Charybdis
We are returned! Death to the False Emperor!
With the announced return of the Mortal Kombat series, the fanbase is clamouring to see which characters will return for the latest iteration of our favourite franchise. Given the ‘fracturing timelines’ theme rumoured for MK11, people are rightly expecting many of their favourite characters to return.
Among those characters are the likes of Jade, Nightwolf and Noob Saibot, but we aren’t talking about them here! Here, we’re gonna be talking about 7 of the most likely 3D era characters to return, either as main roster or as DLC. This is the first of a series of four articles over the coming weeks, which will also cover the most fan-requested returning characters, the possible major story implications for certain returning characters (Taven, Daegon, Shujinko and Onaga etc) and, as a bit of fun, the worst of the worst characters (all of whom do come from the 3D era).
Like this guy right here.
So, here I’ll detail if these characters are likely to return and what you need to know about these characters pending a possible return. My purpose here is to inform people who may not have experienced these characters first hand (if they weren’t around for the 3D Era) and, of course, build some hype for these characters: you never know, one of these characters could be to MK11 as Rain was to MK9 and Fujin was to MKX.
With that said, on with the show.
7: HOTARU
Hotaru was one of the more popular characters introduced in Deception, arguably second only to Havik, albeit a distant second. With a design drawing influence from samurai and insects (his name translates as ‘firefly’ in Japanese), Hotaru stood out from the other characters introduced in Deception by virtue of his armoured design, although his gameplay and overall story significance left much to be desired given the potential role he could play.
Sub Zero: dying in Mortal Kombat media for over 20 years
BACKGROUND
Introduced in Deception, Hotaru is the leader of the Seidan Guardsmen. Like all natives of Seido (also known as Orderrealm), Hotaru sees the entirety of existence as endless, chaotic barbarism, which must be tamed through the imposition of strict order. And when we say strict, we mean “serving a life sentence in prison for jaywalking” strict. Thus, Hotaru leads his Guardsmen with the sole purpose of preserving utter order in the realm. This has lead him to ally with any figure who may assist in the imposition of such order, such as Onaga, and oppose all those he feels engender chaos, such as Shao Kahn.
Hotaru, therefore, does not see the conflicts of Mortal Kombat in terms of good and evil, but of chaos and order. He is thus truly neutral: he would likely have aided Earthrealm against Shao Kahn, whose endless warfare creates naught but chaos, but would have aided Onaga’s regime against Earthrealm.
Hotaru, as leader of the Seidan Guardsmen, is exceptionally well trained in combat, with sufficient skill to match even Kuai Liang. He has demonstrated the power to blast explosive bolts of lava from his hands, to use this lava to speed his movements and blind his opponents, as well as the ability to defy gravity long enough to deliver several kicks to his opponent.
IS HE COMING BACK?
There has been little mention of Hotaru since the reboot of 2011. The only mention of Seido in general was in Johnny Cage’s MK9 ending, which featured him travelling to Seido to learn from the discipline of the Seidan Guardsmen in honing his powers. Even the MKX Comic, which featured many characters, didn’t feature Hotaru.
So what brings him to his list? Well, Hotaru’s unflinching devotion to Order may come into play, depending on the direction the story of MK11 takes. Raiden’s newfound dark nature and mission to pacify other realms (making a ‘Roman peace’) would align nicely with Hotaru, meaning that he is a possible lieutenant for Raiden, with the Thunder God utilising the Guardsmen as his footsoldiers.
MY VERDICT: Possible cameo in story mode or an ending, unlikely to be playable. Could be a major wild card for DLC but that's a hell of a longshot
6: BO RAI CHO
Bo Rai Cho draws from one of the most fundamental archetypes found in all of martial arts: the drunken master. He was initially introduced in Deadly Alliance and given the rare privilege of appearing in Deception and Armageddon, playing a key role in the wars that wracked Outworld and becoming central to the ‘Forces of Good’ in the aftermath of Liu Kang’s death. His reception was mixed: although the central archetype of the drunken master and teacher was well received, and his tying into lore is arguably the best retroactive storytelling in the history of the franchise, but many people, myself included, felt that the emphasis on toilet humour was somewhat overplayed. With that said, this was reasonably trammelled in his appearance in MKX story mode and his 2d debut as DLC.
BACKGROUND
He has trained the greatest warriors in the history of Earthrealm, such as Liu Kang and eventually Kung Lao, even the Great Kung Lao, as well as Li Mei. An incredibly skilled martial artists and peerless teacher, he himself could never take part in a Mortal Kombat tournament as we know them: he was born in Outworld and under the reign of Shao Kahn. Thus, any victories he could potentially record in Mortal Kombat would count for Outworld, and the Emperor whose rule he opposed.
Bo has long lived in Earthrealm, helping the Shaolin and the Order of Light train their greatest hopes for Mortal Kombat. In doing so, he became very close to Lord Raiden himself and very fond of Earthrealm wine and food. In time, he would come to view his greatest student, Liu Kang, as almost a son,
Bo Rai Cho is incredibly skilled at the martial arts and has shown himself capable of subduing multiple Tarkatans at once, as well as resisting the forces of the Deadly Alliance long enough to rescue Li Mei. Moreover, he is one of the finest leaders and generals in the realms, demonstrating sufficient tactical ability to overcome Onaga’s forces despite being vastly outnumbered. His supernatural powers are limited: he possess the ability to force his chi through the ground as a minor earthquake and his powers of violent regurgitation and flatulence are clearly superhuman, but Bo Rai Cho’s greatest assets are his skill, intelligence and the tendency of his foes to take him lightly.
IS HE COMING BACK?
Bo Rai Cho was briefly seen at Raiden’s Sky Temple in MKX’s story mode, first having a quick nip from his ever present flask and then being unmercifully walloped by the revenants and later tortured by Shinnok. Whether or not he survived Shinnok’s attack is unknown but he played little story role regardless.
It thus seems unlikely he would return for story reasons alone but his popularity did improve due to his inclusion as DLC. Although a high-execution character, he could nevertheless inflict massive damage (especially in the corner) and could also be swaggy as all hell.
So is he coming back? Well….maybe. Although one of the most popular characters from the 3d era, with many people clamouring for his return in MKX, Bo Rai Cho doesn’t quite have the je ne sais quoi of even less popular characters, likely as a result of his inherent humanity. He does have the potential of becoming a series mainstay though and, should he have survived Shinnok’s attack, is close enough to Raiden and the White Lotus Society to appear in story mode, at least tangentially….potentially being killed by Raiden to demonstrate Raiden’s ‘heel’ turn.
MY VERDICT: Not playable, but will be seen in story mode
5: KENSHI
Kenshi, of course, needs little introduction or explanation. With appearances in Deadly Alliance, Deception and Armageddon (the only character beside Sub Zero, Scorpion, Raiden, Li Mei and Bo Rai Cho to have a perfect record in the 3d era), Kenshi has become the undisputed golden child of the 3d era, and it’s not hard to see why. Interesting and with showy, Jedi-like powers, he draws heavily from the classic martial arts archetype of the blind swordsman and fits Mortal Kombat like a glove.
This image is technically NSFW if you're Pig of the Hut.
BACKGROUND
An arrogant, but immensely skilled young warrior, who travelled Earthrealm besting all he came across for the sake of pride. Unbeknownst to him, he was a descendant of the legendary House of Pekara, a clan of great warriors. Eventually, he came across an old man who promised to lead him to a great sword that would further augment his power, Sento. Kenshi agreed and eagerly followed the old man, dreaming of the power that would be his.
Upon opening the deep well where the sword had been hidden, however, Kenshi was blasted by an onslaught of souls, searing his eyes sightless. The old man, laughing, revealed himself to be none other than Shang Tsung and stole the souls in the tomb, before leaving Kenshi to die in the tomb. But Sento itself spoke to Kenshi, revealing his family history to him and activating the latent telekinetic and telepathic powers which ran his in his bloodline. It led Kenshi out of the tomb, and he would begin the journey of retraining with his new powers.
These new powers involve incredible feats of telepathy and telekinesis, enhanced through decades of training, the ability to ‘warp’ and thus teleport brief distances, as well as utilise his enhanced other senses to compensate for his lack of vision.
IS HE COMING BACK?
Probably. I’ve addressed this elsewhere (https://testyourmight.com/threads/op-ed-why-we-should-want-our-favourite-characters-to-not-return-in-mk11.66937/) but I would argue that Kenshi is a prime example of a character who needs to sit out MK11, not because I dislike him, but to ‘refresh’ the character, to make him feel special again. But that’s beside the point: is he likely to return? Probably, particularly given his role as a fan favourite and the fracturing timelines in MK11.
MKX set up Kenshi and Takeda’s quest to obtain vengeance for Suchin, Kenshi’s partner and Takeda’s mother, which would see them attempt to destroy the Red Dragon and allow for NRS to bring in Daegon, the founder of that clan, who was introduced in Armageddon. This, along with his role as Takeda’s father, would almost guarantee we will at least see Kenshi in the MK11 story mode.
Moreover, Kenshi is one of the most popular characters in the entire franchise, certainly the most popular character on this list on his own merits. His community in MKX was incredibly vocal in the beginning of the game’s life, primarily whining about how he wasn’t a borderline-broken zoner like in MK9. As a result of this popularity, Kenshi will always be in the running for inclusion on each and every Mortal Kombat roster in the future.
The better question is, will he be playable? Kenshi was practically a cameo in MKX, appearing to get bodied by Shinnok, Scorpion and Takeda and little else. He may very well serve a brief cameo role in MK11, possibly even meeting his maker to give Takeda even more pathos.
MY VERDICT: Cameo role in story mode, DLC.
4: HAVIK
Havik is likely the most popular 3d character behind Kenshi, and it’s not hard to see why. Havik’s design, simple blacks and reds, would fit any fighting game but it is the addition of his undead elements, such as his skull-face, willingness to break his own bones and seemingly converse reaction to pain, he has all the elements of a classic Mortal Kombat character. In a different world, it’s very easy to see Havik as debuting in MK2, given the otherworldly, alien vibe of that game.
BACKGROUND
The polar opposite of Hotaru, Havik is a cleric and worshipper of Chaos. He leads his people, the denizens of Chaosrealm, in their worship of Chaos and endeavours to promote Chaos throughout the realms. In doing so, he has opposed the rule of Onaga, encouraged wars between the realms, nurtured anarchist organisations like Kabal’s incarnation of the Black Dragon and, above all else, strove to oppose every action taken by Hotaru.
Just as Hotaru is the embodiment of order, Havik is the embodiment of chaos, opposing every and any action which might quell the chaos he believes must be fostered throughout the realms. He is thus the truest example of chaotic neutral imaginable, seeing the realms not in good or evil but in chaos and order.
Deeply skilled in combat, Havik’s true power lies in his ability to manipulate others to do his bidding and in his mastery of the magics of chaos. While it is unknown how much of his abilities stem from his mastery of magics and how much is natural to all Chaosrealmers, Havik evinces the ability to effortless snap his bones and mutilate his body to attack his enemy and to regain health, as well as the ability to project energy blasts from his hands. He also seems to view pain and aggression as welcome forces.
IS HE COMING BACK?
God he really should. A fascinating character, with one of the most unique designs in the entirety of the series, whenever you see people go back and play the 3d era games, in amongst the needless mocking given to what are actually quite good games, Havik is a character you will never see criticized. He looks like he belongs in Mortal Kombat.
Moreover, he would also act as an ‘equalizer’: whenever a force threatens to truly dominate the entirety of the realms, be that force good or evil, Havik could and should be there to prevent this occurring. Switching sides, unpredictable and with a unique personality ideally suited to the violence of Mortal Kombat, I can’t imagine a reason why Havik couldn’t become a series mainstay.
The major problem is story, actually. Although Havik would be ideally situated to oppose Hotaru, which is of course his raison d’etre, and join the forces marshalling against Raiden, he was also the central antagonist of the now-disowned MKX comic series, wherein he (spoiler alert) got murderized. Given the fracturing timelines of MK11, however, this need not be a total bar to his inclusion.
MY VERDICT: Potentially main roster, if not DLC. Has the potential to be the ‘Fujin’ of this game.
3: LI MEI
Introduced in Deadly Alliance, Li Mei returned in Deception and Armageddon, but never seemed to create the same buzz amongst the fans as Kenshi. Just like Kenshi and Bo Rai Cho, she draws from a classic martial arts archetype of the downtrodden peasant skilled in martial arts, rescued from a cruel fate by her master (Bo Rai Cho) and having her skills enhanced further. Although her hardcore fanbase remains limited, although vocal TEMP, her re-appearance in MKX’s story mode generated a lot of interest among the fanbase, many of whom gravitated to her as an underdog (and some because of the Onaga thing). Notably, she was the franchise’s first real attempt at utilising sex appeal to enhance a character’s charisma, with her design featuring plenty of skin alongside a distinct ‘Crouching Tiger’ vibe.
This image is categorically NSFW for @Temp
BACKGROUND
Li Mei hails from unremarkable origins, from the small fishing-and-agricultural village of Sun Do. With that said, her skill at combat is remarkable: always interested in martial arts, she was trained in combat in order to defend herself and her people. Her masters were two of the most notable combatants of all time: Shujinko and the famed teacher of Liu Kang, Bo Rai Cho.
She became involved in the turmoil that engulfed the realms when the Deadly Alliance attempted to enslave her people and she fought in their tournament to free them. After being rescued from their treachery by Bo Rai Cho, she became his student and journeyed across Outworld to Edenia with him, learning all the while. In the newer timeline, a somewhat older Li Mei leads her people to Earthrealm, fleeing from the civil war caused by Mileena.
Her skill in combat is prodigious: she was sufficiently skilled to triumph in the faux-tournament staged by the Deadly Alliance having been given only rudimentary training by Shujinko, but her skills truly blossomed under the tutelage of Bo Rai Cho. Like many of his students, she has demonstrated the ability to defy gravity and deliver multiple strikes to her enemies and fly through the air in a vicious cartwheel, as well as sending her foes flying through the air with a single kick and generating blasts of energy from her palms. Her fighting style focuses on rapid strikes delivered in quick succession, circumventing her lack of raw physical power.
IS SHE COMING BACK?
As noted above, Li Mei’s story mode cameo in MKX was one of the most notable in the game. Demonstrating personality, strength of character as a leader of the refugees and a design far more interesting than her original, Li Mei was unnamed in the story mode but appeared prominently in the Story Mode Trailer and generated such immediate interest that Ed Boon was forced to confirm her identity on Twitter.
Moreover, she is in an excellent position story-wise, serving as the ‘good guy’ in Outworld and as a leader of the Outworld peasantry. In that role, she could serve as a foil to Kotal Kahn or, more likely given Kotal’s reign is seemingly popular among most of Outworld, as his lieutenant.
MY VERDICT: Should be central character in MK11 but, given the fracturing timelines, may be eschewed for more popular Trilogy era characters. If, as I suspect, MK11 will be a ‘platform’ game, she’s a prime candidate for DLC.
2: FROST
Introduced in Deadly Alliance, Frost returned in Unchained and Armageddon and, as might be expected, has one of the largest fanbases of all the 3d era characters, given that she’s a Lin Kuei. There isn’t much to be said by way of explanation with Frost’s design and inspiration: she’s a female cryomancer and so takes her cues from her sifu, Sub Zero. Her role in the story never expanded beyond Sub Zero, but it’s interesting to note that she represents a failure on his behalf: hotheaded and ambitious, Frost turns on Sub Zero and becomes a mortal enemy of both him and his reformed Lin Kuei. Sub Zero fails her: she’s the Anakin to his Obi Wan. This aggression and defiance of Sub Zero can also be seen in her appearance in MKX story mode, when she ambushes Scorpion in an attempt to put the Shirai Ryu-Lin Kuei vendetta to rest, but in the new timeline she seems genuinely loyal to the Lin Kuei and Sub Zero.
BACKGROUND
Frost shares descendant from the extinct cryomancer race native to Outworld with the legendary Bi Han and Kuai Liang of the Lin Kuei. Her skills are prodigious but untamed: she appears to demonstrate greater skill with cryomancy than either brother at such a young, inexperienced age but her headstrong nature leads her to fail to take such instruction as would help her develop these skills.
IS SHE COMING BACK?
It’s worth noting that Frost features positively in the MKX comics: she appears as a street fighter Cassie fights in an underground MMA contest, where she is established as an orphan and later interrupts the aforementioned ‘tea party’ between Scorpion and Sub Zero. She also has one of the strongest fanbases from the 3d era, as well as natural ‘cool’ appeal as a Lin Kuei assassin.
Gameplay wise, NRS have demonstrated multiple times that they can implement more than one cryomancer in-games and keep the characters feeling distinct. Moreover, should the variation system disappear in MK11, it opens up numerous gameplay possibilities for Frost. It’s mentioned in Deadly Alliance that Frost’s lack of experience with her cyromancy means she favours faster attacks with smaller implementations of her powers, which could serve as a useful point of differentiation.
Story-wise, Frost seems to have missed the boat. She would have been ideal as part of the ‘new generation’ in MKX but instead featured only as a cameo in that game. With that said, should NRS want to give MK11 a fresh flavour, Frost would be a great candidate for inclusion. In particular, she could be enlisted as a disciple of Raiden during his heel turn, opposing Kuai Liang’s stand against Raiden’s newgound totalitarianism.
MY VERDICT: I think she’s all but in and could really benefit from the fracturing timelines, exploring realities where she did replace Sub Zero and her ‘Anakin’ turn in Deadly Alliance.
1: SAREENA
Sareena is arguably most consistent ‘almost’ character in the history of the franchise: her appearance in MK Mythologies was intended to set up her appearance in MK4, which never happened. Similarly, she was intended to appear in Deadly Alliance, only to be relegated to it’s incredibly poor GBA cousin, Tournament Edition. She’s only appeared in truth in Armageddon and, let’s be frank, that doesn’t count.
BACKGROUND
The leader of Quan Chi’s bodyguard, Sareena served the arch-necromancer of the Netherrealm for many centuries. Although she lacked the truly malicious streak common to most of her demonic kind, Quan Chi seemingly alone possessed the power to transmogrify Sareena from her monstrous natural form to a beautiful human female, which he used to secure her service, along with Kia and Jataaka who may or may not have also served as his personal harem. Sareena’s defiance began in earnest when her life was spared by Bi Han on his quest through Hell.
IS SHE COMING BACK?
Sareena featured in MKX, noting that she had escaped from Quan Chi’s control, though it is unknown how she has done so and maintained her human form. With that said, Sareena is beloved of a certain section of the fanbase: the more into the lore of Mortal Kombat that someone is, the more likely it is that Sareena is a favourite of theirs.
She serves a key role in the arc that forms the tragic ending of Bi Han’s life, considering she’s arguably the first being he’s even shown genuine mercy and compassion towards, with definite romantic implications.
Her cameo in MKX was certainly eye catching, with her model often praised as arguably the best NPC model in the entirety of MKX. Moreover, sex sells and Sareena was….well, kinda a sex slave. So she’s got that going on.
It’s impossible to really predict what kind of gameplay Sareena could have. Her only playable iteration in Armageddon featured incredibly strong zoning, with practically instant recovery on the fastest projectile in the game. Considering her beautiful form is only a façade over a monstrous demonic form, however, having her phase briefly back and forth between the forms, with limbs growing larger and stronger for various attacks, would be a very interesting design.
In terms of story, she could continue her role as the protagonists’ agent in the Netherrealm, which would likely pay high dividends considering the new rulers of that realm and how likely they are to play significant roles in the story going forward.
MY VERDICT: It’s absolutely now or never for Sareena…..and yeah, I think she’ll be included. Or at least, I hope so: at the very least, she’s a strong candidate for DLC.
Among those characters are the likes of Jade, Nightwolf and Noob Saibot, but we aren’t talking about them here! Here, we’re gonna be talking about 7 of the most likely 3D era characters to return, either as main roster or as DLC. This is the first of a series of four articles over the coming weeks, which will also cover the most fan-requested returning characters, the possible major story implications for certain returning characters (Taven, Daegon, Shujinko and Onaga etc) and, as a bit of fun, the worst of the worst characters (all of whom do come from the 3D era).
Like this guy right here.
So, here I’ll detail if these characters are likely to return and what you need to know about these characters pending a possible return. My purpose here is to inform people who may not have experienced these characters first hand (if they weren’t around for the 3D Era) and, of course, build some hype for these characters: you never know, one of these characters could be to MK11 as Rain was to MK9 and Fujin was to MKX.
With that said, on with the show.
7: HOTARU
Hotaru was one of the more popular characters introduced in Deception, arguably second only to Havik, albeit a distant second. With a design drawing influence from samurai and insects (his name translates as ‘firefly’ in Japanese), Hotaru stood out from the other characters introduced in Deception by virtue of his armoured design, although his gameplay and overall story significance left much to be desired given the potential role he could play.
Sub Zero: dying in Mortal Kombat media for over 20 years
BACKGROUND
Introduced in Deception, Hotaru is the leader of the Seidan Guardsmen. Like all natives of Seido (also known as Orderrealm), Hotaru sees the entirety of existence as endless, chaotic barbarism, which must be tamed through the imposition of strict order. And when we say strict, we mean “serving a life sentence in prison for jaywalking” strict. Thus, Hotaru leads his Guardsmen with the sole purpose of preserving utter order in the realm. This has lead him to ally with any figure who may assist in the imposition of such order, such as Onaga, and oppose all those he feels engender chaos, such as Shao Kahn.
Hotaru, therefore, does not see the conflicts of Mortal Kombat in terms of good and evil, but of chaos and order. He is thus truly neutral: he would likely have aided Earthrealm against Shao Kahn, whose endless warfare creates naught but chaos, but would have aided Onaga’s regime against Earthrealm.
Hotaru, as leader of the Seidan Guardsmen, is exceptionally well trained in combat, with sufficient skill to match even Kuai Liang. He has demonstrated the power to blast explosive bolts of lava from his hands, to use this lava to speed his movements and blind his opponents, as well as the ability to defy gravity long enough to deliver several kicks to his opponent.
IS HE COMING BACK?
There has been little mention of Hotaru since the reboot of 2011. The only mention of Seido in general was in Johnny Cage’s MK9 ending, which featured him travelling to Seido to learn from the discipline of the Seidan Guardsmen in honing his powers. Even the MKX Comic, which featured many characters, didn’t feature Hotaru.
So what brings him to his list? Well, Hotaru’s unflinching devotion to Order may come into play, depending on the direction the story of MK11 takes. Raiden’s newfound dark nature and mission to pacify other realms (making a ‘Roman peace’) would align nicely with Hotaru, meaning that he is a possible lieutenant for Raiden, with the Thunder God utilising the Guardsmen as his footsoldiers.
MY VERDICT: Possible cameo in story mode or an ending, unlikely to be playable. Could be a major wild card for DLC but that's a hell of a longshot
6: BO RAI CHO
Bo Rai Cho draws from one of the most fundamental archetypes found in all of martial arts: the drunken master. He was initially introduced in Deadly Alliance and given the rare privilege of appearing in Deception and Armageddon, playing a key role in the wars that wracked Outworld and becoming central to the ‘Forces of Good’ in the aftermath of Liu Kang’s death. His reception was mixed: although the central archetype of the drunken master and teacher was well received, and his tying into lore is arguably the best retroactive storytelling in the history of the franchise, but many people, myself included, felt that the emphasis on toilet humour was somewhat overplayed. With that said, this was reasonably trammelled in his appearance in MKX story mode and his 2d debut as DLC.
BACKGROUND
He has trained the greatest warriors in the history of Earthrealm, such as Liu Kang and eventually Kung Lao, even the Great Kung Lao, as well as Li Mei. An incredibly skilled martial artists and peerless teacher, he himself could never take part in a Mortal Kombat tournament as we know them: he was born in Outworld and under the reign of Shao Kahn. Thus, any victories he could potentially record in Mortal Kombat would count for Outworld, and the Emperor whose rule he opposed.
Bo has long lived in Earthrealm, helping the Shaolin and the Order of Light train their greatest hopes for Mortal Kombat. In doing so, he became very close to Lord Raiden himself and very fond of Earthrealm wine and food. In time, he would come to view his greatest student, Liu Kang, as almost a son,
Bo Rai Cho is incredibly skilled at the martial arts and has shown himself capable of subduing multiple Tarkatans at once, as well as resisting the forces of the Deadly Alliance long enough to rescue Li Mei. Moreover, he is one of the finest leaders and generals in the realms, demonstrating sufficient tactical ability to overcome Onaga’s forces despite being vastly outnumbered. His supernatural powers are limited: he possess the ability to force his chi through the ground as a minor earthquake and his powers of violent regurgitation and flatulence are clearly superhuman, but Bo Rai Cho’s greatest assets are his skill, intelligence and the tendency of his foes to take him lightly.
IS HE COMING BACK?
Bo Rai Cho was briefly seen at Raiden’s Sky Temple in MKX’s story mode, first having a quick nip from his ever present flask and then being unmercifully walloped by the revenants and later tortured by Shinnok. Whether or not he survived Shinnok’s attack is unknown but he played little story role regardless.
It thus seems unlikely he would return for story reasons alone but his popularity did improve due to his inclusion as DLC. Although a high-execution character, he could nevertheless inflict massive damage (especially in the corner) and could also be swaggy as all hell.
So is he coming back? Well….maybe. Although one of the most popular characters from the 3d era, with many people clamouring for his return in MKX, Bo Rai Cho doesn’t quite have the je ne sais quoi of even less popular characters, likely as a result of his inherent humanity. He does have the potential of becoming a series mainstay though and, should he have survived Shinnok’s attack, is close enough to Raiden and the White Lotus Society to appear in story mode, at least tangentially….potentially being killed by Raiden to demonstrate Raiden’s ‘heel’ turn.
MY VERDICT: Not playable, but will be seen in story mode
5: KENSHI
Kenshi, of course, needs little introduction or explanation. With appearances in Deadly Alliance, Deception and Armageddon (the only character beside Sub Zero, Scorpion, Raiden, Li Mei and Bo Rai Cho to have a perfect record in the 3d era), Kenshi has become the undisputed golden child of the 3d era, and it’s not hard to see why. Interesting and with showy, Jedi-like powers, he draws heavily from the classic martial arts archetype of the blind swordsman and fits Mortal Kombat like a glove.
This image is technically NSFW if you're Pig of the Hut.
BACKGROUND
An arrogant, but immensely skilled young warrior, who travelled Earthrealm besting all he came across for the sake of pride. Unbeknownst to him, he was a descendant of the legendary House of Pekara, a clan of great warriors. Eventually, he came across an old man who promised to lead him to a great sword that would further augment his power, Sento. Kenshi agreed and eagerly followed the old man, dreaming of the power that would be his.
Upon opening the deep well where the sword had been hidden, however, Kenshi was blasted by an onslaught of souls, searing his eyes sightless. The old man, laughing, revealed himself to be none other than Shang Tsung and stole the souls in the tomb, before leaving Kenshi to die in the tomb. But Sento itself spoke to Kenshi, revealing his family history to him and activating the latent telekinetic and telepathic powers which ran his in his bloodline. It led Kenshi out of the tomb, and he would begin the journey of retraining with his new powers.
These new powers involve incredible feats of telepathy and telekinesis, enhanced through decades of training, the ability to ‘warp’ and thus teleport brief distances, as well as utilise his enhanced other senses to compensate for his lack of vision.
IS HE COMING BACK?
Probably. I’ve addressed this elsewhere (https://testyourmight.com/threads/op-ed-why-we-should-want-our-favourite-characters-to-not-return-in-mk11.66937/) but I would argue that Kenshi is a prime example of a character who needs to sit out MK11, not because I dislike him, but to ‘refresh’ the character, to make him feel special again. But that’s beside the point: is he likely to return? Probably, particularly given his role as a fan favourite and the fracturing timelines in MK11.
MKX set up Kenshi and Takeda’s quest to obtain vengeance for Suchin, Kenshi’s partner and Takeda’s mother, which would see them attempt to destroy the Red Dragon and allow for NRS to bring in Daegon, the founder of that clan, who was introduced in Armageddon. This, along with his role as Takeda’s father, would almost guarantee we will at least see Kenshi in the MK11 story mode.
Moreover, Kenshi is one of the most popular characters in the entire franchise, certainly the most popular character on this list on his own merits. His community in MKX was incredibly vocal in the beginning of the game’s life, primarily whining about how he wasn’t a borderline-broken zoner like in MK9. As a result of this popularity, Kenshi will always be in the running for inclusion on each and every Mortal Kombat roster in the future.
The better question is, will he be playable? Kenshi was practically a cameo in MKX, appearing to get bodied by Shinnok, Scorpion and Takeda and little else. He may very well serve a brief cameo role in MK11, possibly even meeting his maker to give Takeda even more pathos.
MY VERDICT: Cameo role in story mode, DLC.
4: HAVIK
Havik is likely the most popular 3d character behind Kenshi, and it’s not hard to see why. Havik’s design, simple blacks and reds, would fit any fighting game but it is the addition of his undead elements, such as his skull-face, willingness to break his own bones and seemingly converse reaction to pain, he has all the elements of a classic Mortal Kombat character. In a different world, it’s very easy to see Havik as debuting in MK2, given the otherworldly, alien vibe of that game.
BACKGROUND
The polar opposite of Hotaru, Havik is a cleric and worshipper of Chaos. He leads his people, the denizens of Chaosrealm, in their worship of Chaos and endeavours to promote Chaos throughout the realms. In doing so, he has opposed the rule of Onaga, encouraged wars between the realms, nurtured anarchist organisations like Kabal’s incarnation of the Black Dragon and, above all else, strove to oppose every action taken by Hotaru.
Just as Hotaru is the embodiment of order, Havik is the embodiment of chaos, opposing every and any action which might quell the chaos he believes must be fostered throughout the realms. He is thus the truest example of chaotic neutral imaginable, seeing the realms not in good or evil but in chaos and order.
Deeply skilled in combat, Havik’s true power lies in his ability to manipulate others to do his bidding and in his mastery of the magics of chaos. While it is unknown how much of his abilities stem from his mastery of magics and how much is natural to all Chaosrealmers, Havik evinces the ability to effortless snap his bones and mutilate his body to attack his enemy and to regain health, as well as the ability to project energy blasts from his hands. He also seems to view pain and aggression as welcome forces.
IS HE COMING BACK?
God he really should. A fascinating character, with one of the most unique designs in the entirety of the series, whenever you see people go back and play the 3d era games, in amongst the needless mocking given to what are actually quite good games, Havik is a character you will never see criticized. He looks like he belongs in Mortal Kombat.
Moreover, he would also act as an ‘equalizer’: whenever a force threatens to truly dominate the entirety of the realms, be that force good or evil, Havik could and should be there to prevent this occurring. Switching sides, unpredictable and with a unique personality ideally suited to the violence of Mortal Kombat, I can’t imagine a reason why Havik couldn’t become a series mainstay.
The major problem is story, actually. Although Havik would be ideally situated to oppose Hotaru, which is of course his raison d’etre, and join the forces marshalling against Raiden, he was also the central antagonist of the now-disowned MKX comic series, wherein he (spoiler alert) got murderized. Given the fracturing timelines of MK11, however, this need not be a total bar to his inclusion.
MY VERDICT: Potentially main roster, if not DLC. Has the potential to be the ‘Fujin’ of this game.
3: LI MEI
Introduced in Deadly Alliance, Li Mei returned in Deception and Armageddon, but never seemed to create the same buzz amongst the fans as Kenshi. Just like Kenshi and Bo Rai Cho, she draws from a classic martial arts archetype of the downtrodden peasant skilled in martial arts, rescued from a cruel fate by her master (Bo Rai Cho) and having her skills enhanced further. Although her hardcore fanbase remains limited, although vocal TEMP, her re-appearance in MKX’s story mode generated a lot of interest among the fanbase, many of whom gravitated to her as an underdog (and some because of the Onaga thing). Notably, she was the franchise’s first real attempt at utilising sex appeal to enhance a character’s charisma, with her design featuring plenty of skin alongside a distinct ‘Crouching Tiger’ vibe.
This image is categorically NSFW for @Temp
BACKGROUND
Li Mei hails from unremarkable origins, from the small fishing-and-agricultural village of Sun Do. With that said, her skill at combat is remarkable: always interested in martial arts, she was trained in combat in order to defend herself and her people. Her masters were two of the most notable combatants of all time: Shujinko and the famed teacher of Liu Kang, Bo Rai Cho.
She became involved in the turmoil that engulfed the realms when the Deadly Alliance attempted to enslave her people and she fought in their tournament to free them. After being rescued from their treachery by Bo Rai Cho, she became his student and journeyed across Outworld to Edenia with him, learning all the while. In the newer timeline, a somewhat older Li Mei leads her people to Earthrealm, fleeing from the civil war caused by Mileena.
Her skill in combat is prodigious: she was sufficiently skilled to triumph in the faux-tournament staged by the Deadly Alliance having been given only rudimentary training by Shujinko, but her skills truly blossomed under the tutelage of Bo Rai Cho. Like many of his students, she has demonstrated the ability to defy gravity and deliver multiple strikes to her enemies and fly through the air in a vicious cartwheel, as well as sending her foes flying through the air with a single kick and generating blasts of energy from her palms. Her fighting style focuses on rapid strikes delivered in quick succession, circumventing her lack of raw physical power.
IS SHE COMING BACK?
As noted above, Li Mei’s story mode cameo in MKX was one of the most notable in the game. Demonstrating personality, strength of character as a leader of the refugees and a design far more interesting than her original, Li Mei was unnamed in the story mode but appeared prominently in the Story Mode Trailer and generated such immediate interest that Ed Boon was forced to confirm her identity on Twitter.
Moreover, she is in an excellent position story-wise, serving as the ‘good guy’ in Outworld and as a leader of the Outworld peasantry. In that role, she could serve as a foil to Kotal Kahn or, more likely given Kotal’s reign is seemingly popular among most of Outworld, as his lieutenant.
MY VERDICT: Should be central character in MK11 but, given the fracturing timelines, may be eschewed for more popular Trilogy era characters. If, as I suspect, MK11 will be a ‘platform’ game, she’s a prime candidate for DLC.
2: FROST
Introduced in Deadly Alliance, Frost returned in Unchained and Armageddon and, as might be expected, has one of the largest fanbases of all the 3d era characters, given that she’s a Lin Kuei. There isn’t much to be said by way of explanation with Frost’s design and inspiration: she’s a female cryomancer and so takes her cues from her sifu, Sub Zero. Her role in the story never expanded beyond Sub Zero, but it’s interesting to note that she represents a failure on his behalf: hotheaded and ambitious, Frost turns on Sub Zero and becomes a mortal enemy of both him and his reformed Lin Kuei. Sub Zero fails her: she’s the Anakin to his Obi Wan. This aggression and defiance of Sub Zero can also be seen in her appearance in MKX story mode, when she ambushes Scorpion in an attempt to put the Shirai Ryu-Lin Kuei vendetta to rest, but in the new timeline she seems genuinely loyal to the Lin Kuei and Sub Zero.
BACKGROUND
Frost shares descendant from the extinct cryomancer race native to Outworld with the legendary Bi Han and Kuai Liang of the Lin Kuei. Her skills are prodigious but untamed: she appears to demonstrate greater skill with cryomancy than either brother at such a young, inexperienced age but her headstrong nature leads her to fail to take such instruction as would help her develop these skills.
IS SHE COMING BACK?
It’s worth noting that Frost features positively in the MKX comics: she appears as a street fighter Cassie fights in an underground MMA contest, where she is established as an orphan and later interrupts the aforementioned ‘tea party’ between Scorpion and Sub Zero. She also has one of the strongest fanbases from the 3d era, as well as natural ‘cool’ appeal as a Lin Kuei assassin.
Gameplay wise, NRS have demonstrated multiple times that they can implement more than one cryomancer in-games and keep the characters feeling distinct. Moreover, should the variation system disappear in MK11, it opens up numerous gameplay possibilities for Frost. It’s mentioned in Deadly Alliance that Frost’s lack of experience with her cyromancy means she favours faster attacks with smaller implementations of her powers, which could serve as a useful point of differentiation.
Story-wise, Frost seems to have missed the boat. She would have been ideal as part of the ‘new generation’ in MKX but instead featured only as a cameo in that game. With that said, should NRS want to give MK11 a fresh flavour, Frost would be a great candidate for inclusion. In particular, she could be enlisted as a disciple of Raiden during his heel turn, opposing Kuai Liang’s stand against Raiden’s newgound totalitarianism.
MY VERDICT: I think she’s all but in and could really benefit from the fracturing timelines, exploring realities where she did replace Sub Zero and her ‘Anakin’ turn in Deadly Alliance.
1: SAREENA
Sareena is arguably most consistent ‘almost’ character in the history of the franchise: her appearance in MK Mythologies was intended to set up her appearance in MK4, which never happened. Similarly, she was intended to appear in Deadly Alliance, only to be relegated to it’s incredibly poor GBA cousin, Tournament Edition. She’s only appeared in truth in Armageddon and, let’s be frank, that doesn’t count.
BACKGROUND
The leader of Quan Chi’s bodyguard, Sareena served the arch-necromancer of the Netherrealm for many centuries. Although she lacked the truly malicious streak common to most of her demonic kind, Quan Chi seemingly alone possessed the power to transmogrify Sareena from her monstrous natural form to a beautiful human female, which he used to secure her service, along with Kia and Jataaka who may or may not have also served as his personal harem. Sareena’s defiance began in earnest when her life was spared by Bi Han on his quest through Hell.
IS SHE COMING BACK?
Sareena featured in MKX, noting that she had escaped from Quan Chi’s control, though it is unknown how she has done so and maintained her human form. With that said, Sareena is beloved of a certain section of the fanbase: the more into the lore of Mortal Kombat that someone is, the more likely it is that Sareena is a favourite of theirs.
She serves a key role in the arc that forms the tragic ending of Bi Han’s life, considering she’s arguably the first being he’s even shown genuine mercy and compassion towards, with definite romantic implications.
Her cameo in MKX was certainly eye catching, with her model often praised as arguably the best NPC model in the entirety of MKX. Moreover, sex sells and Sareena was….well, kinda a sex slave. So she’s got that going on.
It’s impossible to really predict what kind of gameplay Sareena could have. Her only playable iteration in Armageddon featured incredibly strong zoning, with practically instant recovery on the fastest projectile in the game. Considering her beautiful form is only a façade over a monstrous demonic form, however, having her phase briefly back and forth between the forms, with limbs growing larger and stronger for various attacks, would be a very interesting design.
In terms of story, she could continue her role as the protagonists’ agent in the Netherrealm, which would likely pay high dividends considering the new rulers of that realm and how likely they are to play significant roles in the story going forward.
MY VERDICT: It’s absolutely now or never for Sareena…..and yeah, I think she’ll be included. Or at least, I hope so: at the very least, she’s a strong candidate for DLC.
