Motaro

General CVG character
name=Motaro


caption=Motaro in "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon"
series="Mortal Kombat" series
firstgame="Mortal Kombat 3" (1995)
motionactor=Deron McBee (second film)

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

About Motaro

Motaro made his first appearance in "Mortal Kombat 3". He is a centaur, meaning that he has the legs of a stallion and the torso of a man. He also has a pair of capricorn-like horns and has a long, metallic rat-like tail he can use as both an energy channeling point and a limb. Centaurians are known for their hunting prowess and their mystical powers.

Motaro, along with his entire race, harbors a deep-seated hatred for the Shokan, whom he sees as inferior. The two races constantly struggle against each other in order to prove their value to Shao Kahn and to finally define which is superior.

toryline

In the realm of Outworld, Motaro's race of Centaurians had come into conflict with the Shokan. Shao Kahn, Emperor of Outworld, had begun to favor the Centaurians over the Shokan, and had been punishing the latter, aiding the Centaurians in the defeat and subjugation of the Shokan race. When Kahn formed special extermination squads to eliminate the chosen warriors of Earthrealm during his invasion, Motaro was appointed to head this elite group of savage warriors.

Sonya Blade's defeat of Kano during the events of "Mortal Kombat Trilogy" had resulted in the Black Dragon member being thrown from a skyscraper to the streets below. Motaro recovered the severely injured Kano, and brought him back to Shao Kahn's fortress. After reviving him with magic, Motaro then imprisoned the criminal so that he could later be punished by Kahn for failing to defeat Sonya. It is at this point that Motaro was assaulted and supposedly killed by Sheeva. However, he returns in "", but since then the Centaurs have been put under a curse by the Shokan, turning him and the rest of his race into bipedal Minotaurs.

Motaro made a cameo appearance in "", In which Shujinko crosses upon a village in Earthrealm and stumbles upon the centaur, who gives Shujinko a good amount of koins before disappearing within a second.

In Motaro's "Armageddon" ending, he defeats Blaze, causing the firespawn's essence to consume him. When the fire stops, Motaro finds himself walking on four legs again, having lifted the Shokan's curse on the Centaurs. He vowed that the Shokan would pay dearly for their treachery. [http://www.mortalkombatwarehouse.com/mka/motaro/ Motaro's "Armageddon" info] at [http://www.mortalkombatwarehouse.com/ Mortal Kombat Warehouse] ]

Combat characteristics

ignature moves

*Tail Projectile: Motaro fires an energy blast from his tail at the opponent. In "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon", this move can only be performed in Mount Stance.("MK3", "UMK3", "MKT", "MK:A")
*Grab and Punch: Motaro lifts his opponent up by the throat with one hand and then smashes his fist into their face sending them sailing across the screen. ("MK3", "UMK3", "MKT")
*Teleport: Motaro vaporizes in a wavy fashion and reappears behind his opponent in the same manner (or, in "Armageddon", in a wavy puff of green smoke). In "Armageddon", Motaro can be knocked out of the teleport, up to the point where he begins to reappear.("MK3", "UMK3", "MKT", "MK:A")

Appearances in other media

Film

Motaro appeared in "," and was played by former "American Gladiators" star Deron McBee. His rivalry with Sheeva was briefly touched upon, and he was defeated by Jax at the end of the film.

Television

Motaro appeared twice in the 1996 animated series "". He and his Centaurian warriors were present at the castle in which Rain held Kitana hostage, and was later seen in the series finale during Kitana's unsuccessful plot to overthrow Shao Kahn. His voice actor was uncredited.

Character development

John Tobias said during an interview (included in the "MK3 Official Kollectors Book", published by EGM Masters series in 1995) that Motaro was actually influenced by a toy he had when he was a kid. The toy in question, "The Micronauts" antagonist Baron Karza, came with a horse that, when disassembled and combined with the figure, created a centaur-like creature.

Game information

As a sub-boss in "MK3," Motaro was invincible to projectiles, most of which bounced back at the player and often resulted in an accidental free hit. He also teleported frequently, often grabbing his opponents, whether from behind or after blocking their jump kicks. He could also shoot up to four fireballs at a time. In "Mortal Kombat Trilogy", his ability to reflect projectiles was greatly lessened, and would suffer damage if hit at point-blank range. In "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon", he lost his immunity altogether and could now be attacked with projectiles like most other characters.

Both Motaro and Shao Kahn were playable in the SNES and Sega Genesis versions of "Mortal Kombat 3" and "UMK3" via a secret code menu, though they remain unselectable in single player mode. He is also playable in "Mortal Kombat Trilogy".

Motaro's single fatality, only seen in the Nintendo 64 version of "Mortal Kombat Trilogy", is simply his grabbing pose with the opponent's head being ripped off in the process. His sprite also fades to darkness with the background when this fatality is performed, unlike other normal fighters who remain fully lit.

As described in his "Armageddon" bio card, the developers were faced with the decision (prompted by fan demand to include him, as revealed in the latest Fight Night interview from fan site "Mortal Kombat Online" [http://www.mortalkombatwarehouse.com/FightNight2006.html Fight Night 2006 Transcript] at [http://www.mortalkombatonline.com/ Mortal Kombat Online] ] ) of not including Motaro in the game or removing his hind legs due to the difficulty of compensating for his unique half-horse body shape. They decided to remove the hind legs with the explanation that a curse was placed on his race.Motaro's Bio Card. "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Premium Edition" Bonus Disc, Midway Games, 2006.] Reportedly, Motaro's centaur body structure was the main problem, as the "MK" team would need much more extensive programming and testing to successfully integrate Motaro's four-legged frame into interacting properly with knock-downs, throws, and fatalities and death traps that required limbs to be torn or cut off or Motaro to be impaled.

References