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Shao Khan is the Ruler of Outworld, a boss character and later a playable fighter from the Mortal Kombat series.
Profile
Alignment: Evil
Species: Outworlder
Origin: Outworld
Allies: Mileena, Baraka, Shang Tsung, Reiko, Rain, Chameleon, Sheeva, Goro
Enemies: Kitana, Liu Kang, Raiden, Cyrax, Ermac, Jade, Kabal, Khameleon, Onaga, Reptile
About
Shao Kahn is the Emperor of Outworld, and one of the primary villains in the Mortal Kombat series. While his physical representation has changed slightly over the years, he is primarily recognized as a large humanoid male wearing sparse armor on his shins, forearms, shoulders and head. His primary weapon is a large mallet or hammer.
Game History
Mortal Kombat I
While Shao Kahn does not directly appear in the first MK game, it is by his order that Shang Tsung and Goro came to Earth and initiated the Tournament that the fighters become involved in. If Goro and Shang Tsung win the tournament depicted in the first game, then Shao Kahn will have free access to Earthrealm.
Mortal Kombat II
After the defeat of both Goro and Shang Tsung by Liu Kang in MK I, Shang Tsung begged Kahn for his life, promising that he could still defeat the warriors, and take over Earthrealm. Shao Kahn spared Tsung's life and restored his youth. Kahn then put into motion a plan that would lure the Earthrealm champions to Outworld. As opposed to the standard tournament where a contestant could lose and still survive, Kahn planned to simply kill the Earthrealm warriors outright.
To lure the warriors to Outworld, Shao Kahn first captured Kano and Sonya Blade to use as bait. He then sent Baraka and his minions to destroy as many Shaolin temples as they could find. With this done, he sat back and waited for the Earthrealm warriors (particularly Liu Kang) to attack. Despite Shao Kahn's vast power, Liu Kang and the Earthrealm warriors were able to defeat Shao Kahn. Before his final fate could be determined, Shao Kahn called on his armies to destroy the Earthrealm warriors, causing them to flee back to Earthrealm.
Mortal Kombat 3
During his research into how to take over Earthrealm, Shang Tsung discovered a way to resurrect Shao Kahn's former Queen, Sindel, in Earthrealm. If successful, he and Kahn would be able to cross the border to claim her. Shao Kahn had Shang Tsung proceed, and they quickly invaded Earthrealm. Once there, Shao Kahn began to merge it with his own realm, Outworld. Nearly every living being in Earthrealm had their souls ripped from their bodies as part of this merger. Fortunately Raiden had been able to protect the souls of a handful of warriors. When he found out about these survivors, Kahn sent extermination squads to hunt them down and kill them. In the ensuing fights, Kahn was confronted by Kung Lao, a Shaolin monk and descendant of the warrior whom Goro had defeated 500 years earlier to become champion of Mortal Kombat. Despite Kung Lao's best efforts, Shao Kahn defeated him. Once again it was up to Liu Kang to defeat Shao Kahn. Worn down from the battle, Kahn recalled his squads and retreated back to Outworld. This stopped the merger with Outworld, and restored Earthrealm to its original status. To make matters worse for Kahn, many of his loyal soldiers abandoned him, and princess Kitana succeeded in turning Sindel to her side, restoring Edenia as an independent realm.
Deadly Alliance and Deception
After the events of the previous MK games, Shao Kahn was greatly weakened, and would remain so for a period of several years, remaining inactive during Shinnok's war against the gods in MK4. In the meantime, the Edenians had made peace with the Shokan, on whom Kahn had always heavily relied. Within a few years they were ready to attack Outworld directly. It was only through Kano's ingenuity, and the stealth of his unreliable assassin Noob Saibot that Kahn was able to save the day (depending on your point of view) and force the Edenian army into a draw. Soon afterwards, the sorcerers Quan Chi and Shang Tsung swore false allegiance to the emperor, in an attempt to get him to let his guard down. This seemed to work, as the two were able to overpower and kill Shao Kahn. However, thanks to some extra content in the GameCube version of Mortal Kombat: Deception, it is revealed that Kahn did not die. The Kahn that Quan Chi and Shang Tsung killed was only a clone. The real Kahn is shown appearing to a wounded Goro and reviving him, thus gaining Goro and the Shokan as allies once again.
Armageddon
In MK: Armageddon, Shao Kahn is once again the Emperor of Outworld. While it isn't shown, the bios of Shang Tsung and Mileena reveal that Shao Kahn regained power after Onaga's defeat by storming his own fortress with the aid of Goro and Shang Tsung. When he succeeds in using his own brute force to storm the throne room, Mileena surrenders to him and Shao Kahn becomes Outworld's ruler once more.
As the game starts, Shao Kahn has formed an uneasy alliance with Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, and Onaga in the hopes of defeating Blaze and seizing his godlike powers. In his ending, Shao Kahn makes his way to the top of Argus's Pyramid for the final confrontation with Blaze, where he is able to defeat the elemental. Shao Kahn's armies then destroy what's left of his enemies. With the power Shao Kahn received from defeating Blaze, he is able to merge all the realms with Outworld, where he is once again the sole ruler. Since there is no MK9 as of 2008, we do not know if Shao Kahn's ending is cannon or not; hopefully we will find out in 2010, when the next official game is scheduled to come out.
Special Moves
- Magic Spear: Shao Kahn creates large spear/arrow out of light, which he then throws at the player. (MKII)
- Shoulder Charge: Shao Kahn shoulder-rams his opponent, causing damage with the spikes on his armor. The visual effect is very similar to the Shadow Kick originally seen used by Johnny Cage. (MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK:D, MK:U, MK:SM, MK:A)
- Hammer: Shao Kahn smashes his opponent over the head with his war hammer. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
- Green Fire: Shao Kahn shoots a green fireball that explodes on contact. (MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK:D, MK:U, MK:SM, MK:A)
- Rising Knee: Shao Kahn hits his opponent with a rising knee attack. (MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK:D, MK:U, MK:SM, MK:A)
- Taunt: Shao Kahn mocks his opponent during battle. In MK:Deception, performing a Ridicule recovered a slight amount of Kahn's health, but could only be performed three times per match before it was automatically disabled. (MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK:D, MK:U, MK:SM, MK:A)
- Grab and Punch: Shao Kahn grasps his opponent by the throat and punches them several times. In MK:Deception, this was combined into a throw attack that could knock opponents into nearby death traps. (MKT, MK:D, MK:U, MK:A)
- Shield: Shao Kahn puts up a short lived force field to deflect projectiles. If his opponent was too close, the shield also caused them damage. (MK:D, MK:U, MK:A)
Fatality
Human Nail: Shao Kahn hammers his opponent into the ground leaving only their upper torso sticking out. He then laughs before hammering his opponent into a bloody explosion. (MKT N64, MK:D)
Shao Kahn games
Edit
| Name | Platforms | Developer | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Mortal Kombat 9 (working title) |
Midway Games | |
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Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe released on Nov. 16, 2008 |
X360, PS3 | WB Games Chicago |
|
|
Mortal Kombat: Kollection released on Sept. 29, 2008 |
PS2 | Midway Games |
|
|
Ultimate Mortal Kombat released on Nov. 12, 2007 |
DS | Other Ocean Interactive, Midway Games |
|
|
Mortal Kombat: Unchained released on Nov. 13, 2006 |
PSN, PSP | Midway Games |
|
|
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon released on Oct. 11, 2006 |
XBOX, WII, PS2 | Midway Games |
|
|
Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition |
PC | Midway Games |
|
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Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play released on Dec. 13, 2005 |
PSP | Digital Eclipse Software, Inc., Backbone Vancouver |
|
|
Mortal Kombat: Deception released on Oct. 4, 2005 |
PS2, XBOX, GC | Midway Games |
|
|
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks released on Sept. 16, 2005 |
XBOX, PS2 | Midway Studios Los Angeles |
