Liu Kang

General CVG character
name=Liu Kang


caption=
series="Mortal Kombat" series
firstgame="Mortal Kombat" (1992)
voiceactor=Brian Tochi ("")
liveactor=Ho Sung Pak ("MK", "MK II")
Eddie Wong ("MK3", "UMK3", "MKT")
Robin Shou (films)
Carmichael Simon ("")
inuniverse=Mortal Kombat character
origin = Earthrealm
race = Human
weapons = Dragon Sword ("MK4", "MKG")
Nunchaku ("MK:D, MK:A")
fighting-styles = Jun Fan ("MK:D", "MK:A")
Pao Chui ("MK:D")
Jeet Kune Do ("MK:SM")
Choy Lay Fut ("MK:SM")
Monkey ("MK:SM")
Dragon ("MK:SM")
alignment = Good

Liu Kang is the main protagonist in the "Mortal Kombat" fighting game series.

About Liu Kang

Liu Kang is a Chinese Shaolin fighting monk. He moves quickly and possesses formidable fighting skills. Throughout the series, Liu Kang has been gradually portrayed as the main hero, becoming Champion after the first "Mortal Kombat" tournament and then following whatever quest Raiden has in mind for him. His romantic interest is Princess Kitana, but he is unable to commit himself to a relationship due to his duty (protecting Earthrealm as the Champion of Mortal Kombat) while Kitana has to stay in Edenia/Outworld as reigning princess.

Liu Kang was brutally murdered by Shang Tsung (who had Quan Chi's assistance) in the prelude of ', his soul consumed by Tsung. He did return in ', albeit as a zombie. He also co-stars alongside Kung Lao, Sub-Zero, Scorpion and others in the adventure game ' (as a human, due to the game taking place during the time of "Mortal Kombat II"), in ' and is featured again in "" in zombie form, although his human form is his alternate costume.

toryline

Liu Kang follows the teachings of the Shaolin White Lotus Society and was sent by the Temple of Light to defeat Shang Tsung. He desired to defeat Shang Tsung and bring the tournament back to its Shaolin owners. Liu Kang was trained by Master Bo' Rai Cho, who taught him the Flying Kick. As he made his way to the tournament, he met and became friends with Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. Upon hearing of Goro's defeat, Shang Tsung challenged him. Liu Kang defeated Shang Tsung, emerging as the new champion of Mortal Kombat.

Coming home from Tsung's Island, he found many of his Shaolin killed in a vicious attack by a Tarkatan horde. Enraged, Liu Kang decided to travel to Outworld, backed by fellow White Lotus member and spiritual brother Kung Lao to seek revenge. Before he traveled to Outworld At the tournament, he and Kung Lao met Kitana, and Liu Kang began to fall in love with her. After the matches that took place, Liu Kang fought Shao Kahn, eventually overpowering the emperor. Near defeat, Kahn ordered his forces to destroy the earth fighters, forcing Earth's heroes to return home and to begin preparing for the coming invasion. After returning to Earthrealm, Liu Kang, along with Kung Lao, began training a new generation of Shaolin Warriors, but was interrupted when the invasion began. As Kahn's extermination squads were sent to kill Earth's chosen warriors, Liu Kang found himself the primary target. Liu Kang challenged the Emperor to Mortal Kombat, and after the final battle, he defeated Shao Kahn again, causing him and his forces to retreat back to Outworld.

Liu Kang traveled to a foreign land to look for a new generation of Shaolin warriors to train. While there in the foreign land he met his old friend Kai. The two then travelled back to the main contenant of earthrealm, where Liu Kang trained Kai to be a Shaolin Warrior. However, the peace was not to last, as the fallen Elder God Shinnok had escaped from the Netherrealm through a portal to Edenia. Upon learning that Kitana had been captured, Liu Kang set out on his own to save her, but he was unsuccessful. Liu Kang returned to Earth, where he began gathering Earth's warriors to save Earth and assist his mentor, Raiden.

Eventually, Liu Kang confronted the fallen Elder God Shinnok and once again emerged victorious, effectively ending his attack on Earth. Liu Kang returned to the Shaolin Temples, believing he has lost Kitana forever. However, the Edenian Princess appeared through a portal from Edenia and thanked Liu Kang for all he had done. She offered him a chance to join her at the throne of Edenia. However, due to the responsibilities as a Mortal Kombat Champion, Liu Kang was forced to decline her offer.

For some years, Liu Kang went on to enjoy relative peace. However, the Deadly Alliance would make itself known on Earth by its successful assassination attempt of Liu Kang. Shang Tsung, was assisted by Quan Chi, who caught Liu Kang in the back unawares with a dart. Shang Tsung used this distraction to gain the upper hand and snapped Liu Kang's neck. He then consumed his soul.

In the culmination of the events of ', Raiden released his godlike essence in order to destroy Onaga, killing Shang Tsung and presumably Quan Chi in the process. Furthermore Raiden, now somehow corrupted in his reformation, reanimated Liu Kang's body and sent it on a rampage, slaughtering many of Liu Kang's fellow Shaolin monks. Liu Kang's spirit decided to stay in Outworld to assist in the war against Onaga, but he soon discovered his body's "resurrection" and was stricken by what he had done. Although Liu Kang wasn't technically responsible, he couldn't help but feel responsibility for the actions committed by his corporeal form. He also learned about his comrades and how they had been enslaved by Onaga. From there, Liu Kang enlisted the mysterious ninja Ermac as an ally and had two missions to complete. The first was to try and save his friends from Onaga with Ermac, the second to defeat and stop his body from doing further harm. In ', he accomplishes his first task by saving his friends but was unable to reunite his body and soul. However, in the end defeating Blaze, Liu Kang's body and soul reunite, he also gains the power of a god and reluctantly defeats his master Raiden to become the new protector of Earthrealm.

Combat characteristics

ignature moves

*Flying Kick: Liu Kang flies across the screen and connects with a kick to the opponent's torso. ("MK", "MKII", "MK3", "UMK3", "MKT", "MK4", "MKG", "MK:D", "MK:SM," "MK:A")
*Dragon Fire: Liu Kang sends a fiery flame in the shape of a dragon across the screen out of his hands at his opponent. After "MKII", he gains the ability to perform this while crouching and in the air (he lost this variation in "Deception" and "Armageddon").("MK", "MKII", "MK3", "UMK3", "MKT", "MK4", "MKG", "MK:D", "MK:SM," "MK:A")
*Flying Bicycle Kick: Liu Kang flies across the screen with a series of multiple kicks to the opponent's torso resembling pedaling a bicycle, hence the name. ("MKII", "MK3", "UMK3", "MKT", "MK4", "MKG", "MK:D", "MK:SM", "MK:A")

Recurring fatalities

*Shaolin Uppercut: Liu Kang performs a butterfly kick on his opponent, before hitting an uppercut that knocks them into the air for several seconds. The opponent isn't explicitly murdered (unless it is used as a Pit fatality), and was created to show Kang's faith in the Shaolin way. In "Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks", there were two versions; one where the victim explodes to pieces upon impact and the original, in which the opponent is torn to pieces upon falling to the ground. ("MK","MKII","MK:SM")
*Dragon: Liu Kang's signature fatality, in which he morphs into a large dragon, consuming the upper body of his opponent. This fatality was turned into an animality in "MK3" and back into a normal fatality in "MK4". In the Handheld versions of MKII, he burns the opponent with a fireball.("MKII", "MK3", "UMK3", "MKT", "MKG", "MK4", "MK:SM")

Appearances in other media

Film

Liu Kang is the main hero in both "Mortal Kombat" movies, and was played by Robin Shou. In the first film, he takes part in the tournament out of guilt over his brother's death, and defeats Shang Tsung in final combat. Shou, along with Talisa Soto, was one of only two actors to reprise their roles in the sequel, "."

Television

Liu Kang was one of the lead characters in the 1996 animated series "", and was voiced by Brian Tochi. He was not the main protagonist therein as opposed to the game storyline, instead sharing this role with several other Earthrealm heroes.

Comic books

Liu Kang was the main protagonist of Malibu Comics' "MK" series. In the first miniseries, "Blood & Thunder," his backstory was mostly kept intact (he is a Shaolin monk out to restore the tournament to their righteous owners), though he was not the chosen one to defeat Goro, a role which instead fell on a pair of new characters created for the series: twin monk brothers named Sing and Sang, who were capable of fusing their bodies and minds into one being called Siang. Liu Kang steps as the only hope for the Temples of Light after Siang is killed by Goro.

The following miniseries, "Battlewave," states Liu Kang won the first tournament, which happened after "Blood & Thunder" ended and is never shown in any comic, after defeating Goro. He returns to his normal life as an architect in Chicago, having left the Order of Light before the events of the first series. However, he suffers from constant attacks by an unknown force of ninjas and later receives help from Johnny Cage's bodyguard Bo when Goro ambushes him in an office building. Eventually he decides to travel to Outworld, realizing that he cannot avoid Mortal Kombat.

Liu Kang's relationship with Kitana was ignored throughout the series, as she was instead paired with Kung Lao. His friendship with Kung Lao was also greatly overlooked, as the two first became friends during the "Blood & Thunder" series, when Kung Lao saved a near-death Liu Kang who had been stabbed by Kano.

Appearance

In the first game, Liu Kang had short hair and wears black pants and white shoes and no shirt and is considerably smaller than the other playable characters in the game, showing a strong reminiscence to Bruce Lee. In "MKII" he had a new red headband on his forehead, two red stripes on his pants and two new wristbands, and he wears black tabi shoes, he also is now more normal in size compared to the first game. In "MK3" he had long hair instead of short, and this version of his outfit is his most recurring outfit, being used in the later games such as "MK4", "MK:D", and "MK:A" as his alternate costume. In "MK4", he also had a red tanktop (while his alternate costume featured his chest bare again, but the shade of the costume was blue) in addition to this costume. In "Deception" and "Armageddon", he wears his "MK3" outfit, but due to his resurrection, his skin is zombie-grey now (with a bit of flesh exposed also) and he wears hooked chains around his wrists. In "Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe", he wears a slightly altered version of his "MK3" costume, while also wearing a championship belt.

Character development

Liu Kang was originally going to be called Minamoto Yo Shin Soo. He was a Japanese mythological character, but John Tobias stated that they could not deal with the name. One of his fighting styles is Jun Fan (which is Bruce Lee's real birth name), and was also the original name of the style now known as Jeet Kune Do. Liu Kang is based on Bruce LeeFact|date=July 2008, they both share the same style of fighting and high pitched screams when executing certain moves. Addintionally, Liu Kang, like Bruce Lee in the film Enter the Dragon, is depicted in the original games and the first Mortal Kombat movie as being a Shaolin monk seeking to avenge the death of a family member and restore the honor of a corrupted martial arts tournament.

John Tobias stated in an interview that he originally intended for Liu Kang to be a traditional bald monk, and that Richard Divizio was intended to portray Kang in this fashion in the first game. However, Tobias alludes to the possibility that Divizio did not wish to shave his head for this role, though ironically he later did shave his head to play Kano from Mortal Kombat 3 on, and also for the role of Quan Chi in Mortal Kombat 4 and Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero. Liu Kang was instead played by black belt hall of famer Ho Sung Pak in the first two games, and by Eddie Wong in Mortal Kombat 3 and its remakes.

He was intended to be a “surprise/secret” character during "MK: Deception", being one of the most difficult to find/unlock during Konquest because the creators intended to cause a shock to the fans of the series by having their hero resurrected in such a corrupted way. They intended to keep this as a major secret that they never even released an official high resolution render of the character in order to avoid any leaks.

Game information

Liu Kang was the only "Mortal Kombat" character who had a fatality in which the opponent was not explicitly murdered. His finishing move was also the only one in the original "MK" game that was performed without the background dimming. This was because Liu Kang was depicted as a Shaolin monk, and, in general, Shaolin monks have strict beliefs regarding killing and murder. However, starting with "Mortal Kombat II", he was given gory fatalities as he was depicted as a renegade monk who had "strong Shaolin beliefs, but was no longer a part of the Shaolin monks." He is the fourth "MK" character to have a game based around him (""). He and Kung Lao are the game's two protagonists.

A victorious round against Shao Kahn in "Mortal Kombat II" does not lead to Kahn's usual voice declaring that the player's character wins. If Liu Kang is the chosen fighter, he will utter a small war cry upon winning the round, he will also mutter the same warcry if you perform the butterfly kick fatality just before the opponent falls down.

Even though Liu Kang, canonwise, appears in his dead form both in "Deception" and "Armageddon", his alternate costume in both games depicts his human form; or the form that was achieved when he, in his endings in Deception and Armageddon, fused his soul with his body. He appeared in the walled city in "Mortal Kombat: Deception"'s Konquest mode as a living person, albeit only to give you 500 Ruby koins. If you hit him, he will say "Watch it, I know many forms of Kombat and am the Champion of Mortal Kombat!" His ghost is also in Earthrealm at the temple and you can train with him.

As stated on his "MK: Armageddon" bio card, Ed Boon mentioned that Liu Kang was designed to be the most easily "accessible" character, meaning that casual and non casual gamers could play as him with little difficulty. [Mortal Kombat Armageddon Bio card: Liu Kang]

References