Boss

The boss is the final opponent that the player must face at the top of the battle plan after having braved their way through the ranks of other fighters. Final bosses are often always computer-controlled only, and thus, are unplayable. Bosses are always inhuman, often demonic, compared to the the cast of characters. In addition, they often possess several advantages over the normal characters such as higher resistance to attacks and much more prominent strength. Victory over the boss results in his climatic demise, followed by the selected kombatant's ending. On rare occasions, the player may unlock a prize for their success.

Mortal Kombat
Shang Tsung's first unplayable and boss role in the entire series. Despite his decrepit appearance, Shang Tsung is a force to be reckoned with. His main form of attack involves launching fireball volleys at his opponent, with each of them being very damaging. In addition, he has the ability to morph into any other character in the game, including Goro.
 * Shang Tsung - Goro's Lair



Mortal Kombat 2
Shao Kahn is even more fierce and intimidating than Shang Tsung was. Unlike him, Shao Kahn relies on brute strength, thus most of his attacks are melee oriented, but have long reach and can seriously damage the opponent if off guard. He mainly attacks with single punches and kicks along with a powered charge that comes out rather abruptly.
 * Shao Kahn - Kahn's Arena

Mortal Kombat 3
Not much has changed about Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat 3, though he has replaced his javelin with an eye blast and features a new rising charge attack.
 * Shao Kahn - The Pit III

Mortal Kombat 4
The first boss character to be initially playable without having to fulfill any conditions. Unlike other bosses before him, he is less intimidating, though he possesses the ability to use other characters' movesets.
 * Shinnok - The Well/Elder God Temple

Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance
Unlike the previous games, the final boss in this game is actually split into two separate battles, with the order being predetermined by the storyline of the player's selected character. After an unusually total absence from the previous Mortal Kombat game, Shang Tsung returns as one of the bosses, for the first time since the original Mortal Kombat. Though he lacks the ability to morph into other characters, he still possesses dangerously fast combos, variations of his classic fireball attack, and he can also power-up from the soul chamber. Shang Tsung's partner in the Deadly Alliance, the sorcerer Quan Chi, is also a formidable opponent. He uses a devastating combination of sweeps, fast melee attacks, and a deadly expertise of his broad swords to make life miserable for the player. Like Shinnok in Mortal Kombat 4, both Shang Tsung and Quan Chi are playable in the game. For the first (and only) time in a Mortal Kombat game, they are also the only final bosses against whom the player can perform a fatality on when they are defeated.
 * Quan Chi - Quan Chi's Lair
 * Shang Tsung - Shang Tsung's PalaceMortal_kombat_deadly_alliance_shang_tsung_quan_chi.jpg

Mortal Kombat Deception
The very first blatantly non-human boss in the series. The Dragon King is much more imposing than any other final boss encountered at this point and this fight requires a combination of both strategy and skill. While, Onaga can be damaged normally (except for immunity against projectile attacks), Onaga's defense can be weakened by touching any of the Kamidogu lying in place at the edges of the arena. Onaga cannot be defeated by a ringout and the Kamidogu cannot regenerate.
 * Onaga - Dragon King's Throne Room

Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks
Shao Kahn is much more difficult in this battle than he was in MKII but possesses his MK3 moveset. In addition, Shao Kahn can grab the player now and recovers much faster. The safest way to deal damage is by use of projectile attacks and Kintaro's disembodied head. Once Shao Kahn's health is half depleted, his helmet will shatter and begin to make use of his Wrath Hammer only. He makes single, swift upward and downward swings. After at least 4-5 swings, he will begin spinning around with the hammer extended, and the attack can juggle as well, making the attack even more hazardous. After a period of swinging, he will fall into exhaustion. At random, this is merely a hoax. If approached a close range, Shao Kahn will automatically counter you with a grab-and-throw attack.
 * Shao Kahn - Kahn's Arena

Mortal Kombat Armageddon

 * Blaze - Pyramid of Argus

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

 * Dark Kahn

Mortal Kombat (2011 video game)

 * Shao Kahn

Sub-Bosses
The sub-boss precedes the final boss of the game. It is usually a completely non-human creature that dwarfs the other characters in about every sense of the word; speed, strength and size. They tend to put up more of a challenge than the last boss at times.

Mortal Kombat
The first boss of his kind to appear in any fighting game. He immediately challenges the player right after the last Endurance opponent is defeated as the game will not even switch to the Battle Plan. Instead, his roars and occasional tremors can be heard as the battle goes on, giving him a truly intimidating, frightening sense of air. The Prince of Shokan is an intimidating four-armed behemoth with devastating attacks. A mere single punch can easily take off nearly a quarter of health. He also launches fireballs from his fist as well. His favorite technique employs the use of his lower arms to grab the player and then proceeds to relentlessly smash them with his free arms.
 * Goro - Goro's Lair

Mortal Kombat 2
An even more ruthless warrior than Goro, Kintaro is a much faster and more powerful foe. While sharing similar attacks with Goro, Kintaro has his own uppercut, which sends the opponent high into the air and offscreen. He is also the first to employ the Teleport Stomp in where he leaps high into the air and comes back crashing down on the opponent, stomping them for good measure.
 * Kintaro - Kahn's Arena

Mortal Kombat 3
Possibly the most intimidating sub-boss in the franchise yet. Motaro carries the traits of his predecessors but much more powerful and with a few other tricks. He has the ability to freely teleport, allowing him to immediately counter attacks and has a sweep attack that employs the use of his tail, covering the entire floor. His most notorious trait is the ability to automatically reflect any and all projectiles thrown at him without needing to do anything.
 * Motaro - The Balcony

Mortal Kombat 4
Goro returns for the home ports of MK4 as a sub-boss, retaining his moves from the first game. He can also be unlocked as a playable character through a code.
 * Goro (Home Version only)

Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance
One of two Oni employed by Quan Chi as insurance. Moloch is a tough and somewhat persistent foe. He utilizes the mace chained around his arm and swings it about in wide arcs and can even fire a projectiles
 * Moloch - Moloch's Lair

Mortal Kombat Deception

 * Noob-Smoke

Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks

 * Kitana
 * Mileena (secret)
 * Jade
 * Reptile
 * Baraka
 * Sub-Zero
 * Goro
 * Scorpion
 * Inferno Scorpion
 * Shang Tsung
 * Kintaro
 * Ermac (secret)
 * Kano (secret)

Mortal Kombat Armageddon

 * Chuck Norris
 * Kintaro
 * Moloch
 * Motaro
 * Onaga
 * Shao Kahn
 * Sheeva
 * Khameleon (Wii Only)
 * Scorpion (Wii Only)

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

 * Darkseid
 * Shao Kahn

Mortal Kombat 2011

 * Goro
 * Kintaro