X-Ray

X-Ray Moves are a feature introduced in Mortal Kombat (2011). They are moves that cause a large amount of damage, comparable to "Super Moves" found in various other fighting games. True to their name, these moves consist of a short sequence of attacks that zoom in on the target with an X-Ray and displays bones and organs being crushed, smashed and snapped, dealing massive damage. The player must completely charge up the Super Meter in order to perform an X-Ray Move.

About the X-Ray
thumb|right|230px|All X-Ray Moves While incredibly powerful, X-Ray Moves often require special conditions to be met. For example, Johnny Cage's X-Ray Move is classified as a counter-attack, meaning that it is only performed if he is attacked within a few seconds of the player activating it. Other limitations include X-Ray Moves having to be activated from an aerial position, and the fact that the damage inflicted by an X-Ray is altered based on the damage scaling.

How to Avoid
While Breakers can not be used against X-Ray Moves, all of them can be avoided in some way. Offensive X-Ray Moves can be initially blocked or dodged, often leaving the performer vulnerable and drained of all super meter charge. Defensive X-Ray Moves, like Johnny Cage's, can be avoided by not attacking the target until they are allowed to openly fight again. Projectile attacks like Scorpion's Spear or Sub-Zero's Ice Ball will also cancel the Defensive X-Ray (but they must be done at a long range, as they will be countered if done up close). All X-Rays can be interrupted with projectile attacks.

Hitting the attacker with a well-timed strike is possible, but difficult as players attacking with an X-Ray become resistant to front facing attacks, due to the fact that the attacker gains armour (which stop the attacks from causing flinching but will still do damage). Because of this, it is possible to stop the X-Ray with a well-timed strike, if, and only if the hit does enough damage to reduce the attacker's health to 0%. Another method of landing a hit on an X-Ray attacker usually requires characters with a teleport ability. If two players activate it at the same time, the first one who connects will initiate their attack. Johnny Cage can counter X-Ray Moves with his own X-Ray Move. It is also worth noting X-Ray Moves cannot be performed, if either Armless Kombat or Headless Kombat come up on Test Your Luck.

Trivia

 * Cyber Sub-Zero's Brain Freeze Fatality and The Street's Stage Fatality in MK 2011, are the only finishers that uses X-Ray in them.
 * Kitana is the only character who can activate her X-Ray both on the ground and in the air.
 * Sonya Blade's X-Ray has the most hits in it, with up to eleven hits.
 * Stryker, Reptile, Kano and Kintaro are the only characters whose X-Ray move hits three times, as the other characters hit only two.
 * Kitana and Jade have the fastest X-Rays. From the activation to the final hit, they spend only four seconds.
 * Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Johnny Cage, Raiden and Rain all have X-Rays that, after they connect, allow for longer combos.
 * Johnny Cage is the only character whose X-Ray is activated by a counter attack.
 * Cyber Sub-Zero is the only character that must activate his X-Ray in the air.
 * Jax, Kano and Sheeva are the only characters to have unblockable X-Rays, as Jax and Kano's are both grapple-type X-Rays, and Sheeva's is a full-screen ground pound.
 * Sindel is the only character to possess an X-Ray that is registered as a low attack.
 * Sub-Zero and Smoke are able to delay their X-Ray.
 * Sub-Zero and Noob Saibot are the only two whose X-Rays don't make their opponents fall to the ground.
 * Jade's, Jax's, Quan Chi's, and Sindel's X-Rays are the only ones who don't make their opponent bleed.
 * Noob Saibot's X-Ray is the only one that involves anything else besides causig blood and breaking-bones (the act of vomiting)
 * Reptile, Skarlet, Baraka, and Kitana are the only ones who aim at the eyes.
 * Johnny Cage, Jade, and Sindel are the only ones who aim for the groin.
 * Goro, Kintaro, Shao Kahn, Kano, and Jax have the most damaging X-Ray Moves.
 * Skarlet's X-Ray is the least damaging, dishing out only 25% damage.
 * Kenshi's X-Ray is his only projectile attack.
 * Johnny Cage once had a far different X-Ray, involving a grab followed by a hard punch to the chest (breaking the ribs), and then a knee to the jaw (breaking it). It was then given to Mileena, and later tweaked to remove the grab and punch, but keeping the knee to the jaw.
 * Sub-Zero's early X-Ray setup involved a fast ground ice attack, causing the opponent to be struck by a giant icicle, launching them towards Sub-Zero. The rest of the animation remained the same however. The setup was changed to allow Sub-Zero to combo into his X-Ray.
 * Kung Lao's X-Ray setup also differed at one point, in that the spin setup was not included in the X-Ray animation (instead going directly to the neck-strike)