Ashrah

"It is here that I am most powerful!"

- Ashrah talking to Ermac in the Netherrealm

Ashrah is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series, who made her debut in Mortal Kombat: Deception.

About Ashrah
Despite having the appearance of an elegant, old-fashioned, attractive young woman, Ashrah is actually a demon from the Netherrealm. She dresses completely in white and appears as a tall, mysterious woman, a blend between aristocracy and innocence.

Ashrah made her first appearance in Mortal Kombat: Deception. Within the Mortal Kombat series, she is something of a stand-alone character, jumping back and forth between the forces of good and evil. Her occupation is that of a Demon Hunter. Ashrah's weapon of choice is her Kriss, which is believed to have been "blessed" or is of a "heavenly origin."

Mortal Kombat: Deception
Ashrah was once a member of Quan Chi's Brotherhood of the Shadow, a group consisting of Netherrealm demons who worshiped the fallen Elder God Shinnok. One day, Ashrah refused to carry out one of Quan Chi's orders. In response, he sent her sister - a fellow member of the Brotherhood of the Shadow - to kill her. While escaping her would-be assassin in the Netherrealm, she found a holy sword known as the Kriss. As she learned how to wield the blade, slaying Netherrealm demons with it, Ashrah began to recognize that with each one she killed, the sword progressively cleansed her spirit of evil. She then resolved to liberate herself from her inherent malevolent nature by using the Kriss to eliminate the evil within her. Each demon that she slew brought her closer to her goal of purification, and consequentially, her eventual expulsion from the Netherrealm, as that dimension could not sustain anyone with a soul containing such purity. What she didn't know, however, was that her Kriss blade was actually the "Datusha", a mystical vampire-slaying weapon that corrupts its wielder with the false belief that they are using it for a greater purpose in order to continue its genocide against the vampires and other demons.

At some point in the past, Ashrah allied herself with Shujinko and taught him demon slaying techniques. She came into conflict with Ermac, mistakenly believing him to be a demon, she attempted to kill him, however, she was defeated. During the events of Deception, she searched for Noob Saibot, whom she considered to be a powerful demon, in order to slay him, since doing so would enable her to complete her ascension.

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
After slaying a multitude of demons in the Netherrealm, Ashrah transcended that plane of hell and emerged in an unfamiliar realm, surrounded by celestial beings of light. The celestial beings made her into their chosen warrior - the wielder of the Kriss who could purify the world, and would ascend into becoming "an angel of light", once she used the weapon to "consume the darkness". After submitting to their will, Ashrah was transported to Vaeternus to start slaying the vampire race, whom she saw as vile beings for their feeding on the blood of the living and spreading their corruption throughout the realms. She began her quest, slaying numerous vampires. However, soon she was encountered by Nitara, who was warned of this threat to her realm by the elders of Vaeternus. Ashrah was defeated by Nitara, who then managed to escape to Edenia, and Ashrah followed her to gain the power of Blaze in order to destroy Nitara and gain ascension. It is unknown if she was responsible for destroying Nitara, but it is known that she was killed during the final Battle of Armageddon.

Biographies

 * Deception: "I am a demon, a denizen of the Netherrealm. For ages, my sisters and I have blindly served Quan Chi as members of the Brotherhood of the Shadow. But I questioned a command given by the sorcerer. To set an example, he sent my own sister to slay me. During my escape, I discovered a weapon - a sword - that seemed to be of heavenly origin. With each demonic assassin that has fallen to this blade, I have felt a strange exhilaration. It is as if the taint of evil is leaving me. Now I understand the strange sensation I feel when I exterminate a demon of the Netherrealm with this sword. The sword is purifying me as I cleanse the world of evil. With each fiend I eradicate, my presence here becomes more unstable...soon I will be expelled from this realm. If I were to slay a powerful demon such as Noob Saibot, I would finally become an ascending demon, free from the Netherrealm forever."


 * Bio Kard: "Ashrah is a demon who has discovered means for escaping the Netherrealm, a holy sword. To achieve her goal of purification, she must slay powerful evil such as Noob Saibot with the sword. Each denizen of the Netherrealm she defeats brings her closer to freedom.


 * Armageddon: "After slaying countless demons with the kriss I discovered in the Netherrealm, my soul was no longer corrupt and I transcended that hell. I emerged in an unfamiliar realm at the feet of celestial beings who glowed with blinding light. They explained to me that the kriss is a tool, able to transform its finder into a warrior powerful enough to purify the world. I am their chosen one, the ascending demon they were searching for. Awestruck by their celestial beauty, I surrendered myself to the beings' will. My purpose in the cosmos was never more clear: I would do what they asked of me and consume the darkness, bringing peace to the realms. By doing so I would also achieve absolute purification - I would join them as an angel of light! The celestials had brought me here, a realm of darkness known as Vaeternus, to begin my crusade against a cunning vampire race. The vile creatures feed off the blood of their prey and spread their corruption unhindered throughout the realms. Seductive and powerful is their dark magic, but it would not save them from the purity of my holy kriss. And so I hunted them. With each vampire I "pacified" the sword crackled with holy light. I felt as though the blade and I were both growing stronger. Our strength was not enough, however, as one female vampire bested me and escaped to Edenia. Slaying her has become my focus. If I can gain power enough to defeat Nitara, nothing will prevent my ascension!"

Combat characteristics
Ashrah has possession of a powerful, holy artifact known as the Kriss, a weapon that has the ability to clean the soul of its user. By slaying demons, its wielder gradually becomes more pure/holy, effects that are shown in Ashrah. Its power is not limited to just affecting the user's essence, but also their personalities. Ashrah turned against her demon brethren and sought to become purified. If she could accomplish her goal by slaying enough demons, the Netherrealm itself would reject her holy being. Despite Ashrah's origin as a demon, she wields holy powers as a side effect of wielding the Kriss.

Signature Moves

 * Lightning Blast: Shoots a ball of white energy that travels a very short distance but knocks the opponent back. (MK:D, MK:A)
 * Heavenly Light: Shoots a ball of white energy upwards that will crash down on the opponent. (MK:D, MK:A)
 * Spin Cycle: She spins in a circle and if she hits the opponent they will be sent flying. Pressing the button repeatedly will make it last longer. (MK:D, MK:A)
 * Nature's Torpedo: She flies missile-like towards the opponent and if she connects, the opponent will be sent flying. (MK:D, MK:A)

Fatalities

 * Spirit Melt: Ashrah summons a field of mystical blue light around her opponent, who melts. Similar to Liu Kang's Hara Kiri. (MK:D)
 * Voodoo Doll: Ashrah flourishes a voodoo doll, then stabs its arms with her Kriss. Her opponent's arms fall to the ground. Then she stabs the doll in its chest and twists the blade, sending chunks of flesh flying from the opponent's torso before they kneel over, dead. (MK:D)

Other finishers

 * Hara-Kiri: Deadly Spin: Ashrah spins rapidly while surrounded with mystical blue energy. Body parts break off and fly in all directions before the energy field disappears. (MK:D)

Endings

 * Deception: (Non-Canonical) "Noob Saibot was not originally a demon, which might explain why Ashrah sensed such great evil in him: He had to earn his place in the Netherrealm. He actually desired to remain there. His companion, however, seemed to be having a problem adjusting. Perhaps there was some good left in the cyborg. Whatever the case, Noob would have to face Ashrah alone. Ashrah defeated Noob Saibot and finally earned her ascension from the Netherrealm. But the sword that made her escape possible did not travel with her. I suspect it still remains in the Netherrealm, waiting to release another of its denizens from damnation."


 * Armageddon: (Non-Canonical) "The power of Blaze purified Ashrah completely; she was transformed into a being of divine light. Her radiance soothed even the darkest of souls. With new purpose, she traversed the realms in search of evil, pacifying the wicked. Her mission came full circle when at last she purified the sorcerer who would have her slain: Quan Chi."

Character Relationships

 * Ermac: Ashrah attempted to slay Ermac, believing him to be a demon.
 * Nitara: The Datusha having deluded her into doing so, Ashrah killed off a large number of Nitara's race. Ashrah would be defeated by Nitara.
 * Noob Saibot: Ashrah wishes to slay him as she believes that doing so will completely purify and grant her release from the Netherrealm.
 * Quan Chi: Ashrah was once Quan Chi's servant when she was a member of the Brotherhood of the Shadow.
 * Shujinko: Ashrah taught Shujinko her style of combat and allied with him.

Trivia

 * When the first bits of information about Mortal Kombat: Deception began to surface, Ashrah was mistaken as a female version of Raiden. Her name also used to be spelled "Ashra" alternatively.
 * In early production, Ashrah had Mileena's current voice.
 * Ashrah is something of a departure from the series' regular character design as she is neither blatantly good or blatantly evil. She is also the first female character since Sonya Blade to not wear a skimpy or revealing primary outfit during her tenure, her garb being completely modest compared to the others.
 * In Mortal Kombat: Deception ' s Konquest mode, Ashrah encounters Shujinko in Edenia where she explains to him that she finally purified her soul and ascended from the Netherrealm, but without her sword (the Kriss). She asks Shujinko to retrieve the sword for her, which he succeeds in doing so. This may explain why she still wields the Kriss in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.
 * Kriss, the weapon Ashrah uses, is a type of sword that is similar to the Dragon Sword that Liu Kang used in Mortal Kombat 4
 * Her name "Ashrah" could derive from the Arabic word "tenth" or "Asura", a group of deities (sometimes demons) in Hindu mythology.
 * Ashrah's hat resembles a kasa, one worn by Japanese traveller or priests.
 * The kanji "鬼" on her hat means "Demon" or "Ghost".
 * In Wonder Woman's ending of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Wonder Woman finds a sword which looks similar to Ashrah's Kriss.