Quan Chi

"You will serve me in the Netherrealm."

- Quan Chi's Mortal Kombat (2011) Battle Cry Quan Chi is a character in the Mortal Kombat series. He made his debut in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, and first became playable in Mortal Kombat 4.

About Quan Chi
Quan Chi became the most powerful sorcerer and necromancer in the Netherrealm and a primary villain in the Mortal Kombat series. Quan Chi combines both cunning and brute force in his never-ending plots to overtake not only Earthrealm, but all of reality. He is an opportunist and will ally himself with anyone who can help him further his own goals. He is notable in particular for his ruthlessness and pragmatism. His manipulative and deceptive nature has earned him many enemies, including Sub-Zero and Scorpion, the latter whose entire family and clan he destroyed. Only Shinnok, Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung and Delia can match Quan Chi's skills as a sorcerer.

Appearance
Quan Chi appears as a very tall, well built adult with red eyes. Among his distinct features is his completely white skin. Whether or not he has painted himself or was naturally born with this is unknown. He is also completely bald, devoid of any hair on his head or face. There also appears to be a chakra on his forehead. In his first appearance, he wore a heavy green uniform with spike-studded black armor and originally, with a yin-yang emblem on it, which seems regal, he uses it for formal gatherings. During his escape from Scorpion in the Netherrealm, he has discarded some of his clothing, leaving him with half a portion of his armor and new black gloves, his torso bare otherwise. He later magically carves the inscriptions of the tomb of the Dragon King's army onto his body as somewhat becoming his tattoos. On his belt he now bears the authentic Amulet of Shinnok. The MK team seems to be fond of Quan Chi's Deadly Alliance outfit because it is featured in games after DA, and also in MK:SM, MK vs. DC, and MK 2011 (games that, in canon, are from before MK4).

He was originally intended to be a playable character for the DLC of Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe but was cancelled, along with his DC counterpart Harley Quinn, due to Midway's bankruptcy.

Powers and abilities
Aforementioned above, Quan Chi is the most powerful sorcerer the Netherrealm has ever seen, excelling at both black magic and necromancy (magic involving the dead). A being of many talents, Quan Chi uses powerful dark magic to keep his enemies guessing. Using his necromancy, Quan Chi's form of attack involves using disembodied skulls and skeletons that emit an eerie green glow. He can also use these skeletal structures as a form of defense to block incoming attacks as well as summon reanimated skeletons to do his bidding ( i.e making clones of him self). For his black magic, he was able to open up a Soulnado, which was one of Shang Tsung's primary sources of power, which he can shut off any time he chooses. Due to the power of the amulet he gained from the original Sub-Zero, he has the ability to freely move between realms via portal. More of his powers include: shapeshifting, life force/soul stealing, and power nullifying. Along with Shinnok's Amulet he is able to control all forms and types of magic (though this power has only been shown by Quan Chi), which for all purposes, allows him to do anything he chooses.

Signature moves

 * Quan_Chi_Fire_Skull.pngGreen Flaming Skull: Quan Chi fires a skull of green magical energy at his opponent. This is called Skull Ball in MK 2011. (MK4, MKG, MK:DA, MK:A, MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Skull Chomp and it knocks the opponent farther back, aswell as increase the damage.
 * Rising Star: Quan Chi slides and kicks his opponent from below. (MK4, MKG, MK:DA, MK:A)
 * Magnet Force: A special move that disables the opponent's weapon from being used or withdrawn for the remainder of the match. In Mortal Kombat 4, the move, called Weapon Steal, would snatch the weapon from the opponent's hand and move it into Quan Chi's hands. (MK4, MKG, MK:A)
 * Tele Stomp: Quan Chi teleports high, disappearing on the game's camera, and reappears above the opponent, stomping him numerous times. In MK 2011 this is called Sky Drop. (MK4, MKG, MK:A, MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Sky Stomp and has Quan Chi stomp two additional times on the opponent's chest before kicking them away.
 * Air Throw: In air Quan Chi grabs his opponent and falls down with him, hitting only his enemy as Quan Chi lands on him. (MK4, MKG)
 * Trance: Quan Chi hypnotizes his opponent with his mystical powers, thus causing them to fall under Quan Chi's control, and making the foe walk towards him, then giving Quan Chi an opportunity for a free hit. (MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Mesmerize. The opponent's super meter will deplete while under the spell.
 * Ground Burst: A move where Quan Chi points at the ground causing a light to summon from the floor, also causing only minor damage, and a small knock-back. There are also a close, medium, and far version of the move. (MK 2011)
 * The enhanced versions are called Ground Blast. A laser beam comes down on the burst, this is unblockable.
 * Skeletal Boost: Quan Chi summons a skeletal hand that either boosts his damage or regenerates health until he gets hit. Until the effect wears or is removed, Quan Chi cannot use the move again. (MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Skeletal Buff which adds both buffs to Quan Chi.
 * X-Ray Move - Amulet Assault: Quan Chi takes the Amulet from his belt, and fires a burst of energy into his opponents face, mesmerizing them. He then tosses his opponent a skull and forces them to hit themselves in the head with it causing damage to the skull, then makes them snap their own neck. (MK 2011)

Fatalities

 * Fatality Steal: Quan Chi simply imitates the 1st Fatality of his opponent. (MK4, MKG)
 * Leg Beatdown: Quan Chi's signature Fatality, He rips off one of his opponent's legs and beats the helpless victim with the torn limb to death. In MK 2011, Quan Chi beats the opponent´s head twice, causing it to explode, before proceeding to beat the rest of the body with the victim´s leg. (MK4, MKG, MK 2011)
 * Neck Stretch: Quan Chi hops onto his opponent's shoulders, grabs them by the head, and pulls on it. The opponent's neck is stretched out and the strain leads to the opponent's demise. In MK:TE, Quan Chi breaks his opponents neck instead of stretching it. (MK:DA)
 * On Your Knees: Quan Chi summons a green broadsword and does a quick spin, chopping off his opponent's legs. The opponent is still standing up on their stumps. Quan Chi then slices off the opponent's head, but he catches it as it falls down and holds it up in victory. (MK 2011)

Other finishers

 * Babality: Quan Chi opens a portal and summons a skull which falls down and hits him on the head, causing him to cry. (MK 2011)

Film
Michael Rogers portrays Quan Chi in Mortal Kombat: Legacy. After Hanzo Hasashi Scorpion witnesses the death of his family, he kneels down in agony, then is stabbe from behind by a cold fist, apparently Sub-Zero's. After Hasashi is frozen to death, "Sub-Zero" (alongside Shang Tsung) morphs into Quan Chi, and asks Hasashi to offer his services to the Netherrealm for Mortal Kombat so that he can enact his revenge against Sub-Zero. Hasashi is engulfed in flames, resurrected as Scorpion, accepting Quan Chi's offer.

Television
Quan Chi made his debut in the animated series, Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, which aired a year before the Mythologies game. In the episode "The Secret of Quan Chi", he used his sorcery to turn everyone on Earth against each other, creating pandemonium and chaos that Earth's heroes were forced to overcome. He was voiced by Nick Chinlund.

Quan Chi also had substantial guest appearances on Mortal Kombat: Conquest, in which he is played by Adoni Maropis, and mostly inspired by his Mythologies incarnation. A dominant presence in the Netherrealm, he sought to disgrace Kung Lao and claim his soul on his own terms. Quan Chi was also approached by Shang Tsung to combine their sorcery in a brief alliance to end the monk's life in a hellish parallel universe. When Shang Tsung turned renegade, Shao Kahn employed Quan Chi to eliminate him. Although a fierce battle occurred between the two sorcerers, neither was victorious. Quan Chi also employed three female Netherrealm assassins, undead souls encased in living flesh named Siann, Mika and Sora. The three girls were often sent to do his bidding in Earthrealm when the sorcerer was not capable of directly interfering. Although they used their prized beauty and deadly fighting skills to their advantage, none were successful in slaying Kung Lao, his friends, or other enemies of Quan Chi. He usually mistreated the three girls, but Mika in particular looked like she had feelings for him in one episode and he seemed to return those feelings. In the series finale, Quan Chi is sealed in the Cobalt Mines of Shokan's cobalt by Shao Kahn's rampaging Shadow Priests. The mineral nullified his powers, and he is slain.

Character development


He was supposedly inspired by Destro, a character from G.I. Joe. He may also have been based on one of the demons of the movie The Monkey King. In a conceptual art piece for Quan Chi's Deadly Alliance look, he is seen holding a staff with a grotesque head at the end, which is able to spew green mist and dozens of flies from its mouth. This "living weapon" was elaborated on, and became its own character, Drahmin. Curiously, Quan Chi returns in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon with his outfit from Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance with amulet in hand, even though Onaga claimed it from him in the opening of Mortal Kombat: Deception, and Shinnok has it as a weapon called Amulet Staff. This may simply be the result of his character model being recycled from Deadly Alliance, or perhaps he wears another fake amulet for the purpose of looking more powerful to others.

Game information
In Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, as well as in Armageddon's Konquest mode, Quan Chi is served by three assassins: Sareena, Kia, and Jataaka. At some time, Ashrah also served as one of Quan Chi's assassins. But like Sareena, she would turn against him. He was the first non-Shokan character to use a teleport-stomp attack. Quan Chi appears in Deception's Konquest mode, in which the player must fight him as Scorpion. The model is taken from Deadly Alliance, with the Amulet of Shinnok on his belt replaced by a yin-yang symbol, and he borrows his two original hand-to-hand stances from Havik (Tang Soo Do) and Dairou (Escrima) respectively. His weapon stance, however, is replaced by a single Broadsword (based on Dairou's Autumn Dao) since no character in Deception uses dual swords. There is a scene at the end of Shaolin Monks where Quan Chi takes Shinnok's amulet from Shao Kahn's remains. This amulet is believed to be the fake one which Shinnok gained possession of once again in Mortal Kombat 4, as Quan Chi already had the real amulet since Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero.

Trivia
In General Mortal Kombat 4 Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance Mortal Kombat: Deception Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Mortal Kombat (2011)
 * Quan Chi was going to appear in the climax of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, but his scenes were cut from the final print. He still appears in some posters and international versions of the movie on laserdisc and DVD.
 * Ed Boon's favorite and least favorite Fatalities both come from Quan Chi (The Leg Rip and the Neck Stretch, respectively).
 * According to Armageddon's Konquest story, Quan Chi was the one who suggested that Onaga, Shang Tsung, and Shao Kahn team up, arguing that it would be necessary to defeat the Forces of Light. However, he was actually working under the direction of Shinnok to lead the other villains to the spot where Armageddon was supposed to take place.
 * Quan Chi could very well represent the "root of evil" in the Mortal Kombat universe as he plays a part in the backstory and/or schemes of almost every other major villain in the series.
 * While not expressly stated in the games, Quan Chi's in-game voice sounds very similar to the announcer from Deadly Alliance on. If they are indeed the same person, this would be the same as Shao Khan in MK2 and MK3 being the announcer and final boss of both games. (As, while Quan Chi was one of the final bosses in Deadly Alliance, he was replaced by Onaga and Blaze in Deception and Armageddon, respectively, and in fact was assumed dead at the beginning of Deception, preventing him from being the commentator). However, it is also disputed that the announcer from Deception and Armageddon is indeed Onaga because of the difference between the "Deadly Alliance" and Deception/Armageddon announcer voice.
 * Quan Chi is featured on Johnny Cage's movie poster as an antagonist during Cage's ending in Deadly Alliance.
 * In Jarek's Armageddon bio and ending, Quan Chi offers him the power to finish his enemies all at once in exchange for his services, which culminates with Blaze's defeat in the form of using Jarek's enemies' signature fatalities against them. This is a nod to Quan Chi's ability to use his opponent's fatality against them in MK4.
 * In Armageddon, Quan Chi's alternate outfit has a puffy shirt, which is said to be "worn on formal occasions".
 * Quan Chi has made many unkept promises to many Mortal Kombat characters. The only agreement he has ever fulfilled was to the Lin Kuei for eliminating Scorpion's clan. The unkept promises could be a play on his treacherous nature.
 * Quan Chi's alternate costume in Deadly Alliance and Armageddon is his appearance in MK4.
 * He is the only character to make an appearance in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks who wasn't introduced until Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero.
 * Quan Chi was originally intended to be a playable character in Deception, he was illustrated in a sketch from the Blood Beetles and his stage is playable in Deception (with Stage Deathtrap included)
 * His first appearance was in Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm before his inclusion in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, his first appearance in a Mortal Kombat video game.
 * In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, a blooper video of Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero featuring his actor can be seen. In the video he made or was involved with making the second highest amount of unintended mistakes; although due to his actor making fun of his own mistakes, is seen making the most mistakes overall.
 * From Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance to Mortal Kombat (2011), his appearance has never changed. This is odd because he still has his red tattoos/inscriptions of the Dragon King even though he logically shouldn't have them yet.
 * Quan Chi's mysterious tattoos have a distinctly different appearance in Mortal Kombat (2011) and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe than they do in earlier games. This can be clearly seen on the forehead. The only consistency between the two designs is the circular markings on the shoulders, which appear more or less the same.
 * Along with Blaze, Frost, Kenshi, and Kitana, he is one of the few characters in Deadly Alliance to be seen performing a kata.
 * Has the same fighting stance as Shinnok.
 * The boss of the game along with Shang Tsung.
 * Has the same voice actor as Shang Tsung, Bo' Rai Cho, and Kano.
 * Possibly the announcer of the game.
 * One of the characters seen trapped in a cell in the Dark Prison stage.
 * His Tang Soo Doo fighting style was borrowed by Havik.
 * Has the same weapon attacks as Daegon.
 * While the character roster consists of characters from Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Mortal Kombat III, Quan Chi is the only character who originated from Mortal Kombat 4 to appear in the game. It should be noted, however, that his actions span before even the events of Mortal Kombat.
 * He is one of the two characters who grant an achievement for unlocking them, the other being Cyber Sub-Zero, with the achievements being "Quan-Tease" and "Kold Fusion" respectively.
 * During Kung Lao's chapter, the player had to fight both Quan Chi and Shang Tsung. Shortly before the fight starts, Quan Chi says "No Earthrealm boy can stop this Deadly Alliance". This could have been a Easter Egg about the real Deadly Alliance that was formed by Quan Chi and Shang Tsung.
 * His "On Your Knees" fatality initially belonged to Scorpion, but was given to Quan Chi in the later stages of development.
 * He still has the Dragon King inscriptions in his body, despite not having found them yet. This is either an oversight (unlikely) or possibly retconned to already being on his body. This assumes that the tattoos now have nothing to do with Onaga
 * He also is wearing the Amulet on his belt. While he did possess it during this time, it seems odd he would wear it so openly, even in the sight of Shinnok.
 * His alternate costume was taken directly from Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance concept art, even the in-game concept is from Deadly Alliance.
 * In MK 2011, Quan Chi is one of the few characters, along with Sindel, Jax, and Jade whose X-Ray Attack does not make the opponent bleed.
 * Along with Nightwolf ,Sonya, and Kabal, Quan Chi never appears in Mortal Kombat (2011)´s Story Mode in his alternate costume.
 * In every game except MK 2011, Quan Chi used 2 hands to fire his Green Flaming Skull, whereas in MK 2011 he only uses one hand.