In the year 1991, Street Fighter II hit the arcades and created a boom in fighting games. Over time, many fighting games followed through to the arcades from the King Of Fighters franchise to Mortal Kombat. Mortal Kombat, in particular, garnered a lot of attention thanks to its more realistic graphics and incredibly controversial fatalities. In spite of this, the franchise began to grow, currently having eleven main games and a variety of spin-offs. Memorable characters were created from this franchise such as Scorpion and Shang Tsung, but newcomers may not know who they are or their fighting styles.
As such, here is every single character's backstory from the original Mortal Kombat and their fighting styles.
10 Liu Kang
Starting this list is the main character for the majority of the franchise, Liu Kang. Raised as a Shaolin monk, Liu Kang is one of the most powerful characters in the Mortal Kombat universe and is the canonical champion of the first game. He has the power to control fire and is considered Raiden's "Chosen One"
Primarily, the character utilizes Jun Fan martial arts, which is inspired by Bruce Lee's martial system of Jeet Kune Do. The name Jun Fan being Bruce Lee's real name. Outside of that certain games also note him as being a master of the actual Jeet Kune Do, Karate, Pao Chui, Choy Lay Fut, Monkey, and Dragon.
9 Sub-Zero
In the original Mortal Kombat, the role of Sub-Zero still belonged to Bi-Han who has since become Noob Saibot. In spite of this, his Sub-Zero persona still plays a prominent role in this game. As a member of the Lin Kuei, he was one of their most dedicated members. He was incredibly cold and merciless before being killed by Scorpion in the tournament. Along with the control of ice, this Sub-Zero is a master of Hapkido, Pi-Gua, and Monkey.
8 Raiden
The god of thunder and protector of Earthrealm, Raiden is the wise mentor character who is extremely powerful and also one of the most significant. He is also typically seen as the leader of Earthrealm as he is the one that has the most connections to characters like Shang Tsung and Shao Khan. As he is a god, he commands powerful lightning and is a master of the martial arts Nan Chuan, Jujutsu, Judo, and Tae Kwon Do.
7 Kano
Kano is the leader of the Black Dragon clan and is often the main enemy to the character Sonya Blade. Kano is an incredibly vile and villainous character who employs cut-throat tactics whether with allies or enemies. Employing similar tactics when he is in a fight. He is well-known for his cybernetic eye which allows him to shoot out lasers. He is a master of Xing Yi and, ironically, Aikido.
6 Johnny Cage
Johnny Cage unlike the other characters in Mortal Kombat is not an assassin, a god, or a monk. Instead, he is a movie star with a cocky attitude. He initially joined the first Mortal Kombat tournament in order to revitalize his career and prove that his moves weren't just in the movies. Despite his personality, Johnny Cage is one of the most powerful defenders in the Mortal Kombat universe and is a master of Jeet Kune Do, Shinto-Ryu, and Shorin-Ryu Karate.
5 Sonya Blade
Sonya Blade is a soldier that works for the Outer World Investigation Agency special ops group. She is a strong and highly decorated soldier, she ended up being a part of the Mortal Kombat tournament when she was ambushed by Shang Tsung's personal guard when following Kano's trail. Sonya Blade is a strong Earthrealm warrior who is a master of the martial art disciplines Kenpo and Tae Kwon Do.
4 Reptile
Reptile is a secret character in the original Mortal Kombat game. He is a humanoid reptile who is loyal to Outworld. For the most part, he was hidden and was serving Shang Tsung during the Mortal Kombat tournament. When he did appear, he was an incredibly dangerous combatant. Although later games eventually developed the character, he did make a decent impression on gamers. He is a master of Hung Gar, Crab, and Pao Chui.
3 Goro
Goro is one of the many allies of Shang Tsung and is a Shokan. Creatures who are hulking in size and having 4 massive arms. He appears in the original Mortal Kombat as a Sub-Boss. Although he first became playable on the Gameboy port of the original game. Nonetheless, he is a powerful warrior who was the winner of Mortal Kombat tournament for nine generations before Liu Kang. His fighting styles are the fictional Shokan and Kuatan.
2 Scorpion
Scorpion is the poster boy of Mortal Kombat, arguably being the most recognizable character in the franchise. Scorpion is a member of Shirai Ryu who was killed and resurrected as a specter. Seeking vengeance after the death of both his clan as well as his family.
Due to the manipulation of Quan-Chi, the person who resurrected him, he killed the original Sub-Zero during the original Mortal Kombat. In spite of this, he isn't a villain and is rather a misguided individual. Becoming a good person in the new timeline. His fighting style is Hapkido, Pi-Gua, and Moi Fah.
1 Shang Tsung
Finally, the last character to be discussed is the main villain of the original Mortal Kombat. The dreaded sorcerer Shang Tsung, he is considered the arch-enemy of Liu Kang and is a shape-shifter who eats souls. He is a cunning snake who is willing to backstab anyone if it means allowing him to gain more power.
Being a major antagonist throughout the Mortal Kombat franchise, his ability to shapeshift allows him to also use the abilities of those he absorbs. Aside from that, he is able to utilize black magic in order to enhance his fighting capabilities. His fighting style is Snake, Crane, Mantis, and Mimicry.