Hara-Kiri

A Hara-Kiri is a finisher introduced in Mortal Kombat: Deception.

Overview

A Hara-Kiri is an alternate finisher where the defeated player would cause their own death by using an input combination similar to performing a Fatality. While the victorious player is still considered the winner, the Hara-Kiri serves as a method of the defeated player to be able to end the match on their terms instead of allowing the winning player the opportunity (and even the satisfaction) to finish them off.

In Japanese, Hara-Kiri (腹切り "abdomen cutting") is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment, committed by samurais in order to cleanse their own honor. In MK universe, it is used by Kenshi as his Hara-Kiri in Deception.

Trivia

• Noob-Smoke has two Hara-Kiri's (one for each personality), while everyone else has only one.
• Kenshi is the only character in Mortal Kombat: Deception who performs the traditional Hara-Kiri, which involves self-disembowelment; while a Hara-Kiri is typically performed with a Tanto, Kenshi will use Sento to perform the Hara-Kiri.
• Scorpion is the only character whose Hara-Kiri does not draw blood.
• While the Hara-Kiri was introduced in Mortal Kombat: Deception, there have been suicide-based finishers in other games in the Mortal Kombat series. A few examples of suicide-based finishers include: Cyrax's "Self Destruct" Fatality in Mortal Kombat 3 (and all ports), which has Cyrax enter a code into his arm panel and subsequently explode, killing both fighters. One of Raiden's Fatalities in Deception has him releasing a ball of energy and throwing it at his opponent resulting in both of them exploding from the energy burst. In Mortal Kombat 2011, Cyber Sub-Zero has a Fatality where he enters a code into his arm panel and jumps onto his opponent and grabs them, the two freeze and quickly burst into shards of ice. In Mortal Kombat X, Predator has a Brutality where he presses a button on his arm panel before laughing with a timer being heard, ending with both fighters exploding.
• In Mortal Kombat X, in Scorpion's ending he tries to commit Hara-Kiri, but gets stopped by Raiden, who imbues him with a small portion of the Jinsei's power.
• Also in Mortal Kombat X, Kotal Kahn has a Brutality titled Offering, which has the hallmarks of a Hara-Kiri. In it, Kotal does not harm his opponent in any way but will rather commit suicide by cutting his upper torso open, granting victory to his opponent.
• Similarly, in Mortal Kombat 11, Erron Black has a Brutality titled Goodbye Cruel World, which also can qualify as a Hara-Kiri. In it, Erron holds a lit stick of dynamite in his hand until it explodes, blowing off parts of his head and torso.
• Hara-Kiri is, to date, the only Finisher inputted by the defeated player instead of the victorious one.

Gallery

Kenshi performing the traditional abdominal-cutting Hara-Kiri.

Hotaru pulling his own head and spine off.

Mileena stabbing herself in the head with her Sais.

Havik pulling off his own head and holding it towards the camera.

Sub-Zero freezing himself before shattering onto the ground.

Nightwolf killing himself with his own tomahawk landing on his chest.

Raiden exploding himself with Lightning.

Ashrah disappearing with a blue flame.

Jade cuts her own head off with her Triblade.

Ermac bashing his head on the ground.

Bo' Rai Cho inflating before exploding.

Noob-Smoke's first Hara-Kiri, throwing upwards his shurikens as they land on his own head, shoulders and chest.

Noob-Smoke's second Hara-Kiri, detonating himself.

Tanya ripping off her femur bones.

Shujinko throwing his swords upwards before they amputate his arms.