Characters / Mortal Kombat: Deception

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
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

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Spoilers for the original timeline before Deception will be unmarked

Here, we're going to list the characters introduced in Mortal Kombat: Deception and Mortal Kombat Unchained.

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Ashrah

Ashrah

Debut game: Mortal Kombat: Deception (Johanna Añonuevo)

Other appearances: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Johanna Añonuevo)

Non-video game appearances: Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match (Kelly Hu)

Ashrah was once a member of Quan Chi's Brotherhood of Shadow, but she escaped after refusing to carry out orders. In her flight, she came across an enchanted Kriss sword called Datusha that seemed to grant purification to whoever wielded it. Emboldened, she began slaying Netherrealm demons with the belief that her soul would be purified and granted escape from the Netherrealm. As such, she made it a priority to slay Noob Saibot.

Though she was unable to slay Noob, she eventually transcended the Neatherrealm. She was approached by ethereal forces with the task of becoming a champion by slaying various people of the vampire race. She did so, which earned the ire of Nitara. She joined the Battle of Armageddon to slay Nitara once and for all.

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• All Asians Wear Conical Straw Hats: She might not be Asian per se, but she definitely has an Asian-sounding name. Unlike Raiden's more simple sedge cap, Ashrah's gasa is more festive, complete with several kanji.
• Ascended Demon: She's a demon of the Netherrealm who ends up joining the Forces of Light through her quest to purify her soul with the Kriss. It gives her a more natural human form, exemplified by her all-white clothing.
• The Atoner: Her life's work is to atone for her sins as a demon.
• Beauty Equals Goodness: According to demons in the Netherrealm, Ashrah once resembled them, but as she began to purify herself with the Kriss, she soon took on the form she has now.
• Cleavage Window: Has a slight one in her default outfit. While all of the other ladies usually have their breasts exposed to some degree, this is notable because this is the only form of Fanservice present for Ashrah. Her alternate gives her a Navel-Deep Neckline that makes her cleavage more notable, ditches the hat, turns her sleeves transplant, and shows off her legs, but still manages to be among the more conservative outfits for the women.
• Defector from Decadence: Like Sareena, she was a former "sister" of the Brotherhood of Shadow. Eventually, she decides to stop following Shinnok's orders and escaped.
• Good Wears White: She is an Ascended Demon who wears white and fights evil-doers.
• Hunter of His Own Kind: Ashrah is a demon who hunts other demons on a quest to purify herself.
• Knight Templar: In her quest to become purified, she's gone a bit crazy, especially since even after becoming pure enough to be expelled from the Netherrealm, she continued to hunt "evil" beings, turning to attention to Nitara's vampire race.
• Light 'em Up: Thanks to the power of her Kriss, Ashrah uses weaponized light in battle.
  • Death from Above: One of her specials fires a ball of light into the air, which then falls upon her opponent's head, much like Kai in 4.
• Light Is Good: Subverted by her Knight Templar qualities. Played straight in the new timeline, where she is portrayed as being much more level-headed and committed to fighting against those who would threaten other realms.
• Lady of War: She's an elegant, well-dressed, deadly female warrior.
• Navel-Deep Neckline: Downplayed with her alternate skin, which gives her a plunging neckline that just barely reaches her midsection.
• Prim and Proper Bun: It can be a little hard to see as it is largely obscured by her hat, but her primary outfit has her hair being worn in this style.
• Rule of Symbolism: It should come as no surprise that the character on the quest to purify herself has light-based powers, is garbed in white, and dresses in the most concealing, least racy outfits out of all the females.
• Spell My Name With An S: In earlier builds of Deception, her name was occasionally spelled as Ashra.
• Spin Attack: Her Spin Cycle is the traditional variant. She also possesses a move called Nature's Torpedo, where Ashrah launches herself like... a human torpedo.
• Stance System: Had Chou Jaio and Ba Gua in Deception, the former which she keeps in Armageddon.
• Stripperiffic: She has also averted this. Played straight with her alternate outfit, though it is still relatively conservative compared to pretty much any of the other female Kombatants.
• Token Wholesome: Of the 3D era, when she was the only female character whose default outfit was not revealing.
• Unwitting Pawn: Her Kriss is using Ashrah to get its revenge on the Vampire race.
• Voodoo Doll: Used in her second Fatality from Deception.
• Was Once a Man: Inverted, she is a demon that was eventually purified into human form.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: The Datusha itself. In its eyes, the Vampire race is Always Chaotic Evil for draining the blood of other life forms.

Dairou

Dairou

Debut game: Mortal Kombat: Deception

Other appearances: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Mortal Kombat 1^note As Havik II (Jacob Craner, English; Raymundo Armijo, Latin American Spanish)

Non-game appearances: Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind

Dairou was once an honorable guardsman from the highly advanced and pristine Orderrealm, which as its name suggests places law, order and structure above anything else. He was discharged and imprisoned after he killed a man that murdered his family in a fit of rage. After escaping and freeing a similarly imprisoned Shujinko, he became a mercenary for hire, with one his contracts ordering him to kill his former fellow guardsman Hotaru.

For reasons unknown, he and Hotaru would put aside their differences, and join the Battle of Armageddon.

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• Apologetic Attacker: Apologetic Executioner would be a more appropriate phrasing. See Morality Pet below.
• Bling-Bling-BANG!: His ending in Armageddon. Dairou is awarded with a golden, invulnerable suit of armor formed from the fires of Blaze that burns any who tries to attack him. He uses this gift to defeat Shao Kahn, claim the throne to Outworld, and then propose a truce between Edenia and Earthrealm.
• Eye Scream: One of his Fatalities involves him ripping out two of his foe's ribs and then gouging their eyes out with them.
• Facial Markings: On his forehead.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: On the side of his head.
• Ground Pound: Has a move where he falls backwards and slams himself into the ground hard enough to knock his opponent into the air.
• Hired Guns: Once an honorable Seidan guardsman, Dairou spends his days working in Seido's underground as a mercenary, taking on assignments regardless of how inhumane they are.
• Ignored Epiphany: His bio reveals this, as Dairou seems to fondly recall his days as a Seidan guard and all of the lives he saved while in service. However, he's become too embittered and cynical from his incarceration to return back to the path of Order ("For all the good I had done, the event that had come to define me was that one moment of Chaos"), nor does he want to follow the ways of Chaos, so he chose neither, embraced neutrality, and now lives the life of a hired sword.
• Morality Pet: His former guardsman Hotaru would seem to be this, as Dairou is hesitant to kill him. Subverted in that his Deception ending has him killing Hotaru anyway, but Dairou at least announces his intent to kill him beforehand.
• Pet the Dog: In his Armageddon ending, he transforms Outworld into a utopia just as it was prior to Shao Kahn taking over.
• Revenge: His desire to avenge his family allowed Dairou to be tricked into unwittingly killing an innocent man in a fit of rage, leading to his imprisonment.
• Stance System: In Deception he was given Wing Chun and Escrima. Both are replaced by Mi Zong in Armageddon.
• Wild Card: As a mercenary, he doesn't care about the cause, as long as he's sufficiently paid.

Darrius

Darrius

Debut game: Mortal Kombat: Deception

Other appearances: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Mortal Kombat 1 (Kameo)

Darrius, tired and oppressed by the strict structures of his home of Orderrealm, instigated various riots and acts of terrorism to unsettle the establishment. One of these acts was to have Dairou's family murdered and lead to the chain of events that led to his discharge from being a guardsman and become a mercenary.

It was Darrius who hired Dairou on a contract to kill Hotaru, but the contract would not be enacted; all three of the Orderrealm denizens would join together in the Battle of Armageddon.

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• Animal-Themed Fighting Style: Leopard Kung Fu Deception.
• Anti-Villain: His motivations to overthrow opression in Orderrealm seem to be reasonable and well-intentioned. The things he does to achieve his goals - not so much.
• Bald of Authority: He's bald and a Rebel Leader.
• Blade Below the Shoulder: He dual wields them as his weapons.
• Cool Shades: Wears orange sunglasses in his 3D appearances. As a Kameo fighter, he wears orange-rimmed dark sunglasses.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: Applies to all characters in Mortal Kombat, but Darrius in particular with his "Rearrange" fatality, where he swiftly rearranges all limbs on his opponent before pondering it like it's an art piece.
• Grievous Harm with a Body: His Arm Bash Fatality.
• Hidden Agenda Villain: Given the moral ambiguity in regard to Seidan Guard vs Seidan Resistance conflict, he could be interpreted as one based on some of the underhanded actions he has done (including the murder of Dairou's family).
• Hunk: Check him out for yourself.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Clearly inspired by the likeness of Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish fame. They virtually share the exact same first name as well as facial features. His alternate is based on Jim M. Kelly's character from the 1974 martial arts film Black Belt Jones.
• Power Fist: He wields Bladed Gauntlets as his weapon stance.
• Rebel Leader: He is the leader of a resistance movement that seeks to overthrow Seido's current regime and replace it with a more democratic system. Though Darrius prefers the term "Revolutionary".
• Shout-Out: Let's see: A bald black leader guy who wears cool shades leading a resistance that seeks to take down an oppressive system? Sounds like Morpheus. Darrius is also compared with Blade (of which Blade: Trinity came out the same year as this game), though that latter one is likely more coincidental.
• Stance System: Had Shinto Ryu and Leopard in his debut. Both are replaced by Goju Ryu for the final battle.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Although his height is unknown.
• Token Minority: Replaced Jax as the sole black male Kombatant on the roster for Deception (though Jax returned as a playable character in the Unchained Updated Re-release for PSP). Also, he's the only black Seidan to be seen in the series to date.
• The Voiceless: He never speaks in MK1 despite appearing in the game's Story Mode as Havik's partner.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: His alt has him wear orange karate pants akin to Jim Kelly in Black Belt Jones.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: He killed Dairou's family to turn Dairou against the Seidan Guard.
• Wicked Cultured: Is implied to be this with his "Rearrange" fatality, where he mixmatches his opponents body parts and pauses to contemplate over it for a few seconds, as if he's looking at the statue on modern art exhibition, only to kick the messed up body to the ground.

Havik

Havik

He's crazy! And for the same reason, you gotta like him!

Debut game: Mortal Kombat: Deception (Ryan Rosenberg)

Other appearances: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Ryan Rosenberg)

Havik is from Chaosrealm which, as its name suggests, values disorder and chaos above all else. When Onaga returned and intended to use the Kamidogu to bring order across the realms, the Cleric of Chaos saw this as a threat and saw to it to halt the Dragon King's schemes. Aside from instigating chaos in Orderrealm, Havik was also responsible for saving Kabal from Mavado's attack, giving him the suggestion to revive the Black Dragon Clan. Havik intended to use the heroes to fight Onaga and distract them long enough to consume Onaga's essence and use the ability to resurrect the dead.

It is unknown if he succeeded in this, but he does show up alongside the Orderrealm denizens in the Battle of Armageddon.

He plays a role in the comic book prequel to Mortal Kombat X, as Reiko's adviser and the "Blood God" corrupter of the Kamidogu. Ultimately, he is decapitated by Hanzo Hasashi, with his head taken to the Netherrealm and subsequently crushed beneath Quan Chi's foot.

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• Affably Evil: He tends to display a polite disposition even when he is about to beat an opponent to death.
• Ambiguously Human: He has half his face ripped off and he can bend in ways that would kill most people, but it's unclear if he's some sort of zombie or if that's normal for Chaosrealmers.
• An Arm and a Leg: Played for Laughs, in Joker's MK11 ending where he pulls the fake handshake gag... except it's his actual hand. This is probably one of the many reasons why Joker connects with him easily.
• And I Must Scream: He is decapitated in the X prequel comics, with his living head being in the possession of two oni that most likely tormented it. Subverted Trope, as Quan Chi quickly stomps on it, turning it to mush for failing him.
• Animal-Themed Fighting Style: He uses Snake Kung Fu in Deception.
• Arch-Enemy: With Hotaru for obvious reasons.
• Badass Preacher: He's a Cleric of Chaos and can easily hold his own in a fight.
• Birds of a Feather: Non-romantic example, he and Joker immediately hit it off when they meet in the latter's ending.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: For him, Freedom and Chaos are synonymous and any sort of order is an affront to his definition of freedom. This is best demonstrated in why he seeks to aid Shao Kahn against Onaga. Despite the fact that both rulers are brutal in their governing style (with Shao Kahn possibly more so) and also share the goals of annexing other realms into Outworld, however Shao Kahn has no interest in the everyday activities of those he has subjugated (at least as long as they don't fail to pay him tribute nor seek to revolt against him) whereas Onaga is a Visionary Villain who is very interested in organizing the realms to his liking. Thus, the latter's effort to suppress chaos leads him to join with Shao Kahn by default.
• Breakout Villain: In contrast to his relatively small role in his debut game, Havik becomes a poignant threat in the Mortal Kombat X comics, bordering on being a Big Bad by virtue of corrupting the Kamidogu daggers with the curse of the Blood Code. He jumps onto being a Big Bad the moment he gains Shinnok's amulet by sacrificing Reiko. At the conclusion of MK1, an Alternate Timeline version of Havik is set up as the next Big Bad as part of Sequel Hook after Shang Tsung is dealt with for good, showing how far he's come from being a 'bit' villain.
• Call-Forward:
  • Turns out Kung Jin wasn't the only one wondering if the power Johnny Cage had skipped a generation.
  • In the MKX comics, Scorpion tears his head off to take care of him (and even this doesn't kill him). Raiden would later do the same thing to Shinnok.
• The Cameo:
  • Appears in Noob Saibot's MK9 ending. He also makes another reappearance in Joker's ending in MK11 where they get along swimmingly, to the point that the clown prince of crime actually considers him his bestie. Havik makes use of their friendship and Joker now owning the Hourglass to wreak havoc on Hotaru's home turf.
  • Has returned in the MKX comics as the advisor to Reiko.
• Catchphrase: "May Chaos break the rules that bind".
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder:
  • Given his whole purpose is to cause chaos, he is willing to do this without a second thought. For example, After Shujinko helped him out, Havik decides to attack him with the intent to kill. After Shujinko wins, Havik congratulates him on learning the Chaos way, which includes backstabbing.
  • In Kabal's ending in Deception, Kabal saw that Havik was going to use Onaga's heart to gain power and decides to backstab Havik for his own purposes, Havik was all too impressed by this Chaotic choice.
• The Corrupter: Implied to be this for Kabal. Kabal had reformed since 3, but when Havik resuscitated him after Mavado's attack, he was somehow able to rekindle Kabal's anarchist ideals.
• Decapitation Presentation:
  • He rips his own head off in his hara-kiri. What's he's presenting it to? The camera.
  • In issue #32 of the MKX comics Hanzo does the same thing to him.
• Dem Bones: One of his specials is a phantasmal projectile in the form of a skull. His general appearance also leans towards this, given his head resembles a skull.
• Even Evil Has Standards: A notable aversion in that he seems to be the only person in the entire Mortal Kombat universe who likes hanging around The Joker.
• Facial Horror: A striking part of his design is that the lower half of his face has his skull exposed. In the MKX comics he possesses Forrest Fox and forces him to invoke the Blood Code through self-mutilation, leaving Fox with a face that's somehow even more mutilated than Havik's.
• Foregone Conclusion: One of his primary goals in the comics is to completely erase Hanzo Hasashi from the equation and bring back his vengeful, out-of-control Scorpion persona. Given the events of the main game and Hanzo's large role in the storyline, this venture is destined to end in failure. And sure enough, Hanzo eventually tears his head off.
• For the Evulz: Or perhaps it would be better to say For The Chaoz. Havik only seeks to stir up as much chaos as possible, making him a foil to both the heroes and villains.
• Good Thing You Can Heal: The Mortal Kombat X comics reveals that he has a healing factor, hence why he can snap various pieces of his body and make it out okay in battle. Good thing too, because if he didn't Scorpion would have easily killed him at the Kang Temple. That said, he has trouble healing from having his head torn off, even if it doesn't kill him outright.
• Grievous Harm with a Body: His Batter Up Fatality consists of Havik tearing off his opponent's leg and then using it to knock their head off.
• A Hero to His Hometown: He is hailed as a hero in Chaosrealm and considered a psychotic terrorist by all others.
• I'm a Humanitarian: His Human Pencil Sharpener Fatality. His mouth is the pencil sharpener, by the way. When his meal is finished, Havik actually chokes on and regurgitates some meat chunks.
• In the Hood: His alt. gives him a hooded cloak.
• I Reject Your Reality: Fancies himself to be Above Good and Evil and just going around to spread chaos and anarchy.
• Killed Off for Real: In the MKX comics and new timeline, Quan Chi stomps on his severed head, reducing it to chum.
• Liberty Over Prosperity: He, along with many other Chaosrealmers, desire absolute liberty (to the point of anarchy) without any sort of order to limit it.
• The Man Behind the Man: To Reiko in the second timeline. Keep in mind that Havik's main objective is to spread chaos, something which the Outworld Civil War and the Kamidogu, that he corrupted, are doing well on their own.
• Meaningful Name: Exactly What It Says on the Tin, really.
• Monochromatic Eyes: Has blank white eyes going with his skeletal face.
• Neck Snap: One of his moves has him do this to himself. And it heals him.
• No One Could Survive That!: Despite having his head crushed and seemingly killed for good in the MKX comics, it's implied in MK11's DLC Aftermath that he's still alive, as Shang Tsung mentions that Havik will keep Geras "entertained" as Shang Tsung sends Geras to Chaosrealm. Granted, since this was after the time-merger, Shang Tsung either could have been referring to an unseen Past!Havik or was simply unaware that Havik was dead.
• Off with His Head!: How Scorpion takes care of him in the MKX comics.
• Rubber Man: To an extent. Havik can freely contort his body allowing him to do insane feats such as twisting his torso like a corkscrew and snapping his own neck to regain health. In order to keep things fair, he's still affected by Fatalities that invoke breaking limbs.
• Savage Spiked Weapons: His main weapon style is using a giant spiked mace, it's not the most sophisticated weapon but considering Havik's chaotic nature and brutal fighting style. It's very fitting.
• Sink or Swim Mentor: For Shujinko in Konquest mode. In order to teach the man, he has to go all out and be unpredictable. Whereas Shujinko thought it was an unpredictable and unorthodox training exercise masked as a fight to the death, Havik explicitly tells him that he was indeed trying to kill him.
• Stance System: Had Snake and Tang Soo Do in MK:D. Keeps the latter in Armageddon.
• This Is Gonna Suck: If he's knocked off of the Sky Tower in Deception, Havik will briefly stop screaming to proclaim, "Man, this is gonna suck!" before resuming his scream.
• The Unfettered: As noted under Blue and Orange Morality, he despises any sort of order of which includes moral restraint.
• Villainous Friendship: He strikes a chord with the Joker in the latter's tower ending in 11, presumably due to their very similar philosophies, and very notably is one of the few characters to ever be on the Joker's wavelength.

Hotaru

Hotaru

"There is an order to the universe... laws that all of nature must obey."

Debut game: Mortal Kombat: Deception (Paul St. Peter)

Other appearances: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Paul St. Peter)

Hotaru is a guardsman from Orderrealm. Hotaru takes order to an extreme level, to the point of zealotry, and is willing to resort to extreme measures to uphold it. One of these measures being to ally himself with the resurrected Onaga, whom Hotaru sees as the one to bring order to all realms. Under Onaga, Hotaru had two goals: defeat the Cleric of Chaos, Havik, who was spreading discord; and apprehend Sub-Zero and bring him before the Dragon King.

Hotaru would eventually join the Battle of Armageddon, being the first to draw blood by slaying Li Mei.

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• Anti-Villain: Type III as his motivations are based on what he believes is in the best interest of his realm.
• Arch-Enemy: Havik. Another figure who is this to a lesser degree is Shao Kahn being that Hotaru and his comrades have fought against him in frequent clashes with the Outworld Empire.
• Blinded by the Light: Delivers this to Sub-Zero in Kenshi's Deception ending. Unfortunately for Hotaru, Kenshi doesn't have a dependence on sight and proceeds to slay Hotaru.
• Cool Helmet: In his alt, which fittingly appears to be stylized on the Japanese kabuto. According to Deception's Konquest mode it is likely a standard issue helmet worn by most soldiers in Orderrealm.
• Enemy Mine: Of the members of the Forces of Darkness he fights alongside with in the Battle of Armageddon, they include the Seidan Rebels Darrius and Dairou, who both sought to kill him in Deception, and Havik.
• The Fundamentalist: Hotaru, as with the rest of the Seidan Guard, believe that "Freedom leads to anarchy, anarchy leads to Chaos, Chaos leads to suffering."
• Gender-Blender Name: While the name Hotaru is more associated with men in Japan, the name is primarily thought of as a woman's name in the United States.
• Hero Killer: Slaps the Sacrificial Lamb label on Li Mei by impaling her with his naginata at the beginning of the Battle of Armageddon, marking her as the first of many casualties.
• Killed Off for Real: What happens to him in two of Deception's arcade endings, those being Kenshi Takahashi's and Dairou's, but subverted by way of both being Non-Canon with his appearance in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon alive and well. Though it is played straight when his luck runs out as shown in the intro of Mortal Kombat 9 showing him among the deceased in the Battle of Armageddon.
• Liberty Over Prosperity: Inversion as one can read the Seidan Guard's motto above under the Fundamentalist.
• Light Is Not Good: He may have the bright thing about him, but he sides with his debut appearance's Big Bad because he believes it will bring order.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Long white hair and youthful looks.
• Magma Man: In the form of his Lava Burst attack.
• Meaningful Name: Japanese for firefly, explaining his powers (evocative of a firefly's glow and flight) and the motif of his armor (an insectoid-like exoskeleton).
• Monochromatic Eyes: Has blank white eyes, just like his Archenemy.
• Naginatas Are Feminine: His weapon style is the naginata and humorously he has a Gender-Blender Name.
• Neck Snap: As a Fatality. Thrice to be exact.
• Odd Friendship: With Shujinko, if Konquest mode is any indication. Hotaru trained Shujinko as a Seidan guardsman, and when Shujinko is thrown into jail, Hotaru had intended to come on his behalf to negate Shujinko's sentence... right as Shujinko was about to escape and Dairou had killed several of his men. Needless to say, BFF time ended there.
• Order Is Not Good: Despite being an Orderrealmer, his focus on order turns him to be a Knight Templar who allies with Onaga.
• Pet the Dog: Although he arrested Shujinko for violating a curfew, he was planning to testify for him during his court trial in Orderrealm, at least until Shujinko escaped his holding cell with the help of Dairou.
• Spam Attack: His Grasshopper special, similar in effect to Liu Kang's Bicycle Kick.
• Stance System: Pi Gua in both of his appearances, and Ba Shan Fan exclusively to Deception.
• The Stoic: Has a strick emphasis on upholding order that makes him appear very emotionless.
• Straw Vulcan: He is made to be a very unfavorable stereotype of those who are involved in maintaining and upholding societies' norms and laws (e.g. police officers). Some may even consider it heavy handed.
• Utopia Justifies the Means: His reason for choosing to serve Onaga as noted under the Well Intentioned Extremist entry below.
• Wearing a Flag on Your Head: Fitting his Samurai-aesthetic he wears two Seidan Guard Flags on the back of his armor as a testament to the Seidan Guard's code of ethics and discipline.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: He's willing to preserve order at any cost, including serving Onaga.
• White Hair, Black Heart: He has white hair and while he's focused on upholding order, his actions to keep the peace make him practically villainous.

Kira

Kira

Debut game: Mortal Kombat: Deception (Christine Rios)

Other appearances: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Christine Rios)

Non-game appearances: Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (Courtenay Taylor)

In the mountains of Afghanistan, there was a man who was selling weapons to terrorist organizations. During a deal that went wrong, that "man" was revealed to be a woman, named Kira. Kira fended off her attackers and was victorious, and to congratulate her was Kabal, leader of a reformed Black Dragon Clan. Impressed by her skills, Kabal offered Kira membership, which she gladly accepted. She and eventual recruit Kobra helped carry out the new Black Dragon's goal of total anarchy.

Kira and Kobra would be fought by Taven on his quest, and the two fought alongside Kabal and original Black Dragon members Kano and Jarek in the Battle of Armageddon.

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• Affirmative Action Girl: Tasia is the first female Black Dragon member shown in the franchise. Kira is the second and is thus far the only one who has been playable in any of the fighting games.
• Ambiguous Situation: Unlike most other named members of the Black Dragon the rebooted timeline doesn't mention her at all. While Kobra appears to have been slain by Erron Black, whatever happened to Kira after she was captured by Shao Kahn in 9 is left unknown.
• Arms Dealer: This was her job before Kabal recruited her.
• The Cameo: Shows up in 9, along with Tanya, as one of Shao Kahn's Defiant Captives, shackled by the wrists to a pair of poles, next to his throne in the Battle Arena stage.
• Can't Live with Them, Can't Live Without Them: Her Deception ending indicates that she doesn't think very highly of Kobra, yet in her Armageddon ending, the first thing she does with her newly attained power is resurrect the slain Kobra. Unfortunately, this makes him view her as a soft-hearted weakling and he kills her without a moment's hesitation.
• Combat Stilettos: Both of her outfits give her heeled boots.
• Composite Character: Moveset-wise, she's Sonya and Kano rolled into one.
• Creepy Crossdresser: Before Kabal found her and recruited her for the Black Dragon, Kira was posing as a man in Afghanistan, selling weapons to terrorists.
• Dark Action Girl: She's the first playable female member of the Black Dragon in the games.
• Distaff Counterpart: The developers referred to her as a "female Kano."
• The Dragon, Evil Genius, and the Dark Action Girl: In the new Black Dragon (with Kabal as the Big Bad, Kobra as The Brute, and Havik possibly as The Man Behind the Man), she kind of fulfills these roles by default. The latter is most prominent. Her Deception ending, in which she exploits Kobra's lack of focus and his blind ferocity to open him up for attack and subsequently kill him, causing Kabal to give her the chance to handpick two more recruits to be tested in the same manner she and Kobra were, does cement the former two tropes, though.
• Dual Wielding: Wields the Dragon Teeth, a pair of elegantly-designed knives.
• Evil Counterpart: Looks exactly like a redheaded Sonya Blade and even shares some of her moves, but she's aligned with the Black Dragon instead of Special Forces.
• Evil Redhead: She's a redhead working for the villainous Black Dragon organization.
• Girlish Pigtails: Missing in her alt.
• Femme Fatale: Shades of it, as seen in her Supermodel Strut and her getting-up animation between rounds should she lose.
• Hell-Bent for Leather: Both of her outfits have her wearing tight, black leather.
• Impossibly-Low Neckline: In her alternate costume.
• Kiss of Death: A variation in that she blows the kiss, much like Sonya would do in later games.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: While still a violent mercenary and amoral arms dealer, Kira is undoubtedly a lesser evil compared to her male counterpart in the new Black Dragon, Kobra. To illustrate this, both of their Armageddon endings involve them resurrecting the other, but Kira does it out of the goodness of her heart and Kobra rewards her with extreme prejudice, whereas Kobra has Kira's resurrection pushed on him by the Elder Gods as a prank, and it's implied that Kira kills Kobra unwittingly with a Kiss of Death.
• Ms. Fanservice: The newest bit of totty introduced in Deception, emphasised by many Third-Person Seductress animations.
• Navel-Deep Neckline: Her alternative costume is an open top that exposes her cleavage and midriff, and just barely keeps her nipples hidden.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: She goes to the effort of reviving Kobra with Blaze's power in her Armageddon arcade mode ending, only for him to kill her for showing such sentiment.
• Punny Name: Could be unintentional, but "Kira" sounds similar to how a Japanese dialect would render the English word "killer."
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue to Kobra's Red, being primarily a weapons dealer in contrast to the violent and aggressive Kobra. Ironically, she's the one who has red hair and wears outfits with a good bit of red in them.
• Rolling Attack: Directly lifted from Kano.
• Slap-Slap-Kiss: It's implied that she and Kobra regularly alternate between attempted homicide and moments of Belligerent Sexual Tension, which culminates in both of their Armageddon endings. In both scenarios, it ends very badly for them.
• Stance System: Xing Yi and Kenpo in Deception, Yuan Yang in ''Armageddon".
• Supermodel Strut: During her Torso Rip Fatality in Deception, she pins down her opponent by throwing daggers at their feet, then starts sauntering towards them while rolling her hips in a seductive fashion to taunt and intimidate them while they panic. When she's in range, she quickly drops the seductive facade and tears off their torso, before resuming a seductive persona and snaking her arms down her figure. It was memorable enough that Mileena copies it wholesale in 9!
• Unholy Matrimony:
  • In Kobra's Armageddon ending, he takes her as his wife, though she (possibly unintentionally, given her ending) kills him with a Kiss of Death.
  • In her own ending, she resurrects Kobra with her powers to take him as her lover but then HE betrays and kills her.

Kobra

Kobra

Any resemblance to Ken Masters is purely coincidential.

Debut game: Mortal Kombat: Deception

Other appearances: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Alex Brandon)

Non-game appearances: Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (Yuri Lowenthal)

Kobra was once a proficient fighter in New York, but years of fighting in dojos and mock fights made him wonder just how useful they were. He started beating up street thugs, but the bloodlust eventually led him to killing his opponents and making him a wanted criminal. He eventually got the attention of the new Black Dragon Clan under Kabal, and he and Kira sprung him from the police and inducted him. Kobra worked with his new clan members in making the Black Dragon Clan a feared name.

Kobra would fight Taven during his quest, and Kobra would fight alongside the Black Dragon, old and new, in the Battle of Armageddon.

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• Accidental Murder: Kobra's bio suggests that the first kill he did was an accident. The others after that were clearly not.
• And Show It to You: In fitting fashion for a Black Dragon member, one of Kobra's Fatalities is this. He puts a unique spin on it by slamming the heart back in the opponent's face. He also inverts this with his Hara-Kiri, where he rips out his own heart.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Lives mainly for fighting and turned to evil over his belief his skills had a higher purpose.
• Ax-Crazy: He kills people purely out of bloodlust.
• Blood Knight: Again, he lives solely for fighting.
• Blood Lust: At first, he tried to sate his violent urges by going after scumbags, but he became addicted to the thrill of killing and eventually he gets to the point where he'd kill whoever was in sight.
• Captain Ersatz: He's near-unanimously seen as Mortal Kombat's own version of Ken Masters, but he's a downplayed version of this trope since the reasons are purely aesthetic. Especially not helped by his placeholder name as seen in the Mistaken Identity entry below. He also takes more than a few cues from Johnny Lawrence of The Karate Kid fame.
  • As another possible Capcom reference, his backstory as a former street-level vigilante who became obsessed with kombat to the point of criminality sounds awfully similar to Cody Travers' arc throughout the Final Fight and Street Fighter series.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: In proud Black Dragon tradition, he remorselessly murders Kira in her own Armageddon ending after she went to the effort of using Blaze's power to resurrect him.
• Corrupted Character Copy: Like Ken Masters, Kobra is a blonde, American martial artist. But while Ken is a heroic Spirited Competitor who would never harm an innocent person, Kobra is a sadistic Blood Knight whose craving for violence drove him from fighting petty crooks to killing innocent and unarmed people.
• For the Evulz: His backstory consists of beating up and killing people solely for the thrill of the kill.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: By Mortal Kombat villain standards, he has an almost comically ordinary backstory as a dojo thug who used his karate skills for petty crime, namely robbing gas stations and convenience stores and beating random people to death in the streets. If Kabal and Kira hadn't rescued him, he'd be rotting away in some jail cell, but now uses his skills to enforce the will of the Black Dragon across the realms.
• Hammerspace: There are no kali sticks on his model. Or a machete.
• Hate Sink: Though he's too lowly to hate with much vitriol, he still ranks as one of the series' most petty and despicable villains, having absolutely no redeeming qualities. He's an incredibly arrogant, sadistic, thieving, and indiscriminately murderous thug who gets off on killing innocent people.
• Ignored Epiphany: Some time after one of his sprees, he wonders how many lives he's ultimately ended and ruined, but then decides it really doesn't matter to him.
• In a Single Bound: In the intro to Armageddon, he can be seen high in the air fighting Shujinko.
• In the Hood: His alternate costume gives him a hooded gi.
• Killed Offscreen: Erron Black mentioned how he killed Kobra in a pre-fight dialogue against Kano.
• Machete Mayhem: Gains one as his weapon stance in Armageddon.
• Mistaken Identity: His placeholder name was "Ken Masters" due to their aesthetic similarities. When images of this prototype footage were released, many believed that Kobra actually was Ken.
• Off with His Head!: One of his Fatalities.
• Playing with Fire: Capable of using ki energy in a fireball move similar to a Hadoken.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Kira's Blue, being an overtly aggressive Blood Knight in contrast to the more calculating Kira. Ironically, between the two of them, his outfits are the ones with blue.
• Serial Killer: Over the course of his street fighting spree, he gradually becomes an outright serial killer who gets off on beating innocent people to death. To emphasise this sinister angle, Armageddon upgrades his kali sticks to a rusted, bloodied machete.
• Shotoclone: Has an advancing kick move, an uppercut and fireball projectiles, on top of wearing a karate gi. This was to the extent his placeholder name was "Ken Masters", one of the most famous examples of this trope.
• Shout-Out:
  • A cocky, blond guy named Kobra who wears a sleeveless gi? There's absolutely no way in Hell that he wasn't modeled after Cobra Kai bully Johnny Lawrence from The Karate Kid. His design outright spells this out; an omnipresent black and gold color scheme, a cobra design on the back of his gi, almost the exact same symbols on his outfit (not the same amount of symbols though) and a black gi for his second player outfit that is advertised quite often. Even one of his combos is called "Kobra Kai". After all of this you can't say that this wasn't intentional.
  • As detailed under Shotoclone, he also bears a number of similarities to Ken Masters, to the extent his placeholder name was Ken Masters.
• The Sociopath: As said, he had exactly one moment of realisation that he had unwittingly become a mass-murdering psycho, but decided that the many lives he had ruined meant nothing to him and continued down his path of destruction. On top of having an overall Lack of Empathy, Kira's Armageddon ending reveals that Kobra views her act of saving him as a sign of weakness and ungratefully kills her for it.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He is seen as this to Johnny Cage, being a cocky white martial artist.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Kira, despite not having a great deal of respect for him, still decides to save her comrade after getting Blaze's power. Kobra sees this as weakness and kills her without a second thought.
• Unholy Matrimony:
  • In his Armageddon ending, he takes Kira as his wife, but she ends up killing him. Unwittingly, actually, as the Elder Gods decided to turn Kira into a Goddess of Death to punish Kobra for his arrogance.
  • And in Kira's ending, she uses her newfound powers to resurrect him and, to thank her, he betrays and kill her.
• Villain Teleportation: Inexplicably, his moveset contains a teleport punch similar to Smoke's, though it may be intended as more of a Flash Step. That said, name an MK character who doesn't have the ability to teleport, we'll wait.

Shujinko

Shujinko

Debut game: Mortal Kombat: Deception (Max Crawford)

Other appearances: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Max Crawford), Mortal Kombat 1 (Kameo)

As a youth, Shujinko dreamed of fighting in Mortal Kombat and defeating Shang Tsung. His chance for glory came when an entity known as Damashi, an envoy of the Elder Gods, was looking for a mortal with the courage and strength to find the six Kamidogu. Shujinko accepted, and, through the decades, looked for them. Armed with a power bestowed by Damashi to observe and wield the abilities of various kombatants, Shujinko traversed many realms and met many kombatants before obtaining the six Kamidogu. Shujinko however, had been deceived.

Damashi turned out to be the Dragon King Onaga, former emperor of Outworld. Onaga cast his pawn aside and took the Kamidogu for his own, intending to reshape the realms. Feeling immense guilt, Shujinko gathered remaining kombatants from the battle against the Deadly Alliance, helped them defeat Onaga, and banished Onaga's soul to the Neatherrealm. Shujinko would later partake in the Battle of Armageddon alongside many of the kombatants he has met throughout the decades.

In the rebooted timeline of 9-11, Shujinko is head of the Kang Shaolin Temple, and in charge of guarding the Kamidogu of Chaos. Unfortunately, Havik deceives him into giving up his Kamidogu after convincing him that Raiden could not be trusted. Later, Raiden sends Cassie Cage to kill Shujinko in order to prevent him from waking Onaga and beginning the path towards Armageddon. He returns in Mortal Kombat 1 as a Kameo fighter, retaining his Power Copying abilities.

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• All Your Powers Combined: Uses his ability to learn the skills of any fighter (given to him by Onaga himself) to unite the powers of the entire cast of Deception into himself. He then finishes off the Dragon King with a rainbow Falcon Punch.
• Animal-Themed Fighting Style: Shujinko uses Mantis Kung Fu in Deception and Armageddon.
• Ascended Fanboy: It had been his dream since childhood to enter Mortal Kombat and defeat Shang Tsung. He was given the chance to enter this world, but at what cost?
• The Atoner: Seeks to kill Onaga, who he helped, and save the Universe from the Realms merging via the Kamidogou, which he gathered.
• Been There, Shaped History: In 11 one of the pre-fight dialogue for a Liu Kang Mirror Match has them state that, depending on the timeline, he was either their master or student.
  Liu Kang 1: Master Shujinko taught me well.
  Liu Kang 2: In my timeline, I trained him.
  Liu Kang 1: That is a paradox.
• Big Good: He lead the alliance of fighters that went against Onaga.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: Courtesy of Havik in the Mortal Kombat X comic.
• The Cameo: He is "mistaken" as Shang Tsung in Cassie Cage's Mortal Kombat X ending, and presumably dies at her hand.
• Character Development: As noted below in Idiot Hero, in his youth Shujinko was a gullible fool. Toward the end of the story mode though, he is a lot more critical of Damashi and begins to suspect that more is going on than he was told. The intro cutscene and post-arcade mode biographies reveal that he's becomes a bit wiser, and now acts with some awareness.
• Death Seeker: Cassie Cage's X ending implies that Shujinko had been secretly wanting someone to finish him for some time, as he reveals his name "with a mixture of sadness and relief" before passing away.
• Deconstruction: Of pretty much every action-adventure game protagonist trope, in that his entire mission is a deception by the mysterious quest giver, revealed to actually be the main antagonist. Rather than appearing heroic, Shujinko is portrayed as naïve and gullible for being swayed by the promise of a grand adventure. He also dutifully performs every errand asked of him by strangers out of some misplaced altruism, no matter how trivial or, in some cases, needlessly cruel they may be.
• The Determinator: Say what you want about him, but Shujinko remains steadfast and determined to complete his quest even into old age, despite his increasing reservations about Damashi's ulterior motives. However, this is ultimately not portrayed as a positive thing — Shujinko's blind determination to finish his mission at all costs makes him dumb to Onaga's manipulations and almost leads to the destruction of the very realms he was hoping to protect.
• Drunk On Power: In his Armageddon ending, he absorbs the powers of all the other fighters and kills them all. He then decides to challenge the Elder Gods for control over the realms.
• Face Death with Dignity: When Cassie kills him, he whispers her his name with "a mixture of sadness and relief".
• Face–Heel Turn: Happens in his Armageddon ending where he uses his newfound power to kill all the other Kombatants and then challenges the Elder Gods.
• Faustian Rebellion: He utilizes the power he gains from Onaga's Power Copying ability to kill Onaga.
• Good Counterpart: As a wizened old martial arts master with the powers of dozens of other kombatants at his disposal, he is essentially a good counterpart to Shang Tsung. Shujinko has a very brief confrontation with the evil sorcerer near the top of the Pyramid of Argus during the Battle of Armageddon, in which Shang Tsung swiftly disposes of Shujinko with a single uppercut.
• The Hero: In Deception, so much so that his name means "protagonist" in Japanese and he is described as the "next generation Liu Kang" by Ed Boon. Even though it turns out he was duped by the Big Bad all along, he is the one to actually beat him and his ending is canon.
• Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Depending on the NPC sidequests you choose to complete, Shujinko can come across as this. Throughout the game, he can perform various acts of theft and violence in return for small sums of money. The crowner arguably goes to the one where a mischievous boy asks Shujinko to repeatedly frighten his elderly uncle as a practical joke until, to the boy's disgust, the poor old man dies of a heart attack (though it may have been the boy's plan all along). Jeez, no wonder Shujinko can get into the Netherrealm!
• Idiot Hero: "I will do as you ask" is basically a Catchphrase for him, and he allows himself to be tricked by Damashi, an entity whose name means "deceiver" in what is presumably Shujinko's native tongue.
  • In the rebooted timeline, he gives up the Kamidogu of Chaos to Havik, an Obviously Evil looking being who tricks him into thinking Raiden can't be trusted. In fairness to him, Havik isn't so much about evil so much as he is about chaos, and Havik did aid him in the original timeline. In fact, he was one of the few who didn't end up betraying him.
• Jumped at the Call: Shujinko dreamed of being The Hero and gets his chance offered to him, to which he gladly accepts.
• Magikarp Power: When you first unlock him, he has no special moves of his own; you have to go back into Story Mode and progressively unlock his moves taken from other characters.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Falls into this after realizing that Damashi is Onaga, as he narrates solemnly in the game's opening cinematic.
• Narrator: He narrates all characters' endings in Deception except for Raiden and Onaga, who narrate their own though in Onaga's case, it didn't make into the final game.
• Nice Guy: Shujinko is generally very kind to everyone he meets, good or evil. He always seems to get on everyone's good side, and can come across as adorably naïve.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: He unleashes one of these on Onaga after absorbing the powers of all the other kombatants.
• Old Master: For Li Mei anyway. Shujinko is a rare example of the Old Master figure playing the role of main protagonist.
• Odd Friendship: Considering he got trained and got along with people like Mileena and Baraka, Shujinko is a pretty personable guy. Even Shao Kahn seems to enjoy having him around.
• Power Copying: His entire repertoire of special moves is assembled this way. He uses Scorpion's Spear, Sub-Zero's Freeze, Liu Kang's Bicycle Kick, Raiden's Flying Thunder God, Ermac's Telekinetic Slam, Sindel's Sliding Foot Grab, Li Mei's Flipping Heel Kick, and Kobra's Flaming Fist. Shujinko also borrows Havik's Chaos Axe Kick (his throw). As a Kameo Fighter in Mortal Kombat 1, he can copy one of the opponent's special moves when summoned.
• Previous Player-Character Cameo: Shujinko makes a brief but memorable cameo in the story mode of Armageddon in which the new player character, Taven, finds him in a prison cell and reluctantly sets him free. Although they are the main protagonists of their respective debut games' Konquest Modes, Taven and Shujinko seem to immediately dislike each other.
  • He also makes a surprise appearance in Cassie's X arcade mode ending. Once again, the main protagonist of the most recent game comes into conflict with Shujinko, though Cassie was deceived by Raiden into believing Shujinko was Shang Tsung.
• Punny Name: Sound innocuous at first, but in Japanese, "Shujinko" means "Main Character."
• Sanity Slippage: It's implied that the entire ordeal with Onaga combined with his advancing age caused Shujinko to go slightly senile. In the story mode of Armageddon, Shujinko is last seen venturing forth to stop the four frontmen of the Forces of Darkness: Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, Quan Chi, and Onaga. While he was strong enough to destroy Onaga after absorbing the powers of the Forces of Light, there's no way in hell that Shujinko could kill all four arch-villains alone. Taven contemptuously dismisses him as a crazy old fool in way over his head. Shujinko's non-canon arcade ending also reveals that he had gone Drunk On Power from absorbing the abilities of so many warriors over the years.
• Set Right What Once Went Wrong: He defeats Onaga at the end of Deception, making up for the mistake he made in unwittingly aiding the Dragon King's return to full strength. As a bonus, Onaga's soul is pulled out of Reptile's body before Shujinko can land the final blow.
• Senseless Sacrifice: In the new timeline, Raiden has him killed to prevent Onaga's resurrection - but Reptile and Nitara's actions are what actually leads to that in the original timeline. All Shujinko did was gather the kamidogu for Onaga to use after being revived.
• Stance System: Mantis and Shaolin Monk in Deception, the former he keeps for Armageddon. In Konquest, you play as Shujinko travelling the realms and learning the fighting styles and stances of other characters.
• Unwitting Pawn: In both timelines.
• Whatever Happened to the Mouse?: He meets Taven in Armageddon while locked away in Shao Kahn's dungeon and talks about a plan to destroy Kahn and his allies meeting in the throne room. As the cutscene ends, Shujinko has disappeared and isn't seen again for the rest of the story mode. Based on the opening cinematic, he makes it to the Battle of Armageddon and even comes close to the top of the Pyramid, but gets easily swatted aside by Shang Tsung and he falls to his apparent death.
• World's Best Warrior: As Shujinko has the ability to perfectly copy the abilities and powers of fighters that he engages with, he becomes this over time. He even earns the praise of many other martial arts masters throughout his life for learning so quickly. Specifically, he becomes this in his canon ending where he absorbs the fighting strength and techniques of basically everyone he's encountered up to this point. Altogether he's able to shatter the Kamidogu, overwhelm and beat Onaga to death and save the realms by his lonesome.

Onaga

Onaga

Debut game: Mortal Kombat: Deception

Other appearances: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Nigel Casey)

Onaga, also known as the Dragon King, was once the emperor of Outworld. His undead army of soldiers was feared by many as being unstoppable. His rule would come to an abrupt end when he was poisoned and killed by his chief adviser Shao Kahn. For the next millennium, Shao Kahn ruled Outworld and Onaga was forgotten. His chance for a return came when, posing as an ethreal essence name Damashi, he tasked Shujinko with a false quest to find the Kamidogu and grant him power. At the same time, a delirious Reptile chanced upon a dragon egg that corrupted Reptile and allowed the soul of Onaga to inhabit his body. Revived, Onaga immediately went to reclaim his army and defeated the former Deadly Alliance of Quan Chi and Shang Tsung, and Raiden. He then revived all those killed by the former sorcerers and made them his slaves, and set about reconquering the realms.

Shujinko, feeling immense guilt for the deception, gathered as many remaining kombatants as possible and defeated Onaga together, exorcising him from Reptile and locking his spirit in the Neatherrealm. Shinnok, also banished to the Neatherrealm, promised Onaga freedom and reclaiming Outworld by informing him of the power that Blaze held, and Onaga, alongside a reluctant alliance of Quan Chi, Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn, escaped from the Neatherrealm and partook in the Battle of Armageddon.

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• Assimilation Plot: Unknowingly under the influence of the One Being, he has plans of fusing all reality into himself.
• Ambiguous Situation: According to one of Sheeva's intro dialogues in 11, Onaga attempted to return when he took Goro's body as his new vessal, in which he wreaked havoc in Outworld. Although Goro is mentioned to be dead, it's never stated on what Onaga's current status is. Assuming that he was killed, other intro dialogue indicates that he's still Not Quite Dead, as he continues to influence other characters like Sheeva and Kung Lao.
• Back from the Dead: During his fight with Shujinko, Nightwolf casts a sealing spell that drags Onaga's essence out of Reptile's body and down into the Netherrealm. Shinnok later releases him in exchange for his cooperation. He also possesses the ability to constantly resurrect his mooks, thus their reputation for being invincible.
• Beneath the Mask: Under the guise of Damashi, he accidentally shows several subtle signs of his true form, such as speaking angrily about Shao Kahn, no doubt due to his betrayal of him. The most obvious sign of his more malicious side is revealed in this exchange:
  Shujiko: Damashi! Damashi, where are you?!
  Damashi/Onaga: (angrily) Who dares summon me to this... (recognizes who he's talking to and becomes suspiciously calmer) Oh... Shujinko! It has been many years since last we met.
• Berserk Button: Shao Kahn. His white-hot hatred for his backstabbing former adviser makes the Scorpion/Sub-Zero rivalry look tame. In the intro to Armageddon, Onaga is nowhere to be seen while the other combatants duke it out in a battle royale. Where does he come in? Swooping down to interrupt Shang Tsung's battle with Shao Kahn just so that he can be the one to give Shao Kahn his just deserts.
• Benevolent Boss: Onaga's single redeeming trait is that he, unlike Shao Kahn, does not kill off his servants the moment their job is done or at random intervals, and nothing implies that he treated Kahn himself poorly... until of course, Kahn backstabbed him.
• Big Bad: He is the main villain and Final Boss of Deception.
• Blow You Away: The flap of his wings generates enough gust to push opponents away as the Dragon King propels backwards.
• Boss-Arena Idiocy: Both played straight and subverted. If you try to tackle Onaga head-on, he'll probably come across as an SNK Boss. However, if you walk into one of the six Kamidogu located in the corners of his arena, Onaga will immediately be knocked out of any attack he was attempting and will kneel over in a pain for a second, opening him up for a free combo. However, the Kamidogu don't regenerate between rounds, so you only get six shots in all of opening up a can of whup-ass on Onaga before you have to resort to fighting him fairly. Also, his arena contains a Death Trap; you can't knock him into the spikes, but he can knock you into them if you're by the edge.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: He does this to the five fallen heroes in Deception, making them his slaves. The five heroes being Kitana, Kung Lao, Jax, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade.
• Breath Weapon: He's the Dragon King. What did you expect?
• Butt-Monkey: In Kung Lao's arcade ladder ending in Mortal Kombat 11, Onaga re-emerges after Shao Kahn is overthrown, only to immediately be bisected by the now god Kung Lao. The look on his face implies he had no idea what hit him or was coming.
• Chekhov's Gunman: Mentioned in Deadly Alliance, rises to prominence in Deception.
  • He was originally planned to appear in Deadly Alliance but was cut as the designers wanted to focus on the titular villains.
• Cool Helmet: Wears an imposing helm that seems almost organic, considering the horns.
• Create Your Own Hero: Onaga sent Shujinko on a quest to gather the Kamidogu and to make his quest easier, granted him the power to copy any power or special move he saw or acknowledged. After discovering Onaga's treachery, Shujinko defeated Onaga and foiled his plans using the same power the Dragon King had given him.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: For a given definition of a fight. The opening movie of Deception has him show up to take Shinnok's amulet from Quan Chi. The Deadly Alliance put aside their differences to fight Onaga but they can't scratch him. Raiden got back up after the Deadly Alliance had beaten him and seeing the threat Onaga posed actually worked with the villains to stop him. Even with Raiden, none of them can damage Onaga, prompting him to attempt a self destruct attack to kill Onaga, which despite destroying the Deadly Alliance's fortress, does no damage to Onaga.
• The Dreaded: Implied. The Deadly Alliance had just turned on each other when Onaga shows up in the intro of Deception and his mere presence causes them to stop fighting each other to fight him.
• Eldritch Abomination: Concept art indicates that he would have become the One Being in his ending.
• Evil Overlord: The one who preceded Shao Kahn as the ruler of Outworld.
• Evil Sounds Deep: Onaga is very evil, and has a very deep, growling voice that matches his imposing stature well.
• Eviler than Thou: Pulls this on the Deadly Alliance on Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, and in Armageddon gets into an argument with Shao Kahn over which of them is The Emperor.
• Famed In-Story: Even though he has been dead for thousands of years he is still infamous by the series proper. The Deadly Alliance, after they just betrayed each other, instantly put aside their quarrel to face him.
• The Ghost: He is referenced in some characters dialogue in Mortal Kombat 11 but doesn't make an appearance outside of Kung Lao's arcade ladder ending, where he is effortlessly dispatched by the Shaolin. Some intro dialogues involving Sheeva make mention of Onaga attempting to use Goro's body as a vessel rather than Reptile's in this timeline. We can only assume this was prevented somehow, as we never hear about it anywhere else in the game.
• God-Emperor: Downplayed. Though he was mortal, he was very powerful and had control over life and death due to being able to repeatedly raise his army from the dead. He would have presumably qualify as this if he became the One Being in his deleted ending.
• Greater-Scope Villain: He was the original ruler of Outworld before Shao Khan and the goal of the titular villains in Deadly Alliance is make use of his army, but he has no presence in the game beyond making his return in Reptile's ending. Also, the Deadly Alliance immediately recognize him as this when he first appears in Deception's opening FMV, which is what prompts their subsequent Enemy Mine with Raiden to fight him.
• Half the Man He Used to Be: His fate at the hands of Kung Lao after the monk replaces Kronika in his ending in 11.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: His bio in Armageddon states that his defeat was caused by Shujinko the Power Copying ability he gave him to become strong enough to break the kamidogu (making him no longer unbeatable) and then kill him.
• Hypocrite: In Armageddon he states "I will not join an alliance of traitors!" Li Mei's non canon ending in Deception shows he is fine with traitors as long as their actions benefit him, not to mention his manipulation of Shujinko which ended with him attempting to kill him when he served his purpose.
• Jerkass: He doesn't have a lot of screen time but if him rubbing in Shujinko's face about how he manipulated him is anything to go by, he definitely is.
• The Juggernaut: All the dialogue states that while he had the six kamidogu, he was invincible.
• Large and in Charge: The largest playable character in the series, possibly rivalled only by Blaze.
• Manipulative Bastard: "Oh hai, Shujinko. My name's Damashi, and I'm here to tell you that you're the Elder God's Champion, fated to embark on a great adventure!" This is Deception's Konquest mode in a nutshell. Onaga is undoubtedly one of the most cunning and patient villains in the series, as he plays Shujinko like a damned fiddle over the course of many years in order to achieve his goals.
• Mascot: Backwards dialogue from Netherrealm or Chaosrealm NPCs state that Onaga was the reason why Mortal Kombat has a dragon as its symbol (though it has also been said that the Elder Gods' true draconic forms are the real inspiration, which is backed up by the fact that they bear a much clearer resemblance to the logo).
• Meaningful Name:
  • He's the Dragon King, and his name is made up of the Japanese word for king and the Sanskrit word for serpent.
  • His disguise's name, Damashi, means "deception" in Japanese.
• Mighty Glacier: Onaga is big and slow, but his blows are stronger than any character in the game and he is immune to projectiles.
• Monochromatic Eyes: His eyes are of a pure yellow, although Armageddon's VS. render shows that he has white eyes.
• Monster Modesty: Doubles as Modest Royalty, only wearing a helmet and few pieces of armor.
• Moral Myopia: In Armageddon when Quan Chi is making his case for organizing the Forces of Darkness, Onaga objects to allying with any of those present (Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, and Shao Kahn) stating "I will not join an alliance of traitors!" Of course in Li Mei's, admittedly non-canon ending, he's perfectly willing to reward somebody who betrayal is beneficial to him. The "alliance of traitors" thing is probably particularly a snub towards Shao Kahn for betraying Onaga long ago, but it doesn't make Onaga any less treacherous himself.
• Nerf: In Armageddon like previous bosses turned playable characters he is much weaker than when he was a boss.
• Noodle Incident: During an intro dialogue between them in 11, Sheeva and Baraka discuss a past incident where Onaga possessed Goro and went on a rampage across Outworld. This is not elaborated on whatsoever in the rest of the game or any tie-in media, not even the MKX comics. Whether or not it's at all canon to the main storyline remains to be seen.
• No-Sell: Projectiles are damn near useless against Onaga. This is even foreshadowed in Deception's intro cinematic, where he takes the full brunt of the combined powers of Raiden, Shang Tsung, and Quan Chi and brushes it off quite effortlessly.
• Omnicidal Maniac: Due to the influence of the One Being, he aims to merge all reality into himself.
• Our Dragons Are Different: He walks on two legs, is mostly humanoid in appearance, and the Shokan are supposedly his half-breed offspring.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: The first thing he does after becoming all powerful in his Armageddon ending? Condemn Shao Kahn to A Fate Worse Than Death.
• Properly Paranoid: His bio in Armageddon states he cut a deal with Shinnok to work with the other Forces of Darkness to help Daegon defeat Blaze in exchange for being allowed to reclaim Outworld. Onaga rightly suspects the deal will end poorly and intends to take the power intended for Daegon for himself.
• Put on a Bus: Aside from appearing in a single image of many in Raiden's visions in the beginning of MK 9, Onaga is never directly present in the "reboot" games from 9 onwards, only appearing briefly in character endings or being mentioned in intro dialogues.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: Thanks to Shao Kahn's assassination, he's dead by the series proper until he Shujinko gathers the Kamidogu.
• Unholy Matrimony: With Li Mei in her non-canon Deception ending in return for aiding her against his enemies.
• Villain Decay: He goes from being the Greater-Scope Villain to Shao Kahn to getting ingloriously sliced in half by Kung Lao in 11. To be fair, Kung Lao had absorbed the power of a Titan at the time.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: Similarly to Shao Kahn, Onaga wears no real practical clothing; though considering that he is far from human, it's more justified in his case.
• Winged Humanoid: Onaga has wings that are almost as large as his entire body!

Non Playable

One Being

One Being

One being, the One Being is considered to be the origin of the Realms of Mortal Kombat (Earthrealm, Netherrealm, Outworld, Orderrealm, Chaosrealm, Edenia, and others yet to be mentioned in the storyline). According to ancient legend, in the beginning of time, there only existed the One Being and the Elder Gods.

The One Being fed off of the essences of the Elder Gods, but eventually, the Elder Gods defeated the One Being, and, in efforts to weaken the One Being's omnipotence, the Elder Gods separated the One Being's consciousness into the realms and created six Kamidogu, which held the essence of the One Being. The legend decrees that if one were to obtain all six Kamidogu with the Sacred Amulet, he or she would be granted ultimate power.

The One Being's disembodied consciousness seeks to reunite all the realms in order to make itself whole again. It is implied that it has acted through beings such as Onaga and Shao Kahn, and is responsible for their attempts to merge all realms - particularly Earthrealm - into Outworld.

Although the storyline of Deception would seem to hint that the One Being would be the villain of the next title, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, this was later proven false, as Blaze would end up as the final boss in this game. The One Being is only mentioned twice in Armageddon: once in a passing statement about the kombatants "tapping into the power that make the realms", which may or may not refer to the One Being, and more directly by name during Kai's game ending.

In Mortal Kombat (2011), Shao Kahn is hinted at being under the influence of the One Being as he stands atop the pyramid, prepared to begin Armageddon and destroy the realms. This event, in the second timeline, is hastened to the final events of Mortal Kombat 3, when Shao Kahn has almost merged Earthrealm with Outworld, and at the same time he is ending all things in existence. However, the Elder Gods intervene and destroy Shao Kahn, thereby halting whatever plans the One Being may have had. In the Mortal Kombat X comic series, it is revealed that the six Kamidogu, now daggers in the rebooted timeline, have all tasted the blood of the One Being and its essence lives within them, serving as the source of the daggers' Blood Magik. In Shinnok's Mortal Kombat X ending, the fallen Elder God succeeds in re-merging all the realms to reawaken the One Being, allowing it to destroy all of reality and devour the Elder Gods.

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• Aborted Arc: Deception was building the One Being up to be the final antagonist of the original continuity, but come Armageddon onward it's been regulated to name drops. Most likely the writers realized you can't exactly beat a godlike being made up of different realms in a fistfight.
• Above the Gods: Surpasses the Elder Gods in strength, forcing them to team up to stop it.
• Assimilation Plot: Wants to reunite the realms to make itself whole again.
• Awful Truth: The Elder Gods concealed the true nature of the One Being from the denizens of the realms, namely the part asserting that none of them have any real individual consciousness of their own — all sentient lifeforms are merely fragments of the One Being's dreaming mind. It's pretty existentially terrifying when you think about it so no wonder they hid this. MKX indicates The Conspiracy was part of the reason Shinnok rebelled against his brethren as he wanted to spread the truth and was denied.
• The Bad Guy Wins: Subtly implied to have happened in the original witnessed timeline. While it has yet to happen in the new ones Shinnok's non-canon ending in MKX involves him awakening the One Being to achieve his Rage Against the Heavens.
• The Cameo: In Scorpion's Revenge it briefly shows up in the background during The Cameo of the Elder Gods.
• Cosmic Entity: Its body was chopped up into separate universes and its return would force them to recombine with cataclysmic results.
• Eldritch Abomination: The oldest entity in existence whose body apparently formed the realms, and for it to come back into existence would lead to the complete destruction of all life.
• Evil Only Has to Win Once: Exactly how malevolent the One Being is (or if it is malevolent at all) is unknown, but for story purposes it is a Greater-Scope Villain who would supposedly cause the annihilation of all existence the instant it succeeds in its plans to restore itself.
• Generic Doomsday Villain: Since it has no speaking roles the One Being has no known characterization beyond its apparent end goal of restoring its body and annihilating the realms.
• The Ghost: At least until Mortal Kombat X where it appears in Shinnok's arcade ladder ending.
• God Is Evil: It is the most powerful being in Mortal Kombat and its goal is to destroy all of existence in order to restore its body.
• Greater-Scope Villain: It subtly manipulates powerful beings such as Shinnok, Shao Kahn and Onaga to achieve its goal of merging the realms so it could be whole again. However, the One Being's very nature prevents it from ever having a direct hand in the plot, let alone participating in kombat.
• Omnicidal Maniac: Intentionally or not its goal would cause the end of all realms should it succeed.
• The Man Behind the Man: Seems to be this for Shao Kahn and Onaga, whose obsession with expanding Outworld by merging realms expedites the One Being's return. Mortal Kombat X implies Shinnok is under the One Being's influence as well.
• Top God: As THE primordial entity of the MK universe every God can trace their lineage back to the One Being. Jade in MK11 refers to it as the "God before Gods" while Cetrion in a mirror-match identifies creation as "children of the One Being, as are all gods of the realms." However, with the introduction of the Titans who far outclass the Elder Gods in age and power it's unclear where it stands in relation to them.
• Pieces of God: The One Being was split into the realms with each Kamidogu containing a part of its essence from which it can be reconstituted.
• You Cannot Grasp the True Form: Quietly implied in both of its on-screen appearances— Mortal Kombat X shows them only as a hellish face formed from the clouds while Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms briefly shows them as an indistinct humanoid silhouette made of pure light.

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