Mortal Kombat. The name of this game is synonymous with fighting, fun, fantasy and fatalities. It’s all about the fatalities when it comes to Mortal Kombat. Ever since its inception, this simple one-vs-one fighting game has captured the minds and souls of generations to come. Although fatalities were the main interest points, gamers also loved the characters of the franchise.

And who wouldn’t love a guy who can travel through the air as transformed into an electric train? Or a character who’s able to grab you by the torso with his scorpion-like hook? A beautiful blonde who’s not just attractive but also really good with her leg kick? Mortal Kombat was a great idea from the very start, and its characters allowed the game to grow to international fame.



Brief History Of Mortal Kombat

Mortal Kombat is no new game. The series debuted back in 1991 when production started. It was first intended as a ninja-themed series but then producers changed their minds. With a big movie release featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme coming out, the team tried to get a licence to make a virtual version of the main character into a video game hero, but the deal fell through.

Instead, producers decided on making the first character of the series, Johnny Cage, into a spoof, their words, of the whole Van Damme situation. When Midway Games saw just how successful Street Fighter 2 turned out to be, they decided to let the team come up with their own arcade fighting game. They tried to make the game as different from Street Fighter as possible.





And surely, they managed that to some extent. The games collided, with directors blaming one another for copycatting and being fun and gory while their own games were precise and deep. And vice-versa, of course. The controversy helped both franchises grow, yet after a while, Mortal Kombat was the one series coming on top. It was a Coke vs. Pepsi battle in gaming.

Since those early days, the franchise of Mortal Kombat released 13 main titles, with the latest ones being the 2015 Mortal Kombat X and the 2019 Mortal Kombat 11 respectively. Mortal Kombat 11 was the fifth best-selling game of 2019, being sold more than 12 million copies worldwide since 2021. Extreme gore took the game down from store shelves in 4 countries.



Ten Mortal Kombat Characters

What’s a game without a great story and relatable characters? Well, Mortal Kombat comes with neither of those. There is nothing but a mythological story to it and the characters. And you cannot relate to them in the slightest as they are fictional, superhuman-powered beings capable of killing you with a blow. Yet people love the characters of Mortal Kombat like it’s no tomorrow.

Johnny Cage - The very first character to ever be made for the series. It was inspired partly by a movie character played by Jean-Claude Van Damme and introduced in the original 1992 game. The character impersonates a movie star with martial arts knowledge and background. Cage is one of the main heroes able to defend Earthrealm from the many threats that surround the world. He is also a comedian. When the timeline was rebooted, Cage found an interest in Sonya Blade, another iconic character of the series. One of the staples of the Mortal Kombat franchise, Cage has made it into many mediums outside of the series. Most reviews about the character were positive, especially as his role in the games is heroic. He is also famous for his intriguing character development, fast gameplay, and spectacular Fatalities finishing moves. As they rightfully say, there is no Mortal Kombat without Johnny Cage.

Scorpion - One of the mascots of the game, Scorpion is a staple of Mortal Kombat. The character has a human story, as most others do, with his real name being Hanzo. When his family got murdered, he turned into an assassin looking for revenge. The skills he possessed are gory and mostly bad-intended. Among his powers lie teleportation, hellfire and others. Scorpion comes in a yellow suit, with white, glowy eyes and a famous protection mask. Inferno Scorpion is the unmasked version of the character. The Kunai, the Scorpion's weapon of choice, is part of his arsenal alongside the Spear and the Sting.





Sub-Zero - A favourite with players of all ages, Sub-Zero is another leader of the Mortal Kombat series. His rival is usually Scorpion, having different body attires and colours, blue instead of yellow in his case. Sub-Zero is the absolute master of ice, manipulating his opponents by freezing them. Kuai Liang is the person behind the Sub-Zero character, the younger brother of the original, who is now the Noob Saibot character. The Ice Projectile Sub-Zero is capable is one of the staples of gaming mechanics. And surely, the Spinal Rip Fatality is legendary, a fan's favourite and a morbid move to say the least.

Reptile - If you think his costume is a copy of Scropion's and Sub-Zero's, this is because it is true. Reptile's green veneer is now more forceful, with textures that mimic scales and a mask that wreaks of reptilian forms. The first time Reptile came out as it is today was in Deadly Alliance. It was then that producers put more accent on his human-reptile hybrid story, making it more defined. Reptile can turn invisible, which is his main power. He can also attack by spitting acid, as well as sucking the energy out of his opponents.

Liu Kang - Best known for his martial arts capabilities, Liu Kang was one of the first major fighters of the Mortal Kombat series. The inspiration for the character was Bruce Lee, one of the most famous fighters in history. He wears nothing but some black pants, with some red attributes added to some of his latest versions. Liu Kang is among the very few characters coming from the old lore, the original spread of the game. He is esteemed as a warrior, which makes him a common choice with players of all ages. Besides karate, he can produce fireballs to put down his enemies.

Goro - Goro made a first appearance in 1992 in the first Mortal Kombat game. He was one of the sub-bosses, a multi-armed criminal that soon became the icon for bad guys in the game. He is still among the most identifiable characters in the video gaming industry as a whole, especially since he looks so inhuman. His origins in the Outworld are also to blame for his notoriety. Goro made a live-action appearance in the first movie of the franchise, and was continuously featured in the games that followed. Goro will also appear further down the line in the reboot, as well as other games and merchandise.

Ermac - Here's a character that's so unique and different, even his first appearances in the franchise were special. In the first Mortal Kombat arcade games, there was a famous "Ermacs" glitch that supposedly referenced a new character. It was much like a reveal that teased the secret character Reptile. Following speculation and teases that lasted for years, Ermac was finally introduced with Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. His appearance was similar to Scorpion only red, although the character comes with his own backstory, look and so on. He collected souls that were killed when the wars happened in Outworld. These souls are at the base of his unreal telekinetic and teleportation powers.





Kitana - Although 10.000 years old Kitana is a princess from Edenia that's just gorgeous. She's not just beautiful but also has a strong figure. Kitana is the stepdaughter of a key character, Shao Kahn, whom she betrays. With her partner by her side, Liu Kang, Kitana turns into one of the leaders of Netherrealm. Her dress is made out of a royal blue one-piece, and she also comes with a mask that matches the attire. She is famous for the Steel Fans, with whom she unarms the enemy. She can also levitate and is incredible with hand-to-hand combat.

Raiden - One of the most beloved characters of the lore, Raiden is a mortal at first, coming from Earthrealm. Famous for his attire, a white robe, blue vest, and straw hat, Raiden is the master of thunder. He can send electrical bolts towards the opponent, as well as get into their faces and punching due to his famous train. Teleportation, shock, and lightning rod summoning, are all elements that turned Raiden into an absolute favourite with players. Although he can turn into Dark Raiden, eyes red and ready to kill, his straw hat stays the same.

Frost - Added in "Deadly Alliance", Frost is the female version of Sub-Zero. Originally, Frost was an apprentice to the legendary main character. She learned and fought alongside the master, making it second nature to freeze her victims. Frost deemed Sub-Zero unfit to be a master when he made a pact with Scorpion. Challenging him, she was defeated but made it into her mission to still dominate Earthrealm. Her attire is among the most fashionable out there, with a modern suit and a metal teeth-like mask.



How To Perform The Fatalities In Mortal Kombat

Fatalities, as well as Brutalities, are at the core of the Mortal Kombat lore. It's in the DNA of the game that you can enjoy seeing a gore-infested move by the end of the round. When you kill your opponent with one of the two moves, you really kill them. It's been like this for over 20 years, and the fans of the game want to know more and more about these spectacular moves. We will focus on Mortal Kombat 11 from Netherrealm Studios for these explanations, as it is the most popular game in the series now. Mortal Kombat 11 promised incredible Fatalities and Brutalities, and in 2019, they delivered.

The whole plethora of characters in the game is able to perform the much-required moves, including Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage and many more. The producers have somewhat reintroduced the older gameplay in the latest release, yet were able to emphasize on the moves that really made the games stand out and through the test of time. Fatalities, and Brutalities, are back and more gory than ever before.





So how do you do a Fatality in Mortal Kombat 11? As with any complicated move, it will take you some time to adjust and perform it right. And lots of tries, of course. We will be focusing on the game in general, as the buttons for the actual move will differ from platform to platform. Players will simply have to follow a sequence of buttons to perform a Fatality, right when the health bar of the opponent is empty. You will start by loading up the game and starting a round. Select your character and click on Pause, then load up the "Moves List".

Find out the sequence of buttons you need in order to perform the Fatality. Write it down or memorise it if you're good at remembering things. Next, go ahead and destroy your opponent up until before they are about to die. You can perform the Fatality right after the announcer says "Finish Her/Him!" otherwise you won't be able to. Perform the Fatality by following the button sequence and enjoy the gore.

As mentioned Fatalities come with different button sequences for every player. Some are easier, while others are really complicated. The main difference is in the actual animation, as the more complex a sequence of buttons for a Fatality is, the more spectacular the move will turn out to be. The sequence can contain directional inputs, not just buttons used for punches and kicks. You then have to take into account the way you're facing your opponent. The window of time you have for a Fatality is short, so keep trying and don't give up if you can't do it from the first few tries. When you do get through with it, it's really spectacular!