Mortal Kombat: 10 Interesting Facts About Scorpion That You Might Not Know

Marking his debut in the first Mortal Kombat game in 1992, Scorpion has been one of the most significant characters of the franchise. Additionally, the undead ninja specter killed by the antagonist Quan Chi has also appeared in the franchise’s films, comics, and other associated media. Dressed in his typical yellow ninja outfit, kunai, and hardshell face mask, the character has been visibly unchanged and is no less than a mascot for the Mortal Kombat universe. He has shifted roles, sometimes as a neutral antihero and an antagonist on other occasions.

Here are ten facts about Mortal Kombat‘s Scorpion that you might not know.

10 His real name has historical Implications

When Scorpion was a human and not a hell-spawned ninja, his name was Hanzo Hasashi. While this obviously points to a Japanese origin like many other characters from the games, fans speculate the first name might refer to legendary Japanese sword-maker Hattori Hanzo. Hanzo was a figure from Japan’s Edo period but is known and reimagined in popular culture as the maker of the Bride’s sword in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill franchise.

As for Scorpion’s family name, some others have suggested that it might refer to Musashi. Musashi was another prominent figure in Japan’s martial history, serving as a swordsman in the 1500s.

9 His signature weapon is actually a farming tool

Scorpion’s signature move involves projecting a chained blade, roughly resembling a spearhead, called the kunai. Several anime, manga, and ninja characters in pop-culture also utilize them as their weapons. But the addition of the chain is what makes Scorpion’s kunai unique.

Originally, blades like the kunai were used for masonry and farming in Japan. It’s later that ninjas began to realize that these sharpened everyday tools could make for convenient weapons. Often kunai have a hole at one end which can be used to attach it to a rope. Hence, it can be used for climbing rocks or throwing it at your long-rage enemies as Scorpion does.

8 Voiced by the game’s creator

The character has been voiced by the same person in every installment of the game series (up to Mortal Kombat X) as well as the two films by Ed Boon, who is a programmer and one of the co-creators of the games. Boon also came up with Scorpion’s signature line, “Get over here!“

Boon, in fact, has also voiced several other fan-favorite characters like Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Kai, and Raden. For his continuous work as the voice behind Scorpion, he was also awarded the record of being the “longest-serving video game voice actor” by the Guinness Book of World Records.

7 An actor who played both Scorpion and a Tekken character

Another cult fighting game that Mortal Kombat has been often compared to is the Tekken series. Slightly less brutal and gory in its approach, the Sony series still has diverse characters with diverse fighting moves. But like Mortal Kombat and many other video games, Tekken too got a cheesy cinematic rendition (in a movie of the same name).

But actor Ian Anthony Dale who played the antagonist Kazuya Mishima in the film soon got his redemption by playing Scorpion. He got to don the iconic ninja suit and mask in the YouTube web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy. The show and Scorpion’s performance was much lauded by die-hard fans of the games and critics alike.

6 He’s a chef too

Believe it or not but Scorpion has skills in the kitchen too, from chopping vegetables and fruits to icing cakes. We get this footage from a video titled ‘Cooking with Scorpion’ from the Krypt in the 2002 classic Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (the first Mortal Kombat game to be released exclusively for home consoles).

In fact, later on, a YouTube channel called The Super Zeroes even featured a cooking series where a person dressed as Scorpion cooks delicacies with various other guests from pop culture like Batman, Deadpool, and Freddy Krueger.

5 The highest number of skins

Scorpion also holds the record for being the character with the most alternate skins in the series. He has about 30 costumes, most of which are just alternate versions of his classic yellow costume.

Amongst these costumes, a particularly unique entrant is one that resembles Scorpion in from the cheesy Mortal Kombat live-action films of the 90s. Additionally, he also has a great variety in terms of collectibles, weapon variations, and other such things.

4 Played by different actors in the movies

Even though Scorpion appears in both the Mortal Kombat films and is voiced by creator Ed Boon, different actors played his role in the movies. Martial artist and stuntman Chris Casamassa played Scorpion in the first film, making it his most popular role. He reprised the character in the short-lived TV series Mortal Kombat: Conquest.

In Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, the original film’s sequel, stuntman JJ Perry performed Scorpion’s moves. The reason for Casamassa’s absence was his gig at Batman and Robin, in which he was doubling for George Clooney’s Batman.

3 He inspired an Overwatch character

Hanzo Hasashi aka Scorpion inspired the history of another fighting character in Blizzard Entertainment’s multiplayer shooter game. Overwatch’s Hanzo Shimada is a similar character with a shady past, although he uses the bow as his primary weapon.

The similarity between the two characters gets more evident when considering one of the unlockable costumes for Hanzo Shimada is a yellow karategi-like robe and heavy boots.

2 He has been a basketball player too

Apart from being parodied in various cartoons, Scorpion has made appearances in many non-Mortal Kombat games too, like NBA Jam Tournament Edition in 1995. This only goes on to show how iconic the character is.

Additionally, he has surprisingly shown up in the arcade third-person shooter The Grid, the baseball game MLB: Slugfest Loaded, as well as another shooting game called Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy. It’s also worth mentioning Mortal Kombat‘s crossovers and tie-ins with DC Comics, technically making him a part of the DC Universe.

1 A possible reference to Terminator 2

Terminator 2: Judgement Day is possibly one of the most iconic movies in cinematic history. In one particularly classic and memorable scene towards the end is when Arnold Schwarzenneger’s T-800 self-terminates in a vat of molten steel. Before leaving the current timeline, he raises his gloved hand with the gesture of a thumbs up.

There’s a subtle nod to this scene in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. As Scorpion is finally defeated, he’s also similarly immersed in molten lava. As he fades out, he too raises his hand with a thumbs up. Schwarzenneger’s classic Terminator character also appeared as a playable character later in Mortal Kombat 11.

About The Author

Shaurya Thapa
(727 Articles Published)

Shaurya Thapa is an Indian freelance journalist who mostly dabbles in writings on cinema, music, and human interest features. When it comes to Screen Rant, he writes lists on a wide array of subjects ranging from international films to mainstream Netflix series and comic book trivia. He also hosts a podcast called ‘BhindiWire’, an Indian parody of IndieWire.

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