It’s become the world’s favorite pastime to watch Mortal Kombat fatalities online on YouTube and in-game as each new release introduces unique ways to maim characters for our entertainment. Mortal Kombat 1 is no exception, with the addition of more ways to harm your opponent with partners, surprise brutalities, and fatal blows.
Although all of these are great compliments to the lineup, what the fans really want to see is more of the gorier stuff. Here’s our pick for the best fatalities in Mortal Kombat 1, taking into account gruesomeness in coolness.
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7. Kung Lao
Kung Lao’s hat is just as iconic as the man himself, and the way he uses it to slice up opponents is still really fun to see in action. There’s no “mincing” here; slicing things is what Kung Lao does best, and even in the new era, there’s no one who does it better. One can only hope that Kung Lao will play a larger role in the new timeline; that way, we can see more of the things he’s capable of. If nothing else, he could always consider a career in cooking.
6. Johnny Cage
Our first iconic character on the list, Johnny Cage, is known for his legendary nut punch, which spans multiple forms of media, from video games to movies. Anything that doesn’t involve him doing the splits is tantamount to criminal, so including it in his fatalities is important to longtime fans. Including a Walk of Fame plaque is genius, and the fact it is named after his opponents is more insult to injury. Here’s hoping for the return of Sonya Blade and his daughter, Cassie Cage.
5. Sindel
Sindel has been having a bad hair day since their debut in Mortal Kombat 3. Unfortunately, this extends to her opponents as well, since she uses her hair to dish out punishment for her fatalities. The game does a great job of showing her more motherly side, so players may be taken off guard by her brutal finishes when watching her in action. With all that said, it seems we can never catch a break in these games.
4. Sub-Zero
Sub-Zero’s fatalities had become a meme at some point, due to the constant freeze-and-break body parts theme for all of them. Lately, NetherRealm has taken great strides in correcting that problem by using his cryo-abilities to pierce and disembowel instead of the former. Of course, this Sub-Zero resembles his original incarnation before the rewrites, so it’s quite fitting for his personality. It’s also really fun to execute in real-time.
Related: Mortal Kombat 1 Review: A Flawless Victory for NetherRealm
3. Liu Kang
Liu Kang never disappoints with his awesome fire-based abilities to go along with his newfound godhood. What’s really cool about this fatality is that the team incorporated the iconic bicycle kick into the setup. It’s fitting that the two fire dragons resemble the Mortal Kombat logo, as the games pretty much revolve around Liu Kang and his multiple forms. Let’s just keep him as a good guy this time around, please.
2. Kitana
Kitana is another familiar face to fans of Mortal Kombat II. Her fans are probably the deadliest tools in the game due to their ability to keep her cool and keep enemies dying horrifically. The fatality itself is a nice change of pace, as instead of using the fans blades sonic properties, the new fad is using them as a pair of rotating slicers as the opponent slowly gets turned into loose body parts. It’s good to see Kitana getting into magic tricks with her ability to make foes disappear.
1. Jean-Claude Van Damme
When Jean-Claude was first announced, we had no idea how he would fit in the horrible universe of Mortal Kombat. He’s been a long-requested actor for Johnny Cage, so it’s no surprise that he’s in the game, but thankfully Mortal Kombat 1 does him justice with his portrayal. His fatality is really cool as well, and it showcases some of the flair that fans have become accustomed to with Johnny Cage. Hopefully, he can crossover to the main timeline as a character in Story Mode.
