The hostile and foreboding Outworld plays a crucial role in the stories throughout the many Mortal Kombat games that have been released over the years. Most often seen as an antagonistic realm, those from this dimension and their ruler tend to be the villains in various titles within the famed fighting game franchise.
With more and more lore being added with each game in the series, Outworld has a lot to offer for the more curious MK fans, even for veteran gamers who have countless hours of deadly combat under their belts.
8 The Rulers Of Outworld
For the longest time, possibly since the creation of Outworld following the Elder Gods slaying of the One Being, this realm was ruled by Onaga, the Dragon King. This draconic beast ruled with an iron claw and acted as a cruel yet efficient dictator who expanded Outworld's borders greatly by conquering and absorbing neighboring realms. However, one day, they mysteriously met an untimely demise and Shao Kahn rose to become the new despot and emporer of this harsh dimension.
7 Landscape & Terrain
Due to the amalgamation of countless other realms over the eons, Outworld has become a sinister melting pot of mostly inhospitable terrain. Throughout the franchise, players have been able to glimpse barren wastelands, scorching deserts, volatile volcanic regions, and much more, however, there are a couple of cities (Lei Chen and Z'Unkahrah) amidst the brutal landscape.
6 Unique Inventions
Outworld is much better known for its wealth in terms of magic than its technological advancements, (the inverse of Earthrealm) yet this dimension has come up with some interesting inventions and commodities. The most notable is the Dragonfly, which acts as a mode of transport that surpasses all others in terms of speed with the exception of sorcery. This moving platform with wings was first seen in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and has also been a fighting arena. Another interesting invention of this plane of existence is "Outworld Wine", an alcoholic drink favored by Bo' Rai Cho, however, it is mentioned that Earthrealm's Rice Wine vastly surpasses it in flavor and quality.
5 Native Races
Also caused by the expansion and conquering of other realms, Outworld has become home to a tremendous number of races; more than any other dimension, however, there are a few that are native to this realm, the most notable of which are the Outworlders and the Shokan.
The former is virtually identical to Earthrealm's humans in appearance (as can be seen through Li Mei, Bo' Rai Cho, and a few others), though, they all possess much greater average physical strength and magical abilities. The Shokan are vaguely humanoid despite possessing 4 arms and impressive physiques that can crush many opponents easily with Goro, Sheeva, and Kintaro being the most-seen members of this powerful race.
4 Non-Native Races
Among the vast number of races who have had their realms absorbed by Outworld are the savage Tarkatans, who the fierce Baraka represents, and the Saurians, like Reptile, who were originally from Earthrealm but were forced to flee due to the destruction caused by a war between Raiden and Shinnok and were subsequently conquered. Alongside the Tarkatans and Saurians are many other races who fell to the influence of Onaga, and then Shao Kahn, however, plenty of individuals have escaped their home realms in order to utilize Outworld's magical resources, such as Shang Tsung.
3 List Of Characters From Outworld
Besides Earthrealm, Outworld offers the most characters to the Mortal Kombat roster, and, interestingly, the most diverse. In addition to the races mentioned before, there are Osh-Tekk, Vampires, and various creatures born from magical experiments that come from this sinister realm.
All Outworld Mortal Kombat Characters
- Immortal - Shao Kahn
- Dragon - Onaga
- Outworlder - Bo' Rai Cho, Li Mei, Reiko, & Skarlet
- Shokan - Goro, Kintaro, & Sheeva
- Saurian - Khameleon & Reptile
- Tarkatan - Baraka
- Centaurian - Motaro
- Osh-Tekk - Kotal Kahn & Kotal K'etz
- Kytinn - D'Vorah
- Naknada - Kollector
- Edenian - Tanya & Rain
- Vampire - Nitara
- Experiments - Ermac, Mileena, & Meat
- Human - Kano, Shang Tsung, Shujinko & Erron Black
- Seidan - Hotaru
- Alien (Non-canon guest character)
2 Outworld In The Mortal Kombat Movies
Similar to how Outworld is portrayed in the games, this realm has appeared in the movies as a dark and mostly purple-tinged world full of sinister sights and ancient temples. This can first be seen in the original Mortal Kombat movie that was released in 1995 and again in the sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, which came out 2 years later in 1997.
1 Ties With Other Realms
There is no doubt that Outworld's connections to other realms are stressed due to the constant tyranny and conquests borne from this realm's rulers. Interdimensional politics are quite diverse, though, each realm has a certain stance when it comes to Outworld. Edenia, which was once conquered by Outworld, has been liberated and despises the realm that once oppressed them, and, for similar reasons, Earthrealm is almost always at odds with Outworld, though for them it is because Shao Kahn constantly tries (and fails) to invade and subjugate them.