I quite like Kintaro, and he was the best (and hardest) sub boss so far. I'd be interested in seeing him back personally. But Boon himself has admitted that he doesn't really like Kintaro, so his chances of coming back look really slim.

The reasons he gave were that the MK team were never happy about how Kintaro came out. They really wanted to have him as a weretiger instead of a Shokan, but the digitised graphics of MK2 made this impossible. So they just did a rush job on him. so they see it from an artists view that he's not what they wanted at all.

If I would had to pick between the shokan, I would prefer Goro anyday. Kintaro is unispired, and wasn't nearly as half as as menacing as Goro was when he dropped down to face you. Sheeva was a joke in permanen-ce, rarely do they find her good.

Besides, he gets most probably killed in MKSM, since his sewered head can be thrown at Kahn in the final battle (then again, you can kill Tsung, who as we know survives undeniably, and Kahn is back, even though he is broken apart as a stone statue. Banishment perhaps?)

Kintaro is NOT the hardest sub-boss. At least never on PC and arcade plattforms. His abused weakness is that he is completely vulnerable to flip kicks if you press the kick button directly infront of his head. Thats why he can be abused 85% of the time to Double Flawless.

Kintaro could have been much better if the feline aspects would have been kept moreso in the final version, but he is nothing more than a war painted, dumbly armored version of a bit larger Goro. Also, I found MK1 Goro's structure far more satisfying and intimidating than Kintaros more humane like structure. ONly the crowd cheering and his improved storyline did let him grew in my eyes, that completely matched him as I picture it.