Mortal Kombat 1 may have transformed Scorpion from Hanzo Hasashi to Kuai Liang, but it hasn’t completely abandoned its original character. In fact, it’s given him an entirely new twist.
Ever since the release of the initial trailer, the biggest topic of discussion for Mortal Kombat 1 is the identity shift of Scorpion. Fans speculated that he wasn’t the Hanzo Hasashi we knew from the rest of the series, and indeed, he turned out to be Kuai Liang, the Sub-Zero, something that was ultimately confirmed by the game’s director.
Shang Tsung Is The Most Exciting Part Of Mortal Kombat 1’s Story
The change in Scorpion’s identity has sparked mixed reactions from Mortal Kombat fans, mostly concerning his absence from this timeline. Thankfully, that’s not the case, although he may not be present in the game’s story mode; he appears elsewhere in Mortal Kombat 1. If you want to explore Mortal Kombat 1 with a fresh perspective, here’s a spoiler warning for one of the towers at the end.
As seen in previous Mortal Kombat games, running the Tower mode as any playable character rewards you with a unique ending. What’s different this time is that they all seem to fit into the main storyline canon, rather than the absurd endings we’ve seen in previous games.
Many of these endings are quite intriguing, but it’s Smoke who considers cake the best out of all. In Smoke’s ending, he sets out to create Shirai Ryu with Scorpion but struggles to find someone suitable to join the clan. That is until Smoke unexpectedly attacks a young boy, whom he believes to be an assassin but is actually a frightened warrior searching for a meal.
Following this, Smoke takes the young boy under his wing and shows him Kuai Liang, who accepts his “fire.” In case you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s not just any young boy; it’s Hanzo Hasashi, who is present in Kuai Liang’s timeline as a student and a key member of the Shirai Ryu. Shirai Ryu lives on.
This character change is a significant departure from the usual portrayal of Kuai Liang, who is typically depicted as the older brother of Bi-Han. Still, it’s certainly an interesting twist that brings him closer to the origins of Shirai Ryu, not just retelling the same story from previous Mortal Kombat titles. The game is full of surprises. Oh, and if you’re reminiscing about the classic Hanzo Hasashi from previous games, he at least makes an important appearance as part of one of the upcoming expansion seasons.
Mortal kombat 1 release date
14 September 2023 Mortal kombat release