Liu Kang

Liu Kang (劉鋼) is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He is one of the few original characters, debuting in the first Mortal Kombat arcade game. He serves as the protagonist of the first four games, the live-action films and the original comic book series. He became the Grand Champion of Mortal Kombat throughout the first four tournaments, a title that remained undisputed in the original timeline.

In the alternate timeline, he only became the Grand Champion on two occasions, due to the fact that a third tournament did not take place during the invasion of Earthrealm. Although Liu Kang appears in every main Mortal Kombat game, he is not playable in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, as he was killed by the Deadly Alliance. Liu Kang is one of the most popular and accessible characters in the series. He is one of Earthrealm's greatest warriors, having defeated many to prove his valor. Throughout the series, he has been gradually portrayed as the main hero, becoming champion after the first Mortal Kombat tournament. Kang has found a nemesis in the traitorous Shang Tsung, a sorcerer who he has defeated on numerous occasions. He is often considered the greatest threat to the plans of Shang and his emperor, Shao Kahn. He is a member of the White Lotus Society and trains extensively at the Wu Shi Academy. It was at the Academy that he was murdered by a Deadly Alliance of Shang with Quan Chi.

In the first entry in the series, Liu Kang was shown to be non-violent, in that his finisher did not graphically kill the opponent. Starting with Mortal Kombat II, however, all of his Fatalities were more gruesome.

His body was resurrected without his spirit in Mortal Kombat: Deception. This physical half killed hundreds of innocent people, with the skills he refined to protect them while he was alive. Liu Kang retained his personality as a zombie, as he still had his trademark yells. A notable exception is the intro of Armageddon, where he groans like a recognizable zombie.

He is said to be one of the Great Kung Lao's last descendants through various media (a trading card, the first film, etc.) It is possible that Liu Kang and Kung Lao are cousins. He is referred to as the "Immortal Champion of Mortal Kombat" in later games, and his ending in Mortal Kombat: Deception has him again assuming the role upon his restoration to life. At his debut, Liu Kang appeared to be among the dime a dozen Bruce Lee pastiches; an adult of Chinese origin with a bare chest, black pants and white sneakers. From MKII and onward, he is depicted with shaggy black hair (even though Shaolin monks are bald), a red headband, spiked gauntlets, red and black kung fu pants, and kung fu slippers; still keeping his upper body bare (except in Mortal Kombat 4 where he has a tank top). This design is one of the most consistent in the series.

He is depicted as a zombie in Mortal Kombat: Deception. He gains a ghastly grey tint on his decaying skin, showing the most damage on his peeling face. He retains his usual attire, but now wears a pair of Houan chains with hooks attached to his gauntlets given to him by Raiden when he became corrupted. In his ghost form, his attire is different than what his corpse wears, instead wearing mandarin boots and pants similar to his original with a new sash and chickenmark design on the sides. In MK vs DCU, Liu Kang has greater muscle mass than most characters in the roster and wears a champion belt. In MK 2011, Kang's appears with a red sash brandishing the Elder Gods' symbol instead of the belt. His physical appearance is altered once more, with longer hair and a more well-rounded physique. Kang loses a lot of skin when taking damage due to his lack of armor or layered clothes.

As of Mortal Kombat X, Liu Kang has become one of Quan Chi's Revenants and since has become a dark version of himself, twisted by the sensibilities of the Netherrealm. While he still possesses the familiar glowing yellow veins and glowing eyes as other characters, he now sports a dark, armored uniform made from steel, leather and dragon scales. His hair has grown past shoulder length and keeps it tied like a ponytail. While he retains his iconic headband, it has been tattered. As Emperor of the Netherrealm, he dons a full set of spiky armor with the familiar trappings of a denizen of the Netherrealm. In his default "what-if" form, he has aged significantly like most other characters; his hair the same length as it is as a revenant, but now grey from aging and styled slightly different. He also wears a red and black vest with a black dragon decal. His alternate outfits are "Tournament" & "MK1", one which was based off his MK9 alternate costume's appearance, the other being a reimagining of his classic appearance from the original Mortal Kombat.

The continual use of dragons and the MK logo in Liu Kang's techniques, his costumes in recent games, and recurring Fatalities (e.g. his Arcade Drop) all reinforce the perception that Kang is the mascot of the series. However, it should be noted that while Liu Kang has been an important character to the series, both Scorpion and Sub-Zero could also be potential mascots, though no official statement has been made by developers.