Find out whether you can play Hotaru in Mortal Kombat 1.
Mortal Kombat started with just seven playable characters in the original game, released in 1992. Three decades and 29 games later, the list of playable characters has grown to feature over 90 unique characters, with more likely planned to arrive in future titles.
One character that has not been playable in Mortal Kombat since 2006 is Hotaru, who, despite having limited appearances in the franchise, still has a solid set of fans who wish to see their favorite character make a comeback in Mortal Kombat 1.
So is Hotaru in Mortal Kombat 1? We will answer that question in this article.
Is Hotaru in Mortal Kombat 1?
Hotaru is not in Mortal Kombat 1, and it is uncertain whether he will be added to the game in the future.
Check out our list of Every Character in Mortal Kombat 1 to see a full list of all the playable characters in Mortal Kombat 1.
The God of Order was only previously playable in early Mortal Kombat titles: Mortal Kombat: Deception, Mortal Kombat: Unchained, and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. Hotaru was last seen in Joker’s arcade ending in Mortal Kombat 11 but has not made any subsequent appearances in the Mortal Kombat franchise since then.
It’s been almost 20 years since Hotaru debuted in the franchise. And while many players would love to see their favorite character in the game again, NetherRealm doesn’t seem to have any plans of adding the God of Order to the game’s list of playable characters.
Who is Hotaru in Mortal Kombat?
Hotaru is a General from the Realm of Order who possesses a strong desire to preserve law and order, often to the point of obsession. Hotaru is willing to go to great lengths to ensure law and order in everything, punishing anyone who dares disrupt the sacred balance.
To impose his brand of law and order, Hotaru combines Ba Shan Fan and Pi Gua martial arts with his weapon of choice: the Naginata. His Signature moves consist of lava-infused attacks, where the Seido General throws balls of magma, as seen in his Lava Burst move. Hotaru also utilizes lava to move around the battlefield faster, which he displays in his Fury Punch and Escape move.
In Mortal Kombat: Deception, Hotaru’s default costume is a full set of green/gold armor that covers his upper torso, arms, legs, and feet. He does not wear a helmet in his default costume scheme, opting to tie his hair in a bun to tame his long white locks.
Hotaru’s alternate costume style closely follows his default costume’s design language, but he opts to pair the new look with a helmet this time around. Completing Hotaru’s traditional Japanese swordsman style is a pair of sashimonos, which he carries on his back, representing the clans he belongs to.
Hotaru debuted in Mortal Kombat: Deception and would make another appearance in Mortal Kombat: Unchained and Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, where he would be playable. Unfortunately, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon was the last time Hotaru saw action in Mortal Kombat, as Hotaru has not been a playable character in any Mortal Kombat game since then.
What happened to Hotaru in Mortal Kombat?
Hotaru joined Onaga in Mortal Kombat: Deception, assisting the Dragon King in his plot to remake the realms. In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Hotaru joined the Forces of Darkness to acquire the godlike power of Fallen Fire God Blaze.
In his non-canon ending, Hotaru defeats Blaze and takes his power for himself. Hotaru would then rewrite the realms with absolute law and order in mind. His canon ending paints a much different outcome, with Hotaru falling in the battle of Armageddon and Shao Kahn claiming the power of Fallen Fire God Blaze instead.
Conclusion
Hotaru is a popular character many fans hope to see in Mortal Kombat 1. As of right now, NetherRealm doesn’t seem to have any plans to bring him into the list of playable characters just yet, so we will have to wait for future announcements and DLC releases to find out whether Hotaru makes it into Mortal Kombat 1 in the future.
