Kitana



"You will learn respect!"

- Kitana's Mortal Kombat (2011) battle cry

Kitana is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. She made her debut in Mortal Kombat II.

About Kitana
Princess Kitana is 10,000 years old, but is considered young in her realm of Edenia and only appears to be in her early twenties. Throughout the years, she rose to great importance; first as the loyal stepdaughter of Shao Kahn, then as his enemy, tearing herself away from his grasp and freeing her home realm of Edenia. She also led an army into Outworld to combat any chance of Shao Kahn rising to power again.

Driven by a search for justice, redemption, and peace, Kitana is a strong combination of discipline, intelligence, love, and perseverance. She shared a subtle love interest with Mortal Kombat champion Liu Kang, even after he was murdered by the Deadly Alliance. She has aligned herself on the good side, despite her loyalty to Shao Kahn for most of her life until learning the truth about her past and real family.

Storyline
Kitana's first appearance was in the second Mortal Kombat tournament. She was introduced as Shao Kahn's daughter and personal assassin. Her true feelings and alignment were a mystery, though they were revealed to the Earthrealm warriors during the tournament. She was not really the daughter of Shao Kahn, but in fact his stepdaughter; she was adopted by Kahn, as an infant, to strengthen his claims to the Edenian throne after he killed its king, Jerrod, and married Jerrod's wife, Queen Sindel, who were Kitana's parents. Suspecting she would someday learn the truth, however, Kahn instructed Shang Tsung to create a twin for Kitana; the monstrous Mileena, who was actually a grotesque and evil clone of Kitana.

Kitana grew up dutifully loyal to Shao Kahn, whom she believed was her real father. She grew up to be one of Shao Kahn's personal assassins, alongside her good friend Jade and her evil "sister" Mileena. At some point in Kitana's life, she discovered the truth through constant visions in her dreams; dreams about her real father, Mileena's origins and true nature, and how Shao Kahn conquered her realm.

Appalled, disgusted, and devastated that her whole life had been a lie, Kitana vowed to do all in her power to overthrow Shao Kahn and restore Edenia to its former beauty. Perhaps by doing so, redeeming herself also for the evil she committed while serving Shao Kahn. Although feigning loyalty to Kahn, Kitana planned and waiting for the right time to turn against him openly.

Kitana's chance finally came during Mortal Kombat II, when Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung lured Earth's heroes into Outworld. Kitana entered the tournament, but secretly began to contact one of Earth's heroes (most likely Liu Kang) trying to help them defeat Kahn. However, Kitana's efforts were discovered by her clone Mileena. Mileena attacked her traitorous "sister," forcing Kitana to defend herself. She defeated and killed Mileena, and in so doing revealed that she was no longer loyal to Shao Kahn.

The Earthrealm warriors escaped from Outworld, but Kitana was imprisoned and sentenced to death for killing Mileena. However, after Sindel's resurrection and Shao Kahn's subsequent invasion of Earthrealm, she managed to escape and rejoin her friends from Earth. Her only purpose was to save the resurrected Sindel and remove the evil taint in her soul.

Kitana also had to contend with her friend Jade, who was sent by Kahn to capture her. Kitana managed to convince her to turn against Kahn and join the forces of good. Jade then helped the Princess defeat Reptile, another assassin sent by Kahn to capture Kitana. Eventually, Kitana reached through to her mother and freed her from Kahn's grasp. Shao Kahn's reign over Earthrealm was short-lived, as he and his elite forces were ultimately defeated. In the wake of these events, Kitana and Sindel freed Edenia as well. Before leaving Earthrealm, Kitana thanked Liu Kang for all he had done.

Earthrealm had barely recovered from its violent merger with Outworld, however, as a new threat presented itself in the form of Shinnok. He and his grand vizier Quan Chi invaded Edenia from the forbidden Netherrealm and imprisoned its legitimate rulers.

No novice to escaping from prisons, Kitana broke loose once more, only to encounter a resurrected Mileena now in the service of Shinnok. However, the forces of darkness were soon defeated by Raiden and his comrades, and Edenia was free once more. It is after these events that Kitana finally proposed to Liu Kang and offered to rule Edenia together as King and Queen. Liu Kang reluctantly denied her offer, saying his place was as Champion of Earth.

After Shinnok's defeat, Kitana learned that Shao Kahn had survived his defeat in Earthrealm and was trying to regain his strength in Outworld. Realizing the vulnerable position of her realm, however, Kitana hastily formed an alliance with the Shokan, a powerful and ancient race that had fallen in disgrace with the weakened Emperor, and possibly with the equally powerful and disgraced Centaur race as well. Having mediated a peace accord between the two mortal enemies after Shinnok's defeat, Kitana and her forces prepared for battle.

The combined armies, led by Prince Goro and Kitana herself, marched against Outworld's armies a few years later, with much initial success. However, in the decisive moments, Goro was mortally wounded by the mysterious Noob Saibot, ending the battle with a draw.

Shortly thereafter, Kitana learned that Shao Kahn had been slain by unknown assassins. Thinking her fight was finally over, Kitana began to journey back to Edenia, hoping she could finally live in peace. However, she then encountered her old ally Kung Lao and he told her of a new threat: the "Deadly Alliance" of Quan Chi and Shang Tsung. Kung Lao told Kitana of the Deadly Alliance's plans to revive the Undead Army of the legendary Dragon King and how they had already managed to kill Shao Kahn and Liu Kang.

Despite Kitana's grief upon learning of Liu Kang's death at the hands of the Deadly Alliance, she joined with her old Earthrealm allies against the new threat. Unfortunately, the Deadly Alliance was victorious, defeating the heroes with Kitana herself (despite her new and improved skills gained from training with Bo' Rai Cho) killed in a one on one battle with Quan Chi. However, shortly after, Kitana and her allies were resurrected by Onaga, the legendary Dragon King himself. Onaga then put a powerful spell on them, turning them into his loyal servants. Now loyal to the Dragon King, Kitana assisted in Onaga's invasion of her own realm of Edenia.

Onaga used Kitana to imprison her mother Sindel, knowing the queen would not fight her daughter. However, Sindel was freed by Jade, and together they fled to Outworld where they attempted to find a way to defeat Onaga and free Kitana from his evil influence. Unknown to Kitana, Liu Kang's spirit returned from beyond death and had found himself a new ally and friend Ermac, and the two as well embarked on a mission to save their allies

True to Ermac's Deception ending, which shows him and Liu Kang's spirit being successful in rescuing the slaved Earthrealm warriors, Kitana is released from Onaga's control. At that time, while she made her way back to Edenia, she encountered Blaze, who told her of a coming new danger that will threaten all the realms and that she must gather her forces to face it. Weary of constant battle, Kitana felt disheartened, wondering if the fighting would ever end. However, Blaze assured her that the wars would soon be over. Following this warning, Kitana returns in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, fighting alongside Edenia.

In her Armageddon ending, Kitana defeats Blaze and becomes the champion of the Elder Gods. She goes on to form an all-female fighting force consisting of herself, Sindel, Jade, Sonya and Li Mei. They set out to defeat the forces of Darkness and trap them in the Netherrealm forever.

Biographies

 * Mortal Kombat II: "Her beauty hides her true role as personal assassin for Shao Kahn. Seen talking to an earth-realm warrior, her motives have come under suspicion by her twin sister Mileena. But only Kitana knows her own true intentions."


 * Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3: "Kitana is accused of treason by the High Courts of the Outworld after murdering her evil twin Mileena. Shao Kahn takes it upon himself to appoint a group of warriors specifically to catch his daughter and bring her back alive. But Kitana must find a way to reach the newly crowned Queen Sindel first and warn her of their true past."


 * Mortal Kombat Gold: "As Quan Chi forces leave her realm of Edenia to battle Raiden and his forces, Kitana manages to escape the remaining guards surprisingly easy. She think little of her escape and moves quickly into the battle against Shinnok and Quan Chi. Edenia's future depends on her success."thumb|250px|right|Kitana's Bio Kard


 * Deadly Alliance: "Having freed her home world of Edenia from Shao Kahn's grasp, Kitana led her people to battle against the weakened Emperor in a preemptive strike. She allied with the Shokan armies of Outworld, led by Prince Goro, and together their two nations were on the brink of victory. Tragedy struck when Goro was killed in battle and the Shokan army spiraled into leaderless chaos. But in a strange turn of events, Shao Kahn was slain by unknown assailants and Kano's troops began a hasty retreat. Kitana had won, but at a terrible cost to the Shokan people. The last of Emperor Shao Kahn's armies had retreated and it seemed to Kitana that a new era of peace was at hand. But when a small number of hideous undead soldiers began to appear under the banner of the sorcerers Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, her dreams of returning to the realm of Edenia would have to wait. Her army clashed with this new threat, but were easily cut down by the bewitched weapons that the undead army wielded. The souls of her slain troops left their bodies and flew off into the distance, attracted to a bright green beacon."
 * Kitana_alt.jpgDeception Bio Kard: "Princess Kitana successfully freed her realm of Edenia from the Emperor Shao Kahn only to be threatened by his former subordinates, Shang Tsung and Quan Chi. She fell in battle against their Deadly Alliance only to be resurrected by the Dragon King. Kitana now serves as one of his personal guards."


 * Mortal Kombat Unchained: "For thousands of years I have fought skilled warriors, each new one seemingly more advanced than the last. But this... Dragon King... was a more powerful foe than I ever imagined possible. He resurrected me from death and enslaved my soul. I had no choice but to kill in his name. While under Onaga's control, I shared his thoughts. I understood the source of his power. Six objects in his possession shielded him from harm. We must use this knowledge to defeat him, for the safety of Edenia and all realms. Still... I sense the return of the Dragon King is but a prelude to a much larger conflict."
 * Mortal Kombat (2011): "Over 10,000 years old, Princess Kitana remembers little of her early years. Her mother, Queen Sindel, died mysteriously ages ago in Earthrealm. Most of her life she has loyally served her father, Shao Kahn, in his unending quest to conquer the realms. With her closest friend, Jade, Kitana enforces his brutal will. But there is a feeling tugging at her... a feeling that the life she has known is a deception. For the moment, Kitana dutifully works to ensure Outworld's victory in this latest Mortal Kombat tournament. If she were to lower her guard, however, she might discover that her Earthrealm opponents can lead her to answers."

Appearance
Even though Kitana is over 10,000 years old, she looks as if she is in her late teens or early twenties. She has a round face, brown eyes, thick, pink lips and long eyelashes, befitting her role as princess of Edenia. She is even sometimes shown wearing eye make up. She looks identical to Mileena when both of their masks are on, but when it is off, Mileena's flawed visage is exposed, as opposed to Kitana's beautiful face. Kitana's over all appearance throughout the series has been changed profusely. In MKII, as with Mileena and Jade, Kitana wore a blue skin tight leotard with a matching pair of blue boots and gloves. She has her hair loose, only held in place by a blue hairband. This outfit seems to be the most modest when compared to her other outfits. In UMK3, Kitana wears a costume that is somewhat identical to her MKII costume, the only noticeable difference is the opened middle held by crossed strings where her cleavage is exposed, and her hair is held in a tight bun, rather than the hairband. In MKG and MKSM, she wore a modified version of her UMK3 outfit. In Deadly Alliance, Unchained and Armageddon, Kitana wore a Lavender one-piece outfit, with a very deep V-line, exposing her cleavage even more. She also wears a belt and thigh length boots. Also, her hair is now very long, held in place by 3 sections of a ponytail. In MK vs DC, Kitana wears a blue and black patterned leotard, and her long hair is held in place by a ribbon. In MK 2011, she wears an outfit somewhat similar to what she wore in MK3: a mask with some kind of a hairband or tiara attached to it, which holds her long hair, an upper clothing that is open at the middle, fastened by 4 pairs of crossed laces. She also wears a long loincloth, similar to that of Jade's in MKD, and long, thigh length boots. The main colors of this outfit are blue and silver.

Powers and abilities
Kitana relies mostly on her steel fans in battle, although she is more than adequate in unarmed hand-to-hand combat. She can use her fans as both a projectile and a melee weapon, as well as a means to levitate the opponent for a juggling combo. She can also throw her fans while airborne and execute a midair punch to counter other airborne foes. This made her one of the most powerful characters in Mortal Kombat II, and was subsequently toned down in later games. In Armageddon, she can also teleport and launch herself forward with a series of kicks to the opponent.

Throughout the series, she has been shown to be more powerful than her evil twin Mileena, and has defeated her several times. She is also a very strong leader; she succeeded in recruiting Sindel back to her side and convince her of Shao Kahn's evil during the events of Mortal Kombat 3, and has done the same to Goro in Mortal Kombat Gold.

Signature moves



 * Ground Fan: Kitana throws one of her fans to her opponent. Because the move could be executed both on the ground and in mid-air, it was a great way to finish off a combo, making Kitana a deadly character in Mortal Kombat II. In Deadly Alliance, Kitana also has the option to throw her steel fan, but there's a catch. If the thrown fan connects, it would impale the enemy; if it missed or was blocked, it was gone entirely. Whether it connected or missed, Kitana was only able to throw her fans once per round. This has been altered in Armageddon, as she can use multiple fan tosses in a single round, and the thrown fan only cuts the enemy and falls away, as her original fan projectile from Mortal Kombat II did. In Mortal Kombat 2011, Kitana throws both of her fans towards her opponent. Also, the enhanced version of this move is that Kitana throws one fan, then tosses another one in delay that knocks the opponent backwards. (MKII, UMK3, MKT, MKG, MK:DA, MK:U, MK:SM, MK:A, MKvsDCU, MK 2011)
 * Square Wave Punch: Kitana jumps into the air and attacks incoming foes with a flying punch. This attack is borrowed from Sonya during her absence in Mortal Kombat II, however, in later games that they have both appeared, both of them kept this attack (with the exception of Deadly Alliance, in which neither of them had this attack). Interestingly, Sonya has this attack with a name change, "Face Planter", in Armageddon, while Kitana still has this attack with its original name. The move changes in MK 2011, as Kitana leaps in the air with her back facing the opponent and uses her fans to launch and slam herself into the opponent. (MKII, UMK3, MKG, MK:SM, MK:A, MKvsDCU, MK 2011)
 * Fan_Lift.jpgFan Lift: Kitana uses her fans to make the enemy levitate helplessly in the air. This attack is served as both an anti-air attack and a set-up for juggle combos, and the effectiveness of the move has decreased significantly in each game since Mortal Kombat II. In Deadly Alliance, Unchained and Armageddon, performing this move while in an unarmed fighting style will automatically switch the player into Fan style. The super version of this move in MK 2011 is what appears to be a windstorm that will levitate the opponent into the air wherever they may be on the stage. (MKII, UMK3, MKG, MK:DA, MK:U, MK:SM, MK:A, MKvsDCU, MK 2011)
 * Fan Swipe: Kitana swipes at her enemy with her razor sharp fan. (MKII, MKG, MK 2011)
 * Pretty Kick: Kitana flies toward her opponent with multiple kicks. (MK:DA, MK:U, MK:A, MK 2011)
 * Pixie Dust Teleport: Kitana disappears in a violet cloud and reappears behind her opponent. The move is also used in her X-Ray move in MK 2011, but is not usable in the game. This move is borrowed from Jade. (MK:A, MKvsDCU)
 * Rolling Fury: Kitana rolls under her opponent and trips them up. This move is similar to Mileena's Rolling Thunder. (MKvsDCU)thumb|250px|right
 * Razor's Tip: Kitana spins both her fans around her, dealing damage if the opponent touches her. This is similar to Kano's Blade Spin. (MKvsDCU, MK 2011)
 * X-Ray Move: Fan-Tastic: Kitana teleports behind her opponent and lodges two fans into their skull dealing damage to it. She teleports again in front of her opponent and grabs the fans. Then she lodges them in her opponents eyes damaging them and the skull. (MK 2011)

Fatalities

 * Kiss of Death: Kitana removes her mask and kisses her opponent on the cheek, who expands like a huge balloon before exploding into pieces. In UMK3, the opponent stretches to enormous size before exploding to pieces. In Deadly Alliance, the victim inflated several times (vomiting blood in between) before exploding. In Shaolin Monks, the opponent explodes without inflating. In DC Universe, the opponent swells up, and only their flesh explodes as their skeleton falls down on the ground. (MKII, UMK3, MKT, MKG, MKDA, MKU, MKSM, MKvsDCU)
 * Fan Decapitation: Kitana decapitates her opponent with a fan. (MKII, UMK3, MKT, MKG, MKSM)
 * Fan Impalement: Kitana throws both fans at the foe's torso, killing them. (MKvsDCU)
 * Fan Opener: Kitana uses her fans to chop off the opponent's arms before slicing their head off at the jaw line as they drop to the ground. (MK 2011)

Other Finishers

 * Friendship #1: Birthday Cake: Kitana makes her opponent a cake. (MKII)
 * Friendship #2: Soap Bubbles: Kitana blows bubbles. (UMK3, MKT)
 * Animality: Nasty Bunny: Kitana turns into a bunny and mauls her opponent off the screen. (UMK3, MKT)
 * Babality: Kitana turns into a baby and takes out her bladed fans. She flaps them causing her to fly and then lets go of them, falling on the ground with the fans falling right next to her. (MK 2011)

Endings



 * Mortal Kombat II: (Semi-canonical) "Through her years of working as an assassin, Kitana has learned many secrets, especially about her own past. She finds that Mileena is not her twin but a grotesque clone created by Shang Tsung. She learns that her parents were former rulers of the Outworld overthrown by Shao Kahn. Determined to take back what is rightfully hers, she must defeat Kahn himself. She does so by entering the tournament. She retakes her parents' castle and restores the Outworld back into a realm of nobility."


 * Kitanaend3.gifUltimate Mortal Kombat 3: "Kitana evades the evil clutches of Shao Kahn and escapes into the unknown regions of Earth. She survives an assassination attempt by the vile creature Reptile, and allies herself with her onetime comrade- Jade. Together with the help of Earth's warriors, Kitana reaches Sindel and turns the queen against her emperor. With Shao Kahn defeated, the Earth is changed back into its original state, as is Kitana's realm of Edenia. She will be forever in debt of her friends from Earth as she rules the new realm of Edenia at Queen Sindel's side."


 * Mortal Kombat Gold:thumb|180px|right|Kitana's ending in MKG
 * (in her throne room, Kitana is watching Edenia through the window. Mileena comes in)


 * Mileena: Kitana... I want your status! I want to be Princess of Edenia! It is my right!


 * Kitana: You have no right! You are not my sister! You were borne of Shang Tsung's sorcery for Shao Kahn! What right do you have to the throne of Edenia?


 * Mileena: (dishearteningly, gets down to her knees) No... No!


 * Kitana: You are evil and have no place in this world!


 * Mileena: You are right, Kitana... But if I have no right to this realm... Then neither will you!!! (uppercuts Kitana, who goes flying into her throne; advancing towards her, Mileena pulls out her sai) You will die, "sister"! And I will take this realm for myself!


 * Kitana: Never! (hits a button on the throne, which opens a trap door beneath Mileena's feet, causing her to plunge into a dungeon. Kitana just watches as she falls)


 * Deadly Alliance: (Semi-canonical) "Kitana's longtime enemy Shao Kahn was dead, and the alliance between Shang Tsung and Quan Chi was defeated with the help of warriors from Earthrealm. Although there was peace once more throughout the realms, all was not right for Kitana. Saddened by the death of Goro, she attended a ceremony in the Kuatan palace to honor her fallen friend and ally. Following Shokan tradition, Prince Goro's body was lowered into the molten rock contained within the throne room itself. As Kitana said goodbye to her war time ally, she also held a moment of silence for Liu Kang and secretly wished he had joined her in Edenia so many years ago."


 * Kitanaend6.pngKitanaend7.pngUnchained: "With the Dragon King destroyed, Kitana made her way home to the realm of Edenia. During her journey she was met by a being made of fire! He informed Kitana that her premonition of a looming conflict was correct, and that she must unite the forces of good for a coming battle to preserve the realms. Disheartened, Kitana fell to her knees. 'When will it end?' she cried. 'Every victory leads to more conflict and greater adversaries!'. Blaze simply replied, 'If all goes as planned, your enemies will be destroyed'."


 * Armageddon: (Non-canonical) "Absorbing the power of Blaze, Kitana attained a psychic connection with the Elder Gods and became their champion. To preserve the integrity of the realms, she formed an all-female fighting force whose members included Sindel, Jade, Sonya and Li Mei. Together they laid waste to the forces of Darkness and trapped them in the Netherrealm forever!"


 * MK vs DCU: (Non-canonical) "With no base of operations after their devastating losses in Outworld, Kitana sought asylum in Earthrealm for her surviving Edenian Resistance fighters. Raiden granted them Shang Tsung's abandoned island, where they would remain hidden from mortal eyes. Kitana and her warriors remade the former site of the Mortal Kombat tournament into a bastion of beauty and Light. To honor the god of Edenia, they renamed their new home Argus Island."

Film
Kitana appeared in the first Mortal Kombat movie (unmasked and played by Talisa Soto) as an unwanted companion of Shang Tsung and his warriors. Kitana, as opposed to the games, is said to come from Outworld in both movies. Kitana eventually imparted to Liu Kang the essential knowledge he needed to defeat his greatest adversaries.

In the second movie, she faced and converted her mother, Sindel, in the final battles. She wore the same outfit from the first movie, and finally used her war fans in battle (shown as undulating silver blades linked by blue fabric). Although she (and her mother in some scenes) was believed to be a key to close Shao Kahn's portals to Earth in the second film, it was all a trick to steal time from the warriors. Kitana was again played by Soto, and was one of only three actors from the first movie to come back (and one of only two reprise their role).

Kitana's role in both films has been minor when compared to her fellow comrades protagonists Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Jax and Johnny Cage; in the first film acting more like a secondary character, and in the second being absent for the most part of the film for being captured.

Unlike the games, Kitana apparently always knew Shao Kahn had killed her mother and father and conquered Edenia. The movies give no indication that Kitana was ever loyal to Shao Kahn, though she does feign loyalty in the first movie to convince Shang Tsung of his follies. The movies also neglect to address any connection Kitana shares with either Mileena, Jade, or Rain (although in the second movie, Sonya, upon seeing Mileena, thinks she is in fact Kitana). In addition, her appearance is much different from the games; she is unmasked, her hair is braided rather than held in a bun, and wears a black sleeveless leather top and pants (and the occasional dress) rather than a leotard.

Sam Tjhia will portray Kitana in Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Television
Kitana also makes three appearances in the live-action TV series Mortal Kombat: Conquest, played firstly by Dara Tomanovich and subsequently by Audie England. Her dress is nearly exactly that of Talisa Soto's character, and she wields identical fans. Kitana is fully aware of her Edenian past and the deaths of her parents at Shao Kahn's hands, and works covertly to prevent the Emperor from conquering realms while feigning her allegiance to him. She first employed Kung Lao to protect the last mystical essence of Edenia from Outworld's grasp. In a later episode, Shao Kahn disguised the warrior Mileena with Kitana's likeness and sent her to murder Kung Lao. While Mileena seduced Kung Lao, Kahn also sent Kitana's Edenian friend turned traitor Rain to attack him. Kitana was forced to deter attacks from both fighters and convince Kung Lao that she was the true princess. She was finally murdered by Shao Kahn's Shadow Priests in the series finale. The Emperor was most reluctant and indeed bitter at killing his stepdaughter, whom he seemed to love dearly, but cited her plots against him as justification.

Kitana is one of the lead character in the 1996 animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, her voice provided by Cree Summer. She has an important role during Episode 4, "Skin Deep", where Rain appears as an old friend of hers, and during Episode 10, "Swords of Ilkan". Similar to her portrayal in the movies, Kitana is never shown to have even been loyal to Shao Kahn at any time in her life.

Comic books
Kitana appears as a secondary character during the Malibu Comics series. Her story is slightly altered: she is still princess of Edenia and daughter of Jerrod and Sindel, though she was already grown up when Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung killed Jerrod and seized the realm. Kitana is also under a spell induced by Shao Kahn that makes her forget her past life and believe she's Shao Kahn's daughter. She first appeared during the Goro: Prince of Pain miniseries, leading a group comprised of Mileena, Baraka, and Reptile and is ordered by Shang Tsung to seek Goro in Outworld after his mysterious disappearance.

During the Battlewave series, Kitana starts to rebel against Shao Kahn (though if she has restored her true memories is never stated) and forms an alliance with Kung Lao, Baraka and Sub-Zero to do so. Most of her appearance during the first issues have her making plans to foil Shao Kahn's new army of undead warriors led by Scorpion.

Unlike the games, Kitana has no interactions with Liu Kang in any issue. Instead, she has a closer relation with Kung Lao, a fact Shang Tsung exploits without success in Kung Lao's one-shot issue. Jade's relation with Kitana is also never brought up, and there's nothing indicating they are even friends in the comic's continuity.

Character development
Kitana's original costume for filming of MKII was blue, but game footage was shot with a red outfit for Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

Katalin Zamiar played Kitana for MKII, and her mask had to be attached to her nose with double-sided tape while her boots were held in place with rubber bands in order to keep them from falling down during filming.

Kitana's signature "Kiss of Doom" fatality was, according to Ed Boon in a webchat interview, inspired by the demise of the villain in the James Bond movie Live and Let Die.

In Mortal Kombat: Deception, Ed Boon described Kitana and Mileena as the female equivalents of Scorpion and Sub-Zero, because just like the male ninjas, both female ninjas were created from the exact same models, pallet-swap creations due to the lack of memory. Also because Kitana and Mileena have come to be the female icons of Mortal Kombat, just as Sub-Zero and Scorpion have become icons of the series.

Game information
Kitana was one of the most popular characters in Mortal Kombat II, and was the character that many fans used because of her combos, which always ended with a fan throw in mid air. During the early production runs of Mortal Kombat II, Kitana became notorious as an unbeatable character, as her "fan lift" move could be done in such a way as to completely immobilize the opponent in the corner of the screen, allowing the player using Kitana to defeat the opponent with a series of uncontested punches. Ed Boon claimed in the trading card for Kitana that it was amazing seeing people doing combos with her that even he hadn't thought of. Changes were made in later versions of the game to eliminate this, as it tended to unbalance the game.

Kitana was supposed to be in Mortal Kombat 4 (along with Sindel and Kano), but was taken out in favor for new character Tanya. She was not, however, completely removed from the game: her rendering was still used in Liu Kang's ending, and players could fight as her in the Nintendo 64 and PC versions via a cheat device. Kitana did however appeared in the updated version of the game called Mortal Kombat: Gold, released for the Dreamcast.

Kitana was also supposed to be featured in Mortal Kombat: Deception. However, it was decided that the storyline would change and have her captured in favor of the reappearance of Jade, who has not been featured in many Mortal Kombat games, though Kitana is playable in Mortal Kombat: Unchained.

Trivia

 * In her MK vs DC Universe ending, Kitana was given Shang Tsung's abandoned island as a base of operations for her Edenian resistance fighters, she had it changed to a "Bastion of Beauty and Light" and named it Argus Island, essentially the Themyscira of Edenia.
 * In Mortal Kombat Gold, Kitana's face model resembles the actress Talisa Soto, who played Kitana in the first two Mortal Kombat movies.
 * In Mortal Kombat 9, her X-Ray move is by far considered by fans as the most brutal.
 * Kitana's body can be seen in the introduction of Mortal Kombat Deception, located on the stairs leading to the Soulnado.
 * Like many of the story elements of Shaolin Monks, Kitana's presence and depiction was the cause of some controversy. Some fans were upset over the inclusion of Kitana being under a spell, feeling it weakened her overall storyline. Other complaints were over the fact that not only Kitana is never shown killing Mileena, she in actuality appears to be defeated by her, and later needs to be rescued by Liu Kang and Kung Lao.
 * In Sindel and Ermac's Deception ending, Kitana resembles a blue-clad Mileena. Kitana was to originally appear in Deception as a playable character but was replaced by her twin Mileena as the team wanted to bring back characters from older games.
 * Kitana has a history of being repeatedly deceived and/or manipulated by several villains throughout the series. She, during Mortal Kombat II, falsely believes Shao Kahn to be her father. In Deception, she is under the control of Onaga; and in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Kitana is being manipulated by both the rage sent by Dark Kahn, and then by Quan Chi.
 * Kitana currently has the longest hair than any other females in the series. She has even longer hair than her mother, Sindel.
 * Kitana appears in the opening video of Armageddon. She is seen fighting Kano first before being sent flying after Kintaro smacked her in the face. She is later seen fighting Reptile.
 * Kitana's second color in MKII is gray, which is also used as the palette swap for MK Trilogy's Khameleon.
 * In Shaolin Monks, she says "This is not over, mortal!" as her win quote. The said quote becomes ironic as she says this even if she uses a fatality on the opponent.

Character relationships

 * Daughter of Queen Sindel and King Jerrod.


 * Childhood friend of Jade.


 * Adopted by Shao Kahn when she was an infant.


 * Mileena is her clone.


 * Attacked Johnny Cagealong with Shang Tsung, Baraka, Mileena, and Jade.


 * Learns the truth of Shao Kahn not being her real father.


 * Love-interest with Liu Kang.


 * Killed her evil twin, Mileena (but was later resurrected by Shang Tsung).


 * Accused of treason by the high courts of Outworld.


 * Informed Rain that Shao Kahn killed his father, who was a general in the Edenian Army.


 * Defeated Sheeva along with Jade in UMK3.


 * Informed Sindel of her true past and turned against Shao Kahn.


 * Trapped Mileena in a dungeon in MK Gold.


 * Allied with Goro's Shokan warriors after MK Gold.


 * Had a battle with Kano's troops before Deadly Alliance.


 * Joined Raiden's forces to fight the Deadly Alliance.


 * Killed by Quan Chi.


 * Resurrected by Onaga to serve him.


 * Freed from Onaga's spell by the spirit of Liu Kang and Ermac.


 * Encountered Blaze and informed her to gather the Forces of Light to the final battle.


 * Joined the Forces of Light in the final battle in Armageddon.


 * Killed during Armageddon.