Kabal



"Let's see what you're made of."

- Mortal Kombat (2011) Battle Cry

Kabal is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He made his debut in Mortal Kombat 3.

About Kabal
Kabal was first introduced in Mortal Kombat 3, sporting long, black hair, hookswords, and a respirator. He was a mysterious chosen warrior who survived an attack from one of Shao Kahn's extermination squads. Unknown to his allies, however, he was actually a member of the Black Dragon. At the time of his introduction, he appeared as a force for good, but has since reverted to his evil ways, planning to place himself as the head of the new Black Dragon clan.

Storyline
For many years, Kabal was a loyal member of the Black Dragon clan, until Shao Kahn broke the sacred rules of Mortal Kombat to instigate an invasion and took Earthrealm by storm, When Kahn began stealing souls, Kabal was spared from this gruesome fate because he was one of Earthrealm's chosen warriors, destined to fight against Shao Kahn. Seeing all chosen warriors as a threat to his dominance, he ordered his extermination squads to annihilate him. Kabal managed to escape, but his face was left forever scarred, irreparably mutilated, and forced to rely on a respirator due to his windpipe being slit. The events of Shao Kahn's invasion had profoundly changed Kabal; he left behind his life of crime with the Black Dragon and vowed to become a force for good; at least for a time.

Between the events of Mortal Kombat Trilogy and Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Kabal was wounded severely in battle by Mavado, a leading member of the Red Dragon hoping to wipe out the Black Dragon. Mavado then took Kabal's trademark hookswords as a trophy.

Havik visited Kabal at the brink of death and restored him, and then instructed him to bring back the Black Dragon as a force of anarchy and decay. In spite of his previous experiences fighting alongside his Earthrealm comrades against Shao Kahn's hordes and his vow to help put an end to crime and injustice, he followed Havik's instructions seemingly without hesitation. It is believed he trained with Havik for some years, before going back to Earthrealm and killing Mavado, taking back his hookswords. He then also recruited Kira and Kobra. The three of them joined Havik on Outworld for the events of Mortal Kombat: Deception.

While his reason for recruiting Kira and Kobra as the newest members of the Black Dragon was basically to fill the void left behind by his apparently deceased comrades, Kabal had ulterior motives. Seeing as how the complacency of the former members led to the demise of his clan, Kabal wanted to ensure that his newest recruits were truly worthy of the Black Dragon. He tested their prowess in battle against the enemies of the Dragon King.

In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon's Konquest mode, Kabal confronts the protagonist Taven after Taven had defeated Kobra and several other Black Dragon thugs. Kabal offers him a chance to join the clan, but Taven refuses. They fight, and Taven manages to defeat Kabal, although he doesn't actually kill him.

In Kabal's Armageddon ending, he is able to vanquish Blaze, causing his hookswords to become enchanted with power. He challenges his nemesis Mavado to Mortal Kombat. Kabal overpowers and defeats him easily. Mavado commits hara-kiri and Kabal holds his severed head high atop the pyramid to show the Black Dragon's superiority.

Biographies

 * Kabal_alt.jpgMortal Kombat 3: "As a chosen warrior, his identity is a mystery to all. It is believed he is a survivor of a attack by Shao Kahn's extermination squads. As a result, he is viciously scarred, kept alive by artificial respirators and a rage for ending Shao Kahn's conquest."
 * Deception: "I had left the Black Dragon and all that it stood for... but to some I would forever remain associated with that despicable organization. Eventually, the Red Dragon clan found me, and I was defeated by Mavado. He left me for dead and took my hookswords as his trophies. As the life trickled from my body, a stranger rescued me: a cleric of Chaos who called himself Havik. He convinced me to return my clan to its former glory. Never again will I deny my devotion to the Black Dragon. Inspired by Havik, I set out to find and kill Mavado of the Red Dragon. His organization is secretive, but not invisible. It feels good to have hookswords in my hands once again. I have since recruited young, skillful warriors to fill the ranks of the new Black Dragon clan. I will now lead my fellow Dragons to Outworld, where Havik has a task for us. It will be an excellent opportunity to test the abilities of my young comrades -- and weed out the weak ones."
 * thumb|250px|right|Kabal's Bio KardBio Kard: "After being ambushed by the Red Dragon member Mavado, Kabal has been brought back from the brink of certain death by an unknown stranger. He will travel to Outworld to shape a new destiny for himself."

Powers and abilities
Being a Black Dragon warrior, Kabal is a ruthless but level-headed kombatant. His weapon of choice are a pair of hookswords which he can use to eviscerate his enemies with ease. After being ambushed by Shao Kahn's extermination squads, he is forced to wear a respirator system to keep himself alive and wears a mask to hide his hideous deformity, which is apparently so revolting that other kombatants would cower in fear because of it.

Kabal's other defining trait is his superhuman speed. He is able to move at such blinding speeds he appears as a blur, making him the fastest character in the series. His speed has even been compared to the Flash from the DCU.

Signature moves

 * Kabal's_Raging_Flash.pngRaging Flash: Kabal runs forward at a very fast speed past his opponent, spinning them into a dizzy state. (MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK:D, MK:A, MK 2011)
 * Plasma Blast: Kabal fires a projectile from his mask. (MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK:D, MK:A, MK 2011)
 * Sawblades: Kabal summons sawblades from the ground, cutting the opponent. In MK 2011, he can summon two sawblades. (MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK 2011)
 * Nomad's Touch: Kabal thrusts out his hands towards the opponent, and - if they are in range - will be caught in an odd field that draws them in to collide with Kabal, though only the opponent gets hurt when they make contact. (MK:D, MK:A)
 * thumb|250px|rightX-Ray: Hook 'em Up: Kabal first uses his speed to daze his opponent before sliding in to break both of their shins. Afterward, he runs up behind them and slashes the opponent's back which causes their spine and some ribs to break with his hook swords before slamming the opponent to the ground. (MK 2011)

Fatalities

 * Head Inflation: Kabal uses his respirator and inflates the opponent's head like a balloon. The opponent floats on top of the screen. An explosion is heard as their blood, bones and organs rain down. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
 * Freaky Face: Kabal removes his mask and reveals a horribly disfigured face. He screams at the screen as his hair rises before doing this to the opponent, which literally scares the soul out of them. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
 * Hook Up: Kabal kicks his foe into the air and slices them in half with his hooksword. In MK 2011, the fatality has him slicing the opponent vertically, with their head impaled on the hooksword upon impact. (MKD, MK 2011)
 * Tornado Cut: Kabal kicks the opponent to make them start spinning, then pulls out a hooksword and slices the opponent into different pieces. (MKD)
 * It Takes Guts: Kabal stabs his hookswords into his opponent's intestines and rips them out. Then as they fall to the ground, he puts his swords on the ground and they fall into them. (MK 2011)

Other finishers

 * Friendship: True Camper: Kabal roasts a marshmallow on one of his hookswords. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
 * Animality: Rhino Charge: Kabal transforms into a skeletal rhino and rams the opponent. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
 * Hara-Kiri: Hooksword Surgery: Kabal drives a hooksword into his face and collapses on the floor. (MK:D)

Endings

 * Kabalend.gifMortal Kombat 3: (Non-Canonical) "After returning from near death, Kabal swears revenge against his attackers. He fights alongside the other Earth warriors. When he defeats Motaro and the mighty Shao Kahn, he proves that he truly is the chosen one. Before the invasion, Kabal lived a life of crime. He was once a member of the Black Dragon along with Kano. Now Kabal devotes his life to fighting injustice: He will give crime's inner circles a new reason to fear."


 * Kabalend1.jpgKabal_Kills_Havik.jpgDeception: (Non-Canonical) "Havik had given Kabal's new Black Dragon recruits a task: Lure the heroes away from the Dragon King's corpse while he somehow retrieved the heart, and with it, Onaga's power to raise the dead. Apparently Onaga's ancient army had only been invincible by means of constant resurrection during battles. The power to raise the dead would prove quite useful to the Black Dragon clan. Kabal slew Havik and took the Dragon King's heart for himself. Havik was most impressed."


 * Armageddon: (Non-Canonical) "The heat of Blaze wrapped itself around Kabal's hookswords and transformed them into fiery blades of vengeance. Crossing them above his head, Kabal challenged Mavado atop the pyramid, seeking to end their rivalry once and for all. In an epic hooksword battle, Mavado could not withstand the fury of Kabal and his enhanced weapons. Never one to admit defeat, Mavado took his own life by performing hara-kiri. Standing atop the pyramid, Kabal raised Mavado's severed head high so all would know of the Black Dragon clan's superiority."

Film
Kabal is mentioned along with Stryker in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation as warriors having been captured by the Edenian general Rain, but they do not actually appear in the movie.

Television
Kabal made one appearance in the cartoon series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, in which he betrayed Kano and the Black Dragon and befriended Sonya, after she expressed disgust over the prejudice he faced due to his disfigurement. In a flashback, Kabal used to be human before his disfigurement.

Character development
Kabal was originally going to be named Sandman, with wrist-mounted buzzsaw blades instead of hookswords. This was eventually dropped in favor for his current look, though rumors existed that Midway had briefly thought about using the discarded idea for a new character before abandoning those plans as well.

Kabal's hookswords were first designed for an early plan of Baraka during preproduction of Mortal Kombat II. They were also used as generic weapons that were packaged with select characters in a line of MK action figures that briefly hit the market in 1995, which were based on the figures of G.I. Joe.

In the original plans for Mortal Kombat: Special Forces, a pre-scarred version of Kabal was to be introduced as one of the Black Dragon bosses. Screenshots were released and the character model can still be seen in the game, though he has no name or special significance. Of note is that he had a Southern accent and left the player his hookswords for use. This concept was later used in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, where there is an optional mission to rescue Kabal in the wastelands.

Game information
A strange glitch could occur in the Sega Genesis version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 where, if the player entered the combination for Kabal's MK3 Animality after the "Finish Him!" message was displayed, his own head would be knocked off by no visible means.

Trivia
In General:


 * In the series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, Kabal's appears in Episode 11, where he befriends Sonya Blade. Sonya sees Kabal with his mask removed and she is startled.
 * Kabal's severely mangled face can be seen during one of his fatalities in Mortal Kombat 3 and its upgrades. He removes his mask and screams outward towards the player, then he faces the opponent and screams at them. It frightens them so much that their soul runs from their body.
 * One of Shaolin Monks' game over messages is "Kabal says thank you very much." This may be a reference to the mission in which the player could rescue him, or to the fact that his voice seems to have been modeled after Elvis Presley.
 * Kabal is actually Arabic for Fortress.
 * He is the only good character whose allies are mostly evil.

Mortal Kombat 3:
 * Has the same voice actor as Stryker, Scorpion, Raiden and Baraka.
 * Portrayed by Richard Divizio, the same actor who played Kano and Baraka.
 * He was considered too powerful for Mortal Kombat 3 so they had to tone down his power for Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.
 * While all characters have to grant "mercy" before they get to do their Animality, Kabal doesn't have to in Mortal Kombat 3 Sega Genesis port. However, performing the Animality firsthand causes Kabal's head to fall off.

Mortal Kombat: Deception:
 * Kabal is the only character to have a style-branching combo going from the armed weapon style to the first unarmed style.

Mortal Kombat Armageddon:
 * In Konquest mode, Kabal is one of two characters (the others being Tanya) who will attack Shujinko if he is bumped into. Normally, the aggressive characters must be punched by Shujinko before they react by assaulting him back.


 * Even though Kabal has his hookswords back, Mavado still has those hookswords.

Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe:
 * Kano mentions that The Flash is so fast that "he would give Kabal a run for his money", acknowledging his superhuman speed.

Character Relationships

 * Once a member of the Black Dragon clan.
 * Severely scarred by Shao Kahn's extermination squads.
 * Joined the earth warriors to fight Shao Kahn and his minions in MK3.
 * Abandoned the Black Dragon clan.
 * Nearly killed by Mavado.
 * Saved and revived by Havik.
 * Reformed the Black Dragon clan.
 * Killed Mavado.
 * Recruited Kobra and Kira to join the new Black Dragon clan.
 * Defeated by Taven in the Konquest mode of Armageddon.
 * Joined the Forces of Darkness in the final battle in Armageddon.
 * Killed during Armageddon.