Fujin

"Farewell Thunder God, I will not fail you."

- Fujin, in his Mortal Kombat 4 Ending, speaking to Raiden

Fujin (風神) is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He made his debut in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero as a boss (although was never mentioned by name), and first became playable in Mortal Kombat 4.

About Fujin
First appearing as an unnamed boss in the adventure title Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, Fujin made his debut in the main fighting series of games during Mortal Kombat 4 portrayed as the God of Wind. Along with Raiden, Fujin is another character in the series to have originated from Japanese religion, based on the Shinto god of the wind of the same name. He appears as a tall, ageless, muscular human with long white hair bound in a ponytail and glowing white eyes. The back of his Mortal Kombat 4 costume features the Chinese character 空, whose most relevant translation to English is air or sky. As expected, he has a great variety of wind-oriented attacks at his disposal. Although more indifferent and abstract in character than Raiden, Fujin is also depicted as being concerned with the fate of Earthrealm.

Appearance
Taking on the form of a mortal man, Fujin appears as a dark-skinned man with slicked back white hair tied into a ponytail and eyes similar to Raiden. He wore a black vest and green pants with boots. In his debut, Fujin wore a red cape, but was discarded afterward. Interesting to note in Mythologies that his in-game sprite depicts him with blue pants and a black headband, neither of which are used in later 3D renditions. Following his return in Armageddon, he wears a more detailed version of his original clothing with shoulder guards added. His hair is no longer slicked back with bangs framing his face and his hair longer, extended into a long braid with three hairpieces.

Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
Fujin was one of the four guardians assigned by Raiden to guard and protect the Amulet of Shinnok and was the first of the gods that Noob Saibot (then the Elder Sub-Zero) bested in order to acquire it (he is seen being torn asunder by his own tornado, but survived the ordeal).

Mortal Kombat 4
He remained inactive until Shinnok, a fallen Elder God, escaped from the Netherrealm and decided to attack the Eternal Palace of the Elder Gods. Fujin tried to defend the Palace and fell from the Heavens while fighting to protect it. He was pursued by Shinnok's Army of Darkness and was saved by Liu Kang, Kai and Raiden, just before the minions could finish him. Being one of the few remaining Earthrealm gods, Fujin joined Raiden in his battle against his old enemy, assisting the Earthrealm forces.

The Earthrealm warriors were victorious and Shinnok was once again trapped in the Netherrealm. Fujin consulted with the Elder Gods, who revealed to him that he had a new task. Raiden would be ascending to the pantheon of Elder Gods and he chose Fujin to be the new protector of Earthrealm. Fujin accepted the position and promised Raiden that he would not fail him.

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Fujin became aware of a change in Raiden's personality. He saw that the thunder god, while still seeking to protect Earthrealm, had grown to be ruthless. Raiden was now commanding the reanimated corpse of Liu Kang, who was killing many innocent people for unknown reasons. Fujin allied with Kung Lao in hopes that they could possibly find a way to save both Raiden and Liu Kang.

He learned from Kung Lao that Johnny Cage was gathering the Forces of Light. Fujin took part in the meeting held by Cage and in there he heard about Johnny Cage's encounter with Shinnok, he did not believe Johnny to have psychic powers but something mentioned at the gathering caught his attention. Kenshi, a blind swordsman, mentioned the brothers Taven and Daegon. Fujin had been a friend of their family for ages and he had questioned their father Argus when the two disappeared. He realized that Argus placed them on a quest, but now this quest was becoming corrupted by evil. The God of Wind searched for both brothers, hoping to prevent their progress and learn the true purpose of their quest. He confronted Taven in a forest outside of the Red Dragon Clan's headquarters and urged him not to enter, but Taven did not obey Taven and Fujin battled, but in the end Taven emerges victorious and continued his journey, regretting to have fought an old friend. Fujin is not seen again in the konquest.

He would later join the Forces of Light in final battle against the Forces of Darkness and presumably died along with the rest of the Kombatants.

Biographies

 * Mortal Kombat 4: "Better known as the God of Wind, Fujin joins Raiden as one of the last surviving gods on Earth. Their counterparts were defeated in a war of The Heavens between Shinnok's forces and the Elder Gods. He now prepares for the final battle between the Forces of Light and Shinnok's hell-spawned warriors of Darkness."


 * Armageddon: "It is unclear to me what has caused the transformation in our friend and ally Raiden. I have conversed with gods from other realms about the possible reasons for his madness. Rumors abound that he may have sacrificed himself to defeat Onaga. But if that were true, his energies would have dispersed and then reformed in Earthrealm. His spirit would have been reborn, having no memories of the past. He would have become a new god of thunder, neither good nor evil. Yet this new Raiden is dark, acting with a clear goal to defend the realm, but with the ruthlessness of Shao Kahn. What is more troubling is the enforcer he commands. Liu Kang's corpse has been reanimated and is selectively slaying many for reasons unknown. Kung Lao and I have joined forces to confront our former allies. If a way cannot be found to save Raiden and Liu Kang, I fear we will have no choice but to finish them. I first reunited with Kung Lao. He informed me of a gathering called together by Johnny Cage. At the meeting, Johnny Cage described his encounter with Shinnok, the fallen Elder God thought to have been defeated years ago. I doubted his story. It seems unlikely that Johnny Cage would have psychic powers, and even less likely that he could have defeated Shinnok single-handed. But others present brought forth further evidence that something epic was taking shape. Most interesting was Kenshi's mention of the brothers Taven and Daegon. I knew them well ages ago. When they went missing, I questioned Argus. He would not speak of their whereabouts, but stated that they would bring about a new world. At the time I did not understand what he meant. But now it is becoming clear to me that whatever Argus planned is being corrupted by evil. As the others embark on this journey to defeat Blaze, I must intercept Taven and Daegon to hinder their progress and determine the true purpose of the quest. I only hope I am not too late."


 * Armageddon Bio Kard: "When Raiden was accepted into the pantheon of Elder Gods, Fujin replaced him as protector of Earthrealm. Fujin's wisdom is matched only by his ferocity in battle."

Powers and abilities
Fujin is in complete control of all things related to wind. He can levitate by manipulating the wind around him, allowing him to strike the opponent from a safe distance. He can also send miniature tornadoes at his opponents that spin them around several times and leave them vulnerable to follow-up attacks. Additionally, he can levitate the opponent and slam them down on the ground and transform himself into a tornado to heave them towards him. Considering that many of these moves can potentially leave the foe open for a free hit, Fujin has proven to be a supremely powerful fighter on par with that of fellow god Raiden. Fujin is also an immortal God much like Raiden, he can't die as was proven in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero where he literally created a tornado so large he made himself explode and then returned shortly after that as seen in MK4.

Signature moves

 * Rising Knee: Fujin would fly and hit his opponent three times with his knees. This move seems to be borrowed from Shao Kahn. (MK4, MKG)
 * Gusting Cyclone: Fujin spins like a tornado which sucks the opponent in and throws them to the other side. (MK4, MKG, MK:A)
 * Air Funnel: Fujin uses a gust of wind to lift his opponent and slam them down. (MK4, MKG, MK:A)
 * Wind Kick: While airborne, Fujin comes down and kicks the opponent. In MK4 and MKG, Fujin can make two kicks. (MK4, MKG, MK:A)
 * Tornado Wind: Fujin launches a small tornado at the opponent, causing them to spin around wildly and setting them up for an additional combo. (MK:A)

Fatalities

 * Crossbow Kill: After levitating the opponent, Fujin shoots his crossbow at them, causing them to explode. (MK4, MKG)
 * Skinner: Fujin concentrates a huge blast of wind at the opponent that rips their skin clean off. (MK4, MKG)

Endings

 * Mortal Kombat 4:
 * Fujin: Our forces of Light have defeated Shinnok. Now, I must return to my duties as Earth's God of Wind.


 * Elder God: You have served your element well, Fujin, but we have a new mission for you.


 * (Raiden appears in a lightning bolt before Fujin)


 * Fujin: Raiden?


 * Raiden: Our battle with Shinnok's forces is over. I must move on to my new position as an Elder God. And you, Fujin, you must take my former position as Protector of Earth.


 * Fujin: (bows) Raiden, it will be my honor to succeed you.


 * Raiden: Take special care of the mortals of Earth. They are a great people, but have the ability to self-destruct. Be patient, and offer your wisdom and guidance. (vanishes in another lightning bolt)


 * Fujin: Farewell, Thunder God. I will not fail you.


 * Raiden's voice: That is why I picked you.


 * Armageddon: (Non-Canonical) "As the energy of Blaze coursed through Fujin, it transformed the wind god into a storm of justice. His power increased exponentially, he created a new realm from the shattered remnants of worlds that had fallen victim to Shao Kahn's aggression. From there the Forces of Light will stage their operations, with Kung Lao as Fujin's commanding general."

Game information
Fujin was written to be Raiden's brother (which is also true for the myths) in Mortal Kombat 4 ' s official strategy guide, although this has never been mentioned in the games. The character possessed a projectile crossbow weapon in this title, which Ed Boon has stated that he believed was a mistake as it did not fit with the style of the rest of the weapons and the computer AI had a difficult time managing it. Concept art in Armageddon, early video footage of the game, and a screenshot seen in the instruction manual show that Fujin was to have a weapon known as the Wind Staff, described as being an ancient tree branch fitted with "Forest Crystals" and having magical wind energy circling the twigs on the staff's end. However, he would instead be given what was initially Reiko's Devastator sword in the final version.

Fujin makes two small cameo appearances in Mortal Kombat: Deception. In the game's Konquest mode, he can be found in Orderrealm searching for a book that will help him in his defense of Earthrealm. He is also seen as a background prisoner in the Dark Prison stage, along with various other characters.

In Mortal Kombat (2011), Fujin makes a brief appearance in Kratos' ending alongside Raiden. There was a video of a hacker using a basic character model, but once this model is chosen at the Character select screen, the announcer says "Fujin", leading many to believe that Fujin will one day be playable as DLC character. Soon enough though, he was denied, along with many others by Ed Boon, via Twitter.

Character Relationships

 * Was a friend of Taven and Daegon's family for ages.
 * Close friend and ally of Raiden.
 * Assigned by Raiden along with other gods to protect Shinnok's amulet.
 * Defeated by Elder Sub-Zero. (He got ripped apart when Elder Sub-Zero defeated him but somehow survived or got resurrected).
 * Attacked by Shinnok and his Army of Darkness.
 * Saved by Liu Kang, Kai and Raiden.
 * Joined Raiden's forces to fight Shinnok in MK4. Eventually Raiden appointed him as the new protector of Earthrealm at the end of MK4.
 * Recruited Kung Lao to fight Raiden and Liu Kang's corpse.
 * Tried to stop Taven from completing his corrupted quest but was defeated by him.
 * Along with Kung Lao, they defeated Raiden and Zombie Liu Kang.
 * Joined the Forces of Light in the final battle in Armageddon.

Trivia

 * In early versions of Armageddon, Mian Chuan and Hapkido were supposed to be his unarmed fighting style. He was also going to have the Wind Staff, before he eventually acquired the Devastator.
 * In Armageddon, Fujin borrowed the Lui He fighting style that Shao Kahn had in Deception (Gamecube version and Unchained).
 * In Armageddon Fujin is the only character whose relic belongs exclusively to his alternate costume.
 * In his Bio Kard, it states that his first appearance was in MK4 but his first actual appearance was in MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero. This is probably because he was unnamed in that game.
 * Fujin appears alongside Raiden in Kratos's ending and bows down to him as a sign of respect.
 * In Mortal Kombat (2011), Fujin's name can be heard from an announcer when a character called "DLC Basemale" is selected. This character was found in the leaked release of the Skarlet DLC.
 * Evidenced by him being a god of wind along with his name, it is probable that he is a reference to Ted Fujita, a meterologist who developed the Fujita Scale, which shows ratings of tornado intensity.