Mortal Kombat has had many iconic characters that have pulled out our hearts, torn out our spines, and humiliated us after the words "Finish Him" flashes across the screen. Of the many dark forces and baddies that look to claim the six realms for their own in Mortal Kombat, we are safe to say that Earthrealm (our realm) is in safekeeping. Who should we thank for that...? Of course the one and only classic Mortal Kombat tournament champion, Liu Kang.
You can say out of the many vile and inhumane characters to span the decades of kombat, for many people Liu Kang is the most honorable and well respected. With honor comes discipline for this Shaolin Warrior whose skills have defeated some of the most powerful lords and deities to ever grace the series from Shang Tsung to Shao Khan. Winning the tournament in the first Mortal Kombat game and many more afterward, Liu Kang has far exceeded expectations. No wonder a literal god requested his services. Even with his discipline in check, Liu Kang sometimes has to push the boundaries against his own morals -- this is a Mortal Kombat game after all. Let's take a look at the fatalities that makes us question the morality of this Earthrealm champion.
10 Mortal Kombat: Butterfly Flip Uppercut
Our first entry is a classic fatality for Liu Kang. This one is simple and straight to point. Liu Kang shows off his gymnastic skills and does a Butterfly Flip before unleashing a devastating uppercut to his opponent. At the time, this was one of the easiest fatalities to pull off using a very simple and unique input. By rotating the control pad/joystick 360 degrees counterclockwise you can initiate this fatality.
The unordinary thing (by fatality standards) about this fatality is there no gore that comes with this animation. However, over time this fatality has become truer to the destructive nature of many finishers by later installments, having limbs and body parts destroyed after in the aftermath.
9 Mortal Kombat (2011): Fist of Flame
Wow, talking about giving someone "heartburn." Geez. This fatality showcased in Mortal Kombat 2011 version is brutal. This finisher starts off with a courtesy bow before Kang's fist engulfs in flames as he winds up and puts his fist straight down the middle of the opponent's chest.
For anyone that played through the story, this is the same move that eventually takes out Shao Khan. When an Outworld demigod ruler that many have feared for years is taken out by this move, you know this fatality is something special.
8 Mortal Kombat Deception: Soul Invasion
Many fans were surprised and distraught by the twist that occurred in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance that caused the subsistent absence and demise of our beloved main protagonist. For four installments, Liu Kang's appearance run ended, but no one was prepared for his return in Mortal Kombat: Deception.
Now Liu Kang returned from the grave and came back with some new powers he picked up in the afterlife, including this fatality. Soul Invasion has Liu Kang transfer his spirit into the victim and proceeds to rip their head off, revealing himself underneath like a twisted Scooby-Doo villain. Rick Grimes, can rest easy knowing this zombie is not amongst the ones walking.
7 Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks: Fire/Kick Combo
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is home to some of the best fatalities the MK series has to offer. The meat of the fatalities that were displayed came from the main characters Liu Kang and Kung Lao. This fatality was pure excitement to witness, for many fans know Liu Kang takes inspiration from one action star, Bruce Lee, and this is an excellent example of that.
Starting up a beefed-up fireball that Liu Kang is known for, he engulfs the opponent in flames and Kang launches a signature flying kick that explodes the victim. The cool thing about this sequence is the slow-motion action sequence before the finishing blow. Just imagine seeing that in the next Mortal Kombat movie.
6 Mortal Kombat 11: Burn Out
Liu Kang goes all-out precision striking style with this fatality. Starting with a furry combo of punches reminisced to Donnie Yen's Ip Man punching style, Kang proceeds to punch four holes into his victim.
Afterward, Kang performs a heat ignited one-inch punch to the center of the chest of the opponent, similar to Uma Thurman's character in Kill Bill, which explodes the victim into several chunks. For anyone who's an action movie fan would definitely appreciate this awesome fatality. Maybe Liu Kang was the mastermind behind the choreography work for these martial art films.
5 Mortal Kombat 11: Belly Of The Beast
Pulling out the old reliable of the Butterfly Flip Uppercut, Liu Kang's latest modification to the classic finisher is sweeter and more brutal. The opening sequence is the signature cartwheel flip which knocks out the eyes of the unfortunate victim.
You would think that would be enough? Oh no, you forgot about the fiery uppercut that sends the chunks of the opponent flying through the air. Okay, maybe that's it?...No! Liu Kang goes into full overkill mode and brings out his nunchucks to destroy the remaining falling debris of the leftover body parts. Liu Kang stop, stop! He's already dead!
4 Mortal Kombat 3: Arcade Drop
This is an instant classic amongst Liu Kang players. This finisher is fourth wall breaking at it's finest, as Liu Kang summons a Mortal Kombat arcade cabinet from out of nowhere to crush his opponent to death.
This fatality (now brutality in MK11) has been used in Mortal Kombat 3 and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, we don't know why this would work on Superman, but okay. All you can think about is how looney a death like this can be, death by arcade cabinet seem like something from an ACNE cartoon.
3 Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks: Shaolin Soccer
GOAL!!! Liu brings out the blood-soaked Shaolin cleats as he performs his best Cristiano Ronaldo impression in this awesome fatality. Hands down the best fatality in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Liu Kang performs a finisher with some sauce and flavor attached to it.
Opening up with a roll into a well-placed uppercut that knocks his victim's head off, Liu Kang backflip kicks the head back to the victim's body and explodes them into many fiery pieces. Liu Kang really needs to get a million-dollar contract with those types of skills.
2 Mortal Kombat X: Splitter
This fatality is awesome, it's a special blend of over the top, flashy, and gore mixed into one. The sequence begins with Liu Kang kicking the opponent in the air with a backflip kick and immediately charges up and goes flying to the sky.
Liu Kang proceeds to place his feet directly into the guts of his victim and divides them into two halves in mid-air using the splits. Liu Kang performs his perfect hero landing and brushes of the remaining victim's body fragments off his shoes. Talk about the disrespect here people and they say Liu Kang is honorable. Ha!
1 Mortal Kombat II: Dragon Bite
Number 1 is the most iconic and popular fatality synonymous with Liu Kang players. Liu Kang was doing animalities before they were even in style in Mortal Kombat 3. The fatality is over the top and possibly one of the most random and unexpected for players at the time. Simply put, Kang turns into a literal dragon and chomps on the victim's upper half. Where does the digestive system go after that is up for debate.
There have been many versions of this fatality spanning MK titles from Mortal Kombat II to Mortal Kombat (2011). As well as let's now forget that elder god awful CGI in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. It seems like the winner of the Mortal Kombat tournament was already predetermined with the dragon logo. Coincident, we think not.