Every Character Confirmed Playable In Mortal Kombat 1 (2024)

After months of anticipation, a new Mortal Kombat game was unceremoniously revealed in a Warner Bros. financial call — a method that's not ideal for a game announcement. In May 2023, NetherRealm Studios formally unveiled the latest entry in the bloody fighting franchise with a stunning trailer and a September 2023 release date. Since then, the reveals have been fast and furious.

Mortal Kombat 1 takes the Mortal Kombat series back to the beginning, but it won't be just another retelling. MK1's story follows Mortal Kombat 11 and its Aftermath expansion's time-warping story, which means players will be reintroduced to their favorite characters in a completely new way. Most of the launch roster has already been revealed along with the entire lineup for Kombat Pack 1.

Updated on August 9, 2023, by Michael Colwander: The list of Mortal Kombat 1 characters keeps on growing with the MK1 launch roster almost completely known. On top of that, all six Kombat Pack 1 characters were also revealed! How many Mortal Kombat fan favorites have made the cut?

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25 Raiden

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Raiden was the first character seen in the first MK1 trailer. Raiden has been in Mortal Kombat from the very beginning and has appeared in every entry to date, playable or otherwise. Additionally, the God of Thunder has long been a mentor character for Earthrealm's heroes.

However, Raiden gave up his godhood to Liu Kang during the events of MK11. In the MK1 trailer, Raiden is seen on an isolated farm along with Kung Lao. It'll be interesting to see how MK1 handles Raiden now that he's a human. Thankfully, Raiden still has his iconic electric powers. It would've been odd if he didn't.

24 Kung Lao

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Kung Lao first made his Mortal Kombat debut in Mortal Kombat II and has been a frequent playable character ever since, including one of the lead roles in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks along with Liu Kang.

Kung Lao is best known for his blade-rimmed hat, which has consistently produced some of the most brutal Fatalities. Kung Lao has long been a close friend and ally of Liu Kang. How his relationship with the now god Liu Kang plays out in this new timeline will be something to look out for.

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23 Liu Kang

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Liu Kang is widely considered the primary protagonist throughout the Mortal Kombat series. Except for Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Liu Kang has been playable in every mainline Mortal Kombat game — even as a zombie.

At the end of MK11, Liu Kang becomes the God of Fire and later the Keeper of Time. Liu Kang kickstarted this new timeline and is seen in the MK1 trailer descending onto Raiden and Kung Lao's farm to confront the arrival of Shang Tsung. It's possible Liu Kang takes on the traditional role Raiden's had in previous Mortal Kombat games while Raiden effectively becomes Liu Kang, a Shaolin monk who's close friends with Kung Lao.

22 Shang Tsung

DLC – Preorder Bonus

Shang Tsung has long been one of the most popular and recognizable antagonists throughout the Mortal Kombat series. The sorcerer with the ability to steal souls and mimic other characters has ended millions of arcade runs over the years.

In the MK1 trailer, Shang Tsung emerges from a portal at Raiden and Kung Lao's farm. Sadly, Shang Tsung won't have the voice and likeness of actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who portrayed Shang Tsung in the 1995 Mortal Kombat film. Shang Tsung will also be a preorder bonus, much like Shao Kahn in MK11, making Shang Tsung a downloadable character in consecutive Mortal Kombat games.

21 Kitana

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Kitana is the Edenian princess who first appeared in Mortal Kombat in MKII. Kitana is one of the most prevalent and popular female characters both in Mortal Kombat and the fighting game genre as a whole. Kitana remains a princess based on the first MK1 trailer.

Kitana is seen in a carriage surrounded by adoring citizens. However, in that carriage is her hybrid clone Mileena, which begs the question of what their relationship will be like in MK1. The same goes for Kitana's relationship with Liu Kang, considering how close the two characters have been previously. It's possible Mortal Kombat fans will start shipping Kitana and Raiden, instead, if they haven't already.

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20 Mileena

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Much like Kitana, Mileena is an incredibly popular character among the Mortal Kombat fanbase. In fact, the long wait for her arrival in MK11 led to excessive toxicity. As a result, every Ed Boon tweet got bombarded by Mileena fans begging for her return, even when the tweet regarded serious issues unrelated to Mortal Kombat.

Mileena fans didn't have to wait long to see their "queen," since their beloved Kitana clone and Tarkatan hybrid appeared in the first MK1 trailer. Mileena has always had a poor relationship with her "sister," which makes her appearance in Kitana's carriage one of the most fascinating story developments. In MK1, Mileena is Kitana's twin, so a princess in her own right. However, Mileena gains her monstrous form thanks to the Tarkat Virus, which means fans will see Mileena as fully human for the first time.

19 Scorpion

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Scorpion is the poster child of Mortal Kombat, much like Ryu in Street Fighter. It's tough to imagine Scorpion not appearing in a Mortal Kombat game, especially after controversially being omitted from the original Mortal Kombat 3. It's no surprise Scorpion appears in the very first MK1 trailer.

Typically, the Shirai Ryu hellbent on revenge is seen fighting Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat trailers. However, after the two initially stand face-to-face, they both turn to gaze upon an eclipse. It was later revealed that Scorpion in MK1 will actually be Kuai Liang – the brother of Bi-Han and the second Sub-Zero in the other two timelines. It's unknown whether the original Scorpion, Hanzo Hasashi, will properly be in MK1 beyond the Kameo Scorpion.

18 Sub-Zero

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Wherever Scorpion is, Sub-Zero will surely follow. Both iterations of Sub-Zero are members of the Lin Kuei, the longtime rival faction of the Shirai Ryu. The first Sub-Zero, Bi-Han, is responsible for Scorpion's death. When Scorpion got his revenge, the title of Sub-Zero was passed down to Bi-Han's brother, Kuai Liang. Bi-Han was later resurrected as Noob Saibot.

Bi-Han will be Sub-Zero in MK1, which makes sense since this is the beginning of a timeline. However, with Kuai Liang being Scorpion and Hanzo nowhere to be found, it's interesting to consider just how differently Sub-Zero's story will progress.

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17 Johnny Cage

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Johnny Cage has been a mainstay in the Mortal Kombat franchise. His likable personality and ego have added much-needed comic relief in this otherwise dark franchise. Johnny Cage wasn't seen in the original MK1, but was shown off in the first gameplay trailer fighting Kenshi.

As a part of Kombat Pack 1, Johnny Cage will be receiving a skin where he's portrayed by Jean-Claude Van Damme. Van Damme was one of the original inspirations for Cage, though he never portrayed Cage. In fact, Van Damme went on to play Guile in the Street Fighter movie.

16 Kenshi

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Fighting Cage in the initial gameplay trailer was Kenshi. In the gameplay trailer, Cage is in possession of Sento – Kenshi's katana, which is infused with countless souls.

Kenshi's appearance elated Mortal Kombat fans as his appearance in MK11 was disappointing to say the least. Kenshi appeared dead in MK11's Krypt, not appearing in any other fashion at the climactic end of the second timeline. The blind swordsman is one of the most popular characters from the 3D era of Mortal Kombat having first debuted in MKDA. Kenshi maintains much of his telekinesis attacks, which when combined with the Kameo system, can be incredibly overwhelming for opponents.

15 Ashrah

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It appears Liu Kang has an affinity for the 3D era because he's given characters from that era a much-needed return to the spotlight. Among the returning 3D characters is Ashrah, who made her Mortal Kombat debut in Mortal Kombat: Deception and later appeared in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.

Ashrah is a demon from the Netherream. Despite this, she is a demon hunter who uses the powers of her Kriss weapon to cleanse souls and become more pure and holy in the process. Most of Ashrah's moves are light-based, which includes her angelic Fatality as seen in the "Banished" trailer.

14 Baraka

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Baraka has long been a mainstay in the Mortal Kombat series. Despite this, he's often viewed as a joke character or a jobber. Someone whose role is to support the antagonists, but also get their butt kicked.

In MK1, Baraka seems to have a deeper and more sympathetic role. In the new timeline for MK1, the Tarkatan are the result of the Tarkat virus, which results in the Tarkatan's monstrous appearance. Baraka, formally a merchant before becoming afflicted with the Tarkat virus, now leads the Tarkatan after their kind were outcasted from society.

13 Geras

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Geras is the first MK11 newcomer confirmed to return for MK1, and it makes perfect sense. Geras is the immortal servant to the Keeper of Time. In MK11, this made Geras an antagonist as he served Kronika. However, in MK1 he now serves Liu Kang and guides Liu Kang as he tries to shape an ideal universe.

In a fitting nod to the sands of an hourglass, Geras boasts both sand and time-based attacks. This allows Geras to manipulate time to enhance combo potential while also using his sand attacks to deal heavy damage.

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12 Havik

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Havik is another returning 3D-era character and may be the most bizarre character in Mortal Kombat's history. Havik's grotesque zombie-like design carries over into his gameplay as he can rip off his arm and use it as a weapon.

Narratively, Havik is the Cleric of Chaos from Chaosrealm. He serves no other purpose than to create as much chaos as possible. Havik has a healing ability that allows him to heal from otherwise fatal wounds, which it feels like every character has given how devastating attacks can get during gameplay, but Havik's healing abilities are baked into his background.

11 Li Mei

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Among all the 3D-era characters revealed so far, Li Mei appears to have the most prominent narrative role. In the original timeline, Li Mei was an Outworld warrior who fought to free her people from enslavement at the hands of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi. However, her soul was taken, but later saved by Bo' Rai Cho. Although Bo' Rai Cho trained her for the Battle of Armageddon, she would eventually die at the hands of Hotaru.

Li Mei was mostly in the background of the second timeline, besides a minor role in Mortal Kombat X. In the new timeline, Li Mei was a member of the Umgadi, a group of warrior priestesses who serves the Outworld royal family. After being blamed for a tragedy, Li Mei left the Umgadi to join Sun Do's constable police force.

10 Rain

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For the first time since MKA, Rain is finally on the base roster again! Rain is on the base roster for MK1 after previously being released as DLC for Mortal Kombat (2011) and MK11. It's a welcomed move since Rain was one of the final additions to MK11, which meant players only got to play as him toward the end of MK11. Now players will be able to play as Rain throughout the lifespan of MK1.

The purple ninja, who was initially created as a joke for the original Mortal Kombat 3's attract mode to trick players into believing he could be unlocked, has taken on more of a sorcerer look in MK1. In MK1, Rain carries a staff and has a greater emphasis on his water-based magic attacks.

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9 Reptile

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Reptile is one of the most exciting additions to MK1's roster. Not because he's a mainstay that's tough to imagine Mortal Kombat without, but rather how he's handled in MK1.

Instead of taking on just a human look or a reptilian look, Reptile utilizes both forms. In gameplay, Reptile can switch back and forth between human and reptilian forms even in mid-combo, which marks one of the most significant and welcomed changes to any classic character. Reptile also has a deeper role in MK1's narrative. While he's no longer the last of his Saurian kind, he is an outcast due to his ability to take on a human form.

8 Smoke

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MK1's commitment to include every ninja continues with Smoke who originally debuted in MKII as a secret sub-boss. Smoke, whose real name is Tomas Vrbada, is a Lin Kuei assassin from the Czech Republic in Earthrealm.

In the new timeline, Smoke joins the Lin Kuei after he and his family accidentally trespass into Lin Kuei territory while on a hunt. The Lin Kuei killed Smoke's family. Smoke was adopted by the Lin Kuei Grandmaster as penance for the actions of his warriors and was raised alongside his new brothers, Sub-Zero and Scorpion.

7 Tanya

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Like Rain, MK1 marks Tanya's first base roster appearance since MKA. Tanya is one of the most popular and well-known characters first introduced in the much-maligned Mortal Kombat 4. Tanya typically serves in an antagonistic role and is known for her glowing white eyes with the latter not being the case in MK1.

In MK1, Tanya is a high-ranking and respected member of the Umgadi. That comes at a price as, due to her sworn chastity, her relationship with Mileena can't be made known. Tanya is one of a few LGBT+ characters in the Mortal Kombat series, which has carried over into the new timeline.

6 Ermac

DLC – Kombat Pack 1

The first season of DLC characters consists of three returning characters and three guest characters. Among the returning characters, Ermac is probably the most controversial due to his design, which continues the trend of "mummifying" him as opposed to his classic red ninja look.

Ermac was a creation that required the fusion of countless souls. Because of this, his move set is based around telekinesis similar to Kenshi, whose Sento katana contains countless souls itself. Due to being the manifestation of the souls of many, Ermac is also intelligent, having a wide range of knowledge of Outworld and its residents.

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