Dairou

For all the good I had done, the event that had come to define me was that one moment of chaos.

-- Mortal Kombat: Deception bio

Dairou is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He made his debut in Mortal Kombat: Deception.

About Dairou
Dairou is a Seidan neutral guard, he usually gets the job done as quickly as possible, but there might be some honor left in his cynical heart.

Storyline
Dairou was once a highly respected Seidan guardsman, much like Hotaru, but he was imprisoned when he attacked and killed the man who he was led to believe murdered his family. In Deception's Konquest mode, Dairou is hired to free Shujinko from prison. In the present, he has been hired by Darrius to steal the constitution of Seido and to kill Hotaru. It is unknown if he succeeded or not, however both he and Hotaru returned in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.

In Dairou's Armageddon ending, after defeating Blaze, he is awarded with a golden suit of armor. Shao Kahn, furious that the prize was stolen from him, attacked Dairou, but the armor burned him with every blow he tried to land. Eventually, Dairou defeated Kahn and claimed the throne to Outworld, which began to prosper just as it had before Kahn took over. Edenia and Earthrealm then forge an alliance with Outworld to uphold peace in the realms.

Biographies

 * Deception: "I was once a member of the Seidan Guard. I believed in the power of Order and lived by this strict codes of my superiors. I had saved many lives during my years of service. But when I killed an assailant in a fit of rage. I was arrested and sentenced to a life of incarceration. For all the good I had done, the event that had come to define me was that one moment of Chaos. I eventually escaped during a riot incited by the resistance. I emerged from the prison a changed man. No longer would I follow orders of the Seidan. Neither could I bring myself to give in to Chaos. I opted to serve myself. I became a mercenary, a warrior for hire, and have become revered in Orderrealm's secret underground. My neutrality has been put to the test, however, as my current contract is to find and kill my former guardsman, Hotaru."


 * Armageddon Bio Kard: "After his family was murdered, Dairou's hunger for revenge allowed him to be tricked into killing an innocent man. Now the former Seidan guardsman works alone as a mercenary. He takes assignments where he can find them, whether they are noble or not."thumb|300px|right

Powers and abilities
Dairou is a stealthy fighter, choosing not to rely on powerful projectiles but rather on pop-up abilities and strategy. He can slam his body on the ground to send the opponent flying, setting them up for a juggle. He can also switch places with his opponent, which can be extremely useful if Dairou has his back to a death trap.

Signature Moves

 * Tombstone Drop: Dairou falls flat on his back, causing his opponent to fly in air. (MK:D, MK:A)
 * Stealthy Shadows: Dairou switches both the positions of his and his opponent, leaving a puff of yellow smoke in both positions. (MK:D, MK:A)
 * Iron Leg: Dairou blasts a three-area energy star from his leg. (MK:D, MK:A)

Fatalities

 * Stretch and Slam: Dairou knocks the opponent down while holding their arms and rests a foot on their spine. From there, Dairou begins pulling violently against the limbs and then releases, sending the opponent into the ground with full force, causing them to explode. (MK:D)
 * Eye Stab: Dairou rips two ribs from the opponent's chest and stabs them in the eyes with them. (MK:D)

Other finishers

 * Hara-Kiri: Dairou twists his body around, which results in the destruction of his spine as his body lays on the floor, horribly bended. (MK:D)

Endings

 * Deception: (non-cannon) "Normally Dairou took no risks and ambushed those he had been hired to kill. But in this case, he felt compelled to announce his intentions to kill his fellow Guardsman, Hotaru. There still must have been some code of honor left in his cynical heart. Hotaru was defeated... but before Dairou could reveal who had commissioned the attack, Hotaru drew his dying breath."


 * Armageddon: (non-cannon) "The fire of Blaze enveloped Dairou and formed around him a golden suit of armor. Enraged, Shao Kahn attacked, but the armor scorched his body with every blow. Dairou defeated the emperor and claimed Outworld for himself. Under his rule, Outworld once again became the majestic realm it had been in ages past. Convinced of his good nature, Edenia and Earthrealm forged an alliance with Dairou that would ensure peace and stability forever."

Trivia
In General: Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance: Mortal Kombat Deception:
 * He's unaware that Darrius, who hired him to kill Hotaru, was also the one who hired an assassin to murder Dairou's family.
 * Dairou was going to appear in this game as a samurai fighter hired by Shang Tsung, but was cut due to time constraints.
 * There were two concept arts of him found in the krypt.
 * He borrowed the Wing Chun fighting style that Mavado had, the Escrima fighting style that Quan Chi had, and the weapon moves that Kung Lao had in Deadly Alliance.

Character Relationships

 * Once a member of the Seidan Guardsman.
 * His family was killed by an unknown assassin, then he killed an innocent person and sentenced to a life of incarceration.
 * Was freed from his cell by Darrius and worked for him.
 * Hired by Damashi/Onaga to free Shujinko from his cell.
 * Hired by Darrius to kill Hotaru.
 * Joined the Forces of Darkness in the last battle in Armageddon.