Skarlet

Skarlet is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.

Skarlet made her debut in Mortal Kombat (2011) as a Downloadable Character (DLC). Before that, however, she was a subject of fan speculation that began with rumors of a glitch in Mortal Kombat II.

Skarlet returns in Mortal Kombat 11 as a playable character.

About Skarlet
Originally, Skarlet was a character rumored to have been a secret in Mortal Kombat II, though this was speculated to be a coding glitch from Kitana, much like Ermac, who had supposedly been a color glitch from Scorpion.

Scarlet is a devoted servant to Shao Kahn, her every action with the goal of appeasing her father. He taught her how to utilise Blood Magik and serves him willingly. She has a deep interest in blood and constantly refers to her opponents‘, such as speaking to Jade of her unique Edenian blood.

Appearance
Skarlet has unnaturally red hair with a black streak tied back in a low ponytail, gray eyes, and her clothing is primarily red and black with minimal white accents. She wears a tight ninja half-face mask from her nose to the edge of her collar bone. She has forearm and shoulder guards, and wears somewhat of a short loin cloth, and a top that is similar to Jade's alternate top, revealing a bare midriff. She wears red high heeled over the knee boots. She also has four kunai strapped onto her right leg, which are featured in her moveset.

In the Mortal Kombat X Comic Series, while Skarlet is still seen in her original outfit, she is also seen in a full black body suit with matching shoulder guards. She keeps her mask and wears her loin cloth over the suit, while also now wielding twin katanas.

In Mortal Kombat 11, she dons a much more conservative black and red outfit with pouches, including one with vials of blood and a hood with goggles. Her alternate costume sports a mage-like appearance and removes the hood, showing off an inverse of her previous hairstyle, now being short and black in color with red highlights. Following the release of the story trailer however, her hairstyle has reverted to its original length and color, though let loose.

Powers and abilities
Skarlet is a very ferocious opponent in battle. She utilizes a slew of blades during combat, which she can use as both projectiles and melee weapons. Being composed solely of blood, Skarlet can utilize several blood-related techniques such as throwing orb-shaped projectiles composed of blood and can even morph herself into a red-liquid state which she can mold into structures. Unlike Noob Saibot, she utilizes this state for both offensive and evasive maneuvers.

Despite having had her legs shattered by Mileena in the Mortal Kombat X comic, she returns in MK11 with restored limbs, suggesting regenerative abilities. Her abilities in particular have also been significantly improved, now being able to draw blood directly from her opponents out of their orifices as well as forming weapons from said blood as shown by her Fatal Blow and one of her Fatalities as well as forming blood constructs out of thin air. While still a vicious opponent, Skarlet's fighting style has changed considerably with her posture being more reserved.

Signature moves

 * Up Slash: Skarlet unsheathes one of her swords and slices her opponent upward, allowing a juggle. Can be performed during her Red Dash to increase its range. (MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Dual Up Slash and adds an additional hit.
 * Down Slash: Skarlet unsheathes one of her swords and slices her opponent downward, allowing a juggle. Can be performed during her Red Dash to increase its range. (MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Dual Down Slash and adds an additional hit.
 * Dagger Toss: Skarlet throws two of the kunai strapped to her leg. The second kunai can be delayed. (MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Double Daggers and allows Skarlet to throw four kunai.
 * Air Dagger: Skarlet throws a kunai in the air. This has straight and diagonal commands. (MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Tri Air Dagger and allows her to throw 3 kunais at a time. This has close and far commands.
 * Blood Ball: Skarlet casts a ball composed of her own blood at the opponent. (MK 2011, MK11)
 * In MK 2011, this decreases some of her own health but compensates by being the most powerful non-boss projectile in the game. Its trajectory may be altered somewhat by holding down or up as it is launched.
 * In MK11, the damage is far less but it doesn't drain Skarlet's health. Its speed can also be adjusted by amplifying it.
 * Blood Drop: Skarlet teleports above and behind her opponent and slashes them. This move can be performed in mid-air. This move is similar to Mileena's Sky kick. (MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Blood Stomp and makes her stab the opponent, digging her swords into their shoulder blades until they fall down, and then rolls off them. (MK 2011)
 * Red Dash: Skarlet dashes forward, leaving a blood trail behind her. This move does not hit on its own. (MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Krimson Dash and lets her dash a longer distance.
 * Red Slide: Skarlet slides on a pool of blood and attacks her enemies. This can only be done during Red Dash. (MK 2011)
 * Bloodshot: Skarlet casts a small blood-based projectile at her opponent. Amplifying it causes the projectile to return to Skarlet and grant health to her after it hits the opponent. (MK11)
 * Blood Spatter: Skarlet forms a spherical blood-based forcefield which knocks the opponent back. Amplifying it makes the move launch the opponent in the air, allowing Skarlet to perform a juggle. (MK11)
 * Blood Trail: Skarlet casts a blood-based projectile that moves along the ground. (MK11)
 * Blood Tentacle: Skarlet summons a tentacle of blood that swings at the opponent, it can be summoned for four different ranges. (MK11)
 * Blood Ritual: Skarlet surrounds both herself and her opponent in red aura, which drains both of the fighters' healths, but Skarlet's health drains faster. (MK11)
 * Krimson Shield: Skarlet casts a red aura around herself which reduces the damage she takes. (MK11)
 * Cell Siphon: Skarlet trances her opponent and draws them closer to her. Amplifying it grants Skarlet health. This move is similar to Quan Chi's trance. (MK11)
 * Bloodport: Skarlet turns into blood and teleports behind her opponent. Changing the teleport distance requires defense meters. (MK11)
 * Killer Clot: Skarlet places a blood-based clot to the ground and when the clot sticks to the opponent, they get covered in blood and they won't be able to cancel strings into special attacks for a short period of time. (MK11)
 * Dagger Dance: Skarlet parries basic attacks in this stance. She will retaliate by teleporting behind the opponent and stabbing their back. Amplifying it will allow Skarlet to receive health back. (MK11)
 * Boiling Point: Skarlet lifts the opponent in the air by manipulating their blood. Amplifying it will further increase the damage. This attack can be performed for multiple distances. (MK11)
 * Red Mist: Skarlet creates a blood aura around herself that can damage the opponent if they get too close to her. (MK11)
 * Red Rain: Skarlet summons a blood rain to the area she stands in which increases her damage as long as she stands in the rain. (MK11)
 * Retch-Rebution: Using her ritual dagger, Skarlet causes the opponent to choke on their own blood and vomit it. Amplifying it will leave the opponent standing, allowing Skarlet to further extend her combos. (MK11)
 * X-Ray - Blood Bank: Skarlet flips forward, whereupon connecting, she delivers a brutal palm strike into her opponent's nose area, breaking the skull, followed by a reverse kick, piercing their eye cavity with the heel of her boot. (MK 2011)
 * Fatal Blow - BLOODY FUN: Skarlet slices her opponent's neck with her dagger and then stabs them multiple times before vertically slicing through their torso. She turns the resulting gush of blood into a scythe and impales them through the gut with it, launching them upwards. She then hurls a blood spear through the opponent's open mouth and out the back of their head. (MK11)

Other moves

 * Throw: Skarlet grabs her opponent, stabs them in the shoulder with her ninja sword, forces them onto their knees, then either plants her foot on their chest and kicks them away (Forward Throw), or flips herself behind them and wrenches her ninja sword out - the force of which causes the opponent to fall to the ground (Backwards Throw). (MK 2011)
 * Throw (Forward): Skarlet summons blood tentacles which hold the opponent by their arms and feet and proceeds to stab them with a blood spear and finishes by shattering her blood vial in front of the opponent.
 * Throw (Backward): Skarlet summons blood tentacles to hold the opponent like before, then stabs them through their chin with her scythe and throws her opponent to other side. (MK11)

Fatalities

 * Blood Bath: Skarlet takes one of her ninja swords and stabs her opponent in through the ear. She then takes the other sword and slashes her opponent´s throat, holding them back as she lets their blood gush on her face. (MK 2011)


 * Make It Rain: Skarlet stabs herself with her sword. She then becomes a puddle of blood and moves underneath the opponent. She then creates blood pillars, which stab the hands and legs of the opponent, causing them to elevate. Skarlet appears under the opponent, slices their stomach and proceeds to bathe in the blood and chunks of flesh that pour out from their wound. (MK 2011)
 * Bloody Mess: Skarlet lifts the opponent's own blood in the air through their mouth and eyes and creates six stakes of it. The stakes pierce the enemy's chest, shoulders, heart and eye socket. Skarlet then laughs and presses the stake in the victim's eye socket, causing the impaled eyeball to pop out through the head. (MK11)
 * Heart Kondition: Skarlet launches tendrils of blood at the opponent's heart, and starts to rapidly pump blood through them. The blood rushing to the opponent's heart builds, and the heart eventually explodes, creating a surge of blood and gore that bursts through the victim's chest. (MK11)

Other finishers

 * Babality: Skarlet takes out a bottle of milk and starts to drink. She then throws the milk bottle, taking out a bottle of blood and drinks that instead, much to her enjoyment. (MK 2011)
 * Brutality: Skarlet does her forward throw, but after the spear, she instead uses her knife to stab her opponent and slashes sideways, causing their intestines to come out, all while the opponent bleeds to death. (MK11)

Character development
Skarlet is based on the (debunked) rumor of Skarlet in Mortal Kombat II. Supposedly, a red palette swap of Kitana, same as with Ermac as a red palette swap of Scorpion, little was known about her aside from that. On September 10th, 2010, Ed Boon updated his twitter with an image of the leg of an unknown, red-clad, female character. Speculation has abounded that this might be a redesign of Sareena or Kira. Boon had initially promised to release the full image should Shao Kahn win against Gears of War's General RAAM in Gamespot's "All Time Greatest Villain" Contest. However, after Shao Kahn's loss, no additional information as to the identity of this character was given for months. Since then, she has been seen in the background of the Kahn's Arena during gameplay videos for Mortal Kombat (2011). On March 26th, 2011, Gamepro released information regarding which characters would be available as Downloadable Content (DLC) in Mortal Kombat (2011). Skarlet was revealed – although her name was not. Through hacking of the game, Skarlet was discovered, as well as having a Babality model, but the model was glitched and did not move.

Game Information
She was rumored to have appeared briefly in MKII as a red, glitched Kitana. According to Hans Lo from NetherRealm Studios, Skarlet's appearance in MKII was a "programming glitch." MK series co-creator (and MKII lead programmer) Ed Boon has publicly contradicted this, initially calling it simply "not true". In a later interview, Boon expanded on this remark somewhat, saying: "...there was never a glitch that turned Kitana red, that never existed. That was just an urban legend like Animalities and Ermac — a rumor that we eventually wanted to make true." This glitch could, however, be the result of physical damage to the hardware of the arcade cabinet, leaving the validity of the glitch still up to debate.

Mortal Kombat 11
TBA

Trivia

 * Skarlet is the only one of the female "ninjas", that can be truly considered a kunoichi (female ninja) due to the fact that she possesses Kodachi Swords and Kunais and her fighting style is based on Taijutsu.
 * She is the third character based on a rumor to have been made playable, the first two being Ermac and Blaze, respectively.
 * Similar to Ermac, her color is red.
 * Skarlet makes multiple appearances throughout MK (2011)'s Story Mode, appearing among the other fighters; however, she has no dialogue or scenes. She is also seen chained up in Kahn's Coliseum.
 * Before her release as an official character, Skarlet was known simply as "The Lady in Red."
 * In the MKX comic series, it is revealed that Kytinn blood causes Skarlet to lose her energy and become weak, making it a type of blood she steers clear from.
 * She is the third character whose power has to do with blood, the first two being Nitara and Meat.
 * Story-wise, she is the third character created by Shao Kahn's will, the first two being Mileena and Ermac.
 * However Mortal Kombat 11 retcons her history, making her a starving Outworlder before being reborn in blood and sorcery.
 * In early development, Skarlet had Jade's fighting stance.
 * Her Babality is the only one in the series to have blood in it.
 * When Shang Tsung's Identity Theft Fatality is performed on Skarlet, she will not yell "No!"; instead, she will grunt.
 * At only 27% damage, Skarlet's X-Ray Move does the least amount of damage out of all the other kombatants'.
 * Much like Ermac, Skarlet's voice is composed of multiple voices, which talk in unison.
 * As of MK11, Skarlet now talks in a singular voice.
 * Skarlet's Blood Ball, Kotal Kahn's Blood Offering, Ferra/Torr's Pain and Gain, Kano's Power Up and Predator's Self Destruct are the only special moves in the Mortal Kombat series that drain health when used.
 * Skarlet and Khameleon are the only female ninjas that have not been unmasked.
 * However, Skarlet is unmasked in her Babality.
 * Through hacking, it was revealed that her Babality was originally going to have her mask on. However, this model is glitched and does not move.
 * Also through hacking, it was revealed that she has an alternate costume. It is only featured on the PS Vita version of Mortal Kombat (2011), however.
 * As of MK11, Skarlet can be customized to remove her mask.
 * As revealed in Fatality Practice mode, her favorite historical figure when she was a young girl was the 16th century Hungarian Countess and murderer Elizabeth Báthory, who was rumored to have bathed in the blood of young women to maintain her youth.
 * Skarlet received two Klassic Costumes in the PS Vita version of Mortal Kombat (2011): a MKII outfit, based on her speculation of being a character in that game, and the other is a UMK3-styled outfit.
 * She also received her scrapped alt from the console version. It (along with Rain's and Kenshi's) is unlocked by beating Challenge #150 on the Bonus Challenge Tower.
 * The fact that Skarlet was a rumor in MKII is referenced in one of the challenges in the Bonus Challenge Tower from the PS Vita version of Mortal Kombat (2011).
 * Besides Cyber Sub-Zero, Skarlet is the only non-klassic character in the series to receive a Klassic Character skin.
 * Skarlet was in an early draft of Mortal Kombat X's Story Mode but was cut.
 * Skarlet does not appear in Mortal Kombat X but makes an appearance in the comics for the game.
 * Skarlet is the first new non-guest character to be introduced to the series as DLC. The second was Triborg in MKX.
 * Between her and Triborg, Skarlet is currently the only one of the two to return as a playable character.
 * Skarlet is shown to have a sort of relationship with Erron Black in their dialogues, Especially with her quote It's been a long time, Erron.
 * While in her previous appearance she was said to have been one of Shao Kahn's creations, in Mortal Kombat 11 , dialogue reveals that Skarlet was an orphan who was raised by Shao Kahn and taught Blood Magik. While this may be a retcon, it’s also plausible that Shao Kahn lied to her about her past.