But when Damashi, a ball of light/emissary for the Elder Gods, requests that Shujinko gather six artifacts named the Kamidogu, he sets aside his dreams to oblige. Konquest Mode allows us to first navigate Shujinko as a teenager studying under mentor Bo’Rai Cho, eager to hone his skills and become a great warrior in order to enter the next Mortal Kombat tournament. Feeling immense guilt for his actions, Shujinko looks to atone for his sins by facing Onaga alone, firmly taking the place of Liu Kang as the next Mortal Kombat hero. ![]() He explains to the player that only he can destroy this monster that he was apparently responsible for reviving.ĭespite the fanfare for Mortal Kombat’s new hero (series creator Ed Boon even dubbed him “the next-generation Liu Kang”), players could only access Shujinko through Deception’s Konquest Mode.Īn open-world role-playing story mode, Konquest Mode follows Shujinko from his humble beginnings as an aspiring warrior for Earthrealm to his 46-year journey that leads him to unwittingly awaken the Dragon King. At the end of the Deception’s opening cinematic that shows Onaga standing tall over Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, and Raiden, Shujinko’s silhouette is seen backed by flames. Bearing a resemblance to Pai Mei from Kill Bill (a character modeled after fictionalized versions of Bak Mei from Chinese martial arts movies), Shujinko was initially introduced with an air of mystery. Shujinko - the Japanese word for “protagonist” - was an older man with long, flowing white hair. However, what we got was a character whose audition as series protagonist was plagued by confusing gameplay mechanics, a gullible personality that earned him scorn from Mortal Kombat players, and a meek presence that left him in the shadow of the characters he was supposed to lead.Įnter Shujinko, a brand-new character in Deception, who was doomed to failure from the start. Perhaps the iconic Mortal Kombat ninjas, Scorpion or Sub-Zero, could finally move up to series protagonists. With a new foe on the horizon, the Dragon King Onaga, somebody needed to step up to save the world.īut who would take Liu Kang’s place? Deadly Alliance seemed to hint that Raiden would take the reins as the new leader for Earthrealm, but he is now a corrupted version of himself in Deception. The shocking death of the franchise hero was a rock-solid start to doing just that.ĭeadly Alliance proved to be a financial hit for publisher Midway, and three years later, Mortal Kombat: Deception hit shelves with an even bigger bombshell: the Earthrealm warriors had failed in their mission to conquer the Deadly Alliance, perishing in the process. After middling reviews for Mortal Kombat 4 and unsuccessful spinoffs, it was clear that Mortal Kombat needed a change. Liu Kang’s death gave Deadly Alliance a clean slate and a new narrative twist to freshen up a franchise that was beginning to grow stale. Shang Tsung snaps Liu Kang’s neck and steals the soul from his body. ![]() We cut back to Liu Kang fighting off a disguised Shang Tsung just as Quan Chi pulls off a sneak attack. ![]() The game’s narrator reveals that Quan Chi, one of the primary antagonists of MK4, has escaped from his prison. They were greeted with an opening scene of Liu Kang, the franchise’s hero, training at the Wu Shi Academy. It’s 2002, and after a rocky transition from 2D to 3D for the Mortal Kombat franchise with Mortal Kombat 4, players booted up the newest installment, Deadly Alliance, with feverish anticipation.
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