There's no denying that characters like Liu Kang or Raiden the Thunder God have come a long way over the years. Mortal Kombat just wouldn't be the same without them. However, those are not the characters that first come to mind when the franchise is mentioned; that honor goes to the technicolored ninjas like Scorpion and Sub-Zero.
The ninja characters have been iconic staples of the Mortal Kombat franchise from the beginning. They began as just color-swapped versions of the same sprite with different abilities. But today, they have evolved into unique characters with exquisitely detailed looks, abilities, and backstories.
Updated on September 13, 2023, by David Heath: The latest installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise, Mortal Kombat 1, is just days away from release. Its development had been kept under wraps for so long that it feels like it's been made really fast, having only been revealed in a leak earlier in the year, then as yet another reboot shortly after that. Still, with a new timeline comes new characters and new backstories. What fans previously knew about Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Co has to be thrown out of the window. Mostly. Some classic characters still have some familiar details about them. But the cast of characters, especially its classic ninjas, have completely new backstories.
17 Reptile
Rather than seeking ultimate power or wealth, Syzoth AKA Reptile's only goal is to see his realm and race of Zaterra restored. Reptile is willing to kill or destroy anything in his path in the pursuit of that goal. This anger and rage made him the perfect weapon for Outworld to use in the tournament. Reptile was one of Kotal Kahn's first allies to help overthrow Mileena from the Outworld throne.
His fate after the events of Mortal Kombat X is currently unknown. But he could be found skulking in Mortal Kombat 11's Krypt. In Mortal Kombat 1's new timeline, the Zaterra weren't destroyed, but they cast Reptile out because his camouflage ability also lets him shapeshift into a human look. He now seeks a future elsewhere in Outworld.
16 Skarlet
Skarlet was another adopted daughter of Shao Kahn. In the new timeline, Skarlet was an Outworlder starving on the streets until Shao Kahn took her in and became empowered through genetic experimentation. Skarlet became a unique form of vampire and master of Blood Magik, allowing her to use blood as a weapon and a food source.
Much like Mileena, her loyalty to Shao Kahn is zealous, and she is willing to do anything for her father. Skarlet also has a personal hatred for Kitana, despising her for her royal status while she is withering away on the streets. This earned her an unquenchable thirst for Edenian blood.
15 Tremor
An earth elemental and technically one of the most powerful ninjas in the series. Not much is known about the character except that he is a member of Kano's Black Dragon Clan. Most of his story comes from the Mortal Kombat X comics.
Tremor helped Kano to sway the Shokan armies to Outworld's side again. The character originally debuted in the universally panned spin-off, Mortal Kombat: Special Forces only to get a massive upgrade as an underrated DLC character in Mortal Kombat X.
14 Jade
Jade is the loyal protector and surrogate sister of Kitana. They were raised together, they fought together, and they defended Outworld for Shao Kahn together. That's why when Kitana rebels against her adoptive father, Jade is not far behind her. It also meant, like Kitana, she was also killed and turned into a revenant in Mortal Kombat 9.
However, she returned during the time merger in Mortal Kombat 11 and reunited with her lost love: Kotal Kahn. She'd ally with Earthrealm again to protect Kitana and Kotal and stop Kronika from resetting the timeline. She hasn't appeared in MK1, but she was likely the inspiration for the Umgadi, Kitana, and Mileena's personal guards.
13 Ermac
An interesting creature comprised of a multitude of souls including Edenia's King Jerrod. Ermac was created as a new weapon for Shao Kahn during the tournament who uses telekinesis in deadly ways, like destroying Jax's arms, making way for the famous cybernetic ones.
Originally, Ermac sided with Mileena after Shao Kahn's death but when the truth of her origins was revealed, he sided with Kotal Kahn. It's currently a mystery what happened to him after Shinnok's death in Mortal Kombat X. He's due to return in MK1 as part of its first set of DLC, but his story is currently unknown.
12 Frost
A strong but hot-headed apprentice of the younger Sub-Zero. Frost is a skilled fighter with much potential but her alliance with Sub-Zero ended when he made peace with Scorpion. Frost very much believed in the old ways, that the Shirai Ryu clan were nothing but animals.
The peace made Frost betray her old master and join forces with the titan Kronika. Frost became the new leader of the Cyber Lin Kuei in Mortal Kombat 11. She is defeated during the final battle against Kronika along with her Cyber Lin Kuei. She returns as a Kameo fighter in MK1 in her human form, but she's unlikely to have a storyline presence this time around.
11 Cyrax & Sektor
Two ninjas of the Lin Kuei, both victims of the Grandmaster and Quan Chi's lies. Sektor is more zealous, truly believing that the Cyber Initiative was the best future for their clan while Cyrax was hesitant. This division between the two leads to them falling out as Cyrax betrays the Lin Kuei, believing that being cyberized was too far and their clan had lost their way.
However, Cyrax is caught by the new Cyber Lin Kuei and converted, stripping him of his humanity. Sektor becomes the new Grandmaster only to be killed by the younger Sub-Zero later. During the time merger of Mortal Kombat 11, Cyrax is temporarily freed from his programming to help Earthrealm. The two appear as Kameo fighters in MK1 in their classic Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 looks.
10 Smoke
Tomas Vrbada AKA Smoke is a member of the Lin Kuei and a friend of the younger Sub-Zero. In the first timeline, Smoke got cyberized and became the third robot ninja with Cyrax and Sektor. But in MK9's new timeline, they caught Sub-Zero instead. Smoke joined Raiden's forces to save Sub-Zero and Earthrealm. His smoke-based abilities maybe because he's an Enenra: a shapeshifting, smoke creature who lost his memories and was adopted by the Lin Kuei.
But Smoke would be killed by Sindel thus allowing him to be resurrected by Quan Chi. In Mortal Kombat X, he takes on the name Enenra, recalling his past. After Shinnok's defeat, he vanishes, not even turning up in Mortal Kombat 11. In MK1, he was a boy whose parents were killed when they trespassed on Lin Kuei land. Feeling bad, the Grandmaster adopted him as his own. Now he serves the group, seeking to master magic and protect Earthrealm.
9 Chameleon & Khameleon
The Chameleons weren't really meant to be characters with lore. They were more a way for players to play as all the male ninjas (Chameleon) and female ninjas (Khameleon) in the Mortal Kombat franchise at once. They'd go through all their colors at once while having a mix of their moves. Though while Chameleon wasn't given a story beyond speculation, Khameleon was.
She's actually the last surviving female Zaterran, but sided with Earthrealm in Mortal Kombat Trilogy against Reptile, the last surviving male who supported Outworld. She has a non-canon ending where she revives the Zaterra in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, but she didn't return for either of the new timelines in MK9 or MK1. Though there is a very familiar-looking Umgadi member in the latter.
8 Rain
Unlike most of the male ninjas, Rain is actually an Edenian like Kitana and Jade. Rain witnessed the invasion of Edenia but was smuggled away to safety. From there his story differs depending on the timeline, but a few things remain consistent. He's the son of Argus, the demi-god of water, and this makes him an arrogant man who only looks out for himself.
He started off on the side of the Edenian resistance. Then he joined the forces of his father's killer Shao Kahn, before supporting (and betraying) Mileena in MKX. In MK1, he's still an Edenian but is now the top student at Outworld's Imperial Academy of Sorcery. He mastered the art of controlling water, turning it into a weapon, but seeks to master other, darker forms of magic. Chances are, like his other forms, he'll bite off more than he can chew.
7 Mileena
Shao Kahn felt that Kitana was too weak, so he had Shang Tsung use sorcery to mix Kitana's blood with Tarkatan blood to create a stronger, more loyal subject. The result was Mileena, a bloodthirsty clone with razor-sharp teeth. When Shao Kahn was killed at the end of MK9, Mileena became Empress of Outworld until she was overthrown by Kotal Kahn. She led a resistance to regain her throne, creating a civil war among Outworlders.
In an alliance between Earthrealm and Kotal Kahn's forces, Mileena was captured before being executed by D'Vorah. She returns in MK9 as Kitana's elder twin and rightful heir to Outworld. But she's seen as being too aggressive and unstable compared to her younger sister. Not only that but she's infected with the Tarkat disease, which will see her turn into the bloodthirsty, toothy beast from the classic series.
6 Sub-Zero I/Noob Saibot
Even though the Lin Kuei had begun to lose their way, Bi-Han AKA the first Sub-Zero fought in the tournament to defend Earthrealm. However, Quan Chi framed him for the death of Scorpion's family and clan, resulting in his fatality at the hands of the revenant. This would not be the end of Bi-Han, however. In both the classic timeline and MK9, Bi-Han would be resurrected but as a shadow-controlling wraith.
All that was left was Noob Saibot: cursed to forever serve the Netherrealm. He fights against Earthrealm and his younger brother Kuai Liang, the new Sub-Zero, to drench it in darkness. In MK1's new timeline, he's back as Sub-Zero and the likely candidate to become the Lin Kuei's new grandmaster. Except he doesn't want to stick to the shadows. He wants the Lin Kuei to enter the spotlight and stand out as its own sovereign nation.
5 Kitana
When Shao Kahn invaded Edenia and merged it into Outworld, he killed King Jerrod with the help of the traitorous Queen Sindel. The king and queen's daughter, Kitana was adopted by the usurper and raised as his personal guard. She thought for millennia that he was the real father. That is until the truth was revealed during the Mortal Kombat tournament. Devastated, Kitana aligned with the Earthrealm fighters to stop Shao Kahn.
But in MK9 she was killed by her resurrected mother. MKX brought her back as a revenant, who'd eventually rule the Netherrealm with revenant Liu Kang. In MK11, human Kitana returns defeats Shao Kahn's forces, and becomes Outworld's Empress. At least until MK1's reset, where she's devoted to protecting her big sister Mileena, despite calls for Kitana to succeed her mother as Empress of Outworld instead of her.
4 Sub-Zero II
After the death of his older brother Bi-Han, Kuai Liang took up the mantle of Sub-Zero. Kuai went in search of his killer, discovering it was the revenant Scorpion. As a result, a new rivalry between the ninjas was born, fighting him, the Cyber Lin Kuei, and his undead brother in the form of Noob Saibot. MK9 changed things when he'd be caught by his clan instead of Smoke.
He would be transformed into Cyber Sub-Zero, who breaks away from his own clan to assist Earthrealm during Shao Kahn's invasion. However, Kuai's cyberized life is made short by the evil Sindel who kills him alongside many other fighters. In MKX he'd have a brief stint as a revenant before being regaining his human form with Jax and Scorpion. He'd take control of the Lin Kuei, make peace with Scorpion, and ally with him in defending Earthrealm in MK11.
3 Scorpion I
Scorpion was originally a man named Hanzo Hasashi of the Shirai Ryu clan. His life turned to tragedy when his entire clan and family were murdered by Sub-Zero of the rival clan: the Lin Kuei. This was a ploy by Quan Chi, who framed Sub-Zero and killed Hanzo to stoke his rage. The evil sorcerer would then revive Hanzo as the undead revenant Scorpion.
Scorpion fought for Outworld's forces for years and even killed the original Sub-Zero. But once he was revived as a human in MKX, Hanzo reformed the Shirai Ryu and formed an alliance with Sub-Zero as a defender of Earthrealm. He'd die at the hands of D'Vorah, but he'd convince his past revenant self to continue to fight against Kronika and protect Earthrealm from her machinations.
2 Scorpion II
MK1 has muddied the waters a bit by making Kuai Liang, originally the second Sub-Zero, into the new Scorpion. Like classic Kuai Liang, he's a dedicated member of the Lin Kuei and the younger brother of Bi-Han, aka Sub-Zero I. He supports Bi-Han's likely succession as Grandmaster of the clan, but fears his ambitions will threaten the Lin Kuei's future and that he may have to fight against him.
But like Scorpion, he wears yellow and fights with the power of fire and a kunai attached to a chain. There's currently no mention of the Shirai Ryu or Hanzo Hasashi in the canon MK1 story, with the blind swordsman Kenshi having the closest equivalent to his classic backstory. But Scorpion I is due to appear in the game's Invasions mode.
1 Takeda
Takeda originally debuted in MKX as the son of Kenshi. To protect his son from his mother's killers, he left the boy in the care of the revived Hanzo Hasashi, making him part of the new Shirai Ryu. Once he came of age he joined Earthrealm's Special Forces, serving alongside Jacqui Briggs and Kung Jin under Cassie Cage.
During MKX's story, he'd later form a relationship with Jacqui, and fight off-screen in MK11, making cameos in some of the arcade endings. But now he's due to return in MK1 as DLC. Though without Hanzo or the Shirai Ryu, it's hard to see how he'll fit in. With Kenshi's return, he may still be part of the Takahashi family. Though his similar outfit to Scorpion suggests he'll become Kuai Liang's pupil in the Lin Kuei, or something new.
Mortal Kombat 1 will release on September 14 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.