Kai

Overview

Original Timeline

Moveset

Videos

Gallery

Kai
General Information
Gender	Male
Origin	Earthrealm
Resides	Earthrealm
Species	Human
In Mortal Kombat
Affiliations	White Lotus Society Shaolin Monks
Weapons	Ghurka Knife (MK4, MKG) Staff (MK4, MKG) Spiked Club (MK:A)
Fighting Styles	Moi Fah (MK:A)
Games	Mortal Kombat 4 Mortal Kombat Gold MK: Deception (cameo) MK: Unchained (cameo) MK: Armageddon Mortal Kombat X (Comic Series)
Portrayers	Sultan Uddin (MK4 & MKG)

“	I don’t know, wander the Earth, search for my soul…	„
—Kai, in his Mortal Kombat 4 ending, explaining to Raiden what he will do next.

Kai is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He made his debut in Mortal Kombat 4.

About Kai

Kai made his debut in Mortal Kombat 4 as a nimble and agile African-American fighter. Like Liu Kang, he is a Shaolin monk and skilled martial artist with the ability to use fire in battle.

Appearance

In Mortal Kombat 4, Kai wears a dark red headband, sash, belt, and shin guards. He has baggy black pants, grey spiked wristbands, and has white tiger stripes on his body.

In Armageddon, his primary costume is more armored, his hair is in corn rows and he has mustache and a beard. His alternate costume is based on his original MK4 appearance.

Combat characteristics

Kai was part of the White Lotus Society and trained with Liu Kang and Kung Lao. As a result, he has very nimble moves such as his Renegade Kick, and projectiles similiar to Liu Kang's albeit slightly different in terms of execution like his Downward and Upward Fireball.

Signature moves

• Downward Fire Ball: Kai shoots a fireball into the ground, juggling his opponent. This move can also be performed in the air. (MK4, MKG, MK:A)
• Upward Fire Ball: Kai launches a ball of fire into the sky, where it then slams down onto his opponent's head. (MK4, MKG, MK:A)
• Renegade Kick: Kai charges up and unleashes a powerful flaming kick that knocks his opponent down. (MK:A)
• Rising Heel: Kai ducks to the ground then slides, unleashing a powerful flaming kick that launches his opponent up and back. (MK:A)
• Air Fist: Kai rises and punches his opponent while they are in the air. (MK4, MKG)
• Hand Stand: Kai moves into a hand stand position and can kick his opponent's stomach or face. Kai can also rotate on one hand and spin his legs like propellers, kicking his opponent repeatedly. (MK4, MKG)
• Lunging Roundhouse: Kai lunges forward and finishes with a roundhouse kick, sending his opponent flipping sideways a half-screen distance away. (MK4, MKG)

Fatalities

• Headshot: Kai levitates in front of his opponent and throws a fireball at his opponent's head, decapitating them. (MK4, MKG)
• One into Two: Kai lifts his opponent above him and rips him/her into two pieces. (MK4, MKG)

Appearances in other media

Comic books

Kai appears in the official Mortal Kombat 4 comic that was distributed with some versions of the game. He is first seen training with Liu Kang. Their activities are interrupted when they witness an object fall from the sky. Investigating where it landed, they discover Fujin in a crater surrounded by demons. The two are able to rescue the god and soon learn from Raiden that these were servants of Shinnok. After Kai and Liu Kang join with the other Earthrealm warriors, they all travel to Edenia to stop Shinnok's plan.

Character development

In Mortal Kombat 4, Kai was designed to be a very quick and nimble character comparable to Liu Kang, but with his own unique type of projectile attacks that would summon up from the ground or fall from the sky. Motion capture for his moves was performed by Sultan Uddin. Concept art for an updated version of Kai can be unlocked in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, suggesting that he was once planned to be in the game. However, he would not return as a playable character until Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. According to his bio card, Kai's handstand special move is one of Ed Boon's favorite techniques for the character, and – had they the time to implement it correctly – it would have become Kai's fighting stance in Armageddon. In Armageddon's Krypt, pieces of concept art show two possible weapon stances for the character: a White Lotus staff and a machete blade. Both were dropped in favor of a spiked club, while the machete was later given to Kobra.

Game information

After beating the game with Kai in Mortal Kombat 4, his weapon will change to Raiden's Lightning Staff. He is the only character that will change weapons upon beating the game. This reflects his game ending in which he receives the staff in order to aid his journey to search for his soul.

A side mission in Mortal Kombat: Deception's Konquest mode revolves around Kai. After the player, as Shujinko, encounters Kung Lao in Earthrealm and discovers that all of the Shaolin monks have been slaughtered, the latter requests that Kai be found in Outworld so that he can return and help rebuild the monastery. When approached, Kai states that he had finished wandering Earthrealm and would only return once his explorations in Outworld were complete. He then gives the player Raiden's lighting staff to give to Kung Lao.

Trivia

General

• In various development stages, the Machete, the White Lotus Staff, and the Lightning Staff were all supposed to be his weapons.
• Similar to how Liu Kang was based on Bruce Lee (who also had students), it is possible that Kai is based on Bruce Lee's private student, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar.

Mortal Kombat: Deception

• Although he gives Shujinko the Lightning Staff to give to Kung Lao in Konquest mode, the player cannot do so.

Mortal Kombat X

• Kai was originally going to appear in the game's story mode, but instead he was replaced with Bo' Rai Cho.