Erron Black

"To hell with the future, I live in the moment."

- To Kotal Kahn

Erron Black is a character introduced in the Mortal Kombat X comic series.

Erron Black made his game debut as a playable character in Mortal Kombat X, serving as a mercenary for Kotal Kahn and his Empire.

Appearance
Erron Black is a gunslinger of the Old West and is depicted wearing black clothes under a brown leather vest, gauntlets and boots, with a poncho around his shoulders and a mask covering the lower half of his face. His Stetson hat barely covers his light brown hair, and various bandoliers are wrapped is his waist, upper arms, and his hat. Holsters for his sidearms are strapped to his thighs.

Combat characteristics
As a gunslinger, Erron Black is a master of firearms and one of Kotal Kahn's most potent warriors as declared by the emperor himself. An expert marksman, Black is a crack shot with both of his pistols and rifle, as well as a competent hand-to-hand fighter. His marksmanship is so superb, he can ricochet bullets off of coins and other surfaces and effortlessly shoot airborne targets without looking. He also uses bombs filled with sand and sticks of dynamite for added offensive means. He even uses caltrops to control his opponent's movements. Black is also competent in swordfighting, using a severed Tarkatan arm blade strapped into a handle (that also has the skeletal hand of the likely former owner of said arm blade) that he uses to brutally stab and slash at his opponents.

He also apparently is a master in various other unusual tactics and improvised combat. One of these are caltrops in which he uses sometimes to damage the opponent over time and leave a sprinting opponent dead in their tracks. Black utilizes sand as well, throwing it up to the opponent's face, stunning them for a free hit. His creativity allows him to craft weapons from his surroundings, such as bear traps made out of the jaws of a Nether Beast and a jar of corrosive acid from the spit of a Saurian.

Signature Moves

 * Sand Grenade: Erron Black rolls a sand grenade on the ground which explodes under his opponent, knocking them off their feet. The grenade travels indefinitely until it either makes contact with the opponent or strikes the outside of the arena. (MKX)
 * The enhanced version is called Sand Shot, which activates faster and has Black recover from the attack mush faster. Additionally, the grenade no longer explodes when making contact with the opponent, rather dealing minor damage. However, Black shoots the grenade to deal additional damage and launch the opponent in the air for extended combos. The grenade can be shot at either close or far, called Close/Far Sand Shot, respectively. In addition, there is a chance that the Far Sand Shot can miss the opponent when Black shoots the grenade. Black is also much more safe when the enhanced version are blocked by the opponent.
 * Caltrops: Black throws out several caltrops that damage his enemy as they step on them. They also stop the opponent from sprinting. The caltrops can be thrown at different distances, called Close/Far Caltrops, respectively. (MKX)
 * The enhanced version is called Double Trops and has Black throw out twice as many, also doubling the damage and their area of effect. The enhanced version can be thrown at the same distances as the original and retains the same effects, with the exception of dealing double the damage.
 * Sand Slide: Black dives feet first under his opponent, tripping them up into the air in the opposite direction. In MK11, Erron slides at the opponent with only one leg extended, similar to Sub-Zero, rather than both feet first like in MKX. (MKX, MK11)
 * The enhanced version is called Slide Shots and has armor. Black shoots his opponent twice once they're knocked into the air.
 * In MK11, amplifying the attack has Black toss a vile of Saurian acid where the opponent lands.
 * Sand Gust: Black pulls out a sand grenade and smashes it between his hands, releasing the sand explosion, knocking the opponent into the air either away from Black, or to extend his combos. (MKX)
 * The enhanced version is called Dust Storm and does more damage with increased range and the same effect.
 * Sand Trap: Black tackles his opponent to the ground and fires off several shots from his revolvers into their face. (MKX)
 * The enhanced version is called Quick Sand, which has armor, but deals no extra damage. When enhanced, the attack will connect on standing opponents during a combo.
 * It can also be enhanced after the opponent has been tackled, which adds one more shot at the opponent once Black stands back up for extra damage.
 * The attack can be enhanced if either version of the attack connects.
 * Money Shot: Black flips a coin into the air and fires a shot at it, ricocheting the bullet off it and at his opponent. The attack can be performed at different distances, called Close/Far Money Shot, respectively. (MKX - Gunslinger Variation)
 * The enhanced version is called Barrage and has Black fire off three shots. When enhanced, the attack no longer has a range.
 * Stand Off: Black stands his ground and can follow up with various attacks with his revolvers. (MKX - Gunslinger Variation)
 * The moves Black may perform after Stand Off are:
 * Holster: Black keeps his revolvers holstered and returns to his normal fighting stance.
 * Spin Shot: Black draws and fires both revolvers straight ahead with a dash spin backwards.
 * Quick Shot: Black draws both revolvers and fires them upwards to strike airborne opponents or launch them in the air for a juggle. Can also be used to continue combos in certain instances.
 * Low Shot: Black draws one revolver and fires multiple times at his opponent's feet, then ends the bullet chain with a final shot to their abdomen. When blocked, this attack creates massive chip damage.
 * Sand Toss: Black flings sand up in a rising arc doing little damage to his opponent, but also briefly stunning them for a free hit. This replaces Sand Gust in the Outlaw variation. (MKX - Outlaw Variation)
 * The enhanced version is called Sand Throw and has Black throw a larger amount of sand for more damage and recover from the attack much faster.
 * Tarkatan Stab: Black unsheathes his Tarkatan blade and impales his opponent through their abdomen, lifting them into the air before they fall to their knees, where he follows up with several stabs before breaking the blade off in their chest. The opponent will be left bleeding after the blade is broken off, causing extra damage over time, but Black cannot use the move again during this time. Moves and combos including the sword can be used but with less range, however some combos will be disabled. (MKX - Outlaw Variation)
 * The enhanced version is called Tarkatan Infection, which has armor and it leaves the opponent bleeding for a longer period, however this also extends the time the sword will be unavailable for in addition to some combos.
 * Long Shot: Black drops to his knees, draws his rifle and gets off a shot at his opponent's legs. It can also delayed or run-cancelled. (MKX - Marksman Variation)
 * The enhanced version is called Sniper Shot and does more damage.
 * Swing Shot: Black draws his rifle out by the barrel and smacks his opponent with it across their face, launching them in the air for a juggle. When blocked, this attack creates massive knockback. (MKX - Marksman Variation)
 * This move can be enhanced after the opponent gets hit, which has Black firing a shot at them when they are airborne, for extra damage and keeps them in the air longer. The attack can only be enhanced if it successfully hits the opponent.
 * Unload: Black draws his rifle and unloads several shots while walking backwards. (MKX - Marksman Variation)
 * The enhanced version is called Barrage and has Black fire three shots that track the opponent, bursting them into the air for extended combos.
 * Nether Beast Trap: Black places a bear trap fashioned from the jaws of a Netherrealm demon on the ground. If the opponent steps onto it, they will become trapped and open for a free hit. (MK11)
 * Amplifying the attack has Black kick the trap towards the opponent immediately after placing it on the ground. The amplified version has the same stunning effect as the original.
 * Scud Shot: Black enters a quickdraw stance, getting ready to draw his pistols, where he parries incoming projectiles that comes near him by shooting it with his pistol. (MK11)
 * Amplifying the attack has Black quickly draw his pistol and shoot the opponent, dealing damage.
 * Saurian Acid: Black tosses a vile of Saurian acid on the ground. If the opponent steps into the acid, they will take damage-over-time, similar to his Caltrops from MKX. (MK11)
 * Rifle Stance: Black draws his rifle and approaches the opponent. Based on different buttons, Black is able to either put his rifle away, shoot the opponent's upper body, shoot the opponent's legs, or bludgeon the opponent with his rifle if they are close. Black is given eight shots in total, but must reload if all bullets are spent. Black can choose how many bullets he wants to reload. Additionally, successfully shooting the opponent knocks them away. (MK11)
 * X-Ray Move - Trick Shot: Black throws a sand grenade at his opponent's feet, stunning them, then loads a bullet with the opponent's name on it into his revolver, fires it, hitting his opponent's hip and shattering it. The bullet ricochets up to his opponent's shoulder blade, and ricochets one last time to exit out their shoulder and hit their jaw. (MKX)
 * Fatal Blow - Ghost Koins: Black fires a barrage of bullets from his pistols at the opponent's chest and tosses two coins into the air. He grabs one of his pistols and begins to shoot the opponent from the waist up with the final bullet piercing through his opponent's neck. Black then proceeds to throw the pistol straight at the opponent with the handle smacking the opponent in the nose. The pistol bounces back to Black, he catches it and draws his second pistol and fires both at the coins, still in the air, where the shots ricochet off and pierce through the opponent's eyes, out the back of their head. As the opponent is knocked down, Black catches the falling coins. (MK11)

Other Moves

 * Throw: Black pistol whips his opponent with his revolvers, then shoots their kneecap and fires a shot in their face. (MKX)
 * Throw (Forward): Black stomps on the opponent's foot. As they clutch it in pain, he lights a stick of dynamite and tosses it to them, where they juggle the explosive in a state of panic and it explodes, sending them flying. Black's hat flies off due to the explosion, but he catches it before it gets away. (MK11)
 * Throw (Backward): Black strikes the opponent with his rifle, knocking them to the ground. He proceeds to walk over to the grounded opponent and stomp on their head while they are still down three more times before walking away. (MK11)

Fatalities

 * Sand Storm: Erron Black fires a single round into his opponent's abdomen, then throws a sand grenade into the hole, shooting it as well. The sand grenade explodes, releasing streams of sand that pour out of his opponent's mouth, eyes and ears as the sand rises up their waist, leaving them twitching. (MKX)
 * Six-Shooter: Black draws his revolvers and shoots the opponent twice in the chest and once in the shoulder, leaving holes. He then shoots the opponent cheek, leaving a huge hole. Finally he shoots the opponent three times in the stomach. The opponent proceeds to falls on their knee, immediately collapsing afterwards. (MKX)
 * Melted: Black tosses a vial of Saurian acid near the opponent. Black proceeds to shoot the opponent in the kneecaps, forcing them to fall to their knees. He slowly walks to the now kneeling opponent and forces their face into the Saurian acid by pressing their face down with his boot. As half of their face melts, Black delivers a final stomp, causing their head to explode in the acid. (MK11)
 * Death Trap: Black throws a nether beast trap at his opponent's torso, which clamps down and when yanked away, exposes much of their innards. Black then walks up and shoves his rifle vertically into the wound and blows the top of their head off from the inside, which also causes their eyeballs to fly out. (MK11)

Brutalities

 * Tunnel Vision: Black performs his Throw, only this time, he shoots the opponent's leg off and fires a shot into their head, killing them. A crow flies onto the body and pecks the corpse before flying away. (MKX)
 * A button must be held.
 * Serenity: Black performs either a Sand Trap or Quick Sand, only this time extended to the point the opponent's head is reduced to a bloody skull. (MKX)
 * A button must be pressed repeatedly.
 * Quick Draw: Black enters his Stand Off stance and performs a Spin Shot, firing two shots into the opponent's head and chest simultaneously. The opponent then falls down with their head gone and a gaping hole in their chest. (MKX - Gunslinger Variation)
 * Requires a number of back dashes during the match.
 * Sword In The Stone: Black performs a Tarkatan Infection, proceeding to stab them with the Tarkatan blade. After that, he plunges it into the opponent's head, leaving it gushing blood. (MKX - Outlaw Variation)
 * A series of buttons must be pressed during the stabs.
 * Swing Low: Black performs a Swing Shot that launches the opponent's head off their body. He then proceeds to aim at it and blow it up with a shot from his rifle. (MKX - Marksman Variation)
 * Brutality #6: Black performs his X-Ray, with the bullet blowing the opponent's head off in the end. (MKX - Secret)
 * Black must successfully land a number of bullets during the match.
 * The final hit must be from the X-Ray itself. Unlike the other X-Ray brutalities that remove the rest of the opponent's health, this will not occur. The opponent's health must reach 0 when the bullet hits the skull.
 * Brutality #7: Black performs his Tunnel Vision Brutality, only this time, he shoots the crow off the opponent's corpse. (MKX - Secret)
 * Has the same requirements as Tunnel Vision.
 * Requires certain buttons to be held.


 * The Klassic: Black uppercuts the opponent's head off with their spine attached. It is available to all other characters. (MK11)
 * Is Something Burning?:
 * Goodbye Cruel World:
 * Beast Trap:
 * Ewwww:
 * Dancing Days Are Done:
 * Hard To Swallow:
 * Kiss My Spur:

Mortal Kombat X

 * "I'm from Earthrealm, like you. But my employer, Kotal Kahn, is from Outworld. So now I'm from Outworld. State your business." (After Takeda reveals his origins)
 * "A point you might make with more subtlety, given your surroundings..." 
 * "You won't touch him again." (To Rain regarding Kotal Kahn)
 * "Now state your business. Including a reason why we shouldn't kill you." (To Cassie Cage)
 * "Think you can handle me alone? You're either brave, or foolish."

Mortal Kombat 11

 * "To hell with the future, I live in the moment." (To Kotal Kahn)
 * "That's a tall order."
 * "There's still the matter of our fee."
 * "I was saying goodbye."
 * "When I pick sides, I pick a winner. Every time." (To Johnny Cage)
 * "Now ain't this a thrill. Bagging the legendary Sonya Blade."

Trivia

 * Erron Black's ending reveals Shang Tsung hired him almost 150 years ago, which heavily implies he was indeed an actual gunslinger from the American Old West.
 * Black is currently the only enforcer of Kotal's who doesn't originate from Outworld or a realm conquered by it; rather, he's a human from Earthrealm.
 * This is a similar trait shared with Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung, however Black is a mercenary, not a sorcerer.
 * Additionally, Black has a strong connection with Shang Tsung.
 * Erron Black is one of the few characters to have a brutality that derives from his X-Ray, and not only from special moves, combos and throws.
 * Several links between Erron Black, Kano, and the Black Dragon are made with interactions between the two characters:
 * It is implied by Kano in the Mortal Kombat X Comic, that Erron Black attempted to join the Black Dragon, but was declined.
 * During many character interactions between Black and Kano, Kano questions if Black is interested in joining the Black Dragon.
 * In a character interaction, it is implied that Black detests the Black Dragon, sometimes stating, "I can barely stand one of you".
 * According to a character interaction between Black and Kano, the gunslinger states he killed Black Dragon member Kobra at some point before the events of Mortal Kombat X.
 * In Mortal Kombat 11, it is confirmed through intro dialogues with Kano that Erron did at one point work for the Black Dragon, leaving out of boredom.
 * The Story Mode and official website biography for Erron Black retcon his entire relationship with the Black Dragon, with his past self having worked for the Black Dragon during the Outworld tournament, Erron's bio stating he stayed in Outworld afterwards. Previously, Erron Black's only official status with the Black Dragon was as liaison for Kotal Kahn and Kano's arm trades.
 * During Erron Black's X-Ray attack, he will shoot a bullet at his opponent that has the opponent's name on it, being unique to every character in the game.
 * If he is engaged in a Mirror Match, the bullet will instead simply have "Me" scratched on it as opposed to his own name.
 * When used against Corrupted Shinnok, the bullet will still have "Shinnok" on it.
 * When used against Predator, the bullet will have "Ugly Mofo" on it, in reference to the infamous line delivered by Arnold Schwarzenegger from the original movie ("One ugly motherfucker.") when the Predator was unmasked.
 * When used against Triborg, the bullet will have "Cyrax", "Sektor", "Smoke", or "Sub-Zero" on it depending on the variation selected.
 * The bullet will also have "Rain", "Sindel", or "Baraka" engraved on it should they be put into a match against Black via modding on PC or as Invasion Bosses.
 * In the mobile version of MK, however, as a space-saving measure, Erron's bullet instead always has a death's head (a skull and crossbones, much like a pirate flag) on it.
 * With his Day of the Dead card, the bullet is white and features a Day of the Dead styled skull.
 * According to MKX storywriter Brian Chard, Erron Black was originally planned to be female, but the idea was ultimately dropped during development in favor of him being male.
 * Pre-match banter with Leatherface has Erron happily greet him as a 'fellow Texan', confirming he is from the American state of Texas.
 * Players can earn the achievement "Fox Finish" by winning a round with the opponent taking the final hit from the Caltrops move. This is in reference to Dominique "SonicFox" McLean, a player who used Erron Black extensively in competitive Mortal Kombat X tournaments.
 * With the exception of the announcer, Erron Black is never referred to specifically by his name by any character in Mortal Kombat X. This includes the Story Mode and interactions in the arcade.
 * As revealed by files ripped directly from the game, as well as confirmation from Brian Chard, Black's original name was going to be Salazar.
 * With the release of Mortal Kombat XL, when facing Bo' Rai Cho or Triborg, Erron Black may be referred to by his full name during their intro dialogues against him.
 * Although not in Mortal Kombat X, Sub-Zero will mention his name in full when clashing with Deadshot in Injustice 2, as stated below.
 * In some of the pre-battle interactions, certain characters like Jax, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Raiden see Erron Black as only an Outworlder, despite Erron Black speaking of his Earthrealm origin.
 * In NetherRealm Studios' DC Comics fighting game Injustice 2, which features Sub-Zero and Raiden as playable guest characters, Sub-Zero will mention Black when clashing with Deadshot. Deadshot will tell Sub-Zero that he "has a bullet with your name on it", to which Sub-Zero responds with "You are no Erron Black".
 * Erron Black is one of the five characters to have an alternate version of a Brutality. The other four are the Predator, Tremor, Jax, and Reptile.
 * Erron Black is one of the few characters whose fighting style is altered by the addition or removal of a weapon.
 * Erron Black is one of the few characters that has more than one damage-over-time effect, which is available through his Outlaw variation.
 * However, instead of applying the effect like his Tarkatan Stab ability, he has a trap ability that deals damage-over-time so long as the opponent stands over it.
 * His Bounty Hunter Diamond card is the only card in the mobile game that can join any class.
 * Currently, he is the only character with the Nomad class.
 * His Bounty Hunter Card in the mobile game is one of two character cards that have more than three classes at once. The first was Klassic Raiden.
 * Klassic Raiden is four classes in one; Elder God, Spec Ops, Martial Artist, and Outworld. Bounty Hunter Erron Black is six classes in total.
 * Erron Black is one of the few humans in the series to reside in Outworld. Another main character that has this trait is Shang Tsung who also has a strong connection to Black.
 * Bo' Rai Cho will comment on this trait when interacting with Erron, as he is an Outworlder residing in Earthrealm.
 * Erron Black is one of the few characters with multiple projectile attacks.
 * Erron Black is one of the few characters with a ranged X-Ray attack.
 * Erron Black's poncho is a reference to the iconic one worn by Clint Eastwood's character in Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy.
 * In the pre-battle dialogue versus the Alien, Erron mentions that he hasn't "seen one of [their] kind in a while", meaning he has had encounters with Xenomorphs before. He likely encountered them when they had first come to Outworld to lay their eggs a long time ago as mentioned in the Alien's biography.
 * Erron Black is never unmasked and cannot be unmasked in MKX without the use of hacking. With the release of MK11, Erron can been seen without his mask or bandanna on.
 * In MK11, one of Erron Black's intros shows him carrying a bag full of blood and after throws it on the ground it reveals Hsu Hao's severed head.
 * When fighting Kollector, it's mentioned in one of their intros that Erron killed Kollector's brother.
 * When fighting Cassie Cage and Cetrion, it is stated that Erron Black hated his parents and that he shot his own father at one point.
 * When fighting Shao Kahn, it’s mentioned in one of their intros that Erron had worked for Shao Kahn before Kotal Kahn, and that Erron was meant to serve Mileena in the possibility of the Kahn’s death.
 * When fighting Skarlet, it’s revealed that Erron and Skarlet have had an interesting relationship together at some point.
 * His dialogue also reveals at some point that Erron once stepped out with Nitara before Skarlet.
 * His ending in MK11 makes Erron Black the only one who does not use the Hourglass for Good or Evil, dumping it in the Sea Of Blood.
 * Erron Black appears to be some sort of self-proclaimed ladies man, as he frequently hits on Sonya Blade, Cassie Cage and Jacqui Briggs in interactions.
 * Despite few characters who also uses guns like him, Erron Black is the only one who gets the most insults about using guns.
 * In Arcade Ladder Mode of MK11, one of Erron Black's intros has him carrying wanted posters of every Kombatant (himself included) and displays his opponents' poster before each fight. Johnny Cage's bounty is $500, Kano, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Scorpion, Sonya, Liu Kang, Kotal Kahn, Geras, and Shao Kahn have $5 million bounties, Cetrion has a $999,999,999 bounty, and everyone else has a $100,000 bounty.
 * Erron Black is the only non-klassic trilogy era-based fighter who has both of his past and present selves appeared in MK11 storyline.

Errors

 * During the start of Kotal Kahn's chapter in the Story Mode, when Erron Black is walking next to Ermac, one can see his hands clip into his holsters as he walks with Ermac.
 * Some of Erron's pistol attacks will strike the opponent instantly, while some from his Stand Off stance take a second to actually strike the opponent.
 * Other characters with machine gun projectiles, such as Jax, Jacqui, and Cassie, all have visible bullets that can be seen as the travel when fired, but Erron's do not, creating this unusual illusion of how Erron's bullets travel.
 * If Erron is cut in half vertically on his head, he forms a mini mohawk for an unknown reason. This does not occur with the other characters.
 * Erron's hand will occasionally clip through his pistol holster during a fight.
 * His hands and pistols in their entirety may clip through the torso of his opponent when performing his Serenity Brutality on larger fighters. This is easiest to notice when performed on Torr.
 * Erron Black's Sand Grenade special attack has a rare chance to not deal any damage on a jumping opponent that lands on the grenade, yet the grenade will still explode.
 * If Erron is struck right as he uses his Sand Grenade, there is a chance the grenade will not strike the opponent and simply continue to roll forward before vanishing out of thin air.
 * There is a chance that Erron Black's Caltrops will leave the opponent with 1% health remaining, but he will still win the round against the opponent. This can also happen with his Tarkatan Stab ability and the enhanced version.
 * Additionally with the above Error, if Erron Black wins the match with a Tarkatan Stab or Tarkatan Injection, there is a chance that the opponent will survive with 1% health yet the announcer will still say "Finish Him/Her". The opponent will fall to the ground and not get up during this and Erron will be unable to perform a fatality or attack. This error is shared with other characters with damage-over-time effects, but most notably with D'Vorah.
 * In the mobile game, if his Bounty Hunter card performs the Good Day Victory Stance, Erron still grab his hat despite him not wearing one with that card.

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