—Blaze's challenge to Taven in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon |
Blaze is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.
Blaze made his debut as a background character in Mortal Kombat II and made his playable debut in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance as a hidden character.
Blaze returned in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, serving as a playable character and final boss.
About Blaze
First introduced in the series as a non-playable character seen in the background of the Pit II arena in Mortal Kombat II, Blaze was depicted as an elemental being from Outworld shrouded in flames.[1] As his name and appearance suggests, he has control over fire, lava, heat, etc.
In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Blaze became a playable character and gained more background information. He would later become the final boss of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.
Blaze's first chronological appearance was supposedly in Mortal Kombat II, visible only as a burning figure in the Pit II background, fighting a character fans have since named Hornbuckle does not come without controversy. Daegon is described in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon as being awoken centuries prematurely, due to Caro losing mental contact with Blaze (because of his imprisonment guarding the last dragon egg) and mistook that for the signal to awake Daegon. Also, in Blaze's Armageddon Bio, Blaze is set free after the egg hatches during the events of Deception, and is unaware that Daegon was awoken prematurely. It's not until Blaze gives the signal to wake both brothers he learns that Daegon had already been freed. If the burning figure in Mortal Kombat II was truly Blaze, that means Blaze had been imprisoned to guard the egg sometime after Mortal Kombat II, which means Daegon could not have been awoken centuries earlier because Blaze would have known. With the Black Dragon dating back to before the first Mortal Kombat and the Red Dragon dating back beyond that, it seems the burning figure seen in Mortal Kombat II could not have been Blaze, since at the time he was already guarding the egg.
Appearance
In his first appearance, Blaze appeared as a swap of Liu Kang with his entire body engulfed in flames. Following his return in Deadly Alliance, Blaze had the appearance of a male humanoid composed of blazing lava and wearing only black underwear. In his transformation in Armageddon, Blaze's humanoid shape is twisted into a hulking, monstrous form with a mask piece similar to a ninja's and rock formations resembling armor. His fully fingered hands become three digit claws and his feet became two-pronged talons.
Combat Characteristics
Powers and Abilities
Being a fire elemental, Blaze governs power over everything fire-related, ranging from flame projectiles to physical strikes augmented by his fire powers. In Deadly Alliance and Armageddon, it was revealed that his captors who forced him to guard the Dragon Egg "corrupted his original design" which perhaps explains the new form he has taken on. Created by Delia, Blaze serves as a catalyst of ultimate power which can be absorbed by any kombatant who successfully defeats him, giving the winner god-like power, amplifying their powers to omnipotent levels and granting a single wish. It is also in this new form that Blaze becomes the most powerful kombatant in the original timeline in which he is able to single-handedly cause Armageddon by devouring existence itself.
Signature Moves
- Flame Ball: Blaze shoots a flaming projectile at his opponent. (MK:DA, MK:U)
- Flame Uppercut: Blaze performs an uppercut on the opponent. The move is borrowed from Drahmin (MK:DA, MK:U)
- Flame Charge: Blaze charges at the opponent. (MK:DA, MK:U)
- Quake Slam: Blaze punches the ground, sending lava up underneath his opponent. It is unblockable. (MK:A)
- Steam Roller: Blaze rolls along the ground, flattening his opponent. (MK:A)
- Charge Up: Blaze taunts his enemy, regaining some health. (MK:A)
- Melting Lava Teleport: Blaze teleports underneath lava, rising on the other side, behind his opponent. (MK:A)
Character Development
Blaze was included in Mortal Kombat II's Pit II background by art director Tony Goskie as part of the series' tradition of adding mystery elements to the games. He was originally called "Torch" by the developers. However, they were not able to use this name in the games due to Marvel holding the rights to the name as part of the Human Torch. In his MKII appearance, Blaze's sprites (and Hornbuckle's as well) were actually palette swapped versions of the Liu Kang character with flames covering his upper body.
Design concepts from Deadly Alliance's Krypt show pictures of a non-fiery Blaze with hair on his head[2] and double axes for a possible weapon stance.[3] Blaze's character had been added late into the development of this game, hence he lacked many character-specific attributes such as his own fighting styles, a weapon stance, and a fatality.
Game Information
Blaze, like most characters in the series, made a cameo in Mortal Kombat: Deception's Konquest mode in the realm of Outworld. In it, Blaze has lost his memory and asks the mode's protagonist, the player as Shujinko, to find and bring him a memory potion,[4] allowing him to resume the quest that he had undertaken before being subdued.[5] This is a foreshadowing of what is to come in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. His "quest" refers to the one Argus had sent him on. Blaze and Hornbuckle also appear in a secret area in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. If the player completes the first four Smoke missions, a portal to the Pit II is unlocked. Here, Hornbuckle and Blaze are seen fighting in the background.
Trivia
General
- Blaze is one of the four most powerful beings in the Mortal Kombat universe alongside Onaga, Dark Kahn, and Kronika.
- He was perhaps the most powerful being at the time of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon as he carries the ultimate power within him that can be absorbed by any warrior who managed to defeat and destroy him. He is also able to single-handedly cause Armageddon by devouring existence itself.
- This statement is further backed up in Blaze's BioKard video, when Ed Boon confirmed Blaze to be "at the top of the food chain" in all of Mortal Kombat at the time.
- However, as of Mortal Kombat 11, his power has been dwarfed by other beings such as the Titans and Fire God Liu Kang.
- Blaze was originally nicknamed "Torch" by fans before his actual name was revealed.
- Blaze is so far the only character in the series to bleed orange-colored blood.
- In his boss form, Blaze is the second tallest character in the Mortal Kombat series, after Moloch.
- Blaze is the second character in the MK series to be hinted during several games and finally revealed as a big boss character. The first was Onaga.
- Excluding Stage Fatalities and the Kreate-A-Fatality, Blaze is one of six characters including Daegon, Mokap, Moloch, Chameleon and Onaga never to receive his own finishing move.
- Blaze, along with Cyber Sub-Zero and D'Vorah, is one of the few characters to have a very rare blood color. In his case, it is considered to be lava.
- Along with Kenshi, Frost, Quan Chi, and Kitana, he is one of the few characters in Deadly Alliance to be seen performing a kata.
- Blaze is one of the few characters to fight with bare feet. Others include Goro, Sheeva, Kintaro, Kobra, Reptile, Moloch, Drahmin, and Meat.
- He is the first of two final Bosses in the series to be of a Neutral alignment, the second being Kronika in Mortal Kombat 11.
- He is the first of three Elementals to appear in the series. The second is Tremor and the third being the Fallen Elder Goddess Cetrion.
- Due to gameplay purpose, Blaze can get killed in lava, molted in acid and hurt by fire even if (as what it seems) he himself is a fire-elemental. Many fighters who lack connection to special abilities also seem to be immune from getting hurt via contact with his body (most likely also for gameplay purposes).
- In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance on Gameboy Advance, one of Sub-Zero's alternate colors is Fahrenheit Sub-Zero which is where he looks as if he is made of fire. If so, it could be Torch unmasked.
Mortal Kombat: Deception
- Blaze appears in Mortal Kombat: Deception's Konquest mode, where he asks Shujinko to find a memory potion to remember "his quest".
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
- In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Blaze reuses a number of Onaga's animations from Mortal Kombat: Deception, such as his howling animation and death animation.
- In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, knocking Blaze off the Sky Temple will make him yell: "Oh my God! This is not happening to me!", the same thing that Jax says as he falls from the Sky Temple. However, Blaze speaks this in a more distorted voice.
- In his Armageddon Bio Kard, he appears at first with his normal build form from Deadly Alliance/Unchained but in his description, his render was from his Boss form.
- Blaze is the only character in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon who cannot be knocked into the Death Traps of the Bell Tower and Tekunin Prison stages.
Mortal Kombat X
- Blaze appears in a cameo for The Pit in Mortal Kombat X where he is seen fighting Rain.
Mortal Kombat Mobile
- Sometimes when fighting Boss characters during challenges or in Towers, or whenever fighting Klassic Reptile, a Mortal Kombat 3 version of Blaze and Rain will be seen fighting in the mobile version of the Pit.
- While he is not playable, an item called Blaze's Life Force is obtainable through the Faction Wars, giving a chance to drain the opponent's Power at the start of the match, but always applying a Fire damage-over-time effect at the start of the match and increasing the damage of Fire effects by 25%.
Mortal Kombat 11
- Blaze cameos in the game's Krypt, fighting Rain in a manner identical to both their appearances in the Pit of Mortal Kombat X.
- Blaze then cameos in one of the classic stage slides projected onto the projection screen in the game's fighting stage Retrocade, fighting Hornbuckle in a manner identical to both their appearances in the Pit of Mortal Kombat II.
References
- ↑ Blaze's Bio. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Midway Games, 2002.
- ↑ Krypt Koffin VB - Blaze Sketch. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Midway Games, 2002.
- ↑ Krypt Koffin NN - Blaze Sketches. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Midway Games, 2002.
- ↑ Blaze: "I was about to continue my eternal quest, but I cannot remember what it is. A spell has taken my memory. Please find me a potion to restore it." Konquest mode. Mortal Kombat: Deception, Midway Games, 2004.
- ↑ Blaze: "You have returned with a memory potion! Ahhh, yes! I remember my quest!" Konquest mode. Mortal Kombat: Deception, Midway Games, 2004.