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Kung Lao (Chinese: 空老) is one of the main protagonists of the Mortal Kombat franchise. He serves as a major character in the first four games, and the deuteragonist of the 2005 spinoff title Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. He is a pacifistic monk who serves as a member of the White Lotus Society and the best friend of Liu Kang.
He was portrayed by Anthony Marquez in Mortal Kombat II and 3, voiced by Joshua Y. Tsui in Mortal Kombat Gold, and Joe Yau in Shaolin Monks.
History[]
Backstory[]
Kung Lao is the last known descendant of the Great Kung Lao. Like his friend Liu Kang, Kung Lao was raised as a Shaolin monk and joined the White Lotus Society. Kung Lao was originally chosen to represent Earthrealm in the Mortal Kombat tournament but he declined, wishing for a peaceful life, as well as knowing that he would be given a centuries long life dedicated to battling evil. As a result, Liu Kang was chosen in his place, and would win the tournament.
The Shaolin Monks' prologue retold the end of the tournament, and instead depicted Kung Lao as having been rejected by the Shaolin, and snuck into the tournament disguised as a guard, joining his fellow champions in the final battle.
Mortal Kombat II/Shaolin Monks[]
When the Shaolin Temples were attacked by Baraka and his Tarkatan soldiers, Kung Lao rejoined Liu Kang, and the two vowed to avenge their fellow Shaolin. He rescued Jax Briggs from Kintaro, and joined Raiden and his fellow Earthrealm warriors in heading to Outworld. Kung Lao aided Liu Kang and the others in the tournament, leading to Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn's defeat. Afterwards, he intended to rebuild the White Lotus Society.
Mortal Kombat 3[]
Shortly afterwards, Kung Lao was interrupted when Shao Kahn invaded Earthrealm, and he was one of Raiden's chosen warriors who were spared from having their souls stolen. Kung Lao fought the Outworld forces, and personally battled Shao Kahn himself. While in the non canon ending, he was able to defeat Shao Kahn at the cost of his life, in the main version of events, he seemingly was killed by Shao, and it was Liu Kang that defeated the Emperor.
Mortal Kombat Gold[]
While Kung Lao was presumed dead, he in fact faked his death, hoping to find some peace, and secretly aided in rebuilding the White Lotus. When the threat of Shinnok and his Army of Darkness emerged, Kung Lao discovered Goro had joined them, and joined the fight, hoping to avenge his ancestor. After the battle was won, he saw Goro making peace with Kitana, and chose only to attack with a ceremonial strike of vengeance. After clarifying his intent, Kung Lao and Goro made peace, ending his family's rivalry with the Shokan.
Deadly Alliance[]
After several years of relative peace, Kung Lao made a horrific discovery; Liu Kang had been killed at the Wu Shi. He was the first to find the body, and Raiden revealed that the Deadly Alliance were responsible, and that Shang Tsung had dealt the fatal blow. Kung Lao was determined to avenge his best friend by any means, and after joining up with his fellow Earthrealm warriors and heading to Outworld, he sought out Liu Kang's old mentor, Bo' Rai Cho. Informing him of their mutual friend's death, Bo' Rai Cho taught Kung Lao the Whirlwind Kick which won the first tournament. In his ending, Kung Lao was able to defeat Shang Tsung and avenge Liu Kang. Afterwards, he bade farewell to Liu's at his memorial, lighting a stick of incense and praying for safe passage to the afterlife. Kung Lao vowed to ensure the White Lotus would be ready for any threats to Earthrealm.
Deception[]
Tragically, in the main version of events, while Kung Lao put up a great fight against Shang Tsung, he was killed by the evil sorcerer, leaving Raiden to face the Deadly Alliance on his own.
During the Konquest mode, Kung Lao at some point in the past encounters Shujinko on his quest. Briefly mistaking him for an assassin, Shujinko won the subsequent duel, and was shocked that he was trained by Bo' Rai Cho. After Shujinko clarified he was a White Lotus member, Kung Lao asked him to find Kai in Outworld. When Shujinko returned, Kung Lao was assured that he would return shortly, and he urged Shujinko to keep Raiden's staff which Kai gave to him, to use against Shao Kahn.
In the present, Kung Lao would be revived as a slave of Onaga the Dragon King, along with his allies, but would be freed by the spirit of Liu Kang and the now heroic Ermac, and aided in Onaga's defeat by giving Shujinko his powers along with the other so that he could defeat the Dragon King.
Armageddon[]
Afterwards, Kung Lao and Fujin joined forces to deal with the corrupted Raiden and Liu Kang's undead body, hoping to restore them both. If they failed, they would be forced to finish them. However, when the Battle of Armageddon began, Kung Lao joined the fight, and was seen facing Baraka. In his ending, Kung Lao defeated Blaze, and travelled back in time to take the place of his ancestor in the original Mortal Kombat tournament, which he won, creating a history where Liu Kang never became a champion.
In the main version of events, as seen in Mortal Kombat 9's prologue, Kung Lao was killed by Shinnok, having been crushed by his bone hands.
Appearance[]
Powers and Abilities[]
Gallery[]
Images[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Elements of Kung Lao's design, especially his hat casting a shadow over his face, are inspired by The Man With No Name from the Spaghetti Western Dollars trilogy.
- Kung Lao's Mortal Kombat II costume has a Chinese symbol, which was intended to be the symbol for war.
- In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Kung Lao had his costume reversed: his alternate costume (with long hair) as the main costume and the primary costume (with his trademark hat) as the secondary costume.
- In Deadly Alliance, Kung Lao had a joke about him having his own infomercial, where he sold swords for a limited time.
- 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.
