With the reveal event for Mortal Kombat 11, we now have far more information regarding the gameplay, story and characters. In this piece however, I wanted to go over 11 characters that haven’t been announced or teased at the reveal event, that I hope to see return in the next instalment of this beloved franchise.
Keep in mind, MK11 will have some form of time manipulation due to the main antagonist, Kronika, which means characters who died in previous instalments are fair game.
- 1. Kotal Kahn
The current ruler of Outworld. Kotal Kahn made his playable debut in MKX. His Aztec aesthetic was definitely unique and his variations undoubtedly sold the fantasy of “god-king”. Particularly, I’d like to see more of the Blood God and Sun God variations available within the custom variation system, allowing us to make him the magic wielding, totem summoning, heavy hitter we know him to be. Additionally, with time being a core element of the story, I’d love to see him interact with Shao Kahn if he is featured in the story mode.
- 2. Kenshi Takahashi
Kenshi has been a favourite of mine for a very long time. Probably since his debut in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance if i’m honest. There’s just something cool about a blind, telekinetic swordsman right? His inclusion in the recent MKX filled me with joy and his updated look and his variations did him justice in every respect in my opinion. From the Balanced variation offering his “klassic” moveset to Kenjutsu and Possessed variations offering sword-based kombat and a darker take on Kenshi respectively, there was just a lot of variation (pun intended). While I love the gameplay that Kenshi offers, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t unbelievably keen to see how cool we can make our resident blind swordsman look in MK11 through the customisation system. Also sticking with the “time” theme, perhaps there could be some interaction between Kenshi and Shang Tsung if he returns.
- 3. Shang Tsung
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear! Shang Tsung debuted in the original Mortal Kombat as well as appearing in numerous other titles and recently returning as a playable character in Mortal Kombat (2011). Seeing as he took a break during MKX, I’d love to see the evil sorcerer himself return in MK11 and see what kind of variations could be cooked up with him. I always found Shang Tsung to be a character who required a decent amount of skill to use effectively, though I am no expert in fighting games. I think the custom variation system would allow a character like Shang Tsung to offer some really interesting play-styles, perhaps focusing on spellcasting, soul siphoning and mimicry? Similar to Shinnok from MK11 in a sense.
- 4. Ermac
Well, since we’re talking about souls, it’d be rude not to include the character who’s all soul. Old “Error Macro” himself, or them-self? I don’t know. I’ve always found Ermac cool in concept due to him being an amalgamation of different souls and despite usually being bound to a master, is very interesting when exercising free will in my opinion. Furthermore, I think it’d be interesting to see where his allegiance lies in MK11 with the potential presence of so many Outworld Rulers.
- 5. Onaga
If Kotal Kahn and Shao Kahn are going to be present, the party wouldn’t be complete without Onaga. Despite Onaga debuting in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, the first time I actually remember seeing The Dragon King was in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon and I have always thought he was cool for the simple fact that he is a dragon. The original ruler of Outworld returning would make for an interesting power struggle between the three would-be rulers of Outworld, especially amidst the inevitable chaos Kronika will create among the realms.
- 6. Erron Black
Erron Black is another character that debuted in MKX and has an extremely unique design, given the settings he finds himself in. A gunslinger from the old west who’s allegiance belongs to Kotal Kahn. I think Erron Black, much like Kotal Kahn, is an extremely unique addition to the roster and has a great set of tools which is why I think it would be a shame for him to not continue as a playable character after just one game. His combination of excellent zoning as well as formidable and flashy close range attacks makes for a very well rounded kit and is an easy choice for the custom variation system in MK11.
- 7. Shujinko
Shujinko debuted in Mortal Kombat: Deception as the main character and protagonist. He was tasked with collecting the Kamidogu. Relics of the elder gods which contain the essence of their respective realms. This task however, was a trick orchestrated by Onaga under the guise of Damashi, the emissary of the elder gods. Shujinko’s gameplay revolves entirely around learning abilities from other fighters he encounters during his lifetime. This seems like it would be challenging to implement in terms of the variation system but I would like to see him involved for the stories sake. Perhaps he won’t accidentally cause as much trouble in the new timeline.
- 8. Fujin
Fujin, the God of Wind made his playable debut in Mortal Kombat 4, though has not been playable in anything in recent years. Fujin is a character that I never played a lot of, though I have always thought was cool as I am a big fan of lightning and wind elements in fantasy games. Boy did I enjoy seeing Raiden and Fujin fighting together in MKX. I think MK11 would be a great time to introduce Fujin in a modern game and could be a very good counter to Raiden in his new, corrupted state.
- 9. Cyber fellas (Sektor and Cyrax)
I’ve cheated a bit with this one, but you can’t have one of these boys without the other. Both of these characters made their debut in Mortal Kombat 3 and were also recently playable in Mortal Kombat (2011) and MKX through the character Triborg. Both characters underwent a process to become cyborgs in an attempt for the Lin Kuei to create a force of efficient, cybernetic assassins and they really do live up to that description. These two in particular, would lend themselves very well to the new customisation system. Though, could you really have a Cyrax that wasn’t yellow or a Sektor that wasn’t red?
- 10. Smoke
A bit of a follow-on from the previous entry, I’d love for Smoke to make a return, but in his human form. Smoke also made his playable debut in Mortal Kombat 3 as a cyborg and recently returned in Mortal Kombat (2011) though he retained his human form unlike Sektor and Cyrax. He too was playable in MKX through the character Triborg but I would much prefer the human version of this character. Smoke in his ninja outfit is all too enticing, especially after seeing Scorpions redesign. He’s a master of smoke and stealth and I would very much like it if the ninja roster continued to expand.
- 11. Rain
The last character I’d like to see make a return in MK11 is Rain, The Purple Prince. His playable debut was in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and again more recently, as a DLC character for Mortal Kombat (2011). He appeared as a character within MKX’s story mode but wasn’t playable which wasn’t exactly well received by fans. This seems like the perfect opportunity to insert him back into the playable roster to sate the hunger of eager fans. By now I shouldn’t need to say it, but of course I am a big fan of a character that wields elements such as water and lightning so I would welcome Rain with open arms.
There are definitely other characters that I hope make a return in MK11 but I had to narrow this list down to 11, it just wouldn’t feel right otherwise. Of course, we will also likely have a slate of new characters joining the roster alongside Geras and I eagerly await those too.
If you enjoyed my little list about MK11, why not check out the new information from the reveal event.
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