I'm gonna leave him up until my classes are done for today.

But I thank you for defending me, since I wrote the whole, "worth your wild," thing a bit too fast and didn't catch that error... At least someone knew what it meant, since I was at my boyfriend's place when I wrote it and jotted it down too quickly before I left the site.

i dont like hsu at all. no

Hsu Hao: I never really liked this character mainly, because he seemed bland in comparison to all of the other fighters in deadly alliance.

I'm actually kind of shocked that so many people hate him for his design. I thought there where much worse looking characters like Dhramin, and Hotaru. I don't really like his design, but if they got rid of that dumb hat I could actually see him fitting into the MK roster. Although he wouldn't be the coolest character by any stretch.

Anyways as far as his story goes I don't think it's that bad Icebaby. At least he got to blow shit up, and fight Jax. Unlike Cyrax who's whole purpose was to get some orb for Nitara. That pissed me off, because they took a fan favorite and turned him into a btich for this new character that I didn't like.

So the bottom line is he is just a bland character in my opinion, and I don't think he is the worst character. However there are a lot of characters I would pick over him so he shouldn't come back. Verdict: Gone.

Hsu Hao. I say he better go or else I'll kill him with my female characters "violently".

Hsu Hao sucks anus!
He looked Awful and his story sucked.
I think he had one decent move in the hand clap one.
But apart from that one move (which could be easily given to another character) I wish to erase him from my mind.

GO!

As a fan of Jade I'm gonna want her to return no matter where she is in her story.
This new MK could be the start of a load of new storylines and I hope Jade's is one of them.
Jade's costumes (apart from the MKD Primary which you mentioned) and moves are all awesome. I wouldn't change them.
I love her rivalry with Tanya, as both are tough biatches.
If Jade returns I'd want Tanya to aswell.

RETURN!

My opinion of Jade has gradually changed since Armageddon. Once upon a time, I was all about Kitana retiring along with the old generation and Jade stepping up. Seems obvious. Jade, who'd always been the sidekick, would be the logical choice to take up the slack in future games and get a chance at the spotlight. And maybe then, they'd address her lack of development and make her more than what she is.

However, as time's passed, I've found myself less and less interested in that probability. Mainly because....well...Jade's just not that interesting. Judging from background, as far as we know, she's just like Kitana...only less interesting. Like Kitana, she's an Edenian who served as Kahn's assassins who would go on to turn against him. Unlike Kitana...she has very little motivation, less conflict, fewer character relationships, and a less rounded personality. Kitana has a laundry list of reasons for being the way she is. Jade has one reason: because Kitana's her friend.

Now don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed using Jade and as a character, she makes a fine "Wedge." And for those who don't know:
In science fiction and fantasy fandom, the term Wedge has been unofficially adopted to describe minor background characters that survive an entire saga or series without being killed. They tend to suffer notoriously from little to no character development, yet for all the lack of attention they get, they usually carry the reputation of being reliable, dependable, and competent.
The term comes from the Star Wars character, Wedge Antilles, a minor character who appeared and survived all major battles in the three movies.

Now tell me that doesn't describe Jade to a fucking tee.

And being a Wedge has worked fine for her. BUT, in the interest of steamlining the story and clearing some excess baggage, do we really need a character who's defined by being another characters helper? If they keep Kitana around, Jade's presence is redunant and kind of cheapens Kitana. If they drop Kitana and try to step Jade up, now you've got to not only develope her into her own character with her own motivations and conflicts, but you've got to do it in a way that doesn't make her simply "Kitana version 2.0"

It's not impossible. But right now, the only thing Jade really has going for her that can be her own thing is a rivalry with Tanya. Problem there is the odds of Tanya coming back are slim...and even if she did return, I'd personally rather see her in a feud with Mileena.
I also can't help but wonder if it's worth the effort. Let me put it this way: ask someone if the current Sub-Zero should be retired and have him pass the name onto a successor for the next generation. While I know some would be into that idea, I bet most would probably say something along the lines of it being a waste of a well-developed character who's come so far and still has much to offer to take chance on a character who may end up not living up to the old one. I would agree with them on that.

Now here's the thing...I kind of feel the same way in regard to Kitana and Jade, now. Like Sub-Zero, Kitana is one of better developed characters and one of the few who's evolved throughout the series. Is she worth throwing away just to see if Jade might become something worth while? I know Kitana's story is currently in a rut and she's been portrayed pretty shitty lately, but I think it'd be easier to fix her than to make something out of Jade.

And to be frank, if an Edenian heroine who isn't Kitana returns....I'm kind of leaning towards Sindel at this point.

Sorry Jade, but I'm going to have to vote: go.

I don't dislike Jade. But I don't think there's any reason to ever have her in a game. She does the exact same stuff in the plot that Kitana does, only Kitana is way better. Like in Deception, they had to leave Kitana out in order for Sindel and Jade to have a good reason to be there, so killing off Sindel and Jade would streamline the roster nicely in my opinion.
On the other hand, I suppose if you really wanted to shake things up and freak people out, you could kill Kitana and Sindel, and make Jade the new leader of the Edenians or put her out for revenge, like how Kung Lao was also just a surplus/sidekick character until Liu's death promoted him. But like XD said, Kitana's a way more developed character so that's a complete waste.
Then again, Kitana's already done so much and been in so many games, I could actually live with it if they put the character out to pasture. In the absence of Kitana's shadow, maybe there'd finally be room to fill in Jade's backstory and motivation. I've always wondered, how did Jade come to be one of Kahn's spy/assassins? The only other females who worked for him were his own "daughters", so what makes Jade special enough to be part of that group? And was she also a child when Edenia was invaded, or was she old enough to remember it? Or was she born afterward, and she's only Edenian in the sense that her parents were Edenian refugees? What's her rank now, anyway? Is she the royal family's bodyguard? General of the army? If Edenia were to be destroyed like we've often talked about, what would be left for her? Where would she go? It'd basically be like a completely fresh start. I'm sure there's the potential for a good story somewhere in these questions, I just haven't figured out the details yet.

Gotta have Jade back. Staff!

yeah jade is way different from kitana. i like her alot. she is bad ass. she needs to stay. give her a decent reason to stay because everything else is fine about her. she has the boomerang,shadow kick,phase through attack. jade needs to be developed more story wise. maybe more of a lead part or something...... i love the staff. jade and mileena all the way.

Before I get to Jade, I just want to clarify that I was talking in terms of storyline with Hsu Hao, Baraka. The infiltration stuff was really interesting. The best thing Baraka did in the story was in MKII, when he led the attack on the Shaolin temples and then got Hat Sliced by Kung Lao. Baraka looked pretty cool in MKD, but other than that, I'm not a big fan of his design. An orc? Cool. I must seem like I diss the Baraka character a lot, and for that I am sorry. You're allowed to love him and all that without ridicule (I've never actually poked fun at you for that, I hope you've noticed -- hell, one of my favourite characters is Stryker), but it's just interesting to me how some characters can be so loved, and others so hated.

Now, as for Jade, I think Xia and Razor have summed it up nicely. She is the definition of "redundant" in the MK universe right now. How many characters do we need doing what is best for Edenia? Hell, to be honest, I was pissed when she showed up in Deception. She took a spot that would have been perfectly fine for Kitana, or could have been given to a character we had seen in the last two games.

Personally, I always felt that Jade died during MK3. He story makes mention that she faced Reptile when she decided to help Kitana. Reptile returning for MK4 and Jade not encouraged my mind to do the simple calculations, and deduct that Reptile had killed Jade. God, I wish people would actually die in Mortal Kombat.

And then there was the battle with Shinnok. What happened to her during all of that? It would have made perfect sense for her to be dead. But no, popularity brings her back, and keeps her going forward. Now, this might all sound a little harsh to Jade -- but I do NOT hate her. The character has grown on me over time, if anything. I just think that she needs a DRASTIC change of story.

An example I've had in my head for ages: Jade goes on some sort of quest after Armageddon to "find herself." On this quest, she meets someone, or someone finds her, and gives her some information -- that Jerrod's bloodline and perhaps even Jerrod himself usurped the throne of Edenia from Jade's family. Havik could be perfect for providing this information, if he brings evidence.

Something like this could be the fire inside Jade to bring her back with her own motivations. Yes, it'd be another character going for the Edenian throne; but I hope for no more than two Edenian characters going forward. And I would give Jade MK9 off, and bring her back for MKX at the latest.

Things would sort of end up with Edenia representing a British colony; Kitana, Sindel, etc. representing the British; and Jade representing an indigineous people who want their realm back.

I'm not a fan of Jade. She just bores me, everything about her. I wouldn't shed a tear if she never came back.

i am honestly unsure about Jade...i like her but yet she is mediocre at best. i would much rather her sit back on this one but if she has to come back i would only want to see her as a hidden npc...you know like classic MKs where you fight against her and thats it.

No to Jade. She's a boring character, and I also say no in spite of a certain person on here that an above member has mentioned.

Jade: This is one character I'm apathetic about. I never really cared about her story, and Kitana and Mileena are enough female ninjas for me. However, I do like classic characters like Jade, and I diffinatley don't hate her. I did say yes to Havik so I guess I'll say STAY for Jade.

I....have no idea what could be done with Jade. As a fighter she's one of the best, and has always had some pretty killer combos. It's easy to see how she plays a bodyguard role to Kitana considering how formidable she is in combat. That just makes it all the more frustrating that she hardly adds anything to the main story. Her steadfast loyalty and feud with Tanya are both incredibly dull, and it's easy to see why all of the Not!Jade characters in other media give her a potentially traitorous aspect to make her more interesting.

What could be done? I suppose if we ever do see an Earth vs. Edenia Mortal Kombat tournament, maybe Jade emerge as the champion. She's certainly got the chops for it and it would be a way for her to step out of Kitana's shadow without actually getting rid of Kitana's character. This could also give her an excuse to mix with Edenia's new protector, Taven, and maybe create a new non-Kitana-related network for her.

I'd like to see Jade stay because she's a finely-tuned powerhouse, but she needs a lot of work.

Wow, I have to say that I am very, VERY surprised that we have not had more "jade is awsum!!!!11" posts. I mean, like her if you want, but it's good to see people actually applying logic to her, and realising that she has got some MAJOR flaws as a presence in the series.

Cyan, I'm not disagreeing with you -- but let's say that game engine changes. How do you know that Jade will still be a powerhouse? I'm just asking.

Has there been an MK yet where she's NOT been a powerhouse? I think that's pretty much a defining part of her character by this point.

It's curious that you think about her that way. I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just intrigued. I've always thought of her as a supporting character storyline-wise. I guess if I were asked, I'd assume she was a powerhouse because of her status as a hidden character. They always love juicing them up.

"Jade" and "powerhouse" don't instantly spring to mind with me, but I'm an MK fanatic that is much more interested in the story of MK than the gameplay. That's why I'm on a different frequency to people who prefer the "cool" characters. Because a lot of time these are the characters with the most ridiculously crappy story.

I never thought of her as a "powerhouse".

I know when I used to play UMK3, I thought of her as the cheapest fucking character in the game because maybe it's just me, but it seems like they deliberately put her at or near the very beginning of all the ladders, AND programmed her AI to cheat and know EVERY time you're putting in the command for a projectile so she can do the blinking invulnerability thing, then constantly do 7-hit combos, just to fuck with players. Early fights are supposed to be easy, but she never fucking was. I hated that so much.

In Deception/Armageddon on the other hand, she felt no different from any other character to me.

Another thing that annoyed me about Jade. And yes, this is going to sound really picky and stupid -- but was anyone else bothered that a character named "Jade" always wore green? It's like being named "Cherry" and only ever wearing something red.

It'd be cool to see Jade move away from being named after her appearance.

Meh, I like Jade's name and color matching. I can see why someone else would think it corny, but I honestly can't picture her wearing any other color and still looking like herself. I'd just constantly mistake her for a completely new character. Being a black chick in green clothes is her "thing".

speaking of cheap characters...in MK2 Kitana was just as bad. half the time you could not uppercut her or use throws at all without getting suplexed every time. i don't know if its a glitch or done on purpose but i believe that the AI cheating needs to stop in all future MK games. at first i thought it was timing but it really is not...i always have to be cheap and use Baraka's shredder move to beat her everytime. i can see each character having a weakness or be a bit unbalanced but for the AI to not allow moves on characters is ridiculous.
sorry for off topic but this statement goes for all characters through out all the MK games...because Jade,Baraka and Kitana are not the only ones that were AI cheaters...i could see maybe implying a cheat mechanic like that to higher difficulties above normal/medium but on very easy/easy...come on that is just BS! one thing i can say about SF4 is that the AI is pretty extreme and they don't need to use such AI cheating. i like the challenging difficulty but if your not going to do it right than just give us AI controls like WWE wrestling games did. i like to play with all the characters in the game and i am not god-like with every single one so i would like to not have to use the same cheap character to beat another cheap/cheating one to go to the next level/character to fight.
in the end i rarely agree with Razor but i really can't see her as a powerhouse...if anything she is nothing more than a cheap opportunist. if Jade comes back...they should make her a neutral character and have her as like a hired hand/its all about the green(money) kinda character.