Sub, Scorpion, Raiden, Jax (you need the token black guy), Kitana, Sonya and Liu Kang. But yeah, pretty much the people from MK1-2, but the ones I listed seem to be in most mk games.

Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Raiden; obviously.

Maybe Kitana.

And one...possibly two...of these characters:
- Shang Tsung
- Mileena
- Kung Lao
- Reptile
Speaking personally, I would lean towards Shang and/or Mileena on that one.


That's it.

I guess there's no point even mentioning Subzero and Scorpion. I'll work from obscure to popular.

1. Noob: While all the other villains seem interchangeable based on the conflict, Noob's story is flexible enough to fit in any scenario, and his background networks so many other characters together. I still don't really like Noob, and had he never been in an MK game after MKDA tournament Ed, he would be absolutely worthless. That said, his story has gone up a couple of THOUSAND notches and he's really popular. No matter how much I whine about the plot, character popularity really does trump everything in the end.

2. Ermac: He's the ally of Liu Kang & friends and he's damn popular. 'Nuff said.

3. Shujinko: Man, I'm going to get heat for this one. But it's true. He indisputably has the most fleshed out story. There's no arguing that. We played through his biography. Maybe if... no fuck it, he has the most fleshed out story. That alone doesn't qualify him, but he is also a solid character with a decent design (though he could use some color). Sure he has other characters' moves, but why is that a bad thing? If anything, it makes him more interesting, though he ought to have his own interpretation of the moves.

4. Quan Chi: I hate him so much. This character bores the shit out of me... but he's important. He brought about the series turning point twice, and he's a far better catalyst than Shang Tsung ever was. I still fucking hate him, but you guys seem to think he's the shit, so have fun.

5. Raiden: Just iconic MK through and through. I don't care for him anymore, and I don't think that will ever change, but I don't ever want to wake up and not recognize MK. That's the real importance of Raiden, Sub, and Scorp. Story and design are important, but so is legacy.

None of these character are my favorites. Not even close. Still, they're cornerstones.

Edit: Perhaps some are wondering why there are no females on my list. It's not because I don't like any (again, this list isn't about my favorites, and I love Li Mei). But most MK women either file under era-specific or plotline specific. Sonya's probably fits the most in the greater frame, but she's still Special Forces, and at the end of the day, Special Forces isn't essential. She is popular, and maybe for that alone, she could get the number 6 spot.

scorp
sub
rep
noob
sektor
quan
shang
shinnok
sonya
cage
jax
raiden
kano
havik
ermac
hotaru
ashrah
kabal
kung lao
baraka

lol, ,many, i know. but they are simply too amazing.

Noob Saibot.

@Temp - Noob was STAR aways.He just got like huge star after his MK:D ending.

I'd like MK games to have a roster of about 25 characters, of which these characters would be in every game:

HEROES (6):
Sub-Zero
Kitana
Kenshi
Kung Lao
Ermac
Fujin

NEUTRAL (4):
Ashrah
Raiden
Scorpion
Nitara

VILLAINS (5):
Shinnok
Mileena
Reiko
Sektor
Noob-Saibot

Of the remaining 10 characters, I'd have 6-7 already known characters rotating and 3-4 brand new characters.

The 4 most iconic and most prominent leading characters, obviously:

Scorpion
Sub-Zero
Raiden
Sonya

The "trinity of 4" apparently, hahaha.

There are many factors that have made these 4 characters the main representatives of the MK world: It is not just their roles in the story or popularity among MK fans (because characters like Kahn, Quan Chi, etc, would be there too), but also because of their popularity among people who aren't necessarily MK fans, and because of how big they are when it comes to promoting the franchise.

The MKTeam has called Sonya the "Chun-Li" of MK, just like Scorpion and Sub-Zero are referred by them the "Ryu" and "Ken". Raiden has this thing that he doesn't need any of those titles to be considered part of the group anyways.

You can like them or hate them, but whatever you feel towards the ninjas, the thunder God and the tough blond babe, there is no doubt about the fact that these 4 have always been used as the main promotional tools that represent MK for fans and the outside crowd (which is just as important). They are important in the story just like they are significant outside of the fan base.

In fact, Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Sonya were the ones who received the biggest amount of attention during MKvsDC, which was sold to us as the game with "the most iconic and important" characters of the franchise. This game was the most important one for outsiders, for people who aren't MK fans. This game portrayed its characters in the best way it could, loyal to each characters essence.

These 3 characters were the first to be confirmed, the 3 were the only characters available for promotion during the first videogame events, interviews, pictures, etc., and the 3 were constantly and openly praised by many members of the MKteam and reviews (Mkkasts, interviews, videos, etc).

While Raiden wasn't as prominent as these 3 during MKvsDC, he got his big amount of promotion when confirmed.

Its also important to note that I'm not just talking about MKvsDC. These 4 characters have always been present in some form as main promotional tools in all the past games, whether in the form of a game cover, E3/videogame events, or promotional pictures, the fact is that the trinity of MK can easily be: Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Sonya (with Raiden along their), or Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Raiden (with Sonya along their side). Raiden is kind of special in the sense that while Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Sonya get more promotion than he does, Raiden is still there anyways.

Other potential classic characters

Mileena:

The main representative of the evil females. Ever since MKD she finally got out of Kitana's shadow and even outshone the princess who was nothing but stale or unnecessary in all her latests incarnations. Thanks to her great development, Mileena could easily take the role of leading female in the Edenian plotline. It seems that the only reason Kitana is still around is because she is the love interest of Liu Kang and because they need a good damsel in distress to save.

Mileena's amount of promotion has also been bigger thanks to her come-back in MKD.

Quan Chi or Shang Tsung:

I think there is still a lot they can offer to be completely forgotten just yet. The main sorcerers of MK. I'm still debating whether they should just die in order to get new threats of evil. They are good representatives of MK, but just like Shao Kahn, their time honestly seem overdue.

Kung Lao:

Bye bye Liu Kang and left Kung Lao step in, but hopefully in a completely different direction.

Johnny Cage:

Say what you want, MKA did justice to his character in a shocking way that was probably unexpected to the majority of the fans. Some might want to call this "his closure" or his "end", the perfect moment to say good bye to the once Hollywood pretty boy, well, I disagree. If anything, Cage deserves as much chance as the next guy to shine with this new developed story and role. It was just too epic, dark, and heroic to let it die just there.

Jax:

Like him or hate him, Jax is one of Ed's faves, and his recent most important portrayal was flawless: perfect. It also helps that he has gotten some new and interesting development. Something dark (and positive) is on the way for Jax.

What about the new?

Well, maybe they are "too new" to be considered iconic, but, they certainly left a powerful and popular (and positive) imprint in the MK world:

Kenshi
Nitara
Havik
Frost
Hotaru
Mavado
Ashrah
Daegon
Taven

Regarding the 2 last groups, it doesn't necessarily mean that these are characters that will always stay, but, they are definitely worth to consider for continuations, etc.

Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden and Sonya seem to be the main ones to stay though.

With all do respect I think this list is terrible. Raiden, and Quan Chi I understand, but Noob and Shujinko? Noob, I just don't see Noob as a main character. I always picture him as being behind the scense, and mysterious. So I don't really see him as a fundamental character. As far as Shujinko goes I hope I never have to see him again. He may have the most in depth story, but that doens't make it good. Shujinko and the storyline of MKD was a big f you to all of the fans of MKDA's story. To have all of the hereos fail so this kung fu cliche can become the main character in a lame story really pissed me off.

To me I think the core group of characters should be the most iconic. The ones from MKvsDC, and the ones that people reconize when MK was at its peak popularity.

While I can agree with your opinion regarding Noob Saibot, I do disagree to an extent about your harsh thoughts regarding Shujinko.

True, he is not the most memorable character, and MKD did (partially) kind of pull back the amazing development of the MKDA story (which is my favorite till this very day). HOWEVER, Shujinko did get a nice touch of development that makes him stand out in a positive way.

He might smell like a traditional cliche (the worst thing about him is that he "swallows"/"copies" special moves from the warriors he encounters in order to defeat the "big evil"), but in all fairness, his role was pretty decent and his return in MKA did not go unnoticed.

I'm not a fan of Shujinko, and I certainly don't expect him to return, but I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

Just like Bo Rai Cho, he is actually the kind of "rare star" in the story of MK. The difference is that he is not iconic or even half as popular as characters like Kano, Goro, Reptile, etc., who are pretty likely to always be MK, in some form or another.

Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden.
These three symbolise MK and are iconic figures, recognisable by many and highly popular.
Sonya deserves a place amongst them as the first female of the series and as such, the dominant female of the series.
Everyone has made good choices so far and I can agree with the addition of other characters such as Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, Reptile, Kung Lao, Kitana and Mileena.

No offense taken. Just good civil forum fun.

It seems the dispute here is whether iconicness is the scale that determines the permanent kombatants. I'll say right away that I don't think it is. I mean, Kano is iconic, but he's still a shit character. Staying power should be determined by popularity, quality and autonomy. Though a portion of the roster should always be iconic, that will never be a worry since Sub/Scorp/Raiden will always have that role covered adequately. After those three characters, popularity and the above qualities should be the drawing line.

You're right that Noob isn't fundamental, but he is one of the strongest contending characters at the moment. He's also iconic to an extent. No matter how we feel about Noob, he is one of the original seven combatants from the first Mortal Kombat. I know it's strange to think of him that way, but that's the reality.

He also has the most autonomy out of any villain aside from maybe Sektor, and he's overall just a good flexible element of MK villainy. People may like Shang Tsung more, but Shang has never proven to be functional in a vacuum. Though he may leap from conflict to conflict, he's never more than a greedy pawn/ally-turned-traitor. That well has been exhausted. Noob on the other hand has all the tools to be the mainstay villain with well-rooted rivalries. Again, if you want the most iconic of icons, Noob isn't going to fit the bill. But yet again, that's a nonsense scale.

As for Shujinko, I don't really know what to tell you. He was a fleshed out character with a beautifully complex story. He also had an established ambition that he followed through with. In other words, Shujinko was able to do in one game what Scorpion could not do in five games. I'm not sure why you feel MKD was an FU to the fanbase. I think Baraka407 said it best when stating that MKD was a fan love letter. Personally, I consider it the best MK to date. The only problems I had with it were the gameplay and the Noob-Smoke bullshit, and maybe some story qualms here and there.

It's true that MKD is a love letter to the fans, but I thought the story was an F U to people who liked the MKDA story. MKD starts with all of the heroes failing, and then the Dragon King comes out of no where. I would have prefered it if they wrapped up the MKDA storyline in a better way. Instead the Dragon King gets an ubrupt entrance and the story mode is just about finding out how the Dragon King came back. Barely anbody from the MKDA roster returns, and all we really know about them is that they failed trying to stop the deadly alliance. So how do they make up for that. They give us this lame ass Shujinko story. His story may have been in depth, but it certainly wasn't good. It was just a clever way to show the player all of the new realms introduced into MKD, and it also explained the rise of the Dragon King. I think if you gave Scorpion an in depth story it would have been a hundred times better than Shujinko's. As far as I'm concerned he served his purpose, and now it's time for the classic characters to have meaningful stories as they should.

I agree.

Being popular and iconic are important factors, naturally. BTW, if you've followed my posts, I have a higher definition of what really makes a character iconic.
But also important, I believe, is a character's flexibility and strength as a character. Stephen King once said (paraphrasing here) if your character or characters are strong and fleshed out enough, all you have to do is put them in any situation and the story will write itself.

A crucial thing to developed and fleshed out character is a distinct and personal long term goal or motivation that is formed from the character's backstory.

For example, Mileena.
Mileena, as we all know, was created to replace Kitana...which never happened. She instead spent the majority of her life in Kitana's shadow. Because of this, what Mileena really wants...what she's really after...is to establish her own identity and worth as a person. A distinct, personal motivation/goal that's forged from her background.
Killing Kitana, usurping her identity, taking over Edenia....these are just the means of which she goes about trying to achieve this goal. Now say Mileena were to finally learn killing Kitana would not solve all her problems or take Edenia out of the picture...what then? That desire to establish her identity and self-worth will still be there....she'll just have to find new means of accomplishing it.
That means putting her new situations with different/new characters for her to bounce off of. And she will thrive in this scenario.

Scorpion has this to an extent....or at least, used to have it. Back in the early days, Scorpion's personal story was about his honor. Revenge on the older Sub-Zero, protecting the younger one...means to regain his lost honor. Nowadays, Scorpion's story is all about revenge of whoever spilled his milk this week (which has gotten boring and making him look like a doofus now), but if they restored that desire to regain or restore his honor, it's a question of how does Scorpion go about doing it and what happens to him along the way.

Sub-Zero and Kitana have this. Sub-Zero seeks to establish his legacy...and as of now, reforming the Lin Kuei and becoming a hero is the means he's achieving that goal. Even if you removed the Lin Kuei from that or had him in a different direction, that goal will still be there.
Kitana's about redemption, and restoring Edenia is how she's been going about it. Unfortunately for Kitana, that's gotten boring. So, as I've gone on about in various other threads, take Edenia out of the equation and put her in a new situation and see what she does.
That's the advantage of having fleshed out, developed characters with distinct personal goals.

Raiden wants to defend the Earth, which is a broad and nonspecific goal...one that any other good guy character shares. But now, with the whole "dark" storyline, they've opened the door to exploring new means he's going to go about that goal. But Raiden's admittedly carried mostly by his distinctive look, prominent role, and popularity.

Now Shang Tsung....when I did my post on him in my Storyline Analysis thread, I found that there is indeed a potentially interesting character with some hints of complexity. I believe he can be a character that can be put in virturally any sitation and thrive. The problem is, as you said, they haven't been putting him in new situations. All they've really done with him is present him as a secondary villain with vague ambitions to overthrow his boss that don't go anywhere. That's run its course and boring.
I think if they sorted out his backstory, developed his long-term personal goals and put him in truly new situations, he could thrive.

That's why I would vote for Shang Tsung in the long term over Quan Chi, even though I like Quan Chi a lot more and consider him a superior villain. Again, something I touched on in my Analysis thread, Quan Chi's nature as an absolute gives him a somewhat limited lifespan. If you keep a villain around long enough, sooner or later, you're going to have to flesh him/her out. When that happens, you humanize them...and maybe even open the door towards developing them into a protagonist.

You can do this with Shang Tsung....maybe even Shao Kahn. But I don't think they should do this with Quan Chi. And I say that as a Quan Chi fan. I never want to see him humanized. I like that he's pure blackness.


And again, there's the iconic marketability thing to consider. Scorpion, Sub-Zero, & Raiden for obvious reasons. Kitana, the ninja chick with the fans. Mileena, the sai-wielding skank with the fucked up mouth. If they found some way to restore Shang Tsung's shape-shifting abilities in gameplay, he can regain some that. Kung Lao and Reptile have that, too.
But also helpful, since they've established Mortal Kombat's timeline isn't fixed or static...the characters you want to always keep around should ideally be characters you don't have to worry about explaining why they don't age. Not a huge issue, but I think it would be helpful.


Regarding Shujinko...one of the problems with him is, even though the entire Konquest mode was devoted to him, he's not that developed or complex a character. We see everything that happens to him and we watch him grow up, but Shujinko at the end of Konquest is essentially the same Shujinko at the beginning of Konquest.

For example, when Shujinko travels to the Chaos Realm he meets Havik, who delivers this whole shpiel about anarchy and how chaos is freedom and people should live with no rules. And after all this, Shujinko's response:
"Your ideas on chaos are very interesting. I shall incorporate them into my fighting style."

Later, Shujinko heads to Seido where he meets Hotaru who offers the exact opposite philosophy. And Shujinko's response:
"Your ideas on order are very interesting. I shall incorporate them into my fighting style."

That it Shujinko? No real opinion on either matter? No "These order guys are total assholes, I think the chaos guys have it right." Or maybe "Those chaos people were nut-jobs. I think these order guys are the way to go." Not even a "All these people are fucked up."
Just a bland, inoffensive, pointless "Okey-doke!"

He the same response to Baraka & Tarkatans, Li Mei, Ashrah, and Ermac.
That's not the reasoning of developed complex character. That's a vapid cypher going through the motions. Things happened with Shujnko...but very little happened TO him.

I am extremely happy with most new characters introduced since MKD

more so with Havik and hotaru. They came up with 2 opposing characters that could have quite an iconic battle.

A) they do not look alike. its like a new scorp and sub but way better in certain ways.
B) they are original looking for the most part.
C) even their realms of residence are opposed to one another. they could be to orderrealm and chaosrealm, as kitana to edenia and kahn to outworld.

i feel these 2 characters are the best to be introduced since MK3. I really hope we see more of them. They continue to climb my favourates list.

Fascinated by this topic. I'm not of the belief that a character should always get a free pass into the next games. But if you wanted me to book some guys for the next few storylines, these are the guys I would definitely lock-in:

Sub-Zero
Scorpion
Raiden

These guys are obvious. This is just from a marketing perspective. Sub-Zero and Scorpion make Mortal Kombat to your average player, and that is important. It's just lucky that Sub-Zero also has a great and progressive story. Raiden, as a Thunder God has a reason to be in every game (he does not die), and Scorpion will be there as he, too, is undead. When they are done with the current Sub-Zero, they can just have him pass on the mantle to Sub-Zero VI or VII, whichever we are up to.

Kitana
Li Mei

These two are the female characters I would make the centre of next saga's story. I think they are going places, and I think that is invaluable to the series. Yes, cases can be made for girls like Ashrah, Nitara, Mileena and Jade, but I think Kitana and Li Mei are the strongest. For some reason, Li Mei's growth reminds me of Luke Skywalker's. Kung Lao and Liu Kang are former Jedi, and Bo' Rai Cho is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I could see Li Mei with a new mentor -- a "Yoda" who teaches her more than even Bo' Rai Cho. Then all she needs is a Darth Vader.

Kitana, on the other hand, is the iconic female of Mortal Kombat. "The ninja chick with the fans" as Xia described her. Her story is one of the best in Mortal Kombat, and whether you have her continue her Edenia plot, or Conan hates her homeland, it really doesn't matter -- there is stuff for her to do in the next saga. It's hard to believe that she's only been involved in the first release of two games in the series (not including Armageddon and MK vs. DC). But Kitana is a human heart to follow into the dark depths of the next generation.

Kenshi
Havik
Shao Kahn
Shang Tsung

Now, some of these may seem weird. But these are "the rest" I would throw in as certainties for the next few games. Kenshi has got "icon" written all over him. I can imagine him on the side of an MK arcade, and being associated with Mortal Kombat itself. Havik's very nature as a character allows him to appear in every storyline Mortal Kombat has from now until the end of time. He's there to fuck shit up for people. Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung are the weird ones. Kahn, I think, would make a great "unlikely protagonist." Someone who might be an evil bastard who as caused relentless suffering over thousands of years, but you can finally enter through his shoes. I don't think of him as the "absolute evil" that Xia describes Quan Chi as. He might have started that way, but time as shown he is paranoid, suspicious and perhaps even somewhat insecure. Kahn worked hard and smart to get where he got, and we still know so very little about him.

Shang Tsung I have included thinking a similar thing to Shao Kahn. He's bound by the Soul Pledge, but perhaps Shang Tsung can be put in those different situations that Xia talked about? Tsung has got a driving ambition and basic superficial fear of death and aging that can propel his character forward, I believe. Essentially, I feel that Tsung could be a better developed "Kano" for the story. No, not a henchman; but a character that puts his survival first -- even if that means fighting alongside Earthrealm once or twice. Give him back the shapeshifting, and he's got some iconic gameplay abilities. Perhaps even have him only there as a character you unlock, hiding in the shadows and perhaps keeping watch for greater threats to the realms than he posses?

Scorpion
Sub-Zero
Raiden
Liu Kang
Sonya Blade
Kitana

Jade (My favorite and has a lot of fans.)
Mileena (My favorite and the only half-human, half-tarkatan character.)
Kitana (My favorite and iconic.)
Sonya (My favorite and iconic.)
Kung Lao (Has a hat with great abilities.)
Shang Tsung (He's the only one who can morph.)
Nitara (The only vampire so far.)
Johnny Cage (He is hot and just loves to punch a guy's crotch.)
Scorpion (Iconic)
Sub-Zero (Iconic)
Reptile (Iconic Raptor)
Liu Kang (Iconic)
Raiden (Iconic)
Li Mei (She is one of the younger heroes who have a potential for future MK games.)

I was going to post a large response, but about 30% into it I realized that I'm going to need more time to write/proofread. When I get back from my St. Patrick's vacation, I'll post a response.