NetherRealm Studios are confirming new Mortal Kombat 1 characters on an almost weekly basis ahead of its official release.
This year’s highly anticipated Mortal Kombat instalment will officially be resetting the franchise’s entire timeline as seen in Mortal Kombat 11.
Related: ‘Mortal Kombat 1’: Amazon Italy Reveals Full ‘Kombat Pack 1’ Details Early
Liu Kang on the other hand will retain memories from the past franchise’s timeline meaning that some of the original lore may seep through.
Mortal Kombat 1: Every Confirmed Character So Far
Despite the full timeline being reset, past franchise characters are still set to return as reimagined kombatant and Kameo characters.
Except this time around NetherRealm will deliver completely reimagined versions of their iconic past roster characters such as the likes of Johnny Cage, Scorpion, and Sub-Zero, among many others confirmed to appear.
Joining the main roster for Mortal Kombat 1 includes Kameo Fighters who can be used as a team members who you can tag in to help when fighting.
See below for the full list of Mortal Kombat 1 roster characters plus all known Kameo fighters confirmed so far as of July 8, 2023.
Note that not all characters have been revealed as of writing.
Liu Kang (Kombatant)
As mentioned, Liu Kang the Fire God will be the main star of the show which may come as no surprise to Mortal Kombat fans.
He will have a major part to play in the upcoming storyline as well as being a fully playable roster character in any game mode.
Scorpion (Kombatant)
Scorpion returns to the Mortal Kombat universe as a completely reimagined version of himself, both in terms of visual and character design.
His fighting style, however, appears to be extremely familiar to past instalments of the famous video game series.
In Liu Kang’s new timeline, Scorpion will now be Sub-Zero’s brother, unlike past instalments where the two have typically been at each other’s throats.
Sub-Zero (Kombatant)
Sub-Zero will as mentioned now be the brother of Scorpion, his sworn enemy in past storylines at least when Bi-Han held the mantle.
Bi-Han later became a character known as Noob Saibot with the Sub-Zero mantle going to his then-brother Kuai Liang.
Fun fact: Joe Taslim who stars as Bi-Han in the live-action New Line Mortal Kombat movie will be taking Noob Saibot to the big screen for its sequel.
Raiden (Kombatant)
NetherRealm’s past poster boy known as the God of Thunder aka Raiden will no longer be the face of the franchise as it passes fully to Liu Kang now.
This time Raiden will be a young and seemingly normal farmer alongside Kung Lao, potentially even being Kung Lao’s relative instead of Liu Kang.
It seems like Raiden and Liu Kang have literally swapped places in the franchise, not just as the face of the franchise, but in regard to origins too.
Shang Tsung (Kombatant)
Would it be a Mortal Kombat game without the inclusion of this big bad?
Shang Tsung returns as expected and seems to be after Liu Kang and his trusty allies which could potentially mean something pretty major.
In Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, both Liu Kang and Shang Tsung can be seen creating new timelines in the form of alternative endings.
Although it has yet to be revealed, the main plot of Mortal Kombat 1 could very well be the two trying to destroy each other’s timelines.
Kung Lao (Kombatant)
Similar to his origins, Kung Lao seems to have just been reset back to his early days as an aspiring warrior who wants to help protect his realm.
Kung Lao was fairly loyal to Raiden the God of Thunder in past instalments, this time he will be the same but to his past cousin Liu Kang.
Kitana (Kombatant)
Liu Kang’s past love Kitana is set to return to the game series and will be a fully playable kombatant in the new instalment’s main roster.
As seen in footage released so far it seems as if Kitana will now be a lot closer to her sister Mileena this time around, another fun surprise.
Mileena (Kombatant)
Talking about Mileena, she is also set to return alongside Kitana and the rest of the roster coming to Mortal Kombat 1 in September.
For some reason, Mileena will still have her iconic chompers despite Liu Kang resetting the timeline to try and make a better world.
Could this mean Liu Kang is struggling to build the perfect timeline as he once sought to do during the events of Mortal Kombat 11 and Aftermath?
Johnny Cage (Kombatant)
NetherRealm’s groin-punching and Hollywood star Johnny Cage has also been confirmed to return, this time looking completely different to before.
Fans got to see a much more mature version of Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 11 but it seems the new timeline has reverted him back to his normal and typically comedic and sarcastic self.
Smoke (Kombatant)
The Lin Kuei will see the return of Smoke who now will be extremely loyal to Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and of course all members of the Lin Kuei.
Kenshi (Kombatant)
Returning to the franchise is Kenshi, however, this time around he doesn’t seem to be blind and has been reimagined completely to twist things up.
Rain (Kombatant)
Another returning character includes the iconic Rain who can control the water to his advantage during battle, similar to Sub-Zero with ice.
Rain will wield a sorcerer’s staff that can both be used to summon water and as a melee weapon by the looks of it.
See below for all the confirmed Mortal Kombat 1 Kameo characters so far.
Sonya Blade (Kameo)
Johnny Cage’s ex-flame from the past timeline Sonya Blade has been confirmed to at least be a Kameo fighter for the next instalment.
We have yet to see if Sonya Blade will be a fully playable character a part of the main game’s roster, but it is expected due to her status in the series.
Jax Briggs (Kameo)
Similar to Sonya Blade, Jax Briggs has also been confirmed but only as a Kameo character so far, not as a member of the main roster.
Jax Briggs will have his original arms in Mortal Kombat 1 but it’s highly expected he will lose them once again, the only question is, to who?
Kano (Kameo)
Kano will also be available to use as a Kameo fighter alongside main roster characters in NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat 1.
Goro (Kameo)
The four-armed prince of the Shokan known as Goro who Lewis Tan’s Cole Young also faced off in the live-action 2021 Mortal Kombat movie.
This time in the game series Goro will be much smaller in size potentially making him much less of a worthy foe as seen in past instalments.
Frost (Kameo)
Sub-Zero’s apprentice from the past timeline known as Frost will be returning, however, only as a Kameo fighter this time around.
That is, of course, until NetherRealm reveal the full set of main roster character as Frost could still potentially fit in there somewhere.
Stryker (Kameo)
Just as rumoured, Stryker will officially be returning to the franchise but only as a Kameo character unless confirmed later to be in the main roster.
Co-creator of the game Ed Boon teased during the latest gameplay reveal that Stryker will probably not be a main playable character.
Cyrax (Kameo)
Another surprising returning character is Cryax who has been fully reimagined in design and will this time be an assist character.
Sektor (Kameo)
Joining Cyrax is Sektor, as one does not simply add Cyrax without his fellow counterpart Sektor, but also as a Kameo assist character.
Kung Lao (Kameo)
Joining the Kameo fighters includes main roster member Kung Lao whose sharp-bladed hat techniques can be used to aid you during fights.
Sub-Zeo (Kameo)
Fellow main roster member Sub-Zero can also be used as a Kameo fighter during fights where his icy attacks can be used to your advantage.
Scorpion (Kameo)
Similar to Kung Lao and Sub-Zero which should come as no surprise, Scorpion will also be available as an assist Kameo fighter.
Mortal Kombat 1 releases on September 19 on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Microsoft Windows.
