Mortal Kombat's impressively long list of titles has not taken a break since its inception in 1992. In the arcades, players would throw down their quarters to duel each other or make their way through the arcade ladder. After transitioning to home consoles, more emphasis would be placed on the story, but the great gameplay that made the franchise so popular in the first place was still kept intact.
What makes Mortal Kombat really stand out from the pack is its massive cast of unique characters, coming in somewhere over ninety playable combatants over the ten mainline titles. Several elements should be considered when choosing the strongest Mortal Kombat characters, including their strength in the canon, their usefulness in gameplay, and their prevalence within the fan community.
Updated December 22nd, 2021 by George Chrysostomou: Mortal Kombat is more popular than ever thanks to the success of recent releases alongside the movie. With so many fighters to choose from it's important to know which is the strongest Mortal Kombat character and what attributes can be expected from them if they are chosen in battle.
Stryker
Kurtis Stryker is one of the biggest dorks to ever step into the ring. His original plain-clothed appearance felt out of place among the larger-than-life designs of his competitors. His secret, however, is that he is one of the strongest characters in Mortal Kombat 3.
Thankfully, he got a redesign in 2011's Mortal Kombat (or Mortal Kombat 9) that finally gave him an aesthetic and personality worthy of the MK universe. He's still a normal human being, but now he fights in a style worthy of the games' aesthetic.
Johnny Cage
Cage is an actor who ed the tournament in order to prove his skills as a martial artist. Upon discovering Shang Tsung's nefarious plans, he s Earthrealm's warriors in defending his home. He is a mere mortal but manages to hold his own against frightening otherworldly threats.
He also has a supernatural ability of his own, the special "Shadow Kick" and "Shadow Punch". It's never really explained how he can do this, but it still looks pretty cool. It's also interesting to see him go from a cocky Hollywood actor to a disciplined warrior throughout the series building up intense rivalries but he's still not the strongest Mortal Kombat character.
Sonya Blade
Sonya has been there since the very beginning, always contributing to Earthrealm's defense in the tournaments and invasions. She became involved in the story after chasing her nemesis, Kano, into the first tournament during the first game.
Since then, she has appeared in almost every Mortal Kombat game, combating every fantastic beast and sorcerer sent her way. Like many of the fighters, she was slain during the events of Deadly Alliance but jumps right into the fray once more after being revived. Anybody who continues fighting after the resurrection is pretty powerful.
Batman
Many of the human fighters already live in the canon and may have acclimated to the extreme situations in which they often find themselves. Batman, however, had no such luxury, and one day ended up facing off against magic-wielding villains from the different realms without warning.
Like the champ he is, though, Bruce Wayne took it in stride and utilized his plethora of gadgets to even the odds. Other characters from the DC universe have superpowers at their side; Batman only has his wits and technology but makes it work.
Mileena
Mileena started life as a clone of Kitana but was made more unique in Mortal Kombat 9. She is not exactly the blue-themed fighter's sister, but a clone with a bit of Tarkatan DNA in the mix, hence the intimidating set of teeth.
A worthy foe based on talent alone, she is made all the more menacing by compromised mental state and indulgence in cannibalistic desires. She becomes ruler of Outworld for a short-lived time, before being dethroned by Kotal Kahn and given a dose of flesh-eating parasites by D'Vorah.
Jax Briggs
Hardships only serve to make people stronger, and Jax Briggs is living proof of this. He starts off powerful, but tragedy strikes shortly into his tenure in the series. During the events of Mortal Kombat 9, players get to see Jax gruesomely lose his arms from Ermac's telekinesis abilities.
After a short healing process, he is back in the thick of it with a new pair of metallic limbs stronger than the real thing. Most would call it quits after such an injury, but Jax only saw it as round one showcasing himself as one of the strongest Mortal Kombat characters.
Motaro
There are some characters with several arms in the series but rarely do fans see a monster with four legs come into a fight. Motaro is a Centaurian, and debuts as a sub-boss in Mortal Kombat 3.
His skin reflects projectiles, meaning the only to beat him is getting up close and personal, something most people are less than enthusiastic to do against a giant centaur. He's balanced out in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon to make him playable, but even on two legs he is a scary sight to behold.
Kenshi
The series had a hard time introducing new characters that stuck once it transitioned into three dimensions. Kenshi, however, wooed fans from the start with his look and interesting backstory. His telekinesis was taught to him by Ermac, and he ed forces with Sonya and Jax to infiltrate Outworld.
He was even featured in the web series, Mortal Kombat: Legacy. His time in the games may be short compared to many other fighters, but he has quickly become a series mainstay as if he was there from the beginning.
Skarlet
Mortal Kombat has fantastic gameplay and intriguing lore, but a big part of its appeal is the over-the-top violence and gallons of blood. Skarlet's main attribute is her ability to manipulate and use blood as a weapon.
She originated as a rumored hidden character almost two decades before making her first official appearance as a DLC fighter for Mortal Kombat 9. When she finally did officially enter the canon, people couldn't get enough of her, becoming one of the first characters announced for Mortal Kombat 11.
Alien
The Alien, or Xenomorph, is one of the most frightening monsters in the history of cinema. Not only is it grotesque in appearance, but it painfully dispatches of humans and, even worse, uses them as hosts for their offspring.
On top of that, while they may seem mindless, this species is surprisingly intelligent and cunning. All of this, mixed with its brute physical power, makes it a formidable guest character for Mortal Kombat. Even cutting it open will cause its blood to erode most surfaces, burning through most people's skin.
