Jarek

"Soon I’ll have revenge."

- Jarek's Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Biography

Jarek is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series, who made his debut in Mortal Kombat 4.

About Jarek
First debuting as a playable character in Mortal Kombat 4, Jarek was depicted as the brutish and short-tempered second-in-command of the Black Dragon clan. In the games, he initially utilized special moves and fatalities popularized by Kano, a trait later explained by stating that Jarek was once a student of his. Jarek's lack of originality caused him to be labeled as a somewhat uninspired character by the Mortal Kombat fanbase. He would later gain his own unique moveset in Armageddon.

Appearance
In Mortal Kombat 4, Jarek has wears an orange sleeveless vest, green pants, and orange wristguards and boots.

Armageddon would have him wearing drastically different clothing. His default costume consists of him wearing red chest armor, shoulder pads, wristguards, and boots. His alternate has him wearing a full suit of green armor with orange outlines.

Mortal Kombat: Special Forces
Jarek was freed by Kano along with the other Black Dragon members (No Face, Tasia and Tremor) from a United States Special Forces detention facility, during the events of Mortal Kombat: Special Forces. Kano proposed them to reform the Black Dragon clan, but he merely wished to use them as pawns in order to slow down any Special Forces agents who may have been following him. Jarek was stationed as head of security at a downtown office which the clan was using as a front for their activities. While he was there, he was confronted by Major Jackson Briggs on the building's helipad. Jarek was defeated, and Jax believed that he had killed the Black Dragon warrior, but Jarek survived. He was the only Black Dragon member aside from Kano to survive an encounter with the Major.

Mortal Kombat 4
Shortly before the events of Mortal Kombat 4, Jarek fled to Edenia after learning of Kano's apparent death. Thought to be the last surviving member of the Black Dragon, he was pursued by Lt. Sonya Blade and Jax who were seeking to destroy the last remnants of the clan forever. However, seeing that Earthrealm faced the threat of Shinnok's invasion during this period, they decided to focus their attention on the new threat, and Jarek agreed to help his sworn enemies defeat this common foe. After the destruction of Shinnok's forces, he resisted allowing himself to be turned over to the Special Forces. He erased his trail but Jax found him and threw him off a cliff.

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Jarek survived the fall by driving his weapon into the ravine side, slowing down his fall enough so that he only ended up gravely injured. Using his presumed demise as a cover, Jarek went into hiding and began to master new fatality techniques in order to exact revenge on his adversaries.

However, he became frustrated with the difficulties that his injuries befell him, and soon he wished to do nothing more than to kill everyone. Quan Chi found Jarek and promised him that, in return for aiding the side of the Forces of Darkness, the sorcerer would give him the ability to enhance the strength and capabilities of his fatalities, and he would be given a chance to challenge all of his foes at once. Jarek agreed and headed into Edenia to take part in the final battle. In Edenia Jarek took part in the battle of Armageddon, where he died like almost every kombatant that attended the battle.

Biographies

 * Mortal Kombat 4: "Believed to be the last member of Kano's klan, the Black Dragon, Jarek is hunted down by Special Forces agent Sonya Blade for crimes against humanity. With the emergence of a much greater evil, Sonya focuses her strength on the new menacing Quan Chi. Jarek now finds himself fighting alongside Sonya and Earth's warriors to help defeat the evil Elder God, Shinnok."
 * Armageddon Bio Kard: "Long thought to be the last remaining member of the Black Dragon, Jarek had served as Kano's second-in-command. After his master's apparent death, Jarek fled to Edenia. Shinnok's attempt to take control of the realms seemed to leave him no other choice, and so Jarek joined forces with his sworn enemies, Sonya Blade and Jackson Briggs."


 * Armageddon: "What was done to me by the Special Forces could only be described as brutality. But that's fine. I can take it. What angered me was that somehow Jax found me. I'd covered my trail, kept to the shadows. But still I was routed out. Jax dropped me into a ravine, assuming that would be the end of me. It would have been if I hadn't thrust my weapon into the cliff wall to slow my descent. I was badly injured, so I went into hiding. My rumored death would be the ultimate camouflage as I regained my strength. Obsessed with thoughts of revenge, I traveled all over the realms looking for ancient texts that would show me a fatality worthy of my betrayer. But my injuries made perfecting these new techniques a very painful task. My frustration turned into rage and I no longer cared who had sold me out. I would kill them all - a sentiment Quan Chi apparently shared. Quan Chi recognized the carnage I had left behind as I practiced my new fatalities on the good people of the realms. He was impressed and offered to help me increase their power and effectiveness. All I needed do was fight beside the Forces of Darkness in Edenia. The means of enhancing my fatalities would reveal itself, and all my enemies would be there for the slaughter. Soon I'll have revenge. The time will come to finish them all."

Combat characteristics
Innitially Jarek shared most of his moves with a fellow Black Dragon member, Kano, but later on he gained his own moves. This was explained with the fact that Jarek was Kano's student. It is stated in Jarek's bio that he spent his time training new fatalities but he never got to show them, as Armageddon featured a kreate-a-fatality system that replaced character's individual fatalities.

Signature moves

 * Tri-Blade: Jarek throws a star-shaped exotic blade at his opponent. (MK4, MKG)
 * Cannonball Roll: Jarek curls himself to a ball and hurls himself to his opponent. Jarek also has a vertical version of this attack in which he launches himself upwards. This move was borrowed from Kano. (MK4, MKG)
 * Rhino Stomp: Jarek slams his body to ground, creating a small tremor and damaging the opponent. (MK4, MKG, MK:A)
 * Lasso Snatch: Jarek snatches a lasso towards the enemy, and if it connects, he brings the enemy over his body and slams them down, making them bounce. (MK:A)
 * Tricky Switch: Jarek attempts to grab the enemy, and if successful, he will push him to his side and then kick his back. (MK:A)
 * Flying Legs: Anchoring himself to the ground with his rope, Jarek lunges feet-first towards his opponent. (MK:A)

Other Moves

 * Throw: Jarek lifts his foe up & power bombs them into the floor while shouting random gibberish. If performed too close to a wall, Jarek will instead whipslam his foe to the ground. (MK4)
 * Knee Breaker: Jarek stomps his foe in the kneecap, causing them to scream with pain, stunning them briefly. (MK4)

Fatalities

 * Eye Laser: Through no visible means, Jarek shoots a laser beam out of his eyes which tears the opponent to shreds. This fatality is borrowed from Kano. (MK4, MKG)
 * Heart Rip: Also borrowed from Kano, Jarek rips the opponent's heart out of his/her chest. (MK4, MKG)

Endings

 * Mortal Kombat 4: (Non-canonical)


 * Sonya: It's over, Jarek! Shinnok is dead, the good guys won! You're coming back with me!


 * Jarek: (advancing towards Sonya, who walks backwards) Never, Sonya. I agreed to help defeat Shinnok, not turn myself in to the Special Forces! The Black Dragon'll live on!


 * (they stop as Sonya stands back-to-back with a cliff)


 * Sonya: The Black Dragon died with Kano! You're the last one, Jarek!


 * Jarek: NEVER!!! (lunges at Sonya, who dodges, making him plummet into the cliff. Sonya just watches, pulling out her walkie-talkie)


 * Sonya: Come in, Major Briggs. This is Lieutenant Sonya Blade. Over-- What? (Jarek has come back up and pulls Sonya's leg, making her fall down the cliff)


 * Jax: (over the radio) Sonya! This is Major Briggs! Come in! Sonya, this is Jax! Are you there? (Jarek crushes Sonya's walkie-talkie under his foot before laughing and leaving)


 * Armageddon: (Non-canonical) "The power of Blaze drew chi from all the kombatants and funneled into Jarek. He suddenly felt as if Death itself were guiding his actions. Laughing maniacally, he sealed off the crater and unleashed a storm of fatalities upon his fellow warriors. None could escape the maelstrom of deadly energy. When at last the tempest abated, Sub-Zero's spine lay quivering next to Kano's still-beating heart. An armless Jax knelt beside the two halves of Kung Lao's body. Jarek has finished them all!"

Comic books
Jarek makes a small appearance in the official Mortal Kombat 4 comic book that was distributed with some versions of the game. In it, Sonya had tracked him down to the city of Shanghai. After fighting Sonya in the rooftop, Jarek was able to evade her clutches and escaped on his motorcycle.

Character development
Jarek's facial appearance was based on Mortal Kombat character designer and modeler Herman Sanchez. Because Jarek had the same moves as Kano, many fans angrily claimed that he was simply Kano in Mortal Kombat 4. This holds some truth since the development team began making 3D models of existing MK fighters and then decided they needed to add some new people as well. Jarek was designed to be the "Kano character." This explains why he shares so many moves with him. The same holds true for Reiko (originally Noob Saibot) and Tanya (originally Kitana). However, Tanya and Reiko had their own original moves, while Jarek only had two (the Tri-Blade and the Rhino Stomp). It is also notable that Jarek is often compared with Kira. The main reason for their comparison is that both are Black Dragon clan members who used moves from Kano. Unlike Jarek, however, Kira has her own set of fatalities and shared some of Sonya's moves as well. In MK4, Jarek was assigned Kano's fatalities, but without an artificial eye like Kano's, he had no viable reason to shoot lasers from his own eyes. This was left anyway and never explained. In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Jarek was finally given his own set of moves, thus making him unique from Kano.

The Krypt in Armageddon includes several pieces of concept art relating to Jarek. A sketch of his Lasso Snatch move drawn by Ed Boon reveals that this rope throw was influenced by Scorpion's spear technique. Two possible weapon stances are also shown: one with Jarek holding two leaf swords and the other with him holding two kick axes. The leaf blades were dropped as they did not fit Jarek's unrefined look. In the finished game, he only uses one kick axe.

Game information
Jarek appeared as the boss of the third level in Mortal Kombat: Special Forces. He had the ability to throw blades, taunt, and fire an orb that paralyzed the player if shot. He also makes a cameo appearance in Mortal Kombat: Deception ' s Konquest mode. In it, Jarek can be found in the Netherrealm searching for Oni teeth in order to prove his worth to the Black Dragon clan. However, he simply pays Shujinko to find these for him. Jarek also appears in Armageddon ' s Konquest mode during the first training obelisk, representing a generic enemy that Taven must fight.

Character Relationships

 * Was a member of the Black Dragon.
 * Escaped from custody with Tasia, No Face and Tremor with the help of Kano.
 * Defeated by Jax Briggs in MK: Special Forces.
 * Joined Sonya Blade and Jax to fight Shinnok and Quan Chi in MK4.
 * Seemingly killed by Jax at the end of MK4, however, it is revealed that he had not died and went into hiding.
 * Informed by Quan Chi of a technique to kill everyone.
 * Joined the Forces of Darkness in the battle of Armageddon.

Trivia

 * In early versions of Armageddon, Leaf Blades were supposed to be his weapon.
 * In Armageddon, Jarek borrowed the Dragon fighting style that Sub-Zero had in Deadly Alliance and Deception.
 * Currently, Jarek is the only playable member of the Black Dragon whose name does not begin with the letter K (although there is one at the end). There are other members that share this trait (No Face, Tasia and Tremor), but they are not playable.
 * He is seen fighting Sindel in the opening cutscene of Mortal Kombat Armageddon.
 * It was stated in the artwork for Jarek's "Lasso Snatch", that this would be the only time they team would re-use Scorpion's rope model for another move/character.