Mortal Kombat Players Explain Why Hsu Hao Is So Hated

In a hilarious Reddit thread, Mortal Kombat fans discuss why the character Hsu Hao gets so much hate from both the franchise’s fans and creators. Introduced in 2002’s Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance and reappearing as part of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon‘s massive all-inclusive roster, the powerful grappler is a double agent working for the villainous Red Dragon group. Due to the fighting game franchise’s long and varied history, there are many forgotten Mortal Kombat characters, including Hsu Hao, which range wildly in both quality and popularity.

Mortal Kombat‘s roster of brutal brawlers has expanded and evolved dramatically since the franchise began in 1992. The original arcade classic introduced an iconic roster, including Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Raiden, which has remained the default roster even in 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11. Subsequent sequels have introduced even more beloved figures, like Baraka and Mileena, who have become equally iconic aspects of the gory games. Starting with 2011’s Mortal Kombat, guest fighters like A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger and God of War‘s Kratos have also become a staple of the bloody brawler series’ modern entries. Mortal Kombat‘s guest character roster now includes pop culture icons such as Jason Voorhees, The Joker, Spawn, The Terminator and more.

Bringing up one of the Mortal Kombat franchise’s less beloved fighters, Reddit user 69thgenderrr began a discussion of the cyborg Red Dragon warrior Hsu Hao. When asked why the community hates Hsu Hao so passionately, many say that the character’s design and moveset are “boring” or “bland,” with many players not even remembering he exists. Some players even claim that Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon has displayed hatred for Hsu Hao. However, some supporters do exist, stating that detractors were just “jealous of his thunder klap” and that the fighter “did nothing wrong.”

While the Mortal Kombat series’ roster has grown enormously over three decades, old figures like Hsu Hao always have a chance to return. According to supposed leaks, Mortal Kombat 12‘s roster will be huge when the next entry in the fast-paced fighting game series finally releases. Rumors claim that the franchise’s next entry will act as a huge expansion to Mortal Kombat 11, incorporating a large number of new and returning characters. While any development of MK12 still remains unconfirmed, this potential evolution of MK11 could allow MK12‘s roster to be just as large as Mortal Kombat: Armageddon‘s while also being much more in-depth.

The Mortal Kombat series has produced some of gaming’s most recognizable characters, such as the elemental ninjas Scorpion and Sub-Zero. However, not every fighter has been equally adored by fans. Hsu Hao’s bland design and generic moveset have made him the butt of many jokes, with developers even expressing regret at adding him into Deadly Alliance. Still, there do exist some defenders who claim that a modern redesign could turn Hsu Hao into an interesting and powerful kombatant.

Source: 69thgenderrr/Reddit

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