Liu Kang

Headline text


I belong here on Earth as champion of Mortal Kombat. -- Mortal Kombat 4 Ending

Liu Kang is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He is one of the few original characters, debuting in the first Mortal Kombat arcade game. He serves as the main protagonist of the story.

About Liu Kang
Liu Kang is also one of the most popular characters in the series, one of the best warriors of Earthrealm and has beaten many to prove his valor. Throughout the series, Liu Kang has been gradually portrayed as the main hero, becoming Champion after the first Mortal Kombat tournament. The one character who could be considered the closest thing to a nemesis Liu Kang has is Shang Tsung, who has been repeatedly defeated in battle by the Shaolin monk. Because of this, Kang is often considered to be the biggest threat to the plans of Tsung and his emperor, Shao Kahn.

In the first few entries in the series, Liu Kang was shown to be non-violent, in that his finisher did not explicitly kill the opponent. Starting with Mortal Kombat 3, however, all of his finishers involved killing the opponent in one way or another. Due to his zombie state in Mortal Kombat: Deception, he has been shown to kill hundreds of innocent people at a time.

Mortal Kombat
Liu Kang followed the teachings of the Shaolin White Lotus society and was sent by the Temple of Light to defeat Shang Tsung. He desired to defeat Shang Tsung and bring the tournament back to its Shaolin owners. Liu Kang was trained by Master Bo' Rai Cho, who taught him the Flying Kick. As he made his way to the tournament, he met and became friends with Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. At the time of Liu Kang's entry, Outworld had won nine Mortal Kombat tournaments in a row. Eventually, Liu Kang earned the right to challenge Goro to Mortal Kombat. By exploiting the Shokan's overconfidence, Liu Kang defeated Goro and became the new Champion of Mortal Kombat. Upon hearing of Goro's defeat, Shang Tsung challenged him. After an epic battle, Liu Kang defeated Shang Tsung with his Flying Kick, emerging as the new champion of Mortal Kombat.

Mortal Kombat II
Coming home from Tsung's Island, he found many of his Shaolin killed in a vicious attack by a Tarkatan horde. Enraged, Liu Kang decided to travel to Outworld, backed by fellow White Lotus member and spiritual brother Kung Lao, Raiden, Sub-Zero (the younger brother of the original Sub-Zero who was killed by Scorpion), and Smoke to seek revenge. Before he traveled to Outworld, Liu Kang went to Hollywood to seek Johnny Cage's help.

Luckily, Liu Kang arrived at the right time as Cage was being attacked by a Tarkatan horde. Now joined with Johnny and new-found friend Jax they finally traveled to Outworld. At the tournament, he and Kung Lao met Kitana, and Liu Kang began to fall in love with her. He learned the true nature of the Outworld tournament but competed anyway. While it is unclear as to what matches took place, it is known that Liu Kang fought Shao Kahn, eventually overpowering the emperor. It is also strongly possible he also faced Shang Tsung in front of Shao Kahn, defeating him despite his youth and renewed powers, and Kintaro as well. Near defeat, Kahn ordered his forces to destroy the earth fighters, forcing Earth's heroes to return home and to begin preparing for the coming invasion.

Mortal Kombat 3/Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3/Mortal Kombat Trilogy
After returning to Earthrealm, Liu Kang, along with Kung Lao, began training a new generation of Shaolin Warriors, but was interrupted when the invasion began. As Kahn's extermination squads were sent to kill Earth's chosen warriors, Liu Kang found himself the primary target. Kung Lao who went against Shao Kahn was nearly beaten to death. Enraged, Liu Kang challenged the Emperor to Mortal Kombat, and after the final battle, he defeated Shao Kahn again, causing him and his forces to retreat back to Outworld. The souls that Khan had trapped were set free and, just before the portal closed, Liu Kang was thanked by Kitana for his part in saving both Earth and her realm from Shao Kahn.

Mortal Kombat 4/Mortal Kombat Gold
Liu Kang traveled to America to look for a new generation of Shaolin warriors to train. While there in America, he met his old friend Kai. The two then traveled back to China, where Liu Kang trained Kai to be a Shaolin Warrior. However, the peace was not to last, as the fallen Elder God Shinnok had escaped from the Netherealm through a portal to Edenia. Upon learning that Kitana had been captured, Liu Kang set out on his own to save her, but he was unsuccessful. Liu Kang returned to Earth, where he began gathering Earth's warriors to save Earth and assist his mentor, Raiden.

Eventually, Liu Kang confronted the fallen Elder God Shinnok and once again emerged victorious, effectively ending his attack on Earth. Liu Kang returned to the Shaolin Temples, believing he has lost Kitana forever. However, the Edenian Princess appeared through a portal from Edenia and thanked Liu Kang for all he had done. She offered him a chance to join her at the throne of Edenia. However, due to the responsibilities as a Mortal Kombat Champion, Liu Kang was forced to decline her offer.

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
For some years, Liu Kang went on to enjoy relative peace. However, the Deadly Alliance would make itself known on Earth by its successful assassination attempt of Liu Kang. Shang Tsung posed as Kung Lao and snuck up on the champion as he was practicing his katas. Shang Tsung's helped by the assistance of Quan Chi, who caught Liu Kang in the back unawares with a projectile. Shang Tsung used this distraction to gain the upper hand and snapped Liu Kang's neck. He then consumed his soul. Liu Kang's mutilated body was discovered by his fellow Shaolin monk Kung Lao, and he was laid to rest at the Wu Shi Academy, where a shrine was built to honor him.

Mortal Kombat: Deception
In the culmination of events, Raiden released his godlike essence in order to destroy Onaga, presumably killing both Quan Chi and Shang Tsung in the process. While it is unknown whether or not Quan Chi and Shang Tsung are truly dead, it has been established that the thousands of souls that Tsung consumed in the past were released, including that of Liu Kang. Furthermore, Raiden, now somehow corrupted in his reformation, reanimated Liu Kang's body and sent it on a rampage, slaughtering many of Liu Kang's fellow Shaolin monks. Liu Kang's spirit decided to stay in Outworld to assist in the war against Onaga, but he soon discovered his body's "resurrection" and was stricken by what he had done. Although Liu Kang wasn't technically responsible, he couldn't help but feel responsibility for the actions committed by his corporeal form. He also learned about his comrades and how they had been enslaved by Onaga. From there, Liu Kang enlisted the mysterious ninja Ermac as an ally and had two missions to complete. The first was to try and save his friends from Onaga with Ermac, the second to defeat and stop his body from doing further harm.

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
In the events leading up to Armageddon, Kang accomplishes his first task by saving his friends but was unable to reunite his body and soul.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
After Shao Khan's unsuccessful invasion of Earthrealm, Kang returned to Wu Shi Academy for a time. Soon, some of his fellow White Lotus monks began disappearing; Kitana later appeared and told him that her warriors were disappearing. Concluding that either the Black Dragon or the Lin Kuei maybe involved, Kitana and Kang split up to investigate.

Kang went to look for Sub-Zero, and defeated the ninja after he tried to attack the monk. Sub-Zero thought that Kang was responsible for the disappearance of his Lin Kuei warriors, but Kang told him of his innocence - telling him of their own disappearances - and then saves him from Scorpion. Sub-Zero escaped while Kang defeated Scorpion. Before Kang's eyes, Scorpion was surrounded by a yellow flash of light and was replaced by The Flash. Believing Flash to be Shang Tsung, Kang fought and defeated him. Realizing Flash wasn't the evil sorcerer, Kang brought him back to the academy to be examined by his masters, where the real Tsung was waiting to fight. Kang prevailed and proceeded to examine Flash himself, but the same energy teleported Kang to Gotham City. There, he confronted Batman. Blinded by the battle rage, Kang mistook the Dark Knight for Tsung once more, but he was defeated and knocked unconscious. Batman took Kang to the U.N. orbital station, where Raiden appeared and rescued Kang.

Kang was partnered up with his arch nemesis Shang Tsung in the banded alliance that Raiden and Quan Chi assemble to face off against the intruders, believing them to be new warriors of a being named Dark Khan. Kang was defeated in the final battle against the D.C. warriors. When Raiden was consumed by the rage, Kang tried to take down the angry god but was defeated. Kang continued to persuade the god to calm down, which he eventually did, and Raiden and Superman went on to defeat Dark Khan.

Powers and abilities
Liu Kang has proven himself to be one of the most powerful characters in the series span, having emerged victorious in every Mortal Kombat tournament he is involved in. Liu Kang possesses incredible agility, acrobatics, and more commonly, martial arts. It is suggested that Liu Kang meditates regularly in order to keep increasing strength as well as maintain it. Due to his recurring status as the Mortal Kombat champion, Liu Kang never ages.

Liu Kang is commonly associated with the element of fire, which comes in the form of shooting firebound projectiles. He appears to have some degree of control over it as the fireballs sometimes come in dragon-like shapes and has also used the element for finishers as well. In addition, Liu Kang also appears to possess a degree of shapeshifting, able to transform himself into a Chinese Dragon which includes a serpentine body with small arms. In Shaolin Monks, the form is also revealed to have fire-breathing capabilities, most likely associated with his ability to use fire.

Signature moves

 * Flying Kick: Liu Kang flies across the screen and connects with a kick to the opponent's torso. (MK, MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:D, MK:SM, MK:A, MKvs.DCU)
 * High Dragon Fire: Liu Kang sends a fiery flame in the shape of a dragon across the screen out of his hands at his opponent. (MK, MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:D, MK:SM, MK:A, MKvsDCU)
 * Air Fireball: Liu Kang performs his Fireball in the air. (MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:SM)
 * Low Dragon Fire: Kneeling down, Liu Kang sends the same fireball at his opponent's feet. (MKII, MK3, UMK3, MK4, MKG, MK:D, MK:SM, MK:A,MKvsDCU)
 * Flying Bicycle Kick: Liu Kang flies across the screen with a series of multiple kicks to the opponent's torso. (MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:D, MK:SM, MK:A, MKvsDCU)
 * Cartwheel Kick: Liu Kang does a cartwheel kicking his opponent, a Sonya-based move. (MKvsDCU)

Fatalities

 * Flipping Uppercut: Liu Kang simply does a butterfly kick and uppercuts his opponent. The opponent isn't explicitly murdered (unless it is used as a stage fatality), and was created to show Kang's faith in the Shaolin way. In Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, the opponent is torn to pieces upon falling to the ground. In the same game, there were two versions, one where Kang decaptitates his opponent and smashes the head back into them and the original.  (MK, MKII, MK:SM)
 * Dragon: Liu Kang's signature fatality, in which he morphs into a large dragon and consumes the upper body of his opponent. This fatality was turned into an Animality in MK3 and back into a normal fatality in MK4. (MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MKG, MK4, MK:SM)
 * Arcade Smash: Liu Kang disappears, then a arcade cabinet of MK1 crushes the opponent. Afterwards, Liu Kang reappears and does his victory pose. (MK3, UMK3, MKT, MKvsDCU)
 * Flame Ingulf: Liu Kang disappears and reappears inside his opponent as living fire, immolating the victim from the inside before reappearing. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
 * Long-Range Fireball: Liu Kang tosses the opponent high in the air, then destroys them with a fireball. (MK4, MKG)
 * Soul Invasion: Liu Kang transforms his body into a spiritual state and enters the victim's body, possessing it. A second later, the victim rips their own head off to reveal Liu Kang's head replacing it before bowing down. (MK:D)
 * Chi Fireball: Liu Kang extracts what appears to be the opponent's chi and charges it with his own before firing it back at the victim, tearing them to pieces. (MK:D)
 * Crash Liu-ing: Liu uppercuts the foe and then bicycle kicks him/her then slams down with a flaming fist to the torso. (MKvsDCU)

Other Finishers

 * Friendship #1: A disco ball comes down from the top of the screen and Liu Kang dances. (MKII)
 * Friendship #2: A projector screen appears and Liu Kang uses his fingers to make a shadow puppet of the MK dragon. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
 * Hara-Kiri: Liu Kang releases what appears to be green fire and melts himself. Similar to one of Ashrah's fatalities. (MK:D)
 * Animality: Liu Kang transforms into a dragon and eats the upperhalf of the opponet.Note this was a fatality but later became an animality.
 * Multality #1: Liu Kang transforms into a dragon. This time, he breathes fire on the enemies.
 * Multality #2: Liu Kang creates several fireballs that makes enemies explode when hit.

Endings

 * Mortal Kombat: "After defeating mighty Goro and putting an end to Shang Tsung's rule over the Tournament, Kang is able to return the contest to its rightful hosts - the Shaolin Temples. Kang's heroics will always be remembered. He will continue the traditions of the Shaolin Temples and restore the true pride and respect of this once great tournament."
 * Mortal Kombat II: "With his Shaolin temple in ruins, Liu Kang journeys into the Outworld, enters Shao Khan's tournament and unleashes a fury tha does not end unti lthe defeat of Shao Khan. Liu Kang then returns to the seclusion of his Shaolin temple. He pays his respects to his lost brothers and finally realizes that the events which have taken place were all fulfillment of his destiny."
 * Mortal Kombat 3: "After thwarting Shao Khan in the past, Liu Kang finds himself the main target of Khan's extermination squads. But Kang is the reigning Mortal Kombat champion and proves it by easily defeating Khan's minions. But the apparent death of his friend Kung Lao that enrages Kang and enables him to find the strength to defeat Shao Khan. Then before portal closes, Liu Kang is greeted by Princess Kitana and thanked for saving Earth and the Outworld."
 * Mortal Kombat 4: Kang defeated Shinnok, but lamented over the loss of Kitana and Edenia in the process. However, Kitana suddenly appeared in a portal and said that defeating Shinnok not only saved Earthrealm, but saved her own land as well. She offered him a place at her side as king of Edenia; Kang declined, as his duties as champion of Mortal Kombat required him to stay in Earthrealm. Kitana wished him good luck on his future journeys.
 * Deception (Non-canonical): "Liu Kang's friends had been freed. Onaga had been defeated, and the realms were secure once more. But there was one battle that remained. Liu Kang's body had been used by some unknown force as a tool of destruction. It had left death in its wake and needed to be stopped. The chaos would end in Earthrealm. The fight raged with neither kombatant able to best the other, when a jolt of energy crackled through them both. Liu Kang's nerves blazed like fire, and he felt a rush of air fill his lungs for the first time since his death. He was Liu Kang once more: Protector of Earthrealm, Champion of Mortal Kombat."
 * Armageddon (Non-canonical): "The power released by Blaze's destruction reunited Liu Kang's body and soul. Whole once more and possessing the power of a god, he confronted Raiden, who had been corrupted by his suicide. Liu Kang reluctantly defeated his mentor in an epic clash. With consent of the Elder Gods, he replaced Raiden as Protector of Earthrealm."


 * (This is either an oversight by the game's programmers or a subtle hint at the ending's canonicty; Liu Kang cannot relieve Raiden as Protector of Earthrealm as Fujin is the one who holds that position, and has been since the final moments of the Mortal Kombat 4/Gold storyline. In any instance, Liu Kang is still the reigning, undisputed Champion of Mortal Kombat.)


 * MK vs. D.C. (Non-canonical): "Through intense study, Raiden was able to unlock the secrets of the Rock of Eternity and determine its function. He decided to emulate it and create a Captain Marvel of Earthrealm. Raiden infused Liu Kang with his own power, as well as the abilities of his fellow gods Argus, Fujin and others. In order to transform himself into a being of unstoppable power, Liu Kang need only shout, 'Mortal Kombat!'"

Film
Portrayed by Robin Shou, Liu Kang is the main hero in both Mortal Kombat movies (Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation), and it's there that his love interest with Kitana develops, and was later ported to the games. He does not use the "turkey voice" in the movies as he does in the games.

In the first movie, Liu's brother is named Chan (not Chow as specified in the video game), and he was killed by Shang Tsung. The guilt of his brother's death provides Liu's primary motivation for competing in the Mortal Kombat tournament.

Television
Liu Kang is one of the lead characters in animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm. Even though in other medias he's the main protagonist, the animated series focuses on a group of heroes instead of just one, leaving him to reprise important roles on few episodes. In Episode 4 Skin Deep, he shows jealousy towards Rain, Kitana's old fiancee.

Comic books
Liu Kang is the main protagonist of the Malibu Comics series. His story is mostly intact (he being an Order of Light monk out to restore the tournament to their righteous owners), though in the comics he's not the chosen one to defeat Goro, the role instead falls on a character created exclusively for the comics: the twin monk brothers Sing and Sang, which are capable of fusing their bodies and minds into one being, Siang. Liu Kang steps as the only hope for the Temples of Light after Siang is brutally murdered by Goro. Another changed aspect is that he works in Chicago as an architect, having left the Order of Light before the events of the first series.

The following series Battlewave states Liu Kang won the first tournament, which happened after Blood & Thunder ended and is never shown in any comic, after defeating Goro. He returns to his normal life, but suffers from constant attacks by an unknown force of ninjas and later receives help from Johnny Cage's bodyguard Bo when Goro ambushes him in an office building. Eventually he decides to travel to Outworld, realizing that he cannot avoid Mortal Kombat.

Liu Kang is never shown interacting with Kitana, thus their relation is never brought up or developed, instead chosing to pair her with Kung Lao. His friendship with Kung Lao is also greatly overlooked, only becoming friends during the Blood & Thunder series when Kung Lao saved a near-death Liu Kang after Kano backstabbed him.

Appearance
In the first game, Liu Kang had short hair and wears black pants and white boots, in MKII he had a new red headband on his forehead, two red stripes on his pants and two new wristbands, and his boots are black instead of white, in MK3 he had a long hair instead of short, in MK4 he had a red tanktop, in Deception he wears his MK3 outfit, but due to his resurrection, his skin is zombie-grey now and he wears chains around his wrists.

Liu Kang's MK3 outfit is his most used outfit. It is used in the later games such as MK4 (The color of the outfit is blue instead of red in this game), MKD, and MKA, it also serves as Liu Kang's primary costume in Shaolin Monks.

Game information
Liu Kang was the only Mortal Kombat character who had a fatality in which the opponent was not explicitly murdered (save for the Pit Fatality). His finishing move was also the only one in the original MK game that was performed without the background dimming. This was because Liu Kang was depicted as a Shaolin monk, and, in general, Shaolin monks have strict beliefs on committing murder. However, starting with Mortal Kombat II, he was given gory fatalities as he was depicted as a renegade monk who had "strong Shaolin beliefs, but was no longer a part of the Shaolin monks." Liu Kang has also appeared in nearly every Mortal Kombat fighting game, with the notable exception of Deadly Alliance, though he still appears in the game's intro.

A victorious round against Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat II does not lead to Kahn's usual voice declaring that the player's character wins. If Liu Kang is the chosen fighter, he will utter a small war cry upon winning the round.

Liu Kang deals double damage upon Onaga in Mortal Kombat: Deception.

He is the fourth Mortal Kombat character to have a game based around him (Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks). He and Kung Lao are the game's two protagonists.

Even though Liu Kang, canonwise, appears in his dead form both in Deception and Armageddon, his alternate costume in both games depicts his human form; or the form that was achieved when he, in his endings in Deception and Armageddon, fused his soul with his body.

The hooked chains that hang from the arms of Liu Kang's zombie form has garnered much demand by fans to be used as a weapons style in the series, especially after Kang himself uses them as such in Armageddon's intro movie (where he rolls the chains up his wrists to fight Shang Tsung, and later uses their hooked tips to stop Tsung from reaching for the top of the pyramid). So far, however, these demands seem to have fallen on deaf ears at Midway, and the chains remain a non-interactive costume accessory for the character. Also, as these chains seem to have appeared arbitrarily to give Zombie Kang a more 'dark' feel, many fans have also demanded for a canonical explanation for why the character has them. The origins of Liu Kang's shackles were finally revealed in Raiden's bio in the game Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, where he described the shackles as enchanted chains used to control the dead. As such, he placed them on the corpse of Liu Kang, recited an unholy incantation, and revived Liu Kang as his personal enforcer.

Trivia

 * Liu Kang is Mortal Kombat's current and undisputed champion. He is referred to as "The immortal champion of Mortal Kombat" in later games, and his ending in Mortal Kombat: Deception has him again assuming the role upon his restoration to life.


 * Liu Kang was originally going to be called Minamoto Yo Shin Soo. He was a Japanese mythological character, but John Tobias stated that they could not deal with the name.


 * A trading card available during the first game's arcade run states that Liu Kang is a descendant of the Great Kung Lao, as does the first movie. However, it was never officially confirmed canon. Kung Lao's MKII bio also states that Lao is the last descendant. The matter is made even more confusing because of the Dreamcast exclusive release of Mortal Kombat Gold. Although Goro's bio mentions it, it misuses the word "ancestor" in place of "descendant", thus reading as "only to have it won from him Goro by Lao's ancestor, Liu Kang." It is possible that Kang and Lao are cousins.


 * Ho Sung Pak, who played Liu Kang in the first two games, also appeared as Shang Tsung in the first game as well.


 * The wrestler Human Tornado uses a move he calls the Liu Kang Kick in homage to the character.


 * Liu Kang was intended to be a “surprise/secret” character during Mortal Kombat: Deception, being one of the most difficult to find/unlock during Konquest because the creators intended to cause a shock to the fans of the series by having their hero resurrected in such a corrupted way. They intended to keep this as a major secret that they never even released an official high resolution render of the character (to avoid any leaks). Until this day, he is the only character from the Deception cast to lack a render of good quality.


 * Liu Kang's endings in Deception and Armageddon shows him restoring back to life. This hints that if he returns to future games. he may be restored back to life. Additionally, Raiden can be seen doing this act in his Deception ending.


 * Liu Kang's ending in Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe show him becoming a Mortal Kombat version of Captain Marvel, also in The Flash's ending, due to Kang's actions earlier in the game, he keeps a psychic connection with The Flash and promises to tell one another if their universes ever coincide again.


 * Liu Kang is unique in that he has his own voice files in each game has appeared in, which consist of 'kiai', a shouting technique that serves to maximize the force of the user's attacks.