Mortal Kombat is easily one of the most influential American fighting games of all time. Dating back to 1992, the game had a major impact on video games as a whole through their inclusion of the series' graphic violence trademark fatalities, leading to the creation of the ESRB rating system that is still used to this day.
The franchise is home to several iconic fan-favorite characters that are synonymous with Mortal Kombat, such as Scorpion and Johnny Cage. However, not every character the series has introduced really stuck their landings, fading into obscurity. For the sake of their legacies, let's examine the ten most obscure and forgettable Mortal Kombat characters that most fans completely forgot existed.
9 Jarek
The first 3D entry in the Mortal Kombat franchise, Mortal Kombat IV introduced new characters to the series. However, most new additions were quite hit and miss. On one hand, the game introduced Fujin and Shinnok, but it also brought fans Jarek.
A member of the Black Dragon, Jarek replaced Kano's spot on the roster and is a significantly more generic alternative, lacking any visual flair or any personality. The only reason that Jarek isn't higher on this list is due to his role in Jax's unforgettable Mortal Kombat IV ending.
8 Motaro
Despite having the distinction of being the only centaur in Mortal Kombat history, Motaro is a character that really fell by the wayside.
Appearing as a boss in Mortal Kombat III, the character has seen very limited appearances in the series, only serving a background role in Mortal Kombat IX. He also received a terrible, leg-reduced redesign in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.
7 Chameleon
The ninjas of Mortal Kombat are easily some of the most iconic members of the franchise's roster. Unfortunately, not each of these characters have had the same staying power as the biggest names.
While some of these Ninjas such as Sub-Zero and Ermac are among the most popular fan-favorite ninjas, the ninja Chameleon has faded into obscurity. While he appeared in MKIII, his only other appearance was within Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.
6 Dairou
First appearing in Mortal Kombat Deception, Dairou is among the most forgettable fighters in the entire series. In a franchise full of cyborgs, gods, and characters that ooze personality like Johnny Cage, Dairou is a martial artist that truly fails to stand out.
He has only appeared in his debut game and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (as nearly every character did). Dairou is a character that offers very little that more popular martial artist characters such as Liu Kang and Kung Lao don't already bring to the table. He's a dull, unoriginal character.
5 Mokap
Plain and simple, Mokap is a playable motion capture actor within the Mortal Kombat series. While most definitely intended as a joke character, Mokap is confirmed to be a canon character within the series. He first appeared as a secret character in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.
Mokap is to attack with the motion capture balls from his suit. Like many other entries on this list, his only appearance outside of his debut was within Armageddon. It's no wonder most have forgotten him.
4 Taven
It is pretty much impossible for another character to usurp Scorpion as the most iconic character in the Mortal Kombat franchise. Still, over the years, the series has tried introducing several new characters to serve as the protagonists of new games.
While more recent attempts have been much more successful, such as the introduction of Cassie Cage, this wasn't the case with Taven in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. In this entry of the series, which featured the largest number of characters in franchise history, Taven was introduced to serve as the protagonist of Konquest mode. However, as one of the most generic and forgettable characters in the series, he failed to stand out. Unsurprisingly, Taven hasn't been seen since.
3 Meat
It's no secret that the Mortal Kombat series is filled to the brim with gore. Meat is a character who takes advantage of this fact. The game effectively reuses the assets of a skinless character, and repackages them as a new character entirely.
Introduced as a secret character in Mortal Kombat IV, Meat is a former experiment of Shang Tsung. While his last playable appearance was in Armageddon, he has also made cameos in the past three entries of the series.
2 Kobra
Only appearing in Mortal Kombat: Deception and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Kobra is the answer to the question, "what if Street Fighter's Ken was playable in Mortal Kombat, but without any of his abilities?"
Incredibly forgettable, Kobra lacks any element that helps him stand out. He functions somewhat similarly to the "shotos" of Street Fighter. It's not a surprise that fans haven't seen or heard anything about Kobra since Armageddon.
1 Hsu Hao
If fans have no idea who Hsu Hao is, that's exactly what the creators of Mortal Kombat want. This character was introduced in Deadly Alliance as an evil counterpart to Jax.
Hsu Hao's reception was abysmal, to say the least. Not only disliked by players in his few in-game appearances, John Vogel of Netherrealm Studios has gone on record saying that this character's second appearance in Armageddon was included begrudgingly.