Characters We Want To See In Mortal Kombat 12
Since the first "Mortal Kombat" game released in 1992, the series has supported an ever-growing cast of fighters. While the cast started with a selection of ninjas and humans it has grown to include women with bestial mouths, reptilians, giants, sorcerers, and a centaur. Each character brings their own fighting style, signature moves, personality, and backstory for players to identify with while they tear apart their opponents in gore-filled combat.
Now that "Mortal Kombat 12" has been confirmed for an arrival in the near future, fans have begun speculating about what characters could feature in the game's roster. While it seems likely that series staples like Sub Zero, Scorpion, and Raiden will likely show up in some way, the franchise has a deep well of previous combatants worthy of making a comeback. This could help bring some fresh ideas to the lineup, serve as a treat for dedicated fans, and could even set up some out-of-this-world DLC fighters.
Belokk
Belokk is a bit of a legend within the "Mortal Kombat" community. He was developed for "Mortal Kombat Gold," but was cut before the game's full release in 1999. Before this occurred, however, screenshots containing the character were sent to Game Informer and published, giving fans an interesting behind-the-scenes look at "Mortal Kombat."
Since Belokk was never fully realized, seeing him appear in "Mortal Kombat 12" would be a great nod to the series' history for fans. His unique position in the franchise's past could also play a fun role in the title's story mode. "Mortal Kombat 11" played around with the IP's legacy via some time-traveling fun that allows characters to face off against older versions of themselves. Toying with the timeline in this way could have Belokk finally appear with a fun canonical story nod to his leak and place in the franchise.
Since Belokk has never been seen beyond a few screenshots his inclusion would also give the developers the opportunity to create an entirely new move-set. This would help him fulfill a unique role in the roster while also enabling him to act as a great introduction to the new mechanics and style for "Mortal Kombat 12."
Kratos
When the series was rebooted with the release of "Mortal Kombat" in 2011, Kratos from "God of War" was featured as a guest character for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions. In the games he utilizes an array of weapons from his own franchise, allowing him to attack at range with his Blades of Chaos, shoot arrows from the Bow of Apollo, create a shockwave with Helios' severed head, and parry attacks with the Golden Fleece. All of the moves are a nice nod to the "God of War" series while also adding a fun dose of Greek mythology to "Mortal Kombat."
Kratos would also work well as a DLC character for after the game's release. "Mortal Kombat X" featured a cast of DLC characters that represented some of the most iconic horror movies of all time while "Mortal Kombat 11" had a cast of action movie heroes. Having Kratos return to the series would present a great opportunity for "Mortal Kombat 12" DLC to feature iconic video game characters. It would also be exciting to see Kratos appear in the game on PC and Xbox consoles.
Goro
Goro is one of the most iconic characters from "Mortal Kombat" thanks to his four intimidating arms. In the original games, he was made from clay and animated with stop motion, which helped him stand out from his live-action opponents. However, he has been largely absent from the most recent titles in the series other than being offered as a DLC character in "Mortal Kombat X." He appeared in "Mortal Kombat 11," however, only as a brief cameo in the single-player story mode.
This puts him in a great position to feature in "Mortal Kombat 12" as a core member of the roster. Having Goro return would be very exciting for fans that are familiar with him from past appearances. He also could play a fun part in the game's story to help connect it to its past since he won nearly every previous tournament at the center of "Mortal Kombat" until Liu Kang arrived and defeated him. Having him play a pivotal narrative would be a treat for fans of Goro and the series while serving as a triumphant return for an iconic mascot.
Blaze
Many players may not be familiar with Blaze, but he was actually introduced in the second "Mortal Kombat" title in arcades, where he could be seen in the backgrounds of some stages. He was eventually added to the roster but hasn't been seen since being featured in "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon" in 2006. He is a fighter that controls fire and lava heals himself through taunts, teleports across the stage, and attacks opponents from a distance. In the lore, he is considered one of the most powerful beings of the entire "Mortal Kombat" universe, as he is capable of triggering Armageddon to devour all of existence.
Blaze's return would be a great way to follow up on the incredible power of "Mortal Kombat 11" antagonist Kronika. Seeing his fiery effects in the vastly improved graphics of "Mortal Kombat" would also be great as they have the potential to be some of the most visually stunning in the game. Additionally, Blaze returning could be fun for fans since it would be an opportunity for him to get unique Fatalities, as he is one of the few characters in the franchise to not have his own.
Motaro
Motero is one of the strangest-looking characters in "Mortal Kombat." Introduced in "Mortal Kombat 3," he is a twisted centaur-like being that has a sharp tail he can attack with, ram's horns to charge opponents with, and four legs. This makes him really stand out from other fighters on the roster who are primarily bipedal and humanoid. While Motero was a playable sub-boss in "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon," he has since only appeared as an NPC who players never interact with.
When Motero appeared in "Armageddon" he was also changed to only have his two front legs, allowing the developers to avoid the complications that his four legs introduced. If Motera was to return in "Mortal Kombat 12," it would be a great opportunity for him to appear in the series again in his proper form while also allowing him to be a playable fighter for the first time in the new timeline established with the 2011 reboot. His unorthodox body would likely be difficult for the developers to work with, and his large size makes his competitive viability seem unlikely. However, he could still be a fun fighter to play around with and use in a casual setting.
Chameleon
Chameleon is one of the many ninjas of the "Mortal Kombat" roster, but he comes with the unique ability to derive special moves from each clan of ninjas throughout the series while also being able to turn slightly transparent to blend in with his environment. While a similar concept was present in "Mortal Kombat 11" with Shang Tsung's move-set, Chameleon appearing in "Mortal Kombat 12" would allow the developers to build an entire move-set around switching between ninja types which would be extremely interesting to see.
In his original appearance, he was capable of accessing every move-set of the various ninjas, while in "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon" he had access to specific moves from each type all the time. It would be great to see him able to switch between multiple complete move-sets if he shows up in "Mortal Kombat 12." It would allow him to be extremely versatile and reactive to his opponents while helping him stand out from the recent iteration of Shang Tsung.
Meat
Meat is undeniably one of the strangest characters in the diverse "Mortal Kombat'" roster. Introduced in "Mortal Kombat 4" as a secret character, he has only appeared in the reboot's timeline for brief cameos. He was a genetic experiment created by Shang Tsung that managed to escape from the procedure before it was fully completed. This left him with the terrifying appearance of a man without any skin, leaving his bones and flesh in the open air for all to see. His appearance is extremely eye-catching, and would undoubtedly take full advantage of modern hardware if he made a return in "Mortal Kombat 12."
There is also a lot of potential in Meat's move-set and fighting style, as other fighters haven't captured the same interesting balance of self-harm and rejuvenation that Meat had in "Armageddon." While the exact specifics of how using his eyeball as a projectile heals him remains to be explained, it makes for a fighting style that has a lot of character and engaging mechanics to offer players.
Shinnok
Shinnok is a powerful antagonist that has appeared in multiple games, beginning with "Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero." He is a god of death and is understandably powerful because of it. This allows him to feature various unique moves such as being able to copy a move from his opponent, summoning skeletal hands to do various attacks, and summoning bursts of hellfire.
The unique aspects of Shinnok's move-set would be welcome additions to the "Mortal Kombat 12" roster, but the character's real potential comes from his role in the new timeline. Shinnok acted as the primary antagonist of "Mortal Kombat X" while "Mortal Kombat 11" started with him getting decapitated, which kicked off the events of the entire following storyline.
This puts Shinnok's potential return in "Mortal Kombat 12" in a great position to help tie together the complicated new timeline since the game's reboot. As an elder god of death, his return wouldn't be too surprising either and could set up him teaming up with previous antagonists from the series, like Blaze or Goro.
Onaga
Onaga is a visually striking character that resembles a humanoid dragon. As the Dragon King he was referenced in "Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance" before being playable in "Mortal Kombat: Deception" and "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon." In those games his move-set boasted interesting moves like hurling fireballs, creating shockwaves with nothing but his face, and jumping high into the air with his foe to powerbomb them into the ground. He fulfills a fun brawler role in the roster and could bring some heavyweight action to "Mortal Kombat 12" while having a unique enough appearance to stand out.
If Onaga was to return in "Mortal Kombat 12" it would also serve as a great opportunity to further flesh out his character. Since he has only appeared in a few titles, little is known about Onaga or his overall power. He was killed by Shao Khan with poisoning, which heavily implies that he was powerful enough for Shao Khan to fear him too much for a direct confrontation. The only specific of Onaga's power that is known is that he has regenerative abilities, which allowed him to regrow a hand after it was cut off. So, there is plenty of room for the developers to expand on the character however they deem fit.
Havik
Havik is a bold anarchist within the "Mortal Kombat" universe who is known as a Cleric of Chaos. He first appeared in "Mortal Kombat: Deception" before being playable one last time in "Armageddon" and making cameos in both "Mortal Kombat X" and "Mortal Kombat 11." From a story perspective, the most interesting aspect of Havik's character is his lack of allegiance to any of the established forces within the "Mortal Kombat" universe. His desire to sow chaos and strife whenever he can is a great narrative opportunity. Given that Kronika was killed in "Mortal Kombat 11," there are all sorts of dastardly deeds and plots that Havik could get up to if he were to return to the series.
As a Cleric of Chaos Havik also boasts one of the most interesting and strange move-sets in the franchise. His sorcerous powers allow him to contort his body in horrifying ways, cast spells, and even heal himself. Fighting against Havik is a terrifying ordeal that weakens the minds of his opponents, and seeing what the developers could do with a modern version of Havik in "Mortal Kombat 12" would be an incredible addition to the game's roster.
Hotaru
Hotaru is similar to Havik in that he was introduced in "Mortal Kombat: Deception" but has been absent in a playable form since "Armageddon." His character boasts an incredible design that blends the iconography of samurai with fireflies, including glowing green energy, exoskeleton-like armor, and tattered flags on his back instead of wings.
He also functions as the opposite of Havik in that he does not align himself with any particular faction or leader in "Mortal Kombat," but has instead dedicated himself to maintaining order throughout the realms. This would allow Havik and Hotaru to both appear in the game as opposing forces or bystanders to the main threat of a third antagonist who interact with the cast throughout the story.
His move-set would also be cool to see adapted to a new release in the series. He has the ability to control lava, a move similar to Liu Kang's iconic bicycle kick, and a brutal fatality where he breaks the neck of his opponent three times in quick succession. He also has been shown to have incredible strength and speed, which would allow him to fill an interesting role in the roster as an evasive heavy hitter.
Ferra & Torr
Ferra & Torr were introduced in "Mortal Kombat X," but were absent despite almost appearing in "Mortal Kombat 11." Even on the surface, they are an interesting option because they are two fighters for one player to control. Ferra is a little girl who is mounted on the back of the massive brute known as Torr, allowing them to fight in conjunction by having Torr throw Ferra at enemies, pummel opponents into the ground, and Ferra stabbing Torr to enrage him for a temporary damage boost.
There is also very little known about the two or how they found one another, which would lend itself very well to the "Mortal Kombat 12'" story filling in the gaps. All that is known about them is that they are from a strange species in Outworld where riders and mounts bond inseparably with one another and that they were found wandering the wilderness before being taken to serve as personal bodyguards for Kotal Kahn. There is so much for fans to learn about regarding both of them, that they are a perfect candidate for "Mortal Kombat 12."
Dishonorable mention: Mokap
Mokap is definitively one of the oddest and most comedic members of "the Mortal Kombat" roster. He appeared in "Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance" as a secret character before being in "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon" and making cameos in "Deception," "Unchained," and "Mortal Kombat 11." He was brought to the cast when he was hired by Johnny Cage to help him train in martial arts for one of his movies. Because of this he still wears the suit he used for capturing his performances and motion, which is a fun nod to the series' legacy of using actors to animate all of its attacks and moves.
It seems unlikely that Mokap could be integrated seriously into the story of "Mortal Kombat 12," but he would undeniably be a fun secret character to see return to the series. It would also be fun for fans to see his move-set come back which involves him exhibiting strange powers for a regular martial artist from the normal world. Previously, he has had the ability to throw fireballs, pick people up and slam them into the ground with telekinesis, and deliver powerful punches with glowing energy.