Kung Lao is one of the longest-running and most recognizable characters in the Mortal Kombat universe. Wielding a hat with razor edges as a frisbee-like weapon and his expertise in martial arts, Kung Lao is a fierce and powerful warrior worthy of representing Earthrealm in the Mortal Kombat tournaments.
The character made his debut in Mortal Kombat II, which released in 1993. Since then, he has appeared either as a playable character or via a cameo in every single Mortal Kombat game. Without a doubt, Kung Lao is one of the most central heroes in the story of Mortal Kombat. It is only fitting that fans of the franchise should know everything there is to know about this interesting character.
10 His Ancestor Was The First Earthrealm Grand Champion
Kung Lao's abilities as a combatant are indisputable. He truly is worthy of being a champion for Earthrealm. However, his ancestor not only also became a champion for Earthrealm, but actually succeeded in winning a tournament. This win also resulted in Earthrealm being spared from invasion by Outworld, a powerful realm ruled by Shao Kahn.
This champion is named the Great Kung Lao. Kung Lao has constantly lived in the shadow of his great ancestor; however, it is also a name he wears with great pride.
9 He Used To Only Want Peace
During the events of the original games, Kung Lao doesn't have much in common with the ancestor whose name he shares. Although they are both powerful warriors, Kung Lao didn't want to be a champion. He just wanted to live a peaceful life.
However, this character motivation changed in Mortal Kombat (2011). In this version, Kung Lao is now very eager to make a name for himself. He even employs an egotistical personality. Yet, he does maintain a somewhat pacifistic point of view.
8 Relation With Liu Kang
Kung Lao doesn't have just one relative who went on to become a Mortal Kombat Grand Champion. The first one is his ancestor, the Great Kung Lao, and the second is Liu Kang.
Whether or not Kung Lao and Liu Kang are related has been a long-running topic of debate within the fanbase. However, there's one clear piece of evidence that the two are indeed related: They're both descendants of the Great Kung Lao. The 2021 Mortal Kombat movie also supports this, with the movie portraying the two characters as cousins.
7 Inspiration For The Character
For the uninitiated, a character that uses his hat as a weapon may seem fantastical. However, the creation of Kung Lao actually drew inspiration from another character who shares the same ability.
John Tobias, co-creator of the Mortal Kombat franchise, has cited the character Oddjob from the movie Goldfinger as the main inspiration behind Kung Lao. In the movie, Oddjob throws his derby hat like a frisbee, and it's sharp enough to decapitate a statue.
6 He Uses Wing Chun
The characters in Mortal Kombat use a wide variety of fighting styles and stances. In Kung Lao's case, at least in Mortal Kombat 11, the fighting style he uses is Wing Chun.
Kung Lao's moves and attacks more closely resemble the Wing Chun moves used in the movie Ip Man, about the real-life grandmaster of Wing Chun of the same name. He is portrayed in the movie by Donnie Yen, another Wing Chun practitioner.
5 Meant To Be In Liu Kang's Shoes
In the original Mortal Kombat game, the White Lotus Society had intended for Kung Lao to be the one to represent Earthrealm in the Mortal Kombat tournament. However, due to Kung Lao's disdain for brutal violence, Liu Kang took his place.
This story changed in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, which has both Kung Lao and Liu Kang as the main protagonists. According to the story of this game, Liu Kang was indeed chosen over Kung Lao. This caused the latter to be envious and petty towards the former.
4 Not-So-Friendly Rabbit
The Mortal Kombat games, especially the earliest ones, have always been subjects of controversy. The most common criticism the games received was their overuse of violence. In response, Mortal Kombat II hilariously introduced the "Friendship" finishing move, where a character would perform an act of kindness instead of brutality ending them.
Kung Lao's Friendship shows him pulling a rabbit out of his hat, and presenting it to the enemy. Funnily enough, in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Kung Lao uses a rabbit to beat an enemy until they explode to death as a fatality move. Another of Kung Lao's fatalities has him throw the rabbit at an enemy, after which the rabbit would then proceed to munch on them. This may a reference to the rabbits in Monty Python: The Holy Grail.
3 Kung Pao
In 2013, a satirical fighting game called Divekick released on Windows, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita. This game features playable characters inspired by other characters from popular fighting games. One of these characters is a martial artist named Kung Pao.
Aside from the obvious and hilarious nod to Kung Lao's name, Kung Pao also sports a hat that looks very similar to the one Kung Lao wears. Kung Pao's outfit also takes inspiration from Kitana's.
2 Unique Fatality
Performing fatality moves is one of the most satisfying aspects of playing Mortal Kombat games. While each fatality move from every character is unique in their own way, one of Kung Lao's fatalities in Mortal Kombat II has a unique feature not present with the others in the game.
Kung Lao's hat decapitation fatality in Mortal Kombat II requires the players to actually aim the hat at the opponent. Every other fatality in the game simply triggers instantly.
1 Costume Swap
In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Kung Lao's costumes are actually reversed. What would traditionally be Kung Lao's secondary costume, the one where he doesn't wear his hat and his long hair is exposed, is instead his original costume, and vice versa.
Whether this was intentional or done by accident is not entirely confirmed. Considering every other game had Kung Lao don his iconic hat in his primary costume, it's safe to assume that the situation in Deadly Alliance was accidental.