The 20 Best 'Mortal Kombat' Characters, Ranked

Major Jackson "Jax" Briggs may not have a black belt in any legitimate martial arts expertise. But he still manages to dislocate limbs and clap heads into tomato paste with his bionic arms in tow. Jax is an honorable military man who always fights for the greater good and does so by fighting alongside Sonya Blade and the rest of Earthrealm's "Special Forces" unit. When it comes to badass Mortal Kombat characters and admirable POC icons in the world of gaming, Jax gets legit billing in those two categories.

General Sonya A. Blade is one of Mortal Kombat’s lady OG’s. Even though she was a late addition to the original game, Sonya ended up becoming an integral part of the series’ ongoing canon from that point forward. She’s always been one of our go-to picks throughout MK’s storied lineage due to her powerful pink-colored energy ring projectiles and impressive gymnastics. Seeing her destroy her hated rival Kano with a new drone buddy at the ready makes Sonya even more of a femme fatale nowadays.

One icy ninja is cool. But what about two? When that prospect became a reality in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance back in 2002, players were introduced to the cryogenic ninja known as Frost. We never knew we wanted a female version of Sub-Zero until she showed up and captured our imagination. We know you guys got a kick out of stabbing her frozen daggers into your opponents' knees so you could laugh your ass off while they bled out. Frost’s robotic revival in Mortal Kombat 11 helped increase her “cool” factor even further.

Mortal Kombat sure loves its multi-colored ninjas, doesn’t it? The same can be said for its rotating roster of battle-ready cyborgs. One of the series’ most formidable fighters happens to have appeared in both formations. Smoke first showed up on the scene as a cyborg surrounded by toxic fumes. Once the 2011 reboot of MK hit the scene, Smoke became even more of a favorite as he adopted a human form and expanded his moveset in the process. Smoke with his slick-back hairdo and sudden disappearing act makes him one of the more dangerous ninjas/cyborgs we’ve ever played with & faced in battle.

The “God of Thunder” that fights alongside "EarthRealm’s" Chosen Ones has been doing it since the series got its start. And through the years, he’s held onto his position as one of the most vicious deities in fighting game history. Raiden’s lightning-based moveset has always been awesome (that nasty super shove he does from halfway across the screen never gets old). He’s certainly had his moments of pure evil (which made him look pretty awesome with that red color change, in our opinion). And to be quite honest, our love for him never wavered. Raiden’s awesome as both a hero and a vengeful villain.

“YOUR SOUL IS MINE!” The most untrustworthy sorcerer in all of gaming happens to get his rocks off by depleting stronger warriors of their souls so he can consume them. And by doing so, he gets to look as young and spry as ever. Shang Tsung’s cunningness and penchant for backstabbing make him the type of character you hate to love. Since the very beginning, Shang has participated in many climactic battles and played a huge part in the politicking behind each tournament.

There aren’t a whole lot of things cooler than a deadly samurai who just so happens to be blind. One of the best franchise character debuts from Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance featured that type of “Kombatant” and his name is Kenshi. Kenshi looks cool as all hell, plus he’s equipped with some of the slickest moves the series has ever seen. One of Kenshi’s finest renditions is his “Possessed” variation from Mortal Kombat X, which lets him command the abilities of a demon while still being able to cut down the opposition with his ancestral blade.

Once the "Lin Kuei" ninja clan moved into the future, they ended up introducing a line of techno ninjas that instantly became fan favorites at first sight. We gotta give all the props to the best-looking one of them all, which is the braids-rocking cyborg Cyrax. Cyrax’s yellow color scheme stands out in the best way possible, plus his Energy Net & Detonator specials give him that extra ounce of cool. All of his designs look great, but we’ll always show the most love to his Mortal Kombat 3 variation.

“Got the spins?” We sure do, Kabal. Getting clipped by his insanely fast Raging Flash tends to have that effect on everyone. And once he gets his hooks in, Kabal’s sinister side becomes even more prevalent. The character design for Kabal is awesome thanks to the presence of an intimidating respiratory mask and his unique set of armor. Kabal’s speed is off the charts and he’s one of our main’s due to that impressive attribute.

Johnny Cage embodies the douchiness most folks expect from a Hollywood A-Lister. While he may have started fully embracing that side of himself during his early days, Johnny eventually morphed into a commendable husband and father as the series wore on. Even still, he still knows how to drop a funny quip or two as he’s tapping into his green Ki aura to batter his opponents. Johnny’s always turned heads with that split into a groin punch maneuver of his, plus his Mortal Kombat 11 Fatalities pushes him a few notches above the competition.

Here’s one of the golden rules for fighters - at least one member of the roster has to be a complete Bruce Lee doppelganger. Street Fighter, Tekken, Dead or Alive, and even World Heroes have their playable tributes to the originator of Jeet Kune Do. Mortal Kombat has one of its own and he’s always gotten top billing as the proud savior of Earthrealm. Lui Kang knows how to throw a mean fireball and cave his opponent’s chests in with some nasty kicks. And how can you not love the man’s hilarious battle cries for the earlier games in the series?

Fun fact - Edenia’s princess is 10,000 years old. That’s pretty nuts when you take a good look at Kitana and realize she doesn’t look a day over 30. Kitana’s one of our lady faves due to several reasons - her attire is incredibly stylish, her usage of bladed fans is lethal, and her continued heroic efforts are commendable. Watching her and Lui Kang grow together as they fend off Earthrealm's enemies has been pretty inspiring and we hope to see that trend continue.

Lui Kang’s best buddy/rival is none other than Kung Lao. In all honesty, we prefer Kung over Lui just because he’s always eager to show his combat expertise and jump headfirst into battle. And he makes all the vicious beatdowns he delivers look oh-so-good thanks to his Razor-Rimmed Hat-assisted maneuvers and fast-paced fisticuffs. Kung just so happens to have some of the coolest-looking Fatalities in Mortal Kombat history thanks to the clever ways he chooses to incorporate his trusty hat.

If you’re not in the know about Noob Saibot’s true identity, then allow us to clear that important detail up for you - after the original Sub-Zero’s met his end, he came back as an evil wraith that utilizes the powers of darkness to dominate his foes. His teleportation tactics and dark clone assists have both done a bang-up job when it comes to making his combos stand out. Noob’s Mortal Kombat 11 variation is one of his best (that gravelly voice of his is pretty cringy, though).

“It's official, you suck!" One’s salt levels would instantly go through the roof once Shao Kahn uttered this disparaging phrase. Ever since he debuted in Mortal Kombat II, the hammer-wielding giant has entertained us and pissed us off at the very same time. As a boss, he’s super infuriating. But it’s so hard to stay mad at Shao thanks to his awesome warlord getup, simple yet efficient approach to combat, and salt-inducing catchphrases.

We’re sure most of you were shocked to see the original Mortal Kombat’s sub-boss for the very first time. How could you not? Goro’s an enormous foe with four limbs and a beefy body build that takes a hell of a beating. Once we finally got the chance to try him out for ourselves, we ended up warming up to the big guy as we became more familiar with his brutal grabs and devastating leaps. For those aforementioned reasons, Goro is one of the most recognizable characters in Mortal Kombat history.

"We are many, you are but one." Ermac is the full embodiment of all the tortured souls who lost their lives during Outworld’s many wars. The cursed magic used to create him certainly worked like a charm since it ended up birthing one of the most dangerous “Kombatants” in Mortal Kombat history. His masterful use of telekinesis gives him access to a slew of slick moves that make his combos pop off the screen.

All she wants is a family. How can you fault the poor girl for that? Well, here’s the problem - she makes it tough for anyone to get too close to her since she can bite your face off in a few seconds flat. Mileena was pretty much made in a lab and set up to be Kitana’s sibling. But her affiliation with Shao Khan relegated her to the role of a baddie. Wait, let us rephrase that...lovable baddie. Mileena’s oppressive combat style and memorable lines are part of the reasons why she has such a massive fanbase.

Ninjas > Pirates. That’s just a simple fact. And to be honest, ninjas are cooler than a whole bunch of other comparable warriors from real-world history. One of the most recognizable ninjas in gaming history is the “coldest” one of them all, Sub-Zero. Both his original self and the younger sibling who took over his position represented the role quite well. And over the years, Sub-Zero has been adorned in some awesome costumes and acquired, even more, moves that tap into his bone-chilling moveset.

“GET OVER HERE!” You can utter that phrase in any setting and most folks will look your way to acknowledge who it belongs to. That person is none other than the best Mortal Kombat character of all time, the Hellspawn ninja known as Scorpion. His yellow attire is iconic and so is his trusty batch of debilitating maneuvers. His deadly spear, flame belching, and teleportation specials are instantly recognizable. Scorpion isn't just the greatest character in Mortal Kombat history, but he’s also one of the best characters in all of gaming.