TheMortal Kombatfranchise isundoubtedly iconic, but it has always relied on several massive suspensions of disbelief. In a world in which a hand-to-hand martial arts tournament constantly decides the fate of various competing realms where fighters can be shot, burned, decapitated, or ripped in half only to appear right as rain for their next bout, it’s hard to take things entirely seriously.
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One of the largest suspensions of all, however, is the idea that every fight in theMortal Kombatworld is somewhat equal, that in a universe of four-armed monsters, necromancers, gods, and revenant demons, an Average Joe can level the toughest of foes with a jab to the head or a punch to the privates while performing the splits. If these were real fights, these poor souls simply wouldn’t stand a chance.
10Kollector’s Name Tells You Everything
Kollector might have been a technical marvel by virtue of each one of his limbs warranting their own separate animations, but there’s so little else to recommend Shao Khan’s minion as either a fighter or an actual character. Small, wiry, and creepy to a fault, it would be a surprise to see Kollector return for another series installment in the fighting colossus.
If he’s not much of a memorable character, Kollector also isn’t much to write home about as a fighter. As his name suggests, the guy is essentially a debt collector, an unscrupulous minion who does the bidding of others rather than slugging it out as a great warrior. If Kollector came up against many of his four-armed counterparts such as Goro or Kintaro, expect only one outcome.
9Erron Black Is A Very Human Sharpshooter
Erron Black was one of the best additions to the franchise when he debuted inMortal Kombat X. Aclassic gunslingerstraight from a grimy Western, the Troy Baker-voiced sharpshooter won fans not only for his design but for his ruthless effectiveness, and currently sits pretty high in theMK11tier list rankings right now.
If Erron is allowed to use his firearms, it’s likely that only the gods themselves could get close to him. The truth is this: How many times have players watched a karate tournament and seen one of the fighters pull out a pistol? Strip Erron of his guns, and he’s just another man in a hat.
8Kobra Is Just A Kickboxer
Of all the characters to stretch the bounds of credibility and credulity, Kobra has to be up there as one of the hardest to believe. Armed only with boxing globes, kali sticks, and occasionally a machete, Kobra is pretty muchMortal Kombat’s resident street brawler/martial artist, a musclebound fighter whose special abilities are restricted to kicking his opponents in the head.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that such skills, however impressive, are not going to cut it when facing off against practically any of the enhanced or more powerful figures populating the variousMKrealms. From Shinnock to Shao Khan, Shang Tsung to Sindel, Kobra simply wouldn’t stand a chance.
7Hsu Hao Was Hated And Pretty Useless
Even the developers at NetherRealm don’t like Hsu Hao. At the time, unflattering comments were made about his inclusion by staff members, whereasMortal Kombat 11makes a few references to Mongolian mercenaries. Erron Black’s intro animation features the gunslinger tossing Hsu Hao’s severed head before his opponents, whereas Fujin mockingly calls Kano “Hsu Hao” when Kano refers to the wind god as “Raiden lite.”
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As one of themost hatedkombatants in the entire history ofMortal Kombat,Hsu Hao had almost nothing going for him. A cheap Kano knock-off with only a few interesting powers and attributes, Hsu Hao’s inevitable death in a realMKexchange would probably be welcomed by most onlookers.
6Sonya Blade Is Iconic But Outmatched
Sonya Blademight have done a lot for the representation of women in fighting games, especially when fans consider the fact that she was the only female fighter in the original arcade game, but good intentions don’t win fights. Put the army general up against another human being and she’ll likely wipe the floor with them, but there’s a big stretch of the imagination to think that Sonya could best anyone boasting supernatural abilities.
Not that one could tell judging by Sonya’s story appearances. InMKX, Sonya bests Quan Chi, Scorpion, and a revenant Jax, not to mention her old foe Kano, complete with his cybernetic enhancements. That’s pretty good going by anyone’s standards.
5Jade Stands A Slim Chance
Striking Edenian warrior Jade has carved out a reputation as one ofMortal Kombat’s most popular female fighters, her popularity rivaling that of Sonya, Cassie, andeven Kitana.Easy to play, with a great move set, and always boasting a cocky swagger, Jade is as deadly as she is alluring.
Would it be enough to save her skin if push really came to shove? Kitana’s bodyguard’spredominant weaponsare a pointed staff and her iconic razor-rangs (throwing blades that return to their user), neither of which would bother a demi-god in the least. That said, Jade’s “force rejection field,” which allows her to become impervious to incoming projectiles, coupled with an ability to teleport practically at will, does give her a fighting chance.
4Stryker Is A Man Out of His Depth
It was always a bit of a running gag throughoutMortal Kombat 9that Stryker is just an ordinary cop caught up in a whole world of trouble, forced to fight (and best) the fire-breathing Kintaro, the telekinetic powers of Ermac and Reptile’s superhuman agility and strength. If ever there was a time theMortal Kombatreboot had its tongue in its cheek, it was Chapter 12: Stryker.
Had he not been protected by some quite spectacular plot armor, one doubt’s how well everyone’s favorite SWAT member would have really fared. Despite Kabal being immediately burned to a crisp by Kinato, for instance, Stryker is spared the same grisly fate for no discernible reason, while Ermac decides that his telekinesis is very much a one-shot deal. That’sMortal Kombat.
3Reiko Is No Threat to The Big Hitters
Mortal Kombat 4was responsible for introducing some truly dreadful characters into an increasingly expanding roster, and none were more disappointing than Outworld general Reiko. Not every single character can be a fan favorite, but Reiko’s reputation hasn’t exactly been rectified as time has passed, the Shao Kahn acolyte not featuring since the franchise rebooted in 2009.
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If Reiko was never that well-liked, he was also never much to write home about as a fighter. Yes, the usual abilities and move sets made him better than your Average Joe, but Reiko would soon be found out if he had to go up against the Raidens or Scorpions of this world.
2Kung Jin Is Too Much Of A Nice Guy
Introduced inMortal Kombat Xas one of the so-called ‘Kombat Kids,’ Kung Jin arguably ended up making the least impact of the quadrumvirate of debutants looking to make their mark as a new generation of fighters who could one day take over from the old guard. Young, athletic, and clearly capable of handling himself in a fight, Kung Jin would make most human competitors look decidedly foolish.
Yet if Erron Black’s bringing of weapons to a gunfight is misguided, it’s got nothing on wielding a staff and a bow and arrows when going up against more powerful opponents. Kung Jin might be a nice guy and welcome addition to the overallMKroster, but he’s not going to do a huge amount of damage when it comes to entering the big leagues.
1Meat’s Defects Are Self-Evident
Mortal Kombathas seen its fair share ofjoke charactersover the years. Mocap, essentially a man in a motion capture suit and Bo Rai Cho, the flatulent drunkard responsible for tutoring Kung Lao and Lui Kang are two of the most prominent examples of Ed Boons’ slightly twisted sense of humor. The strangest of them all has to be Meat, perhaps the most infamously warped creation the franchise ever coughed up.
Debuting inMortal Kombat 4but rarely seen much in the series’ modern era, Meat is, as the name suggests, a fleshy, skinless humanoid who fled Shang Tsung’s flesh pits before he could be completely formed, giving him his distinctively gory look. Unlikely to win many beauty contests or karate tournaments either, Meat would only be good for making for one very messy dojo.
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