I think those two combined would be the best way to go, even though I'd miss Sindel since I consider her to be the most unique looking female character in MK, she stands out from the rest.

I had an idea in which Kitana goes after Kahn after MKA (she finds out he survived and decides to terminate him once and for all) and kills him in an epic battle, and by killing him she kills Sindel, just as you said. Kahn tells her that before he dies and finally dies laughing. That way, the biggest villain ever in MK gets his one final victory, so to say.

Meanwhile, I'd have Rain hire Dairou to kill Sindel, so that he would have a chance to get to the throne. While Kitana and Kahn are fighting, at the same Dairou and Sindel engage in a battle, but Sindel collapses and dies because of Kahn's destiny. Dairou considers his job done, but he's seen by Jade. She therefore is convinced that it was Dairou who killed Sindel and goes after him.

With Kitana devastated, Sindel dead and Jade after Dairou, Rain's chance to get the throne for himself has never been better. He manages to convince people of Edenia that the rule of the previous royal family hadn't been able to keep peace and stability in the realm and he argues that a male leader would be better. Now, I'd actually like Rain to continue being an evil or "evil-ish" character, so to say, BUT a great ruler of Edenia. That way Kitana wouldn't have to come back to Edenia, 'cause even though she has issues with Rain, the people and the realm are actually safe, so she leaves that on the side.

Jade could eventually find out that it was Rain who hired Dairou to kill Sindel, but since Dairou actually wasn't the one to kill her, she could just remain in Edenia and keep an eye on Rain. I think she'd be very careful to not confront him openly since Rain now enjoys the support of the Edenian people.

This gives chance for Kitana to go her own way, gives a development drive to Rain. Even Jade could finally get more breathing space with Kitana and Sindel no longer in Edenia.

... ... ...

Anyway, I don't think that it's necessary to blow up Edenia. I like your ideas, especially the ones with Sindel and Mileena combined. And yeah, I kinda like my idea too.

... ... ...

Btw, it's nice to see that Kitana is still highly wanted by the fans.

i really am not a big Kitana fan but she is kind of a staple to the franchise so she has to stay. i really would not mind her sitting a game out...or maybe just make her as like a bystander(meaning make her unplayable but keep her in story)for one game.

Okay, I see where the divergence is coming from. See, I don't actually want her to become a grieving, brooding, pessimistic, cynical character that's lost everything she ever cared about and now just hates the world.

One thing- if she kills Kahn, and everyone that's ever pledged loyalty to him dies also, then that means pretty much every single character from Edenia and Outworld dies. Rain, Jade, Sindel, etc.

If you wanted to play up Kitana's guilt or whatever, then what does it mean that she's striving so relentlessly to kill Kahn despite knowing that she'll die if she succeeds along with her friends and family? Maybe she feels the need to atone or be punished for her millenia as an assassin? Don't know. And then maybe Jade or someone could be trying to talk sense to her- to try and find a way to break the oath spell before killing Kahn.

Of course, this is still Kitana doing the same old thing. Her vs. Kahn. Personally, I do want her to do something different, but I don't want her to become the cliche'd pessimist type like... Dark Raiden. I still want her to be a bright, positive character.

Why would the civilians of Outworld and Edenia pledge their souls to Shao Kahn? I'm fairly certain it was only demanded of those who personally served him.
We don't really know who's pledged their soul to Kahn and who hasn't...except for Shang Tsung, thus far. Theoreticaly, Mileena's soul isn't...because if it was, she shouldn't have gone to the Netherealm when she died. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say Kitana was spared for whatever reason. Maybe others were, too.



Assuming she even knows about the soul pledge and the consequences of it. It's entirely possible she doesn't.



Fair enough. Personally, I do want to see an angrier, more cynical side of her emerge. To be honest, I never saw her as a very positive, upbeat character. Even when things were working out for her, I always imagined her with a melancholy personality.

Hmm... I didn't think the souls of Edenians were linked to Kahn. I thought of Sindel as an exception since she was resurrected by Kahn's order, so some magic could have been done in the process by the Shadow Priests which would tie Sindel to Kahn. I don't know how to explain Mileena however. Maybe Kahn simply didn't care as much about her as he did about Sindel, so maybe they didn't mess with her soul or whatever. Didn't it say somewhere that Kahn actually loved Sindel?



Well, I do think it's time to kill off Kahn. I feel that since he's no more the main villain his reputation is sort of fading and it's a shame considering how big his impact on the story was. And if anyone's to kill him, I think it should be Kitana. So, that "versus Kahn" chapter could be just for one game, she can do other stuff later.

I don't want her to be as dark as Raiden is, but I don't think she should be too cheerful either, especially if she's to kill her mother, indirectly (by killing Kahn). I mean, they usually say that no one loves you as much as your mother does, so I imagine for Kitana to kill her own mother would be a massive blow and a big obstacle to overcome, but one she would eventually overcome. And hey, what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger.

I didn't mean the entire population. Just all those we've seen in the games that served Kahn at one point or another. I like your idea that maybe not everyone took the pledge though. That whole pledge/soul spell thing just kind of irritates me anyway.


That's fine. Being melancholy doesn't mean she has to be a pessimist. I never pictured her as a bubbly, cheerful, peppy little ball of energy, so I hope that's not what people are thinking when I say I want her to be bright and positive. Frankly, I'm a bit tired of all the characters giving in to their anger and their darker sides.

Some interesting thoughts, Xia. The way I currently view Edenia's make-up, you have Sindel as the one with her hand on the pulse, while Kitana is the one running around fighting for it, etc. You could almost present Kitana as someone who actually has no clue how to properly run a realm -- and that could be a huge turning point for her story if Sindel is removed.

I think a lot of Edenia's characters should be killed off. Taven should be retired, as I never found him a particularly interesting character, he's done his part for the story, and I think that "Mortal Kombat" should be predominantly about mortal characters. Remove Daegon, as well, and as interesting as he became, take out Rain. Even his death could be something that weighs on Kitana's mind.

Personally, I think if you want to keep the Edenian story afloat, you should introduce some new characters. Ones that aren't entirely motivated by the throne. Introduce Sindel's assassin, and perhaps shroud their motives in mystery. Perhaps there is an Edenian character who does not believe Kitana has Edenia's best interests at heart. Perhaps they remember her time as an assassin, and have some personal connection to one of Kitana's victims? It'd be interesting if Shao Kahn, being the sadistic tyrant that he was, sent Kitana on missions against those plotting to liberate Edenia. This could be how Kitana actually learns of her origins, perhaps?

Kitana's past as an assassin is something that is obviously so crucial to her past, yet there hasn't really been any consequences for her to face in regards to it. Introduce us to someone who has suffered by the fan of "evil Kitana" in the past, and is just not willing to let that grudge go. Not an evil character themselves (they could essentially have a good soul); just someone who LOATHES Kitana.

I always get a little laugh whenever someone says a Kitana Fan...cause that's what she carries! A fan! Get it? ~crickets chirp loudly~ ....nevermind....

Anyway, I don't see Kitana leaving the series as a character anytime soon, so she is probably staying, and I'm cool with that. However, like what everyone else pretty much is saying, different story. I would want everyone to stop attacking Edenia and leave it alone for a while, and find some other realm to attack. So, like many posters before me, I will produce and add my storyline proposal

-----------------------------------------------

The Attack of Vaeternus

I'd say that Shao Kahn gets tired of trying to get back Edenia. He also learns that one part of Outworld, Vaeternus, gain it's independence and separate from the Outworld realm. Other parts of Outworld who wanted their realms freed try to follow suit. The rule of Outworld is becoming thinner and thinner. Shao Kahn decides to focus on the smaller realms before trying Edenia again. Vaeternus would be one of the realms that Kahn tries to conquer. Nitara, who thought her realm was free of Outworld, is disgusted and pissed when she finds out Outworld is trying to get it back. Not only that, many vampires are being killed by the Datusha, which is in the possesion of the demon Ashrah, who believes that the kriss is purifying her soul and getting her closer to her ascension from the Netherrealm.

Shao Kahn learns of Ashrah's attempt, so he somehow tricks her into helping him with the Vaeternus problem. Ashrah accepts Shao Kahns offer, despite knowing of his evil. She knows that in the long run, although she would put a realm in danger and under Kahn's control, at least she would gain what she wants. Besides, why would she worry about the safety of the vampire realm?

With her race dwindling in numbers, Nitara realizes that she and the rest of the living Vampires cannot defend themselves against the Outworld attack. She calls upon help. Kitana is one of the first to receive the cry, and, knowing how it was like having being freed from Outworld and still trying to be overthrown by the empire, she decides that she would help Nitara's realm.

-------------------------------------------

Ok, I know it's not the best storyline, and I think that the other solutions involving Kitana are better, but I think it's nice. It would give a little focus to Vaeternus and Nitara as well. Also, it would be one of the times when Kitana is being called to help instead of Kitana calling for help from Earthrealm. It also gets rid of "Must Destroy Edenia!!!!!!!!" storyline for the moment and focus on other realms that need it. Also, this is assuming that Ashrah is totally naive to Shao Kahn's intention to control.

Now as for look, I know that she should stop with the same old blue leotard, but, really, I can't see Kitana in anything else. Maybe Taki's second costume in Soul Calibur 3 would be a nice look for Kitana. Of course keep the blue color. I like blue, and I wouldn't want any character that started with that color to ditch it (i.e. Kitana's ballet costume becoming primary in MKA)

As for moves, she needs to rely on her fans more. Keep the Fan lift and Fan Throw, and Pretty kick is nice too. Get rid of the Squarewave Punch, Rolling thunder, and Pixie Dust transport move. As for a different fatality, I'd say that she should incorporate her Fan Lift. She would constantly lift her opponent into the air higher and higher. She stops, the opponent realizes how high he or she is, panics a little (sort of a Wile Coyote floating in the air until he looks down, bring some comic relief that doesn't involve gas) and falls to their death a la Sky Temple stage fatality.

So with that, Kitana should stay.

Kitana is a great concept. A female ninja assassin that uses fans as weapons. Then they had to go and give her one lame story after the next. I liked the idea of her finding out who she really was and turning against Shao Khan. That was fine.

But honestly? After that, while she did a lot and she has a much deeper overall story than most characters (which I'm certainly grateful for), the fact that she was tied to Edenia and those characters did less than nothing for me.

I'm not a Sindel fan and I think that Jade has been one of the most botched characters in the history of MK. Again, she has a cool look, the staff etc and yet they give her the worst stories.

So yeah, anyone that says nuke Edenia, I'm on board. Get rid of it. The entire plotline. All Edenian characters. Hell, take Orderealm and Chaosrealm with you.

But for the purposes of Kitana's story, I'd like to see her without her home, her family and her friends. I'd want to see her alone, possibly scared, but determined to find out what destroyed her home world, why she was spared, who she can trust and whether or not she has what it takes to not only survive, but to dig deep and fight another battle, the biggest battle of her life.

To me, that's something new for her. It gets her away from a bad storyline and ho hum characters. Call it the Kano/Sonya solution. Take good characters that are surrounded by bad characters, that are stuck in bad stories, and wipe the slate clean. Get rid of those bad characters, take them out of their familiar realm (ie Edenia, The Black Dragon, the Special Forces) put them on their own and give them new ideas to work with, new motivations etc.

To me, Kitana has potential, a ton of potential, but there's a lot to change, which is a shame because at her core, she's a fantastic character.

As for her look, I don't think it's bad, I just think it's stale. It's been done a few times now since MK:DA and while I liked it before, I'm ready for something new. If Mileena and Ermac can't get such large makeovers, it would be nice to see them do something that drastic with Kitana.

VERDICT: STAY. But not because she's an icon or because she's had such a great run. She hasn't, in my opinion. But she's a great character that has a lot of future potential. I just hope they actually try and capitalize on it.

I just don't see a single thing that is interesting about Kobra. He's just...there. I don't see how they could progress him at all. I say gone for good.

Ahh...Karate Kid gone bad.

What does he have working for him?

His specials? They are basically a fire ball, a teleport punch, a thrust punch, and a pop-up kick move, except most of these moves all have a fire touch to them. Meh, nothing special.

His story? An undisciplined fighter who happens to be noticed by Kabal and Kira. He is a Black Dragon. Contributes nothing, really. Meh again.

His fatalities? A in-your-face version of Kano's heart rip, and a really retarded bend-over-kick-your-face-couple-of-times-then stand-and-boom-goes-your-head. Meh again.

Does he have anything working for him? No, not really. I hope Kira's MKD ending is true, and that is the last of Kobra.

Kobra- GONE.

... ... ...

My verdicts so far:

STAY: 15

GONE: 15

A Ken Masters rip off that is really lame. Gee let me think. Gone.

Wow. I take a long break from MKO (years), and come back to see just the topic I was wondering if folks are debating. I know missed character votes aren't being counted, but I've gotta say my piece. I'll keep things brief.

Ashrah: Stick around. There's potential there. STAY.

Baraka: You've been a grunt for how many games now? Tired of you. GONE.

Blaze: A plot device, not a character. GONE.

Bo' Rai Cho: One of the few remaining ties to MK's old kung-fu cinema roots. Just ditch the toilet humor. STAY.

Chameleon: This isn't even a character. GONE.

Cyrax: If we absolutely HAVE to keep the OIA around, I prefer he be the sole representative. STAY, but just barely.

Daegon: Served his plot-purpose. GONE.

Dairou: I've always felt MK needs a bounty hunter-type character, and he's not too far off. Work on that wonky moveset and give him focus, and he can STAY.

Darrius: Never found him interesting at all. GONE.

Drahmin: He's a grunt, but they bothered to give him an interesting backstory. Provided they bring up ties to his former life, or do something interesting with the mask of Kun-Lo,I'd like him to STAY.

Ermac: Like the character okay, but he's had his shiny moment. Wouldn't mind him back in a few years, but for now, GONE.

Frost: Her role in the story as Sub-Zero's failed apprentice is complete. She can die now. GONE.

Fujin: Raiden is damaged goods right now. Someone can fill that mentor role, and he's up to bat. STAY.

Goro: Broken beyond belief. Let's get an epitaph stating he betrayed Kahn or unravelled a conspiracy or whatever, and have a statue erected in his honor. He's better as an image of greatness than actually being present, and it breaks my heart. GONE.

Havik, Hotaru: Chaosrealm and Orderrealm were the best things to happen to MK in ages. They should both STAY, there's much more for them to do.

Hsu Hao: LOL NO GO AWAY

Jade: I've been fed up with most things Edenian for quite some time now, but I think MK needs a "New Guard" desperately and she could take the place Kitana could leave behind. How I wish it were so. STAY.

Jarek: A total of about 10 minutes of thought went into this waste of a character from his inception to modern times. GONE.

Jax: His storyline peaked in MKDA. He's been grating on my nerves for a while before that even, and should retire to a nice cushy desk job. He's a gimmick wearing metal arms. GONE.

Johnny Cage: Armageddon gave him his moment in the sun, FINALLY. Now let's have him ride off into the sunset, shall we? With a fond adieu, GONE.

Kabal: Like others have said: Fix him, and he can STAY.

Kai: Like Jarek, no thought went into building him up. He's wasted space. GONE.

Kano: The epitome of stale. Him and Sonya need to finish each other off. GONE.

Kenshi: Best new-age MK character of them all. STAY.

Khameleon: I wanted so very badly for a new Zaterra to be added to the realms of MK, but that was four games ago. GONE.

Kintaro: So much potential, so little done with it. Too little, too late. GONE.

Now more recent, with a bit more detail:

Kira:

Someone mentioned that they hope Kobra's death is taken as canon. So do I. Truth be told I don't care much for either character, but if we must continue the new Black Dragon plot thread, she's the one who I'd want to serve as Kabal's apprentice. In my ideal future MK, someone's wearing butterfly knives and it ain't Kano. She has the potential to be that person. STAY.

Kitana:

Some of you folks are going to shit on me for this, but I can't stand her these days. What's she done, really? She killed her nemesis, Mileena, in the first game they appeared in, and come MK4, she beat her ass again and threw her in jail. She's filled the role of "strong princess" for game after game, all the while forming that tired old "romance that can never be" cliche with Liu Kang. All the while, she filled the spot as Edenia's defender. Kang's death gave her a good direction; her desire to get revenge on Shang and Quan, along with Kung Lao for killing Kang was a good idea, but Liu came back, Raiden went thermonuclear and nothing was made of her vengeance angle.

Along with characters like Kano, Sonya and Jax, who've been gathering moss for the longest time, appearing time and again to do the same damn things, she's one of the most redundant characters in MK right now, in my view. What I want is for Mileena, who's been steadily growing for a good while now, to finally stick that sai in. Yes: I want Kitana to die. That way, Jade can step up to the plate, try to avenge that death, and become a major player, and Mileena's march to power can become all the more potent. She's back again, it seems, but if I had it my way? GONE.

Kobra:

My Kira paragraph should be evidence enough: Kira has potential to advance. Kobra is a bland poorly conceived tribute to Ken Masters wih no redeeming qualities. He should be killed by Kira and stay that way. MK is a near 20-year old franchise - with faults, surely - but it's carved out a legacy of its own, for better or worse. Capcom know they're doing fine where they are; having the MK team pucker up and kiss their bottoms by making a tribute character like this is embarrassing. I'd sooner see Hsu Hao back. Seriously. GONE.

kobra most def gone!!!

Kobra gets a rough shake, in my opinion. He's a very simple concept, yes; but he represents a lot in the fighting genre. He pays homage to many sources. I can even smell some Fight Club in there -- what with his random desire to fight, his pretty boy looks and his "psychotic" nature.

That's something I find interesting about the character -- his psychotic streak. He looks like a good character, but he's probably one of the most unpredictable and dangerous ones there is. He's out for himself and to hurt things, and that is a very dangerous combination.

Do I like him enough to want him back? I'm not sure about that. Like many other characters, he's got that blank slate potential. However, as he is disliked by many, it'd be a huge risk to bring him back over more popular characters. It's bizarre that Kira has got quite a large fanbase while Kobra doesn't. If I were to test the waters for a Kobra return, I'd have him stalking Kira from the shadows -- either helping her or just observing. It could build to his return, which might make people want to see him return more.

VERDICT: GONE (I think popularity is his biggest issue)

Kobra > MK 1-2 cast.

Stay.

Agreed. I think Kobra just came a little too late in the series to ever be considered by most people a great character. By the sixth game, I think people were more focused on what he ripped off rather than what he was an homage to. Also, he's another guy with fireballs. Fireball attacks are getting redundant.

i like the look of kobra but i say gone unless the mk team can do alot more for him in terms of moves.

I'm probably more torn on Kobra than any other MK character. On one hand, I think that his design is awesome. On the other hand, his name, special moves, weapon, fatalities and story are absolutely putrid.

Kobra's not only based on Ken Masters (and honestly, I doubt that he was even a huge influence on the MK team), he's an homage to Karate Kid. You know... Kobra Kai? The evil karate school that Daniel faught against? Hence Kobra's black/white and gold karate gi. The characters in those movies were meant to look like d-bags and let's face it, Kobra looks like a d-bag.

But honestly? I dig the outfit. I like the hoodie, the karate gi etc. I think that MK needs a character that looks like that. He has the look of a main character to me and not because he looks like Ken Masters.

Buuuuut then they had to go and put him in Kabal's new Black Dragon (and I still say that Kabal should be a loner/wanderer character and not recruiting new members in to a stale plot device because some jackass with rotting flesh told him to) a plot that sucked 3 cool looking characters in and somehow managed to make them all the worse for it.

Then there's the killing as his only motivation because he's a "psycho" or whatever. Sorry, I just don't buy it as a story in MK. It's too weak. Too basic. That's the type of story you give a character back in a time when ninjas kidnapped the president. Not now.

His moves? Yuck. Very standard, cookie cutter moves. Yes, at least he got his own special moves but they're so dull and without inspiration that I honestly wonder if the MK team took more than a few minutes in coming up with all of them. Then of course, he's got Sonya's kali sticks and Kano's fatality. Why the MK team continues to do this, I'll never understand.

VERDICT: GONE. I think that the MK team could use a bad guy karate character, but to me, that doesn't have to be Kobra. I'd almost rather see a guy with a mixed martial arts background, but perhaps he's disgraced due to throwing fights and getting in too deep with the mob or something. Sure, it's a little TJ Combo-ish in terms of story, but at least that could have potential.

There's just too much bad story for Kobra already and you'd basically have to change who he is as a character to make him even remotely interesting. To me, Kira's a blank slate because she at least seems like she has more than one dimention. To me, Kobra either has henchmen or one-off character written all over him.

If they could bring this guy back and change him a TON, I wouldn't hate it, but honestly? I just don't see the point.

I thought Kobra was OK but a rip off of so many characters.
I felt he was filler for MKD and I wouldn't care to see him return.
Imma say GO!

Welcome home, bro! It's good to see you. We have MUCH to discuss!
As for Kobra, I have very little to say but slightly more than I would have to say about MK's worst character, Darrius.
Kobra SUCKS!!!
Kobra MUST DIE and NEVER return!
That is all.

Amen to that!