Mortal Kombat: Battle Of The Realms – Every New Fighter Introduced In The Anime 

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle Of The Realms.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms is an animated movie from Warner Bros., and its lineup of fighters includes lots of newcomers to the Legends series. As the follow-up to 2020’s Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, 2021’s Battle of the Realms is the second Mortal Kombat movie to be produced by Warner Bros., who acquired the franchise from Midway Games in 2009. More than a decade later amid the era of live-action reboots, the animated Legends series offers new twists to the classic stories and characters of the franchise.

That being said, the connected stories of both Scorpion’s Revenge and Battle of the Realms mostly stay true to established Mortal Kombat lore. The warriors of Outworld, the Netherrealm, and Earthrealm continue to struggle against one another for control. Moreover, the Mortal Kombat tournament itself is alive and well, held under the watchful eyes of the Elder Gods. Even the classic Mortal Kombat fatalities so beloved by long-time franchise fans appear in the series, both in their original forms or as re-imagined odes to 8-bit violence.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge featured many original characters from the franchise. This included Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, Quan Chi, Goro, Kano, Jax Briggs, Reptile, Shao Khan, Shang Tsung and Kitana. Needless to say, not everyone survived from the first outing. As Battle of the Realms continues where Scorpion’s Revenge left off, many other fighters have joined the fray.

Kung Lao

Perhaps the most glaring omission in Scorpion’s Revenge was Kung Lao. In Battle of the Realms, Kung Lao first appears to defend the Wuxi monastery from the invading forces of Outworld but later falls to a fatality at the hands of Emperor Shao Khan during the tournament. Originally, Mortal Kombat’s Kung Lao was the last descendant of the Great Kung Lao – the tournament’s first champion. While Kung Lao was also defeated by Khan in the original games, he eventually returned. This is unlikely to happen in the Mortal Kombat Legends series – as he was literally torn apart by Shao Khan.

Stryker

In Mortal Kombat Legends sequel, riot police officer Kurtis Stryker first appears at the Wuxi monastery, fighting alongside Kung Lao, Sonya, and Jax against the forces of Outworld. He later joins the tournament and defeats Baraka but is ultimately dispatched by Shang Tsung, who possesses Stryker and makes him rip off his own head. In the games, Stryker is just as confused about being chosen for the tournament as he is in Battle of the Realms. Instead of getting decapitated, he became a revenant fighting for the villainous sorcerer Quan Chi.

Jade

The warrior assassin Jade first appears in Battle of the Realms alongside Princess Kitana, both of whom are part of the group that leads Outworld’s assault on Earthrealm. Later, during the tournament, she is defeated by Liu Kang, although her death is unconfirmed. In the games, she has a similar background as a close ally of Kitana and even helps her cause when the princess rebels against the Emperor. This could be a clue to whether or not Jade will return in any future installments of the Mortal Kombat Legends series.

Kintaro

The four-armed, tiger-striped Shokan warrior Kintaro is also part of Outworld’s first wave of invaders. In the tournament, Kintaro is defeated by Jax, who uses his new metal arms to rip off Kintaro’s upper arms. This is a callback to how Jax’s arms were torn out by Goro in Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge.

General Reiko

General Reiko is also part of the group that led Outworld’s forces. He is eventually defeated by Raiden in the tournament, but only after he makes the thunder god bleed. Like Jade, it’s unclear whether or not General Reiko actually died on the tournament grounds. Much like in the game series he is a loyal servant of Shao Khan, which is echoed in how his fighting moves are highly similar to the Emperors.

Smoke, Sektor, and Cyrax

The Lin Kuei ninja Smoke first appears in Battle of the Realms sparring with Sub Zero. When the two find out their fellow Lin Kuei ninjas Sektor and Cyrax were turned into cyborg warriors made to hunt Scorpion, they rebel against their master. After almost getting killed by their former peers in the clan, Sub-Zero manages to escape, but Smoke ends up getting captured and turned into a cyborg too. Smoke then joins Sektor and Cyrax in carrying out the plans of the Lin Kuei, which is very similar to their video game origins. In Battle of the Realms, the cyber ninjas overpower Sub-Zero and Scorpion while carrying out their master’s orders. However, in the end, they are betrayed by their master, who turns out to be the Elder God Shinnok, and they’re killed by his demons.

D’Vorah

The humanoid arachnid warrior D’Vorah wins the first fight of the tournament in Battle of the Realms, during a quick and one-sided bout against Johnny Cage. However, Sonya later chops off one of D’Vorah’s claws and uses it to stab and kill her. This is unlike D’Vorah’s controversial game origins, in which she has managed to kill key Mortal Kombat fighters like Scorpion, Mileena, and Baraka.

Li Mei

In Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, Li Mei appears only once and loses to Sonya in the tournament. In the video games, she was an Outworld native forced by Quan Chi and Shang Tsung to fight in the tournament – with the condition that her victory would free her small village from Khan’s rule. While the movie doesn’t explore this backstory, it would fit well within Mortal Kombat Legends’ overarching plot, which suggests her potential return in any upcoming sequel.

Shinnok

The most dangerous fighter introduced by Battle of the Realms is none other than fallen Elder God Shinnok. Although he is frequently discussed in Scorpion’s Revenge, he only really appears in the flesh during the second Mortal Kombat Legends movie. Moreover, it is Shinnok’s devious and convoluted machinations that eventually lead to the epic ending of Battle of the Realms. As a character central to the plot – which itself changes much of the source material’s narrative – this iteration of Shinnok is not entirely the same as his game counterpart. However, he remains the power-hungry ruler of the Netherrealm, with similar goals of conquest in Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms.

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