All is fair in love, war, and in the Mortal Kombat franchise. After all, everything is fair game in a Tournament that decides the fate of all the Realms. As a result, normal martial artists contend with the likes of Cyborgs, Wraiths, Revenants, and even Gods to protect their Realms, conquer other worlds, or fulfill grudges.
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In turn, almost every Mortal Kombat Tournament has a surprise to offer its spectators. While the Shaolin Monk Liu Kang almost always becomes Earthrealm's savior, other Kombatants have natural abilities that put superpowers and nuclear weapons to shame. According to the lore of the universe, here are some of the most powerful characters in the franchise.
10 Fire God Liu Kang
Players of MK 11 would easily put Liu Kang in literal god-tier. In the game's story, Kronika's fear of both Liu Kang and Raiden's potential motivated her to manipulate time to pit them against each other endlessly. Unfortunately, Raiden saw through her plan and merged himself with Liu Kang, imbuing his godly essence into him. Liu Kang became a Fire God, possessing the aspect of fire and lightning.
It's difficult to pinpoint the Fire God's abilities. However, it's safe to assume that the Fire God would have his martial arts imbued with a deity's strength. His feats include annihilating a Netherrealm legion and even besting Kronika. Moreover, given his control over Kronika's Crown and the Hourglass of Time, the Fire God could also control time to do his bidding. He managed to forge a timeline away from Kronika's machinations.
9 Onaga
The Dragon King Onaga served as the ruler of Outworld prior to Shao Kahn. As Outworld's Kahn, Onaga demonstrates superior strength, endurance, and magical resistance. He has the uncanny power to raise the dead, which he used to constantly revive his famed army. Had Shao Kahn not poisoned him, Onaga would have become the biggest mortal threat across the Realms.
In fact, Shao Kahn's choice to eliminate Onaga demonstrates the latter's threat level. His sheer cunning makes him a formidable foe. As a spirit, he duped fighters into giving him a mortal host, absorbing the powers of other Kombatants. Had Shujinko failed to realize his treachery, Onaga could have prepared to defeat Blaze and attain unspeakable power.
8 Raiden
Formerly the God of Thunder, Raiden is one of the wisest and most powerful beings in the universe. His control over lightning allowed him to travel at the speed of light, summon lightning, and perform resurrection. Raiden isn't indestructible, and cannot use his powers outside his domain. He cannot participate in Mortal Kombat, limiting his ability to interfere with Shang Tsung and Quan Chi's plans. In fact, Raiden's non-interfering nature catalyzed conflicts within the franchise. Eventually, he assumed a darker persona to stop it.
Now that he's given up his godhood to Liu Kang, Raiden is but a mortal. However, he's still no pushover. His millennia's worth of knowledge and combat training could allow Raiden to contend with the likes of Shinnok when it comes to cunning and strategy.
7 Quan Chi
Quan Chi is known for two things: his status as the Netherrealm's most powerful sorcerer, and Shinnok's most faithful servant. However, his allegiance with the Dark Elder God doesn't mean he's a pushover. Inside Quan Chi is a desire to rule reality, and he has the vicious, coldhearted pragmatism to supplement his magical prowess.
Quan Chi matches Delia, Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, and Shinnok in terms of magic. As a necromancer, he can steal souls and reanimate the dead. His magical feats involve illusions, alteration, conjuration, and a limited degree of omniscience. It's thanks to him that Scorpion became a Wraith, and Shinnok returned to the realm of the living. Had Quan Chi acted alone, his cunning could prove enough to pit the Realms' most powerful villains against each other.
6 Shang Tsung
One of Mortal Kombat's original champions, the Elder Gods cursed Shang Tsung with quick aging due to his ambition. To retain his youth, Shang Tsung must absorb the souls of others. As cunning as he is,he realized that this soul absorption granted him not just the appearance, but the abilities of souls he obtains.
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This power set should put Quan Chi as the more powerful sorcerer. However, Shang Tsung's mastery of soul absorption gave him centuries' worth of knowledge and abilities that almost match that of Gods. In fact, Shang Tsung trumps Quan Chi in that he created Kronika's Crown. Shang Tsung not only knows the inner machinations of the Hourglass of Time, but can withstand its strain should he decide to shape time in his image.
5 Shao Kahn
People across the realms know Shao Kahn for his ferocity, coupled with godlike strength. The Kahn of Outworld wields both fighting prowess and magic. Like Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn can use soul absorption to steal abilities and knowledge. As a Kombatant, Shao Kahn uses less of his magic and more of his endurance and strength. However, he can also use mysterious green energy to create projectiles, weapons, and force fields in battle.
Shao Kahn is also the stereotypical proud tyrant, which is often the cause of his downfall. However, his sheer tenacity and ambition give him more drive to act towards his goals. Shao Kahn trumps Onaga, as the former actually defeated Blaze to attain ultimate power. Sadly, Raiden's efforts would make Shao Kahn's futile.
4 Shinnok
Shinnok's ambitions to rule the Realms forced the other Elder Gods to banish him. However, Shinnok still possesses control over anything under his jurisdiction as the God of Death. He has control over illusions, soul stealing, power mimicry, and conjuration. These abilities place him above Quan Chi and Shang Tsung. With his Amulet, Shinnok can erase people from existence, steal souls, or open portals across realms.
As Cetrion's foil, Kronika intended Shinnok to oppose his sister's virtues of Light and Life with Darkness and Death. Given his status as an Elder God, Shinnok cannot die, and will always remain a threat to the universe.
3 Kronika
Despite her short stay as the antagonist of MK 11, Kronika is not force to mess with. Aside from being the mother of Elder Gods Shinnok and Cetrion, the Titaness Kronika is the Keeper of Time. As the Architect of Destiny, she can control the flow of time. She can even summon individuals from various points in time without triggering any paradoxes. Kronika can manipulate energy and the sands of time, incorporating them into her attack.
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Kronika's downfall is her lack of omnipotence. She requires energy sources to control the Hourglass, such as her crown, Earthrealm's Jinsei, or the essence of an Elder God. Had she been given enough planning, Kronika could use her time manipulation to win without lifting a finger.
2 Blaze
Blaze's control over fire is an understatement to his full potential. The Edenian Sorceress Delia foresaw a time where Mortal Kombat's fighters would threaten existence itself. Blaze is tasked to oversee these fighters, and impart power and "a wish" to anyone who defeated him. In the events of Armageddon, Blaze organized the final battle as a free-for-all amongst Kombatants. Shao Kahn proved the victor and used his power to rule the realms. This prompted Raiden to send a message to the past, starting the events of MK 2011.
Interestingly, Blaze's objectives required the assistance of Delia's sons, Taven and Daegon, to determine the future of all realms. Had Blaze gained his own ambitions, he could've decided what was "right" for all realms as he saw fit.
1 The One Being
The beginning of time contained only the One Being and the Elder Gods. The Elder Gods rose against the One Being to stop it from feeding off their essences. The One Being then split into each realm and in six Kamidogu. Theoretically, anyone who combined the Kamidogu with Shinnok's Amulet would attain ultimate power.
Others imply that the One Being's consciousness forged Onaga and Shao Kahn's ambitions of uniting the Realms. Doing so would reawaken the One Being. Moreover, the Elder Gods' interference in MK 2011 imply that they only interrupt Mortal Kombat on matters concerning Realm unification, as this may cause the return of the One Being.
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