With the Mortal Kombat reboot scheduled to release very soon, fans of the storied fighting game are anxiously anticipating seeing their favorite fighters reimagined for a new millennium. Part of what made the series so popular in the first place was the deadliness of the combatants, as well as their personal histories and backstories.
Yet, not all the fighters in Mortal Kombat’s roster had the “it” factor of Scorpion, Sub-Zero, or Raiden. In fact, many of the combatants to appear on the various games’ rosters were quite lame and horribly ineffective fighters.
Takeda
With almost 30 years of history behind it, the Mortal Kombat franchise was in dire need of a reboot to spruce up the narrative. 2011’s Mortal Kombat did just that, and 2015’s Mortal Kombat X expanded upon the new direction by adding a slew of new characters, many of whom were the children of the older combatants.
One of the newbies was Takeda, son of Mortal Kombat swordsman, Kenshi. Although he looked the part with a cool costume, his move set was too flashy and highly impractical, especially his bladed whips.
Ferra/Torr
One of the more interesting concepts for a fighter came in Mortal Kombat X, with Ferra/Torr. Part of a symbiotic species, Ferra was a young child who rode the back of Torr, a lumbering, Hulk-like brute.
Serving as the brains of the duo, Ferra was oftentimes relegated to the sidelines of a battle, though she did participate from time to time. Unfortunately, it was often in impractical ways, such as being used as a bowling ball to knock down opponents. In theory, although Torr is freakishly strong, a skilled fighter could render Ferra inoperable, leaving the brute effectively leaderless and susceptible to skilled attacks.
Bo’ Rai Cho
The Drunken Style of kung fu has a long history as a viable martial art, but its Mortal Kombat practitioner exaggerates its movements so much that it becomes a farce.
As the foremost trainer of combatants and a member of the resistance in Outworld, one would think that Bo’ Rai Cho would be portrayed as a serious character, but the incorporation of vomit and flatulence into his move set has relegated him to the status of comic relief. If his move set and general comportment were cleansed both literally and figuratively, he could well be considered a more formidable warrior.
Jarek
Being a member of the Black Dragon clan should put someone in the same league as Mortal Kombat badasses like Kano and Kabal, but somehow, Jarek manages to plumb new depths of lameness.
It’s not that he’s a horrible fighter, or that his move set is lame, it’s that he’s such a blatant copy of Kano, it’s a wonder why the developers just didn’t include him in Mortal Kombat 4. Jarek’s motivations in the game don’t deviate further than a two-dimensional villain, and his ending was similarly ignominious: running off a cliff to his death.
Reiko
Shao Kahn’s defeat at the end of Mortal Kombat 3 left a power vacuum in Outworld, leaving many of his remaining warriors and generals vying to take his place.
Reiko served both the Brotherhood of Shadow and Shao Kahn dutifully and mercilessly as a general. However, as a front runner for the new ruler of Outworld, he left much to be desired. Granted, it’s hard to measure up to someone as physically imposing and magically powerful as Shao Kahn, and Reiko’s move set and stature proved exactly that. The fact that he had a penchant for dressing in his former emperor’s hand-me-downs did nothing to endear him to fans of the franchise.
Hsu Hao
Deadly Alliance did much to reinvigorate the Mortal Kombat franchise, but aside from the character of Kenshi, did little to add interesting characters and long-lasting fighters to future game rosters.
Hsu Hao was a perfect example of this. A member of the Black Dragon clan’s foremost criminal rivals, the Red Dragon, Hsu Hao was charged with infiltrating the Special Forces. For such a lofty task, perhaps Hsu Hao should have been trained in more lethal martial arts than wrestling and sumo. Granted, these styles can be lethal, but when going up against undead ninjas and thunder gods, something a little deadlier is called for.
Hotaru
Mortal Kombat’s cosmology focused on realms, and for the first four games, the only realms mentioned were Outworld, the Netherrealm, and of course, Earthrealm. Deception expanded upon that universal order by adding Chaosrealm and the Realm of Order, each with their own denizens and combatants.
The Realm of Order (also called Seido) had Hotaru as one of its chief protectors, an armored guard who kind of resembled what a grasshopper might look like if it became a samurai. Aside from sporting highly impractical mini-flags on his back that could easily be grabbed by opponents, his move set was simplistic and uninspired.
Mavado
With his chiseled features and long black leather trenchcoat, Mavado certainly looked like he could be a member of a prominent east-Asian crime syndicate. As the leader of the Red Dragon, his seeming success in killing the Black Dragon member Kabal and taking his hook swords as trophies also added to the mystique of his formidability.
Unfortunately, the ridiculousness of his special moves nullified any threat factor Mavado may have had. His grappling hook parries and attacks looked plain silly, and the Looney Toons-like sound effects that accompanied it just added to the character’s absurdity.
Stryker
On the surface, adding a cop to the combatant roster made sense, considering the invasion of Earthrealm by Shao Kahn’s forces in Mortal Kombat 3. After all, once four-armed monsters and centaurs started popping up in suburban neighborhoods, the police would definitely be the first responders. Yet in a world where thunder gods, steel-armed soldiers, and cyber-ninjas are fighting for the fate of the world, a riot cop seems conspicuously and woefully under-classed to participate in a substantial way.
His reliance on concussion grenades and a baton as an offense was laughable when compared to the high-tech weaponry of Sektor and Cyrax or the sorcery of Shang Tsung. Additionally, his initial appearance resembling an overweight baseball catcher did little to add to his formidability as a combatant.
Drahmin
Drahmin made his first appearance in Deadly Alliance alongside Moloch, two oni from the Netherrealm who had allied with both Quan Chi and Shang Tsung. Tortured for ages, Drahmin lost any vestiges of humanity he may have had, as well as his skin.
Resembling another useless Mortal Kombat character named Meat, Drahmin is differentiated from him with a mask and a club on his arm. Though the club can deal heavy damage, the character lacks any finesse in his move set, making him difficult to use. Additionally, his special moves, (like using a swarm of flies to blind an opponent) seem ridiculous even for a franchise that uses Friendships as a finishing move.