In the vast universe of the Mortal Kombat series, there 6 major realms of existence. Each possesses vastly different traits and can often be tied to a dimension mentioned in the mythologies of real-world religions and cultural folklore. The most familiar to gamers is Earthrealm, the plane of humans, and it is one of the most important in the grand scheme of this legendary fighting game franchise.
Earthrealm encompasses not only the planet Earth but also the rest of the solar system and possibly beyond, however, the exact boundaries of each realm are never fully mentioned. While gamers likely know a great deal about Earthrealm from the many Mortal Kombat games that have been released over the years, there are some deeper bits of lore that even veterans of the franchise might be interested to learn.
9 The Creation Of Earthrealm
At the beginning of time, there were only the One Being of creation in the cosmos and the lesser Elder Gods whose essence the One Being fed upon. Tired of being drained and consumed, the Elder Gods united and destroyed the One Being, shattering this primordial force into many different pieces, the greatest of which became entire realms. One of these was Earthrealm and it became known as the most desirable place for many powerful beings due to where it was situated in the universe.
8 The Protection Of Earthrealm
Not only is Earthrealm one of the planes with the most natural beauty and potential resources, but it is also positioned upon a universal power node, which can be most easily tapped from the planet Earth. This has been the cause of many conflicts over the series and has been attributed to the goals of antagonists time and again, albeit phrased differently and through varying manners. Because it is such a hot commodity, the Elder Gods assigned a lesser God (Raiden, the God of Thunder) to be the protector of Earthrealm in order to shield it from the greedy and powerful.
7 Notable Factions
Since Raiden began protecting Earthrealm millennia ago, there have sprung up factions housing powerful warriors who have also contributed greatly to this dimension's defense. The 2 most notable of these are the Special Forces and the Lin Kuei, who use vastly different fighting techniques and possess polarizing motives, yet they both fight on behalf of Earthrealm against exterior threats. However, they sometimes confront each other and are far from allies in most cases.
6 The Most Important Races
While humans are the most well-known sentient race from Earthrealm, the Saurians were technically the first sentient species from this plane of existence. Millions of years before humankind evolved, the planet Earth was devastated by a war between Raiden and the fallen Elder God Shinnok, and the Saurians were almost completely wiped out.
Following the end of this conflict, the few survivors emigrated to Zaterra (which was later conquered by Outworld), where they still reside, despite their true home being Earthrealm. The most-seen members of this ancient race are Khameleon and Reptile.
5 Governments Of Earthrealm
Unlike many other realms, Earthrealm does not answer to a single all-powerful ruler but instead has many different countries and regions, each under the control of different governments. This allows the most individual freedom for the residence of Earthrealm as well as the most variability in motives, goals, and aspirations for the fighters of this plane.
4 Religions & Spiritualism
Like with the variety in Earthrealm's governments, there are a vast number of different religions throughout the realm. One, in particular, (Buddhism) has contributed to the moral guidance needed to create some of this dimension's strongest fighters. Both Liu Kang and Kung Lao are warriors who follow the teachings of Buddha and use this ideology to strengthen their minds and souls in order to combat threats to their home.
3 Society & Culture
While the cultures of Earthrealm are as diverse as its governments and religions, there seems to be unity in terms of society. Their trade goods created and transferred among the inhabitants are some of the most luxurious in all the major realms, with Earthrealm's rice wine being known to outclass the liquors of other planes by great margins.
More importantly, planet Earth's major organizations have come together (at the behest of Raiden and a few others) to form the White Lotus Society; a group dedicated to collecting the realm's strongest fighters and training them to confront threats from beyond.
2 The Magic Of Earthrealm
Earthrealm's inhabitants are not really known for their magical abilities, especially when compared to fighters from other realms, and this is due to humanity lacking a natural affinity to tap into their world's energies. However, there are a few individuals who are notable exceptions to this global average. The most significant is Liu Kang and his ability to use fire magic in combat, though, Kung Lao's wind magic and Kenshi's psychokinetic abilities are also worth mentioning.
1 Technological Advancement
What Earthrealm lacks in magic it makes up for in technology. Being unable to create portals and cast spells like their enemies from other realms has forced earthlings to compensate with their ingenuity and superior engineering. They have been able to create advanced technology that puts their abilities on par with the magical powers of their foes. This can be seen in the many deadly and powerful weapons of the Special Forces as well as the liberal use of robotics and cyborg enhancements of the Lin Kuei.