Moloch

"Moloch is a creature known more for his strength than his intellect."

- Moloch's Bio Card

Moloch is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He made his debut in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, in which he also served as the sub-boss. Moloch then became playable in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.

About Moloch
The three-eyed Moloch is a massive, lumbering Oni originally from the Netherrealm carrying a massive chained orb, who made his debut in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance as a non-player character (excluding third-party devices). However, in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Moloch is a readily-playable character in the game. He has typical miniboss abilities such as great strength, devastating moves and a few weak spots to exploit for the typically more nimble but weaker opponent. In Deadly Alliance, Moloch is the sub-boss before both Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, and he has no fatality.

In Armageddon, Moloch is shown to be a bit smaller or rather less bulky than he was in Deadly Alliance. Also, it is worth noting that he was not carrying his trademark Mystical Orb (aka Giant Ball of Death) despite the chain still being wrapped around his arm. Originally, it was believed this would mean the Orb would be his weapon fighting style in the game, but it's since been shown he only has one fighting style, leaving the mystery of why the Orb is missing unanswered. However, the Orb does appear in his hand during some of his special moves and his versus screen picture.

Storyline
Moloch is the only known ally of his Oni counterpart, Drahmin. Unlike Drahmin however, distorted and consumed by rage as he may be, Moloch has most likely always been a demon from the Netherrealm. The sorcerer Quan Chi confronted Moloch and Drahmin with an offer to free them from the Netherrealm if they protected him from the ninja spectre Scorpion. It was no surprise to Moloch that Drahmin accepted the offer and so they attacked Scorpion whenever he came near Quan Chi. As the two Oni were combating Scorpion, Quan Chi escaped from the dark realm without them. Enraged, Moloch and Drahmin followed Quan Chi through the portal but were transported to a different location than the sorcerer.

The Oni encountered the cyborg Cyrax in Outworld but were forced to flee from his bombs. Eventually, they took refuge in a forest and feasted on those who wandered too close to its borders. Li Mei came too close to the forest, but escaped through the trees. After that, they were enlisted by another sorcerer, Shang Tsung. They were held in the basement of his palace, as an insurance policy, should Quan Chi turn on him. Eventually, Moloch and Drahmin were set free. Instead of confronting Quan Chi, they ironically protected him by raiding Scorpion and hurling him into the Soulnado. Both Onis then disappeared from Shang Tsung's palace, as it was later destroyed by an explosion.

In his Armageddon ending, Moloch defeated Blaze and thus absorbs his power, transforming him into a Destroyer of Worlds which surpasses his own status as the Oni Destroyer but lived to the name "Destroyer." He then destroys the Pyramid of Argus and later destroys all of Edenia, turns it all into a wasteland. But because he had destroyed the portal, he was stuck in Edenia, a victim of his own destructive rage.

Biographies
Bio Kard: "A demon, or Oni, Moloch is a creature known more for his strength than his intellect. Astoundingly powerful and remarkably cruel, this hulking brute takes pure delight in the pain and suffering of others, especially if he has caused that pain."

Powers and abilities
Moloch is large and extremely powerful. The orb that is chained to his arm is capable of dealing tremendous damage, and his Oni nature allows him to fight up close to his opponents. Another use for his orb is to create a shockwave by pounding the ground with it, as well as to send a fireball towards the opponent. He is also the only character to have three healing moves. With Drahmin at his side, they were able to defeat Scorpion with considerable ease.

Concept art of Moloch shows that the orb is carried around by a white owl, and Moloch appears from beneath the ground wherever the orb lands when it is dropped.

Signature moves

 * Beast Lord: Moloch charges at the opponent, knocking them down. (MK:DA, MK:A)
 * Ground Bash: Moloch slams his orb on the ground, causing heavy damage. (MK:DA, MK:A)
 * Suction Breath: Moloch creates a large gust of wind which pulls the opponent towards him, and if successful, the opponent bounces off Moloch's body and is left open for a juggle. (MK:DA, MK:A)
 * Power Ball: Moloch strikes the ground with his orb and creates a projectile which strikes the opponent's legs. (MK:A)
 * Super Charge: Moloch raises his arm into the air and roars. This heals some damage. (MK:A)
 * Ragin' Oni: Moloch flails both his arms in the air wildly. This also heals damage. (MK:DA, MK:A)
 * Furious Howl: Moloch emits a loud howl, which also heals damage. (MK:A)

Endings

 * Armageddon: (Non-Canonical) "The Oni Destroyer Moloch absorbed the gift of godlike power from Blaze and was transformed into a Destroyer of Worlds. In a gesture symbolic of his new power, he slammed his fist against the pyramid, completely shattering the structure. Moloch then laid waste to Edenia, transforming it into a barren wasteland not unlike the Netherrealm. Because he destroyed the Edenian portals, however, Moloch was trapped there, a victim of his own destructive rage."

Character analysis
Moloch takes his name from a Near Eastern deity who was given human sacrifices. Concept art for Deadly Alliance depicted Moloch as originally having an owl who would fetch his orb from the Netherrealm. Moloch would appear where the owl dropped the orb.

In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (similar to Blaze and Onaga), Moloch cannot be thrown by normal characters and is immune to projectiles, forcing the opponent player into close range.

Character Relationships

 * Allied with Drahmin.
 * Fought and defeated Scorpion.
 * Betrayed by Quan Chi.
 * Forced to take refuge from Cyrax's bombs.
 * Allied with Shang Tsung to kill Quan Chi.
 * Fought Scorpion alongside Drahmin and threw him in a soulnado.
 * Supposedly killed by Raiden's explosion in the opening of Deception.
 * While he did not appear in the opening cutscene of Armageddon, it is likely that he joined the Forces of Darkness.

Trivia

 * Moloch makes a brief cameo in Deception's Konquest mode. He is seen speaking with Drahmin, saying they should feed on the remains of the loser of the nearby battle between Quan Chi and Scorpion. This is most likely how Quan Chi met the two Oni. Also, during Mortal Kombat: Deception's Konquest, the player is able to talk to Moloch. He asks the player to tell Drahmin of a feast. After the player completes the task, Moloch will make numerous belching noises when spoken to again.
 * When Moloch is standing straight up, not crouched over like he usually is, he is the tallest character in the game, but there is no notable difference between Blaze and Moloch in height whilst standing straight up. It is more likely that the Deadly Alliance version of Moloch would've been taller than Blaze when standing up straight(he is 16 feet,6 inches while Blaze is 12 feet). Moloch is also the heaviest character in the game, being more than twice as heavy as any other character.
 * Moloch's orb only appears in Armageddon when using his Power Ball and Ground Bash moves.
 * Excluding Stage Fatalities and the Kreate-A-Fatality, Moloch is one of seven characters including Blaze, Daegon, Mokap, Chameleon, Khameleon and Onaga never to receive his own unique finishing move.
 * During Johnny Cage's ending in Deadly Alliance, an image of Moloch can be seen on Cage's movie poster.
 * Moloch means "juggernaut" when translated from German to English.