Kintaro (Mortal Kombat)

General CVG character
name= Kintaro


series="Mortal Kombat" series
firstgame="Mortal Kombat II" (1993)
inuniverse=Mortal Kombat character
origin = Outworld
race = Shokan
weapons = Saber Teeth ("MK:A")
fighting-styles = Tiger Fist ("MK:A")
alignment = Evil

Kintaro is a fictional character in the "Mortal Kombat" fighting game series.

About Kintaro

Kintaro was introduced as a replacement for the great Shokan prince Goro, and was everything Goro was, including being of the Shokan race, but not of the same family. Being the supreme commander of Outworld's armed forces, he is second only to Shao Kahn himself, and harder to defeat than Goro. He has clearly defined feline aspects, with tiger stripes on his back (more recently, claws and cat-like digitigrade feet in his "Armageddon" makeover as well), and has the ability to spit fireballs from great distances.

He shares his name with the Japanese folk hero Kintarō.

toryline

In "Mortal Kombat II", after hearing of Goro's death at the hands of Liu Kang, Kintaro vowed to avenge his comrade and crush Liu Kang in "Mortal Kombat". Kintaro tried to prove his loyalty to Shao Kahn when he traveled to Earthrealm with a Tarkatan horde to defeat Johnny Cage. Although the attack failed due to the intervention of other Earthrealm warriors, Kintaro continued to serve Shao Kahn. After Shang Tsung was defeated again by Liu Kang, Kintaro then challenged Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat, and lost.

In ""'s Konquest mode, Kintaro is seen in the Netherealm along with Sheeva, Havik, and a legion of demons all apparently working in an attempt to overthrow Shinnok's rule at his spire. However, Shinnok later reveals that this was all created as a test for Taven, and that the Kintaro fought by him was an illusion.

In Kintaro's "Armageddon" ending, he defeats Blaze and is offered four magical swords infused with power of any warrior of his choosing. Kintaro selects the powers of ice (Sub-Zero), fire (Scorpion), chaos (Havik), and order (Hotaru). The four fighters are killed and their souls are transferred into the weapons. Kintaro then uses the swords to vanquish his enemies and gain more power. Therefore, no one dared to challenge Kintaro to Mortal Kombat, in the hopes of ever defeating him. [http://mortalkombatwarehouse.com/mka/kintaro/ Kintaro's "Armageddon" info] at [http://www.mortalkombatwarehouse.com/ Mortal Kombat Warehouse] ]

Combat characteristics

ignature moves

*Fireball / Fiery Hands: Kintaro shoots a red fireball out of his mouth. ("MKII", "MKT", "MK:SM", "MK:A")
*Rapid Fireball: Kintaro shoots multiple red fireballs from his mouth in succession. ("MKII", "MKT", "MK:SM")
*Teleport Stomp: Kintaro jumps off screen and comes crashing down on his enemy. ("MKII", "MKT", "MK:SM")
*Grab and Pound: Grabbing his opponent with his lower arms, Kintaro pounds them with his upper arms, shaving off a good portion of his opponent's life. ("MK:SM", "MK:A")
*Shokan Roar: Kintaro roars, making him vulnerable (or healing in "Armageddon"). In Shaolin Monks, he does this move before a teleport stomp, and he is vulnerable to attacks when he roars. ("MKII", "MKT", "MK:SM", "MK:A")
*Four Armed Grab: Kintaro grabs his opponent with all four arms and smashes him overhead. ("MK:A")
*Breath: Kintaro inhales deeply, dragging the opponent in and, if they are caught, he will do Four Armed grab. ("MK:A")

Appearances in other media

Comic books

Kintaro is portrayed as a minor character in the Malibu Comics "Battlewave" series. Unlike the games, in which he attempted to avenge Goro's death, the comics shows he's bitter towards Goro since he was always in his shadow, and longs for a confrontation with him. His only noteworthy participation in the comics is when he kidnaps Sonya Blade while she leads an investigation team into Shang Tsung's crumpled island. In the comics, Kintaro refers to himself as the "scourge of Outworld."

Malibu wrote as a response a special "When Titans Klash" mini-story at the end of issue four of the "Battlewave" series, in which Kintaro has his dream match against Goro. The short struggle ended with Goro victorious, and served to reconcile both Shokans in the comics' continuity.

Character development

Kintaro was originally going to be a playable character (a tall anthropomorphic tiger with two arms). While his size would not be a problem (all the playable characters were digitally resized to be the same height), the impending difficulty of creating an extensively detailed fur-lined costume, however, led to Midway's revamping of the character into the game's four-armed boss in the same way as Goro.

Kintaro's appearance since "Mortal Kombat II" has shifted from simply looking like a tiger (stripes instead of spots like Goro sports) to being an actual tiger Shokan; he is distinguished from other Shokan by having true feline features (actual fur, digitigrade feet, fangs and a distinctly feline nose). His unique features, which differentiate him from other Shokan, are explained by the fact that he descends from a rare and ancient family lineage known for its brutality.

For "Armageddon", Kintaro's tiger appearance was played to the hilt, including his weapons: his saber teeth resemble the oversized fangs of the smilodon, and both it and his other concept weapon design (a set of circular gauntlet-mounted blades known as the "Tiger Claws") have a distinct tiger's eye jewel imbedded in their center.

Game information

For a long time after his introduction, he was seen as one of the hardest bosses in the "MK" series. This was because he was able to grab someone in mid-attack and throw him or her to the ground, usually followed by a teleport-stomp. He also shot up to three fireballs at a time. The extreme difficulty in defeating him was enough to provoke a comment from "Video Games" magazine, in their 1993 review of the home versions of "MKII", that Kintaro was "the hardest [fighting game] boss ever...He doesn't just beat you; he kicks your ass."

Shang Tsung had a fatality in "Mortal Kombat II" where he morphed into Kintaro and punched the opponent's upper body clean across the screen.

On his biography card, Ed Boon stated his favorite move for Kintaro is his Teleport Stomp.Kintaro's Bio Card. "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Premium Edition" Bonus Disc, Midway Games, 2006.] Ironically, this move doesn't appear in Kintaro's move roster in "Armageddon".

References