Who are Mortal Kombat's Shirai Ryu? 2021's Mortal Kombat reboot opens with Lin Kuei clan assassin Sub Zero (Bi Han) slaughtering Scorpion (Hanzo Hasashi) and his family over a Shirai Ryu/Lin Kuei clan feud, sending the Shirai Ryu's leader Scorpion to an afterlife from which he plots revenge for millennia. This led to questions on what Shirai Ryu actually means, for both the story and the franchise at large. The clans at the center of this dispute have a long and storied past that can give us some hints as to which characters might make a future appearance. The intro is a highlight of the movie for many, showcasing the brutality of the reboot and giving the film more of an emotional core than a Mortal Kombat movie ever really warranted.

In the lore of Mortal Kombat, the titular tournaments occur to solve disputes between different Realms of the universe – Mortal Kombat's heroes fight to defend Earthrealm against brutal sluggers and stabbers from less-than-ideal vacation spots like Netherrealm, Outworld, and Chaosrealm. But the characters' affiliations are also divided by warring ninja clans that have beef going back thousands of years. By the most recent installment of the games, Mortal Kombat 11, Hanzo has become Grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu clan but ended up dying in the arms of a past version of himself, so the Shirai Ryu is without a leader.

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The Shirai Ryu used to be part of the Lin Kuei clan, before a warrior named Takeda left their ranks to start ninjutsu in Japan, selling his services as a mercenary. His followers became the Shirai Ryu. The Lin Kuei punish desertion by death, and, on top of this, don't take kindly to ex-members trading their well-protected secrets and techniques. The Shirai Ryu even ripped off their trademark Mortal Kombat outfits but made them yellow. In a surprising turn for the games, Takeda died not by violent disembowelment but by poisoned tea (which would evade the block button). The rivalry, sadly for Hanzo's wife and baby, didn't die with him. Hanzo brought the Shirai Ryu name back to life during his resurrection.

Mortal Kombat 2021 Movie HD Images Show New Look at Sub-Zero & Scorpion Fight

In the games, they protect Earthrealm, dealing with constant attacks from the Lin Kuei in a bid to eradicate the Shirai Ryu. In the movie, the Lin Kuei appear to have achieved their ends, wiping out Hanzo's bloodline – they weren't counting on his fiery resurrection as one of the most powerful and button-spammy characters in the whole game series. Scorpion's descendent, Cole Young, might not be much to shout about when it comes to MMA, but his inherited dragon scar (that Hanzo also bears) marks him as part of the Shirai Ryu lineage and grants his entry into the Mortal Kombat tournaments.

While Scorpion and now Cole are the only remaining fighters left who claim the Shirai Ryu lineage, their antagonism toward the Lin Kuei clan may draw more of Bi-Han's clan from the shadows than just Sub Zero. Sektor, Cyrax, Smoke, and Frost – all long-established fighters from the game – are likely to appear in the film franchise if the Lin Kuei remain a focus. The franchise may even use these characters and Bi-Han's death to introduce the Cyber Lin Kuei – a cybernetic sub-faction of the Lin Kuei that also causes contention in the ranks of the traditional Lin Kuei. Viewers could also see Bi-Han resurrected as the even scarier Noob Saibot in a bid to continue his torment of the Shirai Ryu bloodline.

However, the Mortal Kombat games cover more than a simple blood feud between ninja clans. With Shang Tsung the sorcerer stealing souls, Shao Kahn the emperor crushing civilizations with a giant hammer, and time itself coming under attack from Kronika, a literal god, in the most recent game, the franchise would have enough material from which to target new plotlines and source characters. It remains to be seen where the Mortal Kombat movie franchise will go next, although the presence of Van-Damme-alike Johnny Cage was hinted at toward the conclusion of the first movie. However, involving Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei in future installments could underpin the story emotionally as their presence did in the new movie's stunning introduction.

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