Mortal Kombat has a variety of amazing characters including its villains. Here is a top ten list of Mortal Kombat villains and who their arch-enemies are.
10. Kano
Link to a Kano combo compilation in Mortal Kombat 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSz-LhX3K60
Starring off this list is the leader of the Black Dragon, Kano. He is a dangerous criminal who can fire lasers out of his eyes. Kano often commits crimes across the world and eventually sides with Outworld against Earthrealm’s warriors.
Figure 1 Kano teaming up with his past self to fight Sonya in MK11.
Of all enemies of his, Sonya and Jax are his top enemies. He has been enemies with those two since before the events of the series. In fact, Jax was the one who injured his face which caused Kano to have the metal plate on his head.
Fun Facts about Kano
- Kano has an Australian accent. This was started by the 1995 Mortal Kombat where he was played by Trevor Goddard.
- He is in Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks as a hidden boss towards the end of the game. You help Jax defeat Kano before rescuing Sonya.
9. Mileena
Link to a Mileena Mk11 combo compilation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3N6DXzBKIc
Next up is the monstrous Kitana clone, Mileena. As mentioned, Mileena is a clone of Kitana made, with Tarkatan DNA, to keep an eye on her; she likes using her pair of sais. She teams up with Outworld against Earthrealm’s warriors but has been Empress of Outworld for a while before being overthrown by Kotal Kahn.
Figure 2 Mileena about to fight Kitana in MK11
Mileena main enemy is Kitana. Mileena is seen as a monster (especially with Mileena being a savage warrior by often eating her victims) by Kitana, and they are on opposite sides with Mileena siding with Outworld and Kitana siding with Earthrealm.
Fun Facts about Mileena
- While Mileena is savage and ruthless, she has a softer side towards people she cares about. She worries about Tanya, and in her non-canonical MK11 ending, Mileena has a child who she speaks warmly about.
- Although both Mileena and Kitana hate each other, Mileena is part of Kitana’s Friendship (a friendly fatality) where they hug each other.
8. Kotal Kahn
Link to Kotal Kahn’s Mortal Kombat 11 combo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJPAshT5cs0
In 8th place is the Aztec-like warrior, Kotal Kahn. He comes from a race called the Osh-Tekks which consists of Aztec-like warriors. His powers consist of using sunlight for a fire beam or to strengthen himself in battle. Kotal Kahn was the ruler of Outworld before giving it up to Kitana in Mortal Kombat 11.
Figure 3 Kotal Kahn and his forces surrounding Earthrealm warriors to attack them.
While not an evil character, his allegiance is with Outworld. He was willing to invade Earthrealm, in Mortal Kombat X, to protect his realm and throne. Furthermore, he has enemies in Outworld who want to overthrow him such as Mileena and Shao Kahn.
Fun Facts about Kotal Kahn
- At some point before the events of the series, Kotal Kahn met the Mayans in Earthrealm and protected them from Spanish Conquistadors.
- Toward the end of Mortal Kombat X, Kotal Khan invaded Earthrealm, but Sub-Zero (and the Lin-Kuei) fought his army; the game doesn’t show the outcome of the battle. However, if a match between Sub-Zero and Kotal Kahn happens in Mortal Kombat 11, Kotal Kahn states that Sub-Zero and his Lin Kuei outclassed his army. This implies that Sub-Zero won the battle in Mortal Kombat X and drove back Kotal Kahn’s army.
7. Blaze
Link to the final boss, Blaze, fight in Mortal Kombat Armageddon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnRDlJjX8Q4
Sitting in 7th place is the fire elemental character Blaze. His species is called “Elemental” and their appearance is based on their elemental power; since Blaze’s elemental is fire, his appearance of that of a fiery being. He is in Mortal Kombat Armageddon as the final boss.
Figure 4 Blaze (in a more human-like form) explaining to Taven that they have to fight each other.
He doesn’t have any specific arch-enemy, but he was created to keep an eye on warriors to prevent them from becoming too powerful and becoming a threat to existence. He ended up having the Mortal Kombat warriors engage in a final battle before fighting him, so he is pretty much an enemy to everyone.
Fun Facts about Blaze
- Blaze actually first appeared in Mortal Kombat 2 as a background character. He is in the background, with another warrior, of the Pit 2 stage; his appearance is a Liu Kang sprite on fire.
- Most characters wear shoes or some kind of footwear while Blaze fights with his bare feet.
6. Onaga
Link to Onaga Final Boss Fight in Mortal Kombat Deception: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9BWN_4ovsc
The dragon king Onaga marks his spot in 6th place. Onaga was once the ruler of Outworld before he died after being poisoned by Shao Kahn. His spirit would go on to manipulate Shujinko into uniting the Kamidogu which would grant Onaga great power. Onaga would be resurrected (using Reptile’s body as a host), and would take over Outworld, but was later defeated by Shujinko.
Figure 5 Onaga confronting Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat Armageddon
Onaga’s arch enemy would be both Shao Kahn and Shujinko. Before the events of the series, Shao Kahn served Onaga but betrayed and killed him to gain control of Outworld. Since then, Onaga has wanted to get revenge on Shao Kahn. Throughout the story mode in Mortal Kombat Deception, Onaga’s spirit deceives Shujinko into bringing him the Kamidogu to gain power, but Shujinko would later fight and defeat Onaga in battle.
Fun Facts about Onaga
- Onaga’s name means “Great Dragon” in Japanese.
- Onaga first appearance was in Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance in Raiden’s ending but had a different design than his Mortal Kombat Deception.
5. Kronika
Link to Kronika final boss battle in Mortal Kombat 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M9KtzPTTb0
In 5th place is the keeper of time, Kronika. She is a Titaness which means she is above the elder gods. She appears in Mortal Kombat 11 as the main antagonist who wants to stop the current timeline due to Raiden’s interference.
Figure 6 Kronika confronts Liu Kang at the end of the Mortal Kombat 11 story mode.
Due to Raiden resetting the timeline in Mortal Kombat 2011, Kronika sees Raiden as one of her biggest enemies. Liu Kang ends up being the one to fight Kronika in the end and defeating her which would make him an arch enemy of hers.
Fun Facts about Kronika
- Kronika is the first “Titan” character in the Mortal Kombat series.
- Originally Kronika was going to be a male character but was changed into a female.
4. Shinnok
Link to Shinnok’s combo video in Mortal Kombat X: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0XbPqkkUJI
In 4th place is the fallen elder god of death, Shinnok. He first appeared in Mortal Kombat 4 as the main villain who was then defeated by Liu Kang; afterward, he was banished to the Netherrealm (Mortal Kombat’s version of hell essentially). In Mortal Kombat X, during the current timeline, he made advances to kill Earthrealm’s warriors, but was defeated by Cassie Cage; he was later beheaded and incapacitated by Raiden.
Figure 7 Shinnok attacking Raiden with a bone axe in Mortal Kombat X
While Shinnok has many Earthrealm enemies, due to his evil nature, his biggest enemies have been Raiden and Liu Kang because they are Shinnok’s biggest obstacle in conquering Earthrealm. Liu Kang defeated him in Mortal Kombat 4 while Raiden beheaded him in Mortal Kombat X thus preventing Shinnok from being able to act and try to conquer Earthrealm.
Fun Facts about Shinnok
- Shinnok has an amulet that grants him much of his power but was lost at some point. In Mortal Kombat 4, Quan Chi gave him the amulet, but it turned out to be a fake while Quan Chi kept the real one. It was probably because of him having the fake one that Shinnok lost to Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat 4.
- During the battle of Armageddon, it is implied that Shinnok was the one who killed Kung Lao since Kung Lao was wrapped around skeletal hands.
3. Quan Chi
Quan Chi combo video in Mortal Kombat X: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOKBfkKbsB0
In 3rd place is the sorcerer Quan Chi. He first appeared in Mortal Kombat 4 where he was working with Shinnok. However, he would be trapped in the Netherrealm but would go on to team up with Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance. He continues working with villains throughout the series.
Figure 8 Quan Chi is confronted by Scorpion in Mortal Kombat X. Scorpion is trying to avenge his clan and family.
Quan Chi has many Earthrealm enemies, but one of his biggest arch-enemies is Scorpion. Scorpion’s clan and family were slaughtered by the Lin Kuei, but it turned out that it was actually Quan Chi who was responsible for Scorpion’s clan and family being killed. Scorpion would get his revenge in Mortal Kombat X where he kills Quan Chi.
Fun Facts about Quan Chi
- Quan Chi was actually going to be a playable character in Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe as DLC, but Midway went bankrupt. As a result, the DLC was canceled.
- In Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, Quan Chi shares the same voice actor as Kano, Shang Tsung, and Bo Rai Cho.
2. Shao Kahn
Link to a Shao Kahn combo video in Mortal Kombat 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrJq_VSB6sE
Sitting at number 2 is the most iconic ruler of Outworld, Shao Kahn. He was the final boss of Mortal 2, 3, Shaolin Monks, and Mortal Kombat 2011. He relied on his warriors to win the Mortal Kombat tournaments, so he can invade Earthrealm. After Liu Kang won against Shang Tsung in the first Mortal Kombat game, Shao Kahn decided to take things into his own hands and host a tournament in Outworld in Mortal Kombat 2. Throughout the series and the lore, Shao Kahn is shown to be a ruthless and ambitious tyrant who wants to conquer every realm in existence.
Figure 9 Shao Kahn challenging Liu Kang to a fight in Mortal Kombat 11.
Shao Kahn’s main enemies are Liu Kang and Raiden. Liu Kang fought Shao Kahn and defeated him twice in Mortal Kombat 2 and Mortal Kombat 3. In Mortal Kombat 2011, Raiden reset the timeline after Shao Kahn won the battle of Armageddon. At the end of the game, Liu Kang dies, and Raiden fights and kills Shao Kahn. If Shao Kahn wants to conquer every realm, he has to get rid of Liu Kang and Raiden.
Fun Facts about Shao Kahn
- The 1997 movie Mortal Kombat Annihilation has it to where Shao Kahn and Raiden are brothers. In the Mortal Kombat video games, the two aren’t related.
- Shao Kahn was originally going to be a Tarkatan (the same race as Baraka), but the developers scrapped the idea.
1. Shang Tsung
Link to a Shang Tsung combo video in Mortal Kombat 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWd5F5uAWv4
Claiming his throne in 1st place is the original villain of Mortal Kombat, Shang Tsung. He is a sorcerer that enjoys stealing souls from people and was the villain and host in the first Mortal Kombat where he was defeated by Liu Kang. With the exception of Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance where he was one of the main villains, Shang Tsung would serve as a secondary villain in his subsequent appearances after Mortal Kombat 1.
Figure 10 Shang Tsung has a final confrontation with Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat 11.
His main rival is the Mortal Kombat champion, Liu Kang. After Mortal Kombat 1, Liu Kang continued to be a threat to Shang Tsung and to the Outworld forces in general. In Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, Shang Tsung teamed up with Quan Chi and killed Liu Kang, but Liu Kang’s reanimated corpse came back and killed Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat Armageddon. Eventually, the timeline was reset, and Liu Kang defeated and killed Shang Tsung once and for all in Mortal Kombat 11 Aftermath.
Fun Facts about Shang Tsung
- Shang Tsung was originally going to be named Shang Lao during the development of the first Mortal Kombat game.
- In the 1995 Mortal Kombat film, Shang Tsung was played by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. Tagawa’s likeness was used for Shang Tsung’s appearance in Mortal Kombat 11.
