Summary
A new world begins. After the previous game’s events, the now Fire God Liu Kang tasked himself with recreating the world ofMortal Kombat, starting a whole new timeline. That meansMortal Kombat 1will be a reboot, with the classic characters having their stories reset.
Who is coming back, though? The Kast - yes, we’re writing it with a ‘K’ - is divided between a main roster and Kameo fighters, characters you choose to help you out during the fight. Some characters are on the main roster, some are Kameo fighters, and some are both. Thus, let’s see which fighters you can use and have assistance during matches.
Update on Jun 03, 2025, by Lucas Olah:The game has been out for a while, so it’s not surprising that a story expansion would pop up eventually. With its announcement, we also got a new Kombat Pack featuring six new characters.
Half of those are iconic characters from the series but with a different take on them, while the other half are guest characters from the extensive movie library that Warner Bros. has available to them. We also have a few extra Kameo fighters that were released during this period to check out.
Both Rosters
Scorpion
Did you not expect him? There isn’t a proper Mortal Kombat game without Hanzo Hasashi - or should we say, Kuai Liang?Scorpionis as brutal as ever, with a Kusarigama (a small scythe-like weapon with a chain), as well as his iconic fire powers and kunai.
By being a Kameo fighter, too, you can summon his infernal fire regardless of who you’re playing with, which is always useful. Or you can combo two Scorpions just for kicks - an upside from being in both rosters.
Sub-Zero
Wherever Scorpion’s flames burn,Sub-Zero’scold will follow. The duo is a trademark of the series, so it’s no surprise they’re both returning. And here we have Bi-Han, grandmaster of the Lin Kuei.
His classic moves are back, along with some neat upgraded versions, such as his Ice Klones. Along with his gameplay, you may expect a similar behavior from him, but we’ll refrain from giving away plot details.
Kung Lao
Another Klassic fighter,Kung Lao,was an expected return. Interestingly enough, when you play with him in story mode, you get to experience him before getting his signature hat, meaning some moves are missing at first. He’s not the only character to be ‘incomplete’ in story mode, and that shows us how they evolved as things progress, which is nice.
Still, you can have all the fun you want with him and his hat, slicing people in half in one of the goriest fatalities the game has to offer - which is saying a lot, considering the nature of fatalities.
Main Roster
Liu Kang
Promoted to Godhood status,Liu Kangis now filling the role Raiden used to, as protector of Earthrealm. He’s also seeking fighters to recruit for a new tournament that takes place during the story.
Detainer of one of the most epic Fatalities here - as a god should - Liu Kang is always fun to play with, thanks to his speed, fiery powers, and great amount of kicks in sequence.
Raiden
Raidenis now a young mortal who is recruited for the cause. His powers come from a special amulet, as he plays the role of the chosen one, in a role reversal between him and Liu Kang.
His gameplay seems smooth as ever, with speed, ranged attacks, and powers that cover a lot of area, being quite dangerous to whoever approaches him carelessly. A personal favorite of ours.
Smoke
Where there is smoke… You know. Making a return after being gone - at least from being playable - for quite some time, we haveSmoke,with a dashing new hairstyle and some old smoke bomb and teleportation tricks that will surely annoy his opponents.
Smoke has an interesting position story-wise, being a middle point between our fire and ice boys, though he plays a supportive role among the ninjas, and not much else. Still, his gameplay is pretty solid.
Johnny Cage
Aa annoying as ever, though in his signature charming way, isJohnny Cage.An actor going through a rough patch in life, he got dragged into the tournament business for being a good person - Liu Kang’s words - and for being a good fighter, but that’s a given since we’re talking about a tournament.
If you bought the Premium Edition, you get to play with a Jean-Claude Van Damme skin, dubbed by the actor himself. Still, he’s only voicing the specific skin; Johnny’s voice actor is Andrew Bowen, who’s been giving life to the character for a while.
Kenshi
The blind swordsman reappears. We see him before his default look appears, with a regular blade and his vision, so you know what’s going to happen, even if you don’t know how.
As a former member of the Yakuza,Kenshiseeks his family blade to restore his clan - that’s all we’ll say. His abilities are better than ever, and his range makes him a fearsome opponent - fighting someone with a sword while you’re bare-handed is a bit unfair, after all.
Sindel
Empress of Outworld,Sindelleads it in its golden age, being a much better ruler than the ones we’ve seen before - though the competition isn’t fierce if we compare her to the likes of Shao.
Combat-wise, she has her iconic hair powers, as you’d expect from her, along with screams powerful enough to pop your eyes out of their sockets - and yes, that is a fatality.
Kitana
Princess of Edenia,Kitanais yet another crucial character, making her presence unsurprising but welcome. What’s interesting is that she’s not heir to the throne and is pretty okay with not being so.
Regardless, she’s a wonder to play with, with quick moves as well as her quite annoying fans - unless you’re the one playing as her, then it is her quite amazing fans.
Mileena
The other main rivalry wouldn’t be complete withoutMileena.She’s back, and with the original mouth look she used to have, creepy as ever. In fact, with Tarkat being a disease now, her transformation changed things a lot, turning her into a tragic character, rather than an evil clone.
Expect kunai, teleportation, and one of the nastiest fatalities, which is only fitting for a character as magnificent as her. Her presence in the story is also a beautiful take on the character, which is always nice.
Li Mei
From Mortal Kombat’s 3D era, we haveLi Meireturning to the spotlight. Former member of a secret group called the Umgadi - a group of women warrior priestesses from Outworld - she’s now serving as a ‘police officer’ in Outworld.
She shows powerful attacks as she creates animals made of energy to help her strike her blows, which can be challenging to deal with until you get used to them. A mighty and efficient warrior, she is.
Tanya
Another Umgadi, although one that is still part of the group. She’s a personal bodyguard for Mileena, though their relationship is pretty obvious, even to the other characters. She also helps her princess with her condition.
Tanyahas quite a peculiar weapon, a staff divided into parts, similar to a sanjiegun (a three-part staff), though longer and with more pieces, acting similarly to a whip at times. She also creates magical hands to help her during the fight, even using them in her Fatal Blow and Fatality.
Geras
The great timekeeper, whose job is to protect the Hourglass that controls time. He served as a loyal servant of Kronika in the previous game, being an enemy. However, now Liu Kang is the one who created the timeline and madeGerashis ally.
Still, he doesn’t appear much in the story, so you’ll spend more time with him playing as the character during your matches. We highly recommend it, as he’s a great fighter to play with, after all.
General Shao
Good luck not saying ‘Kahn’ anymore.Shaonot-Kahn returns with natural horns as a part of his anatomy and an axe replacing his signature hammer. Though he’s not the leader of Outworld, he’s still an important figure, and his behavior seems to be the same as usual.
His behavior is pretty much the same, and his combat is slightly revamped - though not much. Expect heavy blows that destroy everyone in his path, as it should be.
Reiko
Shao’s second-in-command,Reiko,is another character returning from the 3D era - more specifically Mortal Kombat 4. He doesn’t do much story-wise, filling an evil-minion vacuum caused in the story since some of the usual minor baddies like Reptile and Baraka changed sides.
Still, he’s pretty fun to play and quite a nuisance when playing against, especially with all the grappling he likes to do when fighting. Plus, his design is top-notch.
Rain
PurpleRainis also back. Though he’s never been a Lin Kuei or anything similar, he always had a Ninja look due to his behind-the-scenes origins. Well, no more. Rain changed classes, ditching the Monk and becoming a Sorcerer. He even fights with a staff to control water, creating rain itself and water portals.
Similar to Reiko, he works as a minor baddie for the heroes to fight against during the story, this time serving Shang Tsung in his schemes, while Reiko is closer to Shao.
Baraka
Barakareturns with his lovely and deadly looks and even more blade attacks, with many combos for him, making him a powerful fighter in capable hands - and an easy one for beginners, too.
He also has a significant change in terms of story: As mentioned before, Tarkat is now a disease, with Baraka being an infected one. That gives him a bit more depth, and he allies himself with the heroes this time around, but don’t expect more than a minor role for him, even if slightly bigger than before.
Reptile
Do you prefer a more humanoidReptileor a more feral one? Well, it doesn’t really matter, because we got both! Syzoth is back as a reptilian creature who can shape-shift into a human form. He’s also far more friendly and has a more significant backstory, also being promoted from minor villain to minor hero.
Still, his gameplay features much of his old tricks combined with new moves - including an alligator death roll - and depending on what move you use, he goes back and forth between his two forms.
Ashrah
The good demon introduced all the way back in Mortal Kombat: Deception made her grand return to the series.Ashrahfollows the same concept as before: A Netherrealm demon who became good. Her goal is to purge evil with her blade, which purifies her in the process.
Her blade is a force to be reckoned with during Kombat, and she can even choose to wield angelic or demonic energy while she fights with it.
Havik
He’s back, ready to cause someHavik- sorry for that one. He is another character introduced in Deception, and he’s the kind of guy who’s just in it for himself, which makes him sometimes helpful and sometimes a problem. In the new game’s case, it’s the latter, serving as another minor baddie during the story.
His moves consist of constant dismemberment of his own body, with parts that grow back after a while. He beats people while wielding his own arm like a weapon and uses the bones from his forearms - without the hands - to pierce people, too. Very fitting to the series overall.
Nitara
All the way from Deadly Alliance, we have a vampire in the game asNitaraflies through the realms. Her role in the story is the same as the likes of Havik, serving bigger enemies for the promise of being helped.
But the curious part here is the voice behind her: Nitara is portrayed by none other than Megan Fox.
Shang Tsung
A simple merchant in this timeline,Shang Tsungfound his way through greatness one more time, and he’s ready to take what he considers to be his - which is everything. He’s available to those who pre-ordered the game.
As of now, it’s unclear if there will be other ways to get the character, but there’s a chance he’ll be sold separately after the game’s launch. Unlocking methods aside, it’s nice to see such a core villain returning, and his involvement in the plot is pretty big, as expected.
Kameo Fighters
Sonya Blade
Now, let’s focus on characters that are only on the Kameo roster. One of them is Sonya Blade, Special Forces. What’s interesting about her - and all other Kameo fighters, really - is that they are using their classic outfits from the original games and even show classic Fatalities.
And yes, you can perform the Fatality with the Kameo fighter instead of your main character, so you can display your nostalgia in a very gory fashion.
Kano
Kano is another Kameo fighter, so you may take his unholy spin attacks and use them regardless of what character you’re playing with. He’s also sporting his classic look, with a white outfit and no hair.
Between his spins and laser attacks, you can cover a lot of distance by having him, so you don’t need to worry about distance too much if your character lacks this type of attacks.
Jax
Kameo fighter with a classic look? Check. Old Fatality returning, even though Jax turning into a giant makes no sense? Check.
Jax is a core part of this series as well, so it makes sense to see him return. Shame about the arms, though.
Plus, the old-school Fatality is just too funny. Having him grow and keeping just the boot on the screen looks terrific, as senseless as it is. You don’t need an in-lore explanation for everything.
Goro
Goro is another character who is just too iconic to be missing out. Still, his role here is as a Kameo fighter, as well as very minor story appearances.
As part of Outworld’s army and Shao’s leadership, he looks strong as ever, though a bit shorter than his most recent appearances.
Stryker
Another Klassic return is Curtis Stryker. Wearing his classic white and blue outfit, he looks quite handsome, might we add.
As a Kameo, he can help you out with powerful strikes - pun intended - and his mighty flashlight that stuns people for a bit. Either way, he hasn’t shown up in a while, so it’s nice to see him back.
Frost
Sub-Zero’s apprentice made a return here as well. However, she’s here as a Kameo fighter, allowing you to use her cold powers regardless of what character you’re playing with.
Between her and Sub-Zero, you can have powerful ice powers as backup, giving you plenty of choice in the matter. Her Fatal Blow strikes are pretty amazing, too - if you like gore, of course. But then again, this is Mortal Kombat.
Sektor
Ketchup and Mustard are back! However, let’s talk about one at a time. Sektor returns with his missiles and Klassic look, an aforementioned trend among the Kameo fighters.
You can have him teleporting around as he does and squish your enemies with his Klassic fatality, one of the most famous ones back in the day.
Cyrax
One can’t appear without the other, as Sektor and Cyrax are among the many iconic duos the series offers. And they’re both Kameo fighters, full of swagger from their stylish Klassic looks.
Cyrax displays his signature weapon a lot: Bombs. He explodes them or beats people with them - and then they explode. His fatality, which is also a Klassic, is back, so you can destroy your enemy, yourself, Cyrax, and the world.
Sektor and Cyrax are also part of the main roster thanks to Kombat Pack 2, but it’ll be different versions of them, as we’ll discuss further.
Darrius
Darrius, from the 3D era of Mortal Kombat, appears as a Kameo fighter with strong grapples and even with some quick appearances in the story mode, helping out Havik.
He debuted in Mortal Kombat: Deception, and since Kameo Fighters are sporting classic outfits, his appearance resembles his original style, only now in much higher quality.
Sareena
All the way from Mortal Kombat Mythologies, we have another demon in the roster, although this time, it is not a purified one, and her name is Sareena.
She appears both in a humanoid form and a demonic one, assisting the baddies during their fights in the game, being a minion to minions like Havik and Nitara. She helps by being a Kameo fighter, after all.
Motaro
Motaro is a true Klassic, being part of the original trilogy as an intense boss encounter. He’s a complicated character to be playable due to his anatomy, which makes things such as receiving a fatality just not work. Still, the Kameo roster gave the developers a good opportunity to have us control him, even if it’s just for assistance.
Thus, you may call Motaro to help you with his projectiles and even a shield that reflects the enemy’s projectiles back at them, along with a sweet teleport, giving any character in the game the power to teleport - as long as he’s on your side, that is.
Shujinko
Another Klassic, this time from Mortal Kombat: Deception, a game where he was, in fact, the protagonist. He won’t be as pivotal here, being part of the Kameo roster, but it’s still nice to have him return.
He displays powerful and quick punches as part of his Fatal Blow, making the whole thing quite stylish. Regardless, he’s a more than welcome addition.
Tremor
The earth ninja returned for Mortal Kombat 1, and he has a peculiar system compared to other Kameo fighters. He has three variations that you can swap during the fight: Aftershock, Crystalline, and Metallic.
These variations will change his attacks, offering stronger hits up close, protection to your fighter, or more ranged attack options, respectively.
Khameleon
Khameleon also has a similar system of variations, each based on different characters and using said characters' moves. However, you don’t get to choose it; instead, her variation changes by itself during the fight every few seconds. The variations are Jade, Kitana, and Mileena.
That said, when you hold the button to trigger the Kameo fighter, you can force her to swap variations. She also has a strong buff that reduces the damage you’ll take from the next attack.
Mavado
If you need an ally to swing by during the fight and help - and maybe throw you into the enemy - Mavado is a great pick for a Kameo fighter. His strikes are fast, can come from confusing positions towards the enemy, and can hit them from many angles.
He’s a bit more straightforward to use compared to the previous ones, as there are no variations of any kind here. Plus, it’s always fun to see him going around the map with his belts.
Ferra
Ferra is here, and she certainly misses Torr. Her moves are even more peculiar, as she can ride your character and use them like Torr, giving you a whole new set of moves - though using any of those moves will make her go away until re-summoned.
She can also damage your own character to increase their damage and cheer for you in the back, making your Fatal Blow meter increase faster.
Kombat Packs
Kombat Pack 1
We also have the first Kombat Pack revealed to us, featuring more iconic characters from the series as well as guest characters from different franchises, as Mortal Kombat has already done in the past.
This pack includes Ermac, Quan Chi, Takeda, Omni-Man from Invincible, Peacemaker from DC’s The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker series, and Homelander from The Boys.
Kombat Pack 2
The second Kombat Pack also includes six characters, with half being part of the Mortal Kombat series, while the other half consists of guest characters from different movies.
From the MK side, we have Noob Saibot, as well as new versions of Sektor and Cyrax as part of the main roster, where they are gender-swapped and can open their helmets and show their human faces, which is new. It’s also worth mentioning that they are relevant characters in the story expansion.
From the guest side, we have Ghostface from Scream, T-1000 from the Terminator, and Conan the Barbarian from, well, Conan the Barbarian.
