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NOTE: This page is an overview of Liu Kang across his multiple appearances in media. For more specific info about specific versions of him, see the respective pages.
Liu Kang (Chinese: 劉鋼) is one of the main protagonists of the Mortal Kombat franchise. He is a Shaolin monk who is a member of the White Lotus Society as well as Earthrealm's greatest warrior and champion of the Mortal Kombat tournament.
He was physically portrayed by Ho Sung Pak in Mortal Kombat and MKII, Eddie Wong in Mortal Kombat 3, and voiced by Joshua Y. Tsui in Mortal Kombat 4/Gold, Jin Kim in Shaolin Monks, Tom Choi from MKvsDCU to MKX, and Matthew Yang King from Mortal Kombat 11 onwards.
At his debut, Liu Kang appeared to be based on Bruce Lee; an adult of Chinese origin with a bare chest, black pants and white sneakers. From MKII and onward, he is depicted with shaggy black hair (even though Shaolin monks are bald), a red headband, spiked gauntlets, red and black kung fu pants, and kung fu slippers; still keeping his upper body bare (except in Mortal Kombat 4 where he has a tank top). This design is one of the most consistent in the series.
He is depicted as a zombie in Mortal Kombat: Deception. He gains a ghastly grey tint on his decaying skin, showing the most damage on his peeling face. He retains his usual attire, but now wears a pair of chains with hooks attached to his gauntlets. In MK vs DCU, Liu Kang has greater muscle mass than most characters in the roster and wears a championship belt.
The continual use of dragons and the MK logo in Liu Kang's techniques, his costumes in recent games, and recurring Fatalities (e.g. his Arcade Drop) all reinforce the perception that Kang is the mascot of the series. However, this has never actually been confirmed by the developers.
As well as this, an alternate version of Liu Kang is playable as the Final Warrior of Mortal Kombat 1's final chapter. If selected, Liu Kang fights his way up the Pyramid of Armageddon, and aids his Fire God self in defeating Shang Tsung and Quan Chi.
Mortal Kombat: Onslaught[]
This is a standalone story, although Liu Kang and the others resemble their MK11 selves.
Personality[]
Liu Kang is the biggest threat to Shao Kahn's plans and has single-handedly won in the two previous Mortal Kombat Tournaments. Thus, he is a very dedicated and courageous man. He carries the title "Shaolin Champion" and is undoubtedly one of the greatest martial artists on the planet. For this reason (and the previous setbacks of Outworld) Liu Kang constantly finds himself as the number one target for Shao Kahn's troops, and he generally takes this calmly.
He probably has the personality of a fighting monk: insightful and cool, but in combat strong, fast, and merciless. Home is his training camp and the temple and his hobby used to be to create shadow puppets around the campfire. In combat he tends to be very noisy focusing his powers, screaming and intimidating his opponents and apparently also because it sometimes hurts so much to fight. Regardless, the man is a true hero and a living legend.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
Superhuman Strength: Liu Kang possesses immense levels of supernatural strength. He can press several tons and can strike through anything strong and lethal. Kang can punch right through chests with ease, uppercut heads off and can smash statues. His strength appears to rival that of Goro, Shao Kahn, and even Raiden's. In Shaolin Monks, he was able to kill large and strong beings,
Superhuman Speed: Liu Kang has supernatural speed which makes him faster than the speed of light. He can move fast enough to defeat super-fast fighters like Kitana, Reptile, and Scorpion. In the MKvsDC universe crossover, he is able to defeat The Flash, the "fastest man alive."
Superhuman Agility: Liu Kang has supernatural agility.
Superhuman Reflexes: Liu Kang can react supernaturally quick to incoming strikes and projectiles.
Superhuman Stamina: Liu Kang can fight for long periods of time to possibly days.
Superhuman Durability: Liu Kang is highly resilient to physical pain. He can survive against anything that can kill a normal human being.
Superhuman Senses: Liu Kang's senses are nigh-absolute. He is able to sense someone's chi and can hear anyone's movements. This was shown when Kitana tried to unleash a surprise attack on him in the MKvsDC Universe crossover.
Dragon Fire/Pyrokinesis/Fire Magic: Liu Kang is mostly common for the element of fire. He can ignite his limbs on fire and use it to add more damage to his opponents. He can shoot fireballs that can take the form of dragon heads and use his fire in his finishers.
Teleportation: His fire powers also give him the ability to teleport in a burst of flames.
Energy Conversion: Liu Kang also convert a person's energy and transform it into a fireball.
Chi Manipulation: Liu Kang can also manipulate the power of chi to make himself stronger, faster, and possibly more resilient.
Yin & Yang Manipulation: Liu Kang is shown to be able to manipulate his Yin and Yang energies, firing searing hot blasts of light in his Yin state along with healing properties while firing dark energy blasts and strengthening himself through his Yang state. He is also shown firing these dark projectiles in the MKX game's Story Mode.
Longevity: As the Mortal Kombat champion, Liu Kang hardly seems to age and it's unknown how long his lifespan is.
Dragon Powers: Liu Kang is able to transform and summon a dragon that resembles the Mortal Kombat logo and the Elder Gods in their purest form. It's possible that his status as current champion of the Mortal Kombat tournament allows him to do this.
Shapeshifting: Liu Kang also appears to possess a degree of shapeshifting powers he is capable of transforming into a dragon. He typically does this when delivering fatalities, incinerating enemies in dragon fire or crushing them in his powerful jaws.
Fire Breath: In Shaolin Monks, the form is also revealed to have fire-breathing capabilities, most likely associated with his ability to use fire.
Abilities[]
Martial Arts Mastery: Liu Kang had proved himself to be one of the best martial artists in all of Mortal Kombat. He has bested so many Outworld champions and earned his place to represent Earthrealm by besting Kung Lao and all other Shaolin in kombat. After being orphaned and raised by the Shaolin, he was trained intensively in order to become one of the best warriors in not only Earthrealm, but in the whole universe. He was trained in several martial arts, being a master of Jeet Kune Do, proficient in many other Chinese martial arts, and having skills in Karate. Liu also had learned some martial arts techniques from Bo' Rai Cho, like the Flying Dragon Kick and the Bicycle Kick. His mastery over the martial arts had him defeat kombatants like Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, Goro, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Kitana, and many others.
Jun Fan
Karate
Pao Chui
Jeet Kune Do
Choy Lay Fut
Monkey Fist
Dragon Kung Fu
Luohan Quan
Acrobatics Mastery: Liu Kang performs a lot of acrobatic and gymnastics moves. He can perform several flips.
Weapon Mastery: Liu Kang has been trained to use weapons in combat when necessary. In the Shaolin Monks game, he is able to fight using weapons like swords and axes.
Nunchaku Mastery: Liu Kang is highly skilled in using nunchaku in combat. He has demonstrated his expertise in MK11.
Gifted Intelligence: Liu Kang is highly intelligent of forming strategies to take down tough opponents. He is also a competent leader as he is able to command a group of Shaolin into battle. Liu Kang's passion and respect for others have convinced them to trust him, like Kitana.
Master Tactician
Leadership
Charisma
Indomitable Will: Raised as an orphan by the Shaolin Monks, he is proven to be a strong-willed warrior who would put his life for all of Earthrealm. He can even tolerate being intimidated or mocked by evil warriors like Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung.
Quotes[]
“
He discovers his sacred home in ruins, his Shaolin brothers killed in a vicious battle with a horde of Outworld warriors. Now he travels into the Dark Realm to seek revenge.
„
~ Liu Kang's biography in Mortal Kombat II.
“
The sorcerer Shang Tsung had killed me and consumed my soul. I remained trapped within his being, tormented by his evil, along with many other victims of his vampiric soul drain. Through Shang Tsung’s eyes, we witnessed the battle with Raiden, who sacrificed himself to stop Onaga. Raiden’s blast destroyed Shang Tsung, and our souls were free to ascend into the heavens. I remained in Outworld, however, to aid my friends in the fight against the Dragon King. Why someone would desecrate my grave and reanimate my body, I cannot say. Somehow my corpse retains my knowledge of martial arts and has killed many innocents. Though I am not the perpetrator of these slaying, I cannot help but feel responsible for the brutality committed by my corporal form. The battle between mind and body has begun.
„
~ Liu Kang's first person bio from Deception.
“
Are you okay?
„
~ Liu Kang to a Shaolin Monk after Baraka stabs him two time in the chest and then in the head and throws the dead body in front Liu Kang & Kung Lao.
“
Your fighting style is good, but not good enough.
„
~ Liu Kang, Shaolin Monks
“
Show me what you can do.
„
~ Liu Kang's Battle Cry in Mortal Kombat (2011).
“
I do not fear you demon. As I said, I do not fear you. I pity you.
„
~ Liu Kang to Scorpion.
“
You spoke Shinnok’s lies. You attacked Lord Raiden, and he defended himself. He did what he must to defend Earthrealm.
„
~ The human Liu Kang calling out his revenant counterpart because he attacked Raiden out of blind rage, Mortal Kombat 11.
“
What does it mean to wield the Sands of Time? To be the Chosen One? It means making choices that break your heart. For the protection of all, I shared Kronika's power with the people I trust and loved most. Together we replace the Elder Gods that Cetrion had betrayed... and became eternal guardians of the realms. Still... My heart longs for a simpler life. The kind one cannot have being the Chosen One, let alone an Elder God. What Kitana and I would not give for those simple pleasures. Perhaps in another timeline, they could be ours.
„
~ Liu Kang's MK11 ending.
“
Thinking you can win is an arrogant presumption.
„
~ An alternate Liu Kang as the Final Warrior, Mortal Kombat 1.
“
It is unfortunate you make me do this.
„
~ Alternate Liu Kang to his enemies, Mortal Kombat 1.
“
Glad to live up your example. Shall we?
„
~ The Alternate to Fire God Liu Kang after defeating the Titans.
Trivia[]
Liu Kang is the longest running protagonist in franchise history, playing the hero for an entire decade. However, in later years, he would written into increasingly-antagonistic roles, starting as a monstrous zombie beginning in Mortal Kombat Deception which would continue into the rebooted era, until his reconstruction from MK11 onwards.
Liu Kang is the only character to have a fatality that does not kill the opponent, his original one, which was done because he was supposed to be a pacifistic monk character.
His name was originally going to be Minamoto Yoshitsune, a legendary Japanese mythological character, but John Tobias decided the name was too long to deal with.
Ironically, Ho Sung Pak also portrayed both Liu Kang and his arch-enemy Shang Tsung in the first game.
Liu Kang's official theme is titled, "Born in China."
The Human Tornado, a pro wrestler, uses a move called the Liu Kang Kick, in homage to the character.
Upon him beating Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat II, the usual occurrence of Kahn's voice announcing him as winner is replaced with the monk giving off a small war cry.
Liu Kang's original fatality and his fatality from MK2, where he turned into an Asian-style dragon to bite off top of his opponent's body, was voted second on Screwattack's Top 10 Lists of Worst Mortal Kombat and Best Mortal Kombat Fatalities respectively.
The hooked chains that are attached to Liu Kang's arms have been in much demand to be used as his weapon fighting style, especially after he used them in the intro to Armageddon to attack Shang Tsung. These were later revealed by Raiden's Armageddon bio to be enchanted shackles used by a group of necromancers to control their undead. The thunder god had used their spells to turn Kang's body into a zombie, which is why he put the chains on the corpse.
Liu Kang's alternate costumes in Armageddon and Deception depict him as a human or at least his soul fused with his body.
Liu Kang was intended to be a secret surprise character in Deception. He is the most difficult to unlock and was meant to shock fans that their hero had been brought back as such a corrupted being.
In the Flash's ending in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, he and Liu Kang form a psychic connection that allows them to warn each other if their worlds are threatened again, due to earlier events.
Liu Kang is the only character that has his own voice file for every game he appeared in, consisting of "kiai," a shout that is said to maximize the force of the user's attacks. His voice in dialogue changed from a regular casual voice in Shaolin Monks to one with more of an Asian accent in Mortal Kombat vs. DC.
