Liu Kang may be the main hero of the Mortal Kombat franchise, but no MK game is complete without its poster boy, Johnny Cage.
Like the rest of the characters of Mortal Kombat 1, Johnny Cage is given a complete rework for the new game. While he’s lost a lot of his signature powers (specifically his green ‘shadow abilities’), he does keep a lot of what makes the character unique, including his penchant for being an obnoxious celebrity and his essential role in the franchise to be the main source of comic relief.
Of course, he also fights well among the new roster of characters.
Johnny Cage’s Mortal Kombat 1 Lore
Jonathan Carlton, a.k.a. Johnny Cage, is a Hollywood superstar who is also very proficient in martial arts—so efficient that the Thunder God Raiden assigns him as one of the champions to represent EarthRealm in Mortal Kombat.
Before Mortal Kombat 1 rebooted Johnny’s story, they had turned him into Sonya Blade’s love interest, and the two had a daughter in the form of Cassie Cage. In MK1, Johnny is still an actor, but Sonya is nowhere in his life, and he’s found himself in some debt since he has bad spending habits.
Behind the scenes, Johnny is considered a parody of Jean-Claude Van Damme from Bloodsport. Originally, the game was pitched as a Van Damme video game, but since the star declined to team up, it became Mortal Kombat, and Cage was the tribute from his costume to his signature “nut-punch.”
This is also why Cage has an alternate skin that gives him the face and voice of a young Van Damme.
Johnny Cage’s Basic Attacks
NOTE: Since the different platforms use different buttons for specific commands, this guide will use the number system frequently used in the MK community. Here’s the breakdown:
Plot Fist – 1
Rough House – 1, 1
Knuckle Under the Buckle – 1, 1, 2
Kontracted Kick – 1, 1, 4
Breaking Backhand – Forward+1
Elbow’s World – Forward+1, 2
Under the Table – Forward+1, 2, 3
Back to the Footure – Forward+1, 2, 4
The Bee’s Knees – Down+1
Talk to the Hand – 2
My Own Publifist – 2, 1
Dunking on Haters – 2, 1, 2
Legbanged RedemptShin – 2, 1, 4
Foot Loosey Goosey – 2, 1, 4, 4
Gutbusters – Back+2
Charged Gutbuster – Back+2 (Hold)
Rising Star – Down+2
Reading Shoe – 3
Pow – 3, 3
Footless – Back+3
Dizzy Knee – Forward+3
Elbow Before Me – Forward+3, 2
On The Chin – Forward+3, 2, 1
Style Points – Forward+3, 4
Ankle of the Covenant – Down+3
John Kick – 4
Cagenado – 4, 4
Sweep the Leg – Back+4
Flipper – Forward+4
Donkey Kick – Down+4
Johnny Cage’s Aerial Attacks
Sky Die – ForwardUp+1
Private Jet – ForwardUp+1, 2
Air Blood – ForwardUp+1, 2,4
Face X – ForwardUp+2
Air Goring – ForwardUp+2, 4
Star Wrecked: The Final Footier – ForwardUp+2, 4, 4
Toe Tap – ForwardUp+3 or ForwardUp+4
Johnny Cage’s Throws
Shove – Forward+L1/LB or Forward+1+3
Hands Off – L1+R2/LB+RT or 1+3+R2/RT
Wombo Kombo – L1/LB or 1+3
Johnny Cage’s Special Attacks
Ball Buster – BackDown+1
Enhanced Ball Buster – BackDown+1+R2/RT
Ball Buster (Hype) – BackDown+1, L2/LT
Show Off – DownBack+1
Extend Show Off – DownBack+1 (Hold)
Enhanced Show Off – DownBack+1+R2/RT
Throwing Shade – ForwardDownBack+2
Enhanced Throwing Shade – ForwardDownBack+2+R2/RT
Throwing Shade (Hype) – ForwardDownBack+2, L2/LT
Rising Star – DownBack+3
Enhanced Rising Star – DownBack+3+R2/RT
Rising Star (Hype) – DownBack+3, L2/LT
Shadow Dash – DownForward+3
Enhanced Shadow Dash – DownForward+3+R2/RT
Extend Shadow Dash – L2/LT
Shadow Kick – BackForward+4
Enhanced Shadow Kick – BackForward+4+R2/RT
Shadow Kick (Hype) – BackForward+4, L2/LT
Hype – ForwardDownBack+4
Wowing Out – ForwardDownBack+4
Hype Meter
Unlike the other characters, Johnny has an extra status meter known as the ‘Hype Meter,’ which is the star above every other character’s standard meter. If you fill-up the meter, Johnny will be able to make a ‘Hype Special Move,’ which will put a spotlight on him, and for a limited time, Johnny moves faster and can perform enhanced moves without burning the Energy Bar.
Johnny will have to perform his taunts to fill up the Hype Meter without getting interrupted. Holding a pose will also allow Johnny’s Hype Meter to build up.
Related: Every Character in Mortal Kombat 1
Johnny’s Fatal Blow
Like all the other characters, Johnny also has his Fatal Blow (originally called X-Ray Moves), but it does have a special mechanic.
When Johnny triggers the move, he suddenly starts dancing briefly. This is a parry, and anyone who hits Johhny during this time will have their blow blocked and trigger the Fatal Blow.
If you let Johnny finish his dance, though, he’ll then be able to perform an unblockable hit, which will trigger the Fatal Blow, so anyone looking to avoid it should just go farther from Johnny.
It’s also worth noting that the player can cancel Johnny’s Fatal Blow once triggered; they simply have to keep holding the L2+R2 button.
Johnny also has a Fatal Blow called Shadow Dash, which can be triggered with DownForward+3.
Johnny Cage’s Fatalities
Hollywood Walk of Pain – Forward, Back, Down, 2
Drive-by – (Mid to Far) Forward, Down, Back, 4
Johnny Cage’s Brutalities
The Klassic – Down+2
Tips for Playing Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 1
Though Johnny is considered the main source of humor for his character, that doesn’t mean he isn’t an effective fighter. It helps to understand how his kit works, especially with the Hype Meter and the special abilities of his other moves.
For example, the Shadow Dash move allows Johnny to pass through his enemies, and enhancing it will also allow him to go through projectiles, making it harder for enemies to try and zone him out.
Since Johnny is also encouraged to do a lot of taunting to build his hype meter, getting a Kameo character that effectively stops the enemy from attacking, like Sub-Zero, who would freeze them on the spot while Johnny builds his hype.
It also helps to activate Hype whenever possible because it allows Johnny to deal serious damage. He may be full of quips, but he’s no joke regarding his moveset.
