For detailed information about this series, see: The Mortal Kombat Wiki
Mortal Kombat is a series of fighting video games by Midway, later aquired by Warner Bros.
Distinctive features of the series are its violence, expecially in its finishing moves, and its realism, obtained in the 2D episodes using real life actors and stop-motion puppets. Many other video games tried to follow Mortal Kombat's success by featuring some or all these features.
Apart from the videogames, the series also spawn to any other media.
Video games
Main games and updates
- Mortal Kombat (August 1992), Arcade. Later released on SNES, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Amiga, MS-DOS, Sega Master System, Game Gear, Game Boy, Sega-CD/Mega-CD, with each version changed depending on the console's capabilities and featuring different levels of censorship.
- Mortal Kombat II (1993), Arcade. Later released on SNES/Super Famicom, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega Master System, Game Gear, Game Boy, Amiga, MS-DOS, Sega 32X, Sega Saturn, and, only in Japan, PlayStation.
- Mortal Kombat 3 (April 15, 1995), Arcade. Later released on SNES/Super Famicom, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Gear, Game Boy, PC, PlayStation.
- Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (October 1995), Arcade. Later released on SNES/Super Famicom, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Gear, PC, Sega Saturn, PlayStation.
- Mortal Kombat Trilogy (September 1, 1996), PlayStation, Nintendo 64. The two versions feature some differences. Later released on PC and Sega Saturn, based on the PlayStation version.
- Mortal Kombat 4 (October 15, 1997), Arcade. Later released on Nintendo 64, PlayStation, PC, and, in a very downgraded version, for Game Boy Color.
- Mortal Kombat Gold (September 9, 1999), DreamCast.
- Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (November 16, 2002), PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, and, featuring only a rough half of the roster, Game Boy Advance.
- Mortal Kombat: Deception (October 4, 2004), PlayStation 2, Xbox. Later released on GameCube featuring two new characters and some other minor differences.
- Mortal Kombat: Unchained (November 13, 2006), PSP.
- Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (October 11, 2006), PlayStation 2, Xbox. Later released for Wii featuring one extra character.
- Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe (November 16, 2008), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360. A crossover with the DC Universe series.
- Mortal Kombat (April 19, 2011), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360. The PlayStation 3 version features one extra character, while four other characters have been released as Downloadable content. Later also released on PlayStation Vita featuring all downloadable contents already unlocked.
- Mortal Kombat X (April 14, 2015), PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One.
- Mortal Kombat 11 (April 23, 2019), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC.
Adventure games
- Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero (October 1, 1997), PlayStation, Nintendo 64.
- Mortal Kombat: Special Forces (July 30, 2000), PlayStation.
- Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (September 16, 2005), PlayStation 2, Xbox.
Remakes
- Mortal Kombat Advance (December 12, 2001), Game Boy Advance. A remake of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, featuring only minor changes.
- Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition (August 25, 2003), Game Boy Advance. A port of Deadly Alliance featuring the characters not included in the previous Game Boy Advance port, along with some new characters and features.
Compilations
- Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection (August 31, 2011), PSN, Xbox LIVE Arcade, PC. It includes Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.
- Ultimate Mortal Kombat (November 12, 2007), Nintendo DS. Includes slightly enhanced versions of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and the Puzzle Kombat minigame originally from Mortal Kombat: Deception.
Movies
- Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins, a direct to VHS animated movie released in 1995 serving as a prequel to the feature film later released.
- Mortal Kombat, first live action movie, released on August 18, 1995.
- Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, a sequel to Mortal Kombat based on the events of Mortal Kombat III (ignoring Defenders of the Realm), released on November 21, 1997.
TV and web series
- Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, a 13 episode animated series set after the Mortal Kombat move and based on Mortal Kombat III, that run from September 21, 1996 to December 14, 1996.
- Mortal Kombat: Conquest, a 22 episode live action series set many years prior to the Mortal Kombat move, that run from October 3, 1998 to May 22, 1999.
- Mortal Kombat: Legacy, a 9 episode webseries created by the team that made the unofficial Mortal Kombat: Rebirth short movie. The first episode was released on April 11, and the last one on July 24, 2011.
Live shows
- Mortal Kombat: Live Tour, a martial art theatrical stage show roughly based on Mortal Kombat III and debuted at Radio City Music Hall in New York on September 14, 1995, followed by a 200 city road trip into 1996.
Publications
- Mortal Kombat, an official comic published by Midway in 1992 to promote the arcade game, and only made available by mail order.
- Mortal Kombat II, an official comic published by Midway in 1993 to promote the arcade game, and only made available by mail order.
- Mortal Kombat, a comic series published by Malibu Comics between October 1994 and August 1995, and divided in mini-series for a total of 27 issues:
- Mortal Kombat: Battlewave a 7 issue retelling of the Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II games.
- Mortal Kombat: Blood & Thunder (7 issues)
- Mortal Kombat: Goro, Prince of Pain (3 issues)
- Mortal Kombat: Raiden & Kano (3 issues)
- Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition (2 issues)
- Mortal Kombat: Special Forces (2 issues)
- Mortal Kombat: Baraka (1 issue)
- Mortal Kombat: Kung Lao (1 issue)
- Mortal Kombat: Kitana & Mileena (1 issue)
- Mortal Kombat, a novel based on the movie, released in 1995.
- Mortal Kombat 4, a comic published by Midway, available in Limited Edition with the PC version of the game, released in 1997.
- Mortal Kombat: Deception, a comic book/artbook published by Midway, available with the Collector's Edition of the game in 2004.
- Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe: Beginnings, a comic published by Midway, available with the Collector's Edition of the game in 2008.
- Mortal Kombat X (January 6, 2015 - September 6, 2015), a comic series published by DC Comics, has 36 Issues
CDs
- Mortal Kombat II: Music from the Arcade Game Soundtrack, released in 1993.
- Mortal Kombat: The Album, including original themes dedicated to Mortal Kombat characters, released on May 31, 1994.
- Mortal Kombat Soundtrack, the sountrack from the movie, released in 1995.
- Mortal Kombat: More Kombat a cd featuring extra music not heard in the movie.
- Mortal Kombat: Annihilation - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
- Mortal Kombat Musik: MK3 & MK4 Arcade Videogame Original Soundtrack.
- Mortal Kombat: Songs Inspired by the Warriors, including original themes dedicated to Mortal Kombat characters, released on April 5, 2011.
Card games
- Mortal Kombat Kard Game, a collectible card game released in 1995 by BradyGames. The series consists of a total of 300 cards.
Links to other series
Note: while many fighting videogames released after Mortal Kombat feature a similar graphics or gameplay elements, this is not considered a link to the Mortal Kombat series unless they feature specific references.
Direction | Series | Date | Description | Type
|
---|---|---|---|---|
1992 | Goro appears in the Judge Dredd arcade game as a pet until the game was scrapped. | |||
Bloodsport | August 1992 | Johnny Cage from Mortal Kombat is based on the main character from Bloodsport. | 3 | |
Ghost Rider | August 1992 | Scorpion from Mortal Kombat references Ghost Rider in the first Mortal Kombat comic; the movie Ghost Rider references Scorpion; UNDIRECT: one of Ghost Rider's moves in Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 seem to be based on Scorpion's spear. | 3 | |
Big Trouble in Little China | August 1992 | Raiden and Shang Tsung from Mortal Kombat are based repectively on Lightning and Lo Pan from Big Trouble in Little China. | 3 | |
BloodStorm | 1994 | Daniel Pesina, who prtrayed Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II, appears dressed as him in a commercial for BloodStorm playing the game. | 3 | |
Bruce Lee (Malibu Comics) | 1995 | The Mortal Kombat and Bruce Lee comic books by Malibu Comics have been released boundled together in Italy as Mortal Kombat & Bruce Lee. | 3 | |
Billy Madison | February 10, 1995 | In a scene in Billy Madison, some characters talk about Mortal Kombat. |
2 | |
Star Wars | April 15, 1995 | Kabal from Mortal Kombat 3 is based on the Tusken Raiders from the Star Wars series, while he also shares some traits with Darth Vader; some of Sektor's moves in Mortal Kombat games may be based on Boba Fett from the Star Wars series, while his and Cyrax's Pulse Blades in Deadly Alliance and Armageddon are based on Lightsabers; The slave girl shown in Shao Kahn's vicrory pose in the 2011 game Mortal Kombat, is likely besed on the slaved Princess Leia from Return of the Jedi. | 3 | |
Micronauts | April 15, 1995 | Motaro from Mortal Kombat 3 is based on Baron Karza from the Micronauts. | 3 | |
Joust | April 15, 1995 | The knight from Joust makes an appearance in Mortal Kombat 3. | 1 | |
Galaxian | April 15, 1995 | Mortal Kombat 3 features a minigame based on Galaga. | 3 | |
NBA Jam | September 09, 1995 | Sub-Zero, Raiden and Reptile from Mortal Kombat are secret selectable characters in early versions of NBA Jam: Tournament Edition. | 1 | |
The Simpsons | December 17, 1995 | The videogames "Bonestorm", from The Simspons episode "Marge Be Not Proud", and "Moral Kombat", advertised within The Simpsons Game, are parodies of Mortal Kombat. | 2.5 | |
Street Fighter | November 16, 1996 | The Warrior King who first appeared in the Street Fighter cartoon, appears in the Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm cartoon. Additionally, Chun-Li is referenced once in Mortal Kombat II; The character Kobra in Mortal Kombat: Deception may be inspired on Ken from Street Fighter; Mortal Kombat Armageddon features various elements from Street Fighter in Kreate a Fighter mode. | 1 | |
NFL Blitz | 1997 | Raiden and Shinnok from Mortal Kombat are secret selectable characters in NFL Blitz. | 1 | |
Tekken | 1998 | A character looking like a ninja from Mortal Kombat appears in the comic Tekken 2, while Mortal Kombat Armageddon features the hairstyles of Tekken's Paul Phoenix and Jin Kazama in Kreate a Fighter mode. | 3 | |
The Grid (Midway) | 2001 | Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Noob Saibot from the Mortal Kombat series are featured in The Grid. | 1 | |
Smash TV | November 16, 2002 | In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance Johnny Cage is said to have appeared in Smash TV. | 1 | |
Spy Hunter | November 20, 2002 | The Game Boy Advance version of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance features a stage set in the Spy Facility from SpyHunter. |
1 | |
Hulk | November 20, 2002 | The Game Boy Advance version of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance features a green palette swap version of Jax called Gamma Jax, based on the Hulk. | 3 | |
Psi-Ops | June 14, 2004 | Scorpion from Mortal Kombat is unlockable in Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy. | 1 | |
MLB Slugfest | June 21, 2004 | Scorpion and Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat are unlockable in MLB Slugfest: Loaded. | 1 | |
One Armed Boxer | October 04, 2004 | Shujinko's alternate costume in Mortal Kombat: Deception and Armageddon is based on the main antagonist from Master of the Flying Guillotine. | 2 | |
Midway Arcade Treasures | October 11, 2004 | Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3 are included in Midway Arcade Treasures 2 and, with Mortal Kombat, in Midway Arcade Treasures: Extended Play and Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition. | 2 | |
Unreal | April 18, 2005 | Raiden from Mortal Kombat is unlockable in Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict. | 1 | |
Epic Battles | September 2005 | Epic Battles includes two sets of cards based on Mortal Kombat: Deception. | 1 | |
Asterix | October 16, 2005 | In Asterix & Obelix XXL 2: Mission: Las Vegum there are references to Mortal Kombat. |
3 | |
Drawn Together | October 19, 2005 | Scorpion makes a cameo appearance in Drawn Together episode "The One Wherein There Is a Big Twist, Part II". | 1 | |
Smosh | November 19, 2005 | Smosh sings The Mortal Kombat Theme Song. | 2 | |
Wolverine | October 11, 2006 | Mortal Kombat Armageddon features the hairstyle of Wolverine in Kreate a Fighter mode. | 3 | |
Dragon Ball | October 11, 2006 | Mortal Kombat Armageddon features the hairstyle and shirt of Dragon Ball's Goku in Kreate a Fighter mode. |
3 | |
Final Fantasy | October 11, 2006 | Mortal Kombat Armageddon features the hairstyle of Final Fantasy VII's Sephiroth and Cloud in Kreate a Fighter mode. | 3 | |
Thor (Marvel) | October 11, 2006 | Mortal Kombat Armageddon features Thor's helmet in Kreate a Fighter mode. | 2 | |
Game of Death | October 11, 2006 | Mortal Kombat Armageddon features Billy Lo's yellow jumpsuit from Game of Death in Kreate a Fighter mode. | 3 | |
Enter the Dragon | October 11, 2006 | Mortal Kombat Armageddon features claws similar to Han's from Enter the Dragon in Kreate a Fighter mode. | 3 | |
Futurama | June 24, 2008 | Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs features a videogame called "Normal Combat". | 2.5 | |
Code Monkeys | August 03, 2008 | Goro from Mortal Kombat makes an appearance in the Code Monkeys episode "The Great Recession". | 1 | |
DC Universe | November 16, 2008 | Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe is a crossover between the two series. | 1 | |
Crank | April 15, 2009 | Footage from Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks are shown in Crank: High Voltage. | 2 | |
Just Cause | March 23, 2010 | Rico from Just Cause 2 references Mortal Kombat's Scorpion in some ways. | 3 | |
Scott Pilgrim | July 20, 2010 | Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour and the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World feature references to the Mortal Kombat series. | 2 | |
Monster Galaxy | November 2010 | The Monster Galaxy moga "Scorpius" is based on Scorpion from the Mortal Kombat series. | 3 | |
Death Battle! | December 21, 2010 | Shang Tsung, Raiden, Shao Kahn, Sektor, Scorpion, Sonya Blade, Sub-Zero, Johnny Cage, Sindel, and Goro have been subjects for Death Battle! | 2 | |
Marvel vs. Capcom | February 15, 2011 | Marvel vs. Capcom 3 features references to Mortal Kombat's Scorpion in Spencer and Ghost Rider's moves. | 3 | |
God of War | April 19, 2011 | Kratos is a guest character in the PlayStation 3 and Vita versions of the 2011 game Mortal Kombat. | 1 | |
Charlie's Angels | April 19, 2011 | Kitana's ending in the 2011 game Mortal Kombat spoofs Charlie's Angels's introduction. | 3 | |
Legacy of Kain | April 19, 2011 | Rain's "Does it Sting" Fatality in the 2011 game Mortal Kombat may be based on Raziel's Water Reaver from Legacy of Kain: Defiance. | 3 | |
Nightmare on Elm Street | August 09, 2011 | Freddy Krueger is a downloadable character in the 2011 game Mortal Kombat. | 1 | |
Batman | December 07, 2011 | Kano makes an appearance in Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, while the Joker is a DLC character in the first Kombat Pack for Mortal Kombat 11. | 1 | |
Annoying Orange | March 2, 2012 | "Annoying Orange vs Mortal Kombat" is a parody of Mortal Kombat. | 3 | |
Gravity Falls | September 14, 2012 | The Gravity Falls episode "Fight Fighters" features a reference to Mortal Kombat. | 3 | |
Wreck-It Ralph | November 02, 2012 | Wreck-It Ralph features a character based on Kano from Mortal Kombat. | 3 | |
Injustice | June 03, 2013 | Scorpion is a playable character in the game as a DLC character. | 1 | |
Angry Video Game Nerd | June 30, 2013 | The Angry Video Game Nerd reviews the Game.Com version of Mortal Kombat Trilogy in the episode "Tiger Electronic Games". | 2 | |
American Dad! | November 3, 2014 | A random kid references the mottos “Finish him!” and “Fatality!” in the American Dad! episode “Scents and Sensei-bility”. | 3 | |
The Shining | March 13, 2015 | Johnny Cage's fatality is featured in the "The Cage Family" trailer paying homage to the "Here's Johnny" scene in the movie "The Shining" | 3 | |
Friday the 13th | May 5, 2015 | Jason Voorhees is a playable character in the game Mortal Kombat X in the DLC Kombat Pack and also came out solo on May 5th. | 1 | |
Predator | June 2, 2015 | The cyborg characters from Mortal Kombat 3 are based on the Predator, while the Predator himself is a DLC character in the first Kombat Pack for Mortal Kombat X. | 1 | |
WWE Immortals | October 16, 2015 | Johnny Cage was added as a new fighter in WWE Immortals. | 1 | |
Regular Show | October 29, 2015 | In the episode "Terror Tales of the Park V" from Regular Show, Thomas is dressed as Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat. | 2 | |
Angry Video Game Nerd | December 22, 2015 | The 138th episode of The Angry Video Game Nerd reviews Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero for the N64. | 2 | |
Texas Chainsaw Massacre | 2016 | Leatherface is a DLC character in Mortal Kombat X: Kombat Pack 2. | 1 | |
Alien (film) | March 1, 2016 | A Xenomorph is a DLC character in Mortal Kombat X: Kombat Pack 2. | 1 | |
Terminator | October 8, 2019 | Kano from Mortal Kombat is partially based on the Terminator; Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks and Armageddon feature minor references to the Terminator series. The Terminator is a DLC character in the first Kombat Pack for Mortal Kombat 11. | 1 | |
Spawn | March 17, 2020 | Spawn is a DLC character in the first Kombat Pack for Mortal Kombat 11. | 1 | |
Looney Tunes | April 14, 2020 | Daffy Duck from Looney Tunes and Scorpion from Mortal Kombat interact in the logo opening of Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge | 1 | |
RoboCop | May 6, 2020 | Alex Murphy from the RoboCop series features as a playable character in Mortal Kombat 11's Aftermath Expansion. | 1 | |
Solar Opposites | May 8, 2020 | Terry mentions Mortal Kombat in the Solar Opposites episode “The Unstable Grey Hole”. | 2 |