Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath turned Liu Kang into a multi-elemental god, and now that he will ostensibly be replacing Raiden in Mortal Kombat 12 it's time to bring Kai back into the limelight. While MK11: Aftermath's ending hints strongly that the next Mortal Kombat game will feature The Great Kung Lao, there is no reason not to include other members of the White Lotus as well.
Kai originally appeared on Mortal Kombat's roster in MK4, and was brought back (along with everyone else) during the events of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. Despite these appearances (and, of course, in the enhanced MK4 edition called Mortal Kombat Gold) Kai has only appeared in cameos, and he hasn't been a playable character in any Mortal Kombat game since 2006. Despite Mortal Kombat 12's roster rumors indicating differently, it would be better if NetherRealm Studios DIDN'T follow MK tradition with every third main entry being a large almagamation of the previous games' fighters, and instead pared things down a bit.
Kai deserves more screen time than he's received in Mortal Kombat so far. For someone who trained alongside both Liu Kang and Kung Lao (the descendant, not the original "Great" one) it makes little sense, other than character brand awareness, that Kai hasn't been featured in games like Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11, especially when Kung Lao has continued to reappear even in revenant form. It's undeniable that MK4's roster was one of the weakest the series has ever seen, but that doesn't mean Mortal Kombat characters like Kai should be abandoned altogether - especially when he was the one who was originally meant to wield Raiden's power, not Liu Kang.
MK12's Roster Can Bring People Out of Liu Kang's Shadow
To say the Mortal Kombat series is attached to its main cast of characters is a bit of an understatement. Fighters like Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Sonya, and Kano have all been around since the very first game, and although direct sequels would attempt to change things up (dropping Sonya in Mortal Kombat 2, for example) the franchise has fallen into a bit of a habit of relying on these characters to provide the main story beats, while any new people who are introduced usually only act as associate or enemy characters sprinkled throughout the story. Even some of the most interesting new fighters, like D'vorrah, Kotal Kahn, and Erron Black, are eventually sidelined to focus on a more traditional Liu Kang-versus-Shang Tsung story.
As another Shaolin warrior who also has the ability to shoot fireballs, Kai never had a chance to be as popular as Liu Kang, who had already been established as the series' de facto hero three games in a row. Now that Liu Kang has literally become a god and taken over as protector of Earthream, Kai should be given a chance to shine once again. Of course, Liu Kang's new status as God of Fire and Lighting means Kai likely won't be using Raiden's Lightning Staff (which he receives in his Mortal Kombat 4 ending, visible below from the YouTube channel MKSecrets) but he could still stand out from the pack.
Click here to watch Kai's MK4 Ending on YouTube.
Of course, if Mortal Kombat 12's roster includes all of the fighters from Mortal Kombat's reboot, MKX, and MK11 like some rumors suggest, it will be both unlikely and unnecessary for Kai to appear. Slapping him in a game with so many recurring characters - likely yet again including the now-rotting corpse of Kung Lao - would resign Kai to being ignored once again, and he deserves better than that. Mortal Kombat 12's roster should be smaller so it can give fighters who never had a chance, like Kai, a place to shine.