The Best "Mortal Kombat" Finishing Moves in Video Game History

Image via Complex Original

Kombatant: Scorpion
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat

It's hard to get more iconic than this. Scorpion is creator Ed Boons' favorite character, and it shows. Scorpion is a warrior among warriors – a spear hurling, tortured soul who thirsts for revenge. His original fatality was creepy to the max – his bleached skull breathed a plume of hellfire, reducing his opponent to a pile of bones. Just remember to hold 'block' when you tap 'up.'

Kombatant: Sub-Zero
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat

Of the original Kombatants, Sub-Zero was the fan favorite - his freeze moves caught the eye of every kid in the arcade. He also had the goriest fatality in the first game – that dripping, trailing spinal cord was extremely graphic for the time. What really gave us nightmares, however, was the agonized voice of the victim when Sub-Zero ripped his/her head off. It was a scream that launched a thousand parent protests.

Kombatant: Kitana
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat II

The first Mortal Kombat storyline was an Enter The Dragon knockoff – Mortal Kombat II was when the series started taking its narrative seriously. At the center of the Outworld versus Earth Realm conflict was Princess Kitana, the hot-to-trot, fan-wielding daughter of Shao Kahn. She had the most powerful projectile attack, and along with Mileena, the fastest throws and sweeps. Even her kisses made men and women explode. It's all in the lips.

Kombatant: Shang Tsung
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat II

It's hard to imagine pulling this move off unless you planned it out with your opponent, or unless your opponent was a total scrub. You needed to hold down Low Punch for an entire round, and even then, you had to release the button at the right time to pull off the move. It was well worth the aggravation, however. Four arms are better than two!

Kombatant: Johnny Cage
Finisher Type: Friendship
Game: Mortal Kombat II

After getting blamed for teen violence by every religious fundamentalist with a microphone, the Mortal Kombat developers decided to satirize themselves. Mortal Kombat II included Babalities, which let you turn your opponent into a baby, and Friendships, which let you call a funny truce with your opponent. Most of these Friendships were deliberately lame, but Johnny Cage's was very much in character, playing on his douche-tastic persona.

Kombatant: Liu Kang
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat II

In the first tournament, non-violent Shaolin monk Liu Kang was a strong, silent warrior, and he was only character with no Fatality – instead, he did a cartwheel, followed by an uppercut. In Mortal Kombat II, Liu Kang grew a pair. He finally got a proper fatality, and boy, was it worth the wait. Even today, that dragon looks impressive.

Kombatant: Jax
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat II

The self-proclaimed strongest character, Jax had deadly combos, a turtle punisher that could hit from a full screen away, and an air throw that could ruin any opponent's day. His fatality was equally brutal – Jax did to opponents' heads what Gallagher does to watermelons. In later games, Jax got cybernetic technology grafted onto his arms, but it's hard to see its necessity.

Kombatant: Shang Tsung
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat III

Shang Tsung has a variation of this Fatality in every game he's appeared in, but this was its best version. Shang Tsung lifted his opponent up into the air, stealing his life essence. What made this Fatality perfect was its end – your opponent was reduced to a nauseating, green slime, which puddled when it hit the floor. It's going to be tricky to mop that up.

Kombatant: All Characters
Finisher Type: Stage
Game: Mortal Kombat III

The first Pit was classic – it doesn't get much more painful than a bed of spikes. The third Pit, however, set a bar for quality. The stage itself was atmospheric, with monolithic, Easter Island heads lining the walls. At the bottom of the Pit was a row of spinning, circular blades, which ground your opponent up into a pile of guts. That initial blood splatter was oh-so-satisfying.

Kombatant: Cyrax
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

After Mortal Kombat III, the franchise hit a rut. The developers tried to make the transition to 3D, but just ended up making a pile of polygon crap. They finally found their groove again with Deadly Alliance, which began by snapping Liu Kang's neck. Cyrax's Fatality demonstrated the team's rejuvenated dedication to blood and guts, while keeping the dark sense of humor that made the violence palatable.

Kombatant: Raiden
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

Raiden has to be the most useless God in the history of video games. The world is on the edge of collapse, and he just sits on the sidelines, spouting broad platitudes about destiny. Plus, you'd think that the all powerful Thunder God could get a better wardrobe – that farmer's hat hits new heights of cultural insensitivity. Luckily, he had a great Fatality to make up for his incompetence. The low angle shot at the end, which emphasized Raiden's rare dominance, made this one work.

Kombatant: Bo Rai Cho
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat: Deception

When the developers wanted to create a comedic character, they didn't hold anything back. They came up with Bo' Rai Cho, a staggering, fat, drunk who puked and farted his way through matches. This fatality, although fairly obvious, got bonus points for its ending, when Bo' Rai Cho waved the stench away. "That was a wet one!" Indeed.

Kombatant: Mileena
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat: Deception

Mileena is the sexpot of the Mortal Kombat universe, which says a lot about her appeal, since she has a row of sharp, Tarkatan teeth to go along with her hourglass figure. She put those choppers to good use, biting her opponent's head off and spitting it on the ground with added emphasis. That dirty laugh just topped it off, adding a sexual element that was creepily out of context.

Kombatant: Ashrah
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat: Deception

A demon from the Netherrealm, Asharah was one of those characters that didn't quite work. The series had enough mystical magicians running around, and Ashrah seemed like a Raiden knockoff, with her weird, circular hat and lightning powers. Her Fatality, however, was a lot of fun – it's surprising that it took the franchise this long to exploit Voo Doo for its magical elements.

Kombatant: Baraka
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat: Deception

On a game-by-game basis, Baraka always had the coolest fatalities. He has two blades embedded directly in his arms – how could the fight not end well? Like a butcher with his meat, Baraka sliced through his opponent with cold, professional ease. When he hoisted that torso over his head, blood gushing out of both ends, it was visual perfection.

Kombatant: Kung Lao
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat IX

After Deception, the franchise fell into another rut. Armageddon, with its Create-Your-Own-Fatality BS, robbed the characters of their individualism. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was an even bigger travesty – a Mortal Kombat game without a 'MA' rating was just plain wrong. In 2011, the franchise went back to basics. The first trailer for Mortal Kombat IX showcased this fatality by Kung Lao, the franchise's resident Oddjob. It was at that moment that we knew we were in for a rebooted treat.

Kombatant: All Characters
Finisher Type: Stage
Game: Mortal Kombat IX

The subway stage fatality made its debut in Mortal Kombat III, but it was practically impossible to pull off. A single uppercut would knock you onto street level, spoiling your opportunity. Even when you did pull it off, the end result was a badly animated, blood-free letdown. Mortal Kombat IX corrected this, using two subways to decimate your opponent. Bah-bah-bah-bah-bump! Remember to stay behind the yellow line.

Kombatant: Sindel
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat IX

The resurrected Queen of the Outworld, Sindel is the hottest zombie to ever walk the Earth. With her long, white hair and plunging necklines, Sindel is crucial to the Mortal Kombat storyline, allowing Shao Kahn to pass through the portal to the Earth Realm. In Mortal Kombat IX, her voice was fatal to the ears – being dead for 10,000 years can take a toll on the vocal chords.

Kombatant: Ermac
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat IX

Ermac started as a glitch in the first game – his name is a shortening of 'Error Macro," a line of programming text that would pop up during the game's ending. He was rumored as a character for years, and in a perfect example of art imitating life, he made his debut in Ultimate Mortal Kombat III. Ermac's fatality in Mortal Kombat IX was brutal, funny, and effective. It was all about the detail – the way he ground his heel into the ground before wiping his feet clean.

Kombatant: Noob Saibot
Finisher Type: Fatality
Game: Mortal Kombat IX

Noob Saibot began as a hidden character in Mortal Kombat II – if you won 50 matches in versus mode, the shadowy ninja would fight you in Goro's lair. He was the easter egg of easter eggs – even his name was an inside joke (an inversion of the two developers' names, Ed Boon and John Tobias). In Mortal Kombat IX, Noob was a completely realized character, and his Make A Wish fatality was among the best. The pile of guts that dripped down the middle was a stomach turning detail.