No, Mortal Kombat is not getting a sequel but instead, is getting a remake. Mortal Kombat 1 release date is September 19, 2023, and will be available to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. Here is Mortal Kombat 1's gameplay and official roster in anticipation of the upcoming release.
Mortal Kombat 1 Official Roster (To date)
First is a list of all the confirmed characters that will be appearing in the game. This of course is just a partially completed roster, and it will be updated as it gets closer to Mortal Kombat 1's release date of the remake. Below is the Mortal Kombat 1 Official Roster:
Sub Zero (Bi-Han)
Bi-Han was once known as Noob Saibot and as the Elder Sub-Zero. He is a Lin Kuei assassin that debuted as one of the few original characters in the first Mortal Kombat game as the original Sub-Zero – A mantle later passed down to his younger brother Kuai Liang after his death. Bi-Han later comes back as the Elder Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat back in 2011, and returns as Sub-Zero in the upcoming Mortal Kombat 1.
Smoke (Tomas Vrbada)
Tomas Vrbada, commonly known as Smoke, is also known as Enenra. Smoke is also a Lin Kuei assassin turned into a cyborg in the Mortal Kombat series. Smoke is first seen as an unplayable secret character in Mortal Kombat II appearing as a human but was later on made as a playable character in his debut in Mortal Kombat 3 as a cyborg.
Scorpion (Hanzo Hasashi)
Hanzo Hasashi, better known as Scorpion, is a resurrected ninja in the fighting game series and is paraded as the series' mascot. Scorpion is one of the very few original characters debuting in the first Mortal Kombat arcade game and holds a distinction along with Raiden and Sub-Zero that appears in every Mortal Kombat game as a playable character. Through the years of various versions of Mortal Kombat games, Scorpion has been a misguided antagonist after his resurrection following his family and clan's death. Since then, he has followed those on the side of evil out of revenge and anger.
Rain
Rain is a demigod son of god Argus and is the half-brother to demigods Taven and Daegon. An Edenian Prince that wishes to claim the Outworld throne, Rain seeks revenge against his own father for the death of his mother. Rain was first seen in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 but wasn't a playable character until he got an expanded backstory in the game's home console versions where he becomes a recurring character in the series.
Mileena
Mileena is a genetic experiment that was created by sorcerer Shang Tsung. She is also one of the adopted daughters of the Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn and acts as one of his personal enforcers in the storyline of the game. Mileena, one of the antagonists throughout the series, is a mutant hybrid clone of Kitana. She was created in Shang Tsung's flesh pits at the behest of Shao Kahn, who became increasingly paranoid that Kitana would one day learn the truth and turn against him. Mileena returns as a playable character in the Mortal Kombat remake.
Johnny Cage (Jonathan Carlton)
Jonathan Carlton, better known as Johnny Cage, is one of the central characters in the series alongside Raiden and Liu Kang but later on passes it down to Cassie Cage, her own daughter. Johnny Cage is an action movie star and martial artist that is part of the original seven characters that debuted in the first Mortal Kombat game. He is one of the more popular characters in the game.
Kitana
Kitana may be a 10,000-year-old Princess, but she is considered young by the realm of Edenia. She is Shao Kahn's loyal stepdaughter but later on was feared to be his enemy. This prompted Shao Kahn to let Shang Tsung create a clone that is Mileena. Kitana was also seen as a subtle love interest of Liu Kang even after he was murdered by the Deadly Alliance. After being loyal to Shao Kahn most of her life, she would then betray him and align herself with the Earthrealmers as she felt guilty which led her to doubt herself, question the morality of her actions, as well as be angry after discovering the truth about her past and her true father, King Jerrod.
Liu Kang
Liu Kang is one of the most popular characters in the series alongside Johnny Cage, Sub-Zero, and Raiden. He is known to be Earthrealm's greatest warrior as he defeated many to prove his abilities. Throughout the series, he is portrayed as the main hero after he becomes the first Mortal Kombat tournament champion. He was considered a threat by Shao Kahn and his plans. That's why Shang Tsung has always seen Liu Kang as a thorn in their side. Liu Kang is a member of the White Lotus Society that trains at the Wu Shi Academy where he was murdered by the Deadly Alliance of Shang with Quan Chi. Of course, he would be resurrected later on, but it would be as a zombie that killed hundreds of innocent people that he vowed to protect.
Raiden
The eternal God of Thunder, Raiden is one of the most memorable characters and is one of the first playable gods in the game. He remains one of the major characters serving as the deuteragonist behind Liu Kang. Raiden holds the distinction along with Scorpion and Sub-Zero that appears in every generation of Mortal Kombat games as a playable character. Arguably one of the most powerful characters in all of Mortal Kombat, Raiden is a protector of Earthrealm.
Kenshi Takahashi
Kenshi Takahashi is a blind swordsman with the abilities of telekinetics and pyschokinetics. He hails from Eurasian heritage and is a rogue swordsman that nurses a bitter hatred for Shang Tsung, whose deceit had resulted in Kenshi's living. Kenshi debuted back in 2002 at Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, where he has persistently featured in the series storyline by freeing Ermac from Outworld emperor Shao Kahn's control. He joins the Special Forces alongside Jax and Sonya Blade, seeking to bring down Mavado and his Red Dragon faction.
Kung Lao
Kung Lao is a former Shaolin monk as well as a member of the White Lotus Society like Liu Kang. He was first seen in the Mortal Kombat series debuting in Mortal Kombat II. Kung Lao stands in the shadow of his ancestor, the Great Kung Lao, but unlike his ancestor, he has no desire to be a champion and would rather live a life filled with peace. This was later changed as he is now more eager to prove himself equal or even better than Liu Kang. With his drive to be seen as better than Liu Kang, he turned into a highly conceited and immature character that comes from a place of deeply seated insecurity and inferiority complex toward Liu Kang.
Shang Tsung
A powerful soul-stealing sorcerer, Shang Tsung is the villain of the series that serves as the host for the traditional Mortal Kombat tournament. He is one of the few original characters in the first Mortal Kombat arcade game in which he served as the main antagonist and unplayable final boss. Shang Tsung is a shape-shifter who has a need to consume souls in order to sustain his health and life. This character is the epitome of cunning and decadence, as symbolized by his preference for lavish parties, grand palaces, and stylish clothing. He is a loyal subordinate of Shao Kahn, following whatever orders the Emperor gives him.
Kombat Pack DLC Announced
NetherRealm Studios revealed a massive announcement where new characters are to be introduced to Mortal Kombat 1. This includes the two fighters from the base game where Li Mei and Tanya are introduced alongside surprising characters like Omni-Man, Quan Chi, Peacemaker, Ermac, Homelander, and Takeda are welcomed into the game.
Li Mei
Li Mei debuted in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance as an Outworld warrior whose village was enslaved by Shang Tsung and Quan Chi. The people of her village were forced to build a temple from which the Deadly Alliance would summon the Soulnado. Li Mei attempted to win her people's freedom in a tournament hosted by Shang Tsung but ultimately, was betrayed. This turn of events would then lead her soul to be stolen and placed in one of the Dragon King Onaga's soldiers but would be saved later on by Bo' Rai Cho. She would then join the Forces of Light in the final Battle of Armageddon.
Tanya
Tanya hails from Edenia. She was originally introduced as an ostensible innocent but was later on revealed to be corrupted by evil as she would then worship Shinnok as well as being an ally to the Brotherhood of Shadow. Upon Shinnok being defeated, she would later defect to serve Shao Kahn, the Deadly Alliance, and Onaga. Tanya views herself as a survivor more than anything else, justifying her choices as being the correct decisions during those circumstances.
Quan Chi
Quan Chi is known to be the most powerful sorcerer and necromancer in the Netherrealm and is one of the primary villains in the Mortal Kombat series. He combines both dark magic and cunning when devising his never-ending plots to overtake not only Earthrealm but all of reality. Notable in particular for having great intelligence as well as his cold, calculating pragmatism, Quan Chi is also known to make a lot of enemies like Sub-Zero and Scorpion. He is responsible for the corruption of Bi-Han, transforming him into the Wraith Noob Saibot, and being responsible for the murder of Scorpion's family and the extinction of Shirai Ryu.
Baraka
Baraka is a mean, frightening, and unpredictable Outworld warrior in service of Emperor Shao Kahn. He is a nomadic mutant that is called Tarkata who populate the vast wastelands of Outworld. As a Tarkata, Baraka is cannibalistic and possesses long, retractable blades extending from their forearms making him one of the deadliest fighters in the Mortal Kombat universe.
Ermac
Ermac is a fusion of the many souls destroyed during the Outworld's wars that are to be controlled by Emperor Shao Kahn and his Shadow Priests. Ermac would usually refer to itself as “We”, “Our”, “Us”, and “Ours”. With the number of concentrated souls within Ermac, he possesses the gifts of telekinesis, teleportation, and the ability to travel from one realm to another.
Takeda
Takeda lived a normal life with his mother, Suchin, in Thailand. After his mother was killed by the Red Dragon, he was entrusted to Hanzo when his father left to avenge her death. Takeda originally had a timid nature despite being taught the ways of a warrior. This all changes as the newest iteration of the Shirai Ryu is eradicated which helped him become more serious and continued to help his master.
Omni-Man
Omni-Man is a DLC guest character that is available through Kombat Pack. He is the father of Invincible and a member of the Viltrumite race, a humanoid species of extraterrestrial origin who possess immense powers, working as a superhero on Earth.
Peacemaker
Christopher Smith, also known as “Peacemaker”, is a violent vigilante who strongly pushes his belief that achieving peace at any cost no matter how many people he has to kill is understandable. To him, there is a price to pay to achieve peace.
Homelander
Homelander is the main antagonist in The Boys television series and comics. He is a parody of a plethora of superheroes paired with the personality of many political figures. He is often described as the living embodiment of how the world views the United States of America.
Leaks about the Roster? Of course, there is!
We've gotten word over on the newly rebranded X (formerly called Twitter) that there is an upcoming release of yet another Mortal Kombat 1 Pack 2 which features the following characters:
- New Fighters
- Doomslayer
- Noob Saibot
- Kano
- Sareena
- Harley Quinn
- Death Stroke
- 5 Kameo Fighters
- Rain
- Drahmim
- Bo' Rai Cho
- Hsu Hao
- Moloch
As we determine the outcome of this, we've yet to confirm in the future whether or not this will be included in the game. From the Tweet, the leaker who had this information has had hits in the vast majority of Mortal Kombat reboot leaks. Until then, we'll see who will be part of the latest version of the fighting game, Mortal Kombat 1.
Keeper of the Time Trailer
Mortal Kombat 1 publisher, Warner Bros. Games, and developer, NetherRealm Studios, have released the “Keepers of Time” trailer for Mortal Kombat 1. This confirms Geras is a playable fighter.
Geras
Geras is a loyal and powerful servant of the Keeper of the Time and Architect of the Universe's destiny, Kronika. He is a creation Kronika that possesses god-like strength and the ability to manipulate the sands of time. What makes things more interesting about this character is that he is impervious to death. Geras is able to recover from all manner of wounds, even fatal ones, within a matter of minutes, or even in a matter of seconds.
Official Banished Trailer
A recently released Mortal Kombat 1 trailer named Official Banished shared and confirms Reptile, Ashrah, Havik, as well as Sareena Kameo will be coming to the game. This means that we're getting more playable characters in the latest remake of the Mortal Kombat series coming this September. Ashrah's overall design is definitely an eye-candy with her extra-detailed wings (thanks to today's technology) but fans can't keep their eyes off of the Reptile redesign which introduces a human form that is pretty amazing to see. Read more on our article on the Trailer here.
Rulers of Outworld
Warner Bros. Games has recently released another Mortal Kombat 1 trailer that has officially announced its newest playable characters joining the roster of the upcoming game. General Shao and Sindel are featured in the Rulers of Outworld trailer.
Shao/General Shao/Shao Kahn
A powerful tyrant of the Outworld Throne, he is one of the most celebrated and known villains not just in the fighting genre, but the video game genre as a whole. He first appeared in the Mortal Kombat II game as the final boss and later returned to the game as a non-playable final boss in Mortal Kombat which was released in 2011. In many respects, he resembles a large Asian warrior who is well known for his God-like strength that exceeds Raiden or even other godly characters in the Mortal Kombat universe.
Sindel
Despite her menacing appearance, Sindel is kind and benevolent in nature, coming from the original timelines. She rules the Realm of Edenia together with her daughter, Princess Kitana. Her powers are of an ethereal nature in more ways than one and is looked at as a distinctly older and more mature character in the game. Her elegance, royalty, and power are reflected in her appearance with flowing gray hair and an attitude that is fit for a queen.
Mortal Kombat 1 Gameplay
In case you have missed it, we did talk about Mortal Kombat 1‘s gameplay back in May 2023. As with the previous games, Mortal Kombat 1 is a fighting game with thirty years of history. Players can select one character from a roster of known Mortal Kombat characters. Afterward, they will be able to fight other characters from the Mortal Kombat universe. However, this game introduces a new feature called the Kameo Fighters. Kameo Fighters are this game's version of Assist Characters, a feature available in quite a few fighting games. Although not many details are available as of now, we can expect these characters to have special attacks that will help out mid-fight. This feature changes the way matches are fought, letting players mix and match their playstyle.
Additionally, the game will have a Story Mode, which uses a brand-new cinematic narrative that will feature “unexpected twists on classic rivalries and original backstories for the wide-ranging cast of legendary fighters.” More details about the online and offline modes will become available soon as it gets closer to Mortal Kombat 1's release date on September 19, 2023.
Make sure to check in from time to time here on ClutchPoints Gaming for the latest news, updates, and events like this Mortal Kombat 1 Official Roster, Gameplay, and Release Date.
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