The Mortal Kombat franchise is known for many things, including gory but entertaining fights, a rather confusing storyline, and a cast of intriguing characters. Since its inception, more than 70 original characters have appeared across the game series, as well as plenty of guest characters from other franchises.
Most Mortal Kombat characters have their own cool quirks and skills that make them stand out. However, there are plenty of characters who don’t fit in with the franchise’s tone, have bland personalities and playstyles, or are shameless rip-offs/clones of other characters.
11 Johnny Cage Is Boring
First Appearance: Mortal Kombat (1992)
Johnny Cage was one of the first playable characters in the Mortal Kombat franchise and has been in almost every main installment since his introduction. A cocky movie star who’s loosely based on Jean-Claude Van Damme, Cage relies mostly on his martial arts skills rather than supernatural powers to succeed in the tournaments.
There are fans who consider Cage their favorite due to his humor and the fact that he doesn’t rely solely on superpowers to fight, but he’s ultimately a boring addition to the roster. The Mortal Kombat games feature characters who can conjure ice, shoot lightning, and steal souls, but for some reason, each game insists on forcing the player to use Johnny Cage in the main story.
10 Taven And Daegon Are So Generic
First Appearance: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Taven and Daegon are brothers who act as the primary protagonist and antagonist of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon respectively. They share many of the same fighting techniques and powers (conjuring and controlling fire), and both look like generic martial arts action heroes.
Taven and Daegon are only playable in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, with the former being the player’s character throughout the Konquest story mode. This game is noted for having one of the largest playable rosters in the entire series, and yet players have to use a less interesting version of Liu Kang to complete the story.
9 Mokap Is An Unfunny Joke
First Appearance: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Mokap was introduced as a secret character in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. He is a motion-capture actor with an extensive knowledge of stunts and martial arts, and for some odd reason, he also possesses supernatural abilities like shooting fireballs and using telekinesis.
Mokap is mostly played off as a joke character and a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Carlos Pesina, who did the motion capture for Raiden in several of the previous games. Although it’s nice of the developers to include this tribute to one of the hard-working motion capture performers, Mokap would’ve been better if he had more development or characterization.
8 The Joker Is An Unnecessary Addition
First Appearance: Mortal Kombat 11
DC’s Clown Prince of Crime featured as a guest character in Mortal Kombat 11, alongside Spawn, Shang Tsung and the Terminator T-800. Fans who felt The Joker seemed out-of-place in the Mortal Kombat universe, although his unique move set did garner praise.
The Joker would’ve been a fine addition to the Mortal Kombat roster if he hadn’t already appeared in NetherRealm Studio’s other recently-released games, Injustice: Gods Among Us and Injustice 2. His guest spot in Mortal Kombat 11 could’ve easily gone to someone more deserving, such as Ash from Evil Dead or even Neo from The Matrix.
7 Bo’ Rai Cho Is Wasted Potential
First Appearance: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Bo’ Rai Cho was introduced in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance as Liu Kang’s teacher and an expert in the Drunken Fist fighting style. In the Mortal Kombat universe, he is well-respected and liked due to his selfless attitude, bravery, and good nature. Unfortunately, many gamers do not share the same sentiments toward him.
Aside from his sloppy and sometimes hard-to-master fighting style, Bo’ Rai Cho’s move set includes things like him vomiting or passing gas. Mortal Kombat has never shied away from injecting humor into the games or movies, but Bo’ Rai Cho’s over-usage of toilet humor makes him more annoying than enjoyable.
6 Kobra Is A Street Fighter Reject
First Appearance: Mortal Kombat: Deception
In Kobra’s first appearance in Mortal Kombat: Deception, he’s described as a street brawler who was recruited by Black Dragon Clan members, Kira and Kabal. He returns in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, only to be almost immediately defeated by the hero Taven. In the later games, it’s heavily implied that Kobra was murdered by bounty hunter Erron Black.
When Kobra first debuted, fans were quick to point out his many flaws and downsides. In addition to very basic, uninspired martial arts moves, he looks almost exactly like Ken from the Street Fighter series, one of Mortal Kombat‘s biggest rivals.
5 Hsu Hao Is Universally Hated… Even By The Creators
First Appearance: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Hsu Hao is a member of the Red Dragon Clan (operating under Mavado’s command) who infiltrates the Special Forces team to take them down from within. His most defining feature is the cybernetic heart that gives him superhuman abilities and allows him to shoot a laser beam from his chest.
Ever since his first appearance, Hsu Hao has been the target of ridicule from Mortal Kombat players, and even the creators themselves have admitted they do not like him. His generic move set, similarities to Kano, and uninspired design led to him being killed off after just one game. He does make a return in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon along with the rest of the characters, however.
4 Mavado Is Nothing Without His Hook Swords
First Appearance: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Mavado is a member of the Red Dragon Clan, a criminal gang that despises the Black Dragon Clan. During his debut, Mavado is revealed to have violently killed Kabal, taking his hook swords as trophies and incorporating them into his fighting style. Kabal, however, is eventually shown to be alive and returns to take his swords back in a later game.
Mavado’s biggest appeal is the pair of hook swords that he stole from Kabal. He also has an intriguing playing style where he uses elastic ropes to pull himself around the arena or to dodge attacks. Once Mortal Kombat games reverted to the two-dimensional fighting style and Mavado lost his weapons, he lost what little appeal he had.
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2 Stryker Feels Out Of Place In Mortal Kombat
First Appearance: Mortal Kombat III
Stryker made his first appearance in Mortal Kombat III. The riot control officer was recruited into the Mortal Kombat tournament as one of Raiden’s fighters. During gameplay, Stryker’s fighting style incorporates his various police weaponry such as his nightstick, grenades, taser, and even firearms.
When Stryker was first introduced, the creators assumed he’d be a hit among fans, but the opposite turned out to be true. Players disliked this boring everyman with no supernatural powers and felt like he was out of place in the Mortal Kombat universe. In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Stryker received a futuristic redesign to make him more appealing, but fan opinion hardly changed.
1 Blaze Is Nothing But A Slow Bruiser
First Appearance: Mortal Kombat II
Blaze is believed to have made his first canon appearance in the background of Mortal Kombat II. But he wasn’t a primary or playable character until the events of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. He is a fire elemental with god-like powers, and anyone who defeats him in combat absorbs that power for themselves. His defeat leads directly to the events of the following game, Mortal Kombat (2011).
Even though he is the main boss of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Blaze is nothing but a slow, lumbering brute who acts as the catalyst for the apocalypse. Other bosses from previous games, had some personality and variety in their playing styles and characterization, but Blaze is hardly more than a one-dimensional bruiser.
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