2023’sMortal Kombat 1rebooted the franchise once again, introducing fans to a “New Era” that feels fresh yet familiar. While some characters remained mostly the same in the reset, such as beloved action hero Johnny Cage, others underwent major transformations to their identities, like the shapeshifting Reptile/Syzoth.
With the release ofKhaos Reigns, new versions of the cyber ninjas Cyrax and Sektor, and the demonic entity known as Noob Saibot joined the roster - with three HollywoodGuest Fightersarriving soon after. The New Era is the perfect opportunity to reboot lesser known or unpopular fighters and give them a whole new generation of fans. Here are the ones we want to see.
10Kintaro
There are two things MK fans know about Kintaro: he’s got four arms, and he looks like a tiger. That’s the sum of his whole personality. Like fellow fan-favorite fightersGoroandSheeva,Kintaro is a Shokan warrior, but has always been considered the third wheel of the trio. If it wasn’t for his appearance, he wouldn’t stand out at all.
Now that the New Era has just begun, Kintaro can finally make a name for himself. Perhaps a sequel could show how he and his fellow tiger-Shokans have been discriminated against by their own people because of their appearance.
9Kira
A member of the Black Dragon clan, Kira was introduced in Mortal Kombat: Deception and served as the temporary replacement and a combination of the fightersKanoand Sonya Blade. While she’s made a few appearances in other MK media, she’s only been in two of the games, making her the most underdeveloped of the franchise’s female villains.
The concept of a female Kano/evil Sonya Blade is intriguing, and it’s a crime that the franchise hasn’t done her justice yet. When the Black Dragon clan is finally reintroduced, Kira had better be a primary member and playable character.
8Kobra
Like Kira above, Kobra was introduced in Deception and is another underused member of the Black Dragon clan. The only interesting thing about him is that he’s a clear ripoff ofKen Masters from Street Fighter.His backstory states that he used to be a martial artist who fell from grace after he started killing people. That gives the impression that he could be a threat, but he’s mostly served as another one of Kano’s underlings.
In the New Era, Kobra has the potential to be a dark reflection ofJohnny Cageand a foil to his partner, Kira.
7Jarek
Another member of the Black Dragon clan, Jarek is most famous for his appearance inJax’s infamously hilarious MK4 ending, where he and his credibility were thrown off a cliff. A poor temporary substitute for Kano, Jarek’s only redeeming quality is that he helped the heroes in their fight against the fallen Elder God, Shinnok, so maybe he’s not all bad.
Instead of taking him more seriously, perhaps the best way to reboot Jarek in the New Era is to double down on his character being a joke, making him a funny and amusing fighter to play as.
6Kai
Kai is a member of the White Lotus Society and a friend of fellow Shaolin Monks,Liu KangandKung Lao.In his MK4 ending, Kai was gifted Raiden’s Lightning Staff bythe Thunder God himselfand set out on a quest for self-enlightenment… And then completely disappeared until MK: Armageddon.
It didn’t seem like he was missed much, nor has he been missed since.However, the White Lotus Society remains prominent in MK1, so now is the best time for Kai to make his grand reintroduction to the franchise and bond with Earthrealm’s champions.
5Drahmin
An Oni from the Netherrealm armed witha mask, club hand,and an army of flies. Drahmin has a uniquely weird design, but his character is very lacking. In life, Drahmin was an Outworld warlord who predated most of the MK roster. It’s a trait that’s often forgotten about (if known at all), as he and his brutish sidekick, Moloch, have played lackey to bigger baddies likeQuan Chiand Onaga.
In the New Era, Drahmin can finally show his skills as a demonic leader and plan an invasion on Earthrealm. Hopefully, he’ll bring Moloch along for the ride.
4Meat
The first word that comes to mind upon seeing Meat is gross. He is a monster taken straight out of a B-level horror film. An experiment created by the villainous sorcerer,Shang Tsung,Meat developed sentience and escaped. Unfortunately, his character never really went anywhere after that, leaving him as a visually interesting yet shallow concept of a fighter.
With Shang Tsung scheming for the next game, it’s the perfect time to introduce a brand-new version of Meat. The idea of a creature like him gradually becoming intelligent and gaining an identity is fascinating and shouldn’t be forgotten about.
3Mokap
One of the worst fighter concepts in the entire franchise, Mokap was a joke character that didn’t stick the landing. He paled in comparison to other everyman fighters like Johnny Cage orKurtis Stryker, and his inclusion was a black mark in MK: Deadly Alliance. His only major appearance since Armageddon was in the movie, Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match, where he was Johnny Cage’s assistant, given the name Chuck Golden.
MK1 ends with Johnnycreating his own Mortal Kombat franchise,so maybe there’s a role for Mokap in the near future, as an actor forced to become a hero.
2Chameleon
NotKhameleon,the female Zaterran. The much less popular male fighter with the same name. Chameleon is the most forgettable Mortal Kombat character, to the point that he originally wasn’t even in MK: Armageddon, which included all the franchise’s characters up to that point. His only character traits are that he likes to hide in the background and wants to become immortal. He might not even be Zatarran.
Now that the Zaterran race has returned in the New Era, Chameleon can become the evil Reptile since Syzoth is on the side of good. Maybe get a new name too.
1Hsu Hao
With his uninspired Kano-like moveset and racially insensitive appearance, it’s easy to see why Hsu Hao is consideredthe most hated fighter in the whole franchise.Even Mortal Kombat’s own creator, Ed Boon, despises Hsu Hao to the point he didn’t even want him back for Armageddon. In the rare cases that Hsu Hao does show up, he’s quickly givena gruesome death.His only achievement is teaming up withThe Jokerin his MK11 Tower Ending.
Hsu Hao needs a complete redo, so maybe he should be rebooted as a heroic OIA agent defending Earth from interdimensional threats.
