Your theory could be wrong, but, who knows. If Kai is in MKX, I don't think they'll use him in place of Liu. I just don't see it happening.
As for Liu, I don't want him to return what-so-ever. if he does, I'm not sure about his appearance. As for his Dragon Fatality, I like it, but, it has to go back to the green dragon and actual chewing and not bite n swallow. Maybe after chewing the upper torso, he can BBQ the lower torso.
Second Fatality I'd like to see the return of the Fatal Uppercut revised.

To be honest it should be either Johnny or Kung Lao that takes over.

I can't say that I agree with Liu Kang never returning. To leave him out of a game is one thing, but to never return? I get that a lot of people are tired of him being the "hero" of MK but Liu Kang is just as much of an MK icon as Scorpion and Sub-Zero.

I know that Scorion and Sub-Zero are like the Ryu and Ken, but Liu Kang is like Guile. MK just doesn't quite feel like MK without him.

What of his fatalities? If there were new fatalities, how about something similar to Akuma's shun goku satsu?

Will Liu gain redemption at the end of the game but won't join the others? Perhaps he'll pass down his title to Kai.

Yes! If somebody's gonna take over, it should be Kung Lao! Its too bad Shao Khan killed him in MK9.

Kung-Lao taking over as the main goodie was something that was set up so perfectly in Deadly Alliance. It irritated me that they decided to kill him off and make him the Dragon King slave while bringing damn Zombie & Spirit Liu into the mix in Deception. I didn't like that and felt as if Kung-Lao truly missed an opportunity to be more than just Luigi to Kang's Mario.

As for Kai, he would be a great side kick to Kung-Lao. That said, he should be made different enough that he has a unique personality. Just because you have a character in a similar role of another doesn't mean they have to be exact replicas. Kung-Lao & Kai would be a very good duo.

I'd be open to seeing Kai again. I'd like Liu to return all scared and vengefull.

His loss of faith in MK9 was probably the only time I ever really was interested in his story.

I'm sure we'll see Liu Kang in some form or another. If so, I'd sort of like his fighting style to look less like trying to impersonate movie Bruce Lee and instead having more of a traditional Chinese martial arts look and feel. His gameplay could emphasize more of a rushdown style.

As for Kai, I am open to the potential of his character, but he needs proper exploration and development. Gameplay-wise, I still kind of disagree about the whole Capoeira thing. Instead, why not draw from Monkey-style Kung Fu? That would make sense for him, and honestly, I see that as being one of the martial arts styles passed onto him from Liu Kang and even going back to Bo' Rai Cho. I see his gameplay style being a very combo-oriented character.

His story, aside from obviously helping the other heroes, should be about re-establishing his character and setting him on a story arc where he develops into a stronger and wiser character. I can potentially see that One Being sub-plot from MK: Armageddon being explored considering his ending in that game.

I kinda feel having a Black character use "Monkey Kung Fu" would drag MK into a race storm, I couldnt be fucked with that.

Can Kai take over the "Ryu" and Liu is the 'Akuma/Guile" kind of guy?

If it were Kung Lao that took over as the hero I really think it would be a signifier that they were not thinking about the future whatsoever in Mortal Kombat 2011. I don't think they had Kung Lao killed off, only so they could have Liu Kang killed off, only so Kung Lao could be resurrected and turned good to replace him.

What happened to Kung Lao in MK9 was sucky, but I think it showed something important from him; he was not ready to be the hero yet. What happened to him would not have happened to Liu Kang; he turned his back to the situation looking for approval and got killed from behind because of it. He has a ways to go before he becomes the next Liu Kang.

Johnny Cage on the other hand, would be an interesting choice for a hero. He was by Raiden's side through a good part of the story mode, he's currently alive in the new continuity, there's no reason believe he'll go bad or neutral anytime soon, and he has been shown to have hidden powers; untapped potential. I could see him becoming an honorable warrior with a hint of cockiness and the occasional one-liner. The only thing that would make it weird is his history; during the past games, he's always seemed like a sidekick, comic relief funny guy. In such a serious tournament, it would be odd to have him be the main character.

Weird isn't always bad. MK has always played it safe when it came to the vets so having Cage be something more than the comic relief one liner guy is something fresh.

Liu has been a boring character since MK4 (original timeline). I feel that he served his purpose and there really is nothing left for him, unless he was to turn evil.

Reading other posts about Kung Lao and him taking the "Hero" position would be good and Kai as his side-kick. However, Kahn killed Kung Lao so, I say bring in The Great Kung Lao.

Great Kung Lao is also dead, otherwise we wouldn't have Goro as champ in MK1.

I said it before and I'll say it again.

Turn Liu Kang into "Gouki/Akuma"! That'll give him more purpose! This way, he can have someone take over his title as champion.

He may not forgive Raiden... yet near the end of the game, but he'll still cares about his friends alive and fallen. Even the love of his life: Kitana. He can just watch over them at a distance.

Maaan,the more I think about it the more I like it... Good job sir!

Your welcome!

I just hope it'll be either Kai or Johnny to take over Liu's title as champion. Besides... what of Kung Lao?

I'd rather Liu Kang just stay dead.

MK is long overdue for new heroes, and Kai is definitely the best successor as Earthrealm's champion.

I agree weird isn't always bad, but it definitely isn't always good either. By the end of MK9 Johnny was still just a sidekick, and aside from the fact that he didn't have any lines in the final scene, there isn't much evidence that he was going to pull a 180 personality-wise. Would it really be good-weird to see MK9 Johnny Cage suddenly step up to the plate? The guy who constantly belittled the importance of the tournament, made fun of the combatants, and seemed to care more about flirting with the girls than the fact that he was playing a big role in determining the fate of the world?

I think a good weird would be humbling him; a little bit, not all the way. Having him go through some changes, such as renouncing his movie-star career, gaining some honor, and a real caring for his duties before he steps up as the main protagonist of the game. Of course, he can still have a more superficial guise on, but you would be able to tell that deep down he cares and is concerned with what goes on with the other characters and events. The good part would be he's a compelling, interesting protagonist. The weird part would be that you'd remember he used to be this cocky, superficial skeptical character, and he involved into the hero.

The thing is, that can't just happen overnight; it'll have to be shown gradually throughout the course of the game, maybe two. If he just goes from the jokey sidekick of MK9 to hero in MK10, it'll be weird... the bad kind of weird.

MK: Deadly Alliance did have Cyrax use Sambo, I mean, this is the kind of stuff that should be looked past. Kai was intended to be an agile, nimble fighter and Monkey Kung Fu reflects that mentality. A lot of people talk about Kai's handstand, but that's something Monkey Kung Fu uses also. I mean, he trained in various Asian martial arts plus he learned from Liu Kang himself, so it would make sense.

But what about the part about Kitana offering Liu to become king of her realm?

Maybe there'll be a chance for that to happen near the end of the game. That is if both Liu & Kitana are revived.

Instead of declining Kitana's offer, perhaps Liu will think about it when he thinks about giving up his title of champion to someone else.

Guess there is no luck for Kai.

It's difficult for me, because as a fighting style, I think Liu Kang was one of the best designs in the last game. From a story/art perspective, I'd much rather have Kai.

The new direction has pushed into a corner because of the abundance of new characters. Therefore, if I have a choice between a returning MK9 character or one of the Post MK3 cast, I'm almost always going to go with the latter (with exceptions of course).

Will Liu Kang return as the Akuma of MK?