Erron Black

"Now, state your business. Including a reason why we shouldn't kill you."

- Erron Black in Mortal Kombat X

Erron Black is a character introduced in the Mortal Kombat X comic series and made his game debut as a playable character in Mortal Kombat X.

Appearance
Erron Black is a gunslinger of the Old West and is depicted wearing black clothes under a brown leather vest, gauntlets and boots, with a poncho around his shoulders and a mask covering the lower half of his face. His Stetson hat barely covers his light brown hair, and various bandoliers are wrapped is his waist, upper arms, and his hat. Holsters for his sidearms are strapped to his thighs.

Combat characteristics
As a gunslinger, Erron Black is a master of firearms and one of Kotal Kahn's most potent warriors as declared by the Emperor himself. An expert marksman, Erron Black is a crack shot with both of his pistols and rifle, as well as a competent hand-to-hand fighter. His marksmanship is so superb, he can ricochet bullets effortlessly. He also uses bombs filled with sand for added offensive means. He even uses caltrops to control his opponent's movements. Black is also competent in swordfighting, using a severed Tarkatan arm blade strapped into a handle (that also has the skeletal hand of the likely former owner of said arm blade) that he uses to brutally stab and slash at his opponents.

He also apparently is a master in various other unusual tactics. One of these are caltrops in which he uses sometimes to damage the opponent over time and leave a sprinting opponent dead in their tracks. Erron Black utilizes sand as well, throwing it up to the opponent's face, stunning them for a free hit.

Signature Moves

 * Sand Grenade: Erron Black rolls a sand grenade on the ground which explodes under his opponent, knocking them off their feet. The grenade travels indefinitely until it either makes contact with the opponent or strikes the outside of the arena. (MKX)
 * The enhanced version is called Sand Shot, which activates faster and has Erron recover from the attack mush faster. Additionally, the grenade no longer explodes when making contact with the opponent, rather dealing minor damage. However, Erron shoots the grenade to deal additional damage and launch the opponent in the air for extended combos. The grenade can be shot at either close or far, called Close/Far Sand Shot, respectively. In addition, there is a chance that the Far Sand Shot can miss the opponent when Black shoots the grenade. Erron is also much more safe when the enhanced version are blocked by the opponent.
 * Caltrops: Erron Black throws out several caltrops that damage his enemy as they step on them. They also stop the opponent from sprinting. The caltrops can be thrown at different distances, called Close/Far Caltrops, respectively. (MKX)
 * The enhanced version is called Double Trops and has Black throw out twice as many, also doubling the damage and their area of effect. The enhanced version can be thrown at the same distances as the original and retains the same effects, with the exception of dealing double the damage.
 * Sand Slide: Erron Black dives feet first under his opponent, tripping them up into the air in the opposite direction. (MKX)
 * The enhanced version is called Slide Shots and has armor. Black shoots his opponent twice once they're knocked into the air.
 * Sand Gust: Erron Black pulls out a sand grenade and smashes it between his hands, releasing the sand explosion, knocking the opponent into the air for extended combos. (MKX)
 * The enhanced version is called Dust Storm and does more damage with increased range and the same effect.
 * Sand Trap: Erron Black tackles his opponent to the ground and fires off several shots from his revolvers into their face. (MKX)
 * The enhanced version is called Quick Sand, which has armor, but deals no extra damage. When enhanced, the attack will connect on standing opponents during a combo.
 * It can also be enhanced after the opponent has been tackled, which adds one more shot at the opponent once Black stands back up for extra damage.
 * The attack can be enhanced if either version of the attack connects.
 * Money Shot: Erron Black flips a coin into the air and fires a shot at it, ricocheting the bullet off it and at his opponent. The attack can be performed at different distances, called Close/Far Money Shot, respectively. (MKX - Gunslinger Variation)
 * The enhanced version is called Barrage and has Black fire off three shots. When enhanced, the attack no longer has a range.
 * Stand Off: Erron Black stands his ground and can follow up with various attacks with his revolvers. (MKX - Gunslinger Variation)
 * The moves Erron Black may perform after Stand Off are:
 * Holster: Black keeps his revolvers holstered and returns to his normal fighting stance.
 * Spin Shot: Erron Black draws and fires both revolvers straight ahead with a dash spin backwards.
 * Quick Shot: Erron Black draws both revolvers and fires them upwards to strike airborne opponents or launch them in the air for a juggle.
 * Low Shot: Black draws one revolver and fires multiple times at his opponent's feet, then ends the bullet chain with a final shot to their abdomen. When blocked, this attack creates massive chip damage.
 * Sand Toss: Erron Black flings sand up in a rising arc doing little damage to his opponent, but also briefly stunning them for a free hit. This replaces Sand Gust in the Outlaw variation. (MKX - Outlaw Variation)
 * The enhanced version is called Sand Throw and has Black throw a larger amount of sand for more damage and recover from the attack much faster.
 * Tarkatan Stab: Erron Black unsheathes his Tarkatan blade and impales his opponent through their abdomen, lifting them into the air before they fall to their knees, where he follows up with several stabs before breaking the blade off in their chest. The opponent will be left bleeding after the blade is broken off, causing extra damage over time, but Black cannot use the move again during this time. Moves and combos including the sword can be used but with less range, however some combos will be disabled. (MKX - Outlaw Variation)
 * The enhanced version is called Tarkatan Infection, which has armor and it leaves the opponent bleeding for a longer period, however this also extends the time the sword will be unavailable for in addition to some combos.
 * Long Shot: Erron Black drops to his knees, draws his rifle and gets off a shot at his opponent's legs. It can also delayed or run-cancelled. (MKX - Marksman Variation)
 * The enhanced version is called Sniper Shot and does more damage.
 * Swing Shot: Erron Black draws his rifle out by the barrel and smacks his opponent with it across their face, launching them in the air for a juggle. (MKX - Marksman Variation)
 * This move can be enhanced after the opponent gets hit, which has Black firing a shot at them when they're airborne, for extra damage and keeps them in the air longer.
 * Unload: Erron Black draws his rifle and unloads several shots while walking backwards. (MKX - Marksman Variation)
 * The enhanced version is called Barrage and has Black fire three shots that track the opponent, bursting them into the air for extended combos.
 * X-Ray Move - Trick Shot: Erron Black throws a grenade at his opponent's feet, stunning them, then loads a bullet with the opponent's name on it into his revolver, fires it, hitting his opponent's hip and shattering it. The bullet ricochets up to his opponent's shoulder blade, and ricochets one last time to exit out their shoulder and hit their jaw. (MKX)

Other Moves

 * Throw: Black pistol whips his opponent with his revolvers, then shoots their kneecap and fires a shot in their face. (MKX)

Fatalities

 * Sand Storm: Erron Black fires a single round into his opponent's abdomen, then throws a sand grenade into the hole, shooting it as well. The sand grenade explodes, releasing streams of sand that pour out of his opponent's mouth, eyes and ears as the sand rises up their waist, leaving them twitching. (MKX)
 * Six-Shooter: Erron Black draws his revolvers and shoots the opponent twice in the chest and once in the shoulder, leaving holes. He then shoots the opponent cheek, leaving a huge hole. Finally he shoots the opponent three times in the stomach. The opponent proceeds to falls on his/her knee, immediately collapsing afterwards. (MKX)

Other Finishers

 * Brutality #1 - Tunnel Vision: Erron performs his Throw, only this time, he shoots the opponent's leg off and fires a shot into their head, killing them. A crow flies onto the body and pecks the corpse before flying away. (MKX)
 * A button must be held.
 * Brutality #2 - Serenity: Erron performs either a Sand Trap or Quick Sand, only this time extended to the point the opponent's head is reduced to a bloody skull. (MKX)
 * A button must be pressed repeatedly.
 * Brutality #3 - Quick Draw: Erron enters his Stand Off stance and performs a Spin Shot, firing two shots into the opponent's head and chest simultaneously. The opponent then falls down with their head gone and a gaping hole in their chest. (MKX - Gunslinger Variation)
 * Requires a number of back dashes during the match.
 * Brutality #4 - Sword In The Stone: Erron performs a Tarkatan Infection, proceeding to stab them with the Tarkatan blade. After that, he plunges it into the opponent's head, leaving it gushing blood. (MKX - Outlaw Variation)
 * A series of buttons must be pressed during the stabs.
 * Brutality #5 - Swing Low: Erron performs a Swing Shot that launches the opponent's head off their body. He then proceeds to aim at it and blow it up. (MKX - Marksman Variation)
 * Brutality #6: Erron performs his X-Ray, with the bullet blowing the opponent's head off in the end as the body collapses. (MKX - Secret)
 * The final hit must be from the X-Ray itself. Unlike the other X-Ray brutalities that remove the rest of the opponent's health, this will not occur. The opponent's health must reach 0 when the bullet hits the skull.
 * Brutality #7: Erron performs his Tunnel Vision Brutality, only this time, he shoots the crow off the opponent's corpse. (MKX - Secret)
 * Has the same requirements as Tunnel Vision.
 * Requires certain buttons to be held.

Quotes

 * "I'm from Earthrealm, like you. But my employer, Kotal Kahn, is from Outworld. So now I'm from Outworld. State your business." (After Takeda reveals his origins)
 * "A point you might make with more subtlety, given your surroundings..." 
 * "You won't touch him again." (To Rain regarding Kotal Kahn)
 * "Now state your business. Including a reason why we shouldn't kill you." (To Cassie Cage)
 * "Think you can handle me alone? You're either brave, or foolish."

Trivia

 * Erron Black's ending reveals Shang Tsung hired him almost 150 years ago, which heavily implies he was indeed an actual gunslinger from the American Old West.
 * Erron Black is currently the only enforcer of Kotal's who doesn't originate from Outworld or a realm conquered by it; rather, he's a human from Earthrealm.
 * Erron Black is one of the few characters to have a brutality that derives from his X-Ray, and not only from special moves, combos and throws.
 * Several links between Erron Black, Kano, and the Black Dragon are made with interactions between the two characters:
 * It is implied by Kano in the Mortal Kombat X Comic, that Erron Black attempted to join the Black Dragon, but was declined.
 * During many character interactions between Kano and Erron Black, Kano questions if Erron Black is interested in joining the Black Dragon.
 * In a character interaction, it is implied that Erron Black detests the Black Dragon, sometimes stating, "I can barely stand one of you".
 * According to a character interaction between Black and Kano, Black states he killed Black Dragon member Kobra at some point before the events of Mortal Kombat X.
 * During Erron Black's X-Ray attack, he will shoot a bullet at his opponent that has the opponent's name on it, being unique to every character in the game.
 * If he is engaged in a Mirror Match, the bullet will instead simply have "Me" scratched on it as opposed to his own name.
 * When used against Corrupted Shinnok, the bullet will still have "Shinnok" on it.
 * When used against Predator, the bullet will have "Ugly Mofo" on it, in reference to the infamous line delivered by Arnold Schwarzenegger from the original movie ("One ugly motherfucker.") when the Predator was unmasked.
 * When used against Triborg, the bullet will have "Cyrax", "Sektor", "Smoke", or "Sub-Zero" on it depending on the variation selected.
 * The bullet will also have "Rain", "Sindel", or "Baraka" engraved on it should they be put into a match against Black via modding on PC or as Invasion Bosses.
 * In the mobile version of MKX, however, as a space-saving measure, Erron's bullet instead always has a death's head (a skull and crossbones, much like a pirate flag) on it.
 * With his Day of the Dead card, the bullet is white and features a Day of the Dead styled skull.
 * According to MKX storywriter Brian Chard, Erron Black was originally planned to be female, but the idea was ultimately dropped during development in favor of him being male.
 * Pre-match banter with Leatherface has Erron happily greet him as a 'fellow Texan', confirming he is from the American state of Texas.
 * Players can earn the achievement "Fox Finish" by winning a round with the opponent taking the final hit from the Caltrops move. This is in reference to Dominique "SonicFox" McLean, a player who used Erron Black extensively in competitive Mortal Kombat X tournaments.
 * With the exception of the announcer, Erron Black is never referred to specifically by his name by any character in Mortal Kombat X.
 * As revealed by files ripped directly from the game, as well as confirmation from Brian Chard, Erron Black's original name was going to be Salazar.
 * When facing Bo' Rai Cho or Triborg, Erron Black may be referred to by his full name during their intro dialogues against him.
 * Although not in Mortal Kombat X, Sub-Zero will mention his name in full when clashing with Deadshot in Injustice 2, as stated below.
 * In some of the pre-battle interactions, certain characters like Jax, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Raiden see Erron Black as only an Outworlder, despite Erron Black speaking of his Earthrealm origin.
 * In NetherRealm Studios' DC Comics fighting game Injustice 2, which features Sub-Zero and Raiden as playable guest characters, Sub-Zero will mention Erron Black when clashing with Deadshot. Deadshot will tell Sub-Zero that he "has a bullet with your name on it", to which Sub-Zero responds with "You are no Erron Black".
 * Erron Black is one of the five characters to have an alternate version of a Brutality. The other four are the Predator, Tremor, Jax, and Reptile.
 * Erron Black is one of the few characters whose fighting style is altered by the addition or removal of a weapon.
 * Erron Black is one of the few characters that has more than one damage-over-time effect, which is available through his Outlaw variation.
 * However, instead of applying the effect like his Tarkatan Stab ability, he has a trap ability that deals damage-over-time so long as the opponent stands over it.
 * His Bounty Hunter Diamond card is the only card in the mobile game that can join any class.
 * Currently, he is the only character with the Nomad class.
 * His Bounty Hunter Card in the mobile game is one of two character cards that have more than three classes at once. The first was Klassic Raiden.
 * Klassic Raiden is four classes in one; Elder God, Spec Ops, Martial Artist, and Outworld. Bounty Hunter Erron Black is six classes in total.
 * Additionally in the mobile game, his Bounty Hunter card is one of two Diamond cards to not have a grapple attack on any of his specials, excluding his X-Ray attack. The other is Klassic Liu Kang.
 * While his Special 1 attack can become an unblockable attack, it is not considered a grapple attack.
 * Erron Black is one of the few humans in the series to reside in Outworld. Another main character that has this trait is Shang Tsung who also has a strong connection to Erron Black.
 * Bo' Rai Cho will comment on this trait when interacting with Erron, as he is an Outworlder residing in Earthrealm.
 * Erron Black is one of the few characters with multiple projectile attacks.
 * Erron Black is one of the few characters with a ranged X-Ray attack.
 * Erron Black's poncho is a reference to the iconic one worn by Clint Eastwood's character in Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy.

Errors

 * During the start of Kotal Kahn's chapter in the Story Mode, when Erron Black is walking next to Ermac, one can see his hands clip into his holsters as he walks with Ermac.
 * If Erron is cut in half vertically on his head, he forms a mini mohawk for an unknown reason. This does not occur with the other characters.
 * Erron's hand will occasionally clip through his pistol holster during a fight.
 * His hands and pistols in their entirety may clip through the torso of his opponent when performing his Serenity Brutality on larger fighters. This is easiest to notice when performed on Torr.
 * Erron Black's Sand Grenade special attack has a rare chance to not deal any damage on a jumping opponent that lands on the grenade, yet the grenade will still explode.
 * If Erron is struck right as he uses his Sand Grenade, there is a chance the grenade will not strike the opponent and simply continue to roll forward before vanishing out of thin air.
 * There is a chance that Erron Black's Caltrops will leave the opponent with 1% health remaining, but he will still win the round against the opponent.
 * In the mobile game, if his Bounty Hunter card performs the Good Day Victory Stance, Erron still grab his hat despite him not wearing one with that card.