Kotal Kahn

"You have won nothing. Merely... a few more seconds of breath."

- Kotal Kahn to Kung Jin

Kotal Kahn is the current Emperor of Outworld in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series, who made his debut in Mortal Kombat X.

About Kotal Kahn
Kotal Kahn is a warrior from the realm of Osh-Tekk, which was once ruled by Kotal K'etz, his father, but was later merged with Outworld. As an Osh-Tekk, he is the last of his kind, however, he was considered a god among the Mayans, who named him "Buluc", their god of war - the full name given being Buluc Chabtan. He became the ruler of Outworld, ever since he usurped Mileena after first serving beneath her. Unlike previous Outworld emperors, Kotal Kahn is uninterested in conquering other realms, preferring instead to focus on internal affairs. For this reason, he is strongly opposed to liberating realms that are already under Outworld's domain, believing that a united Outworld would prove stronger against its enemies.

Appearance
Kotal Kahn's appearance resembles an Aztec eagle warrior, the elite soldiers from the Aztec empire. Kotal's headdress resembles the headwear used by Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec God of War and the Sun. His attire consists of gold, metal armlets on both of his arms, along with a belt that holds his Tecpatl with a leather cloth hanging from the belt. There also seem to be remnants of bones disseminated on the cloth. Kotal Kahn's torso has several tattoos which glow in varying colors depending on his combat variation.

Powers and abilities
As an Osh-Tekk, Kotal Kahn is incredibly powerful, possessing super-human strength allowing him to smash a grown man's head into bits of bone and gore with ease while also allowing him to wield his massive Macuahuitl with a single hand. As an Osh-Tekk, he can draw power from sunlight to strengthen himself and heal his wounds, while also being able to use it to directly harm enemies in beams of solar fire or even imbue his weapons with for more damage.

With Outworld's Kamidogu, he can invoke Blood Magik to further strengthen himself and his natural abilities over sunlight. While in his Blood God state, he was able to call down an intense beam of solar flames through storm clouds summoned by the Edenian demigod, Rain, and physically overpower and cut off Goro's arms. His power has been compared to that of a god by humans from Earthrealm.

Like all Osh-Tekk he is physically weakened when deprived of sunlight, and unable to call on its power. Kotal Kahn is also capable of teleporting in a burst of smoke and flames, though this is not a gameplay element.

Signature Moves

 * Blood Offering: Kotal Kahn draws his knife and carves a wound across his chest, gaining a damage buff for the next three attacks used in exchange for a portion of health. (MKX)
 * Sunstone: Kotal Kahn summons a discus with a skull engraved on it covered in burning sunlight before throwing it at his opponent. (MKX)
 * The enhanced version is called Burning Sunstone and has Kotal Kahn throw a larger flame covered disc at a faster speed.
 * God Ray: Kotal Kahn extends his arm into the air and calls down a shaft of sunlight into the arena at a close, medium or far range. If his opponent is caught under it, they suffer damage, and if Kotal Kahn stands under it, he regains health. (MKX)
 * The enhanced version is called Sunlight and has a slight increase of damage and recovers more health for Kotal.
 * Air Takedown: Kotal Kahn snatches his jumping opponent and slams them onto the ground. (MKX)
 * The enhanced version is called Anti-Air Throw and has the opponent bounce after Kotal Kahn throws them.
 * Mace Parry: Kotal Kahn draws his sickles before himself and parries any attack that connects with them. Successfully parrying an attack increases Kotal Kahn's overall damage for a short time. (MKX)
 * The enhanced version is called Master Mace Parry and does additional damage.
 * Crystal Totem: Kotal Kahn summons a crystal totem that gives him a temporary damage buff for as long as it remains on the field. (MKX - Blood God Variation)
 * Obsidian Totem: Kotal Kahn summons an obsidian totem that causes him to take less damage as long as it remains on the field. (MKX - Blood God Variation)
 * Blood Totem: Kotal Kahn summons a small totem with a blood red aura that depletes the opponent's super meter with each connected attack that restores Kotal Kahn's health and fills his own super meter after the totem times out. (MKX - Blood God Variation)
 * Saw Blade: Kotal Kahn slams his sword down on the opponent's shoulder and drags the blade back. (MKX - War God Variation)
 * The enhanced version is called Buzz Saw and does additional damage as well as having Kotal Kahn follow up with a rising uppercut with his sword.
 * Overhead Sword Strike: Kotal Kahn swings his sword down, causing a small tremor when it connects with the ground. (MKX - War God Variation)
 * The enhanced version is called Overhead Sword Smash and while doing additional damage, has Kotal Kahn follow up with a rising slash.
 * Sword Sweep: Kotal Kahn draws his sword and swipes it at a low angle at his opponent's feet, tripping them. (MKX - War God Variation)
 * The enhanced version is called Sword Takedown and does additional damage.
 * Sword Toss: Kotal Kahn draws his sword and swings it horizontally at his opponent. This replaces Sunstone for this variation. (MKX - War God Variation)
 * The enhanced version is called Spinning Sword Toss and has Kotal Kahn toss the blade spinning at a vertical angle for additional hits and damage.
 * Sword Shake: Kotal Kahn draws his sword with a spinning flourish before slamming the tip into the ground and causing a shockwave of unblockable damage. (MKX - War God Variation)
 * The enhanced version is called Sword Quake and does additional damage with a larger shockwave.
 * Sun God Choke: Kotal Kahn grabs his opponent by their face, forcing them to their knees as he pulses yellow energy into them before slamming them over his shoulder onto the ground. This gives his tattoos an additional glow and, upon reaching the maximum buff of three, Kotal Kahn automatically follows up with the enhanced version Moon God Choke without the need of enhancing, where he follows up with an additional smash before lifting his opponent over himself and calling down a multi-hitting beam of burning sunlight. (MKX - Sun God Variation)
 * Soul Scorch: Kotal Kahn regenerates some Super Meter using the power of the sun based on the level of Sun God Choke, purging the current level of the Choke in the process. Kotal Kahn must regain the levels of Sun God once this is used. (MKX)
 * The enhanced version, Soul Burn, regenerates lost health for Kotal Kahn instead of meter.
 * X-Ray Move - Sunburn: Kotal calls down a beam of sunlight to strike his opponent and leave them stunned before charging them with his burning knife, stabbing them through the throat and bringing them to their knees. He then twists the knife by both ends to snap their neck, and delivers the coup de grace with a knee to their nose, breaking their skull. (MKX)

Other Moves

 * Throw: Kotal Kahn grabs his opponent by the chest and lifts them up while pulsing yellow energy into them before tossing them aside. (MKX)

Fatalities

 * Be Mine!: Drawing his knife, Kotal Kahn carves open his opponent's chest before jamming his hand through their rib cage, rips out his enemy's heart and holds it high over his head as they collapse, and crushes it, pouring the blood all over his face and into his mouth while yelling. (MKX)
 * Tight Squeeze: Kotal Kahn bear hugs the opponent and starts violently squeezing his/her body, until his/her head pops out along with his/her internal organs, letting the corpse collapse afterwards. (MKX)

Other Finishers

 * Brutality #1 - Kotally Awesome: Kotal calls down his sunbeam, frying the opponent and burning their head off. (MKX)
 * Brutality #2 - Stick Around: Kotal throws a sunstone at the opponent; it lodges in their chest, and they collapse. War God Kotal performs a Sword Toss, and the macuahuitl impales the opponent through the chest. (MKX)
 * Brutality #3 - Offering: Kotal carves his own chest open as an offering and falls dead. (MKX)
 * Brutality #4 - Totem This: Kotal delivers a deadly uppercut at his opponent, obliterating their torso while the head falls shorty after. (MKX - Blood God Variation)
 * Brutality #5 - Sawed Off: Kotal jams his macuahuitl into his opponent's shoulder and brutally saws through the opponent's chest diagonally, slicing part of it off. (MKX - War God Variation)
 * Brutality #6 - Dry Rub: Kotal performs all three parts of his Sun God Choke; the sunbeam fries the opponent and splits them in half. (MKX - Sun God Variation)

Mortal Kombat X

 * "A mere cub... Grown to be a jaguar." (After surviving Mileena's amulet attack)
 * "She tasks me for the last time." (Upon discovering Mileena on top of a building)
 * "Another Edenian. The supposed half-god." (To Rain)
 * "You wound me, Kano. Your offer of aid was but wind and air?" (To Kano, after his betrayal is revealed)
 * "Take her away." (Tasked them to take Mileena to her prison cell)
 * "The rebellion is over." (After D'Vorah killed Mileena)
 * "Shinnok is now its master." (About Earthrealm)
 * "You're not worth the dirt on my shoe." (to Kano)
 * "I will never forget those who freed Mileena!" (To Tanya)
 * "A united Outworld stands strong against its enemies." (To Tanya)
 * "You are a fool to trust Mileena." (After defeating Tanya)
 * "You will atone for your dissent, Mileena. Your blood will make right." (To Mileena)

Trivia

 * According to his in-game bio, the Mayans named Kotal Kahn "Buluc," or "Buluc Chabtan," the Mayan God of War. This name is mentioned by Rain in the Story Mode and by Raiden and Kotal Kahn during interactions.
 * Kotal Kahn is one of two characters to have a Brutality in which the initiate dies as a result of the Brutality. The other is the Predator, though Kotal Kahn's is more akin to a Hara-Kiri, and is the only Brutality in where the opponent wins the match.
 * Kotal Kahn's Blood Offering, Skarlet's Blood Ball, Kano's Power Up, Alien's Acid Blood, and Ferra/Torr's Pain and Gain are the only special moves in the Mortal Kombat series that drain health from the user when performed.
 * He is mentioned in Sub-Zero's ending the DC Comics fighting game Injustice 2 where Sub-Zero is featured as a guest character alongside Raiden. It is revealed that Sub-Zero arrived in that universe after driving Kotal Kahn and his forces back to Outworld during the ending of Mortal Kombat X.
 * Kotal Kahn is the only character in MKX with multiple damage bonuses.
 * His Blood Offering, Crystal Totem, and Mace Parry all increase his damage and can be active all at once.
 * These bonuses can also stack for very high increased damage.
 * Kotal Kahn and Ferra/Torr are the only characters with damage buffs that stack it increase the damage further than before.
 * Jason Voorhees is given two separate ones, one in his Relentless variation, Damned, which is a passive ability and increases his damage as his health gets lower, and one in his Unstoppable variation, Punishment, which acts as a regular special move.
 * Kotal Kahn is one of the few characters to fight with bare feet. Others include Goro, Kintaro, Sheeva, Kobra, Moloch, Drahmin, Reptile, Meat, and Blaze.
 * Kotal Kahn is able to teleport, though this is only done in the Story Mode when confronting Mileena and Rain and during interactions before a fight.
 * He is also shown to have a form of telekinesis, being able to bind Cassie and her team after they retrieve Shinnok's Amulet.
 * Additionally, his sickles are used as lethal weapons in the Story Mode, using them to dismember Tarkatans ordered to attack him. However, during gameplay, they are used only to parry attacks.
 * His Blood God variation is never used in the Story Mode. He uses his Sun God variation during his chapter and when fighting against him as Kung Jin and his War God variation when fighting him as Jacqui Briggs.
 * Kotal Kahn is one of two characters with an anti-air grab ability. The second is Jason Voorhees.
 * Unlike Jason, Kotal Kahn can enhance his anti-air grab for extended combs.
 * Kotal Kahn is one of the few characters whose fighting style is altered by the addition of removal of a weapon.
 * Kotal Kahn is one of the few characters with a projectile that hits ducking opponents without being enhanced.
 * Kotal Kahn is the only character in MKX with three universal brutalities in his Brutality List, whereas everyone else has two. Other characters my have more, but these brutalities are secret ones.

Errors

 * The feathers on Kotal Kahn's will clip into his arms and Maces during interactions and fatalities.
 * Kotal Kahn's Sword in his War God variation will clip through both his helmet and waist.
 * The Sword from his War God variation completely vanishes during his Be Mine! fatality, but is present during his Tight Squeeze fatality.