Wow!! Can this Video Get 12,000 Likes for Liu Kang?? The Champion of Mortal Kombat Deserves Better? Show him some Love! The Most Forgotten Characters in Mortal Kombat - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZKPT6ggNsB4.html The Most Ground-Breaking Victory in Mortal Kombat - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rj2udJ6-TXM.html The Most Hated Villain in Mortal Kombat History - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EIoYHBxCEE0.html The Greatest Villain In Mortal Kombat History - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lQqCXWYwZbA.html&ab_channel=TrueUnderDawgGaming The Most Amazing Combo Character in Fighting Games - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-e_pkOXOb2HM.html The Greatest Downfall in Mortal Kombat History - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zj7bmByYvpI.html The Best Zoner NetherRealm has Ever Made - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-z7dKtzCAdsc.html The Most Diverse Character NetherRealm has Ever Made - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VILfS1S47tE.html&ab_channel=TrueUnderDawgGaming The Most Confusing Attack NetherRealm has Made - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-F0RTIcTJMMc.html&ab_channel=TrueUnderDawgGaming The Most Underrated Character NRS has Made - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WZWwdBIbiP8.html The Most Mobile Character NRS has Ever Made - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WOwiurZFaBY.html&ab_channel=TrueUnderDawgGaming The Worst Character NetherRealm has Ever Made - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_qaS4N9vWaM.html&ab_channel=TrueUnderDawgGaming
Hey TrueUnderDawg, My question isn't related to the video, but I've been curious for a bit, because I could have sworn a few months ago I thought I heard you say in ur video that your definitely a Marvel fan, & DC. BUT Marvel fan way more than. DC. UNDERDOG, My question is have you ever thought about, OR considered making review videos of Marvel, DC, EVEN Transforermers Content?? I would absolutely love to hear your guys speculations & your theories etc... :)
@@lucasmonteiro600 I bleive the point of this line of comeents was about the imoprtance of the MC"s fighting game series. An exmple MC"s who stop being that much important in the plot of the sereis are the gogetsuji sisters from Goketsuji Ichizaku/Poert instict sereis, affer the two first games they are relagated to minor plot points whit none of the characters holdign an obvious focus on the story, partly esepcterd as part of the intention of the sereis as it is supose to be a comial take on the figthing genre plot wise.
Honestly I was surprised when I saw MK11 vanilla ending for the 1st time. I expected Liu Kang to get the short end of the stick throughout the story but nah, he finally gets the respect he deserves. (We don't talk about Aftermath tho)
I think it’s didn’t age well correct me if I’m wrong. Aged well means it was correct it’s not always a positive thing Didn’t age well means it’s wrong and is not aways a negative way
Liu Kang's death is basically what the West did to Bruce Lee before his actual death. Boon even replaced him with another hero for the same scenario and used his dead body for X
I can fully agree with this as the writers have a real death boner for Liu Kang, like can't the guy just win and have a good life with Kitana for once?
that's where they messed up the first time then they reboot the franchise but still killed him off and tried to bring in new characters as the new heros but that didn't last long so they have to make Liu Kang a hero like should always.
@NinjaStyle But Those Games In That Era Of MK Sucked & Werent Making Sense Anymore. Killed Liu Kang & Story Went A Wall. Thats Why They Had To Reboot With MK9 Those Games Made Them Lose The Lore & Start Going All Over The Place
Liu Kangs relationship with Kitana also feels pretty one sided. In endings that I can remember, Liu Kangs happy ending is to be with the blue Ninja girl. However, in Kitanas happy ending, I rarely ever see her even mention Liu Kang. All she ever gets is the revival of her people to rule as queen.
That really isn’t true tho? Out of all of liu kang’s endings, only two feature kitana prominently; his MK 4 ending and his MK 11 ending. In his MK 4 ending, kitana offers him to tule Edenia alongside her and he refuses. And in MK 11 he wishes he and kitana could have a simpler life together, beyond their responsibilities. As for kitana, her MK deadly alliance ending mentions she mourns liu Kang and wishes he took her offer to become king of Edenia back in MK 4. So it really isn’t one sided at all. Aside from their endings, all of their interactions in game (both in story and pre fight dialogues) portray their relationship as being very equal and mutual.
@@thecollector4332 well said, Liu Kang isn’t the type to have a one-sided relationship with anyone. Kitana’s shown her gratitude ever since his victory in MK2
@@barryrockefella No, he just knows how to abstain. Its what a gentleman does. He would want to be with her, but he wants to marry her before doing so.
@@abhabh6896 lol what a chump. As stated above Kitana doesn't even want him based on her endings. Almost no mention of Liu Kang... She's playing him and he actually thinks his pure, abstained, niceguy shtick is going to have an effect. There is nothing sexy about that fool.
I think one of the big reasons why Liu Kang works great as the "main character" of the series is because he is so basic. Him succeeding is like a side note to the overarching plot of MK allowing side characters MORE of a chance to shine since he doesnt actually draw focus that much. And Scorpion's overwhelming popularity works against him getting main character status since he has generally been right on the edge of being overexposed. If he took MC status in a couple of games Im positive I would be sick of him.
@@michaeliv284 i promise you if liu kang was a pallet swap ninja he would be more beloved, i think it all boils down to design especially since he is more loved now that he got a god design in mk1 and more liked in general than his previous appearances plus the god role fits more with him cause he's so wise
A ninja design would've made Liu Kang look cooler, but he was just a boring character. Scorpion & Sub-Zero not only had better character designs, but much more interesting & engaging back stories. Plus, they had cool ass special moves, finishers, & fatalities.
As a die-hard Liu Kang fan since Day 1, I really hate how they keep trying to destroy him as a character. I get it, not everybody likes the Luke Skywalker-type character of pure heroism and gallantry. But there are some of us that REALLY do.
@bigdaddysmackdown I mean.....your surprised? Ever since Deception it's LITERALLY been stated that "No one ever TRULY dies in Mortal Kombat". What with Heaven and Netherralm, and the whole Liu Kang's Soul vs Liu Kang's Body situation, characters have been perpetually "in play" for a while now nigga.
I found most people got tired of Liu Kang as he was the MK equivalent to John Cena with that wholesome Boy Scout image. When he was killed off in Deadly Alliance in the opening scene I was kinda shocked but at the same time it was a very bold move. I really enjoyed the MK11 story revelation of Liu Kang vs Raiden having been played out over and over as time resets again and again. It makes me wonder how many of those battles Raiden stood victorious and ended up killing him, so maybe Liu Kang has been done dirty more times than we even can imagine.
@@KingFrostt you clearly did not watch wrestling in the late 2000’s, Cena would frequently have a significant portion of the audience chanting, “Cena Sucks”.
Short Answer: Ed Boon DOES in fact dislike Liu Kang. He instead wants his favorite character, Scorpion (whom he has also voiced) to be the main focus of MK. It's also one of the reasons, along with Scorpion's popularity, that he's on every single game cover nowadays.
I don't think they hate Liu Kang. I think they love experimenting with his character and trying new things with him. Examples. Killing him off and keeping him a zombie to let the other characters get focus. Turning him evil in the second timeline. Having him become the Fire God. For better or for worse, but I reckon that Liu Kang gets better treatment than a lot of other characters. 😂
My opinion on the original timeline, they felt that liu kang was too powerful, so they killed him off in one of saddest ways possible. They didn't know how to keep the earthrealmers in a real struggle with him being alive I guess.
The creators don't hate Liu Kang. If they did, they could have easily found another character to be the hero in MK11. Liu Kang had done it all in the original timeline when he steamrolled all the villains. Any more victories and fans would have been bored with the same old story (and I'm sure quite a few were already bored by then). So turning him into a zombie/revenant and turning him into a villain felt like a necessity to keep the character fresh and interesting. I would say that these roadblocks made his return as a hero and ascension to godhood in MK11 even more satisfying. As a Liu Kang fan, I couldn't be happier with how it all turned out (assuming he won his Aftermath battle against Shang Tsung). Between all the heroic characters, Kung Lao is the one who got shat on the most: portrayed as the lesser version of Liu Kang, turned his character from a humble monk to an arrogant jackass, and is pretty much a punching bag for the boss characters to show how strong they are.
Exactly what I was thinking even Special Forces characters refer to him as lesser but they couldn’t beat him if they tried because he is Liu Kangs equal
The way they handled liu kang in the original timeline was genius in my opinion. He won the first four tournaments/wars because he is the chosen one adn the only one really able to do it. He was so much of a problem for the forces of evil, that evil enemies had to form an unlikely truce, a deadly alliance just to get him out of the way. Without Liu Kang, the forces of light got all f'd up. The bad guys literally won and until a whole new challenger entered the field. The Dragon King himself. Also someone reanimated liu's corpse and its running around slaughtering people. That is sick.
I absolutely hate how they changed up Kung Lao in the rebooted timeline. I loved his pacifist personality in the original timeline. They made him an arrogant whine ass in the new timeline
I think it is because they have no idea how to utilise a powerful character. Similar to how Jean becomes evil in X-Men 3. Look at Superman, they struggle to use him because they think he is too overpowered. So they make him evil as a cop out. Mk11 uses him in a good way but it messed up Sindel by making her evil for the fun of it. One of those plot twists that turns a likable character into a villain for no reason. It is predictable as the writers keep doing the same twist over and over. The real twist was the characters being a genuinely good person without manipulation or any personal gain. Someone like Goku. I only started with MKX because I bought Dead or Alive back when MK9 came out and I was not really into fighting games at the time. I would have been alive for most of the games as I was born in '98. Still, it sucks that they made Sindel into a generic villain. She good to play in MK11 through. People seem to hate The Chosen One type characters even through most actually go through a lot of hardship and have to push past their limits. Goku started as a child and had to go through a lot such as his friends dying and wars etc. Gohan was the same althrough he knew more about himself then Goku. He was alone until meeting people. Look at Harry Potter. He went through deaths, being treated like shit by his own aunt and even lied to by his mentor. The Chosen One is not just someone with ultimate power. They have to make decisions that can impact lives for the good or bad.
Thank you so much for doing this video! My heart sank when they killed off Liu Kang in DA, and even, IMO, disrespected him by having him as a zombie in the Midway storyline and as a revenant in the Netherealm storyline. However, what I genuinely love about MK11 is that they crafted a story where the previous version of Raiden learned of his numerous mistakes told by Cassie, and made up for them by gifting Liu Kang his god powers, and thus, we get Fire God Liu Kang, which is THE most satisfying story arc EVER for him, mostly for us as Liu Kang mains. What I kinda wished for is a scene where FG Liu Kang and Mortal Raiden watch all of the events of Aftermath unfold and with Liu feeling really awful about it but needing to stick with the plan. And to have a sort of sad, tender moment with Mortal Raiden aging rapidly and dying peacefully in Liu Kang's arms, reminiscing all the times they've had together before Kang sent Raiden's body off to outer space and before having a final showdown with Shang Tsung. Other than that, I believe that the good ending will be canon because we can explore the storyline of The Great Kung Lao and, hopefully, see the REAL Sindel, the GOOD Queen. Here's hoping NRS would listen.
Liu Kang is basically MK's version of Superman - he may not be the most interesting character out there, but he doesn't need to be. He is more of a symbol of hope and goodness in dark, ruthless and bloodthirsty universe of Mortal Kombat. That's why, even though he was never particularly compelling nor he had the most interesting story, he was always my favorite character. And that's why the way he was treated over last 10 years annoys me to no end.
No, he's the best fighter, period. No more, no less. It seems they can't handle that. Fine, just say he doesn't want to fight no more, or ask to be sent some where to avoid it. You can respect his skills, and take him out the game.
I don’t think he’s that hated. I haven’t watched those, movies, but I thought in the games at least it seemed like his deaths were a big deal. The fact that they gave Zombie Liu Kang such a big part in the Armageddon cutscene was a plus. And the MK9 death had a lot of weight to it to me, and I thought his triumphant return in 11 where he does the fusion dance with Raiden was sweet. (Although I agree that it’s undercut by Aftermath).
FR for me it was so incredible seeing zombie Liu Kang being this cool slow martial artist corpse with the chains attacks just to be a "reskin" of his alive form in-game
@@younglove3362 bro did you see the terrified look on Shang Tsung’s face when Liu Kang came back from the dead and started attacking him in Armageddon? Really good part of the intro IMO.
I would love to see a video going over all of the things Aftermath completely ruined from the original game. So many characters storyline’s and arcs were thrown away and it disrespects everything that happened in the original story. I firmly believe that Aftermath should have never happened.
Aftermath feels like it should have been first. Give players a really dark ending, and then a DLC story mode that redeems everyone and completes the arc. The story mode we got really does feel backwards to me. Happy ending and then a muddled semi-happy ending
@@TrueUnderDawgGaming aftermath was originally supposed to be part of the original story. A lot of content was on the chopping block to the point where MK12 seems to want to fix that
Just happy to know I wasn't the only person to dislike Aftermath. Legit the story did a full circle and we ended up right where we started. Such a bizarre and baffling decision.
I thought NRS once hinted that Hsu Hao was their most-hated character. He only reappeared in Armageddon just to complete the roster, and even his own ending in that game doesn't go well for him. He has never appeared after that.
Making Fire God Liu Kang was the perfect decision bc yes we all know he’s OP, but now his journey has come full circle and he literally went through hell and back to earn what he becomes. They can now focus on The Great Kung Lao so I do believe Liu’s ending is the canonical ending of MK 11 bc it’s been referenced since the beginning of MK the legendary Shaolin Warrior and first Grand Champion, Protector, and Hero of Earth Realm, The Great Kung Lao. We never saw him in action, only heard tales. Plus he must have been a legendary warrior for the current MK warriors, Geras, Kronika, and even the elder Gods to mention and respect his name and legacy
It actually seems like they have made Raiden the new underdog who will turn hero since he is a mortal now and inexperienced but he said he has alot of heart. And they seem to be making parallels with him a Liu Kang now that they have switched places with him being the hero and Liu being the protector god of earth realm.
Liu Kang is one of the faces of MK, and having the honest straight edge lynch pin to the hero side worked. The PS2 era where he died and became the mentor for future heroes really was about as good of a send-off as you could get with him.
I was speechless after his death in the deadly alliance intro. That was my guy. The fact my favorite version of kung lao was there softened the blow, though. Ended up loving the game. I get they needed to mix things up, keep the story fresh. They have gotten pretty comfortable killing liu off though, definitely. Lao too. These poor shaolin monks..
I think the biggest problem was the "make the story up as each game is made" nature of the lore. With the reboot, they had a real solid chance to sit down, revamp the lore, and make a creative bible that plotted out the franchise for several games. Now they're stuck on uninspired auto-pilot, repeating stuff we've already seen in less and less interesting ways.
One of the most fascinating lines I’ve heard regarding Liu Kang in recent times is one of his intros against Cetrion where she says that he wields the flame of Onaga, maybe there is a familial connection there, would be interesting to explore in the future.
While I do agree with parts of this video, there’s a major issue, blaming Lui Kang for the villains not being intimidating in mk9. The reason for them not being intimidating is that they get barely any victories on screen and we don’t get to see them do anything, while every time we fight them they lose. Lui Kang isn’t the problem here if he’s treated like a top tier fighter in the verse, it’s the god awful writing by Netherrealm
I don't think they hate Liu Kang. Even after killing him off they had his spirit play an important role in helping the good guys defeat Onaga. And then later turned him into a literal god. As stated in the video, he just kept winning all the time, and by killing him off it made things unpredictable going forward. It was a way to stop his arc, and MK in general, becoming stagnant. The real insult was his change in personality in the reboot; making him far more hot-headed and violent. Deadly Alliance and Deception's story are some of the best writing in the franchise because of Kang's death. DA opened with him getting taken out and his soul absorbed by Tsung. This showed that the Deadly Alliance was actually deadly - a threat to be taken very seriously. And so they should be, because they ended up winning! Deception confirmed that the DA killed all the heroes, even defeating Raiden. Killing Liu Kang wasn't an insult to Kang - it was a compliment to Shang Tsung and Quan Chi. It elevated them. It also showed that Kang was so good that they needed to gang up and sneak up on him in order to get the upperhand. As natural progression (and a sort of power scaling), having Onaga brush off the combined might of Raiden, Quan Chi and Shang Tsung (who also posessed Kang's soul/power at this point) became an even bigger "oh crap!" moment than when the DA killed Kang. Deception's opening cinematic is still regarded one of the best parts of MK. This era/arc in MK let other characters shine in the story too. Nightwolf was instrumental in binding Onaga to the Netherrealm. Ermac got a great character arc and some redemption. Scorpion became the Champion of the Elder Gods and found purpose outside of "muh vengance!" We got Dark Raiden which was a great setup for the next game (unfortunately they dropped the ball on this.... TWICE!!!). We also got a bunch of new beloved characters too, which as with Dark Raiden; have been quickly disregarded by the devs. So yeah, killing Kang off that first time was great for MK. Can't say the same for the whole revenant plot in the reboot though (although the reboot in general was bad in my opinion).
Honestly, I was a bit saddened as a kid by the fact that Liu Kang got killed in Deadly Alliance and then stayed dead for the next two games after that since he was my favorite character too, but at least, like you said, he got his cool moments in all three games - even if his role in Armageddon was next to nothing and he doesn't even appear in Konquest mode. I personally thought it was kinda cool how even in death, Liu Kang's body refused to stay down and he still fought, even if as a bad guy. Also, he was the first ever zombie character I played in any fighting game ever so there's that too. As for why I think Midway and NRS did what they did with our favorite monk, they were probably tired of him becoming the MVP in every single game and wanted to change things up a bit. Before Deadly Alliance, Liu Kang was the victor in all the previous MK games and he was considered to be low-key the most overpowered, undefeated champion of the game who could take down literal Gods or Titans, which I think made some fans jealous who wanted other characters to get the limelight too, and what better way to sideline Liu Kang than to kill him off and turn him into a mindless zombie or a twisted revenant
That's their problem they created and wrote him as such. Then get mad? They should have just made him refused to fight, and ask to disappear. That way they could bring him back at leisure when needed. They could have made where his powers were great and he transfer them, no longer able to fight, but who knows maybe he gets them back, becomes more.
@@yeaokay8476 exactly. Killing him off just didn't sit well with me, especially at the hands of that snake Shang Tsung of all people who needed Quan Chi's help to do it. Hopefully in MK12 as Liu Kang is now Fire God Liu Kang and technically in place of Raiden now, I'm curious to see how things will turn out. The way I see it, Liu Kang has traveled into the past, taking in the first Kung Lao as his apprentice i.e the next new Chosen One and the man who originally loses to Goro
Deadly alliance was my first Mortal Kombat game, and as such I went into it without understanding what a big deal it was for Liu Kang to be killed off. It's probably because of this lack of exposure that I always considered him to be exceptionally bland. In a world of lightning gods, dragon kings, ghost ninjas and gangers in respirators, it seemed odd to me that 'shaolin monk but with fireballs' was such a big deal.
@@alexanderscout Yeah, I'm aware. I pre ordered MK1. I was just wondering how that alone makes any of what he just said age poorly, I mean, they have been doing him pretty dirty on a fairly consistent basis ever since Deception, until the most recent game. And even then- it turns out that Shang-Tsung won his battle as well
Liu Kang's death in Deadly Alliance was for the better. It gave spotlight to a lot of other characters both in DA and Deception. Ermac actually became my favorite character in that game because of him turning good and having the storyline around teamming up with Liu Kang to help free his friends from Onaga. Him not being physically there and serving as more of a "mentor" helped since it wouldn't mean an instant win for the good guys in every game.
Liu kang main here I feel bad for him because I feel like no one should hate him I know they done things bad with him but feeling this pain his should not have died He will always be the best character
I think a lot of people have sentimental attachment to Liu Kang, because he’s always been the timeline hero. Since MK1, it was established he’s the hero of the franchise.
The best time to have someone other than Liu Kang win in the old timeline without killing him off would have been in MK4, where you can actually catch some writing glimpses into how the original intent was before Liu Kang's ending was canonized; MK4 was released after MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero, which already sets up a past between Shinnok and Sub-Zero. Then the comic made for MK4 started on Kuai Liang as Sub-Zero, and how he was told some secret by Bi-Han before MK1. Then Sub-Zero's character bio says that he has some crucial secret in the fight against Shinnok; you can seriously tell that the writers were building up Sub-Zero to be the hero of the game. But then, mysteriously, Liu Kang was written into being the hero.
Honestly speaking, Liu Kang was and still is my favorite Bruce Lee of the Mortal Kombat universe. Dude can turn himself into a Dragon, manifest flames from his hands and body, imbue his attacks in flame, and often is seen working alongside fighters like Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and Kung Lao. Even better, he's got a zombified version of himself, equipped with chain hooks around the arms and nunchucks. A classic weapon that Bruce Lee himself never goes anywhere without having by his side in any fight.
Liu Kang being the good person of the series is what makes him so interesting. MK is filled with sadistic bastards, INCLUDING the heroes. Liu Kang literally contrasted the entirety of MK which was just great. The most peaceful character was also the most powerful. Hence why the villains he defeats, lives, which causes his death in DA. His first death broke my heart as a kid, but in a good way. He’s my favorite character and that death hit hard and made me feel actual fear in MK. Him staying as a zombie in Deception onwards is what ruins it. Then MK9, X and 11 just have garbage stories in general. His role and death those games just angered me.
@@Giovfunny Mixed. I hate that he’s a god. It creates a weird situation where he should literally never lose. He was already the strongest character, now add god powers on top of that, he should literally be untouchable. But, like, that’s also dumb from a narrative standpoint. OP isn’t interesting. So he has to get beat up at least a little, which is also dumb because of what I said above. That said, his design (aside from the god eyes) is really cool, and honestly his best look since MK3. And I really like his voice actor and blue/red fire combination. I haven’t watched the entire story yet, but I have low hopes as usual.
@@RanOutOfSpac he's actually more like a dad than a typical god so that's something. I mean he's still a god with duties but he's more open about his plans. So he's like a better version of Raiden after learning from him in MK11 but it's not like he's flawless either
I cannot stomach them killing off Liu Kang again. I was overjoyed that we got him back and him becoming a thunder god in MK11. I really hope he lives in the movie’s sequel.
I like Liu Kang in most regards relating to gameplay. X was especially fun. But storyline wise I preferred the underdog that always has been Kung Lao. The story for MK has always felt like a patchwork job they needed to throw together to make coherent but could never make solid. When the reboot happened they wanted to try and tread new water. So they took other characters that were still fan favorites and worked them to be heros who needed each other in order to beat the badguys not just Liu Kang saves the day. Dont get me wrong its not a great story but its servicable. Though if they followed the X comics more closely the story would probably have been much better. What I am trying to say is give me Havik in a MKX style game Netherrealm!
Which was trash. Which went against the entire original game. A tournament where you fight 1 on 1. It's not his fault he's good and they suck. Liu is not my favorite but It's plain lame that characters whole personality changed because of what you said. Just stupid. You might as well change name of game . Weak people need to team up, strong not so much.
@@Scrubermensch I feel like people shitting on Dan is done far more ironically than not. He's the goofball character and 'shitting on him' is kinda the point. But even when people shit on him he's a hugely loved character because he HAS so much character. It all feels like picking on your dweeb of a brother rather than many having any real issue with Dan.
I've been a fan of Liu Kang since the very first Mortal Kombat game. I even loved his character in the original movie. I'm a huge fan of Bruce Lee, and it's pretty obvious Liu Kang is based on the legendary martial arts master and actor. So when I play the game for the first time, I immediately picked Liu Kang and finished the game with the character.
I don't personally find Liu Kang that interesting but he's necessary for the series to work. Having a character who is unambiguously heroic was a good contrast to everyone else and seeing him variously murdered and corrupted really does a lot to bring home the brutality of the setting
This. Plus, he was not well liked back in the mid90s "Too vanilla/boring" was a common assessment back then. So when he died in the 5th game, no one cared. A common conversation about MK during my college years: "Hey, I hear Liu Kang dies in the new game." "So? He sucks anyway. _____ is still in the game, right?" You could fill in the blank with any Ninja's name or Kung Lao and that would be what was heard in arcades, game stores and school.
@@MILDMONSTER1234 Still seems to be the mentality among the writing staff. Just look at most of the endings in MK4 or the story in general and beyond. The bad guys always seem to win or get the upper hand. I believe Raiden turned dark for that very reason and why he was bumbling all throughout MK9.
Scorpion may be the favorite of Ed, but he didn't even get a main character push when he became the Elder God Champion. He took a back seat then and still does in terms of main focus. I appreciate it honestly and he's my favorite also.
How many times do the people who make these Mortal Kombat movies need to see that the people LOVE Johnny Cage, stupid decision not to include him, and having someone who isn't even an MK character be your main character was beyond stupid.
When I found out in the 90's that Liu Kang, the lame generic Asian kung fu guy, was supposed to be the main hero of the story I was like "What? No way. Scorpion is way cooler."
I can see the devs, especially Boon, having a sort of grudge on Liu, always taking the spotlight, being too powerful, being the chosen one and main hero, etc. But...all those reasons kinda sound ridiculous, especially the latest movie on not wanting a white actor; at least give it to Liu, Kung Lao, or even the mascots! Also...Liu Kang killing Goro may be canon, but personally I associate the victories with Cage! And I really liked Shaolin Monks as it's divided between Liu and Lao, giving a latter a chance to shine and divided their powers and honors equally. And like I said, Lao shoulda been Liu's replacement, not Le Mei! Besides, Liu was kickass in the classic movies and DotR! I can understand other mascots like Mario, Link, Capt. Falcon, or...incapacitate Sonic more properly, but the way I see Liu's deaths and being a revenant is just deplorable! Like ya said, it's MK, but do deaths in ways that make sense. Side note...I actually liked the idea that Liu and Kitana are together at last. But...the dawn of time, not much. Plus, it kinda bothers me he's like Goku.
@@zacharyg9928 maybe not in power level, but that being the goody goody Two-Shoes and being the main character that pretty much alienates everyone, or is just too nice to do it? Yeah he kind of is...
I'm calling it now: Liu's going to be built up as the "Messiah" character of the movie to then eventually get killed fighting either a Revenant Kung Lao or the Big Bad.
I'm only halfway through but I remember John Tobias's script for MK 5 that was "leaked" a while back ago. It starts the same way in Deadly Alliance by having Lui Kang die right away but his killer wasn't revealed, and it was up to his son, Kitana's son, to figure out who killed him. The whole Cole Young was shoehorned, I think that's the right word, by WB because they wanted an original character to resonate with the audience. Still can't believe Lui has been dead for 5 games in a row and a bonus 6th game if you choose to win the final battle as Shang Tsung.
Liu Kang is a high-tier character, story and personality-wise to me, and latter games felt like a total character assassination to compound the literal assassination that happened in the previous games.
*He stated: "I feel like if I was getting to make a movie with a diverse cast, it felt weird to have a white actor, literally Johnny Cage, be the hero of the story."* That's incredibly racist, yet something you won't see on mainstream news.
So instead of having it be Kang instead,they purposely get a Half Asian and White guy who was not even an in game character, that suits their quota yet is still White passing enough for audiences, absolutely despicable.
Liu Kang will always be the chosen one and the champion of Mortal Kombat, but I feel like Scorpion and Sub Zero are the face of Mortal Kombat as a game.
I think the main character of a brutal and gore heavy series being a nice and respectful guy kinda fits and works with mortal kombat’s semi goofy semi serious tone
Lui Kang has the best Fatality in MK1 My only complain about Zombie Liu Kang in the 3D MK games is how his weapon stance wasn't his chains or using them in his gameplay
@@subZero-ov1td not just a god, but a keeper of time, most powerful character in the MK universe and most importantly all the climax belonged to him only.
Its just another case of characters being punished for being good people. Every time a writer disrespects the "goody too shoes hero" there is a massive amount of people that get pissed off, you would think maybe they would get it that people actually like these types of characters and that's why they were so famous in the first place.
I agree it was a nice come back for Liu to get his happy ending with kitana. But I gotta disagree about Aftermath. Being able too finish things with the OG Boss villian from MK1, who gets his revenge!... So Savage for NRG. Plus having the ambiguous duel ending keeps things mysterious for the next MK game.
Ehh,it’s kinda obvious Liu Kang is the canonical ending.Shang ending is just fan wank and corny….deliciously corny don’t get me wrong.it felt like a Final farewell for Cary Hiroyuki
@@Joker_Kirby Batman has a peak human form, comparable fighting skills, superior strategic skills and gadgets + has beaten opponents that possessed supernatural abilities. It shouldn't be difficult to picture him win.
@@Joker_Kirby Not to mention your comment is also hypocritical. Liu Kang has beaten an Elder God before, knocked down a champion of mortal kombat (Goro) without a breath and singlehandedly defeated Quan Chi and Scorpion at the same time. You can't point out characters beating him as not making sense (even though batman does make sense), when Liu Kang himself has done it multiple times.
(9:30) Kung Lao would be another good pick. If they wanted to get creative, they could have made Sonya the main character. Yes, she was on the special forces, but that does not mean she knows everything. Sonya could be performing a special forces mission with her squad. They are tasked trying to rescue a VIP for an unknown reason by Jax. Things go smoothly at first. The car drives the team outside the abandoned industrial building. They enter and encounter no problems. They get to the room where the VIP is, and they find sitting on a chair. When they turn the lights on, they gasp in horror. Sonya's partner says that his heart has been ripped out. A voice cries out, "Hello love." A blade whirls by Sonya's face. Out of the ceiling, Kano and Nitara attack. Sonya squares off against Kano while Nitara feasts on the other squad members. Sonya yells at a grunt call for backup. A grunt tries to call headquarters, but a tongue wraps around his mouth. Reptile proceeds to drags the man outside the window and rips him apart with his claws. Back inside the building, Sonya's partner engages Nitara in melee combat. He succeeds in pushing her back and shoots a grenade behind Nitara. With her wings scorched, Nitara falls to the ground. Sonya's partner picks her up and hurls her into the machine below them. Unfortunately, Kano gains the upper hand against Sonya. Kano says, "Sorry baby, I will miss you". He gets ready to impale Sonya with his blade. Suddenly, Sonya's partner RKOs Kano into a broken pipe. The pipe pierces into Kano's skull and through his eye. Sonya's partner grabs Sonya, and tells her that they have to get out of here. The two start running for the exit. With Lightning speed, Reptile pounces on Sonya's partner after they exit the building. Sonya kicks Reptile off him and the two fight Reptile. It goes well at first until Reptile starts shooting off his acid. The acid burns Sonya's legs. With a sharp whip of Reptile's tail, Sonya goes down. Sonya's partner fights Reptile. He defeats Reptile and shouts out a cheesy quote from Ninja Mime. Unfortunately, Nitara and Kano have recovered and a mysterious third person is with them. Sonya's partner readies himself and vows to die protecting Sonya. Suddenly, a bright flash blinds everyone. From the light, three figures emerge. After a short exchange, Kano and his gang exit through a portal. Exhausted, Sonya faints. The rest of the story is similar to the movie but with a few tweeks. Sonya wakes up at the temple that houses Earth's jinsei. Jax joins them. She and her partner train with Kang and Lao. Shang attacks the temple. Kano kills Sonya's partner. Shang kills Lao. Kang comforts Sonya. At the end of the movie, Sonya and Kang are tasked to gather the Earthrealm champions. Raiden and Jax make preparations to fight off Outworld armies. I know Sonya is a white girl, but I figured that would be okay. They wanted a diverse cast. If that is a problem, Sonya's partner could be any race the writers want. He can be the coprotagonist until he dies. After he dies, Kang takes his place.
To answer the question why the writers may hate Lui Kang, could be possibly because almost all the popular characters revolves around death or have a dark background. Lui was squeaky clean when I was a kid and I guess the writers think we'd appreciate him more if his story was darker
@@simpleclonetrooper2740 Neither do the several other characters actually interesting. Lao is the superior Shaolin, period. Yet they crap on him for no reason since the reboot.
@@xOmniCloudx they crap on him because the last time he did anything cool at all was in deadly alliance lmfao and even then he still looked like a jobber the dude is the yamcha of the mk verse you can keep crying as much as you want
You know who they hate more tho? Kung Lao. The moment he says _"I'm am Kung Lao, descendant of the Great Kung Lao"_ you *know* it's curtains for the man. MK9, MK Battle Of The Realms, and the recent MK movie.
Are we literally forgetting that man became a fucking FIRE GOD BY MERGING WITH RAIDEN. The whole damn plot of MK11 was about the bond between the student and the master and a passing of the torch from Raiden to Liu. What a joke lmfao.
Honestly it is most likely due to him being one of the more pure hearted characters in a series with violent and otherwise selfish characters. And I think that’s the main appeal of the character the creators are forgetting. He is the hero who is trying to bring balance to an otherwise chaotic tournament. Like majority of the playable characters in the original Mortal Kombat game are there for their own self interest, including Raiden who was original conceived as a bored god who only enters the tournament just for shits and giggles. Honestly killing him off, sidelining him as protagonist or just making him evil pretty much just kill off any investment in the series as a lack of a legitimately heroic character in the games makes me not want to care in regards to the direction of the series
Nah, it has nothing to do with him being pure hearted. It doesn't matter if you are pure hearted or evil, you can still be boring, which is exactly what Liu Kang is.
I hate the boring unoriginal chosen one archetype + Bruce Lee clone aka Liu Kang and, I find Scorpion overrated. Sub-Zero and Noob are the better than Scorpion, Takeda is the only good combat kid, Johnny Cage is the best male character and Mileena is the best female character. Kitana and Jade are better off as revenants, Dark Raiden is best Raiden, Shao Khan and Goro (the jobber) suck. Shang Tsung best MK villain and Kung Lao is the best shaolin.
@@xOmniCloudx lmfao noob is such an edgy boring character your takes are kinda dogwater and the fact that you think bihan is a better character than scorpion is laughable, the only good part of this whole comment is johnny being the best male character that i agree with.
Can you explain how exactly did Scorpion's Revenge make clear anything? Most "haters" are people who simply don't find the character interesting, which isn't hard to understand why.
Well, there was some time when Scorpion was like "main character". But just like. Abstractly. In Deception, if i remember it correctly he was the true Chosen One by the Elder Gods instead of dead Liu Kang, not Shujinko, who was tricked by Onaga. That's about theory of Ed Boon hating him.
What funny is, it was revealed in Armageddon that Scorpion was also been tricked. The Elder Gods only used him and resurrect his clan as Undead instead of properly revive as human. Now that we learn how the Elder Gods behavior is in NRS timeline, make sense now. Indeed the whole Scorpion's Deception ending show he is the one who beat Onaga is perhaps just Ed Boon fanfiction making it. Coz we know canonically the real one who beat Onaga is Shujinko, who was actually guided to do that by spirit Liu Kang.
Who has he killed? He didn't even kill shinnok or shao kahn, Shang tsung is still alive Goro is still alive Kintaro is still alive The closest (Pre revenant) That he has come to killing people is punching a hole in shao kahn's chest
I love Liu Kang and main him however im quite sure if the developers kept making Liu Kang the hero then everyone would start complaining about how they don’t show love towards other characters. I mean he has beaten Shang Tsung, Shao Khan, Cetrion, Kronika, Goro. The list just keeps going lmao.
Midway and NRSs could have just chosen a Victor like Liu Kang vd Goro to Shao Khan 1, Tundra vs Motaro , Scorpion vs Deadly Alliance, Shujiko vs Onaga, Taven / Sjao Khan vs Blaze.
