Ashrah

Overview

Original Timeline

Current Timeline

Moveset

Gallery

Ashrah
General Information
Gender	Female
Origin	Netherrealm
Resides	1st Timeline: Edenia 3rd Timeline: Wu Shi Academy, Earthrealm
Species	Demon
In Mortal Kombat
Weapons	Kriss/Datusha (MK:D, MK:U, MK:A, MK1)
Fighting Styles	Ba Gua (MK:D, MK:U) Chou Jaio (MK:D, MK:U, MK:A, MK1) Silat (MK1) Wushu (MK1)
Games	Mortal Kombat: Deception Mortal Kombat: Unchained Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Mortal Kombat 11 (cameo) Mortal Kombat 1 Mortal Kombat: Onslaught
Portrayers	Beth Smukowski (MK:D, MK:U, MK:A) Kelly Hu (Mortal Kombat") Legends: Cage Match|MKL:CM]]) Susan Eisenberg (MK1)

“	It is here that I am most powerful.	„
—Ashrah to Shujinko in Mortal Kombat: Deception.

Ashrah (Japanese: 阿修羅 Ashura) is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. A demoness who desires absolution from the Netherrealm, Ashrah slays demons with an enchanted kriss sword called Datusha to purge the evil from her soul.

Ashrah made her debut in Mortal Kombat: Deception. She would return as one of the many playable characters in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.

A new version of Ashrah returns in Mortal Kombat 1 as a playable character, marking her return to the franchise in over 16 years.

About Ashrah

Despite having the appearance of an elegant, old-fashioned, attractive young woman, Ashrah is actually a demon from the Netherrealm. She dresses completely in white and appears as a tall, mysterious woman; a blend between aristocracy and innocence.

Ashrah made her first appearance in Mortal Kombat: Deception. Within the Mortal Kombat series, she is something of a stand-alone character, jumping back and forth between the forces of good and evil. Her occupation is that of a demon hunter. Ashrah's weapon of choice is her Kriss, which is believed to have been "blessed" or is of a "heavenly origin".

In the current timeline established in Mortal Kombat 1, Ashrah is a demon huntress bent on destroying Quan Chi for enslaving her, Sareena and her shadow sisters as well as purifying her soul. Following the events of Mortal Kombat 1, she develops a romantic relationship with Reptile.

Appearance

Ashrah is a demon woman with dark brown hair tied into a bun. She has the trademark white hat with a long veil that trails behind it. Her hair is dark and pulled back in a bun. She wears almost all white. She has what looks like a white kimono-like dress on with a gold belt. This outfit has gold bracelets that twist around her wrists. She wears a white skirt with Japanese symbols on the right side. Under this skirt are a pair of white karate "pants." She has what look to be white socks or very soft shoes on her feet; gold trim snakes its way up her calves.

Alternate Costume: Ashrah no longer has a hat. A portion of her hair is pulled back into a ponytail, while the rest is shoulder length. She wears a white modified kimono-like dress with gold trim, that ends in a sort of skirt attire. The chest of this outfit is very open. Her upper arms are "encased" in a see-through fabric. Her wrists have rainbow coloured guards around them. She wears a long gold sash that flows along as she fights. She wears thigh high silvery white boots with gold wrappings around her ankles and shins.

In the first timeline, Ashrah looked like a normal human being at first glance.

Following Mortal Kombat 1, Ashrah's appearance no longer looks like that of a human anymore. Instead, she now sports a light-yellow skin with light make-up mark on her face, as well as having similar black colored eyes on both pupils and scleras as D'Vorah, to accentuate her demonic nature. She no longer wears her hat from past games.

Combat Characteristics

Powers and Abilities

Ashrah has possession of a powerful, holy artifact known as the Kriss - Datusha, a weapon that has the ability to cleanse the soul of its user. By slaying demons, its wielder gradually becomes more pure/holy, effects that are shown in Ashrah. Its power is not limited to just affecting the user's essence, but also their personalities. Ashrah turned against her demon brethren and sought to become purified. If she could accomplish her goal by slaying enough demons, the Netherrealm itself would reject her holy being. Despite Ashrah's origin as a demon, she wields holy powers as a side effect of wielding the Kriss.

In Mortal Kombat 1, Ashrah's swordsmanship with Datusha is further emphasized. Additionally, as a side effect of the weapon's divine nature, she gains the ability to manifest angelic wings with blade-like feathers, using the wings as melee weapons or shooting the feathers to skewer her opponent. Ashrah can also channel her darkness into the blade and pass it onto her opponents, increasing damage dealt with the blade's divine state.

Signature Moves

• Lightning Blast: Ashrah shoots a ball of white energy towards the opponent that travels a very short distance but knocks them back. (MK:D, MK:U, MK:A)
• Heavenly Light: Ashrah shoots a ball of white energy upwards that crashes down on the opponent. (MK:D, MK:U, MK:A)
• Spin Cycle: Ashrah spins in a circle, and if it connects, they will be launched high up in the air. Pressing the button repeatedly will make the move last longer. (MK:D, MK:U, MK:A)
• Nature's Torpedo: Ashrah flies towards the opponent while spinning, and if it connects, the opponent will be sent flying. (MK:D, MK:U, MK:A)
• Heaven/Hell Mode: Ashrah swings her kriss or enchants it, empowering it with either Darkness or Light, changing the properties of her Special Attacks dependent on which enchantment she has selected. Ashrah is completely vulnerable when changing between modes. When connecting a Special Attack in Hell Mode, they apply a lingering Dark Debuff on the opponent for some time, up to a max of three debuffs. Each time Ashrah performs a Special Attack or specific combo in Heaven Mode, a debuff is consumed and the opponent takes additional damage from her Special Attacks while altering the effects of the specific combo performed. Being struck by a Fatal Blow removes the debuffs prematurely, however Ashrah's Fatal Blow will consume all of the debuffs. After some time, Ashrah will automatically change from Hell Mode back to Heaven Mode. (MK1)
  • Special Attacks exclusive to Heaven Mode include the following:
    • Summoning The Darkness: Ashrah swings her kriss, summoning dark energy and changing to Hell Mode.
    • Heaven's Beacon: Ashrah enchants her kriss with light and sends a large vertical projectile at the opponent reaching nearly full-screen distance. When blocked by the opponent, Ashrah is very safe, however she is completely vulnerable before sending the projectile. Ashrah can continue combos in some instances when utilizing this attack on a juggled opponent.
      • Enhancing the attack deals increased damage and increases the projectiles range to full-screen distance.
    • Astral Projection: Ashrah sends an astral projection of herself at the opponent before reappearing in its place and blasting the opponent with energy, knocking them away. While sending the projection, Ashrah can phase through objects and avoid damage from attacks, however her physical body is still vulnerable to incoming attacks while the projection is charging. Additionally, Ashrah can phase through the opponent in some instances which can cause her to miss the opponent entirely, leaving her completely vulnerable. Ashrah can delay or cancel the attack whenever she chooses, allowing her to travel full-screen distance at the opponent or disintegrate the projection. Additionally, Ashrah can perform an additional attack of her choice called Spirit Slice, slashing through the opponent for how far the projection traveled, even if she phases through the opponent. This attack deals slightly less damage. Ashrah can perform these attacks while in the air, called (Air) Astral Projection and (Air) Spirit Slice, respectively, retaining the same delaying and canceling effects as their originals.
      • The enhanced versions of these attacks grant armor and deals increased damage.
    • God's Wrath: Ashrah performs a series of enchanted slashes with her kriss at the opponent with the final slash knocking the opponent to the ground.
      • Enhancing the attack deals increased damage and knocks the opponent into the air and away from Ashrah. Additionally, the first hit of this Special Attack is unbreakable with a Combo Breaker.
    • Light Ascension: Ashrah slashes and launches the opponent into the air.
      • Enhancing the attack deals no additional damage but allows Ashrah to follow-up with airborne attacks on the opponent.
  • Special Attacks exclusive to Hell Mode include the following:
    • Invoking The Light: Ashrash enchants her kriss, changing into Heaven Mode.
    • Hell's Pillar: Ashrah swings her kriss, which sends a small purple blast of energy on the ground that knocks the opponent off their feet. The attack can be used at different ranges, called (Close/Far) Hell's Pillar, respectively. The opponent cannot use their Combo Breaker on this attack in a combo, should they by struck by it. This attack is considered a projectile.
      • Enhancing the attack deals increased damage and sends the energy blast across the entire fightline.
    • Astral Manifestation: Ashrah sends a purple astral projection of herself at the opponent before reappearing in its place identical to Astral Projection, however she does not damage the opponent but can still advance and avoid attacks identical to Astral Projection. Ashrah can still perform Spirit Slice, retaining its original effects. As with Astral Projection, Ashrah can perform these attacks while in the air, called (Air) Astral Manifestation and (Air) Spirit Slice, respectively, retaining the same delaying and canceling effects as their originals.
      • Enhancing the attack grants armor.
    • Demon's Wrath: Ashrah performs a series of enchanted slashes with her kriss at the opponent with the final slash knocking the opponent to the ground. This attack is identical to God's Wrath, however when successfully connecting the attack, Ashrah applies three debuffs to the opponent instead of one.
      • Enhancing the attack deals increased damage and knocks the opponent into the air and away from Ashrah. Additionally, the first hit of this Special Attack is unbreakable with a Combo Breaker.
    • Darkness Ascension: Ashrah slashes and launches the opponent into the air. This attack is identical to Light Ascension in performance and effect, however the opponent is affected by a Dark Debuff as a result.
      • Enhancing the attack deals no additional damage but allows Ashrah to follow-up with airborne attacks on the opponent.

Fatal Blow

• Pinned Down: Ashrah summons light to grant her wings and strikes the opponent with an overhead slash from her kriss. She then impales the opponent with her light-enchanted wings, shattering their ribcage with the feathers. She then disintegrates the wings but charges the feathers into a circle, slashing the opponent twice before stabbing them in the stomach then sends the feathers at the opponent, impaling them several times over before they explode and knock the opponent away. This Fatal Blow is capable of being Up Blocked by the opponent, leaving Ashrah completely vulnerable. (MK1)

Other Moves

• See The Light: Ashrah grabs the opponent and lifts their arm up, punching them in the gut with her free hand and hitting them with an axe kick to bounce them off the ground. (MK:D, MK:A)
• Demon Dance (Backward Throw): Ashrah phases through the opponent three times while slashing them, knocking them down with the final slash. (MK1)
• Soaring Demon: Ashrah leaps forward and swings her Kriss downwards while spinning, making the opponent bounce off the ground for a juggle. (MK1)
• Playful Prickle: Ashrah slashes then stabs the opponent, causing them to collapse in from of her. This combo acts as a soft stun, briefly stunning the opponent and setting them up for a free hit. The opponent collapses while stunned, and this is considered them in a juggled combo state. (MK1)

Fatalities

• Spirit Melt: Ashrah summons a field of mystical blue light around her opponent, who, due to this, melts. (MK:D, MK:U)
• Voodoo Doll: Ashrah flourishes a voodoo doll, and stabs its arms with her Kriss. Her opponent's arms fall to the ground, afterwards. She then stabs the doll in its chest and twists the blade, sending chunks of flesh flying from the opponent's torso, before they fall. (MK:D, MK:U)
• Heavenly Light: Ashrah rises into the air and summons a pair of angelic bladed wings from behind her, before sending a swarm of blades to impale her opponent to the ground. She then proceeds to the strike the ground with her Kriss, sending a wave of energy that scorches her opponent, leaving charred remains of their upper body. (MK1)
• Threads of Ill Fate: Ashrah uses her sword as some type of rope to strike the opponent's arm, head, and the torso twice. She then pulls back on the sword/rope, which then makes the opponent split to pieces. (MK1)

Brutalities

Mortal Kombat 1

• The Klassic: Ashrah performs her uppercut, decapitating the opponent with a rising swing of her kriss.
• Save Me a Slice: Ashrah performs her Backward Throw, only this time, she cuts the opponent in half vertically from the groin up with the final slash.
• Nail in the Coffin: Ashrah performs her Crown Cracker combo where she slits the opponent's throat with her kriss before impaling them through the back of their head with the blade.
• Kutting Korners: Ashrah performs Soul Slice that cuts the opponent diagonally in half from the shoulder to the waist.
• Light You Up: Ashrah performs her Heaven's Light combo, blowing a hole in the opponent's lower abdomen before decapitating them with her kriss.
• Half Day?: Ashrah performs her Cleansed Soul combo, cutting the opponent in half at the waist with the final slash.

Other Finishers

• Hara-Kiri - Deadly Spin: Ashrah spins rapidly while surrounded with mystical blue energy. Her body parts break off and fly in all directions before the energy field disappears, leaving nothing of her behind. (MK:D, MK:U)

Quotes

Mortal Kombat 1

• "Quan Chi sends more demons?!"
• "With each of you I kill, my absolution grows nearer. Shedding your blood brings me closer to the light."
• "Accept your fate, demon." (After Baraka lost to her in a round)
• "If not demons, what are you?"
• "Outworlders?! Apologies. I'm glad I've caused neither of you permanent injury."
• "I am Ashrah, demon of the Netherrealm."
• "I appear nearly human because I've purged most evil from my soul. When I'm done, the last vestiges of my demonic form will fade away."
• "They were sent by Quan Chi, my former master. I was part of his Sisterhood of Shadow."
• "He wanted... still wants, dominion over the realms."
• "I renounced him when I realized that I could not help him defile them."
• "Precisely."
• "I followed Quan Chi from the Netherrealm, here; He's building devices that steal souls on a mass scale. He's testing the first on the dead that reside in the forest."
• "To harness their power. To what end, I don't know. But I do know that it's to aid the designs of another sorcerer... Shang Tsung."
• "My kriss senses him. He's nearby."
• "Quan Chi is close. The emanations of his evil grow stronger."
• "And my perfect ally. As I smite the evil it finds, I am further purified."
• "I had spent eternity damned to the Netherrealm. I had assumed that's all there was to existence."
• "But then I saw Earthrealm, saw Outworld. Saw there was a better way to live. And that to have it, I needed to cleanse my soul."
• "My sister demons were furious at my change of heart. Kia and Jataaka were the first to hunt me."
• "Actually, he's an Outworlder. But he mastered the dark magic needed for unfettered travel to my realm."
• "They share a common benefactor. She plucked them both from obscurity, taught them everything they know."
• "I've never met her, but there's no question that she is a sorceress beyond compare."
• "Quan Chi is near."
• "Earthrealm is in grave danger. Just one soul stealer can kill hundreds of thousands. If he unleashes a battery of them—"
• "I will deal with Quan Chi. The four of you subdue the others."
• "We are joined against you, sorcerer. You won't be stealing any souls!"
• "It was forged to destroy evil. It's slain many of your vampire kind."
• "You will not survive, Vaeternian." (After losing to Nitara in a round)
• "I am one step closer to redemption." (After defeating Nitara)
• "What dark magic is this?!"
• "Killing one realm to free another is a heinous proposition! One I won't let you fulfill."
• "That you aided Quan Chi speaks volume about you." (After defeating Havik in a round)
• "Take your chaos elsewhere." (After defeating Havik)
• "And now they're dead by my hand, because you sent them against me. I'll never forgive you for that, Quan Chi!"
• "This has been a long time coming, sorcerer." (After defeating Quan Chi in a round)
• "When I'm finished here, I will finish you." (After defeating Quan Chi)
• "That was unexpected."
• "Let's."
• "This fight's not over. I'll defeat all of Quan Chi's minions."
• "Though made of souls, you are soulless." (After losing to Ermac in a round)
• "Resistance is never pointless." (After defeating Ermac)
• "Kombat must have weakened the magic that binds his souls together."
• "Watch him. I'll shut down the soul stealer."
• "Since that didn't kill you, I will."
• "He's too dangerous to let live."
• "Very well."
• "I've never had a home. That would be wonderful."
• "You couldn't steal a more functional hat?"
• "Do you also know my former master Quan Chi? He colludes with Shang Tsung."

Armageddon Ashrah

• "If you expect to survive, you are gravely mistaken."
• "You are no match for Datusha."
• "It is unwise challenging a demon."
• "You choose death."
• "It is good versus evil."
• "Thank you, Kitana." (Thanking Titan Kitana)
• "Kind words, Liu Kang. Shall we end this?"
• "Liu Kang! What's wrong?!"

Trivia

General

• Her name, "Ashrah", (عشرة) is the Arabic word for "tenth".
  • Her name could also be a reference to "Asura", a group of deities (sometimes demons) in Hindu mythology.
  • Her name could maybe also be a reference to "Asherah", who along with Astarte and Anath, who was one of the three great goddesses of the Canaanite pantheon.
• Ashrah's hat resembles a kasa, one worn by Japanese travelers or priests.
  • The kanji (鬼) on her hat means "demon" or "ghost".

Mortal Kombat: Deception

• When the first bits of information about Mortal Kombat: Deception began to surface, Ashrah was mistaken as a female version of Raiden.
  • At the time, her name was alternatively spelled as "Ashra".
• In Mortal Kombat: Deception's Konquest, Ashrah encounters Shujinko in Edenia where she explains to him that she finally purified her soul and ascended from the Netherrealm, but without her sword. She asks Shujinko to retrieve the sword for her, which he succeeds in doing so. This may explain why she still wields the Kriss in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

• Although she doesn't appear in the game, in Wonder Woman's ending from Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Wonder Woman finds a sword which looks similar to Ashrah's.

Mortal Kombat 11

• Her hat appears as a Kollector trade item in the game's Krypt.

Mortal Kombat 1

• Ashrah's virtue is presented as "Absolution".
• Ashrah returned to the franchise for the first time as a playable character in the game, her last playable appearance being in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon after a 16-year absence.
• An interaction with Johnny Cage has him call Ashrah "truly a wonder, woman". This is a reference to Ashrah's voice actress Susan Eisenberg, who voices the character Wonder Woman in other DC Comics related media.
• It is suggested or theorized through her Arcade Interactions with both Kitana and Shang Tsung that human-demon hybrids, or cambions exist in the Netherrealm and that she may be one of them as she tells Kitana that cambions are the only demons that assume humanoid form.