Yeah, the storyline gets messy at times, but it's never that hard to follow. I mean, the MK Team violates some of the fundamental laws of writing, but what really sets MK apart from other fighters in the genre is its rich story.

lol. the story is not hard to follow. just some stuff is confusing, mainly the mka stories.

Take a chill pill. Conversation breeds conversation. That's why this is one of the better threads on the site. If it was just "Keep this guy" and "Drop this guy", it'd be boring as hell.

So wow, I actually made something "intelligent' worth your wild, huh? Fascinating... The only problem I find with off-topic conversation is that it leads to feuds. Even though it's nice that people have different conversations, it isn't a bad thing, I just sense a flame war coming soon... I really do.

It's not that I don't really care if there is an off-topic conversation, since the last few threads have had nothing but flame wars, I'd appreciate it definitely if my thread doesn't see this happening.

I'm sorry. I don't know what "worth my wild" means.

An easy way to take care of that would be to just announce the next character as soon as things get out of hand. Everything will get back on track shortly. ^^

Oh, btw, I was referring to this:

Maybe the problem is everyone's said all they have to say about Hotaru and we should move to the next guy? He is kinda boring after all.

That's your fault then, leave me alone. Oh, you can't because you love stalking me on the forms. I see... Anyways



Well, if Hotaru seemed boring to you, what are your thoughts about this guy?

Hsu Hao

Okay, this guy is something.

A Red Dragon member, his duty was to infiltrate the Special Forces and guide them to the Black Dragon. Once they’re destroyed, Hsu Hao was to be ordered to remain among the Special Forces ranks as an informant until further notice. Mavado then ordered him to destroy the Outerworld Investigation Agency’s ability to travel to Outworld. He would not dishonor his clan and will complete his tasks at any cost.

He gained access to an Ion Pulse Bomb and infiltrated the underground bunker that housed the portals designed by the agency. By evading Jax, Hsu Hao activated the portal to Outworld, turned on the bomb, and escaped into the portal before the bomb exploded. The Agency was destroyed. Hsu How must make contact with Mavado in Outworld to get his next mission.

In the ending, he told Mavado that he destroyed the Agency and was awaiting for his next mission. Quan Chi was becoming a powerful ally and is willing to aid the Red Dragon to help dominate Earth. Mavado agreed to destroy Quan Chi’s enemies. Shang Tsung and the Oni Moloch and Drahmin. Hsu Hao was ordered to find them all and destroy them.

And since I don’t take Armageddon’s bios and endings too seriously, that’s basically it about this character.

Hsu Hao had, by far, the lamest story in Deadly Alliance. All he is, is a member of the Red Dragon acting like some Grand Theft Auto character. Completing missions and obtaining new ones. That’s all he did throughout Deadly Alliance, he is on a mission to destroy the OIA and did so, now he’s gotta find and kill Shang Tsung, Drahmin and Moloch. His ending couldn’t also be any interesting than his biography.

So basically, if this character did make a return, we would see what would happen with him and the mission of having him kill the Oni and Shang Tsung.

His appearance, omigosh, this is ridiculous. He looks like a general in his primary costume, but he isn’t one. Instead, he is commanded by Mavado, who looks nothing like a general whatsoever. Also, there’s barely anything interesting about his secondary costume as well. Not even his cybernetic heart... We don’t even get to know why he has a cybernetic heart either. That’s pretty lame. This character’s appearance and story is lame altogether.

Let’s look at the moves:

Thunder clap, boot camp, charge up, bounching death, crystal laser... So unoriginal. The laser move is just like Kano’s eye laser move. Boot camp and thunder clap, ooh so lame... This character had no good moves either. What is up with that?

His fatality as well, so I get to overcharge the laser to where it cuts my opponent in half, ooh so scary... Absolutely not. This character had nothing good with him in the beginning, I have no idea why they even put this character in the game. To be honest, I would have rather seen that Zebra character in the game instead of Hsu Hao.

This guy just needs to leave, I’m not going to give this guy a second chance whatsoever.

So, let’s debate. Should Hsu Hao stay or leave?

my most disliked character by far...goodbye please and thank you.

I'm pretty sure that stalking and disagreeing are two different things. And you still didn't explain "worth your wild". Which isn't actually a thing.

Definitely one of the top 5 worst characters ever to be put in to an MK game and just dying to see someone defend him. About the only praise I can give him is that his weapon was decent, but the fact that he was a dude with something that looked remarkably similar to Kitana's fans again somehow works against him.

His story is that he's a henchmen. That's it. Personally? I hate henchmen. Some characters can get away with it if they have a cool look or cool moves (yes, I'm talking about Baraka, but even he needs a TON of story improvement), but sadly, Hsu Hao has neither.

He does however have a large red "this is how you kill me" icon on his chest, so that opponents will know where to hit him in order to kill him.

Honestly, of all the characters that made if off of the cutting room floor... This guy? Really?

Oh, and I just read his MKA ending. If the MK team wasn't trying to scream "umm, yeah, we have no idea what to do with this dork" then they've completely mislead me.

Of all the real "legit" characters, I'd honestly say that Hsu Hao was the biggest failure on the part of the MK team. If you honestly asked me try and write something to make this guy cool, I would basically have to change EVERYTHING about him from his look to his moves to his story as well.

And honestly, isn't that the easiest sign of a bad character? I'm sorry Hsu, but...

VERDICT: GONE and easily forgotten.

Can do. I'd be fine with Hao's return as I love the moveset. I'll concede, the design is terrible. He's a leather dance club cyborg. But the fighting styles were so awesome. Throw some real clothes on him, and were good to go.

wild = while

stop being an arrogant jerk and get on topic dude. leave icey alone. you know what she meant.

I have to admit, I think it's kind of funny how people get so offended by Hsu Hao."How DARE the MK team presume to tarnish my eyes with this wretched creation?!"
Not to say he's a fantastic character or that I even like him...but he's harmless.

He moved the plot a little forward and he gave Jax something to do for a game. The end. Vogel didn't even want to bring him back, but only did because everyone came back in Armageddon. I think it's safe to say there are no long-term plans for Hsu Hao. He served his purpose.

Gone.

I like that you waited until just after my on-topic reply to tell me to get on-topic. Good work. Did you also tell JFK to duck just after the shot?

I think it's a foregone conclusion that no one is going to say they want Hsu Hao back.

That said, I do have a couple nice things to say about him. Firstly, I liked the idea of expanding the membership of the Special Forces with this planted mole character, this guy who's been working with Sonya and Jax to hunt down the Black Dragon since apparently well before MK1, all because he belongs to another group that also hates the Black Dragon, and happens to be better at finding their enemies, but doesn't want to reveal themselves, so they cleverly manipulate the authorities into doing their dirty work for them.

Also, I like that his heart was basically described as a prototype for the science that led to Kano's eye, they were both created by this same doctor or whatever. It doesn't really add much to the universe, depth wise, it's just a neat little easter egg-esque connection. One wonders just how much demand for black market cyborg-organs there is in the MK universe, where Earth is a little more sci-fi than it is in the real world.
And speaking of the heart, I gotta give them creativity points for going "okay, we all know this guy is a dumb henchman...but let's give him an actual motivation for being a dumb henchman for once! I've got it! Without a heart, he has no emotion, drive, or ambition of his own. He's dead inside and that makes him more loyal and susceptible to suggestion. That's how clever the Red Dragon is when it comes to keeping their minions under control."

Obviously, the whole "Mongolian" theme to his character is one of the major things that dragged him down. If you think about it, it's actually kinda racist to say this, but he just plain looks ugly. And people equate the whole "shirtless with a police hat" thing with the Village People, that ain't helping anybody. Then there's the fact that he comes from a game where characters got way less special moves than usual, (oh, and his Wrestling style has almost no actual wrestling moves in it. I was hoping to see suplexes and powerbombs, major letdown) so he's not very fun to play. I do like the Hulk-style thunder clap, though. And it was cool that, instead of having like glowing energy waves or something like MK special moves usually do, it actually looks like realistic wind, with twigs and leaves getting kicked up and flying around.

Here's the real problem with Hsu Hao, though: He was created JUST TO DIE. When Vogel was making this guy, and this is something he's admitted out loud, mind you, he intended Jax's MKDA ending to be canon. Hsu Hao was MEANT to only last one game, he's just a plot device to further Jax's story. The ONLY reason he ever came back is Armageddon meant EVERYONE had to come back.

Now that said, I know no one else likes it or cares, but for me, there's a silver lining to Hsu Hao's return in MKA. You see, his may be the ONLY arcade mode ending in all of Armageddon that I actually like. Again, it's a revisit of the idea that here's a guy with no heart both literally AND metaphorically. He's so empty inside that when he dies, he goes to Hell and like just like Drahmin, he mutates into an Oni, except where Drahmin reaches a demonic state of being from being tortured and driven insane and so full of fury that it twists him into something horrible that literally deserves to be one of the torturers in Hell rather than just a prisoner, Hsu's basically the exact opposite. He turns from a human into a demon on the power of his utter emptiness and desolation and nihilism.
I like that about MK, the concept that demons are a race that's born in the Netherealm, they're evil from birth...but a human being can actually become a demon too, if they're in Hell and they're evil enough. The realm itself has the ability to physically twist and change people into monsters. And then, ironically, some of the demons who were born that way are actually good inside, like Sareena and Ashrah. And then you have Quan Chi, born a demon, as evil as a demon, but doesn't look like a demon because he learned such powerful magic that he evolved himself into something more human. Such an odd amount of diversity for just one realm. That's what, for me, makes the Netherealm a much more interesting place than Outworld is, and why I've always liked Mythologies and MK4, because exploring and learning more about Hell was so central to their plots.

So even though no one on the entire planet Earth WANTS him back, I actually think that Hsu Hao COULD be brought back one day and greatly improved, with a COMPLETELY different, unrecognizeable new design as a brutish demon of the Drahmin and Moloch variety. (or maybe more the Noob Saibot variety. I think Noob's very similar personality-wise. Devoid of emotional attatchments and compassion, not caring about his old life, and used to be a mindless henchman "created" and manipulated by Quan Chi but then re-awakened and became a man of his own, the way Hsu was sort of "created" and manipulated by Mavado or the RD clan, and if he does become a demon, may himself have an awakening and rediscover ambition and desire.) Henchmen suck, sure, but they do serve a purpose in the plot.

my statement on being on topic was not my main direction...my main direction was for you to stop being a jerk. don't be foolish optimus...stop trying to pick stupid arguments. regardless of the time i posted, i meant it in the same manner. i stated it plainly and maybe a bit sarcastically, yes. do you want me to sugar coat it and ask you on my knees saying please don't be a jerk?
i am sure icey can stick up for herself but i was just being considerate to stand up for her and point out the obvious.
anyways...i am not going to comment on the JFK statement because clearly your trying to start with me lol. either that or your still being a jerk sarcastically. than again i am going crazy with a tooth ache so things i say may not entirely make sense.

in anycase i am not going to say more on that.

come on icey next character plz... Hsu was unworthy to even be debatable in my book.

That is not how the internet works.

ahhh don't make me laugh dude...it hurts lol

Arguments aside, sorry 'bout the tooth, dude. I had similar problems not too long ago (off-topic!).

yeah it really sucks and it hurts like hell. friggin anbesol/orajel is making a killing on me these past weeks. 8-10 bucks a tube for that crap...i could have got me a $50 psn card with what i have spent on it so far...but yeah sorry for off topic peeps.

I've got to be honest -- I don't mind Hsu Hao at all. I do not get why people loathe him so much. It's like they're personally offended by his existence. A character like Baraka is perhaps even more bland, and is more relentless in his appearances. At least Hsu Hao was only in one game before Armageddon.

Vogel kind of shot the wad with Hsu Hao, though, in my opinion. The mole story was good, but we are meant to take the relationship Hao had with the Special Forces characters on just the word of the story. It would have been nice to see Hsu Hao established as a "heroic" fighter, only for his true motivations to be revealed with the erradication of the Black Dragon.

I also liked how he was Mavado's right-hand man. Sometimes the role of henchman can be boring, but Hao seemed like a disciplined henchman -- not one who was too dumb, stupid or weak to go out on his own and do something for himself. I always got the impression that Hao chose to obey, and I find that fascinating about the character. I personally would have loved it if Hao carved up Jax in Deadly Alliance, or something. It would have given him a nice rub, and really established the Red Dragon as a force to be reckoned with.

A better costume design would have been appreciated, but a large part of his costume was to remind us he betrayed the Special Forces, I guess. I would have liked to have seen him only use a SF costume as a secondary. His primary should have been something expected to be worn by a Red Dragon.

And: The heart thing is something that I loved. I personally think it would have been such a nice touch to the character if this bad-ass, disciplined, patient, remorseless killer had some sort of heart defect from birth, or something. It could explain why he works so hard on keeping his shell strong, and why he was able to infiltrate the Special Forces so easily. Razor also summed up some good associations with the heart that play well of Hsu Hao's demeanor.

To clarify, though, I don't think the character should return. Especially not over someone like Mavado -- who furthers the Red Dragon cause in a much more pressing way. And even then, I'm not sure if it is too late for Mavado or not. But I would have liked to have seen the character built-up a bit more, and given a few games to reveal all his surprises, and then we could talk about him being killed off and never returning. In a slightly different universe, I could find myself saying "Yes" to Hao, but not the way he has been treated so far. He's water when he could have been oil.

At first when you said that Baraka is more bland than Hsu hao, I wanted to hit the caps lock button and go to town on that horrifically bad idea. But the more I thought about it, in terms of story only, the more I realized that you're probably right.

I liked the infiltration story, and it's honestly better than the stories that Baraka's had basically since his inception. Of course, I'd counter that overall "bland" argument by saying that Baraka is a thousand times more fun to use in every game he's been in and that his look, well, circa MK2 anyways, is a thousand times better than this cross between a soldier and a chip n dales dancer.

I think that a lot of people are looking at Hsu Hao after the fact and thinking "well he was was bad, but he wasn't THAT bad." The problem with that fact is the first part of the statement. Yes, he was bad. That's it. Go with that idea.

When MK:DA first came out, everyone DESPISED Hsu Hao and were so angry that he even existed to begin with. Maybe that's partly due to the fact that his name was "Khan" in his health bar in the first pictures that introduced him. But I think that the more info people got on him, the more they realized that he was essentially just a wasted character. A henchmen, a bad look, boring moves... Yeah, that's a recipe for bad, not simply... "not that bad."

I'm not affronted that he exists in MK and if they did a good job with him in terms of a redesign, like any other character, I wouldn't have a problem with him coming back. But outside of the infiltration angle and perahsp the fact that his weapon was decent, I just don't get what anyone would find in him with regard to redeemable qualities.

Of course, if you take Razor's idea and bring him back as an oni, I could see something like that working, if they did it right. He couldn't just be a big monster with a silly moustache and army hat (although that would be hilarious). But again, that kind of gets back to the whole "if a character has to be changed THAT dramatically in order to save them, then what's the point?" argument.