Every Character in Mortal Kombat 1

Mortal Kombat 1 just recently released, and this quick guide will ensure you are up to date with the latest character list.

Mortal Kombat 1 is here, and with every new iteration of the game comes a new roster of characters. Though we expect a lot of classic faces to always be present, including Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Liu Kang, MK1 has decided to bring in some characters from the early 3D era of MK games.

While not every classic character also made the roster, the game has established a new system called “Kameos,” which expands the roster with characters that can offer assists during matches, adding a whole new element to the signature Mortal Kombat gameplay.

Base Mortal Kombat Character List

Mortal Kombat 1 has a base roster of 22 main fighters, but anyone who pre-orders the game can access Shang Tsung, making their full base roster 23. Though the game has a lot of familiar faces that have appeared in all the Mortal Kombat games, MK1 is doing something different in that they’re bringing in characters that were introduced way back in the 3D era of Mortal Kombat in the mid-‘00s.

Mortal Kombat Character List Top Row Right to Left

Kitana (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 2) – The princess of Outworld and Liu Kang’s love interest; she uses bladed fans as her weapons.

Mileena (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 2) – Kitana’s sister (sometimes clone). She’s infected with Baraka’s Tarkat disease and has a grotesque mouth. She uses sai and is a formidable fighter.

Tanya (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 4) – An Edenian who allies herself with Mileena. Tanya uses a three-section staff and is meant to be the yellow pallet-swap Kitana character.

Rain (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 3) – The purple pallet-swap ninja. Rain has control of the weather and is allied with the villains in this timeline.

Smoke (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 2) – The grey pallet-swap ninja. Smoke has smoke powers and can evade enemies and make unique attacks. He’s a member of the Lin Kuei in this timeline.

Scorpion (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 1992) – An original character from the first game, Scorpion is given an altered origin in MK1 and is introduced as Sub-Zero’s ally instead of his most infamous rival.

Sub-Zero (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 1992) – Another MK original. This blue pallet-swap ninja has ice powers and leads the Lin Kuei ninja clan.

Reptile (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 2) – The green pallet-swap ninja has reptile-based powers and can spit acid and use camouflage. In the new timeline, he’s a shapeshifter who can shift from human to reptile appearance.

Li Mei (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat – Deadly Alliance) – A member of the Outworld’s warrior tribe, the Umgadi, and a former leader. She isn’t Mileena.

Kenshi (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat – Deadly Alliance) – The famously blind swordsman missed out on MK11 but returned with the new game with a story tied to Johnny Cage.

Baraka (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 2) – A Tarkatan warrior, Baraka is best known for his signature spikes growing from his forearms.

Geras (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 11) – Geras has time-altering powers and now serves as an ally of Elder God Liu Kang.

Mortal Kombat Character List Bottom Row Left to Right

Shang Tsung (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 1992) – The original villain of the MK franchise comes as a pre-order bonus for MK1. He’s known for stealing souls and transforming them into other characters.

General Shao (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 2) – Better known as Emperor Shao Kahn to MK fans. The altered timeline demotes Shao to General and makes him serve under Queen Sindel.

Sindel (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 3) – Now, General Shao’s superior, Sindel, rules Outworld and has magical hair she can use for attacks.

Reiko (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 4) – Reiko is coded to be a younger Shao Kahn, one of General Shao’s closest allies in this game.

Raiden (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 1992) – The former Thunder God switches places with Liu Kang and is now a mortal. However, he is granted thunder powers nonetheless.

Liu Kang (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 1992) – The original hero of the MK games returns as an Elder God. He must find out who’s messing with his perfected timeline in MK1.

Johnny Cage (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 1992) – Superstar Johnny Cage is the franchise’s main source of comic relief. Originally, he was conceived to be Jean-Claude Van Damme from Bloodsport, but the devs couldn’t get the rights. Now, Van Damme is a Johnny Cage skin for this game, complete with a voiceover from the action hero himself.

Kung Lao (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 2) – Liu Kang’s original partner is also a Shaolin monk. He uses a hat with a bladed rim and has teleport powers.

Ashrah (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat Deception) – Conceived to be a female Raiden, Ashrah is a NetherRealm demon serving as a demon hunter.

Nitara (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance) – A self-serving vampire, probably the biggest hook of Nitara as a character is that she has the voice and face of Megan Fox.

Havik (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat Deception) – Havik has a mission to cause literal Chaos among all the realms, no matter which side he’s on. His grotesque powers allow him to rip off body parts and break his body for attacks.

Mortal Kombat Kameo Character List

Though not entirely their playable characters here, Kameos used to be playable in previous Mortal Kombat games. This way, they can still be part of the roster without taking up as much space as a playable character.

The base Kameo roster includes longtime classics but also brings back more obscure characters from the 3D era of MK.

Top Row Left to Right

Darrius (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat – Deception)

Sareena (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero)

Cyrax (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 3)

Kano (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 1992)

Sonya Blade (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 1992)

Sektor (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 3)

Frost (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance)

Jax (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 2)

Bottom Row Right to Left

Stryker (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 3)

Scorpion (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 1992)

Sub-Zero (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 1992)

Kung Lao (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 2)

Shujinko (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat: Deception)

Motaro  (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 3)

Goro (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 1992)

DLC Characters

Like all the newer Mortal Kombat games, MK1 will also come with some special characters, sometimes from the original franchise and other well-known IP characters.

MK11 had brought DC faces like the Joker, but they also had action icons from the 80s, including John Rambo, the Terminator, and RoboCop. This time around, they’re bringing in some violent heroes from the superhero genre. This includes characters from The Boys, Invincible, and DC’s Peacemaker.

Here’s the list of the DLC characters incoming with the first Kombat Pack.

Ermac (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 3)

Homelander (Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys)

Omni-Man (Amazon Prime Video’s Invincible)

Peacemaker (DC’s The Suicide Squad, HBO’s Peacemaker)

Quan Chi (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero)

Takeda (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat X)

There also isn’t an official announcement for them yet, but here is also a list of incoming DLC characters for the Kameo roster:

Johnny Cage (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat 3)

Ferra (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat X)

Khameleon (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat Trilogy)

Mavado (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat – Deadly Alliance)

Tremor (1^st Appearance: Mortal Kombat – Special Forces)

So far, this is just the DLC included for the first Kombat Pack. However, we should expect MK1 to keep adding even more characters down the line.

We don’t know who could appear in a new roster, but we know that since NetherRealm is under WB Games, we could get more characters from WB IP, like The Conjuring or IT. Maybe they can even bring back other crossovers from before, like Freddy Kreuger from Nightmare on Elm Street or Jason from Friday the 13th.