Tuesday, 30 March 2021 23:30

Mortal Kombat: 10 Most Hilarious Character Endings In The Franchise

Written by Erik Petrovich
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Non-canon character endings are a staple of Mortal Kombat, serving as a reward for completing the arcade ladders. Some are also hilarious.

Mortal Kombat has always been a franchise that embraces its own cheesiness and isn't afraid to get a little over-the-top. Characters, settings, story elements, and abilities in Mortal Kombat have always been exaggerated, but sometimes the series' most serious moments come across as silly.

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While every game in the franchise has its ridiculous moments, Mortal Kombat 4 is home to some of the most hilariously terrible character endings in the whole franchise. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance took character endings to a meta-level of silliness, while other entries like Mortal Kombat: Unchained and Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe had their eyebrow-raising moments too.

10 Jarek – Mortal Kombat 4

Jarek was a new character in Mortal Kombat 4 who took the same role Kano did in previous entries. He and Sonya Blade have a similar rivalry, too, that culminates at the end of Mortal Kombat 4. The cutscene in-game is jarring, to say the least.

Sonya confronts Jarek on top of a cliff. When she dodges his leaping attack, Jarek falls off the edge screaming incoherently. Moments later, when Sonya calls Jax to confirm his death, Jarek crawls back up the cliff and pulls her off instead. Then, somehow Jax shows up instantly, actually says "this isn't brutality, this is a fatality" and throws Jarek off the cliff.

9 Liu Kang – Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

Jax calling his execution of Jarek a fatality is pretty campy, even for a Mortal Kombat game. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is a much later entry in the series, though, that does a similar meta-joke that just seems a bit too over the top.

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When Liu Kang ascends at the end of his story, Raiden tells him that to gain the unstoppable powers of the gods, he needs to shout a two-word phrase: "Mortal Kombat!" It's a callback to the original Mortal Kombat ads and the iconic theme song, but it's hard not to laugh at the ridiculousness of it.

8 Scorpion – Mortal Kombat 4

The entire backstory for Scorpion and Sub-Zero's rivalry revolves around the former getting revenge for his family's murder at the hands of the Lin Kuei ninja. In Mortal Kombat 4, this is thrown aside for a new backstory, where Quan Chi killed Scorpion's family instead.

The ending cutscene for Scorpion is nothing if not confusing, but the too-long, twitchy animation of Quan Chi yelling in the Netherrealm at the end is among the funniest visuals in any Mortal Kombat game.

7 Sub-Zero – Mortal Kombat 4

Similar to Scorpion's ending in Mortal Kombat 4, Sub-Zero's conclusion in the same game is all-around terrible. In Sub-Zero's case, though, the cutscene doesn't even focus on him – it focuses on Scorpion and Quan Chi. Right as Sub-Zero is about to declare victory over Scorpion, Quan Chi comes out of absolutely nowhere and knocks the ninja to the ground.

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Quan Chi then begins a twitchy-yet-rigid monologue about his secret dealings. Scorpion stands up, even after having been defeated, and kills Quan Chi. The cutscene also featured an audio outtake that should have been removed for the game – listen to the audio right at the end of the cutscene closely.

6 Mokap – Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

Mokap was something of a joke character who was initially inspired by a motion capture artist who worked on the series. He was a secret character in Deadly Alliance and also featured in Armageddon.

At the end of Deadly Alliance, the audience learns that none other than Midway Games, Mortal Kombat's publisher, heard of Mokap's prowess. Johnny Cage's movie is in the works at the end of Deadly Alliance, and Mokap is offered the chance to do motion capture for the video game based on the movie. Meta? Yes. Hilarious? Also yes.

5 Reptile – Mortal Kombat 4

Reptile's ending cutscene in Mortal Kombat 4 was another that didn't give the character a happy ending just because they beat the game. Reptile goes to Quan Chi and demands to be returned to his homeworld before its destruction, as part of a deal with Shinnok.

Shinnok appears, choke-lifts Reptile, and tells him that he "could kill you with a mere thought." Reptile says "we had a deal" to which Shinnok replies, "I AM NOT A GOD OF MY WORD, REPTILE. ALL DEALS... ARE OFF!" Then, Reptile explodes.

4 Raiden – Mortal Kombat 4

Raiden's ending in Mortal Kombat 4 would not be as hilarious as it is without the audio issues present in many cutscenes in the game. Raiden is offered a chance to become an Elder God for having protected Earthrealm for so long, and he chooses Fujin as his replacement as protector of Earth.

Then, when the Elder God in the sky disappears, there is a brief pause. The cutscene starts to fade out, and one can hear a very distinct voice whispering "alright." It's completely out of place, and obviously the result of badly edited audio, but the same "alright" appears in several cutscenes throughout the game.

3 Jax – Mortal Kombat: Unchained

Mortal Kombat: Unchained is an entry in the series exclusive to the Playstation Portable, aka the PSP. Many plot points aren't considered canon by fans because Unchained is not a very popular title, but nonetheless, it has its ridiculous moments.

RELATED: 10 Species You Forgot Exist In The Mortal Kombat Universe

Jax's story ends with him being the only one who wasn't subdued by Onaga, the Dragon King. Jax goes up to Onaga and, simply put, beats the ever-living hell out of him with his bionic fists. It's brutal but out of place in the most hilarious way.

2 Liu Kang – Mortal Kombat 4

Another entry from Mortal Kombat 4, Liu Kang's ending in the game results in him defending his title as champion of Mortal Kombat while being unable to defend the realm of Edenia. As a result, he loses Kitana, but not before she talks to him one more time.

The cutscene is hilarious because Kitana keeps on interrupting Liu Kang constantly, but not in a tasteful way. Kitana cuts him off when he asks her questions, and ultimately disappears with little to say. The comedic timing on the interruptions is unmatched, though.

1 Johnny Cage – Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

Johnny Cage's ending in Deadly Alliance is basically one big meta-joke. In-game, Johnny Cage finds a loophole in his MCM contract and leaves the studio during the production of a movie about his experience in Mortal Kombat.

Johnny creates his own movie, appropriately titled "Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance," and asks Mokap to provide motion capture for the video game adaptation.

Therefore, that means Johnny Cage's Deadly Alliance game is actually a video game adaptation of a movie that is based on Johnny Cage's experience in the events of the video game Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. Wrap your head around that one!

NEXT: Mortal Kombat: 10 Characters Most Casual Fans Forgot Existed

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