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Shao Kahn's Helmet

Shao Kahn's Helmet from Mortal Kombat II.

Shao Kahn's Helmet or Shao Kahn's Mask, sometimes referred to as the Mask of Shao Kahn, is an ancient spiked, samurai helmet guise carved out of bone and worn by the vicious warlord Shao Kahn the Konqueror. It is both a feature on his own palace fortress and the symbol of his own ruthless empire in the realm of Outworld. Shao Kahn's own "crown", which conceals his face, first appeared in Mortal Kombat II along with him, though it has taken a more or less different shape and form throughout the Mortal Kombat series. It also became another collectible Relic within the Konquest mode of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.

Reiko, one of Shao Kahn's Generals and one-time member of the Brotherhood of Shadow, was known to privately wear this helmet out of his ambitions to replace him as Outworld's Ruler, an act Shao Kahn took great offense to.

In the television series Mortal Kombat: Conquest, Shao Kahn's prized helmet was only worn in the early parts of the first episode. After this, he wears what appears to be the facial portion of a human skull lashed over his face. This is known as Shao Kahn's Facemask.

After Shao Kahn's defeat at the end of Mortal Kombat (2011), his charred and broken helmet is picked up by Quan Chi. In Mortal Kombat X, the helmet, armor as well as his Wrath Hammer were taken as trophies and placed in Quan Chi's Fortress.[1]

The infamous helmet makes a return in Mortal Kombat 11, alongside it's wearer: Shao Kahn. The helmet is customizable through the gear system, alongside his Wrath Hammer and Spear.

Trivia[]

  • Shao Kahn's helmet is styled after a Japanese samurai's helm. This style of helm is called a Kabuto. The style becomes even more apparent through the other helmet designs available in MK11.
  • In the disc-based home releases of Mortal Kombat 4, Reiko's extended Arcade Mode ending depicted him wearing Shao Kahn's helmet after sitting on a throne. This lead to the incorrect assumption by fans that Reiko himself was Shao Kahn, which was later dispelled by Midway, and explicitly corrected in the Konquest mode of Mortal Kombat Deception.
  • The Helmet was added to the mobile game of Mortal Kombat X with the release of Shao Kahn.
    • It is the only equipment card in the game to give two bonuses to the exclusive character.
    • When it is combined with Shao Kahn's Wrath Hammer while equipped to Kahn himself, Shao Kahn gains an additional 4th bar of power, the most for any character.
  • The MKII version of Shao Kahn's helmet can be unlocked in Mortal Kombat 11 as a Kosmetic item for the emperor. Named "Kahn of Kahns," it is unlocked by playing the Tower modes, performing enough fatalities on Shao Kahn to unlock his Severed Head, and then placing the head on the appropriate pike in the Krypt.

References[]

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