Kai

Raiden: What will you do next? Kai: I don’t know, wander the Earth, search for my soul... -- Kai's Mortal Kombat 4 Ending

Kai is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He made his debut in Mortal Kombat 4.

About Kai
Kai made his debut in Mortal Kombat 4 as a nimble and agile African-American fighter. Like Liu Kang, he is a Shaolin monk who is a skilled martial artist with the ability to use fire.

Storyline
His biography screen tells that Kai is former member of the secretive White Lotus Society. He had learned his skills from the great masters throughout Asia. He met Liu Kang who happened to be in United States, America at the time, recruiting to train a new generation of Shaolin warriors. During the events of Mortal Kombat 4, Kai went with Liu Kang to China to become a Shaolin warrior. This was however interrupted with the invasion of Shinnok and his dark legion into Edenia. Liu Kang and Kai then joined the other Earth warriors in Edenia to assist Raiden in his battle against Shinnok. After Shinnok was beaten, Kai decided to wander the Earth on a quest for self-enlightenment. As a blessing from Raiden as he prepared to ascend to Elder Godhood, Raiden entrusted his Lightning Staff to Kai to help him on his quest, and perhaps find his way into Immortality.

In Kai's Mortal Kombat: Armageddon ending, he defeats Blaze and then becomes linked with the One Being, allowing him to see through time. He sees all of the events in the past that led up to the final battle at the Pyramid of Argus. But when he looks into the future, he sees nothing. It is implied that after Kai defeated Blaze, Armageddon began of its own accord.

Signature moves

 * Downward Fire: Kai shoots a fireball into the ground, juggling his opponent. This move can also be performed in the air. (MK4, MKG, MK:A)
 * Fire From Above: Kai launches a ball of fire into the sky, where it then slams down onto his opponent's head. (MK4, MKG, MK:A)
 * Renegade Kick: Kai charges up and unleashes a powerful flaming kick that knocks his opponent down. (MK:A)
 * Rising Heel: Kai ducks to the ground then slides, unleashing a powerful flaming kick that launches his opponent up and back. (MK:A)
 * Hand Stand: Kai moves into a hand stand position and can kick his opponent's stomach or face. Kai can also rotate on one hand and spin his legs like propellers, kicking his opponent repeatedly. (MK4, MKG)
 * Lunging Roundhouse: Kai lunges forward and finishes with a roundhouse kick, sending his opponent flipping sideways a half-screen distance away. (MK4, MKG)

Fatalities

 * Headshot: Kai levitates in front of his opponent and throws a fireball at his opponent's head and explodes. (MK4, MKG)
 * One into Two: Kai lifts his opponent above him and rip him into two pieces . (MK4, MKG'')



Comic books
Kai appears in the official Mortal Kombat 4 comic that was distributed with some versions of the game. He is first seen training with Liu Kang. Their activities are interrupted when they witness an object fall from the sky. Investigating where it landed, they discover Fujin in a crater surrounded by demons. The two are able to rescue the god and soon learn from Raiden that these were servants of Shinnok. After Kai and Liu Kang join with the other Earthrealm warriors, they all travel to Edenia to stop Shinnok's plan.

Character development
In Mortal Kombat 4, Kai was designed to be a very quick and nimble character comparable to Liu Kang, but with his own unique type of projectile attacks that would summon up from the ground or fall from the sky. Motion capture for his moves was performed by Sultan Uddin. Concept art for an updated version of Kai can be unlocked in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, suggesting that he was once planned to be in the game. However, he would not return as a playable character until Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. According to his bio card, Kai's handstand special move is one of Ed Boon's favorite techniques for the character, and – had they the time to implement it correctly – it would have become Kai's fighting stance in Armageddon. In Armageddon ' s Krypt, pieces of concept art show two possible weapon stances for the character: a White Lotus staff and a machete blade. Both were dropped in favor of a spiked club, while the machete was later given to Kobra.

Game information
After beating the game with Kai in Mortal Kombat 4, his weapon will change to Raiden's lightning staff. He is the only character that will change weapons upon beating the game. This reflects his game ending in which he receives the staff in order to aid his journey to search for his soul.

A side mission in Mortal Kombat: Deception ' s Konquest mode revolves around Kai. After the player as Shujinko encounters Kung Lao in Earthrealm and discovers that all of the Shaolin monks have been slaughtered, the latter requests that Kai be found in Outworld so that he can return and help rebuild the monastery. When approached, Kai states that he had finished wandering Earthrealm and would only return once his explorations in that realm were complete. He then gives the player Raiden's lighting staff to give to Kung Lao.

Trivia

 * In early versions of MKA, Machette, White Lotus Staff and Lighting Staff were supposed to be his weapons.