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102-483: Outside of the games, Kung Lao has appeared in various related media. Reception to the character has been generally positive, particularly in respect to his appearance, special abilities, and Fatality finishing moves. As stated in Kung Lao's bio card that after the first Mortal Kombat game, the creators wanted a monk character other than Liu Kang . According to Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias , Kung Lao's hat

204-468: A Mortal Kombat II comic book prequel that was written and illustrated by series co-creator John Tobias . Mortal Kombat: Deception 's training mode contained a message that read, "It is a little-known fact that 'Ermac' is short for 'Error Macro'", an homage to his origins that was revived in Mortal Kombat X for a pre-match introduction sequence between Ermac and series newcomer Takeda . He

306-435: A glitch , which were perpetuated by video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly ( EGM ). His name was derived from a diagnostics menu in the first game that displayed the text "error macro" as ERMACS . Although the rumors were false, growing interest led to him becoming an official playable character. Ermac has additionally appeared in alternate series media including the animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of

408-504: A plunger . Ermac first appears in Mortal Kombat 1 as a nonplayable character in the story mode and part of a "Kombat Pack" of six downloadable player characters that was first announced by NetherRealm Studios in July 2023, with him released to players in April 2024. His new design retains his black-and-red palette and ashen skin complexion from MKX but with minimal armor, and while he

510-478: A ring out . It was possible for some Death Traps to kill both fighters simultaneously, in which case the round went to the player who had taken the least damage, or Player 1 if both players had full life bars. Traditional Stage Fatalities, seen since the original MK game through MK4 , made a return in the 2011 Mortal Kombat . Button combinations are once again used to perform Stage Fatalities. Quitalities , first introduced in Mortal Kombat X , occurs when

612-703: A 2015 feature on the character, Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek wrote that Kung Lao "was easily one of the most fun to play and carried a unique style," but criticized his story as a "piece of wet paper compared to the rest of the cast." In his 2022 book Mortal Kombat: Games of Death , David Church noted Kung Lao among Mortal Kombat II ' s "nonwhite upper-tier characters" while exploring the topic of racial stereotyping in fighting games. His finishing moves have been positively received throughout his series appearances. Three were featured in Prima Games ' 2014 ranking of

714-402: A Fatality may require certain distances and quick button sequences in order to achieve the desired result. Usually, every character has their own special Fatality that must be performed at a certain distance from the opponent, the three distances being: close (the finishing move would not work unless the player is right next to the opponent), sweep (the player should stand a step or two away from

816-448: A July 1995 one-shot, Rising Son , which depicted his battle against Shang Tsung and his shapeshifting mind tricks. In the 1998 syndicated television series Mortal Kombat: Conquest , The Great Kung Lao (played by Paolo Montalban ) is one of the show's main protagonists alongside original characters Siro ( Daniel Bernhardt ) and Taja ( Kristanna Loken ). After becoming Grand Champion, the thunder god Raiden tells Kung Lao that, because he

918-424: A brother to Liu Kang, barely exchanges a single line of dialogue with him." In a 2021 article titled "Kung Lao is Having a Bad Year", Sam Stone of Comic Book Resources noted the character's deaths in both the animated and live-action films released that year. "Kung Lao has become something of a plot device to remind audiences of the gruesome stakes in the conflict between Earthrealm and Outworld." His portrayer of

1020-532: A former member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team . Huang will reprise the role in the upcoming sequel Mortal Kombat 2 . Kung Lao appeared in the first and last episodes in the 2013 second season of the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy , and was played by Mark Dacascos . Matthew Yang King voiced Kung Lao in the 2021 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms , a retelling of

1122-548: A lazily-animated psychic attack" to "a floating phantom, surrounded by souls and completely unpredictable. It just goes to show that even the lamest character can be fixed with a good hook." He additionally commented on Ermac's growth in Deception , "where he broke the bonds of [Shao] Kahn ... They [Midway] also made him powerful enough to take on Kung Lao, Kitana, Jax, Sonya, and Johnny Cage all by himself." In 2019, sociology professor Ricardo Cortez Lopes published an analysis of

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1224-586: A lethal finishing move in any game, including the termed "Fatals" in the Killer Instinct series. In the game ClayFighter 63⅓ the Fatalities were parodied in the form of "Claytality." "Fatalities" expanded into the shooter genre, most notably in the Gears of War series as "Executions". In many games in the franchise there are different types of Fatalities and Finishers: This finisher allows

1326-476: A limited amount of time to perform one of several violent moves (such as ripping an organ out) attributed to a button and direction combination. The time then resets and the player can perform a second move, but the time bar decreases more rapidly after each move. It is also possible to "fail" the Fatality by running out of time before performing a final finishing move (such as ripping the opponent's head off). Once

1428-508: A moment and making their fans feel as if they also had a hand in its creation." Reception to his designs and gameplay have varied over the course of his series appearances. He and Mortal Kombat's other male ninjas made GamePro ' s 2009 list of the seventeen best palette-swapped video game characters, but Dan Ryckert of Game Informer wrote in 2010 that he did not want these characters, aside from Scorpion and Sub-Zero, in future series installments. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot felt

1530-426: A negative point of the game. For Mortal Kombat: Armageddon , the Fatality concept was completely revised. In all previous games, finishing moves were in the form of a button combo, activating a scripted animation sequence. For Armageddon , the old system was replaced with a new Kreate-A-Fatality, or "Kustom-Chain-Fatality" system. After defeating an opponent in two rounds (with default settings), players are given

1632-458: A newfound sense of legitimacy to the project" but opined that the season's storytelling suffered in part for not having "kept the focus more squarely on Liu Kang and Kung Lao throughout." Screen Rant wrote that "standout performances" such as Dacascos' were "undermined slightly by stilted deliveries from some of the extras that flesh out flashback scenes." Carl Lyon of Fearnet similarly praised "the awesome casting" of Kung Lao and conversely felt

1734-542: A player disconnects in the middle of an online match. This results in their character instantly dying, and their opponent is awarded with a win. Examples of quitalities include the loser's head simultaneously exploding or the loser swiftly snapping their own neck. Like the Hara-Kiri, the Quitality is a finisher that requires the defeated player to commit instead of the winner, although it can be done at any point during

1836-604: A reflection of a failed past, yet it was their sense of righteous purpose that bonded their friendship. Kung Lao can be seen in Mortal Kombat II , Mortal Kombat 3 , and Shaolin Monks wearing the Chinese character 武 which means military/wu shu/martial arts. However, when asked about this character, John Tobias stated that it is Chinese for "war". Kung Lao's attacks are based on wind-type moves. His most notable attack

1938-401: A second instance of turning fan rumors into reality. Following his omission from Mortal Kombat 11 , Ermac returned as a playable character in Mortal Kombat 1 , and NetherRealm design manager Nick Nicastro wrote in a 2024 feature on Xbox Wire that the developers were "very pleased to bring Ermac back ... and hope players enjoy playing him as much as the team did working on him." Ermac

2040-481: A specific distance from the opponent. The Fatality and its derivations are notable features of the Mortal Kombat series and have caused a large cultural impact and controversies . The origins of the Fatality concept has been traced back to several violent Asian martial arts media. In The Street Fighter (1974), a Japanese martial arts film, Sonny Chiba performs x-ray fatality finishing moves, which at

2142-542: A submitted screenshot from the game and a letter from "Tony Casey" that claimed he had played against a red ninja named Ermac and taken a Polaroid of the screen as evidence. Unbeknownst to the magazine, the photo was a doctored image of yellow ninja character Scorpion in the "Warrior Shrine" stage from the Super Nintendo version of the game that was tinted red with the added caption "Ermac Wins". Reader responses contained varied complex instructions for accessing

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2244-511: Is Choy Lay Fut , a martial art that specializes, as depicted in his Deception ending, in warding off multiple attackers. GameSpy considered his combo (a timed succession of attacks) abilities "strong" in Deception , but his special moves less effective individually. In Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Ermac is an unplayable boss hidden inside a statue at the Warrior Shrine level. GameFront 's Mitchell Saltzman described Ermac in

2346-505: Is altered in that he is an exile in Outworld due to the failure of his ancestor and the fall of his lineage. He debuts in the sixth and final issue of the 1994 Blood & Thunder miniseries when he rescues a near-death Liu Kang after the latter is severely wounded by Kano , and in the 1995 Battlewave miniseries, he joins with Kitana , Baraka and Sub-Zero in an attempt to overthrow the Outworld emperor Shao Kahn. He lastly featured in

2448-696: Is defeated in the first Mortal Kombat tournament by eventual champion Liu Kang. He obliterates Jax 's arms, causing Jax to receive bionic implants. His ending reveals that one of the souls trapped inside his being is that of King Jerrod, Kitana's father and former ruler of Edenia. In Mortal Kombat X (2015), following Shao Kahn's death, Ermac initially serves the former's successor, Mileena , before defecting to Kotal Kahn due to Mileena not being Shao Kahn's biological daughter. He joins Reptile , Erron Black , and Ferra/Torr in serving Kotal Kahn as they conflict with Cassie Cage 's Special Forces unit in their attempt to protect Outworld from Shinnok 's forces. In

2550-541: Is defeated, Kung Lao becomes an instructor at the Wu Shi Academy, with Shujinko becoming one of his first students. Due to Kung Lao not teaching him humility, Shujinko became a threat to the realms before Liu Kang erased his memories. Kung Lao agreed to train him again, but with Raiden's help. Kung Lao was absent from the 1990s Mortal Kombat feature films, with the producers of the 1995 film opting to combine his character with that of Liu Kang, in turn making Liu

2652-404: Is no longer required, as the opponent only needs to be either standing or hit in a particular spot on the stage. Unlike previous Stage Fatalities, Death Traps can be initiated anytime during a round and only require the opponent be hit into them, meaning an instant victory. However, if they are not executed in the decisive round, the fight does not end, going on to the next round. This action acts as

2754-486: Is set before the events of the game. The character has been licensed for action figures , a life-sized standee , and an eighteen-inch limited-edition polystone statue. Ermac's origins as a glitch and rumored character are considered a memorable urban legend in video games. GamesRadar+ executive editor Eric Bratcher credited the Electronic Gaming Monthly hoax with Ermac's addition to

2856-665: Is the Hat Toss, which could be directed in Mortal Kombat II , but could not be directed since Mortal Kombat Gold , until Mortal Kombat (2011). Many of his Fatalities involve the use of his hat to some extent, such as slicing the body in half and decapitation. According to Prima Games , Kung Lao is one of the cheapest Mortal Kombat characters, where they observe "He can combo almost any jumping attack into his Dive Kick. He even has multiple projectile attacks, one of which he can aim up or down, meaning you can't reliably crouch under or jump over it. In Mortal Kombat 3 , he even had one of

2958-417: Is the name given to a gameplay feature in the Mortal Kombat series of fighting video games , in which the victor of the final round in a match inflicts a brutal and gruesome finishing move onto their defeated opponent. Prompted by the announcer saying "Finish Him/Her", players have a short time window to execute a Fatality by entering a specific button and joystick or D-Pad combination, while positioned at

3060-584: Is the only series installment to feature this finisher. Heroic Brutalities are finishing moves exclusive to the 2008 crossover game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe . In addition to the MK characters' Fatalities being toned down therein to accommodate the game's "Teen" rating, the Heroic Brutalities represented the DC characters' moral code against killing. The censored finishers from both sides were considered

3162-403: The Mortal Kombat series. Rudie Obias of Mental Floss Yannick LeJacq of Kotaku considered it the result of fans' enthusiasm for the character. Steve Watts of 1Up.com wrote in 2011 that supposed video game glitches like Ermac "go on to live as legends until the creators have no choice but to make it a reality." The staff of GameTrailers unsuccessfully attempted to access Ermac in

Kung Lao - Misplaced Pages Continue

3264-585: The Shaolin in the Mortal Kombat tournament, but he declined due to the consequences of becoming champion. When a portal leading to the otherworldly dimension Outworld is opened and the Shaolin temple is attacked by Baraka and his Tarkatan soldiers, Liu Kang and Kung Lao resolve to travel through the portal themselves and avenge their fallen Shaolin brothers. Kung Lao's ultimate goal however was to rebuild

3366-471: The Super NES and Genesis versions of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 , this finisher allowed players to perform a combo which would cause the opponent to explode. Brutalities were not very popular, as they were extremely difficult to accomplish, requiring the player to memorize and perform a special 11-hit combo. This finisher did not appear in another game until Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks , in which it

3468-566: The White Lotus Society at the Wu Shi Academy in order to train a new generation of warriors for the coming ages. Following Liu Kang's victory over the Outworld tyrant Shao Kahn , the monks return to Earth and begin training the next generation of Shaolin warriors. When Shao Kahn invades Earthrealm in Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), Kung Lao temporarily scraps his plans for reforming the White Lotus Society. While he faces

3570-664: The 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot, in which he shrinks his opponent and crushes them underfoot. When NetherRealm Studios posted a trailer of the "Inner Workings" Fatality from Mortal Kombat X on YouTube in March 2015, it accumulated over 850,000 views in less than a month and was noted for its graphic content. Chicago Reader spotlighted the finisher in an April 2015 article titled "Has Mortal Kombat Finally Gone Too Far?", describing it as "an act of medieval torture as imagined by Tolkien ." Justin Clark of GameSpot wrote in 2022 that

3672-470: The 2011 series reboot as a novice-friendly character that experts could use to inflict heavy-damage combos. In Mortal Kombat X , Ermac's play style is split into three fighting variations like those of the game's other playable characters, and Bryan Dawson of Prima Games wrote that he was ideal for distance fighting and pressuring downed opponents. Nicastro described Ermac in Mortal Kombat 1 as having "interesting combo potential and routes, especially from

3774-524: The 2021 film, Max Huang stated "I think he stands ultimately for peace because he grew up in the Shaolin temple and I think he always tries to protect the spirit of the temple and obviously Liu Kang is his best and closest friend, but also in the movie, his cousin. So I think the strongest motivation for Kung Lao to act would always be Liu Kang in some way." as his reasoning for the character's inclusion. [REDACTED] Media related to Kung Lao at Wikimedia Commons Fatality (Mortal Kombat) Fatality

3876-517: The Fatality "might actually be the most shocking, gory, and disgusting act of surreal horror to ever happen in a video game, let alone the Mortal Kombat series". Response to his alternate-media incarnations has been negative. Nathan Birch of Uproxx described him in Mortal Kombat Annihilation as a "forgettable red Scorpion clone" and his fight scene with Sonya in the film as "nondescript". Carl Lyon of Fearnet censured

3978-624: The Great Kung Lao's death. With this act, the two warriors shake hands, ending their conflict. In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002), Kung Lao vows revenge for Liu Kang's death at the handsof the title sorcerers. Along the way, Kung Lao seeks out advice and training from Outworld martial arts teacher Bo' Rai Cho . Kung Lao is killed by Deadly Alliance and then were resurrected by the dragon king Onaga to become his slaves in Mortal Kombat: Deception (2004). He and

4080-479: The Kahn in battle, he is ultimately defeated and presumed dead. In Mortal Kombat Gold (1999), Kung Lao had faked his death so he can live a life of peace in respect to the beliefs of his ancestors. However, he is drawn away from his newfound peace to help fight against the fallen Elder God Shinnok 's forces when word reaches him that Goro is still alive. Kung Lao attacks Goro with a ceremonial strike of vengeance for

4182-480: The Kung Lao from Liu Kang's new timeline was born and raised in the village of Fengjian, where he worked in the fields alongside his childhood friend, Raiden. In one of his intros with Liu Kang, the Great Kung Lao's victory is revealed to be hidden from the Earthrealm's public at the said ancestor's behest. After the two were trained in martial arts by Madam Bo, Liu Kang recruits them to be defenders of Earthrealm in

Kung Lao - Misplaced Pages Continue

4284-533: The Realm and the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy . He has received positive reception for his special abilities, character development, and Fatality finishing moves, while his origins are considered among the most memorable legends of video gaming. In the diagnostics menu of the 1992 original Mortal Kombat game , an audits screen displayed a macro created by Mortal Kombat co-creator and programmer Ed Boon in order to log coding errors. This practice

4386-523: The act which revives the opponent in lieu of delivering a final blow or performing a Fatality by restoring a small amount of health. Should the opponent be defeated again, an Animality may be performed. Introduced in Mortal Kombat II , Babalities turn a defeated opponent into an infant version of the character. They returned in Mortal Kombat (2011) with distinct animations for each character. Introduced in Mortal Kombat Trilogy and

4488-414: The action-adventure game Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (2005), an alternate depiction of the events between the first and second Mortal Kombat games, Kung Lao's character was explored to a greater degree than had been shown in previous titles. In this game, he is portrayed as feeling almost resentful of Liu Kang's victory in the Shaolin tournament. A rivalry between the two monks was hence established for

4590-656: The air," while combining his classic attacks with "new special moves that both serve his gameplay plan while giving players a fresh experience." Introduced in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), Ermac was created to serve as an enforcer for Shao Kahn , the tyrannical ruler of the otherworldly dimension of Outworld. Ermac, a hybrid entity created from the souls of many deceased warriors, possesses telekinesis and uses plural pronouns . Following his creation, he takes part in Shao Kahn's invasion of Earth and

4692-807: The animation and gore. GameSpot rated the "Hat Split" among the series' best Fatalities in Mortal Kombat history, in their 2022 commemoration of the series' 30th anniversary. Kung Lao's "Buzzsaw" Fatality was considered among the best from the 2011 reboot game, and was cited as a factor in the game being banned in Australia . Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon commented that it was "probably the most painful-looking Fatality ever made". Reception to Kung Lao's alternate-media depictions has been generally positive often in tandem with those of Liu Kang, while simultaneously critical of their perceived lack of character development. Jesse Schedeen of IGN said in his 2013 review of MK Legacy that Dacascos' performance "alone brings

4794-478: The character existed. A scrambled message was included in the ending of the 1993 sequel Mortal Kombat II that read "Ermac does not exist", but neither Boon nor Midway marketing director Roger Sharpe denied outright the character's presence in the game. In October 1995, two years after the EGM incident, Ermac was added to the selectable roster of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (an expansion of Mortal Kombat 3 ), as

4896-424: The character was "woefully underused" in the series. Gene Park of The Washington Post said that Kung Lao "makes one of the more exciting debuts" in the 2021 Mortal Kombat film, adding that "it was interesting to watch him suddenly assume the role of a mentor to many of the other fighters ... Unfortunately, he’s another cast member with little to do, but at least he owns the film’s most gruesome fatality." Rating

4998-415: The character. With the still-nonexistent Ermac now visualized as a red ninja, players then claimed sightings of a random glitch that would cause the game's ninja characters' graphics to flash red, with "Error Macro" or "Ermac" replacing their name in their energy bar, but such an occurrence was not possible as the macro counter could not increase in the event of a genuine glitch while no red palette for

5100-513: The closing credits, and though the script and print media publications mentioned his telekinetic powers, they were omitted from the film. His association with Kenshi in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance was loosely adapted for the 2013 second season of the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy , in which he is a decaying, hooded demon who guards the "sword of Sento" under Shao Kahn's orders and strikes Kenshi blind as

5202-401: The competition it gave to other games including Street Fighter II and how it popularized the arcades, as well as in machinima.com 's list of top ten gaming memes. The 2012 film Wreck-It Ralph shows a cyborg resembling Mortal Kombat' s Kano performing his signature heart-ripping Fatality move on a zombie. By 1996, Mortal Kombat ' s creation had become a generic gaming term for

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5304-415: The descendant of The Great Kung Lao. Series co-creator John Tobias said in a 2021 interview that this decision "caus[ed] confusion in our games for years to follow" and "was a mistake." Kung Lao appeared in a supporting role in the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot film as one of Raiden's chosen Earthrealm defenders, but he is killed late in the film by main antagonist Shang Tsung . He was played by Max Huang ,

5406-499: The developers felt that he had transformed from myth to urban legend and therefore warranted his inclusion in the series. In 2011, Boon clarified the rumors on Twitter , and said he had kept the meaning of the ERMACS listing secret in hopes of stirring up fan speculation about the character. Midway inserted allusions to the rumors and EGM hoax in subsequent Mortal Kombat games and related media. Ermac appeared on one panel in

5508-497: The eponymous Mortal Kombat tournament. In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002), following Shao Kahn's apparent death at the hands of the titular alliance of evil sorcerers Shang Tsung and Quan Chi , Ermac aimlessly wanders Outworld without orders until he encounters the blind swordsman Kenshi , who frees Ermac from Kahn's control, and Ermac hones Kenshi's telekinetic power in return. In Mortal Kombat: Deception (2004), Ermac reforms to atone for his work with Kahn by aiding

5610-480: The fight to protect Earth and Outworld. After Sindel is slain during battle with Shang Tsung's forces, Jerrod absorbs her soul and appoints his daughter Mileena as the new Outworld empress. Ermac appeared in two episodes of the 1996 animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm . He has a minor role as one of Shao Kahn’s henchmen in the 1997 feature film Mortal Kombat Annihilation , played by assistant stunt coordinator John Medlen and identified only in

5712-525: The fighter sparing their defeated opponent after a match by performing an act of kindness toward them. Developers described their inclusion as "a counter to all the blood and gore". In MKII , Shao Kahn would announce "Friendship... Friendship?", while in MK3 and MKT he would say "Friendship... Friendship, Again?" in a clearly disappointed or confused tone. While largely left out since MK3 , and only alluded to in some characters' fatalities, it returned upon

5814-518: The film a 3 out 10, Jeffrey Harris of 411Mania wrote that supporting characters like Kung Lao were "marginalized at the price of serving the contrived journey of discovery for [main protagonist] Cole Young", and while Huang was "not great" in the role, he and Ludi Lin (Liu Kang) "show[ed] enough that the movie probably should have been about them". Wesley Yin-Poole of Eurogamer wrote that Kung Lao and Liu Kang's appearances were "rushed" and felt they "deserved better". /Film commented that "Kung Lao and

5916-504: The finishing blow in the decisive round of a fight. They again appeared in 2019's Mortal Kombat 11 and in 2023's Mortal Kombat 1 in which every character shares the Brutality "The Klassic" (which consists of decapitating the opponent with a rising uppercut while their spine is still attached to their head. This was very similar to Sub-Zero's "Spine Rip" Fatality in Mortal Kombat (1992) ). Appearing only in Mortal Kombat X ,

6018-401: The first Mortal Kombat tournament in which he is again one of Earthrealm's chosen warriors to compete, but he is ultimately killed in battle by Shao Kahn . Kung Lao was the main protagonist of Jeff Rovin 's 1995 Mortal Kombat novel that featured an original story set before the events of the 1992 game. In Malibu Comics ' Mortal Kombat comic series that ran from 1994 to 1995, his backstory

6120-607: The first game, per the reader instructions published in EGM , in an episode of their PopFiction web series that premiered at PAX Prime 2012. In his 2019 study Immersion and Worldbuilding in Videogames , Edin Omeragiċ of the University of Osijek stated that Ermac's inclusion was "especially immersive for the way it includes end users into the process, with developers seemingly relinquishing control over their world for

6222-460: The first time. As the two fighters defeated Shang Tsung's warriors, they formed a race of sorts to become the Mortal Kombat champion. This rivalry escalated until the two warriors become convinced that the other has been corrupted by Outworld. In the rebooted continuity of Mortal Kombat (2011), Raiden receives foreboding visions from his future self and attempts to change the timeline of events that lead to Armageddon. He allows Kung Lao to fight in

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6324-402: The form of finishing moves similar to those that later appeared in Mortal Kombat . While creating Mortal Kombat , Ed Boon and John Tobias started with the idea of a Street Fighter II style system and retained many of its conventions but tweaked others. The most notable additions were graphic blood effects, more brutal fighting techniques, and especially the fatal finishing moves (this

6426-444: The game has him levitate his opponent, break their spine in midair, and then telekinetically pull their gastrointestinal tract out from their mouth. The finisher was conceived by lead game designer John Edwards: "I remember sitting in the pitch meeting for it. People were like, 'That's hilarious and disgusting.' I'm pretty proud of it." The sound effects used to depict the graphic violence of his finishers were created with slime and

6528-533: The ground. Ed Boon considered Ermac one of the strongest characters in UMK3 based on the maneuver, and GamePro opined that it was best used on downed opponents. The staff of BradyGames considered Ermac a "great choice for the advanced player" in MK Trilogy , but felt his offense was ineffective in close range and easily nullified with the block button. His main fighting style in the three-dimensional games

6630-419: The hidden character Reptile to the third revision, ERMACS was now listed below the counters "Reptile Appearances" and "Reptile Battles", which provoked players into searching for a second secret character called Ermac . Midway removed the ERMACS listing from the game's fifth and final update in March 1993, but speculation about the character intensified after Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) published

6732-449: The improved software capabilities now available to the developers following Ermac's last appearance in MKX additionally enabled "an opportunity to evolve the look of his soul energy to create intricate visual effects-based attacks that help sell the unique telekinesis power he possesses," and "to ensure the visual elements are impactful, blend well with the gameplay elements, and are readable to

6834-457: The latter takes the sword. Ermac then battles Kenshi in the Mortal Kombat tournament in an attempt to repossess the sword before Kenshi kills him with it. He was played by stuntman and martial artist Kim Do Nguyen, with his makeup designed by Christien Tinsley . Ermac appears in the Mortal Kombat Annihilation novelization , and in DC Comics ' 2015 Mortal Kombat X comic miniseries that

6936-566: The longest dial-a-combos, because his damage clearly wasn't high enough already." Introduced in Mortal Kombat II (1993), Kung Lao is one of the last known descendants of the Great Kung Lao, a Mortal Kombat champion who lost the title and his life to the Shokan Prince Goro 500 years previously, resulting in the start of corrupt sorcerer Shang Tsung 's rule over the tournament. Kung Lao was originally chosen to represent

7038-407: The match. Ermac Ermac is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios . Debuting as an unlockable character in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), he is an amalgam of the souls of deceased warriors and possesses telekinetic abilities. The character originated from rumors alleging he appeared in the original 1992 game as

7140-581: The modifications of the Deception version of Ermac in player-created Mugen game adaptations, and theorized that they influenced NetherRealm Studios ' future iterations of the character. Ermac's initial Mortal Kombat 1 design revealed in July 2023 received heavy fan criticism due to the omission of his mask, which resulted in NetherRealm adding it to his redesign for his April 2024 playable release. Ermac's finishing moves have met with critical praise, particularly his "Pest Control" Fatality from

7242-709: The more interactive nature and freedom of the Kreate-a-Fatality system, and others missing the previous games' character-specific ending moves and alternatives to killing the opponent. Originally, there were individual character-specific Kreate-a-Fatality moves for each character, but this feature was dropped, reportedly due to such a feat's infeasibility (especially in regards to the Kreate-A-Character option, which individual moves would not translate to). This kind of Fatality has only been in this game. Stage Fatalities brought environment interaction within

7344-406: The opponent, but still within the distance that a sweeping low kick should hit), and far (at least one jump's length away from the opponent). Each character has signature Fatalities. Traditionally for the main and important characters of the games their Fatalities are usually a reflection of either their storyline or their special abilities: e.g., Sub-Zero 's Fatalities have traditionally involved

7446-418: The player reaches 10 chains, he/she must use a finisher or else the Fatality sequence will stop and the player will not receive a rank or reward. If time runs out before the player can end the chain with a final fatal move, no rank or reward is given and the Fatality is not counted, regardless of how many moves were completed. This concept has been met with a mixed reaction, with some fans and critics preferring

7548-546: The player to morph into an animal and maul their opponent. This style of Fatality debuted in Mortal Kombat 3 . According to Boon, his team "listened to what the players said about MKII and the Animalities that they thought were in there but really were not. To answer all these rumors , we put Animalities in MKIII [ sic ]." In order to perform an Animality, the player must first grant their opponent Mercy,

7650-560: The player." Ermac was one of three hidden unlockable characters in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 , and was the only player character who had not appeared in any previous series installments. As a palette swap, he had a standard projectile attack while sharing a teleport punch and uppercut-decapitation Fatality used by other characters. His signature special move is the "Telekinetic Slam" (later renamed "Force Lift"), which has him levitate his opponents and then throw them onto

7752-593: The present due to the machinations of the keeper of time Kronika . After learning the Shaolin Temple was attacked by Kronika's forces, the monks head out to investigate, only to encounter their revenant selves and fail to stop Kronika's henchman Geras from stealing vials of Earthrealm's lifeforce. They later help Kitana defeat Shao Kahn and lead the surviving Shaolin monks alongside the combined Earthrealm/Outworld armies in assaulting Kronika's Keep while their revenants attempt to stop them. In Mortal Kombat 1 ,

7854-485: The rebooted storyline of Mortal Kombat 1 (2023), Ermac is again an assimilation of souls, now created by Quan Chi. He overpowers a group of Earthrealm defenders upon his completion but is weakened after Kenshi absorbs several of the souls into his sword to unleash its power, leading to his defeat by Ashrah . His later defeat in combat by Mileena enables Jerrod's soul to assume control of Ermac's body, and he reunites with his former queen Sindel and family before joining

7956-405: The release of Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath as part of a free update to the main game. The Hara-Kiri (Japanese for a certain type of ritual suicide literally meaning "belly cut"; Kenshi is the only character who uses it in this form) is a finishing move in which the losing player kills themselves at the end of a match, rather than be finished off by their opponent. Mortal Kombat: Deception

8058-456: The rest of his brainwashed allies were later released from Onaga's spell by a partially resurrected Liu Kang and reformed ninja Ermac . In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006) describes Kung Lao joins forces with him to bring their former comrades Raiden and Liu Kang under control, with the God of Thunder becoming "as ruthless as Shao Kahn" and Liu Kang's corpse selectively slaying various people. In

8160-418: The rest of the crew are more entertaining" than the main characters, but were also "paper-thin and exist solely to spout exposition". Rosie Knight of Nerdist opined that "Lin and Huang stand out among the talented cast" and praised "Liu Kang’s love for Kung Lao" as a highlight of the film. IGN panned the "flat" characters in their 2021 review of Battle of the Realms : "Kung Lao, who is supposed to be like

8262-573: The result of his losing control of the souls inside his body, with a metal talisman modeled after his chest design from Deception affixed to his chest in order to keep his physical form intact. The talisman initially covered his face, "securely nailed deep into the skull", in concept artwork by character artist Justin Murray. Early designs by Murray had Ermac unmasked with a stockier figure and solid black palette. Ermac's "Inner Workings" Fatality (a finishing move that executes defeated opponents) in

8364-564: The second tournament. Kung Lao defeats Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, and the Shokan Kintaro , but he is killed by Shao Kahn. Following Shao Kahn's failed invasion of Earthrealm, Kung Lao is resurrected as one of Quan Chi's undead revenant slaves. Kung Lao returns in Mortal Kombat X (2015), continuing to serve Quan Chi and Shinnok in the Netherrealm. In Mortal Kombat 11 (2019), past iterations of Kung Lao and Liu Kang are brought to

8466-439: The series' top fifty Fatalities, and Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot commented in 2007 that the "Hat Split" Fatality from Mortal Kombat II "simply doesn't get old." In 2011, K. Thor Jensen of UGO ranked it the 35th-most gruesome finishing move in video games, and Complex ranked it fifth in their listing of the "50 Craziest Video Game Fatalities". Den of Geek rated the finisher among the best from MKII in 2020, praising both

8568-578: The series, occurring when a player uses a part of the stage or map to execute a player. It is a finishing move that is not a standard character Fatality. Some examples of Stage Fatalities are having the victim fall into a pool of acid or a pit of spikes, or to be run over by a subway train; the stage then does not darken. Stage Fatalities are present in the series from the first Mortal Kombat , though are absent from Deadly Alliance . Deception features more Stage Fatalities, renamed Death Traps, than any previous Mortal Kombat game. A special button combination

8670-547: The spirit of the deceased Liu Kang in successfully freeing the latter's friends from their enslavement by the Dragon King Onaga . In the opening of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006), Ermac joins Earth’s warriors in participating in a battle to claim the elemental Blaze 's godlike power. After Earth defender Raiden alters the timeline to avert the events of Armageddon in the reboot title Mortal Kombat (2011), Ermac returns to being Shao Kahn's enforcer and

8772-624: The time was seen as a gimmick to distinguish it from other martial arts films. In the Japanese shōnen manga and anime series Fist of the North Star , the protagonist Kenshiro performs gory fatalities in the form of finishing moves which consist of attacking pressure points that cause heads and bodies to explode. The Japanese seinen manga and anime series Riki-Oh (1988 debut), along with its Hong Kong martial arts film adaptation Story of Ricky (1991), featured gory fatalities in

8874-515: The top fifty Mortal Kombat characters, he placed fifth. IGN wrote that Kung Lao and Liu Kang made the franchise "at its best" whenever they joined forces. In his 2010 book World of Martial Arts! , Robert Hill noted that the duo was so popular that they earned their spin-off which helped to popularize Shaolins more in the West, comparing them to early portrayals of fighters in Dragon Ball . In

8976-490: The tournament against Outworld alongside Johnny Cage and Kenshi. The fight with Sub-Zero Liu Kang set up to test him also inspired him to develop his razor-sharp hat. After Raiden becomes Earthrealm's champion and wins the tournament for them, Liu Kang sends the remaining warriors to investigate Shang Tsung. To prevent Titan Shang Tsung from destroying his timeline, Liu Kang summons Titan incarnations of Kitana, Kung Lao, and Raiden to assist him. After Shang Tsung's Titan counterpart

9078-485: The unlocking of Ermac in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was "a hassle". Author David Church remarked that when Ermac and other hidden characters became playable in "completist" titles like UMK3 and Mortal Kombat Trilogy , "their gameplay abilities were often poorly balanced and their backstories seem[ed] tacked onto the increasingly sprawling story world." Following his redesigns and roles in Deception and thereafter, Ermac received positive reception for his development, and

9180-608: The use of his powers of ice, whereas Scorpion 's storyline of a hellspawn ninja spectre involves the use of setting someone ablaze or using his famous spear. The number of individual Fatalities varies depending upon the game; while characters in Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance had only one, Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3 and its updates ( Mortal Kombat Trilogy and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 ) featured as many as four. The Fatalities were featured in ScrewAttack 's " Top 10 OMGWTF Moments " due to

9282-419: The winning player performs a unique fatality pertaining to which faction that player is part of in the game. Each faction has a set of five completely unique faction kills, however the player has to play continuously for one single faction to reveal every faction kill available to that particular faction, including one that is unlocked by a Faction War victory. Debuting in Mortal Kombat II , Friendships feature

9384-444: Was a novelty as the traditional fighting games ended with the loser simply knocked unconscious and the victor posing for the players). According to Boon, it started with an idea to enable the player to hit a dizzied opponent at the end of the match with a "free hit", and that idea "quickly evolved into something nasty." Tobias recalled it differently: "Our first idea was to use them as a finishing move for final boss Shang Tsung , who

9486-488: Was an Easter egg boss hidden at the Warrior Shrine level in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks , a 2005 beat 'em up spinoff title that spans the events of Mortal Kombat II . Skarlet , a nonexistent female ninja character from MKII with a similar background, was included by NetherRealm Studios (formerly Midway Games) as a playable character in the 2011 reboot game in what the company considered

9588-406: Was employed by series developer Midway Games since their 1990 arcade release Smash TV . It was spelled as ERMACS —a pluralized contraction of er ror mac ro —as in the number of times the program would execute. In early revisions of the game, it appeared on the audits screen beneath the counter " Shang Tsung Beaten" (in reference to the game's final boss fight). However, after Boon added

9690-483: Was given a distinct redesign by Steve Beran, the series' lead character designer and art director. Beran explained that his objective of remaking old characters was to greatly differentiate them from their previous incarnations. His Deception design was maintained for the 2011 reboot game, but with an increased black palette. For Mortal Kombat X , Ermac was designed with a more emaciated appearance with his mask exposing more of his face and revealing decaying skin as

9792-418: Was going to pull out his sword and behead his opponent. Then we thought, 'What if the player could do that to his opponent?'" Tobias and former Midway Games programmer Mark Turmell stated that initially no one at Midway expected players to find the Fatalities in the game. Tobias said: "When we watched players react to the Fatalities, we knew we had no choice but to give them more." Much like special moves,

9894-452: Was inspired by the 1964 James Bond movie Goldfinger , in which the villain Oddjob threw his derby hat as a deadly weapon. Kung Lao was portrayed by Anthony Marquez in Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3 ; Ed Boon said Marquez was ”one of the best martial artists we worked with." Liu and Kung Lao were meant to compliment each other. One as the present day chosen one and the other as

9996-462: Was not explicitly used as a finisher, but rather as a powerup. A move similar to the Brutality appeared in Mortal Kombat: Deception , in the form of a Fatality of Li Mei : her Fatality was to rapidly strike the opponent repeatedly, then to step back and pose as her opponent twitches for a moment, before exploding in a pile of gore. Brutalities make a return appearance in 2015's Mortal Kombat X , featured as enhanced versions of certain moves used as

10098-428: Was played by actor John Turk in the digitized games Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and the 1996 compilation title Mortal Kombat Trilogy . As a palette-swapped character, he was physically identical to the Mortal Kombat games' other male ninjas, save for his red coloring and darker skin tone. For Mortal Kombat: Deception , which marked Ermac's return to the series as a playable character after an eight-year absence, he

10200-399: Was rated by gaming media outlets among the top series characters. GamesRadar+ commented in 2014: "This red-clad ninja might not be as iconic as Sub-Zero or Scorpion , but it's hard not to love Ermac for his ... supernatural, Sith -like powers of telekinesis." Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek , in 2015, noted the character's transformation from "just an altered Scorpion/Sub-Zero sprite with

10302-405: Was the last defending warrior of Earthrealm, he is now destined to train new warriors to compete against Shao Kahn's forces for the next Mortal Kombat. The series ran for one season of 22 episodes. Kung Lao has received generally positive critical reception. Despite being stated as a fan favorite by CNET in 2006, he was deemed an "obscure" character by CBS that same year. In UGO 's 2012 list of

10404-432: Was unmasked throughout the story mode, a trailer for his playable release featured him with a mask. Nick Nicastro described Ermac's enhanced spiritual powers in that the developers "wanted to further evolve the visual presentation" of the character "by leaning heavily into certain horror inspirations, and then explore the idea that Ermac has been haunted by unique souls he has captured throughout his existence." He added that

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