Pizza
Thrill Kill
We're talking about an actual character here. Not Kobra or Hsu Hao who are intentionally made fun of in intros.
And while a character like, let's say, Noob Saibot is a jobber in the story modes, I think Kotal Kahn had it much worse than the usual "jobbers".
Warning
SPOILERS
-MKX
-MK11
-MK 11 - Aftermath
So, what do you think?
Are you as puzzled as a I am about this character?
And while a character like, let's say, Noob Saibot is a jobber in the story modes, I think Kotal Kahn had it much worse than the usual "jobbers".
Warning
SPOILERS
-MKX
-MK11
-MK 11 - Aftermath
I'll be covering only the games. I hope my english is good enough! We might go through some inconsistencies in his character, so every discussion is welcomed here.
Mortal Kombat X
Kotal Kahn is the main character in Chapter 2. By now we know he is a more rational ruler than Shao Kahn, he respects the Reiko Accords, and is facing a civil war.
I think he's okay in this chapter. We see how he survives an assassination attempt. He defeats a couple of characters, and he's established as a tough guy with a calm demeanor. He sounds rational. He is capable to defeat a trained mercenary like Kano, an Edenian warrior like Tanya, a Demigod like Rain and Mileena herself.
There is a funny moment where Kotal is dive kicked from the roof of a building by Rain, but that's it.
Now let's move on to Chapter 4.
Kung Jin is the main character in this chapter. After some trouble caused by the Shaolin warrior during the execution attempt of a thief, D'Vorah summons Kotal Kahn to talk to the Earthrealmers.
We learn that while the Special Forces are dealing with a refugee crisis from Outworld... Kotal has no idea about it.
He suspects the Kombat Kids are working for Mileena and plans to execute them. But Kung Jin steps in, and challenges Kotal to a duel.
There is great dishonor to someone who refuses a duel. So Kotal KAHN accepts and threatens Kung Jin to kick his ass.
But then Kung Jin wins. He just defeated the Kahn of Outworld.
Then with Kotal Kahn on his knees, instead of killing him Kung Jin makes him work for them.
If Kung Jin had killed Kotal Kahn here... would Mileena win the civil war by default?
In Chapter 6 we have a flashback. There, Kotal and Reptile are convincing D'Vorah to join them in a coup against Mileena.
Here we see Kotal upset that Mileena is not willing to ally with Earthrealm to fight against the Netherrealm.
Back to the present, D'Vorah and Cassie capture Mileena and take back Shinnok's ammulet. D'Vorah kills Mileena, and then... Kotal Kahn captures the Kombat Kids. He says that Earthrealm failed to protect Shinnok's ammulet so he doesn't trust them anymore.
So he sends D'Vorah to secure the ammulet but of course she steals it. After that, the Kombat Kids escape on their own and defeat Kotal's fighters. Then the idiot Reptile assumes that D'Vorah (of all people) is working with the Kombat Kids so the whole thing was planned by Raiden to get the ammulet back. Reptile is doing conspiracy theories and Kotal believes him.
In that moment Kotal snaps and says "let's invade Earthrealm!"
... okay.
Kotal arrives with his army. But then his Ginyu Force is hilariously defeated again by the Kombat Kids.
Takeda tries to explain to Kotal what the hell is going on but he won't listen. He just acts like a maniac.
That's not all. Kotal decides that he will appease Shinnok by bringing him the heads of the Kombat Kids (like Shinnok cares who they are)... so Kotal Kahn is willing to bow to Shinnok just to "win time" (yeah sure, if Shinnok had been succesful in taking the Jinsei it would've been game over for every realm)
And Shinnok of all people!
(echoes of "I'm not a god of my word, Reptile!")
Not being intimidated by that, Jacquie kicks his ass.
Then Kotal and his army are chased away by Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei. Back to Outworld with a massive defeat on his shoulders.
That's the last we see of him in Mortal Kombat X.
-----
A couple of years later, Mortal Kombat 11 is announced. Every few weeks NRS would release trailers and do Kombat Kasts to reveal and show every character going to be in the game.
On March 20th they released the "Kotal Kahn Reveal Trailer". People were excited to see how he would play and all. In the trailer he fights against Jacqui. And gets his ass kicked.
In his own trailer he is defeated and killed by fan favourite Jacqui Briggs. This is like MK4's Reptile Ending lol. So while a few people already made fun of him back in the MKX days, now he was starting to be seen as a joke by more people. The comments around the time were hilarious.
-------
Now, let's jump into Mortal Kombat 11.
Chapter 2 - Timequake.
Kotal is still Kahn of Outworld. He is about to execute Kollector when the Timequake happens and fighters from the past appear in the Kolosseum. And we're introduced to his love interest, Jade.
But the fighting starts. Shao Kahn begins to kick the shit out of Kotal, and is about to kill him but he's saved by Liu Kang and Raiden.
Then Kotal defeats a couple of fighters and eventually Shao Kahn. But the villains escape with the help of D'Vorah.
In Chapter 5, Kotal goes with Jade and some scouts to find D'Vorah. Then they're attacked by giant bugs and Kotal falls into the Kytinn Hive. There, he is defeated by D'Vorah and she attempts to kill him.
And Jade saves him.
Later, Jade and some warriors try to infiltrate a Tarkatan camp but they fail. So Kotal with his soldiers raids the camp and wants to execute the Tarkatans. Jade disagrees with him, so she gives him a beating and leaves him unconscious.
Shao Kahn and his troops arrive, and he was probably wondering what the fuck happened. But he takes Kotal prisoner anyway.
Now we're in Chapter 7. Back at the Kolosseum, is now Kotal who faces execution.
But Kitana arrives with Baraka, Sheeva and their troops. During the battle, Kotal escapes and tries to attack Shao Kahn from behind. However, Shao Kahn KICKS HIS ASS and cripples him!
When Shao Kahn is about to deal the fatal blow, Kitana steps in and saves Kotal.
And Kitana defeats Shao Kahn.
Then Kotal hands the Kahn title to her, just like that. Kitana Kahn!
------
Mortal Kombat 11 - Aftermath
In Chapter 14, the group led by Shang Tsung is trying to reach the Soul Chamber to revive Sindel.
They see Kotal using the Soul Chamber to heal his wounds. However, he gets angry when he sees Shang Tsung and wants to kill him. Sheeva overpowers Kotal and defeats him.
In Chapter 16, Kitana's ship is attacked by the shokans led by Sindel and Shao Kahn.
During the battle you can see Kotal killing some shokans before trying to fight Shao Kahn again. And then... Shao Kahn kicks the shit out of Kotal.
Blow after blow, it's not a fight anymore.
Then, in Chapter 17 the ship reaches the shore where the armies are waiting for them.
Someone tosses Kotal's head out of the ship...
Kotal has been killed off screen.
His warriors cheer when they see Sindel and Shao Kahn. Not a single one of them seems to have a problem with this.
Kotal is dead.
----
At this point is like a recurring joke.
Kotal tries to fight someone. Loses. Another character steps in to save him.
Until... nobody was there to save him.
In MKX his behaviour starts to get more erratic and he acts like an incompetent as the story goes on. He does some silly shit, and there is no coming back from losing against a Kombat Kid in Chapter 4 after showing off in Chapter 2 and looking all tough.
But in MK11 he is on another level. He fails everytime. Even in his own chapter he has to be saved by Liu Kang and Raiden.
I don't know why they chose this approach to Kotal Kahn. I believe that they intended to make him look like a joke. He is a character with narrative weight, he isn't a goon or a background character. That's what separates him from characters like Reptile, Erron Black or Skarlet.
We know Reptile, Erron Black and Skarlet never win a single fight. But they do not have narrative weight. They're just enforcers to some bad guy. Kotal Kahn on the other hand was the KAHN OF OUTWORLD, he was supposedly a respected general and a capable warrior.
His head flying from the ship was like the punch line of his story.
"In a broader sense, "punch line" can also refer to the unexpected and funny conclusion of any performance, situation or story." -Wikipedia.
Mortal Kombat X
Kotal Kahn is the main character in Chapter 2. By now we know he is a more rational ruler than Shao Kahn, he respects the Reiko Accords, and is facing a civil war.
I think he's okay in this chapter. We see how he survives an assassination attempt. He defeats a couple of characters, and he's established as a tough guy with a calm demeanor. He sounds rational. He is capable to defeat a trained mercenary like Kano, an Edenian warrior like Tanya, a Demigod like Rain and Mileena herself.
There is a funny moment where Kotal is dive kicked from the roof of a building by Rain, but that's it.
Now let's move on to Chapter 4.
Kung Jin is the main character in this chapter. After some trouble caused by the Shaolin warrior during the execution attempt of a thief, D'Vorah summons Kotal Kahn to talk to the Earthrealmers.
We learn that while the Special Forces are dealing with a refugee crisis from Outworld... Kotal has no idea about it.
He suspects the Kombat Kids are working for Mileena and plans to execute them. But Kung Jin steps in, and challenges Kotal to a duel.
There is great dishonor to someone who refuses a duel. So Kotal KAHN accepts and threatens Kung Jin to kick his ass.
But then Kung Jin wins. He just defeated the Kahn of Outworld.
Then with Kotal Kahn on his knees, instead of killing him Kung Jin makes him work for them.
If Kung Jin had killed Kotal Kahn here... would Mileena win the civil war by default?
In Chapter 6 we have a flashback. There, Kotal and Reptile are convincing D'Vorah to join them in a coup against Mileena.
Here we see Kotal upset that Mileena is not willing to ally with Earthrealm to fight against the Netherrealm.
Back to the present, D'Vorah and Cassie capture Mileena and take back Shinnok's ammulet. D'Vorah kills Mileena, and then... Kotal Kahn captures the Kombat Kids. He says that Earthrealm failed to protect Shinnok's ammulet so he doesn't trust them anymore.
So he sends D'Vorah to secure the ammulet but of course she steals it. After that, the Kombat Kids escape on their own and defeat Kotal's fighters. Then the idiot Reptile assumes that D'Vorah (of all people) is working with the Kombat Kids so the whole thing was planned by Raiden to get the ammulet back. Reptile is doing conspiracy theories and Kotal believes him.
In that moment Kotal snaps and says "let's invade Earthrealm!"
... okay.
Kotal arrives with his army. But then his Ginyu Force is hilariously defeated again by the Kombat Kids.
Takeda tries to explain to Kotal what the hell is going on but he won't listen. He just acts like a maniac.
That's not all. Kotal decides that he will appease Shinnok by bringing him the heads of the Kombat Kids (like Shinnok cares who they are)... so Kotal Kahn is willing to bow to Shinnok just to "win time" (yeah sure, if Shinnok had been succesful in taking the Jinsei it would've been game over for every realm)
And Shinnok of all people!
(echoes of "I'm not a god of my word, Reptile!")
Not being intimidated by that, Jacquie kicks his ass.
Then Kotal and his army are chased away by Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei. Back to Outworld with a massive defeat on his shoulders.
That's the last we see of him in Mortal Kombat X.
-----
A couple of years later, Mortal Kombat 11 is announced. Every few weeks NRS would release trailers and do Kombat Kasts to reveal and show every character going to be in the game.
On March 20th they released the "Kotal Kahn Reveal Trailer". People were excited to see how he would play and all. In the trailer he fights against Jacqui. And gets his ass kicked.
In his own trailer he is defeated and killed by fan favourite Jacqui Briggs. This is like MK4's Reptile Ending lol. So while a few people already made fun of him back in the MKX days, now he was starting to be seen as a joke by more people. The comments around the time were hilarious.
-------
Now, let's jump into Mortal Kombat 11.
Chapter 2 - Timequake.
Kotal is still Kahn of Outworld. He is about to execute Kollector when the Timequake happens and fighters from the past appear in the Kolosseum. And we're introduced to his love interest, Jade.
But the fighting starts. Shao Kahn begins to kick the shit out of Kotal, and is about to kill him but he's saved by Liu Kang and Raiden.
Then Kotal defeats a couple of fighters and eventually Shao Kahn. But the villains escape with the help of D'Vorah.
In Chapter 5, Kotal goes with Jade and some scouts to find D'Vorah. Then they're attacked by giant bugs and Kotal falls into the Kytinn Hive. There, he is defeated by D'Vorah and she attempts to kill him.
And Jade saves him.
Later, Jade and some warriors try to infiltrate a Tarkatan camp but they fail. So Kotal with his soldiers raids the camp and wants to execute the Tarkatans. Jade disagrees with him, so she gives him a beating and leaves him unconscious.
Shao Kahn and his troops arrive, and he was probably wondering what the fuck happened. But he takes Kotal prisoner anyway.
Now we're in Chapter 7. Back at the Kolosseum, is now Kotal who faces execution.
But Kitana arrives with Baraka, Sheeva and their troops. During the battle, Kotal escapes and tries to attack Shao Kahn from behind. However, Shao Kahn KICKS HIS ASS and cripples him!
When Shao Kahn is about to deal the fatal blow, Kitana steps in and saves Kotal.
And Kitana defeats Shao Kahn.
Then Kotal hands the Kahn title to her, just like that. Kitana Kahn!
------
Mortal Kombat 11 - Aftermath
In Chapter 14, the group led by Shang Tsung is trying to reach the Soul Chamber to revive Sindel.
They see Kotal using the Soul Chamber to heal his wounds. However, he gets angry when he sees Shang Tsung and wants to kill him. Sheeva overpowers Kotal and defeats him.
In Chapter 16, Kitana's ship is attacked by the shokans led by Sindel and Shao Kahn.
During the battle you can see Kotal killing some shokans before trying to fight Shao Kahn again. And then... Shao Kahn kicks the shit out of Kotal.
Blow after blow, it's not a fight anymore.
Then, in Chapter 17 the ship reaches the shore where the armies are waiting for them.
Someone tosses Kotal's head out of the ship...
Kotal has been killed off screen.
His warriors cheer when they see Sindel and Shao Kahn. Not a single one of them seems to have a problem with this.
Kotal is dead.
----
At this point is like a recurring joke.
Kotal tries to fight someone. Loses. Another character steps in to save him.
Until... nobody was there to save him.
In MKX his behaviour starts to get more erratic and he acts like an incompetent as the story goes on. He does some silly shit, and there is no coming back from losing against a Kombat Kid in Chapter 4 after showing off in Chapter 2 and looking all tough.
But in MK11 he is on another level. He fails everytime. Even in his own chapter he has to be saved by Liu Kang and Raiden.
I don't know why they chose this approach to Kotal Kahn. I believe that they intended to make him look like a joke. He is a character with narrative weight, he isn't a goon or a background character. That's what separates him from characters like Reptile, Erron Black or Skarlet.
We know Reptile, Erron Black and Skarlet never win a single fight. But they do not have narrative weight. They're just enforcers to some bad guy. Kotal Kahn on the other hand was the KAHN OF OUTWORLD, he was supposedly a respected general and a capable warrior.
His head flying from the ship was like the punch line of his story.
"In a broader sense, "punch line" can also refer to the unexpected and funny conclusion of any performance, situation or story." -Wikipedia.
So, what do you think?
Are you as puzzled as a I am about this character?
