10 Most OBSCURE Mortal Kombat Characters

10 Most Obscure Mortal Kombat Characters

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking at the most obscure characters to grace the “Mortal Kombat” roster!

Kobra

There are a handful of fighters who debuted during the 2000s, and of whom we haven’t heard much of sense. Looking like “MK’s” version of Ken from “Street Fighter,” Kobra first appeared in 2004’s “Deception,” as a street brawling recruit of the Black Dragon clan. He, along with basically everyone else, would appear again in 2006’s “Armageddon.” And it would later be retconned that he was killed off by Shang Tsung during a climactic battle, and was forgotten by most players in the coming years. Funnily enough, his moves are used by DLC character Ghostface in “Mortal Kombat 1,” along with fellow obscure character, Kira, with it written into his lore that she and Kobra are helping him.

Kai

Most of the more obscure fighters in “Mortal Kombat” share a common theme, in that a lot of them have simple, human designs. In a roster of mighty Gods and vicious monsters, where even the other humans are established icons, it’s hard to stand out. Kai debuted in “Mortal Kombat 4,” as a Shaolin Monk in training under Liu Kang. His second appearance was in “Armageddon,” where he, like much of the rest of the packed roster, would die in the opening fight leading to the universe reboot in 2011. But even though they could bring him back, Kai has been left behind.

Shujinko

Shujinko’s first appearance was actually quite unique, since he was specifically made as the protagonist of Deception’s “Konquest” mode. Although he also appeared in the traditional modes, the story chronicled his entire life, as he was deceived into spending it helping a villainous Dragon King named Onaga. After his appearance in “Armageddon” (again, everyone is in that game), he would only make cameo appearances in “Mortal Kombat X” and “Mortal Kombat 1.” It’s a little bit of a shame, considering how much effort was put into his debut. From the star of an entire mode to a “Hey, remember this guy?”

Jarek

A member of the Black Dragon clan, Jarek had to put aside his differences with Sonya Blade to fight for the forces of good in “Mortal Kombat 4.” However, being the student of, and having similar moves to, Kano, it’s easy to see why he didn’t leave much of a mark. He next appeared in “Special Forces,” a bad spin-off most people haven’t played. And beyond being playable and canonically dying at the end of “Armageddon,” like almost everyone else, Jarek has been relegated to cameo appearances ever since.

Dairou

As you can see, there are a handful of characters who debuted during the “Deception” era that have since been mostly forgotten. A Seidan guard turned mercenary, Dairou used some stealthy tactics in combat, and a modified Dao, a Chinese broadsword. But his backstory meant he could easily be lifted out of the future plot. His last playable appearance was “Armageddon;” canonically, he sided with Shinnok, and was killed by Shang Tsung. He hasn’t been included since. Though, admittedly, there hasn’t been much demand to bring him back either.

Khameleon

The ninja, Chameleon (with a C), debuted in the PC, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn versions of “Mortal Kombat Trilogy,” as a hidden character who uses abilities from all of the male ninja fighters up to that point. With only one other playable appearance, “Armageddon,” that’s pretty obscure. But then there’s Khameleon (with a K), who’s even more easily forgotten. A genderswap version of the character, who instead uses moves from the female ninja fighters, she’s what players of the N64 version of “MK Trilogy” got. She also only ever made one more playable appearance; again, “Armageddon,” though exclusively on the Wii. Netherrealm did recently bring her back in “Mortal Kombat 1,” but only as a DLC Kameo fighter.

Tremor

You would think that a ninja with earth powers would play a bigger part, given the many other elemental-powered ninjas running around the “MK” universe. Tremor debuted in the aforementioned spin-off “Special Forces,” so the chips were admittedly stacked against him. Still, he only made his playable debut in the PS Vita of the 2011 reboot, and only in the Challenge Tower. He was made playable in the more traditional sense in “Mortal Kombat X,” but as the final DLC character. You can use him again through DLC in “Mortal Kombat 1,” but only as a Kameo fighter. It’s a shame he’s never been given much chance to shine, because you’d essentially have an earthbender on the roster.

Taven

Even more obscure than a character who debuted in “Deception?” A character who debuted in “Armageddon,” which they retconned by killing everyone off anyway. Similar to Shujinko, Taven was introduced as the protagonist through this game’s Konquest mode. It follows the half-god after he awakens from stasis, and his attempt to stop his brother from achieving full godhood and bringing on a cataclysmic event. Taven was also in the base roster of the game. But beyond a few cameos, he has been left behind in the “Mortal Kombat” history books.

Daegon

So, Taven’s brother that we mentioned, the villain of “Armageddon’s” Konquest mode? That would be Daegon. And just like his brother, he went from playable character to cameos and references. It’s easy to see why; it was important for the series to thin out the roster, and go back to the basics for the 2011 reboot. And a couple of newly-introduced half-gods must have been easy picks to cut. Plus, both he and Taven used various fire-based attacks. And it isn’t as if the series was exactly lacking in that department when they were introduced.

Sareena

Sareena’s obscurity is partially due to the games she debuted in. Her first appearance was in another mostly forgotten spin-off, “Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero.” She didn’t join the main series until “Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition,” the GameBoy Advance version of “Deadly Alliance,” which is understandably not the one most people played. A Netherrealm demon under the control of Quan Chi, she broke free in order to help Sub-Zero. She appeared with everyone else in “Armageddon,” though a huge roster like that didn’t really let her stand out. And since then, like many others on the list, she has only made small appearances and cameos.

Who do you think is the most obscure or forgotten playable character in the “Mortal Kombat” series? Share your thoughts in the comments, and we’ll see you next time!