Kung Lao

"For the Shaolin!"

- Kung Lao's Battle Cry in Mortal Kombat (2011) Kung Lao is a member of the White Lotus Society and former Shaolin Monk and a hero from the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games.

Early Life
Kung Lao was a descendant of the Great Kung Lao, former champion of Mortal Kombat who lost the title 500 years ago when he was killed by Goro and Shang Tsung took control of the Mortal Kombat tournament. However unlike his ancestor, Kung Lao had no desire to be a champion, preferring a life of peace. He often sought out council from his master, Bo' Rai Cho and was originally chosen to represent the Shaolin in the tournament, but he chose not to due to the consequences of being champion. Liu Kang went in Kung Lao's place and emerged the victor.

Mortal Kombat 2
Soon after the tournament was over, Baraka and the Tarkata attacked the Shaolin temples and Kung Lao and Liu Kang decided to journey into the portal to Outworld in order to avenge their fallen brethren. However the former monk had another motive, to rebuild the White Lotus Society at the Wu Shi Academy so as to train new warriors for the future. After the defeat of Shao Kahn, Kung Lao and Liu Kang returned to Earth to begin training the new generation of Shaolin monks.

Mortal Kombat 3
As Shao Kahn began his invasion of the Earthrealm, Kung Lao put his plans to reform the White Lotus on hold. Eventually he faced Shao Kahn himself and was blasted by a powerful spell that left him so greatly injured, that he was believed to be dead. This information enraged Liu Kang so much that he challenged Shao Kahn and defeated the emperor again.

Mortal Kombat 4
With Earth safe, Kung Lao decided to let everyone believe he was dead and went to live a life of peace in respect to his ancestors' beliefs. However this didn't last long and he was drawn away from his newly found peace to aid in the battle with the forces of the Fallen Elder God, Shinnok. During this time, Kung Lao heard that Goro was still alive and after defeating the fallen god, Kung Lao launched a sneak attack on the Shokan, who had just finished signing a peace treaty with the Centaurs, mediated by Kitana. However the attack was not an attempt to end Goro's life, but was only a ceremonial strike in vengeance for his ancestor's death. With this done, Kung Lao shook hands with the Shokan, their feud now over.

Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance
There was peace for a few years, but eventually it came to an end with the rise of the Deadly Alliance. The two sorcerers, Quan Chi and Shang Tsung had joined forces and succeeded in killing Shao Kahn and Liu Kang. When Kung Lao found the body of his old friend, Raiden appeared and told him that Shang Tsung was the assassin, who had been helped by Quan Chi. The former monk swore revenge on Shang Tsung and abandoned the pacifistic ways of the Shaolin once more. Deciding that his current skills weren't enough to beat the Deadly Alliance, Kung Lao went to meet with his old master, Bo' Rai Cho, for advice after he traveled to Outworld with the rest of the warriors of Earthrealm. He trained with the master for some time, learning a new technique called the "Whirlwind Kick" and together, they joined the assault against the Deadly Alliance.

Mortal Kombat Deception
However things did not go well for the warriors of Earthrealm as without Liu Kang, they fought a losing battle against the two sorcerers and their Tarkatan warriors. Kung Lao challenged Shang Tsung himself but despite his training, his abilities were no match for that of the sorcerer. Kung Lao was killed, along with the other Earthrealm warriors, leaving Raiden the only one left to deal with the Deadly Alliance. However Kung Lao and the others were resurrected by the returning Dragon King, Onaga, as slaves. But Liu Kang's spirit, with help from his new ally, Ermac, succeeded in freeing them from the Dragon King's control.

Mortal Kombat Armageddon
With Raiden now as ruthless as Shao Kahn and Liu Kang as his zombie servant, slaying countless innocents, on the rampage, Kung Lao joined forces with Fujin to try and bring them back to the light. However they agreed if they found no way to save their former allies, then they would finish them both off. In his ending, Kung Lao's defeat of Blaze sent him back in time, where he met his ancestor and with his blessing, took his place in the Mortal Kombat tournament. He defeated Goro and became the Mortal Kombat champion, thus becoming a legend. As a result, Liu Kang never competed and the rivalry between him and Kung Lao never existed.

Abilities
Kung Lao is an excellent fighter and is similar to Liu Kang in terms of strength, agility, and martial arts skills. However his preferred weapon is his razor bladed hat, which he can throw at the opponent and also uses it to deliver the finishing blows to his opponents. Kung Lao seems to be able to control the hat in midair, since it can move in circular patterns as opposed to straight ahead and it seems magical in nature, since it will always re-materialize back on his head after he throws it, much like a boomerang. Kung Lao moves include teleporting by disappearing into the ground then popping up behind his opponent, flying towards his opponent, spinning like a tornado to kick them multiple times or to knock them into air, and diving down from the air to kick his opponent. As his alternate weapon fighting style, Kung Lao wields a dao, a Chinese broadsword.

Trivia

 * Kung Lao appears in the intro to Armageddon, fighting Baraka, before they take the fight to mid-air, where he battles against his arm blades with his broadsword. He stabbed the Tarkatan in the chest before being blasted away by his spark attack.


 * In Deadly Alliance, Kung Lao had a joke about him having his own infomercial, where he sold swords for a limited time.