him, and his displays of emotion are downplayed.
Superior Successor: While Geras himself says that he merely took up the Guardian position with Liu Kang's abdication, Liu Kang thinks this of him and trusts him implicitly. In contrast to Kronika becoming a tyrant, and Liu Kang fearing the possibility of his own future temptation, Geras has kept the Hourglass, and the timeline, safe for millennia without incident, making him the Keeper of Time in all but title. The reveal that he had the chance at any moment to secretly claim Liu Kang's Titan powers, but had no desire to and trusted in his friend, only reinforces his incorruptability. After Liu Kang loses his immortality and ponders how, as a Titan, he will permanently die without chance of resurrection one day, he feels assured knowing that Geras will become Keeper at last and watch over all possible timelines in his absence.
A Taste of Their Own Medicine: One of his brutalities, From Another Time, features him summoning Shao Kahn's Wrath Hammer to deliver the same beatdown Shao gave him back in Aftermath. Naturally, this trope applies when the brutality is performed on General Shao himself.
Time Master: As Keeper of the Hourglass, Geras has control over time, being able to freeze it, rewind it, and open portals into the near past and future.
Undying Loyalty: Emphasis on the undying; Geras has been Liu Kang's friend and ally since the beginning of time, and unlike Kronika, Liu Kang fully justifies and returns that loyalty, even appointing Geras as the new Keeper of Time in his arcade ending, an appointment Geras accepts, his faith in Liu Kang being so strong that he will spend the rest of eternity doing his best to live up to his friend's hopes.
The Unfought: With the exception of potentially being part of the randomized fusion fights in the last chapter, Geras is not battled nor played as at any point.

Kung Lao

"For what it's worth, I'm not regretting this yet."

Debut Game: Mortal Kombat II
Portrayed by: Sunil Malhotra (English), Alan Fernando Velázquez (Latin American Spanish), Tian Shuai (face model)

Tales of heroes and legends were always present in Kung Lao's life, especially since his namesake ancestor was the great champion of the tournament between Earthrealm and Outworld. He has constantly imagined himself wreathed in glory much like the characters from those myths, but his simple life as a farmer in Fengjian is quite the opposite of his dreams, making him yearn for new adventures. Still, under Madame Bo's tutelage, Kung Lao may yet achieve the greatness he has always dreamed of.

For tropes applying to Kung Lao in previous timelines, click here.

Adaptational Relationship Overhaul: Liu Kang and Kung Lao are typically best friends and fellow Shaolin Monks. This timeline reimagines them as mentor and student, with Raiden taking Kang's role as Lao's friend and fellow monk.
Adaptational Wimp: This Kung Lao so far lacks the teleportation powers the one from the original timeline had.
Anti-Mentor: In Lao's tower ending, he becomes Shujinko's teacher at the Wu Shi Academy. Despite Raiden's concerns that Lao alone is not an adequate teacher, Lao insists on being Shujinko's sole teacher; Raiden's warnings are validated as Lao's inability to teach Shujinko humility and patience — traits Lao is greatly lacking in himself — results in the young man becoming a danger to the realms. After Shujinko's memories are erased and his powers removed, a much more humble and cooperative Lao begins his student's tutelage anew with Raiden to aid him.
Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Severely downplayed compared to his most popular characterization, but between him and Raiden, he obviously loves to show off his skills.
Kung Lao: Being prideful doesn't make me evil.
Ashrah: But it does make you insufferable.
A Day in the Limelight: Kung Lao is the focus of the first chapter.
Badass Boast: He gives one off in his story mode chapter towards Bi-Han:
Sub-Zero: I've had enough of you.
Kung Lao: Then go, before I put you down like the rest of your Lin Kuei!
Big Eater: Kung Lao has a large appetite, as shown after he and Raiden finish eating a meal at Madam Bo's teahouse and Raiden suggests that the food that Kung Lao ordered makes up most of the bill, with Kung Lao burping immediately afterwards. Later during dinner at Outworld, Kung Lao is seen eating without slowing down and with poor table manners. Johnny's pre-intro fight with Nitara also reveals that Kung Lao doesn't hold back when eating at Madam Bo's.
Raiden: (Looking at the bill for their meal) You were hungry.
Kung Lao: *Burp* Ohhh…
Break the Haughty: While certainly not canon, game over screens with him as the playable fighter will describe him being humbled by his defeat by certain fighters, even someone trying to outright kill him, like Bi-Han and Kuai Liang upon fighting them in the Tea House.
Broken Win/Loss Streak: Every time Raiden and Kung Lao fought in the past, Lao always won. In Raiden's chapter, he wins for the first time.
Casanova Wannabe: Pre-fight intros see Kung Lao trying to flirt with Ashrah, though he gets nowhere. She prefers to start a relationship with Syzoth, much to Kung Lao's disappointment.
Everyone Has Standards: Despite Kung Lao's arrogant attitude, he keeps his language very clean; he's aghast when Johnny throws out a "you bitch" when the heroes confront Shang Tsung.
Failed Attempt at Drama: Before his fight with Sub-Zero, Kung Lao flings his hat at the cryomancer... only for the straw hat to bounce off harmlessly, failing to do more than annoy Bi-Han.
Friendly Rivalry: He and Raiden's chapter begins with a friendly competition to see who can finish their farm work for the day first. This competitiveness is also applied in their martial arts training.
Gasshole: Belches conspicuously both after the dinner at Madam Bo's and during the feast in Outworld. Kenshi, Reiko and Shao were unlucky enough to sit right next to him at the table during the latter.
Glory Seeker: He doesn't let it control his life, but Kung Lao clearly hungers for fame and recognition. When he worked the fields in Fengjian, Kung Lao dreamed of a life of adventure, and when the opportunity to fight for Earthrealm presents itself, he jumps at the chance. Later, he's gleeful at the idea of appearing in one of Johnny's movies (though Raiden quickly reminds him that they have other priorities).
Humble Pie: Kung Lao's Tower ending humbles him greatly, as he realizes that Shujinko's fall to evil was due to Kung Lao's failure to teach him humility.
Iconic Attribute Adoption Moment: His chapter shows how he got the idea of his Weaponized Headgear, after throwing his straw hat at Sub-Zero, to little effect, then throws a nearby chakram at him, which works a lot better. After defeating the cryomancer, he looks at his hat and the chakram and is clearly inspired. He later shows off his new weaponized hat to Raiden at the Wu Shi temple.
In Spite of a Nail: Still seen as Always Second Best, this time in comparison to Raiden instead of Liu Kang.
Jabba Table Manners: While his village life and his Shaolin training have made him quite good at a lot of things, his table etiquette certainly leaves room for improvement, as he eats and drinks loudly and often belches, much to the discomfort of others, in addition to other implications.
Nitara: What could be more deadly than a Vaeternian?
Johnny Cage: Kung Lao after dinner at Madam Bo's. (makes a grimace of disgust) I mean, like, damn.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Kung Lao may be a glory-seeking, self-promoting, ill-mannered young man, but when the chips are down, he's always ready to do the right thing, such as defending Madam Bo from the Lin Kuei or accepting Raiden as Earthrealm's champion and being sincerely happy for his friend.
Jumped at the Call: Kung Lao, who's desperate for some excitement in his mundane life, eagerly accepts Liu Kang's invitation of joining his Earthrealm champions.
My Greatest Failure: After the events of the 1's story, Kung Lao was inducted into the ranks of the Shaolin Masters to teach the next generation of warrior monks, among the first of which was a young Shujinko who he regarded as his most promising student. Unfortunately, Kung Lao neglected to instil proper martial ethics or morality alongside physical skills and Shujinko, never having learned any humility, turned on Earthrealm in an act of narcissistic egomania. While quickly subdued, Kung Lao regards Shujinko's fall as his personal failing and a dark reflection of his own ego, causing him to take a much humbler and cooperative stance to teaching alongside Raiden going forward.
The Nicknamer: Pre-fight intros have him dub Ashrah "the Shaolin Demon", a name which Ashrah herself likes, but which Liu Kang considers too flippant.
Sore Loser/Graceful Loser: In some pre-kombat dialogues, he claims that Raiden got lucky in their fight (e.g. when fighting Nitara), in others, he admits that the better man won (e.g. when fighting Liu Kang).
Too Hungry to Be Polite: Kung Lao is a messy and loud eater, which no one bats an eye to in Fengjian. But when he eats just as wildly at a more formal dinner hosted in Outworld, Shao and Reiko stare at him with a mix of judgement and disbelief.
Weaponized Headgear: His trademark steel-rimmed hat. Pre-kombat dialogue reveals that some fighters (such as Sub-Zero and Reptile) think it's silly, while others (such as Scorpion and Smoke) actually like it. Either way, it proves to be a very effective weapon and, as always, Lao's Fatalities make good use of it.

Kenshi Takahashi

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kenshi_mk1_render.png

"With Sento in my hands, I'll lead us out of the shadows."

Debut Game: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Portrayed by: Vic Chao (English), Carlo Vázquez (Latin American Spanish), Noah Fleder (face model)

The Taira clan was an old and noble family in Japanese history, long thought vanished from the pages of history following their defeat at the Siege of Aomori. What few realized is that a few survivors managed to escape the clan's destruction, hiding their identity under the new name of "Takahashi" and becoming embroiled in what is now called the Yakuza. Kenshi Takahashi, having grown dissatisfied with a life of crime and victimizing others for his masters' profit and his clan's continued survival, now seeks the clan's heirloom, the sword "Sento", to break free from the Yakuza and rally his family together for a better cause. First, however, he will need to reclaim the blade from its current owner, a certain Hollywood blowhard…

For tropes applying to Kenshi in previous timelines, click here.

Abled in the Adaptation: Downplayed; this game is the first in the series to depict him before his blinding as he goes several chapters without his trademark blindfold and facing forward to make it apparent he is using his eyesight. Though true to form, he does lose his eyesight later in the story and the blindfold returns.
Adaptational Backstory Change:
- In the previous timelines, he was a ronin who was blinded by Shang Tsung and joined the Special Forces. In this game, he was a former Yakuza member looking to clear his family's name.
- He's seen in good visual health when he storms Johnny Cage's mansion in order to retrieve Sento, is later enlisted by Lord Liu Kang in the White Lotus Society and is seen training in the Wu Shi Academy in order to fight in the interrealm tournament. He doesn't lose his sight until after the tournament ended and a stealth mission went south.
Adaptational Mundanity: His previous incarnations were a kind of wandering samurai with a mystic sword searching for worthy opponents to duel. Here, his story is much more grounded as a Yakuza enforcer who's looking for a way out.
Adaptational Nice Guy: Kenshi was originally an Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy who was conned by Shang Tsung into getting the souls of his ancestors stolen, a mistake which cost him his sight. Here, his motives are far more noble as he's trying to free his clan from the Yakuza's yoke, he's much more humble even before losing his sight and even when he is blinded, it's because of attempts to help others going awry, not Kenshi's arrogant mistakes.
Adaptational Wimp: Although Sento gains telekinetic powers during Kenshi's fight with Ermac, he has yet to show any signs of telepathy.
Ancestral Weapon: Sento, his ancestral sword which will prove his claim as the leader of the Taira clan.
Ascended Extra: Mixed with Adaptational Early Appearance. In previous timelines Kenshi was a later addition to the roster who wasn't give much focus among them and he didn't have his own chapter in X. Here, Kenshi is part of the base roster, one of Earthrealm's champions and Johnny Cage's best friend, taking a position typically filled by characters like Sonya and Jax. Accordingly, he gets a character arc and his own chapter in the story mode.
Assist Character: During Ashrah's fight with Ermac in her chapter, Kenshi serves as her Kameo. He also serves as Syzoth's Kameo in the latter's chapter.
The Atoner: Kenshi hates that he and his clan have served the Yakuza, and he wants Sento so he can free the Taira clan from their service and make amends for their actions.
Badass Boast: In a pre-fight intro, he brags to Li Mei (herself being the Outworld equivalent to a police commander) about his police-fighting abilities and the latter is quite confident that she can break that streak:
Kenshi: I've never met a cop that I couldn't take down.
Li Mei: There's a first time for everything.
Badass in a Nice Suit: In his fight versus Johnny, Kenshi is wearing a nice-looking suit when battling over Sento. He later dons it during his trip to Outworld as part of Liu Kang's entourage. Also dons a pretty nice suit and shades combo in his Tower Ending once he joins up with Jax in the OIA.
Dark and Troubled Past: Kenshi is a former Yakuza enforcer and while he's loathed to give any details, the experience clearly left scars on him.
A Day in the Limelight: He's the focus of Chapter Four, "Secrets and Lies".
Disabled Snarker: Kenshi's blindness didn't rob him of his wit and in some cases, it even lends itself well to a dry remark.
Nitara: I'll be the last thing you see!
Kenshi: (chuckling derisively) I'm blind, remember?
Don't You Dare Pity Me!: In multiple of his pre-fight intros, Kenshi assures his opponent that the last thing he needs is pity from others for losing his sight. Which is justified, given that Sento grants him a form of spiritual vision to the point that it functionally negates his disability entirely.
Empowered Badass Normal: He starts off as just a mundane but very good swordfighter. It's only after he's blinded and Johnny relinquishes Sento to him that he receives powers granted to him by the ancestors inhabiting his sword, granting him psychic vision and acting as an independent spirit assisting Kenshi.
Even the Guys Want Him: If Johnny is the announcer, one of the nicknames he has for Kenshi is "Sexy-face 2" when the latter is chosen on the fighter select screen.
Everyone Has Standards: When he came looking for Sento, despite having no respect or liking for Johnny Cage, Kenshi waited until Johnny's wife had left before confronting him, even taking a moment to assure Johnny that his wife was fine.
Expy: Kenshi's status as a Yakuza enforcer wanting to get out of the underworld is near-identical to John Wick's backstory. Fittingly enough, Ed Boon wanted Kenshi to be portrayed by Keanu Reeves (a popular fancast for the live action movies).
Eye Scream: Just like the Kenshis of the previous timelines, he loses his eyesight. But unfortunately for him instead of simply getting blinded with intense light, he straight up takes two sais to the eye sockets, courtesy of a frenzied Mileena.
Family Honor: He wishes to pull his clan out of the grasp of the Yakuza and he needs his family sword to do it.
Fire-Forged Friends: His relationship with Johnny Cage passed from hostility during his mission to retrieve Sento to full-blown friendship.
Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: When he was younger and working for Yakuza, Kenshi couldn't understand why his gain had to come at other people's expense, a sentiment he carried forward into his desire for redemption.
Handicapped Badass: Played with; despite being blinded, Kenshi remains eager to help his friends, but his attempt to fight Ermac goes very poorly until he unlocks Sento's power, which restores his sight after a fashion and allows him to fight.
Hidden Depths: Despite his generally rocky relationship with Johnny, Kenshi has seen at least one of his movies and is implied to actually be a fan of his work. In some pre-fight interactions, Kenshi even got hired to act in some of them by Johnny and got paid handsomely for his time.
Honor Before Reason:
- Rather than break in and steal Sento when Johnny was asleep or not at home, Kenshi walked in through the front door and demanded the sword, leading to a fight.
- After being blinded, Kenshi insists on still trying to fight when his allies are threatened by Ermac. It gets him tossed aside with no effort.
Iconic Attribute Adoption Moment: Kenshi gets his trademark blindfold when Johnny uses the cloth as a bandage to apply salve to his eyes, after their encounter with Mileena saw his eyes gouged out.
Iconic Item: His trademark blindfold, which was originally a bandage he receives from Johnny after he's blinded. Johnny used it to put a healing salve on his eyes to dull the pain.
In Spite of a Nail:
- He's still blinded, this time by Mileena's hand as she gouges his eyes out with her sais. He afterwards learns to channel the supernatural powers of Sento. Liu Kang lampshades that he'd hoped "this time" the circumstances would be different.
- He still falls in love with a woman named Suchin. In this timeline, Kenshi credits her with setting him straight and he's glad to hear from Liu Kang that she still wants him in her life.
Irony: In previous timelines, Kenshi lost his sight after he foolishly trusted a man who turned out to be Shang Tsung in disguise. Here, warned of Shang Tsung's duplicity, Kenshi doesn't trust a word the sorcerer says... which gets him blinded anyway, because the situation is one of the rare occasions where Shang Tsung is (mostly) telling the truth.
Love Redeems: While she doesn't appear and he was clearly uncomfortable with the Yakuza all his life, an intro with Scorpion has Kenshi credit Suchin for setting him on the righteous path.
Made of Iron: While the act obviously blinded him, Kenshi still managed to survive Mileena driving her sais deep into his eye sockets and while he admits to being in "excruciating" pain, he barely lets it show.
The Men in Black: Works as Jax's partner in the OIA after his Tower Ending.
Mind over Matter: After absorbing some of Ermac's souls, Sento, and by extension Kenshi himself, gains the gestalt being's telekinetic powers, which he puts to good use.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Stopping a crazed Mileena from biting off Johnny's face just turns her attentions to Kenshi and she brutally gouges out his eyes.
Noodle Incident: When Smoke asks if he's ever been to Prague, Kenshi replies "once, on business"; his tone suggests that said "business" was for the Yakuza, and that whatever happened, Kenshi is not proud of or keen to relive the memory.
Puppet Fighter: Kenshi can summon a spirit out of his sword, effectively giving him a second Kameo as it uses the same meter.
Red Is Heroic: Most of Kenshi's outfits prominently feature the color red and he is, as Liu Kang describes, "a tragic figure with a noble cause".
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The calm and collected blue to Johnny's abrasive red.
Reformed, but Rejected: Pre-fight intros between Li Mei and Kenshi (who in this timeline is a member of the Yakuza) have the former being skeptical of the latter's newfound goodness:
Li Mei: You're a reformed criminal? Hmph. We'll see.
Kenshi: Is it not enough that Liu Kang trusts me?

Kenshi: My past crimes are catching up to me.
Li Mei: No one can escape justice.
Single-Stroke Battle: One of his Brutalities in 1 sees him run through his opponents with one swift stroke from Sento, bisecting them while also cutting off a part of their head so fast that it's unseeable by the naked eye.
Stance System: As a nod to the original 3D-era system mechanic (ever fitting considering it's the era he debuted in), in 1 he fights by switching between two stances: normal and Sento Stance. Sento Stance has him draw his sword and wield it almost exactly as he did during the 3D era, while at the same time summoning the ghost of one of his ancestors and controlling them like a Puppet Fighter.
The Stoic: He doesn't talk much without being addressed and rarely shows any emotions, also enduring excruciating pain after being blinded by Mileena without showing it.
Tattooed Crook: A former Yakuza enforcer whose hands are covered in tattoos. Johnny even calls Kenshi "Tattoo" at one point.
Vigilante Man: Kenshi's pre-fight intros reveal that after the game, he went to war with the Yakuza to break their grip on the Taira clan, even allying himself with the Black Dragon (something both Liu Kang and Kuai Liang warn him against).
Vitriolic Best Buds: With Johnny Cage. Early in the story, it's clear that he is openly annoyed with Johnny due to his childish antics and constant refusal to give him Sento since he legally owned and paid a lot of money for it. However, after he saves Johnny's life from a berserk Mileena and ends up blinded by her hands, Johnny feels indebted to him and in response he encourages him to keep going forward. With Johnny finally relinquishing Sento to him to bring back his fighting spirit and senses from his ancestors' souls within the sword, the two become close friends.
Yakuza: He starts the game as a Yakuza enforcer. It's not a position he's proud of.

Smoke (Tomas Vrbada)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/smoke_mk1_render.png

"Whatever it takes, I am with you."

Debut Game: Mortal Kombat II
Portrayed by: Yuri Lowenthal (English), José Ángel Torres (Latin American Spanish), Aaron Bernards (face model)

Young Tomas was born into a family of hunters, who had to fight for their survival almost every day and hone their skills in order to see the tomorrow. However, during one of their hunts, the family trespassed onto the lands which were the territory of the Lin Kuei, a secretive clan of warriors. For such transgression, Tomas's parents and twin sister were killed, and the boy was left orphaned. Incensed at his subordinates' actions, the clan's Grandmaster took it upon himself to take him into his own family and raise him as his own child alongside his sons, Bi-Han and Kuai Liang. Over time, Tomas, now known as Smoke, become a formidable warrior himself, but due to lacking his brothers' innate talents, he took it upon himself to learn "practical" magic. As their father tragically passes away and Bi-Han gains the title of Grandmaster, Smoke has to choose between following his brother's ambition or living in accordance with the old ways.

For tropes applying to Tomas Vrbada in previous timelines, click here.

Adaptational Backstory Change: He's remade as not being a smoke-based enenra in human form, but rather a young orphan who was taken in by the Lin Kuei as their adopted brother and eventually helps Scorpion form the Shirai Ryu.
Adaptational Mundanity: Rather than being an enenra in human form, this version of Smoke is just a normal human who learned magic.
Adoption Diss: Ends up on the receiving end of this, courtesy of Bi-Han. Afterwards, Kuai Liang makes a point of affirming that, blood brother or not, he still considers Tomas as much his brother as Bi-Han.
All of the Other Reindeer: He isn't related to Kuai Liang or Bi-Han by blood, being adopted by the previous Grandmaster after the Lin Kuei accidentally slaughtered his family. Bi-Han, being a Jerkass, makes no secret of his disdain towards him for this.
Angsty Surviving Twin: An intro with Kitana reveals that Smoke's dead sister was his twin, though he insists to Scorpion that his family's ghosts no longer haunt him.
The Baby of the Bunch: Various intros, along with the dynamics of their relationships, imply that Smoke is the youngest of the three Lin Kuei brothers and that he's a fairly young man in general. An intro with Quan Chi confirms this as the latter calls Smoke "the littlest Lin Kuei".
Big Brother Instinct: Combined with Extremely Protective Child. When Quan Chi brags in an intro that he now controls the souls of Smoke's family, Tomas angrily demanded the sorcerer to release them.
Big Brother Worship: He idolized Bi-Han despite his adoptive older brother's poor treatment of him. This is no longer the case when he finds out that Bi-Han let their father die to become grandmaster and betrayed Earthrealm by allying himself with Shang Tsung.
Broken Pedestal: Despite how poorly Bi-Han treats him, Tomas idolized his adoptive older brother. Bi-Han's betrayal put an end to that very quickly.
Brought Down to Badass: His bio established him not being an enenra given human form, but rather an ordinary human coming from a hunting family, lacking the innate supernatural powers found within the Lin Kuei. However, he still possesses his signature smoke-based powers, but as a result of him training in and mastering "practical magic".
Commonality Connection: In his intros, Smoke empathizes with Baraka, Syzoth, and Reiko over the fact that they've all lost their families, though only the former two appreciate it.
Crisis of Faith: In one of his intro dialogues with Tanya, he claims that he lost faith in deities when his family was slaughtered. This seems to be turning around, however, as he shows interest in learning about Deliah and Argus from her in another intro.
Deadpan Snarker: He's mostly earnest, but Smoke isn't immune to a bit of sarcasm from time to time.
Baraka: You Earthrealmers scare easily!
Smoke: Huge fangs do that to us, Baraka.
Geras: My vision of the future is hazy…
Smoke: Is that because it's filled with… Smoke?
Havik: Oppose me and you'll be killed!
Smoke: Shouldn't I be free to choose?
Devious Daggers: His main weapon of choice is a Karambit, a curved knife fitting for a stealthy warrior like himself.
Dork Knight:
- He's a skilled and valiant warrior of the Lin Kuei, but he's also inexperienced, emotionally open and unerringly polite and deferential to everybody. He's also prone to making cheesy one-liners in a bid to sound intimidating… which usually doesn't work.
  Smoke: The Queen of Outworld faces the King of Smoke!
  Sindel: "King of Smoke"?! (laughs)
- If his intros with Johnny Cage are any indication, he's ecstatic at the idea of being in a film with him.
  Johnny Cage: Win and you get a speaking part in my next movie.
  Smoke: That would be amazing, Johnny!
Evil Laugh: Lets out a sinister chuckle during his second fatality.
Evil Stole My Faith: Although he came to love the Lin Kuei, Tomas remarks in an intro with Tanya that the deaths of his biological family robbed him of his faith, though he expresses interest in learning about the religion surrounding Delia and Argus.
Happily Adopted: Smoke's love and loyalty for his adoptive family is undeniable. He's notably more loyal to his adoptive father than the man's own eldest son proved to be.
Hated Hometown: Downplayed; he doesn't hate Prague, but an intro with Raiden has Smoke say that he hasn't gone back there in years, saying that it's nothing to him but bad memories.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: While his relationship with Bi-Han is quite frosty, Tomas and his adoptive brother Kuai Liang enjoy a very close friendship. After Bi-Han's betrayal, Kuai Liang makes it clear that he considers Tomas more his brother than his own blood sibling, and the two go on to form the Shirai Ryu together.
Highly-Visible Ninja: An aversion worth noting given this franchise's rather liberal history with the concept of a "ninja"; unlike Sub-Zero and Scorpion who wear brightly colored uniforms, fight with extremly flashy magical abilities, and typically only remain stealthy for as long as it takes to get into a good position to ambush their opponent, Smoke operates and plays much more like an actual stealth operative. To whit;
- His uniform, while ornate, is in shades of muted greys and blacks to help him better blend into dark environments.
- He can't use traditional Lin Kuei magical techniques and gets by on "practical magic" that manifests in his ability to manipulate smoke to form obscuring clouds and misdirect his opponents along with his natural speed, strength, smoke bombs and Karambit knife.
- In gameplay his moveset is much less directly confrontational than his Lin Kuei compatriots, focused more on outmaneuvering and confusing the opponent with potent mix-ups, off-screen teleports, and dizzyingly fast combos that he can cancel out of should things get hairy.
Humble Hero: In pre-kombat dialogues with especially tough opponents, he admits that he's concerned about his chances of winning.
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: In an intro with Ashrah, the aspiring ex-demon reports that her Kriss doesn't sense any evil at all in Smoke. His insistence to Nitara in another intro that "every Earthrealm life is sacred" goes a ways to further proving Ashrah right.
Kung-Fu Wizard: Smoke uses "practical magic" to create his smoke-based powers and is an accomplished martial artist as well.
Lame Pun Reaction: Has a bad one against a pun made by Shang Tsung, of all people:
Shang Tsung: Today your life goes up in smoke.
Smoke: Ugh, and people think you're clever?
Nice Guy: Despite projecting a thuggish demeanor when he first appears, Smoke's actual personality is that of a polite and friendly man who gets along well with most of the other kombatants.
Nice, Mean, and In-Between: The "nice" among himself, Sub-Zero and Scorpion; unlike his brothers, Tomas is a sweet-natured, rather dorky young man who is both affable and tremendously likable.
Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Although Czech by birth and raised with a Chinese family, Smoke speaks in a slightly formal, but distinctly American accent.
Number Two: He's right by Kuai Liang's side in defecting from the Lin Kuei and forming the Shirai Ryu, serving as the clan's second-in-command. If Johnny is the announcer, one of his nicknames for Smoke is "Number Two Shirai Ryu".
Prematurely Gray Haired: Despite being quite young, Smoke's hair is silvery-gray. Granted, it isn't because he is under a lot of aging-inducing stress, but simply because it fits his smoke theme.
Pungeon Master: Fitting his personality, Smoke is prone to wordplay regarding his element of choice, though as an intro with Shang Tsung shows, he's not too keen on other people making similar puns.
General Shao: You cannot hide, Earthrealmer.
Smoke: Good luck trying to smoke me out!
Race Lift: Downplayed as he's still Czech, but he's also half-Asian now judging by how his face model is of partial Asian descent.
Related in the Adaptation: In previous timelines, Smoke, while a close friend to Kuai Liang, was just another member of the Lin Kuei. Here, he's Kuai Liang and Bi-Han's adoptive brother.
Revisiting the Roots: After spending previous games as either a cyborg or a revenant, he's finally back to being a human member of the Lin Kuei.
Sidekick: Smoke is essentially this to Kuai Liang/Scorpion, sticking by his side due to being treated with brotherly love and respect. Johnny Cage even describes Smoke as having "the wholesome sidekick thing" down to a tee.
Team Member in the Adaptation: Smoke was never a member of the Shirai Ryu in past timelines but is one of its founding members in The New Era.
This Is Unforgivable!:
- Multiple intro dialogues reveal that Liu Kang deliberately engineered Smoke's family being murdered so he could become a Lin Kuei and a valuable asset to Earthrealm's defense. Smoke is naturally embittered and claims that he might not ever forgive Liu Kang for it.
- In his intros, Tomas expresses doubts that he could ever forgive Bi-Han's betrayal, though he also hopes that his brothers might one day reconcile, however unlikely it might be.
Undying Loyalty: Remains steadfastly loyal to Kuai Liang, who treats him like family despite not being related by blood. Small wonder, when Bi-Han reveals his betrayal, that Smoke joins Kuai Liang in defecting from the Lin Kuei to form the Shirai Ryu.
Scorpion: Bi-Han owed you his respect.
Smoke: That I earned yours is what matters.
Would Harm a Senior: Subverted; when he first appears, Smoke plays the role of an extortionist willing to physically assault Madam Bo for refusing to pay protection money, but in reality, the entire scenario was fake and Madam Bo was in on it, meaning she was never in actual danger from Smoke.
You Remind Me of X:
- In one of their intros, Smoke tells Li Mei that her tough as nails attitude reminds him of his mother.
- He's on the receiving end of this from Sindel, who believes that Tomas resembles her nephew Xandras, though both Mileena and Kitana see no such resemblance.
- In his arcade ending, Smoke sees a lot of his own younger self in an orphaned and angry Hanzo Hasashi, and resolves to bring the boy into the Shirai Ryu, just as Tomas himself was adopted by the Lin Kuei.
- An intro with Kitana has Smoke compare her to Harumi.
  Smoke: You and Harumi are a lot alike, princess.
  Kitana: Your Kuai Liang has excellent taste.

Outworld

Sindel

Queen Sindel

"Who's your Queen?"

Debut Game: Mortal Kombat 3
Portrayed by: Mara Junot (English), Carla Castañeda (Latin American Spanish)

It was Sindel's destiny to rule Outworld, born as a royal princess who would eventually ascend the throne. While she was to be forced into an arranged marriage, her consort, Jerrod, proved to be a perfect match for her, and the gods blessed them with twin daughters, Mileena and Kitana. Their joint rule marked the beginning of a new Golden Age for the realm, as the two lead their empire into a generation's long era of peace and prosperity alongside Earthrealm. Unfortunately, Jerrod's assassination has since emboldened certain rebellious elements within Outworld and to make matters worse, her heir, Mileena, has contracted the incurable Tarkat disease, leaving the future uncertain.

For tropes applying to Sindel in previous timelines, click here.

Action Mom: A mother of twin sisters, Mileena and Kitana, who can still kick someone's ass into the ground, as General Shao learns the hard way.
Adaptational Heroism: Played With. The original timeline version of Sindel was a benevolent queen who truly mourned the death of Jerrod and loved her family and people, but 11 retconned that so she was Evil All Along and was the one who killed him instead. The New Era depicts Sindel as a benevolent, albeit flawed monarch, who truly loves her daughters and late husband, and is at least willing to learn from her mistakes.
Adaptational Relationship Overhaul: Unlike the previous continuities, she isn't married to Shao (willingly or not). Instead, she is now his empress, and their relationship has no romantic or sexual component.
Battle Couple: She shares some ass-kicking moments with the resurrected Jerrod during Mileena's chapter, however, after she dies, he absorbs her soul into the Ermac gestalt. In her arcade ending, it is shown that the couple reunite inside of the legion of souls inside Ermac, and fight together side by side to remain in control of the body.
Blaming the Victim: Sindel's attitude towards people with Tarkat; she holds Mileena responsible for her own affliction, and in an intro with Baraka, attributes him suffering from the disease as evidence of "lack of care".
Charm Person: Uniquely, Sindel has the ability to compel her opponent's Kameo assist, issuing commands that stun them or even temporarily convert them to her side.
Fantastic Ableism: Sindel treats the Tarkatans ^note like pariahs, herding them into ghettos where they are barely given enough to survive, refusing to allow their souls to join the Living Forest, and even outright blaming them for their own ailment.
Fantastic Racism: According to Mileena, this is one of her mother's few, genuine flaws. While some of her prejudices are entirely understandable, such as her hatred towards the Vaeternians (who feed on the living solely to artificially extend their lifespans and view all non-Vaeternians as lesser beings), others (like the Zaterrans ^note who are merely benign Lizard Folk) are decidedly less so.
Fatal Flaw: Prejudice. Sindel is a legitimately high minded sovereign with strong principles of duty toward her empire, whose rule has led Outworld into an era of prosperity and peace, but that prosperity has not been applied equally throughout Outworld and so many among certain Outworld races feel they have been left behind by the so-called Golden Age. Which General Shao easily takes advantage of to form an army large enough to challenge Mileena after she succeeds her mother. The one most notably covered by the story itself is her handling of Tarkat, where her decrees have segregated Tarkatans physically, and even spiritually, from the rest of Outworld to suffer in neglect and squalor. Sindel's intentions are to protect Outworld by quarantining a deadly and incurable disease, but in the process she writes off the already extant victims of the disease itself as lost, failing to consider their welfare and creating a culture of revulsion that regards Tarkatans as unclean. Which directly leads to the destabilization of her dynasty and the straining of her relationship with her daughter when Mileena herself contracts Tarkat.
Groin Attack: Sindel's Fatal Blow delivers a non-traditional one that's no less brutal: rather than a direct attack to the junk like Johnny Cage, Sindel uses her Prehensile Hair to grab her opponent by the legs, at one point forcing them into a split that (cinematically) dislocates their legs from their pelvis.
The High Queen: Despite her flaws, Sindel is dedicated to Outworld's well-being and in keeping the peace with Earthrealm, refusing to hear a word of General Shao's paranoid concerns without actual evidence.
Horrible Judge of Character:
- She had Quan Chi serve as a prophet in her court where he only made predictions come true for his own gain. She also trusted Shang Tsung with her daughter's life, unaware of just how twisted he really was. When she sees the horrors in the latter's laboratory she's absolutely sickened. Though to be fair this is Quan Chi and Shang Tsung we're talking about.
- Downplayed with General Shao; while Sindel considered him a troublemaker and war hawk she believed he was loyal to Outworld and the royal family. She was half-right; Shao's loyalty to Outworld is absolute but he considers Sindel and her family to be a problem that demands removing.
Hypocrite: Most Outworlders who contract Tarkat are herded into quarantine and left to rot by Imperial decree. But when Sindel's own daughter gets the disease she allows experimental treatments to be used in search of a cure, clearly treating Mileena as different from the countless other Outworlders who have suffered the affliction.
Sindel: Why do you call me a hypocrite?
Baraka: Because I know of your daughter's affliction.
I Hate Past Me: She's not particularly fond of what she learns about the evil iteration of her from Kronika's timeline, telling Liu Kang that she "sounds like a screeching harpy".
In Spite of a Nail: Although the New Era has changed much about Sindel's life, she still dies by her own hand (as she did in the original timeline and was presumed to in the reboot), though much more literally this time around.
Insane Troll Logic: An intro with Baraka reveals that Tarkatan souls are forbidden from joining the Living Forest because Sindel fears that they could "infect" the honored dead, despite Tarkat being a physical ailment. It's implied that this is due more to Sindel's prejudice than an actual concern.
Kick the Dog: While this version of Sindel is generally heroic, her treatment of Tarkatans is atrocious; any Outworlder who contracts the disease (save for Sindel's own daughter) is herded into a ghetto and left to rot, they're barely given enough food and shelter to survive, and Sindel refuses to even allow them near enough to the Living Forest for their souls to join it when they die, arguing that it would risk infecting the dead with the disease.
Like a Son to Me: In story mode, she's utterly heartbroken to see Rain, who she thought of as a son, take part in Shao and the sorcerers' betrayal. After she defeats him, she disowns him by saying that he's forever dead to her.
Mama Bear: She loves her daughters and goes out of her way to protect them. Her own chapter has her thrashing Shao when he imprisons Kitana, Mileena and Tanya in Shinnok's amulet.
Mechanically Unusual Fighter: Sindel has a unique special move to buff her own Kameo, giving them decreased recharge time. She can also interrupt the opponent's Kameo assist with another special move, with the enhanced version allowing her to use said Kameo for herself.
Ms. Fanservice: Downplayed greatly compared to how she’s portrayed in the other games. That said, she is still a gorgeous looking woman who wears skin tight outfits that flatter her figure and show off her cleavage.
Necessarily Evil: According to a pre-kombat dialogue with Ashrah, she sees some amount of objectionable deeds as unavoidable for even a righteous monarch.
Not So Above It All:
- A few of Sindel's pre-fight intros have her admit that losing the tournament rankled her, even questioning whether Raiden won fairly to an incredulous Kenshi.
- While generally a fair minded ruler, some of Sindel's intros hint at a definite sense of classism, deriding Havik as "rabble who screech[es] revolution" and pointing out Raiden's "common touch" in a tone that makes Raiden question if she meant that as a compliment or derision.
Other Me Annoys Me: One pre-fight conversation has her confide in Liu Kang about the previous timeline's Sindel, noting that she sounded "like a screeching harpy".
Parents as People: Her harshness with Mileena is born both out of worry and out of what she thinks is best for the kingdom, even if these decisions sour her relationship with her daughter.
Perfectly Arranged Marriage: Sindel's marriage to Jerrod was by arrangement, not either of their choice, but they turned out to be a perfect match, falling deeply in love and living happily until Jerrod's murder. She clearly feels the loss during the game, which fuels her bitterness towards Li Mei, whom she blamed for failing to save Jerrod.
Politically Incorrect Hero: Despite being a genuinely well-meaning ruler and a friend to Liu Kang, Sindel sports a few ugly prejudices, treating Tarkatans like second-class citizens when they're only Outworlders with a terrible disease, as well as looking down on Vaeternians (who, in fairness, are bloodsucking monsters who themselves look down on Outworlders) and showing some signs of classism in her intros.
Power Floats: She can levitate under her own power, which mechanically gives her unique cancels for her combos. It also shows up in her intros, winscreen and fatality to help enhance her imperious image.
Prehensile Hair: As with previous versions of the character, Sindel uses her extendable hair as extra limbs and a weapon in combat. This is especially emphasized in the New Era however, in specific animations where her hair will expand from a fairly simple hairstyle that reaches to her midback into a massive mane of prehensile tendrils that could envelop her entire body.
Prepare to Die: In a pre-kombat dialogue with Omni-Man, she threatens to kill him for threatening to keep her and her daughters as "pets" after her defeat (she understood this as a threat to turn her and her daughters into his sex slaves).
Reasonable Authority Figure: While she certainly has her vices — she marginalizes the Tarkatans who are merely victims of disease, and allows her grief over Jerrod's death to blind her from forgiving Li Mei — Sindel ultimately insists on maintaining peace with Earthrealm until presented with evidence of hostile intent from Liu Kang. She steadily resists Shao's insistent pushes for all-out war with Earthrealm and she also allows Liu Kang and Li Mei to prove their case when they accuse Shao and Shang Tsung of conspiring against her.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: While flawed, Sindel is, in addition to being Outworld's Empress, a powerful kombatant in her own right, more than willing to throw down should someone threaten her realm.
Sacrificial Lion: Alone of the heroes, Sindel is slain before the game's final act, with her death driving home how serious the threat posed by Titan Shang Tsung and his corrupted minions really is.
Silver Vixen: Sindel's hair is almost entirely silver, and she's old enough to have two adult daughters, but her hair is the only sign of her age, and she's very attractive otherwise.
Super-Scream: Just as in the past timelines, Sindel uses her killer voice in her moveset and in one of her fatalities.
We Used to Be Friends: While she led the Umgadi, Li Mei considered Sindel her closest friend, but their bond was shattered after Jerrod's murder. Blaming Li Mei for failing to prevent her beloved husband's death, Sindel is clearly infuriated at the very sight of her, to the point that, if it weren't for tradition requiring it, she wouldn't allow Li Mei to fight in the tournament. When Li Mei helps to uncover Shao and Shang Tsung's conspiracy, however, she and Sindel reconcile.
Why Couldn't You Be Different?: Downplayed, as Sindel is ultimately firmly supportive of Mileena as her heir and states that Kitana should do everything in her power to support her sister's reign, but she does admit to her younger daughter that she sometimes wishes the order of their births were switched, as things would be simpler that way.
Sindel: There are times I wish that you were born first.
Kitana: Never let Mileena hear you say that!

Reiko

"You are woefully unprepared, Earthrealmer. This will be your last battlefield."

Debut Game: Mortal Kombat 4
Portrayed by: Derek Phillips (English), Manuel Pérez (Latin American Spanish), Jon Schaefer (face model)

Reiko has seen war from every side of it. During the Kafallah War, while he was but a boy, he and his family were captured by the enemy and thrown into prison. While the other family members eventually perished, the young Reiko proved to be resilient enough to survive the conditions for months until his salvation came. General Shao, a decorated warrior, led a raiding party into the enemy territory and freed the prisoners, Reiko included. With fury burning within, the young boy lashed out at his captors and exacted his revenge, impressing the general with his spirit. He was made Shao's squire and under the seasoned commander's tutelage, he learned the ways of warfare. Reiko's skills earned him the position of the general's second-in-command and his loyalty to his savior is absolute, to the point of willing to give up his own life for Shao.

For tropes applying to Reiko in previous timelines, click here.

Adaptational Sympathy: Reiko in the original timelines had little to no redeeming qualities as he served both Shinnok and Shao Kahn. Here, he was orphaned and captured at a young age due to war and he would be later saved by General Shao who took him in after recognizing his potential, justifying Reiko's loyalty towards him unlike previous timelines.
Ascended Extra: He's given a prominent role as General Shao's second-in-command.
Badass Normal: Ironically, in spite of his prejudice against Earthrealmers, Reiko fights more like Kung Lao or Johnny Cage than his fellow Outworlders. In a world where magic is commonplace, Reiko fights solely with his martial skill and physical mastery while being one of Outworld's finest soldiers.
Beard of Evil: Has a Perma-Stubble and is The Dragon to General Shao.
Blood Knight: Reiko lives and breathes for war and battle, and this passion has made him one of Outworld's finest soldiers.
The Bus Came Back: Last playable in 2006's Armageddon, had a significant role in the prequel comics of X. Back here as a playable character.
Child Soldier: Spent his youth as a soldier for General Shao, and as he proudly tells Kenshi, sees nothing wrong with that fact. In fairness, no one else in Outworld has questioned it, either.
Decapitation Presentation: He tells Shang Tsung in a pre-kombat dialogue that General Shao would like him to bring his severed head on a pike.
Deliberate Values Dissonance: Reiko is proud of his service as a Child Soldier and seems bewildered when Kenshi expresses shock about it in an intro.
Devious Daggers: His main weapon is a double-edged dagger, fitting his cunning and cerebral character.
The Dragon: Reiko is General Shao's unbreakably loyal right-hand man and personal attack dog.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
- Interactions with Geras and Sub-Zero show that he clearly loved and misses his birth parents. This is why Bi-Han, who committed (indirect) patricide, gets on Reiko's nerves.
- Reiko's loyalty to General Shao, his surrogate father, is absolute and unbreakable, to the point that, to Reiko, there's no greater honor possible than dying in Shao's service.
Even Evil Has Standards:
- In one pre-fight intro with Bi-Han, Reiko asks whether Bi-Han truly did let his father die in a rather furious tone, heavily implying that Reiko is appalled at Bi-Han for committing patricide.
- He also has a low opinion of Havik, thinking that his actions and treatment of those in his army are inglorious, especially the flooding of Seido's capital, which not even his Undying Loyalty towards General Shao, who, in contrast to not just Reiko but all of the other villains, approved of the act, is enough to make him condone.
  Reiko: An effective army needs structure and discipline.
  Havik: It needs fighters willing to die for freedom!
- It's not as if he's a poster child of politeness and good manners, but Kung Lao's poor table manners (burping loudly) shocked him a little.
- Shang Tsung's disdain for and inability to understand honour disgust Reiko.
Evil Sounds Raspy: He's loyal to the less-than-heroic General Shao, and Reiko's own voice sports a notable raspy quality.
Evil Virtues: Loyalty, gratitude, and valor. Reiko is unflinchingly loyal to General Shao even in the face of certain death due to the General not only saving his life, but giving him a life and a purpose after both had been taken from him. Several characters in their intro dialogue raise the possibility of his redemption, or mourn how his virtues have been twisted into Shao's service.
Flechette Storm: His projectile is a spread of 3 (5 if enhanced) shurikens thrown at once.
Happily Adopted: Downplayed on account of they don't seem to regard each other as father and son. Reiko was orphaned at a young age and was taken in by Shao who saw potential in him as a soldier. Because of this, Reiko sticks with Shao through thick and thin, even if it means being branded as traitors to Outworld.
Hijacking Cthulhu: Reiko's Arcade ending has Shao crossing the Godzilla Threshold after defeats by Kitana's army, and he reluctantly sends Reiko on the impossible mission of taming Onaga. While Reiko is almost certain he will die in the attempt, and there's no word from him about the outcome, General Shao has dialogue with Tanya that suggests the Dragon King was successfully brought to heel.
Hitbox Dissonance: Many of his kick attacks project energy to extend their reach without putting himself in much danger of getting whiff punished.
Jerkass: Like his boss and idol, Reiko is an arrogant thug who mocks his opponents mercilessly. The only character he has much, if any, esteem for is General Shao.
Not Afraid to Die: Whenever the possibility of dying comes up for him, whether fighting Sindel in Story Mode or preparing to tame Onaga in his tower ending, Reiko is unafraid; to him, dying in General Shao's service is the highest possible honor.
Politically Incorrect Villain:
- He is openly hostile towards those with Tarkat and racist towards Zaterrans (with Reptile responding that he is "one of those warm-bloods" in kind). Raiden also calls him out on his prejudice when talking lowly about Earthrealmers.
- An intro with Kenshi has Reiko call the blind swordsman "an Earthrealm cripple".
Tongue Trauma: He threatens to cut out Quan Chi's tongue after he tried to talk him into serving him by making disparaging remarks about Shao.
Uncertain Doom: Reiko's arcade ending ends with him trying to tame Onaga, a mission that even Reiko himself admits is likely suicide. While some of Shao's dialogue mentions he actually succeeded in doing so, whether Reiko survived the mission is left unrevealed.
Undying Loyalty: Reiko's loyalty to General Shao is completely unbreakable, even by a master manipulator like Shang Tsung. In his ending, Reiko is willing to volunteer for the incredibly dangerous task of trying to tame Onaga, even knowing it will likely kill him. As far as Reiko is concerned, dying in Shao's service is the highest possible honor.
Villainous Valor: For all his thuggery, Reiko's loyalty and bravery are impossible to deny. His arcade ending sees him proudly jump in to try and tame Onaga to aid Shao's goals, unconcerned at the likelihood of dying as long as it helps his commander's goals.
"Wanted!" Poster: As revealed by Li Mei in pre-kombat dialogue, his role in Shao's attempted coup d'état made him a wanted man (wanted dead or alive).
War Is Glorious: He's very much a believer in this, considering the ability to risk his life for General Shao to be one of the finest things in life. This puts him at odds with people like Smoke and Geras, who are more believers in the opposite.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: He shares General Shao's views that Outworld needs a regime change to be a stronger nation, and takes great offense when anyone tries to paint him as a traitor for it.

Rain (Zeffeero)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rain_mk1_render.png

"Rain will fall upon you like daggers from the sky!"

Debut Game: Mortal Kombat 3
Portrayed by: Noshir Dalal (English), Rafael Escalante (Latin American Spanish)

Outworld is home to many magically gifted individuals, but Rain stands out even among them. With his mastery of water magic, he exceeded all expectations as a student of the prestigious Academy of Sorcery, to the point of being appointed as Outworld's High Mage upon his graduation. Yet still, his ambition burns within, and he wants to reach even higher levels of knowledge to hone his craft.

For tropes applying to Zeffeero in previous timelines, click here.

Adaptational Backstory Change: He's no longer an Edenian prince, neither by blood nor divine birthright, merely a student of Outworld's Imperial Academy of Sorcery with an aptitude for water magic, whose skill is so impressive that he was christened Outworld's High Mage by General Shao and Empress Sindel.
Adaptational Job Change: Rain is no longer an Edenian Prince, but a High Mage of Outworld's court.
Adaptational Nice Guy: In previous portrayals, Rain is a egotistical, entitled and traitorous prince with little remorse or restraint over his rude and villainous actions. In this story, while still in an antagonistic role working under Shang Tsung, he is notably less crude in his interactions towards others and is implied that he truly believes his actions are for the best for Outworld and is not aware of Shang Tsung's true intentions. In his ending, after he helps Havik destroy Seido with a giant flood, he feels great remorse for the suffering that he has caused by choosing General Shao's side and even turns himself in to Mileena.
Adaptation Species Change: In past timelines, he was a demi-god due to being Argus' illegitimate son but in this timeline, he's a full-blooded Edenian due to Liu Kang intentionally removing his divine parentage in an attempt to humble him.
Adaptational Sympathy: In previous timelines, Rain was portrayed as a narcissistic and disloyal demigod whose ambition reflected a sense of entitlement and whose only sympathetic quality was a fondness for his mother. Here, having worked long and hard to master his mystical powers, Rain's pride comes across as much more earned, while his ambitious, ruinous though it may be, is portrayed as a personal flaw that Rain laments and tries to overcome.
Adaptational Weapon Swap: Most previous appearances of Rain had him fight bare-handed, with an occasional preference for blades, such as an optional sword in Armageddon and a katar in 11. In the New Era, Rain's weapon is a large Magic Staff, reflecting the shift of his fighting style to make him more of a wizard-type combatant.
Ambition Is Evil: Naturally, Rain's desire to rise above his status results in him being an antagonist. No one seems more aware of it than himself, as he realizes that it cost him everything he has and he's in a worse spot for it. It's to the point where he asks why Liu Kang doesn't remove this aspect of his personality.
Blood Magic: Possibly; in an intro with Nitara, she asks if Rain can manipulate blood as well as water. Rain's response suggests that he's never tried to and would be curious to see if he could.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: He keeps his love for his birth mother, Amara, from 11. A few pre-fight interactions have him apalled that she and the rest of his family are punished because of his actions.
Everyone Has Standards:
- Despite allying himself with Shang Tsung, Rain's intros have him state that he didn't know the extent of the sorcerer's twisted experiments, and even when he did aid him, he believed that it was being done to find a cure for Tarkat.
- After he floods Seido at Havik's behest, Rain, once he takes in the cost of his actions, he's absolutely horrified and turns himself in.
Foil: Ends up becoming one to Bi-Han/Sub-Zero; both are water-themed characters that wield polearms (a scepter for Rain, and a(n ice) mace for Sub-Zero) and both decide to work for Shang Tsung at one point in the story. The difference is that while Bi-Han became more of a jerk compared to prior timeline versions of himself, Rain became less of a jerk compared to prior timeline versions of himself. Sub-Zero defected from the heroes' side due to his own ambition for power and glory; Rain defected to the heroes' side once he learnt the price of his ambition.
Heel Realization: Drowning Seido's capital leaves him horrified and makes him realize how far he's gone and everything he lost in the process, attempting to be The Atoner after. While his remose is noted to be genuine, a few lines suggest it might not stick.
Insistent Terminology: According to an intro with Smoke, Rain is a mage, not a sorcerer, though he insists that Tomas wouldn't be able to understand the distinction between the two.
Irony: Some of Rain's intros have him swear by Argus, his past incarnation's much-hated father.
Kung-Fu Wizard: This incarnation of Rain is portrayed as less of a militant prince and more of a scholarly sorcerer, having been appointed the title of Outworld's High Mage thanks to his expertise on magic. This shift in characterization doesn't make him any less of a threat in a one-on-one fight, and he makes good use of his Magic Staff as a melee weapon among his elemental powers.
Like a Son to Me: Sindel saw Rain as a surrogate son, which makes his collusion with General Shao's coup cut her all the more deeply.
Making a Splash: He still has the hydromancy he is known for.
My God, What Have I Done?: In his Arcade ending. After he helps Havik drown Seido's capital with a magically-conjured tsunami, Rain was horrified that he had destroyed a major city and left thousands dead, realizing that none of that would have happened had he been satisfied as Outworld's high mage and not been tempted by Shang Tsung. As a result, he turns himself in, ready to accept any punishment the Empress (Mileena) wants to give him, and outright states that his only ambition now is to one day be forgiven. Geras, however, suggests the possibility that his remorse is not permanent, and Rain wavers between remorse and self preservation in his post story intro dialogues. Time will tell whether he pulls a full Heel–Face Turn or relapses into villainy.
Named by the Adaptation: In contrast to prior timelines, where he was only ever referred to by his codename, this timeline reveals that Rain's real name is Zeffeero.^note
Parting the Sea: His second Fatality mimics this imagery by trapping his opponent in a swirling pillar of water before spitting the pillar (and the opponent) in half. For added measure, the Fatality is called "The Red Sea".
Unrelated in the Adaptation: So far, there's no mention of Argus being his father or any indication that he is a demigod in the New Era, with Rain's powers over water being the result of years of study and practice in Outworld's Imperial Academy of Sorcery. His alternate timeline counterpart still calls himself "son of Argus", while an intro dialogue with Liu Kang has our Rain shocked and upset that Liu Kang took divinity away from him because, as Liu Kang says, "in no timeline did he use it properly". On the other hand, it is confirmed that Amara is still his birth mother.

Ermac

"We are Ermac. We are many, you are one. We will destroy you!"

Debut Game: Mortal Kombat 3

Portrayed by: Jamieson Price (English), Salvador Reyes (Latin American Spanish)

Created through the combined efforts of Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, and their underlings and benefactors, Ermac is a construct of incredible power: a veritable wellspring of souls, and the power they contain, held within a humanoid vessel. If not dealt with, Ermac could bring about the end of the realms as they are known, save for one weakness: the souls within are ever struggling to assert themselves...

For tropes applying to Ermac in previous timelines, click here.

Adaptation Dye-Job: Not exactly on Ermac himself, but the colors of his soul/telekinesis powers, rather than the vibrant emerald green of all previous games, is now more of a light bluish/teal, differentiating from the color used for much of Quan Chi's magic.
Adaptational Origin Connection:
- In previous timelines, he was created by Shao Kahn. For this timeline, he was created by Quan Chi using the Soul Stealer.
- Prior timelines had telekinesis be a power inherent to Sento, but in the New Era, the sword assimilates Ermac's powers by absorbing some of his many souls.
Brought Down to Badass: Ermac is weakened after his fight with Ashrah and Kenshi causes him to lose some of his many souls, but he remains a powerful kombatant nonetheless.
Character Catchphrase: "We are many, you are one" is repeated in various forms throughout Ermac's pre-fight intros, with "we will destroy you" often, but not always following.
Ermac: We are many, you are one—
Johnny Cage: Yeah, yeah, you'll destroy me. Whatever.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Immediately after his creation, Ermac proves to be too much for the combined efforts of Ashrah, Johnny Cage, Kung Lao, Baraka and Syzoth to handle. He's only driven off when Kenshi joins the fight, using Sento's magic to absorb some of Ermac's souls and weaken him.
Dark Is Not Evil: For most of story mode, Ermac is solidly aligned with the villains, but after he is defeated by Mileena in kombat, Jerrod's soul takes control of Ermac's body and quickly uses its power to assist the heroes. Even as Jerrod's soul loses control of the main body by the time of his Arcade ladder ending, Ermac ultimately ends up as a neutral party, seeking to unite the wills of the many souls within his body towards a shared purpose.
Deadpan Snarker: Like many other kombatants, Ermac's pre-fight intros let him show off a dry wit.
Kung Lao: You may be many, but I am "The One".
Ermac: You are not even Earthrealm's champion.
Dead Person Conversation: Some of his intros with other Outworlders will have Ermac relay a message from a deceased person they once knew.
Ermac: Sindel apologizes for her treatment of your kind.
Baraka: It took death for her to comprehend her error?
Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: Both his Ladder Mode ending and pre-match intros show that, after Jerrod loses control of Ermac, the collective has taken to wandering the realms, seeking a goal of his own to aspire to.
Difficult, but Awesome: In MK1, Ermac is easily one of the hardest kombatants to play well due to the nature of his combos being extremely precise, requiring various dash and flight cancels within very tight windows to execute strings. Fortunately, high execution leads to high reward, and Ermac is loaded with excellent potential damage, mixups, and overall versatility that a skilled player can make very scary.
The Dragon: For Quan Chi, who created Ermac to be his greatest servant and best weapon. Quan Chi's attempt to re-enslave Ermac in the latter's Arcade ending, however, spoils any loyalty Ermac's collective might have had to the sorcerer, and Ermac goes forward on his own, explicitly telling Ashrah in an intro that he no longer obeys Quan Chi.
Everyone Has Standards:
- In an intro with General Shao, Ermac reveals that some of his souls belong to the general's departed ancestors, who don't approve of his treason against the royal family. In two other intros, Ermac claims all his souls condemn Shao’s actions, and will unite in fighting the general.
- Drawing on the experience of past souls, Ermac tries to warn Reiko against freeing Onaga, though the warning falls on deaf ears.
- Ermac considers Havik a "malcontent murderer" and tells him to his face that his suffering doesn't excuse his crimes.
- While he understandably refuses to return there (as it would end his existence), one of Ermac's intros with Quan Chi has him call out the sorcerer for ravaging the Living Forest to create him.
- Played for Laughs; among Ermac's many souls are some performers, and they apparently don't think much of Johnny Cage.
  Ermac: The performers' souls within us are unimpressed.
  Johnny Cage: Only I could get bad reviews from the dead.
Grew Beyond Their Programming: In several pre-kombat dialogues, Ermac claims to have evolved beyond what Quan Chi created him for.
Fighting from the Inside: Sindel's ending reveals that Jerrod is constantly fighting the other souls to remain in control of Ermac's body, a task that becomes easier when Sindel joins him.
Happy Ending Override: At the end of the main game's storyline, Jerrod managed to gain control over Ermac, allowing him to give his daughters guidance. In Ermac's Ladder Mode ending, it is revealed that Jerrod's control didn't last, and Ermac departed for his own path.
Hazy-Feel Turn: In Ermac's ending, after the collective souls regain control from King Jerrod, Ermac seeks out Quan Chi to heal him. Quan does, but immediately betrays and tries to re-enslave him, however Ermac manages to fend him off using the unique powers of his collected souls. This leads Ermac to realize that his strength lies in his collective souls uniting on a shared goal, and that they must reconcile their differences in order to decide on the future path he'll take, whether it be good or bad.
I Am Legion: As ever, Ermac's many souls cause him to refer to himself as "we", though when Jerrod is in control, he sticks to "I".
Mana Shield: Activating Death's Embrace temporarily causes incoming damage to drain his Super Meter instead of his health.
Marionette Motion: Downplayed as it's not always the case, but in some of his subtler animations, such as simply floating forwards or even standing in place, Ermac goes noticeably limp, moving as though he's a puppet being dragged by invisible strings.
Mind over Matter: As always, Ermac has telekinetic abilities that he can use to blast and throw around opponents from afar. The art direction of MK1 takes a step ahead of previous games in illustrating how it ties in with his general Soul Power, showing that his enemies are being grabbed and flung around by the hands of various souls in his collective.
The Minion Master: While not a true Puppet Fighter, many of Ermac's abilities in MK1 have him summon various souls to fight alongside him and his Kameo, emphasizing the Mind Hive design of his character. This includes having a soul hold up Ermac's opponent into the air like an impromptu punching bag, and Ermac's Fatal Blow has him summon a phalanx of spectral, spear-wielding warriors to pierce into his opponent's chest.
Mind Hive: Just like his previous incarnation, Ermac is a collective of various souls taking the form of a single mummy-like kombatant with pseudo-telekinesis and other soul-based powers. Unlike the last time, there is one soul in the collective who gets more focus than others: the late King Jerrod, who manages to take control of the collective, at least up until the end of the story mode.
General Shao: Which of your souls fights me today?
Ermac: All.
Promoted to Playable: Though Ermac has been playable multiple times through the years, this marks the first time King Jerrod is technically playable, after he becomes the dominant soul in the hivemind.
Pronoun Trouble: In an intro, Johnny Cage asks if Ermac's pronouns are he/him or they/them; Ermac is confused by the question, and while seemingly presenting as male, only refers to himself as "we" and "us".
Red and Black and Evil All Over: As in prior timelines, Ermac is a creepy gestalt being allied with the villains who dresses in red and black. That said, when a heroic soul like Emperor Jerrod is in control of the body, he's more a case of Dark Is Not Evil.
Significant Wardrobe Shift: Downplayed, while Ermac still has the same outfit in story mode he now sports a mask in his gameplay trailer. One of his intros with Reptile lampshades this.
The Undead: Ermac is a conglomeration of souls belonging to dead Outworlders, and their gestalt form is that of a gray-skinned, corpse-like being that often floats around like a ghost. In gameplay, Ermac can also manifest some of his souls as spectral warriors to attack on his behalf.
Undeathly Pallor: Appropriate for a conglomerate of spirits, Ermac's skin has a grey, corpse-like tone to it, even when manifesting Emperor Jerrod's appearance.
Voice of the Legion: Fitting his nature as a gestalt being, Ermac's voice is accompanied by an eerie echo of the many souls of which he consists. It goes away when a single soul, like Jerrod, is in control.
We ARE Struggling Together: Despite what Ermac might imply, more than a few Pre-Fight dialogues imply that the souls within him are not as unified as one might think.
Rain: The competition among your minds must be fierce!
Ermac: "At times, it is Mental Kombat."
Wild Card: After Jerrod loses control of Ermac and Quan Chi betrays his creation, the gestalt being sets out on his own, allying himself with no realm or master. While acknowledging that his power could be dangerous if misued and refusing to allow outside influence to decide his future or leads the Collective, Ermac generally wishes ill on no one, though he expresses a low opinion of various villains like General Shao, Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, Havik, Nitara, and Omni-Man, as well as considering Peacemaker an annoying idiot.
Your Soul Is Mine!:
- Ermac's intros have him both offer and threaten to take his opponents' souls, offering either community within Ermac or to simply kill his enemy and take their soul into himself.
- A rare benevolent example; as Sindel lies dying, Jerrod takes her soul into Ermac's body so that they can still be together.
- His second Fatality involves him forcing his opponent's soul out of their body, then devouring it.

Tanya

"Let's see if you still fight like an Umgadi."

Debut Game: Mortal Kombat 4

Portrayed by: Cherise Boothe (English), Rebeca Gómez (Latin American Spanish), Sydney Cross (face model)

The Umgadi are a group of warrior priestesses, selected from the firstborn daughters of Outworld's noble families at infancy and tasked with protecting the royal family. In addition to the grueling regiment they go through, they worship the goddess Delia and give vows of loyalty and chastity in order to be devoted to her. However, Tanya, unbeknownst to others, is an oathbreaker: she harbors an affair with Princess Mileena, which may cause a great scandal if the elders find out, so they keep their relationship secret, which is not helped by Mileena contracting the deadly Tarkat disease.

For tropes applying to Tanya in previous timelines, click here.

Adaptational Backstory Change:
- A member of the Umgadi in this timeline.
- Her rivalry with Jade was transplanted into Li Mei, being the first person to attack her on sight. It isn't until the resurrected King Jerrod reveals the truth to both her and Mileena once he gains control of Ermac that she gets over her loathing of Li Mei.
Adaptational Heroism: To the point where she's essentially Tanya in name only. The Tanya of the previous timelines was a two-faced deceiver and backstabber on par with the likes of Kano and Shang Tsung, to the point of it being her defining character trait. In the original timeline, she sold out her people to Shinnok in MK4 and betrays Liu Kang to Shinnok in her non-canon MK4 Arcade Ladder ending, while in the rebooted timeline, she manages to backstab Rain in her non-canon MKX Arcade Ladder ending and while she ends up dying sometime in between MKX and MK11, pre-fight intros in the latter heavily imply that she only pretended to love Mileena and had every intention of backstabbing her as well. In the new timeline however, she's the trusted personal guard of Outworld's princesses and defends the two with her life. Even the moment where she antagonizes the heroes comes from her being misled into thinking Shang Tsung was trustworthy and once that is cleared, she's once again an ally. Also, her relationship with Mileena lacks the previous timeline's unconfirmed but very likely implication that Tanya was simply using her; here, not only are Tanya's feelings for Mileena unambiguously genuine, but she is so devoted to Mileena that even the possibility of catching Tarkat doesn't worry her.
Adaptational Sexuality: While Tanya's romantic relationship with Mileena remains her strongest relationship as in the previous timeline, she was also known to flirt with men, such as Kung Lao and Kung Jin, during her intros in X. Here, she only has eyes for Mileena and an intro dialogue with Scorpion implies she had something with Harumi in the past. Whether the New Era Tanya is a lesbian this time or there are other factors that make her disinterested in men (such as being already spoken for or being more mature and wiser than before and not needing to resort to flirting to get what she wants) remains to be seen.
Adaptational Superpower Change: Instead of being a pyromancer like in the previous two timelines, Tanya can manifest golden spectral arms and create Instant Runes. That being said, she is still capable of throwing fireballs as a projectile, albeit not with the same ease and frequency as her previous counterparts.
Bait-and-Switch: Her presence in Shang Tsung's laboratory alongside Rain and Shang Tsung initially implies that Tanya is every bit the backstabbing villainess she was in the previous timeline. The truth of the matter, however, is that she's only there to guard and support Mileena during her medical treatment; she's not a part of Shang Tsung's plots and readily joins the fight against the sorcerer when his guilt becomes apparent.
Battle Couple: Implied and downplayed. According to Mileena's bio, the Umgadi are sworn to chastity, so her relationship with her being revealed to the public will speak doom for both of them. In the game's story proper, however, she's Mileena's Kameo Fighter during her chapter.
Bodyguard Crush: She is stated to have a thing going on with Mileena in spite of the Umgadi's vow of celibacy.
Bodyguarding a Badass: The Umgadi are charged with protecting the royal family, but Sindel, Mileena and Kitana are all skilled and powerful kombatants in their own right.
Composite Character: She has elements that Jade had in the original timelines: a trusted ally of an Edenian royal who has been trained from birth to fight at their side, utilizes a polearm and is (somewhat ironically) put into conflict with a dissenter of their organization. The difference is that the royal is Mileena and Li Mei seems to have left for more selfless purposes than the original Tanya ever did.
Gameplay and Story Segregation: In Chapter 12, she becomes indisposed after suffering a broken rib. In a game where skeletons are brutally broken in every way imaginable in combat and the victims immediately get right back up. She isn't even indisposed for that long, given she acts as an Assist Character for the following fight.
He Knows Too Much: How she threatens to react to Shao's boasting and a possible attempt to blackmail her (most likely with knowledge about her secret and very illegal relationship with Mileena):
General Shao: I know more than you realize, Tanya.
Tanya: I'll spill your blood before you can spill my secrets.
Hero Antagonist: Despite ostensibly being on the side of good, Tanya spends most of the story mode in opposition to the heroes due to the growing tensions between Earthrealm and Outworld, to the point of attacking Li Mei twice in the same chapter just because she refuses to hear what she or Liu Kang have to say.
In Spite of a Nail: In the New Era, Tanya still formed a relationship with Mileena.
Internal Reformist: After outing the Matron Superiors for their neglect, Tanya takes over the Umgadi and promises Mileena that she can reform the organization from within.
Jobber: Counting Kameo losses, Tanya loses more fights than any other character in the story mode, losing a total of six fights (seven fights if you count Dark Tanya's loss as a Kameo in Chapter 14).
Light Is Good: Tanya's powers involve a lot of golden light, and unlike her prior incarnation, this Tanya is a heroic character, completely loyal to her loved ones.
Prepare to Die: In her pre-kombat dialogue with Quan Chi, she informs him that her Umgadi superiors have ordered her to kill him.
Redeeming Replacement: In her tower ending, Tanya is appointed the Umgadi's new Matron Superior, and she aims to eliminate the corruption of her predecessors, who threw Li Mei under the bus after their own negligence led to Jerrod's murder.
Religious Bruiser: Tanya's devout faith in Delia and Argus comes up several times in her intros, and even faced with the New Era's creator, Liu Kang, she insists that she won't abandon her gods in favor of him (of course, Liu Kang would have it no other way).
Secret Relationship: Her romance with Mileena is technically forbidden, but they carry on nonetheless. Both Kitana and Li Mei manage to see it despite Tanya and Mileena's efforts.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Ironically, this Tanya has more in common with the original Jade, being a friend of the princess of their respective timeline and even using a staff.
Vow of Celibacy: Took one as part of being part of the Umgadi; she and Mileena carry on their relationship in secret, though Kitana was able to see it quite clearly. When Mileena scoffs at that tradition as ridiculous, Kitana suggests that, when she becomes Empress, Mileena could abolish it.
White Sheep: Tanya's previous incarnations were backstabbing villains, Titan Shang Tsung's version serves him, and Titan Kitana implies that her own Tanya is little better, but this incarnation is for the most part entirely heroic.
You Are Worth Hell: Tarkat is often regarded as a Fate Worse than Death, and while it isn't a highly contagious disease, Tanya is accepting a real risk of infection by being so close to Mileena, which she matter-of-factly acknowledges and accepts.
Baraka: You know the Empress could pass you Tarkat…
Tanya: I am aware of the risk, Baraka.

Li Mei

"I will prevail, Earthrealmer. This fight is more important to me than you can ever know."

Debut Game: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

Portrayed by: Kelly Hu (English and face model), Kerygma Flores (Latin American Spanish)

Li Mei was formerly a leading figure in the Umgadi, the warrior priestesses charged with the protection of the royal family of Outworld, as well as Empress Sindel's closest friend and confidant. Relations between Li Mei and the royal family, sadly, would sour with the assassination of King Jerrod, with Li Mei forced to accept the blame for her perceived negligence. Rather than face the consequences of her failure, Li Mei left the Umgadi. Now, she serves in the capital of Sun Do as First Constable, coordinating with the city's police force to keep the peace.

For tropes applying to Li Mei in previous timelines, click here.

Adaptational Backstory Change: In the original games, Li Mei was a civilian martial artist-turned-freedom fighter who tried to save her village, first from the Deadly Alliance and then from Onaga. Here, she is a former member of an elite female guard force called the Umgadi, tasked with protecting the Outworld royal family, later turned First Constable, a.k.a. Outworld's police force.
Adaptational Modesty:
- Li Mei's outfits in Deadly Alliance, Deception and Armageddon were quite sexually provocative in their design, either showing off a great deal of cleavage or essentially being underwear. Her outfit in the New Era is very practical and conservative, though she still wears heels.
- Her returning Deception costume, while still quite revealing, now has pants instead of simply having underwear paired with boots.
Adaptational Superpower Change: In previous timelines, Li Mei could shoot a basic Energy Ball projectile, but most of her fighting ability was through general acrobatic She-Fu, sometimes with sais or sword in hand. In the New Era, Li Mei keeps her acrobatic martial arts and features more robust pink energy abilities and can summon fiery lion dog spirits to brutalize her opponents.
Almighty Janitor: In her arcade ending, Li Mei performs well enough to attain a position at the Imperial Police. However, she vastly prefers actively policing the streets as First Constable instead of dealing with investigations and paperwork.
Anti-Air: One of her new abilities introduced in 1 is pulling out a lantern that floats above the players and explodes if the enemy jumps into it, launching them further and setting them up for a combo.
Ascended Extra: Li Mei was just one of many heroic fighters exploited by the villains in the original games and had a small cameo as a non-playable character in X. Mortal Kombat 1 reimagines her as a prominent member of the royal court who has significant history with the royal family.
Asian Lion Dogs: Some of her abilities have her summon spirit-like lion dogs to assist in her beatdowns, including a massive one that chomps on her enemy in her Fatal Blow.
Badass Boast: She evokes RoboCop in order to get Bi-Han to submit:
Li Mei: Turn yourself in, Bi-Han!
Bi-Han: Hell will freeze before that happens!
The Bus Came Back: Last playable in 2006's Armageddon, last seen in 2014's X as a cameo.
By-the-Book Cop: She's the constable of Outworld's equivalent to police. Her various intros show just how seriously she takes the job, including shrugging off the idea of celebrities getting special treatment.
Defector from Decadence: She was once a member of the royal family's elite guard until the assassination of King Jerrod. Rather than accept punishment, she quit in disgrace and keeps close to the city as a cop.
Everyone Has Standards: In her intros with Peacemaker, Li Mei expresses contempt at the idea of vigilantism and roundly rejects his proposal of just killing all criminals; she might be a tough peacekeeper, but Li Mei is also a fair one.
Excellent Judge of Character: Like any good police officer, Li Mei has good instincts about who should and shouldn't be trusted. Despite Outworld's government being soured on Earthrealm, Li Mei chooses to trust Liu Kang and give him a chance to plead his case with Sindel, due entirely to her gut telling her that he was to be trusted. She was also wise enough to never trust Shang Tsung, and quickly sensed that General Shao's intentions were less than pure, even if the extent of his actions still shocked her.
Foil: To General Shao; they're both high-ranking officials with a strong sense of national pride that can cause them to clash with the royal family. Unlike Shao, who betrays Sindel to follow through with what he feels is best for Outworld, Li Mei is willing to fight to stop Sindel from making a terrible mistake. Li Mei was wise enough to see Shang Tsung for the serpent he is, while Shao was taken in by the sorcerer's lies, and as a result, they each end the story in different places; Li Mei has won her way back to the royal family's good graces, while Shao has lost the prestige he fought for. They also contrast in their ambitions, as their endings show: Shao fights to depose Mileena so that he can take her throne for himself, whereas Li Mei, given a position of great power and authority, is quickly climbing the walls in boredom and prefers the life of a street cop.
I Did What I Had to Do: As an intro with Baraka shows, Li Mei isn't proud of enforcing the laws about Tarkatans, but she does believe that segregating them is necessary to keep the disease from spreading uncontrollably.
Ink-Suit Actor: Her face model is the actor and model Kelly Hu, who also voices her in the game.
Internal Reformist: Judging by a pre-kombat dialogue between her and Kitana, she is on a quest to weed out corruption from the capital city constabulary just like Tanya does from the Umgadi leadership.
Lame Pun Reaction: She considers Johnny Cage's pun about her name a "crime":
Johnny Cage: Li, Mei I have this fight?
Li Mei: Ugh, that was criminal, Earthrealmer.
My Country, Right or Wrong: Li Mei believes in doing what's best for Outworld, even if she finds it personally distasteful. She's also willing to, when necessary, fight against Sindel's wishes to save the royalty and realm that she loves from malefactors like Shang Tsung and General Shao.
My Greatest Failure: Failing to prevent Jerrod's murder has weighed on Li Mei since it happened and even more so, the subsequent loss of her friendship with Sindel.
Power Tattoos: When Li Mei uses her powers, glowing pink/purple tattoos appear on her arms.
Public Execution: In her pre-kombat dialogue with Havik, she warned (after he threatened to do to Sun Do the same he did to Seido's capital city) him that the penalty for threats against the capital is execution.
Resigned in Disgrace: After Jerrod was killed, Li Mei left the Umgadi and every reference to her doing so is in a very negative light.
The Scapegoat: When Jerrod returns as Ermac, he states that Li Mei was not to blame for his death (indeed, he seems surprised that she'd be blamed at all). Tanya's tower ending backs this up, revealing that the Umgadi matrons were the ones who failed the royal family and threw Li Mei under the bus to protect themselves.
Shaping Your Attacks: In the previous games, Li Mei could only shoot a minor Energy Ball. Mortal Kombat 1 expands her powerset to shaping purple energy into fire lamps and Asian Lion Dogs.
Undying Loyalty: Even after she left the Umgadi and neither Sindel nor her daughters can stand the sight of her, Li Mei remains unflinchingly loyal to the royal family and would do anything to protect them, even allying herself with Liu Kang in defiance of Sindel's orders to save them from Shang Tsung's schemes.
Vigilante Injustice:
- In her pre-kombat dialogues with Kuai Liang and Tomas, she considers their attempts to catch or kill their wayward brother, Bi-Han, in Sun Do vigilantism because not only are they not members of any Outworld law enforcement agency unlike her, Bi-Han is also an accomplice of the traitor Shao and would have to answer for this crimes before an Outworld court.
- Her pre-kombat line with Syzoth has the same message when her opponent talked about how Shang Tsung must be punished for his horrific crimes against him and his family.
- She warned Peacemaker that enacting his brand of crime fighting (i.e. killing criminals Punisher-style) in Sun Do will land him behind bars.
We Used to Be Friends: Li Mei was Sindel's confidant and close friend before Jerrod was murdered. The death of her husband deeply soured Sindel's opinion on Li Mei and she makes that fact very clear when Li Mei arrives for the tournament. They reconcile after Li Mei helps foil the plot against the royal family.
Worthy Opponent: Both Reiko and General Shao express high regard for Li Mei's skills and wish that she had joined the army instead of the constabulary after she left the Umgadi. Disgusted by their treason against the royal family, Li Mei is unimpressed by their praise and tells them to shut it.

Reptile (Syzoth)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reptile_mk1_render.png

"Earthrealmers aren't ready to see the real me."

Debut Game: Mortal Kombat (1992)
Portrayed by: Andrew Morgado (English), Arturo Mercado Jr. (Latin American Spanish), Sean Welsh (face model)

Among the Zaterrans, the ability to shapeshift into humanoid form is considered a curse, with those who possess it ostracized. So it was for Syzoth, who found himself exiled from his home due to the mutation and made his living as a circus freak, earning koin by showing his "disfigurement" to others. His fortunes would only continue to worsen when his family was abducted by Shang Tsung, who forced Syzoth to assist him in his morally dubious experiments. With his wife and child's life in Shang Tsung's hands, the Zaterran is forced to bend his knee to the wicked sorcerer...

For tropes applying to Syzoth in previous timelines, click here.

Adaptational Attractiveness: Every previous version of Reptile was a humanoid lizard that rarely showed his face. This is the first time he's ever had a fully human form and said form actually looks quite handsome when unmasked.
Adaptational Backstory Change: Unlike in the original and reboot timeline, his race is once again alive and well, but his ability to turn into a human makes him a freakish mutant in their eyes and he's an outcast to them. He's also gone from being a lowly minion of Shang Tsung to being the sorcerer's slave.
Adaptational Badass: Reptile was always the Butt-Monkey in the previous timelines. Here, he gets a chapter for himself where he is able to fight against the royals of Outworld, as well as General Shao, and win.
Adaptational Heroism: In previous timelines, Reptile was simply a minion for Shao Kahn or really any antagonist force. Here, he was forced to be Shang Tsung's servant because the sorcerer held his family hostage and he ends up helping Liu Kang's champions escape and returns to Earthrealm with them to seek refuge with Liu Kang.
Adaptational Nice Guy: In X, Reptile was a Jerkass in his pre-fight interactions with very few exceptions such as with Kotal Kahn. In 1, he is much meeker and gets along with several members of both Earthrealm and Outworld.
All of the Other Reindeer: Twofold. In Outworld, Zaterrans are looked down upon by the more humanoid denizens while Syzoth himself is shunned by other Zaterrans for having the ability to shapeshift into a human form.
Ambadassador: In his arcade ending, Mileena makes Syzoth the throne's emissary to Zaterra.
Animorphism: Zig-Zagged. His true form is that of a reptilian beast, but he is often seen with a humanoid form to live with other Outworlders. During a fight, he can morph back into his reptilian form for several of his attacks. According to him, being able to freely switch between his true reptilian form and a humanoid form made him a pariah among his species.
Ascended Extra: He used to be just a Mook of various villains in the previous timelines. This game gives him a major story role and his own playable chapter and he gets a new backstory and characterization far beyond what he's had in the past.
Alien Blood: He still has his green blood from 9, and X. In fact, it's how Li Mei realizes that he's a Zaterran, as it's the only part of him that doesn't change when he shapeshifts.
The Atoner: Syzoth is party to Shang Tsung's heinous experiments only under great duress and reluctance, with the sorcerer forcing his compliance by threatening the lives of his family, and he's clearly haunted by the guilt of having to carry out his orders. Upon it being revealed that Shang Tsung had in fact already killed his family anyway, rendering it All for Nothing Syzoth immediately volunteers to aid the Earthrealmers in any way possible in an attempt to atone.
Awful Truth: In his arcade ending, after being made ambassador for Outworld and looking through his people's records, Syzoth finds that he was not the only human-shifter and that there was a consipiracy to kill them at birth. He vows to put an end to this.
Comic-Book Movies Don't Use Codenames: In stark contrast to the previous timelines, where nearly everybody called him "Reptile", everyone here calls him by his real name. The name "Reptile" is only brought up in an intro with Johnny Cage, where he asks if he can call him that as Syzoth is a bit of a mouthful. Justified, as Reptile is now one of the good guys and his companions have nothing but respect for him, so of course they would call him by his actual name.
Commonality Connection: Syzoth shares this with Smoke and Baraka due to both of them losing their families to Shang Tsung, the Lin Kuei and Tarkat respectively. Baraka even spares his life because of this, acknowledging that, where he in Syzoth's position, he probably wouldn't act any different.
A Day in the Limelight: He is the focus of Chapter 7, "Narrow Escape".
Deadpan Snarker: Despite his pleasant personality, Syzoth isn't above a bit of snark every now and again.
Kung Lao: It's clear you're in awe of my hat.
Syzoth: Is it, Kung Lao?
Reiko: Ready to face Outworld's finest soldier?
Syzoth: I will be, if he ever gets here.
Face of a Thug: Played with; Syzoth's human appearance is quite handsome, but his reptiloid form is bestial and terrifying. In either visage, Syzoth is a sweet-natured man who only worked for Shang Tsung because he was being compelled to.
Forced into Evil: Syzoth only serves Shang Tsung because the sorcerer has his family hostage and threatens to kill them if he disobeys. When Shang Tsung reveals that he killed them long ago, Syzoth turns on him and joins the heroes.
Good Costume Switch: A minor, subtle example. When he's initially introduced working as a jailer for Shang Tsung, he has his mask on, presumably to avoid contracting something from the various prisoners and experiments he keeps. When he joins the heroes, he loses the mask and keeps it off for the rest of the story.
Horrifying the Horror: Amusingly, despite him being a shapeshifting reptilian beast who hails from Outworld and is more than willing to face off with demons, sorcerers and monsters of varying description, Syzoth was, according to Johnny Cage, scared witless by the movie Predator when he watched it with the latter.
Humans Are Ugly: His human form is strikingly handsome by our standards, but his ability to turn into a human at all is considered a freakish mutation by others of his race and he's a pariah to them because of it.
Humble Hero: In his intros, Syzoth is much more humble and self-effacing than most kombatants, expressing some doubt about how well he'd do in a fight with Kuai Liang and questioning the idea of playing a villain in one of Johnny Cage's movies.
I Do Not Drink Wine: He had to decline Kung Lao's invitation to Madame Bo's restaurant because he "can't stomach human food".
I Have a Family: He is forced to serve Shang Tsung due to the sorcerer taking his wife and son hostage, threatening to hurt them if he disobey. When Shang Tsung reveals to him that he already killed them long ago, this is the push that brings him over to the Earthrealmers side.
I'm a Humanitarian: He swallows his opponent almost whole for his Fatality, regurgitating only the acid-bathed upper portion.
In Spite of a Nail: Still a lonely outsider without a true home. The difference being that instead of being the last Saurian, the rest of his species exiled him for his ability to take a human form.
Interspecies Romance: As revealed in multiple intros, he is pursuing a relationship with Ashrah, a demoness of the Netherrealm, which she reciprocates.
Last of His Kind: While no longer the last Zaterran like in other timelines, he is the only Zaterran with the ability to shapeshift, which is why he was forced into exile. Or so he thought. In his Arcade Ending, he discovers that his condition is fairly common among his kin, with the only reason he never saw any other shapeshifting Zaterran being that they were killed as children.
Literal-Minded: He appears to not fully grasp some Earthrealm sayings, as shown in an intro against Kung Lao; when Kung Lao describes Scorpion as a beast, Reptile asks what kind of beast is he. In an intro against Scorpion himself, Reptile is confused when he sees he's just a man.
Mercy Kill: He invokes this, only to wind up averted. After Baraka defeats him, Reptile pleas him to take his life, believing that it will spare his family. The Tarkatan warrior, however, proves himself to be a man of honor by refusing to do so, because he realizes both of them are in the same predicament.
Metronomic Man Mashing: Reptile's part of the Fatal Blow has him animorphing to his reptilian form and using his tail to mash his opponent in this fashion for a bit before snagging them with his tongue and crushing their abdomen with his mouth.
My Instincts Are Showing: At one point, he uses his long tongue to catch a bug to eat, much to Johnny Cage's disgust. In addition, his Krokodile Done Right Brutality sees him tear out his opponent's throat like a feral animal.
Never Smile at a Crocodile: His reptile form has more crocodilian influence towards its design than even his portrayal in Deadly Alliance, including having its signature death roll as one of his special moves. Subverted in that this is the most heroic portrayal of Reptile yet.
Nice Guy: Separated from the toxic influence of Shang Tsung, Syzoth proves himself to be a perfectly affable and polite individual who treats the other heroes with respect.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Normally, Syzoth is humble and good-natured, and even with opponents he dislikes, he's more snarky than hostile. But in his intros with Shang Tsung, Syzoth's voice is dripping with venom, showing the depths of his hatred for the sorcerer who enslaved him and murdered his family.
Outliving One's Offspring: After being taken hostage to force his father's cooperation with the sorcerer, Syzoth's son was murdered by Shang Tsung.
Spanner in the Works: He ends up being the character that derails Titan!Shang Tsung's schemes and eventually saves Liu Kang's New Era (regardless if he was chosen or not as the final fighter). And all it took was New Era!Shang Tsung telling Syzoth that he murdered his entire family, out of fear for "loose ends". This was the catalyst for his Heel–Face Turn and him joining Baraka and the Earthrealmers, them finding Ashrah, Kenshi unlocking the power of Sento, the Earthrealm gang, him and Ashrah escaping from Outworld, and learning about Quan Chi's soulnado devices and General Shao and Reiko's conspiracy with Tsung in the whole process, which eventually leads to Liu Kang visiting Outworld and making an alliance with the royal family, as well as Li Mei finally getting the royal pardon. This ends with Titan!Shang Tsung being forced to reveal himself, both New Era!Shang Tsung and Quan Chi's Heel–Face Turn, the destruction of the Portals preventing the multidimensional army from coming to the New Era, and eventually Titan!Shang Tsung's own demise.
Sssssnake Talk: It's less obvious than most examples of the trope, and hardly noticeable if he's calm and collected, but his speech often slips into this nonetheless. His pre-fight banter provides plenty of examples, especially when he gets angry or emotional.
Swallowed Whole: In his first Fatality, Reptile will swallow the opponent whole. However, instead of keeping them down, he regurgitates their partially-digested, acid-soaked body to deliver a killing blow.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: He has a human form and can shapeshift into a massive reptilian beast and unlike previous installments, he can transform between the two forms in combat, even partially (for example, one of his moves has him in human form briefly producing his massive Saurian tail to whip into his opponent, another has him transform his upper half to deliver his acid breath). This ability also plays into the backstory of this new incarnation of Reptile: while in this new timeline, his race is still around, him being able to appear human made him a freak among his people, leading him to be terrorized and exiled. It's also implied that the resulting emotional trauma has made him more comfortable in his human form, since he's shown in that form even when he has no reason to be, only taking his lizard form for purposes of kombat or intimidation.
Worthy Opponent: If one of his pre-fight dialogues is any indication, he considers Kuai Liang to be one.
Scorpion: Liu Kang wants your skills tested.
Syzoth: Against you? Not sure that I'm ready…

Baraka

"We are victims of Tarkat. It disfigures, then debilitates. In time, it will turn us all into bloodthirsty monsters. Death is our only release."

Debut Game: Mortal Kombat II
Portrayed by: Steve Blum (English), Carlos del Campo (Latin American Spanish)

Life was going well for Baraka: after his decorated service as a tribune in the Outworld army, he managed to become a wealthy merchant, providing for himself and his family to have a happy and fulfilled life. But the harmony was not meant to last: a deadly disease, Tarkat, started ravaging the realm and its people, among them Baraka's wife and children and later himself. They were all banished into a colony where the other afflicted were exiled to by the order of Empress Sindel. There, the illness has claimed the lives of his cherished family, making the grieving husband and father long for death to come. But his leadership and warfare skills made him a natural leader for the other infected and now, Baraka has enough reason to keep living until he is finally reunited with his loved ones.

For tropes applying to Baraka in previous timelines, click here.

Adaptational Backstory Change: Instead of a ravenous Tarkatan, Baraka is here a citizen of Outworld who, along with others, was afflicted with the Tarkat disease, giving him the same grotesque features as the Tarkatans from previous timelines.
Adaptational Heroism: This version of Baraka is the first to immediately side with the heroes (once they manage to clear up a misunderstanding that leads Baraka to believe they're working for Shang Tsung) as opposed to previous versions that were simply violent muscle for Shao Kahn.
Adaptational Nice Guy: Baraka is notably a lot kinder than in his previous iterations, at times even getting along with other kombatants and expressing concern that they catch his disease or that he'll lose control while sparring in some pre-fight intros.
Adaptational Ugliness: While previous timeline Tarkatans were never especially pretty, possessing gaping maws full of uneven needle like teeth, the nature of their condition being a disease in the New Era worsens their appearance significantly. The bone spikes growing from their skin are now uneven and asymetrical, and visibly gouges wounds and leaves unpleasant sores as it erupts from their flesh while their unnaturally long teeth similarly rips in their mouths, appearing to tear the skin around their cheeks as their jaws are forced apart. The existence of New Era Tarkatans is unnatural and it shows in how painfully their affliction twists and contorts their bodies.
Adaptation Species Change: Because Tarkatans are now people infected with a deadly, disfiguring disease, rather than a separate race unto themselves, he was born as a full-blooded Edenian rather than being born a full Tarkatan.
Badass Boast: Delivers one to General Shao in one of their pre-fight intros:
General Shao: You may have been a soldier, but now, you're just a beast.
Baraka: And I've never been more dangerous, General!
The Berserker: While Baraka is more of a good guy in this incarnation, that does not mean his viciousness has ceased in the slightest. He is still able to become a raging whirlwind of death in the heat of battle slicing and tearing his way through his opponents. This is made tragically clear with the disease Tarkat, slowly corrupting his mind and he will unfortunately go completely feral in the future.
Blade Below the Shoulder: As with previous timelines, Baraka fights primarily with his Tarkatan arm blades, long bony growths that emerge from his forearms. In an especially visceral twist, these ones constantly break and immediately regrow as he uses them.
Body Horror: His fang-laced Nightmare Face and body spikes are a product of the horrific Tarkat virus.
Commonality Connection: In his pre-fight interactions with Smoke and Reptile, he empathizes with the loss of their families, a tragedy he too experienced. In the story, this actually makes him spare and befriend Reptile due to him acknowledging that he would've done the same thing had his family been threatened like Syzoth's had.
Cursed with Awesome: While the Tarkat disease takes a horrible toll on his body, he does get a few perks that help him out in combat, namely enhanced strength and his signature arm blades. He also considers the fact that Vaeternians won't try to consume his blood to be one of the few positives of Tarkat.
A Day in the Limelight: He is the focus character of Chapter 5, "Weird Science".
Deadpan Snarker: Mostly in pre-fight intros, but Baraka does show a sardonic side from time to time.
Shang Tsung: Shall I end your misery?
Baraka: By dying? Be my guest.
Death Seeker: Given that Tarkat is a fatal disease and it can cause bouts of uncontrollable insanity, Baraka isn't idealistic about living long enough to be cured of it. He's longing for death to come for him, either as an end result of his disease or by someone else's hand, so that he would be reunited with his family.
Determinator: He's incredibly resilient despite his backstory and condition. Notably, other than Mileena (who's constantly getting experiemental treatment to suppress her Tarkat) and Shang Tsung's experiments (which are implied to be cloned from Baraka himself), all the other Tarkatans are depicted as sickly and fairly frail. Baraka, on the other hand, is still muscular and in full control of his mind. Case in point, when Shang Tsung tries to kill him, Reptile and the Earthrealmers with Deadly Gas, everyone else is immediately reduced to coughing fits. Baraka, meanwhile, all but ignores the effects of the gas and immediately smashes through a reinforced door to get them out (that said, he, along with Reptile and the Earthrealmers, will succumb to the gas if the player fails the minigame).
Disabled in the Adaptation: While a full-blooded Tarkatan in the previous timelines, here Baraka was infected with Tarkat long before the story begins.
The Dog Bites Back: After being used as a living resource by Shang Tsung, Baraka lashes out at the sorcerer and would have killed him if Johnny, Kenshi and Kung Lao hadn't intervened.
Driven to Madness: This is what Baraka fears will happen to him eventually when he feels like his Tarkat is finally taking its full effect. He goes as far to tell Ashrah that if at any point he gives into it that she kills him, to which she agrees.
Elites Are More Glamorous: During his military service, Baraka fought with the Daybreak Legion, which, judging from an intro between Baraka and Reiko, was a highly celebrated position.
Everyone Has Standards:
- As embittered as he is, Baraka refuses to take his misery out on innocent people or take lives unnecessarily; he's repulsed by Havik's calls for Tarkatans to revolt and he's firmly against the idea of plunging Outworld into chaos or turning on the empire.
- He is adamant that his disease is a terrible fate for anyone to have. However, when Nitara asks him to kidnap other Outworlders for Vaeternus to breed, he flat out tells her that it is a fate worse than having Tarkat (he said the same about Havik's chaos). For him to say that means it must be pretty awful. He also finds both Shang Tsung and Quan Chi so fantastically evil, he'd try to infect them on purpose.
- Despite being treated like garbage by Outworld's government, Baraka is shown to greatly value life, immediately throwing in with Ashrah to stop Quan Chi's evil schemes and when the sorcerer suggests that Tarkatans should be used as disposable labor, Baraka's response is that every life has value.
Face of a Thug: He seems to be the same hideous and savage Baraka of previous timelines, but quickly proves to be a noble and compassionate warrior.
Fantastic Racism: Like most Outworlders, Baraka disdains Vaeternians; his father died fighting them, and he considers one of Tarkat's rare upsides to be that it makes him unappetizing to the vampiric race.
Fate Worse than Death: He considers being afflicted with Tarkat to be this. Enough so that he tells Geras he would have preferred Liu Kang simply erase him from the timeline to catching Tarkat.
Good Is Not Soft: He fights alongside the heroes to better the Tarkatans' lives, but he's still a brutal fighter who won't hesitate to slice his opponents to ribbons or indeed eat them.
Hidden Depths: Pre-fight intros with Tanya, Shao and Reiko reveal that before his Tarkat infection, he was both a decorated tribune of the esteemed Daybreak Legion and a successful merchant after he left the military.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: Once, Baraka was a tribune in the distinguished Daybreak Legion and after his military service, he became a successful and wealthy merchant. Since contracting Tarkat, he's been reduced to eking out a miserable existence in a ghetto, though despite his atrocious treatment, he remains a noble and heroic person.
Human Resources: On the receiving end of it in this timeline. Shang Tsung's anti-Tarkat serum uses his bone marrow as a base.
I Have No Son!: After he contracted Tarkat, any member of his family who hadn't had the misfortune to also have the disease disowned him.
I'm a Humanitarian: Given that this version of Baraka used to be fully Edenian, this trope applies to him here more than it had in past games. One of his fatalities has him string the opponent up over a fire to roast and share with other victims of Tarkat, with Baraka tearing off and eating one of their legs.
I Was Quite a Looker: A mirror match intro has him lament how ugly he's become due to Tarkat and how he doesn't own mirrors anymore because of it.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While short-tempered and sporting an understandably cynical outlook, Baraka is a good person at heart, proving willing to help the Earthrealm heroes despite a bad first impression, and deeply valuing innocent life despite his own miserable existence.
Motive Misidentification: Baraka initially attacks the Earthrealm heroes because they stopped him from killing Shang Tsung, assuming them to be his allies. The situation is defused when the heroes explain that they only need Shang Tsung alive so they can question him.
The Mourning After: Tarkat killed his wife and children, something which still affects Baraka to this day.
Not So Above It All: He's usually quite dour or brooding in his pre-fight interactions. However, when Johnny Cage tries to claim he had a shot with Kitana, Baraka responds by laughing at the idea.
Outliving One's Offspring: Baraka's children died of Tarkat. He justifiably considers it cruel that the disease would claim his family but leave him to suffer both illness and a life without them.
Pay Evil unto Evil: While Baraka considers Tarkat to be a living hell that no one should have to suffer, he makes an exception for Shang Tsung and Quan Chi; intros indicate that given the chance, Baraka would happily infect the heartless sorcerers with the disease so that they could suffer as their victims have.
Rage Against the Heavens: In his interactions with Liu Kang and Geras, it's revealed he holds Liu Kang responsible for allowing Tarkat to exist and is understandably angry that he isn't able to be cured.
Retired Badass: Pre-fight intros reveal that he was a decorated tribune in the Daybreak Legion, a group which Reiko expresses envy of for taking glory. While he admits that those days are past him and is afflicted with Tarkat, he is willing to teach others their tactics as well as putting his military skills (and his new Tarkatan abilities) to good use when pushed.
Riches to Rags: He was a wealthy merchant before his contraction of Tarkat forced him into exile.
Spike Shooter: His traditional Spark projectile is replaced by a new move that involves Baraka shooting out one of his arm blades towards his opponent.
Was Once a Man: When identifying his race, Baraka says that he was an Edenian before Tarkat took its hold on him.
Your Days Are Numbered: Baraka is fully aware that he'll likely die by his disease very soon. Even though the chance of a cure for Tarkat being created is much higher now that Mileena is Empress, he doubts it will be made before the virus takes him.
You Killed My Father: While it's doubtful she did it personally, Baraka informs Nitara that his father was killed by Vaeternians at the Battle of Chesna Fields, which Nitara takes as a decent reason for Baraka to despise her people.

Orderrealm

Havik (Dairou)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/havik_mk1_render.png

"You will accept chaos - by choice, or by force!"

Debut Game: Mortal Kombat: Deception (as Dairou), Mortal Kombat 1 (as Havik)
Portrayed by: Jacob Craner (English), Raymundo Armijo (Latin American Spanish)

Dairou is a member of one of Seido's lower castes who was brutally punished for a crime and since then has rejected the established order, becoming an anarchist under the name "Havik" that seeks to overthrow the tyrannical government and free his people, whether they like it or not. To that regard, he allies himself with an Outworld sorcerer, Quan Chi, and is given an astonishing ability to heal himself almost instantly from any injury.

For tropes applying to both Dairou and the original Havik in previous timelines, click here.

Adaptational Attractiveness: Played straight, then inverted; Dairou's previous incarnation wasn't ugly, but he had a large tattoo on his forehead and a receded hairline. Here, he has a full head of hair and a more youthful appearance. The inversion comes when Scorpion drives his face into a vat of molten gold, disfiguring him (though not as extensively as the previous incarnation of Havik).
Adaptational Superpower Change: In previous timelines, Dairou was capable of swapping places with his opponent via teleportation and firing energy stars from his legs. Whereas in this timeline, he is capable of tearing off parts of his own body to use as weapons without it hurting or killing him, he is also capable of reattaching them and almost instantly regenerating them, just like the original Havik of previous timelines.
Adaptational Villainy: In previous timelines, Dairou was a mercenary, but had numerous noble qualities, whereas in this timeline he is a vengeful bloodthirsty anarchist who has deluded himself into thinking he's Orderrealm's savior.
All Crimes Are Equal: In Havik's mind, all authorities (the very concept of which is a crime to him) are equally abhorrent. He considers his own oppressors in Orderrealm, Outworld's rulers, Liu Kang, any religion, and even Johnny Cage working as a film director to be morally equivalent and all worth his wrath. It's to the point where, based on a dialogue with Sub-Zero, he even thinks the concept of ice is oppressive. ^note
"Water must flow freely, Sub-Zero!"
Artistic License – Biology: With his lips burned off, Havik shouldn't be able to speak anywhere near as coherently as he does.
Anarchy Is Chaos: Falls victim to this himself, crowing that Seido's people have been "blessed with anarchy" after flooding its capital city, destroying its oppressive ruling class but also causing so much death and ruin that the populace may never recover. Given his hatred for all order and his explicitly stated desire for chaos, the distinction between the elective governance of anarchy and a total destructive free-for-all likely doesn't register.
An Arm and a Leg: He can easily rip off his own arm not only to show off his impressive healing factor but also use his own severed arm as a weapon.
And Show It to You: In 1, he rips out his own heart in his victory screen. He also rips out both his own and his opponent's hearts to swap them out in one of his fatalities.
Arch-Enemy: While he doesn't appear, Hotaru is singled out by Havik in some of his intros, implying that Havik's grudge against him is more personal than his general loathing for Seido's government. After the flooding of Seido's capital, an intro with Mileena has Havik demand that Hotaru be handed over to him, though Mileena refuses to surrender refugees.
Ax-Crazy: This is still Havik we’re talking about. He’s willing to kill whoever stands in his way towards he believes to be true freedom. Doesn’t help he mutilates his own body whilst fighting without so much as a wince from the pain.
Bad Is Good and Good Is Bad: When Havik preaches freedom, he preaches absolute freedom, and condemns traditionally positive virtues such as loyalty^note or patience^note. He seems to genuinely think the downfall of civilization would be a good thing.
The Berserker: With his ability to shrug off the various kinds of damage he inflicts on himself, he has no regards for his bodily safety while fighting and often voluntarily mutilates himself to give himself an edge, including such acts as ripping off his arm to club them with it or punching the opponent so hard that his hands break, revealing broken sharpened bones that he jabs into their temples.
Black-and-White Insanity: In Havik's mind, there are only two kinds of people: oppressors and the oppressed. The former should be brought down, and the latter should either be helping him, or be written off as part of the problem. Any attempts by other kombatants to reason with Havik get nowhere because of this.
Liu Kang: I force no one! Mortals choose to follow me.
Havik: Making you their master, which makes them slaves.
Blood Knight: The idea of non-violent revolution violently offends Havik; the only kind of victory he'll accept is one written in blood.
Body Horror: The Havik of previous timelines already had some pretty gnarly things happening with his body, but the New Era's Havik makes things even more graphic. His body appears to be constantly on the verge of falling apart (especially his face as usual), but not only does his regeneration ability mean he can afford to, he actively engages in extreme and self-destructive attacks such as ripping his own arm off to smash with his other arm and firing explosive projectiles made out of his own gore, resulting in visible mutilation that naturally arises from such acts.
Bomb-Throwing Anarchists: In his war against Seido's government, Havik has become a deranged terrorist who insists that anarchy and chaos are the only ways to live. His flooding of Seido's capital is an unambiguous terrorist attack, and one he takes a horrifying amount of pride in.
Boomerang Bigot: In Havik's mind, all Seidans are guilty of their government's oppressive nature by association. That Havik himself originates from Seido doesn't change this opinion in the slightest.
The Bus Came Back: Last playable in 2006's Armageddon, had a significant role in the prequel comics of X and later had a cameo in The Joker's ending in 11. Back here as a playable character.
- Bonus points if you take account for the man behind the mantle: Dairou, whose last appearance is Armageddon and skipped the first NRS reboot era altogether.
Combat Sadomasochist: To a much greater degree than his original. Many moves involve Havik breaking or dismembering various parts of his own body to smack his opponent with or stab them with his open fractured bones. One of his intros even has him willingly let himself be disemboweled by his opponent, only to tuck his intenstines back into himself as if it were a mere scratch. Though it is downplayed in the sense that he doesn't seem to enjoy the pain, but admits that he likes how much his battle scars and burnt face makes him look fearsome.
Composite Character: With Dairou taking up the mantle of Havik in this timeline, he has understandably gained some of the traits that belonged to the Cleric of Chaos who became Havik in previous timelines, such as his chaotic nature, obsession with Chaos, hatred of order, and, most notably, the flesh on the lower half of his face being burnt off.
Cop Hater: Naturally, Havik despises police as tools of oppression, which immediately puts him at odds with Li Mei.
Havik: Police only serve to enforce the wealthy's delusions!
Li Mei: A clueless and dangerous statement, Havik.
Cultural Rebel: While Dairou still hails from Seido, aka Orderrealm, in this timeline, he now dons the mantle of Havik, and as such he now fully embraces chaos to an insane degree.
Detachment Combat: He can enact grievous harm with his own body parts, ripping off his arm and using it as a weapon in a few of his moves.
Doublethink: Havik's guiding principle is that people can govern themselves, an ideal he intends to impose on others by force. That the two ideas are incompatible doesn't register for him at all.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Or in some cases, "Chaos Cannot Comprehend Law." Because of his brutal treatment by Seido's government as the lowest caste of its society, Havik simply cannot comprehend the idea of benevolent leadership. He assumes all authority, wherever it be gods, queens, military leaders, Grandmasters or even Hollywood celebrities, must be corrupt by default. By the same token, he assumes that anyone underneath said authority figures would naturally want to rise up against them, and is baffled and enraged by the idea that anyone wouldn't want that, because he can't comprehend that authority could ever treat their subjects with respect compassion.
Evil Counterpart: To Baraka in the new timeline. Both are characters who have a disfigured face due to external causes (a disease and being shoved in molten iron, respectively), use their own bodies as weapons and are representatives of their people (Tarkat infected Edenians and the people of Seido, respectively). However, Baraka wishes to take care of other people in his colony, while Havik is just an Ax-Crazy Sadist, caring for nothing of his people. Lastly, the former underwent Adaptational Heroism while the latter, Adaptational Villainy.
Evil Is Visceral: While the very nature of the series means that blood and gore are very common, Havik's fighting style is especially messy and brutal, involving a lot of self-inflicted bloodshed and dismemberment, as well as using his own broken bones as slashing weapons.
Evil Sounds Raspy: Havik's many pronouncements of violent uprising and even more violent retribution are delivered in a growling voice that illustrates his viciousness and rage.
Evil vs. Evil: No one really argues with Havik that the oppressive nature of Seido's government is a bad thing, but they also don't hesitate to point out that he's no better.
Facial Horror: Averted for a decent chunk of MK1's story mode, where his face is unscarred and he has lips. Unfortunately for him, his attempts to force Scorpion's face into molten metal backfires on him when he turns the tables and gives him a face full of superheated liquid, causing him to become just as disfigured as his predecessor. In one of his intro dialogues, he claims he can restore his looks if he wants to, but his disfigurement gives him a rather fearsome appearance.
Fashionable Asymmetry: His dedication to chaos is such that even his outfit is uncoordinated.
Foreshadowing: Him being born in Orderrealm seems odd for Liu Kang's New Era, as such a birthplace would be an Ironic Hell for the Haviks of previous timelines. As it turns out, that would be because this Havik isn't the counterpart of the original one, but instead the counterpart of Dairou, who was also an Orderrealm native in the previous timelines.
Freudian Excuse: Havik was born into Seido's lowest caste where he was denied any rights or privileges, and was later brutally punished for a minor crime, upon which he swore to bring down Seido's regime. Slips into Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse after he floods Seido's captial, an act that everyone deems despicable and unjustified, with the sole exception being General Shao, who actually compliments Havik for it.
Good Thing You Can Heal: He shows an even more impressive healing factor than his predecessor, fighting almost akin to Ms. Fortune. From ripping his own arm off and growing a new one (or reattaching it) in seconds or bisecting himself so he can perform a spinning lariat with his upper body. His fatal blow and one of his fatalities even has him destroying his chunks of his hands and forearm just so he could use his broken sharpened bones to stab his opponents. The only reason he doesn't fix his face after it gets horribly disfigured is because he considers his new looks more intimidating.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Havik exists in a perpetual state of anti-authoritarian rage, and his intros show that it takes barely any prodding or challenging to get him murderously angry at his opponents.
Hated by All: After he floods Seido's capital, Havik is disdained by every other kombatant, even Shang Tsung and those sympathetic to the source of his plight, with General Shao being the only person to approve of the act, calling it a masterstroke. That Havik is a deranged fanatic who can't be reasoned with doesn't help matters. The only actual ally he seems to have is Darrius, and even he is nowhere to be seen after the story.
He Who Fights Monsters: Havik zealously opposes the oppressive regime of Seido, but in doing so, he's become a brutal, insane, bloodthirsty terrorist. The other kombatants barely draw a distinction between Havik's actions and those of his oppressors, and even condemn his actions against said oppressors, as Havik has no qualms about hurting innocent people in pursuit of his goals.
Healing Factor: Courtesy of Quan Chi's sorcery, Havik has an impressively powerful ability to heal that he is more than happy to take advantage of in gruesome and extreme fashion. He can also control whether or not he heals, choosing to leave his disfigured face as it is because he finds it intimidating.
Hoist by His Own Petard: His disfigured face? That wasn't natural; he tried to force Scorpion's face into a vat of molten metal, but it backfires when Scorpion overpowers him and dunked his face in the vat.
Hypocrite: Havik has become everything he claims to be rebelling against — Just on the opposite side of Order Versus Chaos.
- Havik champions anarchy, believing any and all authorities to be nothing but oppression. He also has a With Us or Against Us mentality and is willing to force his beliefs on others. As an intro with Smoke points out, Havik should be willing to take "no" for an answer if he were serious about his beliefs, meaning that Havik's definiton of "oppressors" amounts to "anyone who has more power and/or authority than I do."
- Geras also points out that for someone who speaks so highly of freedom, Havik violently refuses to let Geras follow Liu Kang of his own accord.
- Multiple characters point out that Havik doesn't actually know anything about the regimes he rails against or the people he claims to champion. Kitana, Mileena and Sindel all refute his claims that Outworld's lowest will try to overthrow a regime that actually cares for them, while Baraka chews him out for trying to incite the Tarkatans to violent revolution that would undermine their cause.
- When he insists to Sindel that leaders should be chosen by people, not gods, she hits back that Havik is a self-appointed savior; he's no more a man of the people than any of the tyrants and supposed tyrants he seeks to overthrow.
- Havik's crusade began as a search for vengeance against Seido's government for the mistreatment he suffered, claiming that his revolution will free the downtrodden from oppressors. In his and Rain's arcade endings, Havik floods Seido's capital, killing thousands of innocent people, and when he's called on it, he claims that all Seidans are oppressors, proving that his actions are about Havik's own anger and bloodlust, not about helping anyone.
- For all of his preaching against despots and tyrants, one of his alternate timeline selves is "Lord Havik", who commands a coterie of followers and wears armor like that of a Kahn's. Ironically, Lord Havik is maybe more ideologically coherent than his New Era counterpart, being a sadist who seems to just enjoy chaos for its sheer body count.
Insane Troll Logic: Havik has some truly off-the-walls ideas about what qualifies as "oppression." Anyone who serves another is a slave no matter how willingly they do so, fame is a form of authority which means all celebrities are corrupt, the mere existence of ice is oppressive to water, among other leaps in logic that almost make sense for someone as obsessed with chaos as Havik.
In Spite of a Nail: Even if he's not from Chaosrealm in this timeline, Havik is still an agent of chaos - one who's even more militant than the last time, due to having suffered injustice as a member of a lower caste in the realm of Seido.
Invulnerable Knuckles: Played with, his Fatal Blow and one of his Fatalities has him punch his opponent with enough ferocity that his hands break and the flesh peels off, until only sharpened bone of his forearms remain. However thanks to his healing factor he can easily regain his hands and because of his berserker fighting style he doesn't feel pain from it.
Irony: Despite embracing chaos in opposition to Seido's order, a number of Havik's traits show that he has a bit of a tyrannical streak himself, forcing others to fall in with his views on threat of death if they oppose him, differing opinions or other people's rights be damned.
It's All About Me: Multiple kombatants point out that, for all of his screaming about overthrowing tyrants and freeing the oppressed, Havik's really only concerned with his own suffering at the hands of Seido's government and getting revenge for it.
Jerkass: While his Freudian Excuse makes his cynical attitude understandable, Havik is still a growling, bloodthirsty fanatic who refuses to accept compromise and violates his own supposed ideals by refusing to give people a choice in whether they accept his notions of chaos.
Kick the Dog: While bringing down Seido's government was arguably a case of Pay Evil unto Evil, that Havik keeps trying to hurt his now fallen oppressors pushes him squarely into this trope, especially since he's willing to hand Seidan refugees over to Nitara for use as breeding stock.
Lack of Empathy: Much as he claims his intended revolution to be for the betterment of all, Havik doesn't seem to much care about the rights or lives of others. His many cries for revolution speak of hurting those in power far more than how (if at all) the lives of the downtrodden will improve. When Rain floods Seido's capital in his and Havik's endings, destroying the city and killing half a million people, Rain is horrified by his actions, while Havik is beside himself with glee. An intro with Scorpion also has Havik all but brag that the number of people who die from his actions doesn't matter.
Legacy Character: Rather than the Cleric of Chaos from previous timelines, Dairou is the one who takes up the mantle of Havik in this timeline.
Losing Your Head: He is capable of removing his own head without dying.
Moral Myopia:
- Suffering at the hands of Seido's government drove Havik to violent extremism, but when he has no qualms about trying to force others to fall in with his twisted ideas of anarchism. Furthermore, under Orderrealm's oppression, Havik was a victim, for which he feels an overwhelming rage, but once Seido has fallen, Havik revels in having made victims of his former oppressors and wants to keep victimizing them even after destroying their capital and leaving them as refugees. Whenever anyone calls him out for his atrocities, Havik either dismisses them or takes pride in what he's done.
- How people use their authority means nothing to Havik; if they're in authority at all, they're "oppressors" and need to be violently destroyed. That he considers the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu morally equivalent shows this mentality perfectly.
My Way or the Highway: Havik won't accept any form of compromise or negotiation in his quest for anarchy. Even characters who wish to help him, but offer any aid beyond violent uprising, may find that the idea of alternatives lethally offends him. One of his intro dialogues with Liu Kang shows him outraged by the mere suggestion:
Liu Kang: What is left of Seido's government will negotiate.
Havik: Negotiate?! I'm dictating terms!
Nom de Guerre: "Havik" was chosen by Dairou as an alias because it sounds more intimidating than his given name.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: Havik never shuts up about how the oppressed need to tear down their oppressors, but he doesn't really care about other people's suffering; if innocent people die in pursuit of his goals, he doesn't blink, and as Raiden notes in an intro, Havik is clearly more interested in revenge for his own mistreatment than in justice for others. Having Rain flood Seido's capital demonstrates this beautifully; while others, even Rain himself are horrified by the carnage and destruction, Havik is overjoyed at having hurt his oppressors, gloating about the "freedom" the survivors now enjoy... in their destroyed city after Havik killed hundreds of thousands of them.
Not in the Face!: Zig-Zagged; Havik is absolutely livid when Scorpion dunks his face into a pot of molten gold but he decides against healing the disfigurement as it makes him look more intimidating.
Obviously Evil: Johnny Cage points out that his appearance and "ring name" are very unsubtle.
Pay Evil unto Evil: Havik seeks to avenge his suffering upon Seido's powerful, who run an oppressive, draconian government that horribly mistreats those in lower castes (like Havik himself). After the flooding of Seido's capital, Havik revels in the downfall of his oppressors, and seeks to further hurt them, promising Nitara Seidans to breed and demanding that Mileena hand over refugees to face his "justice".
Practically Joker: His scarred mouth and total embracement of chaos as an ideology is very Joker-like, more specifically the Heath Ledger version of the character. Peacemaker even calls him "the bastard child of Joker and Two-Face" in an intro.
Psychological Projection: Due to a variety of factors, Havik projects his own terrible experiences with a totalitarian regime onto all authorities and those who live under them, which only feeds his fanaticism.
Rage Against the Heavens: Blames Liu Kang, creator of the New Era, for his status as a low-caste slave and the way his life has turned out.
Required Secondary Powers: He's an interesting case where he doesn't have the power you expect. His strength does not include the durability to punch at the weight class of other kombatants, and so his healing allows him to reverse the tremendous damage he does to himself.
The Reveal: His identity as the New Era's incarnation of Dairou is revealed through one of his pre-fight intros with Reptile.
Reptile: Return to Seido, Dairou.
Havik: (shocked) Where did you learn my real name?!
Small Name, Big Ego: For all his pronouncements of being the downtrodden's deliverance from oppression, Havik's campaign against Orderrealm never got anywhere until he allied himself with others, needing Quan Chi to give him his Healing Factor and relying on Rain's magic to flood Seido's capital. His delusions of grandeur are echoed in his intros, where he's met with near-universal hostility, even from those he'd assume would welcome his efforts.
The Social Darwinist: What else is he expecting in a world where any kind of unity or cohesiveness is forbidden?
Technically-Living Zombie: His appearance (and regular dismemberment) make him look like a zombie, but he is technically a living man.
Villain Has a Point: Multiple fighters go on the record to say that even if his methods are incomprehensibly cruel, that the anger behind them is far more understandable.
Villain Respect: In contrast to all of the other villains, who disapprove of the act, he find himself on the receiving end of this from General Shao after flooding Seido.
General Shao: Laying waste to Seido was a masterstroke.
Havik: (surprised) I didn't think it would earn your respect.
With Us or Against Us: Anyone who won't aid Havik in his crusade to overthrow Seido's government, and every other authority, is part of the problem, as far as he's concerned.

Netherrealm

Ashrah

"I appear nearly human, because I've purged most evil from my soul."

Debut Game: Mortal Kombat: Deception

Portrayed by: Susan Eisenberg (English), Cynthia Alfonzo (Latin American Spanish), Dana Taylor (face model)

The Netherrealm is home to many demons, malevolent creatures who want nothing more than to spread evil and destruction in their wake. Ashrah was no different, but after learning about the wonders of other realms such as Earthrealm and Outworld during her short trips there, she yearned for more and became disgusted at her own nature. Upon fleeing from her demonic sisters, she found a mysterious enchanted blade called the Kriss that she used to defend herself. Upon slaying her pursuers, Ashrah noticed that the weapon purified her soul each time she used it to cut down evil beings, and with this knowledge, she started hunting down her own kind in hopes that she will eventually be free of the Netherrealm's taint and cleansed of all evil.

For tropes applying to Ashrah in previous timelines, click here.

Actor Allusion: A pre-fight intro with Johnny has him say "You are truly a wonder, woman." Susan Eisenberg previously voiced Wonder Woman in both Injustice video games and various animated media. Additionally, one of her Fatalities involves a golden rope not unlike the Lasso of Truth being summoned from her kriss.
Adaptational Ugliness: Downplayed; While she has again purged most evil from her soul, she no longer looks completely human, as she keeps her once demonic Black Eyes of Evil and her face keeps some scarring above her eyes.
Ascended Demon: While she's not quite there yet at the time of the story, Ashrah's goal is to use her Kriss to fully purge the evil from her soul and become fully human. One of her Fatalities has her literally turning into an angel, sprouting white angelic wings from her back as she soars above her opponents and shoots white "feathers" of Hard Light to finish them off.
Black Eyes of Evil: Although she's working hard to get away from the "evil" part of the trope, Ashrah's black eyes are a remnant of her Netherrealm origins. Unlike most examples of this trope, Ashrah does have distinct irises and sclera, though it's only visible in certain lighting.
The Bus Came Back: Last playable in 2006's Armageddon, skipped the entirety of the Netherrealm timeline. Back here as a playable character.
Composite Character: In the New Era, she inherits Sareena's backstory from the previous timelines as a demon who chooses to aid the forces of Light, mentioning Kia and Jataaka who were Sareena's sisters prior as her sworn sisters.
Conditioned to Accept Horror: Ashrah's life in the Netherrealm desensitized her to the horrors there. It was only when she saw Earthrealm and Outworld that she realized that there could be more to her life and began aspiring to become an Ascended Demon.
Dark Is Not Evil: Ashrah introduces herself in her chapter proclaiming that she's a Netherrealm demon who purged most of her evil, and this made her a target by her former comrades. Despite her creepy black eyes and still vaguely inhuman appearance, she's a steadfast hero.
A Day in the Limelight: She became the main focus in Chapter 6 of MK1.
The Dreaded: Not necessarily Ashrah herself, but her Kriss is known far and wide, with Nitara claiming that there isn't a single Vaeternian who doesn't know of it.
Easily Forgiven: When they first meet, Ashrah mistakes Baraka and Syzoth for Netherrealm demons and attacks them, but once things settle down, she's quickly forgiven for the misunderstanding and welcomed by the heroes.
Even the Loving Hero Has Hated Ones: While she cuts down Netherrealm demons without restraint, Ashrah comes across as polite, friendly and empathetic to most, but some, like Nitara and especially Quan Chi earn her ire.
Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Inverted; Ashrah's face retains some demonic features despite the fact that she's a good-natured person who wants nothing more than to rise above her Netherrealm origins.
Fantastic Racism: Ashrah's calm and compassionate demeanor does not extend to Vaeternians; in her intros with Nitara, Ashrah has nothing good to say about any Vaeternian and even expresses the belief that killing the entire race will expedite her purification, something Nitara calls out as genocide.
Feather Flechettes: She begins her first Fatality by displaying her wings in an angelical form and then launching several hard feathers towards her victim.
Gold and White Are Divine: Fitting for an aspiring Ascended Demon, Ashrah adorns herself in white robes highlighted with gold.
Hated Hometown: Due to her desire to be free of her demonic origins, Ashrah openly loathes the Netherrealm and hates the idea of going back there. By contrast, she loves living in Earthrealm, steadfastly defending her newly adopted home and even forming the Order of Light to protect it.
Hunter of Their Own Kind: To purify her soul, Ashrah uses her Kriss to kill other Netherrealm demons. In fact, mistaking Baraka and Syzoth for her own kind is what leads Ashrah to initially fight the two Outworlders.
Immigrant Patriotism: After she makes the move to Earthrealm, Ashrah quickly falls in love with her new homeland, enjoying her studies with the Shaolin and swearing to defend Earthrealm.
In Spite of a Nail: Still a Netherrealm demon who is purging herself of her evil. She's just less along in the process than her original incarnation.
Interspecies Romance: As revealed in multiple intros, she is pursuing a relationship with Syzoth/Reptile, the shapeshifting Zaterran.
Kill the Ones You Love: Quan Chi earned Ashrah's special loathing by sending her sisters Kia and Jataaka after her for her desertion (and if Sareena is any indication, Kia and Jataaka had no choice in the matter), forcing Ashrah to kill them in self-defense.
Light Is Good: Ashrah dresses in white, aspires to rise above her demonic origins and in her story ending, she and Sareena found the Order of Light.
Mercy Kill: Baraka ask her personally to kill him if his Tarkat robs him of his mind and will. Ashrah agrees to this.
Nice Girl: Despite her dark origins, Ashrah is tremendously polite and friendly, even expressing sympathy for Havik and suggesting that Bi-Han isn't irredeemable.
Not So Above It All:
- Despite her usually polite and pleasant demeanor, Ashrah is clearly uncomfortable with the hat Johnny Cage picks out to disguise her during the Sun Do festival and their intros show that she stays annoyed by it long afterwards. Though she does offer a playful smile to Johnny when he cheekily says the hat suits her.
- Ashrah aspires to rise above her demonic origins, but her deep hatred for Quan Chi and Vaeternians show that she's not as far removed from the Netherrealm's darkness and violence as she'd like to be; Quan Chi mocks her desire for his death as very fitting of a Netherrealm demon, and Nitara considers her attitude towards Vaeternians to be borderline genocidal.
Related in the Adaptation: Sareena, Kia and Jataaka are all her sisters here. There's no indication that they were related to her in the original timeline.
Second Love: In the post-story, Ashrah pursues a relationship with Syzoth, whose wife had been murdered by Shang Tsung.
The Soul Saver: In her arcade ending, Ashrah sets out to save Sareena from Quan Chi's service and although she has to fight through the sorcerer himself and a legion of Netherrealm demons, she rescues her sister and brings her over to the side of good.

Vaeternus

Nitara

”You Earthrealmers believe yourselves to be so superior.”

Debut Game: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

Portrayed by: Megan Fox (English, speaking voice and face model), Cristina Valenzuela (English, battle efforts), Ginette Zavala (Latin American Spanish)

A member of the vampiric Vaeternian race, and an agent of the ruling Coven. With the Vaeternians suffering a food crisis due to overfeeding upon the creatures native to their realm the Coven has sent Nitara to establish the groundwork to invade other realms in search of blood, to that end she is working alongside the sorcerers Shang Tsung and Quan Chi under the promise of realms from which the Vaeternians may feast.

For tropes applying to Nitara in previous timelines, click here.

Abled in the Adaptation: In the New Era, Nitara doesn’t have an eyepatch.
Actor Allusion: One intro has Kung Lao ask her what she's done with Jen's body. This also doubles as a Mythology Gag to Mortal Kombat: Conquest, where Kung Lao's ancestor had a girlfriend named Jen.
Adaptational Modesty: Nitara's leotard attire is fanservice-y, but it's more conservative compared to her scant, two-piece outfit from the original timeline.
Adaptational Villainy: The original version of Nitara was not a particularly nice person, as seen with her exploitation and abandonment of Reptile. However, she had a sympathetic goal (the liberation of her people from Shao Kahn's rule) and enough moral standards to be considered morally neutral rather than outright malevolent (making good on her promise to send Cyrax back to Earth in exchange for helping her). This version of Nitara shows none of the original's standards and has an arguably less sympathetic goal — while the original Nitara wanted to free her people, this version is trying to save them starving to death due to them exhausting their own food supply from overfeeding and is willing to kidnap denizens from Earth to make People Farms. She also shows a much more sadistic side, as seen with her taunting Kung Lao when he demands to know where Jen is in an intro dialogue.
Beethoven Was an Alien Spy: According to her, Earth's myths and folktales about vampires were inspired by Vaeternians visiting Earthrealm to feed.
Bloody Murder: Nitara can use blood-based attacks as usual.
The Bus Came Back: Last playable in 2006's Armageddon, mentioned in the prequel comics of X. Back here as a playable character.
Camera Abuse: In her victory pose, she takes a bite from the camera operator.
Daywalking Vampire: Most Vaeternians are vulnerable to sunlight, but Nitara is an exception, due to Quan Chi using his magic to remove her weakness.
Deadpan Snarker: While not usually very humorous, Nitara's deadpan delivery lends itself well to a bit of snark when she's in the mood.
Johnny Cage: The wings, the fangs? Girl, you're gonna own awards season!
Nitara: I'm so glad I please you, Cage.
General Shao: When I'm emperor, I'll make—
Nitara: Even more empty promises?
Sindel: I won't weep if your race dies.
Nitara: So much for a kinder, gentler Outworld.
Didn't Think This Through: Vaeternians embraced immortality without a thought on sustaining their still-growing population indefinitely, and Nitara is very much a product of that culture; an intro with Liu Kang has him proclaim that Vaeternus' way of life is unsustainable, but Nitara insists that a fresh source of food will solve that problem, ignoring that any supply she secures will eventually run out as well. Nitara's Arcade ending has her make some strides to overcome this flaw, as she resorts to People Farming to try and secure a renewable source of food for Vaeternus, but this plan, which involved kidnapping small groups from Earthrealm and Outworld, didn't go quite as unnoticed as Nitara assumed it would, as several intros have her challenged by the heroes, who refuse to let her get away with it.
Dull Surprise: Nitara speaks in a low, unemotional monotone, though she does sometimes let a few hints of emotion break through (such as mockery of both Smoke and Kung Lao, and annoyance at Johnny Cage and Peacemaker).
Enemy Mine: Traditionally, Outworld and Vaeternus have been at odds, but Nitara proves willing to throw in with Outworlders like Quan Chi and Shang Tsung if it means she can accomplish her goals. It's also noted in an intro with Reiko that General Shao killed Nitara's mother, but she's willing to look past that if it means providing for Vaeternus.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: In her intros, Nitara mentions her mother, Kasomira, a renowned Vaeternian admiral, expressing pride in her mother's accomplishments.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good:
- As a byproduct of how low Nitara perceives non-Vaeternians she genuinely doesn't seem to understand why other kombatants would object to her feeding on people, as she cannot comprehend the idea that their lives matter.
- Nitara takes offense when other kombatants assume that Vaeternus is a hellish place; as both Syzoth and Kitana point out, that it produced her is proof positive that they'd never want to go there.
Evil Redhead: In a departure from previous timelines, she has a dark red hairline and a dark heart to match.
Fantastic Racism: Nitara makes it abundantly clear that she sees other races as livestock at best, and vermin at worst.
Nitara: What pigs are to humans, humans are to Vaeternians.
Hated by All: Vaeternians as a whole are despised by nearly everyone because of their ravenous, bloodsucking nature and overblown sense of superiority, and Nitara is no exception; the only alliances she forms are based on pragmatism, not trust, and her intros have her treated with disdain by almost every other kombatant, who refuse to help her feed her people or be intimidated by Nitara's threats.
Hypocrite:
- Nitara accuses other characters of prejudice against her kind for refusing to entertain the thought of any coexistence or compromise with Vaeternus, claiming that Vaeternians are merely a desperate people fighting for survival who deserve fair treatment. This conveniently overlooks that the Vaeternians are vampires who consume people's blood and see the other realms as nothing more than sources of warm blood for them to feed on. Nitara looks down upon every other race far more than they do hers and her idea of coexistence is "You let me eat you".
  Scorpion: If you would only feed on lower species-
  Nitara: Humans are a lower species.
- As certain versus interactions reveal, Vaeternians don't even need to be vampiric to survive, they simply refuse to give up the immortality it gives them.
  Geras: There are other ways to feed Vaeternus.
  Nitara: None of them will sustain our immortality!
Immortality Immorality: Vaeternians can feed on non-sapient creatures or live on something other than blood, but only feeding on people can sustain their immortality, something that Nitara and her people steadfastly refuse to give up. Nitara's arcade ending even has her setting up farms to turn humans and Edenians into livestock so her people can remain fed and undying.
Ink-Suit Actor: Her inclusion into the playable roster didn't seem surprising at first until Megan Fox herself was revealed to be the one voicing the character. Nitara even has Megan's facial features lovingly depicted in 3D.
Moral Myopia: Nitara doesn't believe that needing to survive on blood makes her or any other Vaeternian evil. She either doesn't realize or doesn't care that the problem has less to do with her people needing blood and more with the fact that they insist on taking it from sapient beings.
My Country, Right or Wrong: Nitara is extremely loyal to Vaeternus, rankling at the implication that her realm is a hellish place and proudly doing whatever she can to make sure her people remain fed, even if it means working with people she personally hates. If it weren't for the fact that Vaeternians are bloodthirsty vampires who insist on feeding on sapient beings so they can stay immortal, her goals would be almost noble.
Never My Fault: The food crisis that Nitara is so determined to end is entirely the fault of Vaeternus itself, something Nitara and her people refuse to acknowledge or accept the consequences for. An intro with Rain even reveals that, despite being immortal, Vaeternians still procreate, meaning that overfeeding and overpopulation are essentially inevitable, yet they refuse to give up either.
Nitara: You could help Vaeternus, but choose not to!
Liu Kang: I am not obliged to save it from its hubris.
Nitara: It's not our fault that we starve!
Liu Kang: Vaeternus has only itself to blame.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: Played with; Nitara's goals are intended to benefit people other than herself, and she's genuinely determined to prevent the people of Vaeternus from starving, but given that she and her people aren't just trying to survive, but maintain their immortality (to the point that Nitara rejects the idea of using methods that would feed Vaeternus, but not sustain the race's immortality), as well as their total lack of empathy for any sapient being other than themselves, calling Nitara or the Coven she answers to "well-intentioned" comes across as a major overstatement.
Obliviously Evil: Nitara seems to honestly and genuinely believe that she isn't doing anything wrong and it seems perfectly obvious to her that her people deserve to live forever at the expense of mortal beings. She gets sincerely confused and offended at the idea that her people are monsters or in any way "evil" regardless of the fact that they are interdimensional predators that see sapient beings as nothing other than sources of amusment, food and slaves.
Peacemaker: I hate it when hot girls are evil.
Nitara: I am not evil.
People Farms: In her ending, Nitara rethinks her approach and decides that the best way to keep Vaeternus fed and happy is to surreptitiously kidnap people from Earthrealm and Outworld and use them for livestock, planning to have them breed to produce an endless supply of living blood for her and her fellow vampires to feast on (she threatens Kung Lao with being the first to be used for that, which he seems to regard as a compliment (with his giant ego, he probably thinks that Nitara regards him as the best specimen of an Earthrealm human)).
Playing the Victim Card: A couple of Nitara's intros have her claim that she's only out to keep Vaeternus from starving, which is, at best, Metaphorically True (she rejects the idea of feeding on anything that wouldn't keep her and her people immortal and is a sadist and a supremacist besides) and that Vaeternus' famine isn't the fault of her people (rejection of responsibility at best, a complete lie at worst). No one has any trouble seeing through these claims. She's also prone to grousing about people being bigoted towards Vaeternians, despite her and her people being bloodsucking monsters who insist on feeding on sapient beings, and Nitara herself admitting that Vaeternians see humans as little more than livestock.
Pragmatic Villainy:
- In her intros with Havik, she is disdainful of him having Seido flooded because to her, it's a massive waste of food.
- In her ending, she decides an all-out war with Outworld or Earthrealm is too risky for Vaeternus, so she'll arrange for humans and Outworlders to be kidnapped in just low enough numbers to avoid suspicion and grow People Farms with them to ensure a sustainable blood supply.
Really 700 Years Old: Vaeternians are immortal as long as they feed on sapient beings and Nitara herself boasts that when she was young, humans had just mastered fire—which would put her somewhere in the neighborhood of a few hundred thousand years old.
Smug Snake: For all her boasting of Vaeternian supremacy, Nitara loses every fight she has in story mode, and pre-fight intros show that her plan to subtly abduct breeding stock is neither as subtle nor as unnoticed as she assumed it would be.
The Swarm: In one of her fatalities, Nitara summons a swarm of bats that enter the fallen opponent's body through their mouth, then burst out of their chest.
Undying Loyalty: Nitara's one admirable quality is her unerring dedication to the Coven and Vaeternus; she'd do anything, from colluding with sorcerers to farming people to fulfill her promises to feed her people.
Weakened by the Light: A justified aversion - one of her intros with Kenshi has her note that, due to some help from Quan Chi, she doesn't have the usual Vaeternian allergy to sunlight.
Winged Humanoid: Like in her previous appearances, Nitara sports a set of bat-like wings strong enough to let her fly at impressive speeds.

Guest Fighters

Omni-Man

Nolan Grayson / Omni-Man

"I claim this timeline for the Viltrum Empire."

Portrayed by: J. K. Simmons (English, voice and face model), Santos Alberto (Latin American Spanish)

Nolan Grayson is an alien from the planet Viltrum. Possessing immense powers, Nolan came to Earth and becomes its greatest superhero, naming himself Omni-Man. During his twenty years on the planet, he had a son. One day, Omni-Man suddenly went rogue and killed the Guardians of the Globe, of which he was an ally of, and reveals the truth of his arrival on Earth. In reality, Omni-Man is actually a scout from his home planet and his actual goal is to prepare Earth to be conquered by the Viltrumite race.

Actor Allusion:
- In one of Omni-Man's intros when he's facing Johnny Cage, he tells Johnny to "Get out of my sight before I demolish you", referencing one of J. K. Simmons' many memetic outbursts as Terence Fletcher in Whiplash. Additionally, one of his mid-round animations has him say "You can't match my tempo", a reference to the same film.
- Other intros include angrily interrupting Raiden before he can finish saying "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility", and telling Liu Kang he's something of a god himself, both of which are references to the Spider-Man Trilogy where Simmons played J. Jonah Jameson.
Adaptational Heroism: Downplayed, but a couple Intros can imply the Omni-Man saying it is from a… better if not good timeline/universe. Also, one of his Mastery Rewards is called Guardian of the Globe, with the Mortal Kombat Logo on it, implying that the Omni-Man it originally belonged to is/was the Champion of Earthrealm.
Adaptational Jerkass: Downplayed, as he retains practically all of his worst traits here - but an intro with Sindel implies that he may or may not plan on keeping her and her daughters as pets for…possibly unsavory means, indicating that this version of Omni-Man may or may not be above partaking in sexual slavery.
Adaptational Wimp: As a result of Power Creep, Power Seep in order to balance him. Humans to Omni-Man in both his original comic series and its Animated Adaptation are effectively Made of Plasticine due to his Super-Strength, and he's repeatedly shown messily butchering people and turning them into pulp with as little as a Bitch Slap, not to mention he's capable of traveling to anywhere on Earth in a few seconds at most and being basically invulnerable to all but the strongest weight-class Supers. Naturally, to even him out with all the other fighters, his punches deal the same amount of damage as any other character's moves and the other characters are capable of actually hitting and doing damage to him no matter how weak relative to him they are.
A God Am I: In a pre-kombat intro with Liu Kang, when asked by him what he is, he claims to be "something of a god" after Liu Kang invoked the Elder Gods when expressing his astonishment about and revulsion at Omni-Man.
Ascended Meme: One of his mid-round animations references the infamous "Think, Mark, Think" meme, doing the exact fingers-to-temple pose and even saying "Think, think!".
- He also stresses to Raiden to THINK on what good his death would accomplish.
- His Fatal Blow, which comes from the same scene, is even titled "The Thinker".
- NRS takes it a step further with the description in his official gameplay trailer:
Allowing a Viltrumite into the Realms? Think, Liu Kang! Think!
- Fans of Invincible (2021) had already had a field day for years dubbing Terence Fletcher's various rants over the equally vitriolic one Nolan gives to Mark while delivering a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown unto him due to them sharing an actor. Since Omni-Man makes a few references to Whiplash in this game, it's fair to say the developers took notice.
Badass Arm-Fold: One of his intro animations has him haughtily do one of these with a smug expression, showcasing how he views his opponents like ants to be crushed.
Beware the Superman: One of the most famous examples, as he was sent to Earth by his species to serve as The Paragon to humanity to hide the fact that he's preparing Earth for an invasion. Fittingly, he's in the same DLC pack as Homelander, another example of this trope.
Blood Knight: In his trailer, his response to Liu Kang's Badass Boast of destroying entire timelines is "Finally, a worthy challenge."
Boring, but Practical: Aside from some of his special moves, his fighting style is pretty basic and straightforward compared to the flashiness of other fighters, but brutally efficient thanks to his Viltrumite Super-Strength.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: He feels this way about General Shao in response to his Badass Boast about slaying Omni-Man would make Shao "a Legend".
"And yet when I slay you: no one will remember."
Came from the Sky: The Kombat Pack trailer starts with him flying down into the ground, creating a dramatic dust cloud effect before the fighters are revealed.
The Cameo: Omni-Man's son, Mark Grayson, the eponymous Invincible, makes an appearance in Omni-Man's ending, fighting his father after the Viltrumites force Nolan to complete his conquest of Earth. Conquest, a fellow Viltrumite, also appears helping Omni-Man conquer the Mortal Kombat realms.
Conflicting Loyalty: Like in the source material, he's torn between his loyalty to Viltrum and his love for his son Mark, who opposes his planet's warmongering ways. In his Tower ending, he starts sacrificing other realms to the Viltrum empire to keep Viltrum away from his realm's Earth in order to stall his inevitable confrontation with his son. Despite his loyalty to his home planet, he seems to sincerely hope that Mark will grow strong enough to stop his people.
Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: He throws out some of these kinds of threats in a handful of his interactions with other characters, and considering who we're talking about, he definitely can back those threat up.
Omni-Man: I'll hit you so fast you'll piss bloody icicles.
Sub-Zero: A colorful threat you won't live to fulfill.
Havik: I bow to no one, Omni-Man.
Omni-Man: Then I'll pluck your legs off at the knees.
Deadpan Snarker: Comes off as this in some of his pre-fight intros.
Omni-Man: (bored-sounding) Stop, please. Don't hit me with… (rolls eyes) water.
Rain: Has no one told you I've drowned an entire city?
Jean Claude Van-Damme!Johnny Cage: Take your mustache and cape and find a bus to catch.
Omni-Man: …Oh, this guy's funny.
Dynamic Akimbo: Omni-Man strikes an akimbo pose when he's standing alongside the rest of the Kombat Pack roster in their trailer.
Early-Bird Cameo: Omni-Man's character portrayal in here is strictly limited to what he did, and how he acted, in Season 1 of Invincible's animated show with a little dip into Season 2, by Angstrom Levy's mention; yet in Nolan's intro dialogue with Havik, the Grand Regent of Viltrum, Thragg, is mentioned by name and role before the Season 1 even hinted at his existence. Also, one of his costumes is a reference to his second son Oliver Grayson.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He's a ruthless soldier for a race of imperialistic intergalactic conquerors, but a few of his intros make it clear he still loves Debbie and Mark.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good:
- He's downright confused that Liu Kang gave up his power as Keeper of Time and questions why anyone ever would. He also doesn't believe Liu Kang is as altruistic as he appears, calling it an act. Liu Kang retorts that not everyone is as deceptive as he is.
- When he asks Tanya why she'd guard a "diseased freak", she proudly proclaims that her motivation is love, something she thinks is unknown to him.
Expy Coexistence: Both he and Homelander are Superman expies, more specifically of the Corrupted Character Copy Beware the Superman variety, and appear in the same game, with Superman himself having previously appeared in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, and fellow DCU character Peacemaker mistakes him for a Kryptonian in one of their intros.
Fantastic Racism: Just like in his home franchise, this version of Omni-Man regards any non-Viltrumite as a lesser being.
Fantastic Ableism: He makes disparaging remarks about Tarkatans when meeting Baraka, Mileena and Tanya in kombat.
Flying Brick: Since this as his moveset in the source material, his fighting style incorporates both his Super-Strength and flight heavily into it.
Good Old Fisticuffs: Most of his attacks are simple, straightforward punches or backhands that nonetheless deal great damage due to his Super-Strength. Even his Fatal Blow just has him jump on the opponent and punch them in the face repeatedly before delivering a two-handed punch.
Guest Fighter: The Kombat Pack trailer's first revealed guest fighter from Robert Kirkman's Invincible, which was adapted and popularized by the animated series on Prime Video.
Hated by All: Between his desire to conquer every realm as a one-man army, his ambitious ego and his general unpleasantness towards other characters in his intros, it should come as no surprise that everyone in the cast has a reason to want him dead - be it to save their realm from his invasion or because he said something that pushed them into a murderous rage.
Omni-Man: They don't make movies about heroes like me.
Johnny Cage: Because duh! You're the villain, bro!
Hypocrite: He expresses disgust about Shang Tsung being a double-faced bastard, calling him a charlatan in one pre-match exchange, and in another talking how about how "schemers like you rot the core of civilization", but he talks from experience, as he deceived the Earth of his verse into believing him to be a great hero as he prepared it for conquest. Shang Tsung, of course, absolutely hangs a lampshade on this hypocrisy however.
Omni-Man: I'm not dumb enough to trust a charlatan.
Shang Tsung: (Chuckles) But it takes one to know one, doesn't it?
Late-Arrival Spoiler: The game does not attempt to hide either Invincible (2021)'s first season's First-Episode Twist where he brutally slaughters the Guardians of the Globe or the end-of-season reveal about Omni-Man's stated goal of pacifying Earth for the arrival of their new Viltrumite overlords.
Mistaken for Aliens: Well, mistaken for a "different" alien. In one of his intros with Peacemaker, the latter understandably believes him to be a Kryptonian like Superman due to Nolan's similar-looking The Cape aesthetic and Flying Brick powers and boasts that he has "Kryptonite bullets". In reality, Nolan is a Viltrumite whose Flying Brick powers are quite different from a Kryptonian (e.g. lacking Laser Eyes and X-Ray Vision), and most importantly, lacks the usual Kryptonite Factor associated with Kryptonians ^note.
Multiversal Conqueror: In his Tower ending, he kills Liu Kang and Shang Tsung and allows his Viltrumite brethren to conquer the Mortal Kombat realms before returning to his own dimension.
Mythology Gag:
- His Fatal Blow, Fatalities, and several of his special moves are based on moments from his home series. His two Fatalities show him crushing their head (from the series premiere when he killed Red Rush) and holding them in front of an incoming train (from the first season finale when he tortures Invincible) and he replicates the infamous Think Mark, Think! scene as part of his Fatal Blow (also during his torture on Invincible). He also utilizes Metronomic Man Mashing as a command grab as a nod to how he killed Darkwing (along with the Brutality version making the opponent's head explode like Darkwing's did), and the final blow of one of his other specials has him grab his opponent's spine the same way he did to Donald. Bonus points for the train Fatality also being a reference to Mortal Kombat 3's Subway stage.
- One of his signature moves involves him propelling himself and hitting his opponent with his entire body, similar to how he killed one of Cecil's soldiers in the show. This is also referenced in one of his Brutalities.
- His victory animation shows him lifting an enormous chunk of rock above his head, recreating a moment when he was destroying the Flaxan civilization.
- One of his Brutalities has him twisting his opponent's neck 180°, with his opponent's head vomiting blood before falling over, much like how Omni-Man kills War Woman in the animated series.
- His Mastery skins use color schemes based on his son Invincible (with gloves and boots to match as a gear option), Atom Eve, Oliver Grayson (who has yet to appear in the show), and the white and gray uniform of the Viltrum Empire, all of which are named after storylines in the original comics like "War at Home", "Out of This World", "Still Standing", "Viltrumite Warrior", "Death of Everyone" and "End of All Things".
- One mirror match dialogue has an Omni-Man name Angstrom Levy, Invincible's dimension-hopping nemesis, as the reason he ended up in the Mortal Kombat dimension.
- Another mirror match has him believe his double is the shapeshifting Martian Man of the Guardians of the Globe.
No-Nonsense Nemesis: Just like in his show of origin, Nolan's fighting style forgoes flashy moves in favor of quick and precise, violent efficiency.
Pet the Dog: Omni-Man surprisingly has a few.
- One intro dialog has Omni-Man offer Baraka a cure to Tarkat, noting that Viltrumite medicine can do so. While Baraka is understandably wary of the potential strings attached to the offer, the fact that Omni-Man offers at all is more than he usually gives his enemies.
- He is a loyal Viltrumite through and through, so to see Reiko's own commitment towards General Shao's cause with nearly the same level of loyalty, Omni-Man can't help but compliment him in his own way.
Power Creep, Power Seep: As a Superman Substitute known for using his power to its full lethal extent, Nolan is well above the Super Weight of most of the cast, with only Liu Kang approaching his strength. Of course, in gameplay, even Johnny has a chance of beating him.
Power Perversion Potential: He tells Sindel that he intends to keep her, Kitana and Mileena as his pets. Keep in mind that "pet" was how he defined his relationship with Debbie, his wife on Earth and the mother of his child.
Railroad Tracks of Doom: One of Omni-Man's fatalities has him hold his opponent in front of an oncoming subway train, which just so happens to be fast approaching them by the time they crash into the subway. Lacking Invincible's durability, said opponent is reduced to bloody chunks.
Right for the Wrong Reasons: A mutual example with Peacemaker in one of their intros. Omni-Man assumes that Peacemaker is a government agent sent after him by Cecil, which isn't entirely wrong except that Chris is working for Amanda Waller. On the other hand, Peacemaker isn't wrong about Nolan being a Human Alien/The Cape, except the latter isn't a Kryptonian and a deconstructive version of Superman, making his boast about having "Kryptonite bullets" causing Nolan to have very little reaction.
Shockwave Clap: One of his special moves has him clap with enough force to launch his opponents a full screen away if it lands. The enhanced version gives it additional range and also destroys enemy projectiles, and the Brutality version completely flays his opponent.
Shut Up, Kirk!: He gets annoyed very quickly at Ashrah and Raiden trying to make him see the error of his ways.
Sir Swears-a-Lot: He drops more profanity than any other character besides Peacemaker.
Super-Speed: His terrifying speed is shown in full force, being able to move across the stage in the blink of an eye or blitz his foe from multiple sides. One of his intro animations implies he flew around the entire world just to come back and punch his opponent a few feet away. His Brutality compounds this by moving so fast that he instantly liquifies the person on contact while passing through them.
Stance System: Of a sort: one of his special moves has him enter a "Viltrumite Stance", causing him to hover in place (or in the air when used while jumping), which can then allow him to execute a few stance-specific attacks for different scenarios, ranging from a Super-Speed teleport, a flying grappling attack, a Launcher Move, and an overhead divebomb. Entering the stance renders Omni-Man immune to projectiles, and spending a meter bar while entering the stance also further makes him immune to several basic attacks (mostly highs and some mids).
Super-Reflexes: Referenced with his "Viltrumite Stance" ability, which allows him to automatically dodge incoming projectiles, as well as most non-low attacks if enhanced, visualized by him casually leaning inches away from each incoming hit for no damage.
This Is Gonna Suck: His arcade ending states that even though he conquered the timeline, the Viltrumite empire have long memories and Omni-Man knows that they want him to conquer Earth. Omni-Man knows this and he knows that he will have to face Mark...again. The forlorn tone he speaks in the end REALLY shows that he isn't going to enjoy it a second time around.
What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: He mocks Rain's abilities by sarcastically begging Rain not to hit him with water.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: In his Tower ending, he starts bringing the Viltrum empire other realms for them to conquer, but it's only so that they don't turn their sights on the Earth of their home realm, as he knows he abandoned his post there. He's aware that the Viltrumites are unlikely to forget this despite his efforts to placate them, but he hopes that their time away will allow his son to become strong enough to fight off the empire when the time comes.
Worthy Opponent: In a pre-kombat dialogue with Liu Kang, he sees him as such for his immense power and the willingness to use it (Liu Kang warned him that he erased whole timelines).

Peacemaker

Christopher Smith / Peacemaker

"This is what freedom looks like, asshole!"

Portrayed by: John Cena (English, voice and face model), Gerardo Garcia (Latin American Spanish)

A former US soldier before being dishonourably discharged, Christopher Smith, also known as the Peacemaker, is a violent vigilante who believes in achieving peace at any cost, no matter how many people he has to kill for it in the process.

Accidental Murder: His first Fatality consists of him trying to shoot a Butterfly that came out of his opponent instead, accidentally blowing off their limbs and making a giant hole in their chest in the process.
Action Pet: Eagly assists his owner in kombat, by either charging at his opponents at incredibly high speeds or mauling them in his Fatal Blow.
Air Guitar: He plays one during his attacking pre-battle animation and the start of his fatal blow while holding an assault rifle.
Ambiguously Bi: At one hand, he's clearly interested in women (but he's his unable to make any of the female kombatants interested in him), at the other hand, this exchange in a pre-kombat dialogue with Shao could be interpreted as him being intersted in men, too (which could be seen as either a case of Shipping Goggles or following the characterization from the series):
General Shao: You look at me strangely.
Peacemaker: 'Case I clocked that epic six pack you're rocking.
Assist Character: Peacemaker can call Eagly to attack his opponents.
Badass Normal: Unlike Homelander and Omni-Man who are both Flying Bricks, Peacemaker only fights with guns, military training, his pet eagle and a special high-tech helmet.
Blood Knight: While in his own words he fights for peace, he still craves for a good fighting, specially if his opponent is a deity.
Liu Kang: This is no time to smile.
Peacemaker: Hell yeah, it is! "Fight a fire god" is coming off my bucket list.
Bullying the Disabled: Downplayed; Even though Kenshi was of course offended after Peacemaker called him a cripple, he also understands his opponent well enough to see that he is "merely" being immature and thoughtless instead of actively hateful like e.g. Reiko or Quan Chi, so instead of making a veiled death threat by talking about how he's still a deadly opponent despite being blind, he warns Peacemaker not call him that ever again.
Calling Your Attacks: Peacemaker tends to call-out what he's about to do with his helmet, as well as calling on Eagly to attack his opponent or their Kameo. It's Played for Laughs in one of Chris' intros against Smoke when he tries to activate his helmet, and Chris immediately tells him to shut up.
Smoke: So if I say "activate human torp-"
Peacemaker: Shut up, Smoke!
Casanova Wannabe: Pretty much the only female kombatants Peacemaker doesn't hit on are Ashrah and Li Mei (though he still asks the former if demons "bump uglies" (i.e. whether they have sex)). He expresses an interest in Kitana, Mileena, Nitara, Tanya, and Sindel, and even tells Scorpion that he'd be interested in Harumi as well. Unsurprisingly, none of the women reciprocate Smith's interest, and Scorpion growls at Peacemaker to learn some respect.
Peacemaker: After this, we could go back to my place...
Tanya: How is it that you are worse than Cage?
Peacemaker: I bet that hair could be lots of fun.
Sindel: If you're flirting, you're failing.
Peacemaker: Seriously? You want to eat me?
Nitara: [sighs] Idiot.
Captain Patriotic: Wears a red, white, and blue uniform, and his entrance in the announcement trailer is accompanied by the screech of an American Eagle.
Cool Helmet: Peacemaker wears a high-tech silver one as part of his costume that he considers a symbol of freedom although it kind of looks ridiculous to most people. What's even cooler about his helmet is that this one seems to have practically all the abilities of his other helmets dropping the need for him to have multiple.
Everyone Has Standards:
- In an intro with Kenshi, Peacemaker expresses discomfort with fighting a blind man, though another intro suggests that Kenshi quickly proved that his disability is no handicap.
- He considers Rain flooding Seido to be "some serious supervillain shit".
- When Shang Tsung dismisses his lack of refinement or culture, Peacemaker shrugs it off and says he prefers his unrefinement to being "an evil douchebag" like the sorcerer.
- In an intro with Havik, Peacemaker opines that killing the deranged anarchist would be doing the realms a favor.
Exactly What I Aimed At: Inverted in one of his Fatalities. A Butterfly crawls out of the opponent's mouth and Peacemaker tries to shoot it, only to miss every shot and hit his defeated opponent instead. When the opponent is dead, he finally decides to just crush the Butterfly in his hand instead.
Fantastic Ableism: Downplayed in a similar manner like with his first encounter with Kenshi: he offended both Baraka and Mileena in their pre-kombat dialogues, but unlike e.g. Bi-Han, Reiko, Quan Chi or Omni-Man, he did it because he's an immature airhead instead of a hateful bastard.
Fantastic Racism: He not only seems to take conspiracy theories about lizard people hiding among humanity at face value (which, unfortunately, exist in Real Life), he also misapplies them to Zaterrans.
Girl on Girl Is Hot: In one dialogue intro, Tanya has to explain to him that believing this trope is not the same as allyship. Naturally, he doesn't get it.
Guest Fighter: The second revealed guest fighter in the Kombat Pack trailer, originating from Charlton Comics, which was later acquired by DC Comics. Specifically, he's based upon his live-action DC Extended Universe portrayal by John Cena in The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.
Hand Cannon: Peacemaker's favored gun is a custom long-barreled Desert Eagle. It's also what he uses for the "Test Your Might" Challenge since he's neither superhuman nor a martial artist.
Hated by All: Downplayed; Peacemaker's obnoxious and chauvinistic personality and his violent ideas about peacekeeping make him very unpopular among the other kombatants, but most of them find him more annoying than despicable.
Heroic Comedic Sociopath: As in his own series, quite a lot of humor is deigned from Peacemaker being a guy willing to kill people to achieve peace, and his interactions with many other Kombatants have them take note of this.
I Choose to Stay: In his Arcade ending, it's revealed he was sent to Outworld by Eclipso due to the magician teleporting him in a panic when he proved to gain the upper hand. Learning how much of a mess the world is, he decides that he's needed to bring his own kind of peace to the realm.
Ink-Suit Actor: Peacemaker's appearance is specifically modeled after John Cena's portrayal of the character in The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker (2022).
Innocently Insensitive: Even when he's trying to compliment his opponents, he tends to annoy them; he earns Scorpion's ire by referring to the Lin Kuei as "ninjas".
Insistent Terminology: Mixed with a bit of Badass Boast in an intro with Quan Chi.
Quan Chi: You wish to fight me?
Peacemaker: Not fight. Beat senseless.
Jet Pack: One of his fatalities has him tackle the opponent at full speed with a jetpack, the speed and power is enough to have him outright bisect his opponent's torso from their lower body.
Knight Templar: His goofy personality aside, Peacemaker's idea of making peace involves killing anyone and everyone who threatens it, which rubs Li Mei in particular the wrong way.
Leaning on the Fourth Wall: When Peacemaker fights Johnny Cage, Cage will sometimes remark that Peacemaker's life would make a great movie:
Johnny: The things I could do with your life story!
Peacemaker: How 'bout we make it a streaming series?
Like a Duck Takes to Water: Unlike most Guest Fighters, he takes hilariously well to the Mortal Kombat universe to the point he seems to actually prefer living there. It helps that, unlike his own universe, the heroes here are just as adverse to the concept of Thou Shalt Not Kill as he is.
Loser Son of Loser Dad: The way Sindel expresses her annoyance about his shitty attempts at flirting:
Sindel: [disgusted tone] I hear your father is a real charmer.
Peacemaker: How the hell you know about him?
Manchild: Peacemaker is just as crude, immature, and energetic as he is in his own show, such as playing with an assault rifle like a guitar, firing a shotgun between his legs, and calling Mileena a "bangable monster chick". He is so immature that everyone would prefer Johnny than dealing with him.
Kitana: You make Cage seem like a mature adult.
Peacemaker: Glad I can be of service.
Nightmare Fetishist: Among other crude remarks, Peacemaker shows attraction to both Nitara and Mileena, and he remarks General Shao's muscles that implies he might find him attractive as well.
Offscreen Moment of Awesome: According to his tower ending, Peacemaker somehow proved to be enough of a problem for Eclipso that the magician sent him to another dimension rather than risk continuing to fight him.
Puppeteer Parasite: One fatality and several brutalities feature Butterflies — insectoid alien parasites capable of possessing other lifeforms, and the antagonists of Peacemaker's first season — emerging from his defeated foes.
Pragmatic Adaptation: Normally, Peacemaker's helmet takes a few seconds before activating any of his voice commands. Also, Peacemaker has several helmets that have one function or ability, with him having to swap between them as needed. But when playable, the helmet he's wearing has most of the other helmets' functions, and most of these powers activate the moment he says the command for the sake of gameplay balance.
Pistol-Whipping: A few of his moves have him hitting his opponent with the grip of his Desert Eagle and his fatal blow has him hitting the opponent with a shotgun.
Right for the Wrong Reasons: A mutual example with Omni-Man in one of their intros. He's not wrong about Nolan being a Human Alien/The Cape, except the latter isn't a Kryptonian and a deconstructive version of Superman, making his boast about having "Kryptonite bullets" causing Nolan to have very little reaction. On the other hand, Omni-Man assumes that Peacemaker is a government agent sent after him by Cecil, which isn't entirely wrong except that Chris is working for Amanda Waller.
Shadow Archetype: For Johnny Cage; they're both Pop-Cultured Badass man-children with a flirtatious streak, but while Cage's sense of humor can be childish, Peacemaker is practically a teenage boy in a grown man's body, as well as lacking the relative discipline Cage gained by learning martial arts. Smith's morals are also much looser than Cage's; they both come on to female kombatants, but Peacemaker's remarks are much more vulgar and crude than Cage, and he actively tries to kill his opponents, whereas Johnny's serious fights in story mode only have him defending himself (Kenshi broke into his home and Sub-Zero attacked him first) and not going further than subduing his opponents.
Shield Bash: Just like in the Season 1 finale of his show, he makes use of a special kite shield to fight his opponents.
Shut Up, Kirk!: He's quick to shut down any opponents who try to invoke Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse with him.
Geras: Childhood trauma does not justify-
Peacemaker: Zip it. I'm not here for therapy.
Sir Swears-a-Lot: Since his portrayal is based on the Vulgar Humor-packed Peacemaker (2022), his pre-battle quips are more profane and lewd than any of the other kombatants, and he drops more f-bombs than the entire cast combined.
Peacemaker: You're the first bangable monster chick I've met.
Mileena: You think me a monster?!
Trapped in Another World: Eclipso sent Peacemaker to the Mortal Kombat universe after the vigilante managed to best the Spirit of Wrath, hoping that the dangers of the other world would take care of him. Despite his situation, Chris isn't too bothered by it. He's glad to be in this new universe and feels like he's finally found a place where he belongs, ready to spread peace to the realms.
Twin Threesome Fantasy: In an intro with Kitana, Peacemaker hints at this with her and Mileena. Kitana is not amused.
Peacemaker: You've got a twin? Now that would be fun.
Kitana: [deeply annoyed] What would be fun, Earthrealmer?
Unskilled, but Strong: Downplayed: He's a capable marksman thanks to his army training but his brawling fighting style lacks the finesse of Earthrealm's warriors and he's pretty clumsy when handling the helmet's powers.
Use Your Head: His moveset makes use of the fact that he's wearing a high-tech metal helmet, from him grabbing the opponent and giving them a headbutt (even accompanyed by a loud metal clang) to flying at them headfirst with his helmet's torpedo ability.
Wrestler in All of Us: He has a repertoire of wrestling moves he uses in combat, such as a dropkick and a chokeslam. Considering who portrays him, it's not a surprise.

Homelander

John Gillman / Homelander

"Oh no, no God. The only man in the sky... is me."

Portrayed by: Chris Cox (voice), Antony Starr (face model)

John Gillman, infamously known as the Homelander, is an artificially created superhero and is presented as an All-American hero, but in reality, he is anything but. Behind the media and under the protection of Vought-American, Homelander's true personality is a psychotic megalomaniac with a god-complex who cares little about the people he is supposed to protect.

Beware the Superman: While he does have the powers of Superman, his morals are nothing like the Man of Steel's, being an egotistical Attention Whore and Control Freak with a Hair-Trigger Temper that spells bad news for anyone unfortunate enough to be in his way when he goes off.
Expy Coexistence: Both he and Omni-Man are Superman expies, more specifically of the Corrupted Character Copy Beware the Superman variety, and appear in the same game, with Superman himself having previously appeared in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.
Guest Fighter: The last revealed guest fighter in the Kombat Pack trailer. Homelander originated from the Garth Ennis' The Boys, though his appearance here is based on Antony Starr's portrayal of the character from the Prime Video television series.
Not Quite Starring: Modeled on Antony Starr's portrayal of the character and even using his likeness, he is voiced instead by Chris Cox. Amusingly, this exact scenario played out with the T-800 in the previous game, right down to using Cox as the soundalike.
Power Creep, Power Seep: While he's probably not as strong as Omni-Man, he's still a few levels above the base roster, but as a character in a fighting game the others can fight him as easily as anyone else.
Primary-Color Champion: Owing to his roots as a Superman Substitute, Homelander's costume is primarily blue with hints of red.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: The Kombat Pack trailer ends with Homelander's eyes glistening red, getting ready to use his laser vision and looking directly at the viewer.
Wearing a Flag on Your Head: He wears the United States flag as a cape, enhancing his image as Captain Patriotic.

Characters / Mortal Kombat 1 Playable

Spoilers for both of the previous timelines will be unmarked

Playable Roster

Earthrealm

Geras

Kung Lao

Kenshi Takahashi

Smoke (Tomas Vrbada)

Outworld

Queen Sindel

Reiko

Rain (Zeffeero)

Ermac

Tanya

Li Mei

Reptile (Syzoth)

Baraka

Orderrealm

Havik (Dairou)

Netherrealm

Ashrah

Vaeternus

Nitara

Guest Fighters

Nolan Grayson / Omni-Man

Christopher Smith / Peacemaker

John Gillman / Homelander

Previous

Index

Next

Characters / Mortal Kombat 1 Playable

Edit Locked

Spoilers for both of the previous timelines will be unmarked

Playable Roster

Earthrealm

Geras

Kung Lao

Kenshi Takahashi

Smoke (Tomas Vrbada)

Outworld

Queen Sindel

Reiko

Rain (Zeffeero)

Ermac

Tanya

Li Mei

Reptile (Syzoth)

Baraka

Orderrealm

Havik (Dairou)

Netherrealm

Ashrah

Vaeternus

Nitara

Guest Fighters

Nolan Grayson / Omni-Man

Christopher Smith / Peacemaker

John Gillman / Homelander

Previous

Index

Next