Portfolio Category: IMMORTAL

Kitana

Life Status:    Immortal

Friends:    Kung Lao, Siro, Taja

Enemies:    Shao Kahn, Mileena

Fighting Styles:    Special Edenian Arts (SEA)

Episode:    Shadow of a Doubt

 

PAST

Millenia ago, Kitana was born in the realm of Edenia. The name of her father, the king, is unknown, but it is known that her mother was Queen Sindel. Her unique self-defence style was invented by her parents, so that all the people of the realm would be able to take care of themselves. When she had perfected the art, she was given permission to tweak it and edit it to her own liking. Kitana did this by adding her favourite weapons, two iron fans, to the SEA. She studied hard and became one of the deadliest fighters on the planet. But she was not the only one, as all of the other citizens of Edenia were practicing too.

This way, the people of Edenia lived safely, and when the style was eventually mastered by every citizen (who hadn’t already mastered a fighting style), the death rate decreased pleasingly.

This was the thing that made the Edenian empire so powerful. Foreign worlds attempted conquest, only to be taken by surprise on learning how evey bystander wasn’t totally helpless. And if you take that number of fighters, and add it Sindel’s actual army, you have an almost invincible kingdom.

But nothing could have prepared Edenia for Shao Kahn’s torrential invasion. The Emperor of Outworld had already taken over many different worlds, and Edenia’s fate was no different to theirs. Cities crumbled, people were slaughtered, creatures were slayed, and in the end only smoking waste existed wherea magnificent land had once stood.

Kitana was among the few that survived Shao Kahn’s onslaught. She had witnessed her father commit suicide and her mother being sacraficed. One of her best friends had been separated from her in the armageddon, her mother’s most trusted guard, Rain. Only her companion Qali managed to stick with her when she was captured by Shao Kahn and thrown into one of his prisons.

Kitana was lucky to learn that she was going to be spared, and that Kahn was going to adopt her as his own child. Though she wouldn’t give any love to her new stepfather, she was thankful that she was allowed to live after all.

Though she was no longer the daughter of a king, she was still known as Princess Kitana. During her stay in Outworld, she secretly passed food and water to Shao Kahn’s prisoners. In return, they taught her many moves from their own martial arts. This continued, and after a few thousand years had passed, Kitana had become more dangerous than ever before.

 

PRESENT

When Kitana attempted to use the Essence of Edenia (a small, pink flower with extraordinary powers) to resurrect her ancient race, Qali attempted to prevent it. She had been sent by Shao Kahn to betray Kitana and retrieve the Essence. Qali failed, however, though it was believed that she had destroyed it. The princess was crestfallen, until Mortal Kombat champion, Kung Lao, presented it to her. After Kung Lao’s good deed, Kitana became his close friend. Now, Out of the sight of Shao Kahn, she aids him in his fight against Outworld any way she can. Kitana often sends him warnings of ambushes, spies etc. Without Kitana’s help, it’s a possibility that the three Earth warriors could be rotting carcasses already.

KOMBAT ABILITIES

Attack:
Kitana’s SEA has allowed her to make her attacks more swift, strong and last but not least, more painful than many other combatants. She is not one to barge in, fists punching in all directions. Using her brilliant defence abilities, she will wait for a perfect opening and grab the opportunity to strike. Kitana is talented using rapid close-range punching, and also with long-range kicks to keep her foes at bay. Surpisingly, she is not exactly Kiri in the speed department, but makes up for it with her amazing strategy and high-impact blows. The final thing to point out is (obviously) the two iron fans that she keeps in her boots. Kitana is an absolute master with those weapons. Should any poor soul get in the way of those swirling blades, you can guarantee a deep, throbbing wound and a long trail of blood.

Defence:
It’s not a surprise to learn that most of her ancient style is based on defence. Kitana can block just about anything that comes her way, if she puts her mind to it. Her brief confrontation with Kung Lao prooves that point, and if we fast forward a bit, her fight against Liu Kang will show you what I mean too. Much of her defence has a taste of grappling, as she often utilises throws, holds and locks to her advantage.

         

Kiri

Life Status:    Immortal

Friends:    Ankha, Reptile

Enemies:    Kung Lao, Shao Kahn

Fighting styles:    Mugen Tenshin

 

PAST

Kiri comes from an old, unusual race of creatures that supposedly became extinct millions of years ago. She is half-reptile, giving her abilities that no other warrior posseses. Her beauty and her charm have taken her a very long way, enabling her to trick and manipulate certain adversaries. She tricked the Earth mortals into believing that she was a seer, in an attempt to lure them to her assassin, Noob Saibot. She again fooled them when she returned with her maybe-more-than-a-friend Ankha, declaring that she actually belonged to an army of females, led by emperor Kreeya.

 

PRESENT

Kiri now works side-by-side with the leader of Zaterra, her realm of origin. He is known simply as Reptile. Kiri and Reptile struggle to return Zaterra to its former glory, and take any oppurtunities that might come along. They made an alliance with Kreeya to try to annihilate the Earth mortals, and are now building an army to destroy the kingdom of Shao Kahn, emperor of Outworld.

 

KOMBAT ABILITIES

Attack:
Kiri’s skills are nothing short of stunning. Her infinite agility, her blinding speed, her unlimited flexibility. In fact, she is arguably the most twistable, flipable and bendable character in all of the series. Though the actual force of her attacks may be somewhat weaker than most, the sky is the limit to what Kiri is cabable of. She is also the owner of one of the most spectacular moves ever seen in the series.

Defence:
There is no arguing that Kiri’s methods are more focused on attacking. But when, on the off chance, that it comes to a point where she can’t actually bend backwards under a punch, she momentarily diverts to a boring old block. Then off she goes again. Her favourite way of avoiding an attack is to run for the nearest wall, clamber up, and intimidate an opponent with a frightening hiss.

                       

Shadow Priests

Life Status:    Immortal

Friends:    Each other

Enemies:    Enemies of their master Shao Kahn

Fighting styles:    (of the Priests seen) Capoeira, Vale Tudo, Karate, Jeet Kune Do

 

PAST

Almost nothing is known about the past of these ruthless monsters. Since they lurk around in long, black robes and hide their faces under a dark hood, it is sometimes thought that they conceal hideous features. Sometimes it is also said that they were once warriors from different realms, fighting against Shao Kahn to save their own worlds. But the Emperor of Outworld defeated them all, capturing their souls. It is said that he then returned them to a half-life, only to serve him and fight for him in the many battles he wars he caused. Only one of them has ever been seen without his robes. This man had the features of a normal human, but he did not show any signs of human emotion. He only spoke to Shao Kahn, informing him of any important information. Whether all of the other Shadow Priests look like him underneath their clothes is a mystery. The Shadow Priests have no free will, and they have no desire to do anything the emperor hasn’t ordered them to. They are ‘blessed’ with many useful abilities, such as sorcery, telepathy and unbelievable martial arts. Though there are many of them who serve Shao Kahn, none of the Shadow Priests appear to be female.

PRESENT

The Shadow Priests are now alert by their emperor’s side, as the war between him and his enemies gets more hostile every day. They can serve him in many ways. They can tell how many forces or armies an enemy has, or where an enemy came from. The Priests also serve him by decimating any foe the emperor choses. They are masters at torture, possessing the ability to keep someone suffering even after they die.

KOMBAT ABILITIES

Attack:
Since their are many of the Shadow Priests, it is hard to tell how their fighting stye works. They fight in many different ways, with many different styles. One of the Shadow Priests fights with Brute Force, using hell-raising wrestling moves and stiff punching to get him through a fight. Another Shadow Priest stands still while his enemy pummels him, waiting for them to wear themselves out or let their guard down, before launching a flurry of sharp jabs and kicks to mark the end of the match. So the styles of the Priests vary. But they use their techniques to such an extent that they can’t recall the last time their foes didn’t met their doom.

Defence:
As before, the ways of defense differs from one Shadow Priest to the other. But whichever way the Priests chose to defend, they will make sure that it is an effective way, and they will make sure that it is an offensive way.

                  

 

Shao Kahn

Life Status:    Immortal

Friends:    Reiko

Enemies:    Kung Lao, Taja, Siro, Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, Rayden, Vorpax, Kitana, Reptile, Kreeya, Sub-Zero

Fighting styles:    Brute Force

 

PAST

Shao Kahn’s parents are Elder Gods. Shao Kahn was to become one also, until his parents had another child. Shao Kahn was given a brother named Rayden. When Shao Kahn and Rayden grew up to be adults, they were forced to fight against each other, for the family throne as an Elder God alongside their parents. After a hard fought battle, Rayden emerged as the victor, but he did not kill Shao Kahn as required. As a result, Rayden was given the rank as the God of Thunder, and protector of the Earth Realm. This however, was not as high in position as being an Elder God. As the Thunder God, Rayden was bestowed with amazing powers, transforming him into a being of pure electricity. Shao Kahn was sent as the emperor of a wasteland called as Outworld. It was a weak and unknown world, and Kahn might as well not have bothered to try and rule it.

But Kahn was clever. He tried his hardest day after day, and gradually he began to gain the trust of the citizens. Using this to his advantage, gradually he bagan to build an army. Eventually, he had forces worthy of conquest. Shao Kahn was able to invade other realms, and clame them as his own. His empire continued to stretch and stretch until all realms were part of Outworld. All except one. That realm is known as Earth Realm, the very realm that Rayden has sworn to protect. Coming to his aid, the Elder Gods set about rules if Shao Kahn was to conquer Earth Realm. They organised a tournament called Mortal Kombat, pitting Shao Kahn’s Outworld fighters against Rayden’s Earth mortals. If Kahn could win ten consecutive tournaments against Earth’s warriors, he was permitted to invade Earth and add the final piece to the Outworld jigsaw.

 

PRESENT

Unfortunately, Shao Kahn lost the last Mortal Kombat tournament. Rayden’s greatest fighter Kung Lao defeated Kahn’s most powerful sorcerer Shang Tsung in the final round. Earth realm was safe for another generation. According to the Elder Gods’ rules, that is. Kung Lao’s glorious win was to cost him dearly, though. As the current immortal champion of Mortal Kombat, he is the main target of Outworld assassins everywhere. Shao Kahn sends many fighters to kill Kung Lao, in the hopes that he will be able to defy the Elder God’s rules and conquer Earth Realm once and for all. Scorpion, Reptile, Sub-Zero, Rain, Mileena… these are only a few of the fighters who are hell-bent on hunting down Kung Lao, in the name of their true emperor Shao Kahn.

KOMBAT ABILITY

Attack:
Shao Kahn’s opponent’s fear one thing when fighting him – raw power. The strength of one punch is enough to have any mere mortal whimpering at his feet. Kahn’s might is unrivaled even by his archenemy, Rayden. But, unlike Rayden, Shao Kahn must make up for all of this muscle-bound mayhem. He is extremely slow when attacking. Shao Kahn does have the ability to pull off any type of move he wants, but he does it at such a slow pace that it will only strike an exhausted opponent.

Defense:
With his huge build and mountains of muscle, Shao Kahn doesn’t bother to defend. He isn’t very good at it anyway, he can only block the most obvious of attacks. His strategy is more focused on inflicting pain on his opponents, rather than preventing pain being inflicted on him.

                                 

Vorpax

Life Status:    Immortal

Friends:    Kreeya, her sisters

Enemies:    Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, Kung Lao, Siro, Taja

Fighting styles:    Pi Qua Quan, Hakke Sho

Vorpax is in Shao Khan’s prison where she meets Shang Tsung! She tries to help him to kill Kung Lao and get out of prison!

 

PAST

Vorpax is the first-born daughter of a queen named Kreeya. Kreeya, like emperor of Outworld Shao Kahn, is intent on conquering all other realms for her glorious empire. She will travel to the target realm herself, and mate with one male from that realm. That is when Kreeya’s unique abilities come into play. Kreeya does not give birth to only one or two children, she spawns a whole army of female warriors.

Vorpax is the very first warrior Kreeya gave birth to. In Vorpax’s world, all of the women are in some way the offspring of Kreeya. All of Kreeya’s daughters, incuding Vorpax, inherit some of her amazing combat skills. It is the women who fight the wars in this world, and not the men.

When Kreeya found out about the realm known as Earth, she sent Vorpax to examine the people there and find out about their ways. Unfortunately, Vorpax was spotted as a suspicious individual by Shao Kahn, who imprisoned her in the Cobolt Mines of Outworld. Here she met her temporary ally and future enemy, sorcerer Shang Tsung. Shang Tsung treated Vorpax like filth. Sometimes he would even sexually harass her, and then threaten to kill her if she did anything about it. Even though she was the first-born of a mighty warrior, she was no match for Shang Tsung’s abilities.

She was forced to play along with his attempts at killing his sworn enemy, Kung Lao – Earth’s best fighter and champion of Mortal Kombat.

Vorpax did Shang Tsung’s biddings willingly, but only to keep her cover and prevent exposure as to who she really was.

 

PRESENT

Vorpax is now no longer on Shang Tsung’s side. One dark day in Outworld, a raging army of female warriors attacked the forces guarding the entrance to the Cobolt Mines. Only three of the fighters made it into the Mines, where they found and defeated Shang Tsung. They succeeded in capturing him and freeing their loyal princess, Vorpax. But Shang Tsung escaped eventually, and now he is loose in Earth Realm. Vorpax stands by her queen, and helps make decisions such as who to attack and when to atack. Kreeya’s forces are not growing as quickly now, since the Earth mortals are destroying all of her hives and preventing a strong army from developing. This not only infuriates Kreeya and Vorpax, but also their ally – Reptile, ruler of Zaterra. Time is running out. Reptile has turned traitor for Kreeya, betraying Shao Kahn in the hopes that he will conquer both Outworld and Earth Realm with her.

KOMBAT ABILITIES

Attack:
Vorpax’s fighting style could be dexcribed as beautiful. The way she moves makes you think of a ballet dance. Her arms often swing wildly while she fights, often confusing her opponent and making her next move totally unpredictable. She is extremely light on her feet and can pull off amazingly graceful moves without making a sound. But she does have a downfall, and that is her strength. Vorpax isn’t exactly all muscle, and there isn’t a trace of fat on her unusually curvy body. With no muscle and (thankfully) no fat, there is no chance that Vorpax can be strong. Therefore she has to work very hard in her attempts at hurting her opponents, as most of her attacks do little more than stun them momentarily.

Defence:
Vorpax’s defense could do with a little dusting off. Since she has to try harder than others to inflict damage, she seems to forget the need to block. When her opponent attacks, she usually doesn’t block and instead launches herself into a quick and effective counter-attack, striking them before they can strike her. This type of defense is useful for a while, but it does become extremely tiring for Vorpax and eventually she will become desperate to win the fight, only making things worse for herself.

                          

Shang Tsung

Life Status:    Immortal

Friends:    None

Enemies:    Vorpax, Kung Lao, Shao Kahn, Quan Chi

Fighting Styles:    Wu Shu, Tae Kwon Do, Shin Yi

 

PAST

It may be hard to believe, but many centuries ago, Shang Tsung was a warrior for Earth Realm.

He was a very happy man, in love with a beautiful woman named Omegis, and being trained by a man known only as Cho – Master Cho. This man was an unbelievable fighter, the ideal trainer for an ideal student. Master Cho saw the potential in Shang Tsung to become Earth’s greatest fighter, and champion of Mortal Kombat. It is from him that Shang learned the arts of sorcery and magic.

On the day of his first Mortal Kombat match, Shang Tsung looked like he would overcome his opponent. But the other fighter made a hellacious comeback, beating Shang Tsung almost helpless. But when the man attempted to end the bout with a vicious fireball, Shang acted like a coward and shielded himself with a spectator. The innocent man died instantly, and for his abuse of the rules, the emperor of Outworld Shao Kahn sent Shang Tsung to be imprisoned in the Cobolt Mines.

Little did Master Cho realize that Kahn was actually trying to defect Shang from Earth’s fighters to the Outworld forces. He secretly taught Shang Tsung the ability to steal a warrior’s soul, and gain immortality in the process.

Shao Kahn then ‘released’ him from the mines, allowing him to join with master Cho once again. Cho was ecstatic, until one day when him and Shang were attacked by a gang of thieves. After managing to defeat the thugs, Shang Tsung broke his master’s heart by stealing one of their souls, and achieving the gift of immortality.

With the help of Omegis, Shang poisoned Master Cho and buried him alive, in a temple somewhere underground. When the deed was done, Shang Tsung no longer felt the love he once had for Omegis. And so he left her in an instant, travelling through a portal and out of her life.

 

PRESENT

After loosing to Kung Lao in the last Mortal Kombat tournament, Shang Tsung was once again imprisoned in the Cobolt Mines. There he met a young woman named Vorpax, who became his ally for some time. But he was prooved a fool when she turned out to be a spy, working for Queen Kreeya, the leader of a totally different realm.

After escaping from the custody of Kreeya’s warriors, Shang Tsung fled deep into the forest. And that is where he stays now.

He walks the paths of the woods, enjoying his freedom, the fruits and the wide open spaces that were so scarce down in the mines. Yet his lust for souls is like a vampire’s hunger for blood, and this causes him to immediately kill and attack any person that he comes across. By the time someone has noticed the dead bodies, Shang Tsung is long gone, wandering somewhere else in the gigantic forest of Zhu Zhin.

KOMBAT ABILITIES

Attack:
One of the greatest fighters ever seen in the series. His attacks are nothing short of brutal and ruthless. Speed is the main advantage he has over opponents. He is also ver quick-thinking, and if you examine his fights closely you will see that he makes the right move at the right time every time. The only thing is that if he gets too heated up in a fight, he may loose concentration and become sloppy.

His style allows his kicks to be as varied and as confusing as possible. Some of his kicking attacks are very strange indeed. After seeing some of those kicks you might think he could paint a masterpiece with his feet!

Defense:
Very advanced and very mastered, compared to some of the other fighters he’s come up against. This level of defense comes in very useful against multiple opponents. While causing damage to one enemy, he can simultaenously avoid the attacks of the other two. Dodging and ducking seems to be more in his favour, probably because it allows him to move in a continuous flow and gather velocity in the process.

                             

Raiden

Life Status:    Immortal

Friends:    Kung Lao, Siro, Taja

Enemies:    Shao Kahn

Fighting styles:    Judo, Tae Kwon Do

 

PAST

Rayden is the God of Thunder. He is the offspring of two Elder Gods, along with the Emperor of Outworld, Shao Kahn. Thousands of years ago, Rayden was forced to fight his brother to the death for the family throne. Whoever won would become an Elder God alongside their parents. Rayden mangaged to defeat Shao Kahn, but he was not ruthless enough to kill him. As a result, neither of them became an Elder God. Rayden was bestowed as the God of Thunder, and Shao Kahn was sent as the ruler of a wasted realm, destroyed by malevolence. That realm was Outworld. As Shao Kahn’s power grew and grew, his armies and forces also grew and grew.

Eventually, he became so powerful that he was worthy of being bowed to. He found that he could invade other realms, and clame them as his own. Every realm he invades becomes another colony of Outworld, and by now Shao Kahn has built an empire over galaxies of realms. As for Rayden, he is just as much of a tyrant as Kahn, but less of a monster. Rayden is not only the God of Thunder, but the protector of a realm known as Earth. This is the final realm Shao Kahn needs to conquer before he can call himself the ruler of all existence. But to capture this realm, Shao Kahn must win ten consecutive tournaments of Mortal Kombat, a battle between Outworld fighters and warriors from Earth realm.

Every generation, Rayden must choose his band of warriors and send them to fight in the tournament. But Rayden is forbidden to interfere in the battles or aid the mortals, unless one of the competitors breaks the sacred rules of Mortal Kombat.

PRESENT

The current champion of Mortal Kombat is Kung Lao, who successfully defeated Outworld sorcerer Shang Tsung in the last tournament. Rayden stands by Kung Lao as he waits for the next tournament to come, and defend Earth realm yet again. But Lao isn’t alone. With him are the other Earth warriors, Siro and Taja. As the three fighters encounter many different enemies and fatal situations, Rayden guides them along the way. He often appears to them out of nowhere, offering them clues and hints as to how to deal with the problems at hand. But he must always remember not to tell them the solution directly, as this may jeopardize Mortal Kombat and risk many of his rights as the protector of Earth realm.

KOMBAT ABILITY

Attack:
After thousands of years as the Thunder God, Rayden’s combat skills are nothing short of devastating. The strength of his attacks make Kung Lao look like a fool. His body is made up of pure electricity, giving him a huge and destructive advantage. It isn’t rare that an explosion of electical charge occurs when he drives a blow into his opponent. You might think that since the power of his attacks are so immense, then it can’t be possibel for him to be nimble. Wrong. Rayden is as quick, fast and agile as any living thing can possibly be. The height of his jumps are astonishing and the gracefulness of his flips is amazing. In all fairness, though, he IS a superhuman powered fighter, who possesses unimaginable martial arts skills.

Defense:
Rayden can defend as well as he can attack, maybe even better. You will see, as he battles an opponent in one of the episodes, an example of his unique defense skills. His foe attempts to strike Rayden with a mighty sword, but Rayden is able to snatch the sword between his hands as it comes down on him. This kind of stunt requires ultimate timing, superior strength and lightning (heh, heh) speed reflexes.

                                              

Kung Lao

Life Status: Immortal (for as long as he remains the champion of Mortal Kombat)

Friends:  Taja, Siro, Kitana, Rayden, The Order of Light

Enemies:  Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, Scorpion, Rain, Noob Saibot and all other enemies of Earth Realm

Fighting styles: Wu Shu, Shaolin, Jujitsu

 

PAST

Kung Lao is from a martial arts monastery, The Order of Light (later to be known as The White Lotus Society). There he grew up with family and friends, who all lived as monks and taught martial arts to one another. The trainers there were unbelievably talented. Kung Lao once said about one of his trainers, ‘He taught me moves that I thought were impossible.’

Kung Lao went into the heart of the harsh training, and came out undoubtably the best fighter anyone in the monastery had ever seen. His abilities eventually led him to defending Earth Realm in the tournament Mortal Kombat. He faced a warrior named Shang Tsung, an evil sorcerer with fighting skills matching Kung Lao’s. Shang ended up at Kung Lao’s mercy, but Lao refused to finish him off. This insident is one which Kung lao is soon to regret. He won the tournament, achieving immortality and holding the Outworld forces at bay for another generation. At the time, he was in love with a beautiful woman named Jen Reyland. But her father the Baron refused to let them into a relationship, for fear of Jen being hurt now that Lao was a prime target for all Outworld assassins. And that is exactly what happened. In an attempt to destroy his new enemy, Shang Tsung sent an assassin named Scorpion (disguised as a man named Takeda) to assissinate him. Scorpion failed, but tried again by luring Kung lao into a trap using Jen. In the heat of a huge fight, Jen was caught in the middle and killed by Scorpion.

PRESENT

Kung Lao now lives in the trading post which the Reylands used to own. Living with him are two other strong fighters: Jen’s former bodyguard, Siro, and former thief, Taja. Kung Lao makes his living by fighting the Outworld killers and all who threaten the ones he loves. But every day he also lives with two major regrets: the untimely death of his beloved Jen and the mercy given to the wretched monster Shang Tsung.

KOMBAT ABILITY

Attack:
There are no boundaries to what Kung Lao is capable of. His punches are as swift as wind and his kicks are just plain flawless. His moves are timed perfectly, leading to clean punishing blows. His main weapons are his legs, which he uses in a huge variety of ways, either to attack or to block. There is no weakness in any of his attacks, no matter what kind of opponent he is facing.

Defense:
When Kung Lao defends himself, it is not long before he is attacking again. The second he evades an incoming attack, he immediately launches a counter assault, using his opponents own attack against them. He loves to grab hold of an attacking fist and have his opponent helplessly stand there while he batters them with his educated feet.

Kung Lao knows many kill moves like the Vaulting Axe where the foot must hit the neck. That’s his specialty move. But usually he starts with that Small Kata.