Scorpion vs Sub Zero
Scorpion vs. Sub-Zero
How Scorpion And Sub-Zero Became Friends
It’s an age-old question: What’s stronger? Fire or ice? Does cold extinguish fire or does heat melt ice? Well, answering that question is a wee bit outside our range here today since we’re gamers and not scientists, so let’s rephrase that: Welcome to WatchMojo, and to today we’re deciding who’s better? Scorpion or Sub-Zero? Yeah… we're going there!! They may be allies now, but we’re pitting them against each other once again in a battle to the death all the same! Well… maybe not to the death, but losing one of our Video Game Versus challenges can be pretty traumatic for the losing party! Ready? Fight!
Round 1: Origin Story/History
Basim's Complete Origin Story | Assassin's Creed Valhalla & Mirage
How did Hanzo Hasashi end up as the fire-breathing hellspawn named Scorpion? Well, it’s complicated, but it goes a little something like this: Hasashi was murdered by the eldest Sub-Zero and his soul was trapped in the Netherrealm (...so basically hell). The evil sorcerer Quan Chi then offered Hasashi the chance to be reborn as a demon in order to seek revenge on Sub-Zero, and Hanzo agreed. Thus, the revenge-fueled demon we all know and love as Scorpion came to be in the first Mortal Kombat game. Sub-Zero’s origin, or history, isn’t as well known, but it stems directly from Scorpion’s resurrection and revenge. As you see, Scorpion had his revenge on the older Sub-Zero (aka Bi Han), killing him in – oh so fittingly – cold blood. Bi Han’s younger brother, named Kuai Liang, then assumed the role of Sub-Zero in his deceased brother’s stead. Later, come “Mortal Kombat 3”, this Sub-Zero would actually abandon the Lin Kuei, as the clan was in the process of converting their members into cyborgs. Both these characters’ histories are so interlinked that it can be tough to separate them at times – and their outfits certainly don’t help! – but Scorpion’s origin story is one of the most famous in all of video games, and so he’s the clear winner here. His tragic backstory really pulls us into his journey of revenge, and his complicated – and surprise-filled – story arc over the first four games is probably the best MK has to offer. Winner: Scorpion Scorpion 1 / Sub-Zero 0
Round 2: Costume Appearance
While the earlier Scorpion costumes are nothing to write home about – unless you love yellow, of course – his later appearances are pretty badass. His reimagining for the MK reboot in 2011 gave him a much darker, sinister look overall, and this theme was only furthered in “MKX.” In these later games, he looks like he’s come straight out of some Medieval battle scene, and the heavy shadows and increased dark colors really play up his reputation as a feared ninja assassin. While Sub-Zero’s costumes undergo the same type of progression and acceleration in detail as Scorpion’s in later games, but despite how awesome his samurai look in “MK11” is, we just can’t forgive his appearance in “Mortal Kombat 3.” Sorry, not sorry! Imagine being a kid, totally enthralled with the first two MK games, and then you pick up the third one and Sub-Zero looks like a male exotic dancer… Unforgivable. Scorpion’s ninja attire is yellow. Sub-Zero’s is blue. So, you'd think it should just boil down to your favorite color right? Wrong! There’s so much more at play here. Yes, their outfits have been similar, but we feel that Scorpion’s has been much more consistently badass over the long history of Mortal Kombat; and, thus, his look is just more iconic than Sub-Zero’s as a result. If Scorpion had appeared in “Ultimate MK3” as a Chippendale, we might be willing to think otherwise. But, no, unlike Sub-Zero, Scorpion has never NOT looked cool. Winner: Scorpion Scorpion 2 / Sub-Zero 0
Round 3: Classic Special Moves
Top 10 Hardest Classic Video Game Bosses
When we think of Scorpion, we think of his spear. It’s as simple as that, really. No matter what moves have been added to his arsenal over the eleven MK games, fans of Scorpion only care about one thing: how cool is the spear move this time around?? Sure, the teleport punch and air throw are iconic Scorpion moves as well, but they’re no spear. We can’t get enough of “Get over here!” Sub-Zero, on the other hand, also has an incredibly iconic special move in the ice projectile, but then he also has a huge storehouse of other awesome icy moves as well. Where to begin?! Oh, how about the dastardly ground freeze, the tricky slide, the almost unfair ice shower and the even more unfair ice clone!! Good Lord, Sub-Zero has more options at his disposal than two or three characters combined. Don’t call it a comeback, but Sub-Zero takes this round easily. While the spear is no doubt one of the coolest special moves in Mortal Kombat history, Sub-Zero's ice projectile – and the million variations of it – make him such a pain in the ass to fight. Jump too far, hit an ice clone. Retreat to recover, get hit by an ice shower. Run in for an attack, slip on the ground freeze. See what we mean? Winner: Sub-Zero Scorpion 2 / Sub-Zero 1
Round 4: Clan Strength
Origins of Simon Belmont and the Belmont Clan
Scorpion is a member of the Shirai Ryu, which is a clan of Japanese ninjas. But, outside of himself, there are not many other members of this clan to make it big – which is to say, not many get a playable character in mainstream Mortal Kombat games. There’s his young protégé Takeda Takahashi in “MKX”… and that’s it. Also, the Shirai Ryu’s first mention in the Mortal Kombat franchise is that it’s wiped out alongside Scorpion and his family at the hands of Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei. Not exactly a great first impression for Scorpion’s clan, is it? The Chinese originated Lin Kuei, on the other hand, has had a much wider roster of MK Kombatants over the years. First off, there are two Sub-Zeros in Bi Han and Kuai Liang, and also other playable fan favorites such as Smoke, Sektor, Cyrax, Frost, and even Shujinko for a short period of time. Also, there’s the whole Cyber Lin Kuei storyline that picked up during “MK3” and continues into the later games, giving the Lin Kuei much more visibility in the MK franchise as a whole. This round clearly goes to Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei, as the Shirai Ryu is not nearly as well explored in Mortal Kombat games. While we’d love to know more about the Shirai Ryu, to do so we’d have to read MK comics to even find another member of the clan, that being Forrest Fox. And well, we prefer our Mortal Kombat on our TV screens in all it’s brutal, blood-n-guts glory! Winner: Sub-Zero Scorpion 2 / Sub-Zero 2
Round 5: Powers
Top 10 Bioshock Powers
Scorpion wields the power of fire, and he’s turned more than his fair share of opponents into roasted marshmallows over Mortal Kombat’s long history – Toasty!! But, he’s also undead too, which gives him a unique advantage over other human kombatants in that he’s not restricted to either Earthrealm or the Netherrealm. This fact gives rise to one of his most unique special moves: the teleport, which has been surprising – and frustrating – opponents since the early '90s. Sub-Zero possesses the power of ice, and it’ll be a cold day in hell before he relinquishes it… He’s able to freeze his opponents in their tracks and even shatter them into thousands of pieces if he’s really in a bad mood. His ice projectile has famously given him an advantage over other kombatants by essentially giving gamers a brief window for a massive free hit – and, by this, of course we mean a brutal uppercut! So… it looks like we WILL be answering the question of whether fire or ice is more powerful after all! Excuse us while we put on our science hats… yip, we’re going with fire and Scorpion here, because we all know that fire melts ice. While ice can put out fire, it’s not as immediate and you’ll need an absolute butt-load of it to do so. I mean, even room temperature can defeat ice… We’ve all left ice cream out of the freezer… Winner: Scorpion Scorpion 3 / Sub-Zero 2 And, so you have it! The fire-breathing hellspawn Scorpion takes our Video Game Versus battle with a victory of 3 rounds to 2. Sorry Sub-Zero! No hard feelings! Did we pick the right team? Be sure to debate it in the comments and, of course, don’t forget to subscribe to WatchMojo for more entertaining versus battles.
