Goro



"I will grant you a warrior's death!"

- Goro to Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat (2011)

Goro is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series, who made his debut in the first Mortal Kombat game as the game's sub-boss.

About Goro
Goro was one of the original characters, debuting in the first Mortal Kombat arcade game as the sub-boss and later appeared as the sub-boss of Mortal Kombat 4 (only available on home consoles). He first became playable in the Game Boy port of Mortal Kombat.

He appeared as a four-armed Shokan warrior who had been the champion of the Mortal Kombat tournament for nine generations, remaining undefeated for 500 years.

Goro is among Shao Kahn's favorite warriors and is well known for his power and brutality. Goro helped the emperor grow closer to dominating Earthrealm, but he lost at the tenth while fighting against Liu Kang, who later defeated the sorcerer Shang Tsung.

Powers and abilities
Outside of Goro being able to win 9 consecutive Mortal Kombat tournaments, as well as defeating the Great Kung Lao in his first tournament - which Shang Tsung, in his younger form failed to do - not much is stated about his abilities in the plot. The only time there was an indication of his power in the storyline is during the opening of Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, where he easily defeats Johnny Cage, Sonya and Kung Lao.

Goro's fighting style always revolved around taking advantage of his brute strength and surprising agility. In the early games, Goro was an imbalanced character. All of his moves did far more damage then all of the other characters, and because of that he was notoriously difficult to defeat in the first game. In the 3D games, he was toned down to make him more balanced. His current depiction is being powerful, but slow.

Goro is associated with the element of Fire. Like Kintaro, he could either project fireballs either from his mouth or his hands. In Shaolin Monks, he was able to shoot one fireball from each hand. He could also manipulate fire in his hands if he needs to attack using them.

Signature moves

 * Gorovssubzero.jpgFireball: Goro shoots a green fireball from his arm. This attack is stronger than most projectiles, just like his physical attacks. It also appeared in Mortal Kombat 4, but this time it was shot out of his mouth, similar to Kintaro. In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, the fireball is larger, redder, and does standard projectile damage. In Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks Goro can shoot one from each hand, four in a row. In MK 2011 Goro returns to shooting one fireball from his arm. (MK, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:SM, MK 2011)


 * Leaping Stomp: Goro jumps off the screen and lands on the opponent much like Kintaro and Sheeva. However, in the original Mortal Kombat and in Mortal Kombat (2011), he does not jump all the way off the screen; he only jumps the height of a normal jump. This is also known simply as Stomp in MK 2011. (MK, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:D, MK:U, MK:SM, MK:A, MK 2011)


 * Chest Pound: Grabbing his opponents with his lower arms, Goro then pounds them with his upper arms, shaving of a good portion of his opponent's life. In Shaolin Monks, a Test Your Might occurs against Goro when he uses this attack. (MK, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:SM)


 * Goro Grab: Goro grabs the opponent in his bottom hands, then palms the opponents face in an upper hand, smashes them on the ground, and then flings them across the arena. This attack is also seen in the opening of Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, used on Johny Cage. (MK 2011)


 * Spinning Fists: Goro holds out his arms and spins around, smacking his opponent multiple times with his outstretched flaming fists. This is known as Arm Spin in MK 2011. (MKT, MK:D, MK:U, MK:A, MK 2011)


 * Tremor Pound: Goro jumps at the ground or hits it with all his arms making an earthquake. In MK 2011 this is called Ground Pound and Goro only smashes the ground with his upper two fists. (MK4, MKG, MK:D, MK:U, MK:A, MK 2011)thumb|right|250px


 * Taunt: Goro will flex his upper arms and taunt the opponent. This can be used as an opening to strike Goro, as it does nothing else. (MK, MK 2011)


 * X-Ray Move - Crusher: Goro grabs and raises his opponent from the waist with his lower arms, then puts his upper hands to their head and presses hard until he eventually crushes their skull. He then throws them overhead and slams them into the floor, damaging their skull, ribs, and chest. (MK 2011)

Fatalities

 * Dragon Fangs: Goro Takes out his Dragon Fangs, slices the foe upward, stabs them into the foe's torso, followed by taking one and driving it into his/her throat. (MK:D)
 * Limb Rip: Goro grabs his opponent with his four arms and begins to tear them, then he throws them on the ground. (MK:D)
 * Boss Fatality: Goro raises up the victim then drops them on his knee, breaking their spine. Then he grabs them by the head, slams them to the ground and then throws them far away. (MK:SM)
 * Head Ripper: Goro grabs the opponent's head and tears it off with two arms. He then grabs it with his two other arms and tears it into 4 quarters. (MK 2011)
 * Limb and Body Rip: Goro grabs the opponent with his upper hands and rips off the enemy's legs with his bottom hands. He flips them upside down and rips off their arms, and finally vertically rips the body in half. (MK 2011)

Other finishers

 * Hara-Kiri: Self Impale: Goro impales himself with his Dragon Fangs. (MK:D)
 * Babality: Goro starts clapping until he punches himself, making him cry. (MK 2011)

Reception
Goro was awarded Hottest Gaming Hunk of 1993 by Electronic Gaming Monthly.[4] UGO.com featured Goro on their "Top 11 Mortal Kombat Characters" list, with comments focused on his appearance due to the "twist" his first appearance gave since he was very different from the other characters.[5] He appeared in the fourth spot on GamePro's "Excessively Limbed Villains We Love" list.[citation needed] He also won a GameSpot award for one of the top ten boss fights due to how difficult was defeating Goro in Mortal Kombat. Additionally, they noted that despite the introductions of bosses similar to Goro in sequels, Goro still remained as the "grand champion"[6]. When it was announced the release of a third Mortal Kombat live-action film, Phil Pirrello and Jesse Schedeen from IGN listed him as a character they wanted to see fighting in the film, but unlike the one from the first film which was a man wearing a suit, they wanted him to be made with CG technology.[7] IGN also listed him as a character they would like to see as downloadable content for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, noting "Goro was the real challenge" of the first Mortal Kombat title although Shang Tsung was the final boss from such game. IGN also added that "MK is all about visceral thrills, and it doesn't get more visceral than bludgeoning your enemies to death with four giant, muscular arms".[8] Goro was ranked 20th in a poll by GamePro ranking the 47 most diabolical video game villains.[9]

Eurogamer's Robert Purchse was also saddened with the fact that Goro was not playable character stating that he was his favorite character and hoping that he could become an unlockable character.[10] Additionally Techtree.com stated that, "Although Goro wasn't the main boss, he is probably the hardest boss to kill." [11] Jeff Gerstmann from GameSpot praised Goro's design and moves in Mortal Kombat 4 as in contrast to the game's boss, Shinnok, he was harder to defeat.[6] His addition to the GameCube port of Mortal Kombat: Deception received positive response by Greg Kasavin of the same site; he claimed he and Shao Khan fit well within Deception despite looking "anemic".[12] GameSpy's Miguel Lopez described Goro as a "legendary villain" but at the same criticized his physical appearance from Deception as his "anatomical proportions seem a little off".[13] Another editor from GameSpot, Alex Navarro, commented that the fight against Goro in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks was very easy to win in contrast to other bosses fights from the same game.[14] In a 1994 article by Business Week, the film version of Goro was described as "the most advanced mechanical creature H[o]llywood has ever made."[15]

Movie appearances
Goro appears in the first Mortal Kombat movie as Shang Tsung's most loyal servant as well as the reigning champion of Mortal Kombat, having granted Shang Tsung nine victories in a row. Goro thinks very unfavorably of humans, considering them weak. He is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, with vocal effects by Frank Welker. In the entire movie, he is the only villain to have defeated a protagonist onscreen as with his fight against Art Lean, one of Johnny Cage's acquaintances. After Art is defeated and his soul absorbed by Shang Tsung, Johnny Cage challenges Goro directly to avenge him. Cage was fully aware of Goro's strength, however, and when confronting him, resorts to his patented split-punch. Having been taken by surprise, the enraged Goro chases after Cage.

Cage lures Goro to the narrow ledge of a steep cliff. With limited room to maneuver, Cage manages to knock Goro of the cliff to his death.

TV appearances
Goro appears in the animated film ''Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins. ''In the series, Goro confronts his older brother Duroc for a jeweled egg in which the winner was to tribute to their father Gorbak. He ends up losing the fight after hanging from a cliff while Duroc tries to help him up. Goro betrays his brother and knocks him into the pit.

Comic Books
Goro had a prominent role in Malibu's Mortal Kombat comic book adaptations and was the first character to have his own three-issue miniseries, entitled Goro: Prince of Pain. Goro's story did not differ greatly from his in-game profiles, being the Mortal Kombat champion and having previously bested the Great Kung Lao. He was also portrayed as an unstoppable force, easily dispatching the Earthrealm warriors alone, and only having a hard time against Raiden. He remained undefeated during the first three issues of the Blood & Thunder series, having lost for the first time in the second issue of Prince of Pain against Zaggot's creation, The Kombatant. In the following Battlewave series, he remained on Earth after his defeat, and, to appease for his failure, started hunting down the Earthrealm warriors; he injured Jax in battle but was unable to defeat Liu Kang. In the fourth issue he had a mini-story at the end ("When Titans Klash") where he returned to Outworld to fight for Shao Kahn, settling a rivalry with Kintaro along the way.

Goro also made a short appearance in Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe comic book where he is vanished from existence by Dark Kahn's powers.

Trivia
In General Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat Trilogy Mortal Kombat 4 Mortal Kombat: Deception Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Mortal Kombat (2011)
 * In the original Mortal Kombat, as well as Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Goro's name was never said after he won a fight.
 * Goro has the shortest bio kard video out of all the characters.
 * Goro's Kuatan fighting style in Deception and Unchained is borrowed by Sheeva in Armageddon.
 * In his profile on the official Mortal Kombat comic and instruction manual for the first game, Goro is stated to be a polygamist, having seven wives. Sheeva has often been theorized to be one of them, but this has not been proven.
 * He also has a cameo in Deception ' s Konquest mode, where he appears in the Netherrealm (albeit missing his two lower arms, a treatment that was also given to Kintaro) fighting Johnny Cage on an island amid a sea of lava.
 * Ed Boon said there were actually two Goro models made and one of which they kept changing over and over so it fell apart over time. He also said he had one stashed at his home; it is unknown as of now if he currently still has it (since Goro's bio card, like many other characters, was recorded in 2004, the year Mortal Kombat: Deception was released).
 * In the movie, Goro's head and upper arms were animatronic, while the bottom arms and walking movement were provided by an actor.
 * In a Top 10 list hosted by Screwattack.com, Goro was placed at #3 of the Mortal Kombat Characters in the Mortal Kombat Series.
 * The sub-boss of the game.
 * One of the sub-bosses of the game.
 * The sub-boss and an unlockable character of the game (Console versions only).
 * In Kung Lao's ending, Goro mentions he has a son.
 * If Scorpion executes his Hellish Dismemberment fatality on Goro, he will rip off Goro's lower right arm.
 * He is one of the characters that appear in the cells, although he is playable in the Gamecube version and in Unchained, but in these versions he still appears in the cells.
 * One of the bosses of the game.
 * The player could easily defeat him by staying far away from him and to continuously use a projectile as Goro will only pound the floor when at a distance.
 * When you defeat Goro, your character doesn't actually finish him off; Johnny Cage comes in and kills Goro for the player.
 * When you play on Goro's Lair for multiplayer battles, he will be involved in the match, only attacking the player closest to him.
 * You have to fight Goro alongside Kintaro in the 8th level of the Endurance Mode.
 * One of the sub-bosses of the game.
 * He is playable in the 150th mission of the Challenge Tower called "Gor-owned".
 * His X-Ray move alone does 53% damage, making it one of the most powerful in the game.
 * When playing "Gor-owned", it can be noted that he is slower than in Deception or Armageddon.

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