Shinnok

Overview

Alternative Timeline

“	Remove the shadow from the light; the shadow grows. The legacy of life is death, Raiden.	„
—Shinnok to Raiden in Mortal Kombat X

Shinnok is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He made his debut in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero as a boss, and first became playable in Mortal Kombat 4, in which he also served as the boss and main antagonist of both games as well as Mortal Kombat X. He serves as the main antagonist of the franchise alongside Shao Kahn.

About Shinnok

Shinnok is considered one of the most evil beings in Mortal Kombat. A vengeful and powerful fallen Elder God, Shinnok appeared in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, Mortal Kombat 4/Mortal Kombat Gold, and Mortal Kombat X as the main antagonist. He has also made an appearance in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, seemingly leading the side of evil.

Unlike Shao Kahn, Shinnok relies less on brute strength and fear-mongering, but more on magical powers and ancient artifacts. He is the ruler of the Netherrealm, possessing millions of years' worth of knowledge and power. He can impersonate any other beings of his choosing, as well as to transform into an immense demon. He also possesses extreme cunning, as well as the ability to manipulate events through others. For example, he had Quan Chi convince Shao Kahn to merge Earthrealm with Outworld against the Elder Gods' will. As a result, both realms were severely weakened and left vulnerable to invasion by the Netherrealm.

Shinnok demands unwavering faith and loyalty from his followers and will not hesitate to kill anyone who doubts, challenges, or even represents a potential threat to him. He may even be more brutal and heartless than Shao Kahn.

Only Shang Tsung, Delia, Shao Kahn and Quan Chi can match Shinnok's skills as a sorcerer.

Appearance

Shinnok appears as a very tall, slender built man. Because of his corruption and imprisoning in the Netherrealm, his skin is completely white and decayed. His eyes are usually changing from white to green, this effect resulting from his powers. As a mockery to the Elder Gods, Shinnok is wearing for formal gatherings a predominately blue robe with golden motifs, a reference to his royal roots. His most distinctive feature is the sacred crimson crown he is wearing following his debut in Mortal Kombat 4 with small modifications in each game he is present.

Combat characteristics

Powers and abilities

Being a fallen Elder God, Shinnok possesses immeasurable powers. The nature of his powers seem to revolve around darkness and the Netherrealm, summoning skeletal hands from the ground to grab and bind his opponents as well as pulverize them. He also possesses shape shifting powers similar to Shang Tsung. Unlike Shang Tsung, he is not required to steal souls in order to perform this feat, instead he must have to defeat them or for them to serve him (likely he defeated a large demon in an unknown time, so he can take on a larger demonic form as shown in the final level of Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero when his Sacred Amulet was stolen from him). His powers of mimicry and shape shifting are absolute, as he can mimic the abilities and powers of other combatants; the only drawback to this is that the powers he mimics must be in his jurisdiction. He is unable to mimic every power due to the fact that he doesn't have his amulet nor his staff. Despite this, he can still mimic black magic freely, although for an unknown reason he cannot copy the powers of Shang Tsung or Quan Chi. With his amulet, Shinnok can freely traverse the realms and open up portals.

Related to his mimicking abilities, Shinnok is capable of creating clones or physical illusions of other warriors with their powers and abilities intact. His magic abilities also include the ability of creating demons and wraiths to do his bidding. He even created a clone of himself to aid Daegon in the Battle of Armageddon.

With his amulet, he regains all his immense power befitting a fallen Elder God.

In Mortal Kombat X, when absorbing Earthrealm's life force, he turns into a demonic creature with immense power and the ability manipulate fire as well conjuring objects such as stones and bladed pillars.

Signature moves

Mimicry: Shinnok has the ability to replicate any character's moves, much like Shang Tsung. In MKX, Shinnok steals a single ability from his current opponent which he stores for later usage. While the power is stored, the runes on his outfit will glow yellow instead of red. (MK4, MKG, MKX - Impostor Variation)
- In MKX, Impostor Shinnok can steal and mimic the following special moves: Akimbo (Cassie Cage), Ovipositor Charge (D'Vorah), Force Lift (Ermac), Sand Gust (Erron Black), Deep Stab (Ferra & Torr - any variation), Stomp (Goro), Bionic Dash (Jacqui Briggs), Ground Pound (Jackson Briggs), Green Shadow Kick (Johnny Cage), Kano Ball (Kano), Rising Sword (Kenshi - any variation), Upraise (Kitana), Anti-Air Throw (Kotal Kahn), Cartwheel Smash (Kung Jin), Spin (Kung Lao), Flying Kick (Liu Kang), Ball Roll (Mileena), Trance (Quan Chi), Electric Fly (Raiden), Slow Force Ball (Reptile), Spear (Scorpion), Leg Grab (Sonya Blade), Ice Ball (Sub-Zero), Tornado Strike (Takeda Takahashi), Killing Machine (Jason Voorhees)
  - In the case of Ferra & Torr, Shinnok will summon a phantom Ferra to stand on his shoulders while he performs Deep Stab.
  - Performing Mimicry during a mirror match will not harvest an ability. However, Shinnok's runes will still turn yellow.
- Also in MKX, Shinnok is able to "steal" (i.e. perform) the opponent's brutality through this technique, by performing the requirements for them using the move he stole from them earlier in the match (e.g. if Shinnok does Mimicry on Ermac, he can do Ermac's We Win brutality by doing a 5-hit combo finishing with the telekinetic slam like you normally would with Ermac himself). This is limited however, as he cannot replicate opponent's brutalities that require one of their enhanced specials, since Mimicry cannot use their enhanced specials.
Spear: Only in the Gameboy version of MK4. Shinnok shoots a kunai attached to a rope that drags the foe towards him, setting them for a free hit. This move was borrowed from Scorpion. (MK4)
Charge: In the Gameboy version of MK4, Shinnok charges at the opponent with his shoulder. In MKX, it is called Charging Shoulder and deliver two shoulder strikes. (MK4, MKX)
- The enhanced version is called Krushing Shoulder. It armors Shinnok and adds a Hell Spark after the strikes, knocking the opponent in the air.
Amulet Fireball: During the final battle against the elder Sub-Zero, Shinnok sends a fireball from his amulet. (MKM:SZ)
Shield: Another special move used against the elder Sub-Zero. Shinnok uses his amulet to create a protector shield. (MKM:SZ)
Tricky Portal: Shinnok creates a portal behind him, then attacks his opponent's back using his elbow. In MKX, it is called Air Tricky Portal, can only be done in the air and won't hit the opponent, only leave Shinnok either behind or in front of him/her and still in the air. (MK:A, MKX - Impostor Variation)
Amulet Strike: Shinnok pulls out his amulet that strikes the enemy with magic. If timed correctly, it will also neutralize an enemy projectile. (MKX)
- The enhanced version is called Amulet Curse and has much less range, but is executed slightly faster.
Hell Sparks: Shinnok summons purple magical projectiles to burst out of the ground in a series of three. (MKX)
- The enhanced version is called Hell Blast and does more damage. It can also be enhanced after any Hell Spark is fired to cause a small burst that knocks the opponent in the air.
Scepter Slam: Shinnok grabs his opponent with his bone scythe to throw them over his head and slam them behind him. (MKX - Bone Shaper Variation)
- The enhanced version is called Scepter Launch. It armors Shinnok as he grabs the enemy, and instead of slamming him/her on the ground, Shinnok uses the scythe to lift them in the air, allowing for a juggle.
Scepter Strike: Shinnok slams the bone scythe on the floor to damage the opponent, making them stumble. It will hit at any part of the arena as long as the enemy is standing on the ground and is unblockable. (MKX - Bone Shaper Variation)
- The enhanced version is called Scepter Quake and has increased damage, also knocking the opponent down if it hits them.
Dark Beam: Shinnok fires a purple projectile at his opponent. This replaces Amulet Strike in the Bone Shaper variation. (MKX - Bone Shaper Variation)
- The enhanced version is called Dark Blast. It does more damage and knocks the enemy down.
Summoned Fiend: Shinnok summons a large skeletal hand to grab and throw his opponent. In MKX, the hand presses the opponent's torso with enough force to make them fall on the ground in pain as they're released. (MK:A, MKX - Necromancer Variation)
- The enhanced version is called Summoned Slam and has the hand slam the opponent in the ground, which bounces them in the air and leaves them vulnerable to a juggle.
Judgment Fist: Shinnok summons a violet streaking skeleton fist out of his hands. In MKX, he instead summons a large skeletal hand to crush the opponent from above. It is unblockable, but gives the opponent enough time to evade before the strike happens. (MK:A, MKX - Necromancer Variation)
- The enhanced version Judgement Smash does more damage.
Devil's Flick: Shinnok summons a large skeletal hand in front of his opponent to knock them away with a flick. (MKX - Necromancer Variation)
- The enhanced version is called Devil's Backhand. The skeletal hand will slap the opponent with its back, doing more damage.
The Devil's Hand (X-Ray): Shinnok summons a giant skeletal hand from the ground, trapping the opponent as he breaks their jaw with a backhand slap. He then use the same skeletal hand to crush his victim's ribcage. Shinnok then summons a skeletal spear to impale his opponent in the heart. (MKX)
Unnamed X-Ray (Corrupted Shinnok only): First, Shinnok uses telekinesis to lift up his opponent and fires a beam from his chest, breaking his opponent's ribcage, then he summons two rocks whilst his victim's still in the air and bashes the sides of his skull, breaking it. Lastly, he throws his opponent back down to the ground, breaking the front of the skull. (MKX)

Other Moves

Body Smasher: Shinnok grabs his foe's leg, knocking them to the ground. He then stomps on his foe's face, and finally jumps onto their chest, crushing them. It is the most damaging "limb-breaker" attack. In MKX, Shinnok stomps on his foe's face when they are down. (MK4, MKX)

Fatalities

The Hand From Hell: Shinnok disappears in a puff of flame, then a portal opens on the ground near the victim. A giant skeletal hand emerges from the portal and grabs the victim, slowly squeezing until their head pops off from the pressure. As the portal closes, the hand pulls back into the portal, taking the headless body with it, but leaving the head. Shinnok reappears. (MK4, MKG)
Two Hand Clap: Shinnok levitates his victim high in the air, then disappears. A giant portal appears under the victim, and two skeletal hands emerge on either side of him/her. The victim wails briefly before the two hands brutally clap on the victim. They then retreat into the portal, revealing bloody messes of flesh and bone on the inside of the palms as they do so. Shinnok reappears over the still-open portal. (MK4, MKG)
The Grinder: Shinnok summons two skeletal hands around his opponent, and grabs the opponent with them. He proceeds by making the hands twist the opponent torso, before ripping it off. Finally he smashes both the torso and the lower body by clapping both hands. The head can be seen rolling towards Shinnok afterwards. (MKX)
Flick Trick: Shinnok summons a skeletal hand then proceeds to grab his opponent, then places the thumb of the skeleton hand under the opponent's jaw and flicks the head upwards. He then catches the head and looks at it as the skeletal hand disappears and the opponent's headless body falls down. (MKX)
Unnamed Fatality (Corrupted Shinnok only): Shinnok summons a totem with sharp blades around it, then he summons two demons which carry the opponent towards the totem, brutally throwing him/her to the blades. The opponent's head and torso are impaled by the blades. Shinnok then proceeds to pull down his victim, tearing his victim's head off, and then rips the victim's body completely in half. As the victim's organs fall off from their body, the two demons feast on them. (MKX)

Other Finishers

Brutality #1 - Gory Hole: Shinnok pulses energy from his palm which creates a gaping hole in the opponent's chest. (MKX)
Brutality #2 - Skull Bash: Shinnok grabs his opponent, punches them, slams and then delivers a stomp to the face, smashing their face inwards. (MKX)
Brutality #3 - Face Off: Shinnok proceeds to throw purple energy into the opponent which then rips the opponent's face off. He then wears his opponent's face like a mask. Impostor variation (MKX)
Brutality #4 - Have a Nice Day: Shinnok summons a bone scythe and slices his opponent several times before bisecting them. Bone Shaper variation (MKX)
Brutality #5 - Hands Down: Shinnok calls down a giant skeletal hand which flattens the opponent and pops their head off. Necromancer variation (MKX)
Brutality #6 - Unnamed (Corrupted Shinnok only): Shinnok shoots a fiery beam from his abs at his opponent and blasts it even harder if his Super Meter is 1/3 full thus causing his opponent's top half to explode. (MKX)

Movie appearance

The evil Elder God Shinnok is portrayed by Reiner Schöne in the second Mortal Kombat movie, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, And according to Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Shinnok is the father of Raiden and Shao Kahn, who wishes for power not only over all realms, but over the gods as well. Shinnok is also never without his Sacred Amulet (Amulet of Shinnok) which in its alternate version, is made of gold with a ruby gem instead of bronze with an emerald gem.

He favors Shao Kahn, considering Raiden too weak and caring to be his son. Shinnok orders Shao Kahn to kill his brother while guiding him in his path to merging the parallel universes of Earth and Outworld. Shinnok is later imprisoned by his fellow Elder Gods and Raiden was offered his position in their ranks.

Stage Relationships

Pyramid of Shinnok: Shinnok's pyramidal temple. It is heavily guarded by the Brotherhood of Shadow. It is also where the original Sub-Zero (Noob Saibot) battled Quan Chi with Sareena's help before she died at the hands of Shinnok as he soon faced him before escaping the Netherrealm. (MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero)
Fire Well: Shinnok was defeated by Liu Kang and sent back to the Netherrealm. (MK4)
Netherrealm Cliffs: The hostile terrain of the Netherrealm. This was where Taven and Shinnok met again after many years, pretending to have been attacked by a clone of Li Mei. (MK:A)
Shinnok's Spire: Many floors of Shinnok's tower are filled with hellspawn and deathtraps for the purpose of either testing the strength of promising warriors or hoping they will meet their demise. And the Spire is still both his sanctuary and his temple, revered as sacred by the Brotherhood of Shadows. (MK:A)
Shinnok's Throne Room: The highest floor of Shinnok's tower. This floor is where Shinnok's throne is located, it also serves as an altar where the Brotherhood of Shadow comes to worship him. (MK:A)
Jinsei Chamber: In MKX, players who reach the end of the arcade ladder, will fight Shinnok here. Shinnok absorbs the power in the chamber to turn into his final form. When defeated, he gets his amulet taken by the players' character and then explodes into bits. (MKX)

Quotes

Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero

"The guard is right you know. If you are here then you must belong here. Rejected from your own realm, no doubt." (To Bi-Han)
"Rejected or sent, you couldn't exist here unless your soul contained the impurities of evil." (To Bi-Han)
"Escape? Oh I'll be leaving this realm shortly, but first I must play Raiden's game." (To Bi-Han)
"It is I, Shinnok. Sareena was dealt with as I would have dealt with all my children of this realm. But you, Sub-Zero, will be treated as a bitter enemy." (To Bi-Han)

Mortal Kombat X

Story Mode

"You see it now, Raiden... Your legacy. You poison their hearts with hope."
"The legacy of life is death, Raiden. My followers accept this and live on. They fight for me!"
"Oh, I will [touch the Jinsei]... And all of Earthrealm will learn the truth of death." (to Fujin)
"Miserable wretch! Insignificant speck of feculent scum! How dare you!!" (after being attacked from behind by Johnny Cage.)
"She will be the first to join me." (about to kill Sonya)
"How small they are." (after easily knocking out Scorpion, Johnny Cage, Kenshi, and Sonya)
"Quan Chi chose his servants well. He was wise to restore me in Earthrealm, behind their defenses....A pity he did not live to see his work completed." (to D'Vorah)
"There will be no surprises from you, Mr. Cage."
"Yet another of your allies falls to me. When he dies, I will claim his soul." (to Raiden, after mortally wounding Bo' Rai Cho.)
"Not yet. He will bear witness as I conquer his realm. Then I will imprison him as he did me." (in response to Liu Kang's request to kill Raiden)
"I have already won, Raiden."
"We have battled for eons, Raiden. Now finally, it ends." (as he's about to corrupt the Jinsei)
"Tremble before me, Elder Gods, as I absorb Earthrealm's power." (before transforming into Corrupted Shinnok)
"So you are the issue of Johnny Cage. Fitting that I exterminate his entire line." (to Cassie Cage)
"Watch, Miss Cage, as I rend your father's flesh... This is what awaits those who defy me: Excruciating, exquisite death."
"Your father's power will not save you. You cannot hope to survive!" (to Cassie Cage)

Gameplay

"Miserable wretch!"
"Taste your death!"
"I bring death!"
"I am death!"
"Embrace the darkness!"
"The realms will be mine!"
"Serve me and live!"
"There is fear in your heart!"
"You offend me!"
"You are a fool!"
"Death calls for you!"
"This ends with your death."
"You never cease to amuse."
"What did you expect?"
"Judgment is at hand!"
"The end is near!"
"Mortal fool!"
"Young fool!"
"Fall into darkness, hero!"
"Earthrealm will fall."
"Destroy him/her!" (performing a Faction Kill)
"You amuse me, clown." (to Johnny Cage)
"No more trickery, Cage." (to Johnny Cage)
"Your father will weep for you." (to Cassie Cage)
"Your family ends here!" (to Cassie Cage)
"That is a god's power!" (to Kotal Kahn)
"Know your place." (to Quan Chi)
"I will have my revenge!" (to Raiden)
"Death to all!" (winning a battle)

Trivia

Shinnok is heavily implied to have the ability to change his shape much like Shang Tsung. However, because of limitations, Shinnok was stuck with only able to mimic fighting styles and voices only, despite there being a Randper Kombat code that randomly transforms the player's characters in both model and moveset. However, he does have the ability to morph himself into a demonic shape if his amulet was removed from him in Mortal Kombat Mythologies.
If "Big Head Mode" is activated in Mortal Kombat 4, the hands in Shinnok's fatalities will roughly double in size. Oddly, in the Two Hand Clap, the hands will fail to retract entirely into the portal, offering an excellent view of the bloody gunk on them.
In Shinnok's bio Kard made for Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Ed Boon admitted that making Shinnok the final boss of Mortal Kombat 4 was a poor decision.
Shinnok's little-known "backstory" concerning his overthrowing of the Netherrealm from Lucifer's hand is mentioned in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero's instruction manual, as well as MK:Deception's Konquest mode, where Shinnok makes a cameo (his voice here seems to be the same that he had in MK4). However, there is no other information about Shinnok's battle with Lucifer.
So far, Shinnok is the first boss character to be playable without the aid of a cheat code or third-party cheat device upon his first appearance (every other boss character was playable either through these devices, or not at all). Since MK4, Quan Chi and Shang Tsung have also appeared as playable boss characters in the game Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.
Although seen in the Armageddon's character roster as wearing a sorcerer's robe, Shinnok is seen in the in-game screenshots as wearing a similar attire to his costume in Mortal Kombat 4.
In promotional pictures of Mortal Kombat 4, Shinnok is shown to have a staff on which his amulet is housed, although he never actually uses it in the game. He does appear to use it as his weapon stance in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, though it's unclear how he regained the amulet from Onaga. It is likely that Shinnok sent one of his enforcers to retrieve it after the Dragon King's defeat.
Shinnok's MK4 face model is based on Midway developer Steve Beran. Steve also voiced Shinnok for MK4 and Gold.
In Armageddon, Sektor says "Initiate code K-0-N-N-1-H-5", which spells "5H1NNOK" backwards, though there is no relation between Sektor and Shinnok except their alignment.
- But according to Sonya Blade's MKA Bio, Sektor has connections with hostile entities outside Earthrealm (Shinnok) and the Fallen Elder God began to reunite the Forces of Darkness for the Battle of Armageddon.
In early versions of MK: Armageddon, Pao Chui was supposed to be his unarmed fighting style.
Shinnok makes an appearance in Konquest Mode in Mortal Kombat: Deception, where he asks Shujinko to find his amulet. The amulet Shujinko finds is, in fact, the fake amulet Quan Chi created.
There is a mistake in Shinnok's Bio. It says that Shinnok's Place of Origin is Netherrealm instead of the Heavens, the Netherrealm being the place where he currently resides.
In the opening cutscene of the MK 2011 Story Mode, Kung Lao is seen with the skeletal hands of Shinnok's clone wrapped around him. This leads many to believe that Shinnok's clone killed Kung Lao.
In Mortal Kombat X, Shinnok is the only character to address guest character Jason Voorhees by name.
In Mortal Kombat X, Shinnok is the only character to be unlocked through story mode.
While the name "Shinnok" has no basis in any existing world mythologies, the components of his name may have bases in real world languages. "Shin" could be in reference for the Japanese word for "god" or "spirit" (such as that used in the name of the religion of Shinto ("way of the gods"), while "Nok" is most likely a play on the Latin word "[Nox]" which translates into English as "night", but can also mean "darkness" and, figuratively speaking, death.

Mortal Kombat series - Main characters

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