Who is your favorite male ninja?

[Cassie Cyrus]

Little surprised that Scorpion doesn't have a lot more, I feel like he has most post support here but is way behind in the poll to Sub. And the sudden popularity in Rain is a little surprising, I know he was cool in MK 9 but not going to lie shocked he's more requested than Scorpion, Ermac, Smoke and Reptile.

That is what leaving characters out of a game can do. People seen most of these ninjas too much, Rain will be fresh, as Ed Boon never gives him a chance to shine.

Also, I think Sub-Zero is higher than Scorpion, because Scorpion is the annoying poster boy, and always get to beat Subby, which annoys people.

 

[Ptehu]

My fav is Rain without any doubts. Not only a ninja but in general in entire MK Universe.

 

[pure.Wasted]

Little surprised that Scorpion doesn't have a lot more, I feel like he has most post support here but is way behind in the poll to Sub. And the sudden popularity in Rain is a little surprising, I know he was cool in MK 9 but not going to lie shocked he's more requested than Scorpion, Ermac, Smoke and Reptile.

Polls like this are extremely far from conclusive or comprehensive.

1. Tiny sample size.

2. There's less incentive to vote for characters who are already in the game, than characters who aren't.

3. Someone like Scorpion might not be everyone's favorite, but I bet he's in almost everyone's top two or three.

4. This is a hardcore MK fan community; ask the same question on the street and no one will even know who Rain is.

Take these results with a beach full of salt. Having said that, I agree that Subz pulling so far ahead is pretty surprising.

 

[supernumian]

Tier 1

Smoke
Rain
Noob Saibot

Tier 2

Scorpion
Ermac
Reptile

Tier 3
Tremor
Sub-zero

 

[Zhidoreptiloid]

sometimes i hate all these jerking ninja-fans. Not ninjas, but their fan-base in MK... is terrible

 

[Juxtapose]

^ This. Damn near exactly. Die hard Hanzo fan. I'm also a total mark for Ghost Rider/Spawn type characters but that may be my absolute love for Scorpion as he's not just my favorite MK character but one of my favorite fictional characters of all time period.

Interestingly, I never got into Ghost Rider or Spawn. Venom was my favourite comic character.

 

[Gerchap]

Definitely Noob Saibot, my whole life I’ve been called Negro cus of my brown skin so the Darkest ninja has always been the fav

Btw, no Chameleon on the poll?

 

[Dankster Morgan]

I'm gonna disagree in that I think Sub-zero turned into a bit of a goody two-shoes Mary Sue. If they go over the top on how serious he is, maybe he'll finally have a flaw and not be the perfect human being again.

Not to say that's the most interesting flaw they could possibly give him. Maybe something else would be better. But I would prefer this to MKX.

I definitely wouldn't describe him as a Mary Sue type flawless character. First he was consumed by vengeance, then forced into being a cyborg, then fucking murdered and forced to kill for Quan Chi for years, then he was possessed by Havik and forced to kill some more. When he was finally free, he was so consumed with self hatred and remorse that he allowed Scorpion to kill him and he would've died if it wasn't for Bo Rai Cho saving his life. Only in his old age did he finally redeem himself, make peace with Scorpion, and reform the Lin Kuei. He does seem a little OP and hyper capable now but it was definitely earned through the plot.

 

[Juxtapose]

I definitely wouldn't describe him as a Mary Sue type flawless character. First he was consumed by vengeance, then forced into being a cyborg, then fucking murdered and forced to kill for Quan Chi for years, then he was possessed by Havik and forced to kill some more. When he was finally free, he was so consumed with self hatred and remorse that he allowed Scorpion to kill him and he would've died if it wasn't for Bo Rai Cho saving his life. Only in his old age did he finally redeem himself, make peace with Scorpion, and reform the Lin Kuei. He does seem a little OP and hyper capable now but it was definitely earned through the plot.

I agree with this, Sub-Zero has had it pretty rough this timeline. I'd say he started redeeming himself when he took out the Cyber Lin Kuei though at the end of the comics. I also wouldn't say he's old, though he is no longer young.

 

[Dankster Morgan]

I agree with this, Sub-Zero has had it pretty rough this timeline. I'd say he started redeeming himself when he took out the Cyber Lin Kuei though at the end of the comics. I also wouldn't say he's old, though he is no longer young.

No younger than JC and Sonya, he aged more gracefully though because I don't believe he aged as a revenant, or maybe he was just blessed lol

 

[Juxtapose]

No younger than JC and Sonya, he aged more gracefully though because I don't believe he aged as a revenant, or maybe he was just blessed lol

Well I wouldn't call them old either, though they're most certainly also not young. Late '40's to early '50's isn't old age; not even close to being legally a senior citizen!

 

[Dankster Morgan]

Well I wouldn't call them old either, though they're most certainly also not young. Late '40's to early '50's isn't old age; not even close to being legally a senior citizen!

Sure that's fair, I was mainly making the point that it took him almost 30 years to get some semblance of decency in his life

 

[Dankster Morgan]

Also, I think Noob Saibot is a badass character, but Bi Han is incredibly unlikable. In this timeline at least. Hanzo only did awful things because of what happened to his family and being a revenant. Kuai Liang only did bad things when he was being mind controlled. Bi Han's portrayal in MK9 made him seem evil from the start honestly. He had no issues killing earth fighters in the tournament and he mocked and provoked Scorpion until he realized he was about to die he pleaded like the bitch he is lol

 

[Juxtapose]

Also, I think Noob Saibot is a badass character, but Bi Han is incredibly unlikable. In this timeline at least. Hanzo only did awful things because of what happened to his family and being a revenant. Kuai Liang only did bad things when he was being mind controlled. Bi Han's portrayal in MK9 made him seem evil from the start honestly. He had no issues killing earth fighters in the tournament and he mocked and provoked Scorpion until he realized he was about to die he pleaded like the bitch he is lol

I also found it interesting how he and the Lin Kuei were there _helping_ Shang Tsung in this time line, and in the original timeline he was at the Shaolin Tournament to assassinate Shang Tsung.

That's quite a shift, and something that never perfectly added up to me since the timeline change was Raiden sending his memories back to his past self, and his past self received them as the Tournament was starting.

 

[Dankster Morgan]

I also found it interesting how he and the Lin Kuei were there _helping_ Shang Tsung in this time line, and in the original timeline he was at the Shaolin Tournament to assassinate Shang Tsung.

That's quite a shift, and something that never perfectly added up to me since the timeline change was Raiden sending his memories back to his past self, and his past self received them as the Tournament was starting.

Probably one of the ways to explain why Cyrax and Sektor were there this time, and all the other characters who were there other than the original 7, Goro, and Shang.

 

[Juxtapose]

Probably one of the ways to explain why Cyrax and Sektor were there this time, and all the other characters who were there other than the original 7, Goro, and Shang.

Oh absolutely! Didn't make much sense lore-wise, but was still lots of fun!

 

[Espio]

I don't think there's any real Mary Sue despite people insisting there is in these games especially not Sub-Zero. What Mary Sue is forced to be a mind controlled slave and is murdered etc? Same thing with Cassie. Yes she beat Shinnok, but Sub-Zero kicked her ass and Kotal captured her and such.

NRS writing isn't given enough credit honestly. I can't think of anyone in the current timeline that was that way. Even in the last timeline, the closest we got to that was Liu Kang, but then he was killed in Deadly Alliance.

Anyway on topic, I voted for Sub-Zero because I really enjoyed his plot and growth over the games. I became a huge fan in MK3 when he returned unmasked with scar and have been a fan since. I think Sub-Zero's MK11 appearance is my favorite. His voice actor is amazing and he looks really fun to me.

Scorpion is an honorable mention for me because they finally have evolved the character beyond purely vengeance. I'm glad he got it and his arc has moved forward. He is so fun in the beta with his chain spins and what have you and his new voice actor/look is perfect, he really feels like what I've hoped he could be as a Japanese ninja. The beta really sold me on him. Out of the three, I probably had the most fun with Scorpion.


Controversial opinion, but I would be fine if we just had Scorpion and Sub-Zero repping the ninjas with periodic appearances by Noob Saibot, Ermac and Reptile.

 

[Vagon17]

Well I Scorpion and Rain are in my top3 but they are so daaamm popular so I voted for my underrated boy Tremor :^)

 

[Steven Farmer]

I like them all, but the ones I like in order are
1 Noob
2 Reptile
3 Scorpion
4 Tremor
5 Smoke
6 Rain
7 Subzero
8 Ermac
9 Chameleon

 

[zerosebaz]

Well, for me Bi-Han takes the number 1 spot as Sub-Zero and the number 2 spot as Noob Saibot. After that Reptile, Ermac, and a tie between Scorpion and Rain.

 

[xenogorgeous]

very good to see Subby gaining some preferential majority love here, all ninjas in MK franchise are superb, but I think Sub-Zero has a bit edge here, because that fucking badass attitude of him to come, resolve and treat/deal complicate situations "like a boss", being fearless and awesome while doing it !

 

[Dankster Morgan]

Sub is just such a badass. He will rip your spine out while somehow showing you no disrespect. In an intro he literally tells Skarlet "because you're going to die' and tells Joker "for the safety of all, you will die". Straight and to the point

 

[Juxtapose]

Sub is just such a badass. He will rip your spine out while somehow showing you no disrespect. In an intro he literally tells Skarlet "because you're going to die' and tells Joker "for the safety of all, you will die". Straight and to the point

Well that's the thing, Sub-Zero doesn't make his fights personal. He has that cold (see what I did there?) detachment, that's also both professional and respectful at the same time.

He's not offing you because he enjoys it, he's doing it because he believes it's truly necessary.

Typically, he's got his emotions on ice (I'm here all day!). Scorpion, on the other hand, is usually raw emotion; another great contrast between the iconic characters of the franchise.

 

[STB Sgt Reed]

No younger than JC and Sonya, he aged more gracefully though because I don't believe he aged as a revenant, or maybe he was just blessed lol

Well he's also a cryomancer so perhaps they age more slowly?

 

[Dankster Morgan]

Well he's also a cryomancer so perhaps they age more slowly?

True he is only half human. Could be a little bit of both but he seems to show signs of age in MK11 like in my avitar