Bi-Han




 * "You will join me or you will die!"
 * Noob Saibot to Taven.

Noob Saibot is a character from the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games. A Netherrealm warrior, he was previously the Lin Kuei warrior, Sub-Zero, and is the older brother of the current, younger Sub-Zero.

About Noob Saibot
From the darkest of all realms, the Netherealm, emerges Noob Saibot, a master of shadows. Though now a wraith, he was something else before becoming a Netherealm warrior. Once among the most powerful Lin Kuei warriors, and the elder of the two brothers who shared his title, he was Sub-Zero.

When he died in the first Mortal Kombat tournament at the hands of Scorpion, his soul, corrupted by years of violence, descended to the Netherealm's Fifth Plane. The evil within his soul was unleashed, stripping him of pride, compassion, and everything else "human." Thus transformed, and perhaps more evil than even the demons who originate in the Netherealm, the evil wraith, known now as Noob Saibot, wishes not only to remain in the Netherealm, but to conquer and rule it.

While Noob Saibot's ultimate allegiance is known only to him, he has been seen in the service of conquerers such as Shinnok and Shao Kahn. Recently, he discovered and reinitialized the cyberninja, Smoke, who he now intends to use as a template for creating an army of cyber demons, servant to him and him alone.

Saibot's real birth name, before his death, has never been revealed. As his brother's real name is Kenji Mitashi, it may be possible that Mitashi is also his last name.

As the original Sub-Zero
As Sub-Zero, as his name, clothes, and powers would suggest, his character was icy and distant. In all aspects, he was a cold-blooded and violent assassin absolutely dedicated to his clan, the Lin Kuei. While essentially neutral, his soul was darkly corrupted from years of violence and remorseless killing.

It is unclear how the family line of Sub-Zero came to be part of the Lin Kuei clan, though it is believed they have served the clan for several generations. Previous to that, it is speculated that they were descended from Outworld cryomancers. It is known that the father of both brothers (the fourth man to be known as Sub-Zero in his lineage) was a secret operative for the clan in the United States. He married an American woman and together they had two sons and a daughter. Against the will of their mother, the father took the sons with him to move back to China at a certain time, and as such both brothers became warriors of the Lin Kuei. The mother and the daughter remained in the U.S.

His first chronological appearance was as the protagonist in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, as the original Sub-Zero. The Netherealm sorcerer Quan Chi hired the Lin Kuei to find an ancient scroll, and Sub-Zero was sent to retrieve it. However, unknown to Sub-Zero, Quan Chi also hired the Japanese ninja, Hanzo Hasashi of the Shirai Ryu clan, for the same task in case Sub-Zero failed. The ninja was better known by his codename, Scorpion.

Sub-Zero fought past the warriors and obstacles guarding the temple where the scroll was held. Upon arriving at the chamber where the scroll was contained, Sub-Zero encountered Scorpion. The Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu clans were locked in a bitter feud spanning years. Thus, a violent battle for the scroll ensued. Sub-Zero won the battle and the scroll was his to take. He could have spared his opponent, instead, Sub-Zero chose, coldly, to savagely kill him.

Sub-Zero returned to the Lin Kuei mountain fortress with the scroll. As compensation, Quan Chi made good on his promise to the Lin Kuei Grandmaster: the absolute and utter destruction of the Shirai Ryu. It was one of the only promises Quan chi ever kept. This slaughter, combined with Sub-Zero's merciless execution of Hanzo, fueled the vengeful spectre form of Scorpion, who would become an important character throughout Mortal Kombat.

Quan Chi explained to the Lin Kuei Grandmaster and Sub-Zero that the scroll contained a map to the ancient, legendary Temple of Elementals. Concealed inside was an amulet that was said to contain great mystic powers. Quan Chi, having crossed the gods of Earthrealm in the past, was sealed from entering the temple. Thus, Sub-Zero was dispatched to retrieve the amulet. From the moment he arrived, Sub-Zero faced incredible danger from lethal traps and elite guards. The temple was also protected by four elemental guardians including Fujin, an earthgod of the winds who would himself battle in future Mortal Kombats. Sub-Zero, however, in addition to possessing mastery over cold, was among the most cunning and powerful warriors in Earthrealm. Neither the temple's obstacles, nor the guardians of wind, earth, water, and fire, were able to stop him. With the defeat of the last temple guardian, in the chamber containing the amulet, the mystic seal thwarting Quan Chi from entering the temple was lifted. As Sub-Zero was about to retrieve the amulet, Quan Chi mystically materialized and took hold of it. Quan chi, possessing the amulet, was menacingly delighted and revealed the true nature of the amulet: it had belonged to Shinnok, a fallen Elder God who was banished to the Netherealm millenia ago for attempting to conquer all of creation. The amulet would fully restore Shinnok's power and he would be poised to again unleash havoc upon the realms.

Finished boasting, Quan Chi vanished and Sub-Zero stood in the chamber alone. Moments later, amidst a sudden surge of lightning, appeared Raiden, god of thunder and protector of the Realm of Earth. Raiden was displeased with Sub-Zero. He was told that it was Raiden, who, after rallying gods throughout the realms, was able to barely bring a halt to Shinnok's carnage. It was at Raiden's direction, that Shinnok's amulet was hidden in the Temple of Elementals, over which Fujin and the elemental guardians would stand sentry. Were Shinnok to regain his amulet and power, ruin would befall Earthrealm. Raiden, unable to enter the Netherealm, thus commanded Sub-Zero to recover it. Conjuring a portal with his staff, Raiden sent Sub-Zero to the Netherealm.

Sub-zero faced dangers in the Netherealm far greater than even those he had just overcome in the Temple of Elementals. But he nevertheless prevailed over Shinnok, Quan Chi, and others of the realm's damned legions.

The amulet Sub-Zero stoleback from Shinnok, was not the same that he had won for Quan Chi at the Temple of Elementals. Quan Chi wished to study its powers and, in time, perhaps wield it himself. To Shinnok, he gave a forgery. It was imbued with mystic energy, and was crafted from the souls of the Shirai Ryu warriors Quan Chi had recently killed. Its energies were enough to empower Shinnok terrifically in the Netherrealm, and even ascend from it for short periods. But it was a fake, and likely would not have given Shinnok the means by which to subjugate the realms. Before Shinnok could discover Quan Chi's treachery though, it was stolen back by Sub-Zero who moments later was whisked to Earthrealm by Raiden's portal.

Raiden, resisting the temptation to destroy Sub-Zero for acquiring the amulet for Quan Chi in the first place, took it from SubZero. Raiden awarded him with a warning: though Subzero was among Earthrealm's most powerful warriors, his soul was greatly darkened from his years of violence serving the Lin Kuei. It was up to Subzero to choose his destiny, but were he to die with his soul thus corrupted, he would descend to the 5th plane of the Netherrealm to face a terrible fate unknown even to Raiden.

Upon returning to the Lin Kuei headquarters, he learned that he had been invited to the Mortal Kombat tournament by Shang Tsung himself. The Lin Kuei had previously been approached with a contract for Shang Tsung's head. Thus, it was decided; Sub-Zero would accept the invitation to fight in Mortal Kombat, with his ultimate designs being set on assassinating Shang Tsung.

To this day, the particulars of Sub-Zero's fate during the tournament remain largely unknown. By Raiden's account, sometime after the defeats of Goro and Shang Tsung and the island's subsequent eruption into chaos, Scorpion confronted Sub-Zero at the island's gates and challenged him to Mortal Kombat. Fueled by vengeance and the demon energies of the Netherealm, Scorpion killed Sub-Zero.

As Noob Saibot
In the Netherealm, Saibot would become a member of the Brotherhood of the Shadow, the very thing he had resisted becoming whilst alive. In an darkly ironic twist, Noob Saibot would now pledge allegiance and loyalty to Shinnok. One of his first tasks for his new lord would be to observe and report on the events taking place on Earthrealm and Outworld; to this end, he remained in the shadows during the Outworld tournament, faithfully monitoring the situation for the fallen Elder God.

At Shinnok's behest, Saibot aligned himself with Outworld's emperor Shao Kahn during Kahn's invasion of Earth. However, as the tables turned in favor of the Earthrealm warriors, Noob Saibot was ordered to switch allegiances and join the Earthrealm warriors, unknown to Kahn. After Kahn was defeated, Shinnok, sensing his time had come, was freed from the Netherealm by Quan Chi, and conquered Edenia. Noob Saibot now served his overlord directly. But despite the Elder God's careful planning, Shinnok was once again defeated by Raiden's forces and the Brotherhood of the Shadow was disbanded. With Shinnok defeated utterly- Noob Saibot later refers to him as simply "gone"- Saibot returned to the service of the still-weakened Shao Kahn. A few years later, in the events leading up to Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, he appeared during a battle between the armies of Edenia and the Shokan (led by Kitana and Goro) with the Outworld army (lead by Kano). He attacked an exhausted Goro, mortally wounding him. The war ground to a stalemate.

With Kahn having been thought slain at the hands of the Deadly Alliance, and Shinnok vanquished,  Saibot slowly changed from a pawn into a player. Free to pursue his own interests, and uninterested in the affairs concerning the rise of Onaga, he plotted to create his own legion of assassins. While searching Kahn's abandoned fortress, he discovered the inert body of Smoke. Reprogramming the cyborg to remain loyal to him, he reactivated his nanotechnology, and formed plans to create an army of cyber-demons, using Smoke as a template.

In Armageddon, Noob is no longer teamed with Smoke. In his ending, after defeating Blaze, he is teleported to a dark chamber, where he is confronted by the visage of Sub-Zero, come to reclaim his part of their soul. They fought to an absolute standstill. In the end, Noob Saibot was no longer his shadowy self, nor was he Sub-Zero, but had become something different entirely.

Powers and abilities
Before his transformation, Noob Saibot as Sub Zero possessed incredible control over the element of ice, even more so than his own younger brother. He could easily deep freeze opponents to the point of them becoming brittle enough to shatter into pieces. By a single touch he was even able to flash freeze opponents and had the ability to freeze the entire air itself by concentrating all of his ice power into one destructive blast.

Noob Saibot's powers were not revealed until Mortal Kombat Trilogy, having borrowed minute versions of movesets from other ninjas. In Mortal Kombat Trilogy, his powers seem to be revolving around both shadow and phantom. With the phantom powers, Noob Saibot was able to temporarily remove a kombatant's powers using a ghastly force, in the form of projectile attacks as well as being able to lift them in the air. His prominent powers are of the shadowy element, possessing the ability to teleport as well as render himself invisible by blending in with the shadows. His weapons of choice were shurikens. He was initially to have these weapons in Mortal Kombat 4, but was replaced with Reiko. However, he begins using such in Deception.

Memorable moves
(As Sub-Zero)
 * Freeze: He could send a ball of ice and freeze the opponent in place. (MK, UMK3, MKT, MKM:SZ)
 * Lin Kuei Slide: He could slide across the floor and knock the opponent off their feet. (MK, UMK3, MKT, MKM:SZ)
 * Ground Ice: Freezing the floor so anyone touching it would slip on the ice. (UMK3, MKT, MKM:SZ)
 * Ice Shower: He could perform his freeze while in the air. (MKM:SZ)
 * Angle Freeze: He could freeze at an upwards angle. (MKM:SZ)
 * Running Freeze: While running towards his opponent he could freeze them when he touches them. (MKM:SZ)
 * Polar Ice Blast: Concentrating all of his inner powers he could send a blast of cold air freezing anything it would touch. (MKM:SZ) (mk movie)
 * Sub Clone: He could create an ice clone of himself that would freeze anyone who would touch it. (MKM:SZ, MKT N64 version)
 * Super Lin Kuei Slide: Just like the Lin Kuei Slide only it could reach further distances. (MKM:SZ)
 * Deep Freeze: He could freeze an opponent multiple times, making them stay frozen longer. (MKM:SZ)
 * Ice Shatter: Sub-Zero could shatter his opponent after multiple Ice blasts. (MKM:SZ))

(As Noob Saibot)
 * Disabler: Sending out a ghostly fireball it will disable the opponent for free hits. (MKT, MK4, MK Gold, UMK3)
 * Teleport Slam: Disappearing, then reappearing behind his opponent, he would grab and slam them on the ground. The move is called Teleport Grab in Armegeddon. (MKT, MK4, MK Gold, UMK3, MKA)
 * Teleport Attacks: Similar to the Teleport Slam only he could attack the opponent besides slam them. (MK4, MK Gold)
 * Air Fireball: From the air he could shoot a fireball down at opponent. (MK4)
 * Shadow Throw: Noob could send out a shadow that would grab and throw his opponent into the air. (MKT, UMK3)
 * Dark Assassin: Summoned by Smoke, he would toss shurikens into the opponent. In Armegeddon, Noob performs this move without a partner. (MKD, MKA)
 * We Live: Along with Smoke, the two would charge punch the opponent. (MKD)
 * Teleport Kick: Smoke would summon Noob Saibot from the air, who would then appear and kick the opponent in the face, taking over the battle. (MKD)
 * Switch Up: Smoke would summon Noob Saibot who would appear and punch the opponent from behind, taking over the battle. (MKD)
 * Darkness: Noob Saibot could vanish, and reappear at will. (MKD, MKA)
 * Black Hole: Noob Saibot shoots a dark portal into the air which lands on the ground behind the enemy. Should the enemy fall or be knocked into the portal, he/she will fall from the sky directly above and receive damage from the drop. (MKA)

Fatalities

 * Head Rip: The first fatality that he (as Sub-Zero) had in the series involved ripping out opponent's head and spinal cord from their shoulders. It was also one of the most infamous fatalities (with Kano's Heart Rip Fatality), which later spun a web of controversy around the violence factor in the game. (MK)
 * Teleport Slam: Noob Saibot repeats his special move of teleporting and slamming the opponent into the ground. However, in the fatality, he holds on and slams the opponent repeatedly until he or she explodes.  Rarely, on the N64 version, it was possible for the computer to perform this fatality without winning (resulting in a game freeze). (MKT)
 * Shadow Spin: Noob Saibot lifts his arm to summon a spinning cloud identical to the one that surrounds an opponent affected by his attack-disabling projectile. It drops onto the opponent, lifts him or her into the air, then spins until the victim's bones fly out of the spinning tornado.  (MKT)
 * Torso Kick: A secret fatality for a secret character, this fatality only occurs when one-button fatalities are turned on. It is copied wholesale from Reiko, Noob Saibot's would-be replacement in MK4 and MK Gold. (MKG)
 * Ice Shatter: Another secret fatality, this one is copied from Sub-Zero. This one is quite the foreshadowing, considering Noob Saibot's at-the-time unrevealed origins. (MKG)
 * Shuriken Barrage: Another secret Fatality, again copied from Reiko, where he tosses many shuriken at the opponent rapidly. (MK4 (PC Version only))

Other finishers

 * Friendship – (As Noob Saibot) Bowls a bowling ball at some pins. (MKT)
 * Animality – (As Noob Saibot) Turns into an anteater and swallows the opponent whole. (MKT)
 * Hara-Kiri: Having taken to using shurikens in this game, Noob Saibot simply throws them upwards and lets them fall back down on his head. (MK:D)

Movie and TV appearance
Saibot's former identity of Sub-Zero (played by François Petit) appears in the first Mortal Kombat movie as one of Shang Tsung's guardians, and is killed by Liu Kang in their matchup; Kang hurled water at Sub-Zero the instant before the ninja used his freezing power, creating a stalactite on which he was impaled. His relationship to Scorpion is all but ignored; Shang Tsung only remarks that they are the "Deadliest of enemies, but slaves under my power."

Noob Saibot (played by J. J. Perry) appears in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, emerging from Ermac's chest to attack Jax and Sonya Blade. He is shortly thereafter slain by Jax. No reference to him originally being Sub-Zero is revealed.

Noob Saibot, played by Master Sultan Uddin, also appeared in Mortal Kombat: Conquest. In the eponymous episode, Saibot was an imprisoned Outworld warrior mistakenly released by Siro and Taja; Saibot was then recruited by a sorceress to assassinate Kung Lao, a task at which he failed. In this incarnation, Saibot was completely black and covered in oil.

Trivia

 * Sub-Zero's original name was going to be "Tundra".
 * Noob Saibot is actually 'Boon' and 'Tobias' backwards, named so after the co-creators of Mortal Kombat, Ed Boon and John Tobias.
 * It is a commonly held misconception by fans that since John Tobias left Midway Games, the "Saibot" portion of the name had to be removed for legal reasons. Tobias does not own the rights to the name of 'Saibot'.  While the character's name does read simply "Noob" on the lifebar when fighting him alone in Mortal Kombat Deception's Konquest Mode, this is more than likely the result of the development team splitting up the name Noob-Smoke, and not writing in 'Saibot' for purposes of efficiency.  Noob is still referred to by the additional name of Saibot in Noob-Smoke's ending, and Ashrah's. He is also clearly stated as Noob Saibot by his brother in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, which was made long after Tobias left.
 * In Mortal Kombat: Deception it is revealed for the first time that Noob Saibot is actually the original Sub-Zero, and states that he has not seen his brother since becoming a wraith. Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks contradicts this, by being set in the Mortal Kombat II timeline and having Sub-Zero aware of Noob's identity. It also claims Noob is "possessed by one of the Elder Gods" which does not sit well with his Deception story. However, the majority of events in Monks are regarded by most fans as non-canon due to their contradictory nature.
 * In Noob's appearance in Mortal Kombat II, his special abilities are simply copied from Scorpion.
 * In Mortal Kombat 3, Noob Saibot is not a fully black 'ninja' palette swap, but is actually a completely black version of Kano, because there are no 'ninjas' in that game. He also has absolutely no special moves but uses some of Kano's combos.  It's funny to note, when Noob wins a round, the announcer says, "Kano shows mercy!" This is an obvious programming glitch.
 * Noob Saibot was supposed to be a playable character in Mortal Kombat 4 also, but was removed in favor of Reiko. He instead became a secret character.
 * An early Mortal Kombat: Deception costume design for him became Havik, a different character altogether.
 * Noob Saibot made an appearance in the TV series Mortal Kombat: Conquest where he emerged from the depths of an oily hell to fight Siro.  At the time of the show's airing, the revelation that Saibot was Sub-Zero had not yet been established, Deception being released years later.  His appearance here is henceforth amusing, since both versions of one character are active simultaneously in a non-canon telling of the MK saga.
 * Both versions are as well simultaneously active in Malibu Comics' short-lived non-canon Mortal Kombat series.
 * These comics ignored Sub-Zero's inherent evil altogether, as they were released before its first mention in Mortal Kombat Mythologies. Sub-Zero is, however, depicted as being the victor of Shao Kahn's tournament, defeating Goro and claiming the Dragon Medallion, even as he is killed by Scorpion.
 * In Malibu's "Baraka" issue (1995), Noob Saibot appears as a good guy, and offers Baraka his assistance in hunting Scorpion down and saving an infant tarkata (who is considered to be "Outworld's only hope").
 * During his time as Sub-Zero, he disliked being called a "ninja." A loyalist, he referred to himself as a "Lin Kuei warrior" and distinguished the difference between the two.
 * Despite being classed as "neutral" in Mortal Kombat, many fans regarded Scorpion as the "bad guy" and Sub-Zero as the "good guy." They seemed to be depicted in this fashion in John Tobias' original Mortal Kombat comic book.  However, in the second official Mortal Kombat collectors' comic, Mortal Kombat II (in actuality released before the game) their story is closer to game's.  Scorpion is seen returning from the dead to protect the second Sub-Zero, in the comic during the latter's fight with Reptile (this parallels Scorpion's in-game Mortal Kombat II ending.)  Because Sub-Zero killed Scorpion in "cold blood" (as Scorpion often puts it), Scorpion is supposed to be seen as the "good guy" and Sub-Zero vice versa.
 * Upon their appearance in Deception, there has been a massive outcry by fans that Noob and Smoke were a tag-team, as they felt it cheapened the characters' appearance and pushed Smoke (already an underdeveloped character storywise) further into obscurity. This resulted in the characters once more being split into two seperate playable entities in Armageddon.
 * Losing to Noob Saibot in the SNES version of Mortal Kombat II will cause shouts of "You will die, mortal!" and "Toasty!" from Shao Kahn and Dan Forden, respectively. However, in the Arcade version, Shao Kahn says, "Feel the power of -" and is abruptly cut off by Forden's "Toasty!"
 * Losing to Noob Saibot in the arcade version of UMK3 will cause Shao Kahn to say "It's official, you suck!", instead of Noob's actual name.
 * Noob Saibot's name is mocked relentlessly because the first part, Noob is internet speak for newb.
 * This is further supported in Mortal Kombat Armageddon when Noob Saibot gains a weapon of his own: Troll Hammer, with troll being a termed used to coin those who cause grief and mischief in order to purposefully extract a negative response.