30 Strongest Mortal Kombat Characters Ranked
As far as video games go, Mortal Kombat is certainly one of the most popular and most famous ever. This fighting game has been around for several decades now and has managed to reinvent itself with almost every new iteration. Mortal Kombat titles have featured a large ensemble of different characters, some of which were weaker, while others were stronger. Here is a list of the 30 strongest Mortal Kombat characters of all time.
The characters in this list are going to be presented as they have appeared in the different video games. They are going to be ranked from 30th to 1st, thus giving you an overview of how the characters and the franchise itself have evolved through the years. You’re going to find out a bit about these characters and why we have ordered them as we have, as well as get some frequently asked questions – answered.
30 strongest Mortal Kombat characters
30. Johnny Cage
Debut: Mortal Kombat (1992)
Affiliation: Hero
A martial arts star trained by the greatest masters from around the world, Cage uses his talent and special skills on the big screen and in Hollywood circles; he tops the list of the most popular actors of the moment as the protagonist of films such as Dragon Fist and Dragon Fist II, as well as the award-winning Sudden Violence.
In Mortal Kombat (1992), on the ship he takes to Shang Tsung Island, he has a little argument with Kano; he also becomes friends with Liu Kang.
29. Kenshi
Debut: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Affiliation: Hero
Born a fighter, Kenshi spends the first part of his life wandering the world in search of warriors capable of challenging him, in order to increase his pride. One day, Kenshi met Song, who convinced him that a great warrior needs a great sword.
Kenshi took possession of a legendary sword but was overwhelmed by the force of the souls that were released from it, which made him blind forever. Song then turned out to be none other than Shang Tsung, who absorbed all the released souls and left Kenshi to his fate, which appeared to be dead.
28. Cassie Cage
Debut: Mortal Kombat X
Affiliation: Hero
Cassie makes her first appearance in Mortal Kombat X and is a soldier led by sergeant major Sonya Blade, her mother, in search of Shinnok’s amulet, an object that gives immense power to its owner and that Shinnok wants to use to get control over everything.
In Cassie’s team, consisting of Takeda, Jacqui Briggs, and Kun Jin, she is their superior and therefore will lead her team in the battle against Shinnok. Early in the game, Cassie makes an appearance in a helicopter with her father Johnny and her team.
27. Tremor
Debut: Mortal Kombat: Special Forces
Affiliation: Unclear
Tremor is a ruler of the earth as well as a member of the Black Dragon. He is a ninja and his particular skill is the manipulation of the earth and its derivatives, with which he makes his opponents tremble and kill.
He presents himself to him as a large muscular man with a rocky torso and arms, of fair complexion. He is much taller and more burly than the other ninjas, nearly reaching Goro and overtaking Kotal Kahn.
26. Kintaro
Debut: Mortal Kombat II
Affiliation: Villain
He wants to avenge Goro’s death by killing Liu Kang. He looks very similar to Goro, except for the streaked skin and completely bald head (being a tiger). Another substantial difference between the two is the presence of claws in Kintaro. He is also much shorter than Goro.
After the Mortal Kombat tournament, in the Outworld there are rumors of the disappearance and consequent death of Goro; Shao Kahn then decides to promote Kintaro, of the same race as Goro, as Supreme General of his troops. Kintaro knows that Goro has been defeated by Liu Kang and vows to avenge his companion’s death by destroying the ground warrior in the next Mortal Kombat.
25. Sektor
Debut: Mortal Kombat 3
Affiliation: Hero
His mission, like that of his counterparts Cyrax and Smoke, was to find and end the traitorous ninja Sub Zero, after he had not undergone automation and left the clan. In his human life, he was a very loyal Lin Kuei, so much so that he himself asked the Grand Master Ninja to undergo the automation program.
Sektor, in fact, believes that the highest honor of the clan can only be achieved through technological progress and despises Cyrax and Sub Zero, for having disobeyed the orders of the grandmaster.
24. Cyrax
Debut: Mortal Kombat 3
Affiliation: Hero
Cyrax is the second of three cybernetic ninja prototypes that appear in Mortal Kombat 3, and his mission, like that of his counterparts Sektor and Smoke, is to kill the traitorous ninja Sub Zero.
The latter, in fact, had refused to submit to the directives of the Lin Kuei, who intended to transform his warriors into automatons, and had left the clan: so that the Lin Kuei sent the three electronic assassins to kill Sub Zero.
23. Nightwolf
Debut: Mortal Kombat 3
Affiliation: Hero
Nightwolf is a Native American warrior who manages to communicate with Raiden through visions; thanks to one of these he learns of Shao Kahn’s invasion of Earth.
His magical powers as a shaman allowed Nightwolf to protect his people before joining the warriors of Earth in the fight against the Emperor and his henchmen. Years after his victory over Shao Kahn, Nightwolf has a vision, in the form of recurring nightmares, of the resurrection of Onaga.
22. Rain
Debut: Mortal Kombat 3
Affiliation: Hero
Rain first appears in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 as a purple ninja who is not very different from the others. According to his story, Rain’s father was an Edenian general who died fighting Shao Kahn.
Growing up, Rain trained in the arts of combat and was then contacted by Shao Kahn, who gave him the option to join his army or die. Rain chose to betray his homeland and join Shao Kahn’s militias. During the invasion of Earthrealm, he meets Kitana, the princess of Edenia, who convinces him to fight again for her homeland. Rain then decides to betray Shao Kahn.
21. Goro
Debut: Mortal Kombat (1992)
Affiliation: Villain
Goro is the prince of the Shokan, one of the many races living in the Outworld, ruled by the Dark Emperor Shao Kahn. Back from the cobalt mines, weakened and aged, Shang Tsung organizes the new Mortal Kombat tournament bringing Goro with him.
In this edition, Goro wins the title of Supreme Champion by defeating the Great Kung Lao, whose soul is absorbed by Shang Tsung. Undefeated for 500 years, Goro is finally beaten by a young Shaolin monk, Liu Kang, who thus wins the title of Supreme Champion.
20. Smoke
Debut: Mortal Kombat II
Affiliation: Villain
Smoke, in his human form, was a deadly assassin and ally of the Lin-Kuei ninja clan. Friend of Sub Zero (the second, that is the younger brother of the old Sub-Zero who had participated in the Shaolin tournament of the first Mortal Kombat and who is killed, during the same tournament, by Scorpion), accompanies him on his mission in the Outworld.
Smoke is a secret character that can be seen in the trees of the Living Forest, a fighting site located in the Outworld. He doesn’t fight opponents directly, he just watches a bit like Jade and shadow warrior Noob Saibot, and stays on the defensive line.
19. Sub-Zero
Debut: Mortal Kombat (1992)
Affiliation:
Sub-Zero is a fictional character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. It is also the code name for two characters. The first of the two is Bi-Han, who appears in the first Mortal Kombat released in 1992, then becoming Noob Saibot. Then his brother Kuai Liang, taking his place from Mortal Kombat II released in 1993. Sub-Zero is a fighter possessing the ability to control ice in many forms.
18. Noob Saibot
Debut: Mortal Kombat II
Affiliation: Villain
He is actually none other than the original Sub-Zero, killed in the first tournament after a fight against Scorpion; the cold nature of man, which makes him a bloodthirsty and amoral warrior, causes him to be confined to the Netherrealm (a sort of dimension that also acts as hell), where he is reborn, with the name of Noob Saibot, as an animated spirit only from rancor.
When Shao Kahn invades the earth, Noob Saibot receives the order to join the troops of the Dark Emperor, enter into his good graces and then overthrow his empire by joining the terrestrial warriors.
17. Ermac
Debut: Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
Affiliation: Villain
Ermac (technical abbreviation of “Error macro“) is – originally – a red ninja created with a spell by Shang Tsung, who has gathered in one body the souls of many warriors fallen during the conquest of the Kingdom of Edenia.
He is placed in the service of Shao Kahn shortly after his creation and is part of the extermination squads on Earth in Mortal Kombat 3; Ermac and his men are defeated.
Shortly before the events of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Ermac meets Kenshi, who frees him from his burdens towards Shao Kahn; to repay his debt, Ermac teaches his benefactor telekinesis.
16. Triborg
Debut: Mortal Kombat X
Affiliation: Villain
Before Grand Master Lin Kuei’s death, Triborg had all clan members participate in tests and, unbeknownst to them, they were all secretly registered to keep their data in a hidden location. After Sub-Zero killed Sektor and single-handedly defeated Cyber Lin Kuei, the Special Forces found the secret memory of the data and attempted to turn it into a test body in a laboratory.
During this process, the consciousnesses of Sektor, Cyrax, Smoke and Cyber Sub-Zero merged together. This conscience, giving itself the title of Triborg, killed every Special Forces member in the laboratory and fled.
15. Scorpion
Debut: Mortal Kombat (1992)
Affiliation: Villain
Scorpion is arguably the most iconic and beloved character in the Mortal Kombat series. Despite the rivalry between Scorpion and his arch enemy Sub-Zero has been waning, in the collective imagination the two characters are always defined as two extremes, two opposite poles in the game world, and this is also underlined by the powers of the characters (fire and ice), which in the same nature are opposed.
14. Shujinko
Debut: Mortal Kombat: Deception
Affiliation: Hero
The alleged champion of the Elders Gods, he is an old man struggling to remedy his mistakes, and to restore the balance of the various realms caused by them. A long time ago, when he was still a boy, he was joined by an entity who claimed to be Damashi, who was a messenger of the Elder Gods to seek out a mortal capable of defying the Gods.
Upon his affirmative answer, Damashi told him the mission to be accomplished: to take all 6 Kamidogu in the as many realms: Earthrealm, Netherrealm, Chaosrealm, Orderrealm, Outworld and Edenia. Then he instilled in him a skill that consisted of assimilating the skills of all the warriors he met.
13. Kotal Kahn
Debut: Mortal Kombat X
Affiliation: Villain
An Aztec-inspired “sun god”, he becomes the new emperor of the Outworld after the events of Mortal Kombat (2011). Incredibly tall, he has blue skin and blue sclerae (devoid of irises and pupils), and is stout and very muscular.
Kotal Kahn is a warrior from the realm of Osh-Tekk, whose father Kotal K’etz was ruler before the realm merged with the Outworld. Like Osh-Tekk, he is the last of his kind, but he is considered a god among the Maya, who have named him “Buluc” (full name Buluc Chabtan), their god of war.
12. Sindel
Debut: Mortal Kombat 3
Affiliation: Villain
Sindel is sorceress from the Mortal Kombat fighting video game series. She made her debut in Mortal Kombat 3 as the mother of Princess Kitana and the wife of the evil Emperor Shao Kahn.
Sindel in the original line is a minor character, having the most important role of her in her debut game, in general she had few playable appearances unlike other characters. This changed in the new line, where she plays a major role in the history of the series in both the 2011 reboot and its aftermath.
11. Daegon
Debut: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Affiliation: Villain
Daegon is Taven’s evil brother. Despite the appearance, Daegon is Taven’s younger brother. Unlike the other, Daegon wakes up earlier from the dragon’s incubator, due to a mistake by the guardian Caro.
Daegon becomes unstable and once he learns about Blaze, he requests the help of Shinnok, who lies to him, telling him that his parents are favoring his brother. Daegon kills them, later forming the Red Dragon Clan.
10. Taven
Debut: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Affiliation: Hero
The future ruler of the Outworld kingdom and Daegon’s elder brother, he instead rules the order, and uses a democratic regency. Taven makes his first appearance in Armageddon and the story revolves around a competition between the latter and his brother Daegon, established by their father to save the kingdom from Armageddon. T
hey were sent to Earthrealm and incubated by two dragons, Caro and Orin, until Blaze ordered their awakening for the search to begin. Their job is to find and defeat Blaze.
9. Shang Tsung
Debut: Mortal Kombat (1992)
Affiliation: Villain
From the beginning, Shang Tsung is a human born on Earth, but who for unknown reasons leaves his native place to move to the Outer Realm dominated by Shao Kahn.
Here he becomes his great sorcerer with the art of being able to snatch the souls from defeated warriors and absorb their powers, as well as champion of the first nine Mortal Kombats, and fights so that his emperor can cross the borders between the Outer Realm and the Earth.
8. Quan Chi
Debut: Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm
Affiliation: Villain
Quan Chi is a powerful sorcerer from the Netherrealm who is well versed in magic. One day, learning that the elderly god Shinnok has been exiled in the last round of the Netherrealm, he decides to bring him back to life and so he hires the Sub-Zero ninja to find the amulet that will bring him back to the Netherrealm.
Sub-Zero, without knowing it, finds the medallion and gives it to Quan Chi. Quan Chi frees Shinnok from captivity, but is later defeated by Sub-Zero and Sareena.
7. Fujin
Debut: Mortal Kombat Mythologies:
Affiliation: Hero
God of the wind and younger brother of Raiden, his name derives from the Shinto deity of the same name. His first real appearance is in the video game Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, but only as an unnamed boss, only to reappear as Fujin in Mortal Kombat 4.
His job was to watch over Shinnok’s amulet, but he was overwhelmed by Noob Saibot. Fujin joined his brother in the battle against Netherrealm. Once Shinnok was defeated, Raiden returned to the pantheon of elder gods and was appointed Fujin, protector of Earthrealm.
6. Shinnok
Debut: Mortal Kombat 4
Affiliation: Villain
At one time, Shinnok was a benevolent god placed to protect the Earth Kingdom when it was created. In time he begins to be devoured by the ambition to govern him; he, therefore, incurs the wrath of the other elder gods and is faced by the god of thunder Raiden: defeated, Shinnok is banished to the Occult World (Netherrealm), where evil souls are exiled, and Raiden thus becomes the new protector of Earthrealm.
In the Occult World, Shinnok is tortured by demons led by Lucifer, the being who rules the place, until he meets the sorcerer Quan Chi; thanks to his help, the god manages to defeat Lucifer and become the lord of that hideous place.
5. Liu Kang
Debut: Mortal Kombat (1992)
Affiliation: Hero
Liu Kang is the principal protagonist of the Mortal Kombat fighting video game series, featured as one of the original seven characters in the first game of 1992 as a Shaolin monk who enters the Mortal Kombat tournament to save Earth. A
fter his victory in the tournament, Liu Kang becomes the hero of the Mortal Kombat series as the champion and main defender of Earth guided by his mentor, the god of thunder Raiden. He is also romantically involved with Princess Kitana, the adopted daughter of the evil Outworld emperor Shao Kahn.
4. Blaze
Debut: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Affiliation: Villain
Blaze makes his first cameo appearance opposite Liu Kang in the distance, in Mortal Kombar II. Blaze was transformed into a fire elemental by a sect of followers of the Dragon King Onaga. He was created to guard the strength of all fighters in the realm, and when this power became a threat to everyone, Blaze would have to awaken Taven and Daegon.
However, during Blaze’s rest period, he discovers that the number of fighters is too high and that Daegon has already awakened for some time; he, therefore, understands that Taven must be recalled and must succeed in preventing Armageddon.
3. Onaga
Debut: Mortal Kombat: Deception
Affiliation: Villain
Millennia ago, Onaga, known as the Dragon King, was the ruler of the Outworld. He yearned for eternal life and ordered that the last dragon egg in existence be brought to him, hoping that the blood of a newborn dragon would grant him immortality. He, however, died before he could.
Shao Kahn, one of his trusted men, had poisoned him to take his place as Outworld emperor. Onaga’s army, which was considered invincible as the dragon was able to resurrect them countless times, was as if mummified and consequently forgotten along with the Dragon King.
2. Shao Kahn
Debut: Mortal Kombat II
Affiliation: Villain
Shao Kahn was a chief adviser in the service of the Dragon King Onaga, the emperor of the Outworld, who created the greatest empire ever built; but, before Onaga’s dream of immortality could be realized, Shao Kahn poisoned him and took his place in the Outworld; then he appropriated other kingdoms, conquering them militarily or challenging their champions in Mortal Kombat.
Shao Kahn organized a Mortal Kombat tournament against Edenia’s champions, and he and his warriors emerged victorious, thus subduing Edenia; the emperor then killed King Jerrod, then took Sindel as his wife; Kitana thus became Shao Kahn’s stepdaughter. Sindel, for the pain caused by the death of her husband, killed herself; but Shao Kahn kept its soul in the Outworld, preventing its transition to the afterlife.
1. Raiden
Debut: Mortal Kombat (1992)
Affiliation: Hero
He has been appearing since the first Mortal Kombat (1992), where he participates in the Shang Tsung tournament; in the first game, and in the accompanying comic he was originally presented (contrary to later representations) as a merciless and selfish god, with the sole aim of showing his superiority in battle. He later leads the protagonists against the forces of evil.
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Now that we’ve gone over the list, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions:
Who is the weakest Mortal Kombat character?
By far, without any doubt, the weakest character to have appeared in the whole Mortal Kombat franchise is Meat. The guy is a result of Shang Tsung’s failed experiments on people and is basically just a guy without any skin. The poor guy’s probably in constant pain and he’s the weakest guy you’ll encounter in the series.
Who is the strongest character in Mortal Kombat 11?
Interestingly enough, the strongest character in Mortal Kombat 11 is RoboCop, a non-Mortal Kombat character obtainable via a DLC pack. The strongest in-universe character in the game is Liu Kang, which is somewhat expected.
Who is the strongest character in Mortal Kombat Mobile?
According to the stats of the fighters, the strongest character in the mobile version of Mortal Kombat is the Mortal Kombat 11 iteration of Skarlet.