Kobra

Kobra is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.

About Kobra
Kobra could be described as Mortal Kombat's stock street brawler character. Infamous for his brutality and savage killings, Kobra shows no mercy to his opponents. Introduced in Mortal Kombat: Deception as the second of Kabal's recruits for the new Black Dragon, he is a gifted young martial artist, eager to put his skills to the test.

Storyline
For years, Kobra wondered whether his martial arts training would work in a real fight. Even though he has been practicing his skills at his NYC karate school, no one was allowed to really hurt each other. So, he went to New York's back alleys in order for him to put his skills to the test.

At first, he started on street gangs. Then, he went to gangbangers and drug dealers. The thrill and excitement of fighting started to consume him, and he started killing his opponents. He continued his killing streak and added looting to his list when he robbed convenience stores and gas stations. Eventually, the NYPD caught him. At this point, Kobra had no clue as to how many lives he had destroyed.

When Kobra was being taken downtown, he heard gunfire and officers shouting. Kabal and Kira had found out about him and came to induct him into the new Black Dragon syndicate. After killing the officers and escaping, Kabal took Kira and Kobra to Outworld, where they worked for Havik, the cleric of Chaos who had brought Kabal back from the brink of death.

He appears in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon's Konquest mode, as Taven's first kombatant, protecting a bridge with Kira in the Botan Jungle that Taven needs to cross. Kira abandons Kobra as he starts battling the newcomer, eventually escaping after he fails to stop him.

In Kobra's Armageddon ending, he defeats Blaze and assumes the power of the gods. He further demands that the elder gods give him control over all realms. They do so, but insist that he must have a queen to rule alongside him. Kobra chooses Kira as his queen, and the elder gods transform her into a goddess of death. When Kira kisses Kobra, he is turned into a pile of ashes.

Signature moves

 * Windmill Kick: Kobra slides forward a bit and performs a devastating arcing Axe Kick which causes the opponent to bounce off the ground allowing for a juggle. (MK:D, MK:A)
 * Burning Fist: Kobra dashes forward with his fist (on fire) extended forward, which knocks his opponents down. (MK:D, MK:A)
 * Tele-Punch: Kobra disappears, leaving a trail of smoke behind, then reappears behind his opponent and punches them down. (MK:D, MK:A)
 * Chi-Blast: Kobra gathers Chi and releases a flaming projectile forward from the palms of his hands. (MK:D, MK:A)
 * Crouching Chi-Blast: Kobra crouches and releases a flaming projectile forward from the palm of his hands. (MK:D, MK:A)

Character development
In development, Kobra was called Ken Masters as a placeholder name because of his resemblance to the Street Fighter character. A German magazine received a beta copy of Deception, and published screenshots that identified Kobra as Ken, making fans wonder if Ken was actually in the game. He was also referenced to as "Ben" by the Official Xbox Magazine.

Before Armageddon was released, an early versus render showed Kobra wearing his normal white costume. However, another later and almost completely identical versus screen image showed him wearing a black version. This led to some speculation that Kobra's primary outfit would be changed in color. This did not prove to be true, although the palette swap of Kobra's outfit is indeed black if both players choose the same costume.

Trivia

 * The United States flag patch on Kobra's alternate outfit is backwards.
 * Kobra's machete in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon was originally going to be Kai's weapon. The machete was later given to Kobra as Kai was given the Spiked Club.