Couldn't find a better list. That's my own list but i would welcome Frost once in a while. The ones from MK1 to MK3 are... Interesting characters but even though it's only one game i've been feeling like the MK9 roster has been introduced in all games. More work on the characters from the MK4-MKA era could be rewarding, now we know that not much was added to the MK9 roster but in terms of look.

Kira had a badass look in MKD (her primary costume) and I liked her "selling weapons to terrorists" backstory. Her special moves were a disaster, but that can be easily fixed.


With that said, I'd like to see Kira back in those sexy MKD pants.



So, I'm looking forward to these MK4-MKA characters to make a return:

Reiko
Fujin
Bo' Rai Cho
Mavado
Hotaru
Kai
Shinnok
Ashrah
Tanya
Nitara
Kira
Havik

I didn't list Kenshi and Quan Chi since they're already in MK2011, but I'd like to see them back as well, both are great additions to the roster.

I also wouldn't mind: Drahmin, Li Mei & Sareena.


I hope they don't bring back Frost, I'm sick of Sub-Zero derivatives.

I don't see why NRS can't do a tekken and keep the last games roster and add more characters each game

mk is victim of a fighting game having a great story that has great potential. but then you have these iconic fighters that everyone loves. and they never want to see them gone.


are you gonna make MONEY from NOSTALGIA or make a LOGICAL great story for a FIGHTING GAME??

I've said it before and I'll say it again. MAKE NON CANON CHARACTERS. As in you can kill off certain characters and just have them be playable, but there is no need to have them be part of the story. That way story fans are happy because they don't have to worry about characters just being shoveled in, and the character fans will be happy because they can still play as their favorite character.

Yup. Tekken does a great job of maintaing it's roster. Keeping characters that are very important to the story and characters who have nothing to do with the story. MK should definitely do this.

Tekken 3 says hi. (dont get me wrong, I love Tekken 3) Its taken 2/3 games to get most of the Tekken 2 roster back in.

Anyway, I do agree with the whole "lets have 20 odd characters as canon for that story" thing.

In terms of characters I'd like to see return from MK4-Armageddon.
Tanya
Kai
Fujin
Sareena (With Kia/Jatakka)
Shinnok
Frost
Nitara
Bo Rai Cho
Mavado
Moloch
Kira
Ashrah
Hotaru
Havik
Onaga

Thats it really. Yeah most of them.

That list (for me) would include:
Tanya
Reiko
Kai
Fujin
Mavado
Li Mei
Bo Rai Cho
Nitara
Ashrah
Havik
Hotaru
Sareena

Also Kenshi is in there, but he along with Quan Chi and Shinnok are shoe-ins for the next game.
This plus Kira, Chameleon, Khameleon, Kobra and Darius....
Just about everyone deserves to be re-done properly.

Scorpion and Sub-Zero should never be excluded out of the game. They are the characters that made the franchise iconic. The way that they can be improved upon in terms of making money or revamping/reengergizing their popularity is by giving them added specialty moves. Scorpion's harpoon is drastically underultilized and I think of at least 10 new specialty moves that would give him a new and fresh look. The same with Sub-Zero, I think of at least 10 more new and unique specialty moves that would give him a new and fresh look as well. And by adding these specialty moves to their movesets, you wouldn't have to milk the nostologia factor of their likability in the game. And honestly I think that can apply to the rest of the current roster as well.

In terms of characters from MK4 to MKA, I would again be real selective on who makes the roster on MK10 and possibly introduce some "NEW" characters to the roster that would have a unique moveset and skills.
The characters that I'd personally like to see get a chance to be revived would be Frost, Kai, Fujin, Tanya (Alibi), Bo Rai Cho, Sareena and Shinnok.

New characters I'd like to see would be some Kunoichi Ninja characters with a military trained martial arts skill set with black magic and specialty powers or varying ninja weapons. I'd also like to see a Capoeria fighter, an international assassin like character like that of Born Identity or Raven from Tekken, an MMA fighter, a boxer, a traditional samurai like character, Wu Shu fighter, Muay Tai fighter, a wrestler/akido/hapkido like fighter, a tae kwon do like fighter or a set of fighters with unique powers and creative special techniques.

I agree that Scorpion and Sub-Zero should never miss a game. A lot of people disagree with that I think but they really are what made MK popular. When I watched the MK movies as a child I always waited for Sub-Zero's part the rest of the plot didn't matter to me.lol

I also want to reply to new characters being added besides the characters from MK4-MKA. I think the adding a mass of new characters into a game stunts their popularity. Why? Because they are taking the spot of a "classic" character and that isn't good for them. Also with the use of DLC now I think it would be stupid to ever introduce a new character not as DLC from now on. DLC opens up options that they didn't have in the past. It also let's them keep classic characters in the main roster while still developing a new character.

As for my lineup in the next game. It goes something like this.

Scorpion
Sub-Zero
Smoke
Raiden
Sonya
Noob
Johnny Cage
Liu Kang
Ermac
Jade
Mileena
Cyrax
Sektor
Reptile
Rain
Kenshi
Skarlett
Quan Chi
New:
Tanya
Reiko
Kai
Fujin
Mavado
Li Mei
Bo Rai Cho
Nitara
Ashrah
Havik
Hotaru
Sareena

That's 30. Which is not really overdoing it seeing as how some games have over 40 fighters. So really no big deal.

Then DLC can go like this

Returning Character
Returning Character
New Character
New Character

@scar-subby

I agree, DLC would be a good way to introduce whatever new character they want to introduce. Keeping the roster between 25-30 chars would remain a decent roster i think but a lot of games kind of go over the top imo.

Think they should stop adding many new characters from now on and for a couple games to stick to developping the roster, exploring their origins for many of them. But that being said, with adding only 2 or 3 new chars each game for a time, the DLC could also lead to fans having happy surprises after they saw that their fav chars are not introduced in the general roster.

I think we can all agree about the most of the characters who should and shouldn't come back for future installments. I'm surprised that only JohnBoyAdvance brought Onaga up because I think he has potential. At least he's got some cool factor. Considering that MK9 and MK10 live in an altered continuity, Onaga could now be refreshed to a befitting role and style. I don't want to have the Dragon King rise again like in Deception just.

I also think that Onaga has potential. A little like Shinnok, i think that someday he'll be somewhat given to be the next game boss or center of the story.

In terms of chars that i wish come back, here's my own list, minus one or 2.

Tanya
Fujin
Reiko
Kai
Shinnok
Nitara
Bo Rai Cho
Li Mei
Mavado
Frost
Kenshi
Moloch
Sareena
Havik
Ashrah
Hotaru
Kira

Characters like Jarek, Hsu Hao, Drahmin, Kobra and Darrius would require complete revamping imo. But i'm not against seeing some of them back one day. Those in the list don't need to be completly remade differently imo for the most of them.

Could do without Blaze and Mokap for sure.

The only reason why I would introduce "NEW" characters, would be to improve upon the roster. I think most people who have been fans of the franchise would agree that the MK4-MKA represented the low points in the character developement. Most people I know who like the video game can't even remember a large amount of the characters that were introduced during that time while characters in MK1-MK3 are mainstays in the franchise. I just think that if there's a concentrated and serious effort in fully defining and reinvigorating the neo characters and making them standout to MK's franchise, then I think the overall game with the inclusion of enhanced graphics and gaming modes will make the game a success. With all the hype surrounding the new edition to this game, the characters I would say would probably be one of the more important factors in making the game successful.

I would also state that the fighting engine comparable to Tekken's if they try to adopt a 3-D format would be necessary in terms of graphics and mechanics of their characters, and any additional fighting modes within the game. With that being said though, I am completely against revamping older characters for the simple fact that fans want them to be in the game. I think the important factors to consider are the viablity of the characters, their gameplay, techniques, air juggles/combos, a unique move set that is set apart from other established characters and contrasting personalities that define the characters and fans can relate to along with a relateable backstory that provides some reasoning for the characters motivations.

@ Esoteric

I agree with you. I think that unless the characters can have an original moveset then they shouldn't be brought back. That's why I largely excluded characters like Kira, Jarek, Frost, Khameleon, Chameleon, and Shujinko.

I felt all of the others had some originality and story to them that could be brought back. Moveset is defnitely important and I feel that some characters could do well in that department. Look at Mavado his grapple's could be updated to make him original. Li Mei's carnival spin was a great move, to me anyway. That's just a couple of example's too.

Also @ Distraught Overlord. I could see your point in 34 being too many I guess. However, No one forces people to buy DLC they can if they want too and like you said 25 to 30 is a good roster and as you can see I got 30.

They had 30 in this game counting DLC right? So why not up the bar a little for the next game. 34 is far from overdoing it.

Also @ Zmoke

I like Onaga somewhat. However, I felt he just fell in the category of another big guy with little to no original moves.

In fact in Armageddon I felt that

Goro
Kintaro
Moloch
Onaga
Blaze

Hell, name any other big guy and the played mostly the same besides their special moves. I do agree though that Onaga has story potential. He's the only one though. Blaze to me would have been a decent addition to the roster had they not turned him into random generic big bad guy. Shame.

What I really want for the MK after MKX is a boss that is fast.

In this MK we get Shao Kahn. The cheap huge bastard who can easily beat the piss out of you until you learn his tricks.

I figure in MK10 we will get 1 round with normal Shinnok and then the second round will be maybe the demon version. Someone else suggested that by the way the idea didn't come from me at all. It just seems like a plausible idea.

Then in the MK after that we need a speedy boss. One who plays like a Kabal on crank.lol. Plus his hits do damage similar to that of Shao Kahn's but scaled down just slightly. Imagine walking into the boss fight and not even knowing what hit you because they beat you so fast. That's what I want from a boss. I've seen enough of the huge monster bosses. Let's bring in a quick agile one.

Expurge everyone in between MK3 and MK:DA, that might perhaps make me interested in the re-telling.

So everyone from MK4 basically or you're saying characters from MK3 and Deadly Alliance as well?

Personally I felt MK deadly alliance was a high as far as storytelling went for MK.

The only ones of these eras I want for return will be...

- Tanya
- Reiko
- Fujin
- Kai
- Mavado
- Li Mei
- Nitara
- Ashrah
- Hotaru
- Dairou
- Darrius
- Havik

Meh not a fan of Darrius and Dairou.

replace them with Bo Rai Cho and Sareena and I'm good.lol.

Okay... but still Dairou and Darrius can be altered somehow. Without lame moves.

Season 2 - MK10:
- Rain
- Kenshi
- Skarlet
- Fujin
- Kai
- Bo'Rai Cho
- Li Mei
- Mavado
- Nitara
- Sareena
- Ashrah
- Hotaru
- Havik
- Dairou
- Darrius
- Shinnok
- Tremor

Instead of listing so many characters they could redo, I can give you the (smaller) list I think they should NOT do.


Jarek - he's a knock off. Only created because they wanted a new character.

Reiko - he has nothing going for him. Just nothing.

Li Mei - she was interesting but not enough to keep in the series.

Hsu Hao - a waste of character. He's like another Jarek only uglier and a Red Dragon.

Frost - only created because of fan's wanting a female this and a female that. We don't need a cunt with ice powers.

Mokap - no explanation required.

Shujinko - No. Just no. It was nice to have an elder combatant but everything about his story just sucked. He's an ignorant tool bag.

Ashrah - I don't like her story or her look. She was kind of thrown into the mix for the hell of it.

Kobra - I always saw him as an evil johnny cage. He has no real purpose.

Kira - Sonya + Kano = stupid idea.

Darrius - Played no integral part in MK in my eyes. Ugly as shit. Was probably put in MK just to have a black guy since Jax was absent. Stupid.

Taven - Hahahaha! FUCK NO.

Daegon - See above

Aside from that list, EVERYONE ELSE should get a second chance.

I keep Reiko, Fujin, Kai and Tanya of MK4 for redo. Including Khameleon.

Khameleon was introduced in MKT.

I really wish they would remake Drahmin with characteristics of both his former life as a warlord and his preset life as an Oni.