Scorpion



Scorpion has one desire: to slay the one who killed his family and clan.

-- Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks Bio

Scorpion 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 holds the unique distinction, with Raiden, Sub-Zero and Noob Saibot, of appearing in every generation of Mortal Kombat games as a playable character.

Scorpions Traits
Scorpion is a Ninja Spectre

Scorpion Formed an alliance with Baraka in Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe

Powers and abilities
Being the vengeful spectre he is, Scorpion is most associated with the element of hellfire, a darker variant of the Earth-related fire element that burns and consumes both the body and soul of its victims. Scorpion only seems to use the element to confirm the death of his opponents. As a specter, Scorpion is immune to death as his soul is still bound by revenge, allowing him to endlessly chase his targets until they have been silenced. He has the ability to teleport, often used in the form of surprise or ambush attacks. In addition, Scorpion no longer has a face. The mask (and the skin behind it) is a disguise that hides his ghastly skull, from which he can spew forth lethal shots of hellfire. The scope of Scorpion's powers differ on how long he remains in his abode, the Netherrealm. This proves to be advantageous to him when he pursued Quan Chi in the depths of hell, whose magic is diminished by the power and nature of the realm. It is unknown how powerful Scorpion would have been had he'd stayed in the Netherrealm without the concern of chasing Sub-Zero, and later, Quan Chi.

Scorpion's most recurring weapon is the Spear, a kunai attached to a sturdy rope, representing Scorpion's "Stinger". At times, the spear would be empowered with hellfire for more power. Various depictions of the spear had been made before Deadly Alliance. In the comics, it was shown as a chain tied to a mace and in the movies, it appeared as a sentient serpentine creature that spawned from within his own hand. In Deception, Scorpion is empowered by the Elder Gods to combat Onaga. Indeed, the power-up proves sufficient as he is able to defeat the Dragon King, who was unfazed against the combined might of Raiden, Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, 3 of the most powerful sorcerers in the series.

Signature moves

 * Bloody Spear: Sending out a rope with a tipped Kunai at the end, it impales itself into the victim's chest, allowing Scorpion to pull him or her through the air towards him for a free hit, as well as cause a small bit of damage. This move often follows the words, "GET OVER HERE!" or "COME HERE!" (In Shaolin Monks, he —albeit rarely— says profane versions of both phrases). This is Scorpion's signature move. In "Shaolin Monks", the move could be upgraded so as to be used a whip-like weapon. It was originally believed that Scorpion's spear was actually a snake-like creature spawned from the palm of his hand when really it was a simple kunai, and it was thrown from his belt as seen in newer games such as Deadly Alliance and Deception (or in the case of MK vs. DCU launced from a small device on the underside of his gauntlet) it is not the snake like picture as depicted elsewhere. (MK, MKII, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:DA, MK:D, MK:U, MK:SM, MK:A, MK vs. DCU).
 * Hellfire Punch: Teleporting behind his opponent he connects with a punch called the Teleport Attack In Deception and Unchained; Scorpion gained this attack as a kick instead of a punch, however he regained this attack as a punch in Armageddon, whilst the kick form of this attack is given to Chameleon. In Shaolin Monks, the move could be upgraded so as to leave behind a burst of fire when he vanishes (MK, MKII, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:D, MK:U, MK:SM, MK:A, MK vs. DCU)
 * Aerial Back Teleport Punch: Scorpion performs his hellfire punch in the air. (MKII, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:SM)
 * Leg Takedown: Scorpion trips his opponent with a leg scissor takedown. (MKII, MK:SM, MKvs.DCU)
 * Air Throw: Scorpion throws his opponent while in the air. (MKII, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:SM)
 * Fire Breath: Removing his mask to show his flaming skull, he spews fire on his opponent. (MK4, MKG)
 * Hellfire: Scorpion summons the fires of Hell to burn his opponent from underneath. (MK:DA, MK:D, MK:U, MK:SM, MK:A, MK vs. DCU')
 * Flaming Backflip Kick: Scorpion performs a backflip kick followed by a trail of fire. (MK:DA, MK:D, MK:U, MK:A')
 * Self Immolate: Scorpion releases a blast of hellfire from his body. (MK vs. DCU)

Fatalities

 * Toasty: Scorpion's signature fatality. Scorpion takes off his mask, revealing a skull face, and breathes fire at his opponent, burning them alive and causing them to explode (usually resulting in Dan Forden squealing "Toasty!"; in Mortal Kombat 4 Forden will say "Toasty! 3D!" owing to it being transferred to a new graphic dimension). For an unknown reason in Shaolin Monks, it was renamed to "Flame", although Forden still says "Toasty!" afterwards at random. The fate of the opponent's body had differed in each game. In the first game, the opponent was merely reduced to a skeleton instantly which then fell to its knees. In the second, the opponent would flail their arms forward as the skeleton was till burning until it exploded. In the third game, the opponent's skeleton would burn for a few minutes before crumbling into a pile of charred bone. By the fourth game however, the opponent's flesh would merely burn without removal of skin, meat or flesh. When it finally appeared again in Shaolin Monks, it set the opponent on fire. They didn't turn into a skeleton, as in all others until MK4. However, the opponent, who was set ablaze, shortly afterwards explodes, as in MKII (MK, MKII, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:SM, MKvs.DCU)
 * Spear Slice: Scorpion takes out his signature kunai, slices his opponent across the throat, then slices the unlucky individual through the hip, his or her torso falling to the ground. In MK:SM, this was changed to a backhand followed by Scorpion stabbing the opponent with the kunai, then ripping his or her body across the blade embedded in his or her stomach. Scorpion rips the torso off, then raises it in victory in this version. (MKII, MK:SM)
 * Annihilation: Scorpion goes into his victory pose as the ground begins to shake violently. Moments later, he and his opponent are automatically transported to Scorpion's Lair where numerous of his dead clan members rise from the ground to utterly destroy the opponent. The Fatality is presumed to be brutal enough to fade to black as the opponent is beaten before a splat and a scream is heard. In the console ports of UMK3, instead of an army of Scorpion clones coming to maul the opponent, the opponent bursts into flames by no visible means. In MK:SM, skeletons maul the opponent (note that he and the victim are already inside Scorpion's Lair). (UMK3, MKT,MK:SM)
 * Scorpion Sting: Scorpion morphs into a giant scorpion and rips the opponent's torso with his tail. This was most likely added due to fan complaints that Scorpion received a penguin morph for his Animality instead of his namesake creature, which Sheeva already had. (MK4, MKG)
 * Hand from Hell: Scorpion raises his hand as a hand compromised of lava and hellfire emerges from the ground to immolate and pulverize the opponent simultaneously. (MKT)
 * Spear Shot: Scorpion tosses his spear at the opponent's head. As the weapon is lodged in it, Scorpion begins to violently pull on the rope until the head breaks off. (MK:DA)
 * Head Rip: Borrowed wholesale from the original Sub-Zero in an ironic twist, Scorpion plunges his hand into the victim's neck and promptly rips the head off with the spine still attached. (MK:D)
 * Hellish Dismemberment: Scorpion fires his Spear to rip off the opponent's arm. He fires it off once more to rip off a leg. As the victim pleads for mercy, Scorpion slowly walks over to the opponent, holds their head and promptly snaps their neck, swiftly ending their life. (MK:D)
 * Lava Pool: Scorpion manifests a pool of lava below him and descends into it whilst a second drags the opponent in as the victim is burned by the hellfire. Moments later, the body is thrown back out of the pit, now reduced to a skeleton. (MKvs.DCU)

Other finishers

 * Friendship #1: Scorpion whips out a Scorpion doll and text appears on the screen saying "Buy a Scorpion Doll." (MKII)
 * Friendship #2: Scorpion winds up a box which makes a giant skull pop out of it scaring off his opponent. (UMK3, MKT)
 * Animality: Scorpion turns into a penguin and lays an egg under the opponent, which explodes and takes the opponent with it. (UMK3, MKT)
 * Hara-Kiri: Scorpion kills himself by snapping his neck. (MK:D)

Endings

 * Mortal Kombat (non-canonical): "Marked for death years ago by the Lin Kuei, Scorpion was murdered by Sub-Zero. He left behind a wife and child in his former life but was allowed to return and avenge his death. Even with Scorpion's triumph in the Tournament and new title as Grand Champion, the price he paid was high. He can never again know his family and must exist forever with his secret curse."
 * Mortal Kombat II: "Upon learning of Sub-Zero's reappearance, Scorpion enters Shao Khan's tournament. He witnessess Sub-Zero spare the life of an opponent and realizes that this is not the same Sub-Zero who murdered him long ago. He lets the ninja live and goes on to defeat the Outworlders in their unholy contest. With the defeat of Shao Khan, Scorpion discovers a new purpose for his existence. He becomes the guardian of the new Sub-Zero to atone for murdering his older brother and in preparation for a third tournament."
 * Mortal Kombat III (non-canonical): "Scorpion is inadvertently released from his damnation in hell when Khan's plan to overtake that realm goes awry. Free to roam Earth, Scorpion is enlisted by the Emperor to aid him in his quest to defeat to destroy the chosen warriors. But, his allegiance to Shao Khan falter when he discovers on of the chosen warriors to be Sub-Zero. Scorpion has vowed to protect the former ninja as restitution for killing his brother. Shao Khan finds himself the victim of his own scheme as Scorpion is forced to turn on him. He destroys the Emperor and the Earth is returned to normal. Scorpion finds himself once again roaming the pits of Hell, only to one day rise again."
 * Mortal Kombat 4: Scorpion defeats Sub-Zero, feeling his soul will finally rest now that he had avenged the deaths of his family and clan. Sub-Zero says that Scorpion will never rest; though the Lin Kuei was responsible for Scorpion's death, his clan's real killer still remains free. Quan Chi, believing Scorpion will finish Sub-Zero, reveals himself to be the true killer and prepares to send Scorpion to the Netherrealm. Scorpion quickly runs to Quan Chi and takes him also to the Netherrealm, much to the sorcerer's horror.
 * Deadly Alliance: "The hunt for Quan Chi had led Scorpion to the palace of Shang Tsung. Scorpion entered the palace through a hidden passage. As he made his way through the lower levels, he was discovered by the two Oni he had previously encountered while in the Netherealm. Shang Tsung had secretly allied with Moloch and Drahmin as a backup defense against Quan Chi. The two Oni had been hidden in an underground chamber and were periodically fed mortals to keep them satisfied. Scorpion fought well but was overpowered by Moloch and Drahmin. Although the could not consume the ninja spectre, they devised another means for eliminating their foe that would satisfy their cruel nature. The Oni brough Scorpion before the portal to The Heavens that Shang Tsung had tapped as a source of limitless souls. They hurled him into the Soulnado and his hellspawn body was ripped apart by the purity of that realm."
 * Deception: "The Elder Gods had transformed Scorpion into their weapon in order to defeat the Dragon King before his plans of domination unmade the realms. With his enhanced abilities, he tirelessly tracked Onaga through the realms until finally he cornered him in the Nexus. The Dragon King had many allies, but they were of no consequence. It was in fact Scorpion who was the true Champion of the Elder Gods, the Enforcer of their will. Only he could stop the menace that threatened all that exists. Only he could defeat the Dragon King."
 * Armageddon: "As the fire of Blaze was extinguished, what appeared in its place brought elation to Scorpion's tormented soul. His ninja clan, the Shirai Ryu, had been fully resurrected. Numbering in the thousands, they covered the surface of the pyramid awaiting Scorpion's command. Among them was Scorpion's wife and son. Their reunion was to be short-lived. The sorcerer Quan Chi suddenly appeared among them. He grabbed Scorpion's young son and disappeared through a portal to the Netherrealm. Enraged, Scorpion ordered his clan to hunt down the sorcerer. He will not rest until his son has been recovered and Quan Chi is dead!"
 * MK vs. DC: "Though Dark Kahn was defeated, his consciousness lived on. The Dark Lord's power and maliciousness found the perfect host in the body of the wrathful Scorpion. In the midst of his agony, Scorpion knew that he would soon be the most powerful creature in the universe - if he survived the transformation."

Appearance
Scorpion appeared as a yellow palette swap of Sub-Zero. He kept this appearance from the first MK to MK4 after which he bore two swords on his back and his kunai attached to a rope tied to his belt. Without his mask, his head is a (sometimes flaming) skull. In MK4, he is further distinguished by his skeletal motif, mostly in the mask, with bone-like structures lacing his uniform.

Film
Scorpion has a small role in the first Mortal Kombat movie as one of Shang Tsung's guardians, who dies in a match against Johnny Cage. His signature spear move was changed to a living metal snake-like entity that shot from a slit in his palm and could fly to a limited extent. He was portrayed by Chris Casamassa, with Ed Boon providing the voice. Although he is not explicitly labelled as undead, he does tear off his mask to reveal nothing but a skull and subsequently attempts to attack Johnny Cage by breathing Hellfire, though it is blocked by a targe. Though both he and Sub-Zero are shown fighting for the same side in the tournament, their rivalry is briefly mentioned by Shang Tsung early in the film.

He also appears briefly in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (played by J. J. Perry), during which he kidnaps Kitana after dueling the younger Sub-Zero to a draw. His rope-spear move was further modified into two smaller living metal entities (looking similar to the heads of crocodiles) that shot from his hand.

Scorpion and Johnny Cage are the only characters confirmed to return in the third movie, Mortal Kombat: Devastation. Chris Casamassa is confirmed to reprise his role of Scorpion.

Television
Scorpion appeared in the second episode of Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, titled Sting of the Scorpion, in which he led an invasion of undead warriors against Earthrealm. He defeated Sub-Zero in kombat but was ultimately taken down by Liu Kang.

He also appeared in several episodes of Mortal Kombat: Conquest, again played by Casamassa with an origin unrelated to the games. The seductive Vorpax guided Shang Tsung to a hidden recess in Outworld's cobalt mines which held a mystical emperor scorpion called the Scorpio. Shang Tsung unleashed the warrior soul trapped within it, which possessed Takeda, a guard for the Reyland family. Kung Lao was forced to fight the warrior and sent him to Hell once Scorpion killed his love, Geneviere. Scorpion was later resurrected by Shao Kahn, and built an organization of assassins for the Emperor, of whom Siro's brother was briefly a member. His last known deed was a reluctant partnership with the Lin Kuei to kill Kung Lao. It dissolved with the deaths of people close to him and Sub-Zero, and the two warriors ferociously battled each other to a draw, before the intervention of Kung Lao forced Scorpion to flee. He employed the living hand creature from the films rather than a spear.

Comic book
Scorpion is one of the main characters in the Malibu Comics series. Despite the game's portrayal of him as a neutral character, the comics portrays Scorpion as an evil entity: a specter consumed by revenge against Sub-Zero, decided to kill those close to him as well before killing him personally. During the first four issues of Blood & Thunder, Scorpion stalked Sub-Zero while reminding him he returned to kill him. Sub-Zero later realized Scorpion's power was fueled by his fears, so he overcome them and freeze-shatter the specter, only to force him to seek more power in the form of the Thao The Zhan. During the Tournament Edition final issue, he has a short fight with Kitana (who stopped him from murdering an unconscious Sub-Zero) which ends with his demise, and despite his past claims that killing him again would mean the end of his existence, that didn't stop him to reapper shortly after Goro answers the last question of the Tao Te Zhan.

During the Battlewave series, Shao Kahn returns Scorpion to the living world using a mystical gem called the "Deathstone", which also allowed him to resurrect an army of undead soldiers under his control. Scorpion would turn into Shao Kahn's general, and his army would replace the mutants that engrossed his ranks. Scorpion played the antagonist role in Baraka's single issue Babality, in which he was ordered to kill a baby mutant under his care. The joined forces of Noob Saibot and Baraka stopped his plans and shattered the stone, though he kept one fragment still useful.

Scorpion played in Shao Kahn's side during the second tournament for the Medallion. He killed Siang after hearing his story (stating "Only the dead are free") and then confronted Sub-Zero on the finish line. Despite Sub-Zero's speech about winning in a fair fight and that revenge would only serve to downgrade him more, Scorpion threw a scorching flame breath when he turned around, killing him though not before he reached the medallion and the victory to Earthrealm's team.

Novel
Scorpion is depicted in Jeff Rovin's non-canon Mortal Kombat novel (published in 1995 to coincide with the release of the movie) as being the combination of sorts of a father and a son, contrary to his game origins as "Hanzo Hasashi". The father, named Yong Park, was disemboweled by Sub-Zero before his family. The demigod Yu allowed Yong the opportunity to seek revenge, and Yong's spirit was permitted to merge with his son Tsui Park's body, in order to seek revenge under the form of Scorpion.

Game information
Scorpion's "Get Over Here!" and "Come Here!" spear taunts, in all of the Mortal Kombat games and movies, were voiced by Ed Boon himself. Unfortunately, when the earlier titles were ported from the arcade to the home consoles, only one of these two taunts were featured in the games due to memory constraints. They are some of the most easily recognizable catchphrases in video gaming history.

Dan Forden, who creates the sounds and music for Midway's games, especially in the Mortal Kombat series, is the man responsible for the "Toasty" callings-in relation to Scorpion. This originated in Mortal Kombat II, in which a special input allowed Scorpion's flame skull fatality to be performed anywhere, the message "Toasty!" would then be shown. In Scorpion's flame skull fatality in Mortal Kombat 4, Dan Forden screams out "Toasty! 3D!!" in reference to Scorpion's fatality being incorporated in full 3D. Another Dan Forden calling featured in the game that is a clear reference to Scorpion is "Crispy" in which is said when a player performs the stage fatality in the Scorpion's Lair stage in UMK3.

A tribute to Terminator 2: Judgment Day is seen during Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, when Scorpion is defeated by Liu Kang or Kung Lao. As he's dragged into the lava by the bloody skeletons of the damned, he holds out his right hand to give the camera a thumbs up as he's finally pulled under in a scene near-identical to the scene of the Terminator's destruction in a pool of molten steel. Also in Shaolin Monks, Scorpion will occasionally swear while performing his spear move (saying either "GET OVER HERE BITCH" or "GET THE FUCK OVER HERE"), the only character to do so in the Mortal Kombat series. Many fans also thought it was out of character for Scorpion to suddenly attack Liu Kang and Kung Lao in MK Shaolin Monks due to his neutral status.

Other appearances

 * Scorpion has a cameo in the Season 2 opener of the Comedy Central show, Drawn Together as one of the new potential housemates the other characters consider. After questioned as to his special move, he impales Xandir (who is himself a video game character, or at least a parody of) with his spear, saying "Get over here!" then performs a head-rip Fatality on him, later grumbling "Oy vey" when Xandir resurrects himself with his extra lives and demonstrates his reach-around special move. Scorpion used this fatality in Mortal Kombat: Deception. It should be noted, however, that the "head-rip Fatality" is normally performed by Scorpion's main enemy, the original Sub-Zero.
 * ReBoot episode "Game Over" features a Mortal Kombat-esque game, in which the character Enzo Matrix reboots as Scorpion.
 * In Krypt UI of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, the player can buy a video, "Cooking with Scorpion". This shows the dead ninja spectre chopping various meats, and decorating a cake. This was originally a promotional video for Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.
 * Scorpion also appears as an unlockable skin in Midway's Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy.
 * He was a secret player in Midway's NBA Jam: Tournament Edition and the arcade-only game, The Grid.
 * On the Adult Swim show Robot Chicken, Joey Fatone of NSYNC is trying to be a martial arts master and avenge the death of his fellow singers. The first person he battles is Scorpion, and while battling, Scorpion uses his signature spear and rips off his head.

Trivia

 * In various interviews, Ed Boon has openly admitted that his favorite character has always been Scorpion, and that any Mortal Kombat game would feel incomplete without Scorpion. While Scorpion was absent from MK3, he was later added to UMK3.
 * When the elder Sub-Zero died after the first tournament, there was no immediate direct quote or statement, nor was there any strong evidence to prove that Scorpion had in fact done it (what was offered at the time was that somebody murdered Sub-Zero, and Scorpion was the most likely candidate for his death). The release of the official Mortal Kombat II comic book and Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks revealed that Scorpion had in fact killed Sub-Zero, ending any rumors and debates.
 * Scorpion's yellow costume is said to have mocked not only Sub-Zero, but also the Lin Kuei, as Takeda (who was a member of the Lin Kuei) developed Ninjutsu, which he considered a superior fighting style to what the Lin Kuei had. He quickly left the Lin Kuei and formed the Shirai Ryu clan, the Lin Kuei's main enemies.
 * Scorpion was one of four selected characters to appear in the cover for a special Edition of the Mortal Kombat Deception game in the Xbox console. The special edition of this Xbox game included a metallic card of his character.
 * The movie Ghost Rider makes a reference to Scorpion when Ghost Rider, while atop a skyscraper, uses a chain to grab a helicopter and pull it toward him while yelling "COME HERE!".
 * Scorpion's blazing skull is in turn a homage to Ghost Rider.
 * In the official Mortal Kombat comic book, Scorpion grabs Sub-Zero and tells him to look into his eyes. This is a clear reference to Ghost Rider and his Penance Stare power.
 * Seeing as how Scorpion is of Japanese origin, his moniker in Japanese would have been written as 'Sasori'.

Related characters

 * Sub-Zero
 * Quan Chi
 * Shao Kahn
 * Noob Saibot
 * Moloch