Mortal Kombat X Game Logo

We’re still over a month away from the release of Mortal Kombat X, but excitement for the game is strong. This past week we were treated to another exciting bit of gruesome fighting in a new gameplay video that featured some new and seasoned Mortal Kombat fighters. From that video we also learned of a few more Kombatants that may be joining the ranks of NetherRealm Studios’ upcoming brutality-fest.

As more fighters are revealed and confirmed we can’t help but feel the same excitement that filled our gamer souls when the first Mortal Kombat was released in 1992 – at least those of us old enough to remember when the franchise started. Even though not much has changed about how the game is played, there's still a general sense of enthusiasm with each new sequel thanks to new characters, unique guest fighters and even more blood, guts and gorier fatalities. But of course, the main selling point of any Mortal Kombat game is its roster, and Mortal Kombat X is no different.

Mortal Kombat X Roster

Mortal Kombat X Brutality

With all the recent announcements and rumors about the characters in the upcoming game, we thought it would be a good time to recap who’s confirmed and who’s still rumored. To date, NetherRealm has confirmed 23 fighters for Mortal Kombat X, with half that many still rumored to be joining the fray.

Here’s who’s currently on the roster:

  • Scorpion
  • Sub-Zero
  • Kotal Kahn
  • Raiden
  • Reptile
  • Kano
  • Kung Lao
  • Kitana
  • Quan Chi
  • Ferra & Torr
  • D’Vorah
  • Cassie Cage
  • Mileena
  • Ermac
  • Kung Jin
  • Kenshi
  • Takashi Takeda
  • Jacqueline Briggs
  • Johnny Cage
  • Sonya Blade
  • Baraka
  • Shinnok
  • Liu Kang
  • Goro (for those who preorder)

And here’s the list of those still rumored:

  • Jax Briggs
  • Rain
  • Sindel
  • Shang Tsung
  • Cyrax
  • Frost
  • Bo Rai Cho

New Characters

Erron Black Mortal Kombat X

Eight of the above characters are new to the Mortal Kombat series. Here’s a little background on each of the new Kombatants in the game:

Cassie Cage – Cassie is the daughter of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. She followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a member of the Special Forces. Due to the fact that Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade were the only surviving members from the story of the last Mortal Kombat game, we expect Cassie to play a major role in the new installment.

Jacqueline Briggs – Jacqueline is Jax’s daughter and Cassie Cage’s best friend. She is also a member of the Special Forces. We’ll see if Jacqueline becomes a primary character in the game, or is relegated to being Cassie’s sidekick.

Kung Jin – Kung Jin is Kung Lao’s nephew. He became a thief after the death of his uncle, but was set on a better path by Raiden. He learned the art of fighting from the Shaolin Monks and joined forces with Cassie Cage and her crew.

Kotal Kahn – Kotal Kahn is a brutal warrior who spent time among the Mayans in the Earthrealm, teaching them the art of death. While he was on Earthrealm, Mileena took over Outworld. When Kahn returned to Outworld, he deposed Mileena and took over as ruler. Kahn has a powerful fighting team that are eager to defend their leader and his position.

Mortal Kombat - Scorpion vs Dvorah

D’VorahD’Vorah is half human, half insect who joined forces with Kotal Kahn after her realm merged with Outworld and Shao Kahn was killed.

Erron Black – This gunslinger is another associate of Kotal Kahn, and while little is known about him, he’s said to be one of Kahn’s “deadliest worriors.”

Ferra & Torr – Ferra & Torr are also Kotal Kahn Kompatriots, and are an inseparable fighting duo, though it seems Torr does most of the combat, while Ferra pulls the strings.

Takeda – Takeda is the son of Kenshi who’s mother died protecting his life. Kenshi left the boy to eliminate those who had killed his wife, and left Takeda in the hands of Scorpion, who taught the boy to fight as a member of the Shirai Ryu. Takeda’s best friend, Forest Fox, was possessed by a demon and killed the members of Shirai Ryu, except Scorpion and Takeda, who went after Fox following the slaughter.

If all the rumored characters are confirmed, Mortal Kombat X will have roughly the same number of fighters as 2011’s Mortal Kombat, excluding DLC characters. With that in mind, we are curious to see if any new names pop up in the next month and a half, or if NetherRealm Studios plans to simply confirm those who have are currently rumored.

Other New Features

Mortal Kombat X Brutality

Besides new characters, NetherRealm is bringing a few more new features to Mortal Kombat X. Probably the biggest new feature is characher variations. We understand that each Kombatant will have three different variations, each with different attacks, blocks and finishers. So rather than just picking which fighter to use, players will have an opportunity to select the Kharacter and the fighting style they prefer.

The next big addition is the use of the environment during the fights. Past games have allowed players to use the environment as part of the fatalities, but now players can use objects around them to aid their attacks. This includes grabbing spectators and using them as human weapons against opponents.

Brutalities are a new feature similar to traditional fatalities, only more violent and gory. However, where fatalities require a set button combination to execute, brutalities require players to complete certain conditions during the fight to make it happen. So far there are over 100 confirmed brutalities in the game.

NetherRealm is shaking up the familiar fighting towers by introducing what they’re calling ‘Living Towers.’ These new Living Towers will be updated every day, week and month, providing an ever changing dynamic for players as they progress through the game.

More to Come?

Mortal Kombat X Guest Character

NetherRealm has been revealing new information about Mortal Kombat X at a rapid pace, and we see no reason for them to slow down as we get closer to launch. So it wouldn't surprise us if more characters and features are added to the game before it releases.

Be sure to stay tuned to Game Rant for the latest on Mortal Kombat X.

[Update] In the last few weeks, developer NetherRealm Studios has confirmed a handful of fighters for Mortal Kombat X. The characters that have made the roster since this article first posted include Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Baraka, Shinnok and Liu Kang.

Jason Voorhees, Predator, Tanya and Tremor have all been officially confirmed as DLC characters, and will be included in the game's Ultimate Horror Pack.

Additionally, a few more fighters are rumored to be joining the fight, including Jax Briggs, Frost and possibly Bo Rai Cho. Erron Black was once again hinted to be joining the fray, so we wouldn't be surprised if he's confirmed in the coming days or weeks.

We'll see how the roster for Mortal Kombat X continues to evolve as we near the game's release date.

Mortal Kombat X is set to release on April 14, 2015 on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.