Mortal Kombat: The 10 Most Powerful Kombatants, Ranked

BYOgundiran Abiodun

UPDATED JAN 22, 2023

You don't want to get into a fistfight with anyone on the Mortal Kombat roster. Especially these fighters.

Mortal Kombat is obviously one of the greatest fighting franchises ever released. Aside from Street Fighter, maybe even the greatest. Of course, the controversy and gore certainly helped add to its mystique and popularity. But above all, what has made it so endearing throughout the years is its incredible cast of characters.

The characters of Mortal Kombat have since become iconic, and many of them have become synonymous with gaming as a whole. One only needs to hear the words "fighting game" to envision the likes of Liu Kang or Scorpion. But who among them is the greatest?

To make things easier for learning the finishers of these characters, the input for each button has been given a number so that both users of Xbox or Playstation controllers can follow along:

1 = X button on Xbox, Square button on PlayStation

2 = Y button on Xbox, Triangle button on PlayStation

3 = A button on Xbox, Cross button on PlayStation

4 = B Button on Xbox, Circle button on PlayStation

5 = Right Trigger on Xbox, R2 shoulder button on PlayStation

6 = Right Bumper on Xbox, R1 shoulder button on PlayStation

7 = Left Bumper on Xbox, L1 shoulder button on PlayStation

Mortal Kombat is one of the most legendary fighting franchises in gaming history. The mere fact that this series is responsible for the modern ESRB rating shows just how esteemed its legacy really is. The brutal fatalities of Mortal Kombat are definitely quite visceral, and this is especially true in the case of the franchise's strongest characters. The best of the bunch and their incredibly gory finishers are mentioned below.

10 Scorpion

Scorpion is easily one of the most iconic characters in gaming history. His hellish powers and infamous grappling hook make him the stuff of nightmares for most combatants.

Scorpion has no problem dishing out some serious pain when required. His final attacks are truly brutal and show just how powerful this fighter really is.

Scorpion's Mortal Kombat 11 Finishers

Fatalities:

You're Next: Back, Down, Down, 1
Chain Reaction: Down, Forward, Back, 2

Brutalities:

Spine Ripper: 7, must land three throws, hold 7 during it.
Crispy: Down, Forward, 3, hold 3 during it.
Stinger: Down+7, hold Down during it.
Clean Cut: Back+2, must be under 40% health, hold Back during it.
Beheaded: Back, Forward, 1, 6, must have Burning Spear active; the final hit must be amplified.
Soul Burn: Back, Forward, 2, a Mercy must have been performed, must be at max distance.
Demon's Blood: 2, 1, 2+4, hold Forward during it.
Save me a Slice: Down, Back, 3, 6, must be over 40% health, hold Down during it and amplify.
Heartless: Back, Forward, 1, must have landed five Spears.
Gutted: Forward+7, press Forward, Forward, Forward during it.

9 Sub-Zero

It's amazing how a palette swap to save memory ended up giving rise to two of gaming's most iconic characters. Sub-Zero's chilling powers and immense strength make him a force to be reckoned with.

People love using his ice powers to cause mayhem on the battlefield. However, when Sub-Zero gets serious, only the most skilled players will be able to withstand his onslaught without being frozen and shattered into pieces.

Sub-Zero's Mortal Kombat 11 Finishers

Fatalities:

Ice-Cutioner: Back, Forward, Back, 2.
Frozen In Time: Forward, Down, Forward, 4.
Stage Fatality: Down, Back, Down, 2.

Brutalities:

The Klassic: Down + 2.
Off With Your Head: Back, Forward, 2, 6
Dancing On The Ceiling: Forward + Throw
Falling To Pieces: Down, Forward, 1
Big Leg: Forward + 4
Seeing Double: Back, Forward, 3, 6 (Cold Shoulder equipped)
Slicing Meat: Forward + 2
Butchered: Down, Back, 2 ((Air) Polar Axe equipped)
Frost Bite: Down, Forward, 4 (Creeping Ice equipped)
Forgotten: Down, Back, 1 (Ground Ice equipped)

8 Ermac

A lot of people sleep on Ermac, which is a shame because he is coolness incarnate. For one thing, Ermac is composed of thousands of dead souls, all of whom have converged into one physical body. If that doesn't make you the coolest fighter in the world, we don't know what does.

He also utilizes his dangerous telekinesis, allowing him to perform various complex actions like floating away from his enemies and attacking them from a distance, just as he did to Jax in 2011's Mortal Kombat. Sadly, Ermac is not yet in MK11, however, players are hoping that they'll make an appearance at some point.

Ermac's Mortal Kombat X Finishers

Fatalities:

Inner Workings: Down, Up, Back
Head Out: Forward, Down, Down, Up
Stage Fatality: Down, Up, Down, Down, 3

Brutalities:

Nether Force: Perform 10 special attacks during a match with the last hit coming from Air Force Port
We Win: Perform a 5-hit combo and finish with Force Lift
Gluttony: Player must have less than 40% health remaining and the last hit must come from Tele-Hold
Soul Eater: Perform a 10-hit combo, have 3 souls active, use Soul Ball, and the last hit must come from Soul Release
Controlled Chaos: Player must be flying with Soul Accession, the last hit must come from Soul Charge while airborne

7 Sindel

Sindel is another mystical character who uses her magical abilities to her advantage. Some of her abilities include sending a purple fireball towards her opponents, levitating in the air, and shooting fireballs out of her mouth. But perhaps her most famous move is the Banshee Scream, which sees Sindel screaming in an annoying and extremely high-pitched voice, leaving her opponents stunned and open to attack.

She's not physically powerful or anything, but she does have some spectacular moves that literally leave her opponents breathless and stunned.

Sindel's Mortal Kombat 11 Finishers

Fatalities:

Scream Queen: Down, Down, Forward, 4
Hair Today Gone Tomorrow: Back, Forward, Back, 1

Brutalities:

The Klassic: Down + 2
Edenian Guillotine: Forward + 1 + 3
Violent Uprising: 7

6 Quan Chi

Quan Chi is known as the most powerful sorcerer that the world has ever seen, and...yeah, that sums it up pretty well. He can freely travel through portals to stun and confuse his enemies, he can reanimate the dead and make them serve him, he can make false copies of himself to trick his enemies, and much like Shang Tsung, he can steal souls.

He can also perform a lot of scary stuff in battle, like teleporting above his enemies, summoning a skeletal hand to literally slap his opponents, generating magic circles, and shooting flaming green skulls from his hands. In short, he is utterly terrifying, and we would never want to fight him. And, thankfully, most won't (unless he is released as a DLC character), as Quan Chi has not yet appeared in Mortal Kombat 11's roster.

Quan Chi's Mortal Kombat X Finishers

Fatalities:

Mind Game: Forward, Back, Forward, Back, 4
Both Ends: Down, Forward, Back, Forward, 2
Stage Fatality: Back, Forward, Down, 2

Brutalities:

Kurb Stomp: Must press Down 3 times before the last headbutt of Sky Crush
Skull Transplant: Must be at a jumping distance, hold down 2 during the last hit of Skull Bash
Touch Of Death: The target must be standing in a Final Hex spell circle, and they must be blocking during the last hit of Ground Burst
Blood Shower: Must win the first round with a grab and the last hit must come from grab as well
Puggles' Wrath: Must be at a jumping distance and the opponent must have at least 10% health remaining, press 3 exactly 4 times during the last hit of Demon Grab

5 Shang Tsung

Shang Tsung is the OG final boss for a reason - he's really, really powerful. His main move is to morph into any Kombatant he so chooses. However, this is more than surface-level morphing, as he also takes on all of their abilities and special moves. This alone places Shang Tsung high on the list of most powerful Kombatants.

We mean, he IS the Kombatants! However, that's not all he has up his sleeve. He also has the ability to shoot flaming skulls towards his opponents, and he can even steal small portions of their souls, giving him small damage boosts and slightly restoring his health.

Shang Tsung's Mortal Kombat 11 Finishers

Fatalities:

Kondemned To The Damned: Back, Forward, Down, Down, 1
Shokan Reborn: Back, Forward, Back, 4
Stage Fatality: Up, Up, Back, 1

Brutalities:

The Klassic: Down + 2
Essence Thief: Forward + Throw or Forward + 1 + 3
Visceral Punt: Throw or 1 + 3
Walk It Off: Back, Forward, 4
True Fifty-Fifty: Down, Back, 1
Fountain Of Blood: Down, Back, 4
Spatial Overload: Down, Up
Inclement Weather: Down, Forward, 3

4 Shao Kahn

It really doesn't get much scarier than this. Serving as the final boss in both Mortal Kombat 2 and Mortal Kombat 3, Shao Kahn is evil incarnate. Much like Kotal Kahn, Shao Kahn has superhuman strength and durability, which of course makes him an imposing figure and an incredibly difficult opponent to physically best.

He can also wield light spears, explosive balls, force fields, and of course, his Wrath Hammer, which can decimate opponents in a single hit. Oh, and he can also generate soulnados, obliterate entire civilizations, and steal billions of souls with combined soul steals and portals.

Shao Khan's Mortal Kombat 11 Finishers

Fatalities:

Back Blown Out: Back, Forward, Down, Down, 2
Kahn-Sequences: Back, Forward, Back, 1
Stage Fatality: Down, Down, Back, 4

Brutalities:

The Klassic: Down + 2
Obliterated: Down, Back, 4
Spiraling Out: Down, Back, 3, 6
Charging Through: Back, Forward, 3
Going Ham...mer: 7
Kahn Croquet: Forward + 7
Head Kabob: 1, 2, 1 + 3
Spoils of War: Down, Back, 1
Nothing Left: Back, Forward, 3, Down, 6

3 Onaga

Onaga is so incredibly immense and dangerous that even Shao Kahn feared physically fighting him, instead relying on poison. That alone tells you all you need to know about the sheer vastitude of Onaga. He is so large that he sends shockwaves toward his opponents after leaping and landing on the ground, and he is even able to generate small shockwaves to knock his enemies back.

Oh, and he's also a dragon, which means he can spew flames and generate fireballs. When Onaga has the Kamidogu he is virtually unstoppable, and not even the combined powers of Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, and Raiden could stop him. Thankfully for the competitive scene, Onaga has only appeared as a playable character in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, though, in that game his special moves were monstrously overpowered.

Onaga's Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Special Moves

Forceful Doom: Throw
Dragon's Fire: Down, Forward, 1
Jumping Stomp: Down, Up, 2
Sliding Kick: Down, Back, 4
Dirty Face: Down, Back, 3
Flame Breath: Down, Back, 2

2 Liu Kang

When it comes to mortal humans, no one is as powerful as Liu Kang. He is a six-time Grand Champion of Mortal Kombat (four in the original timeline, two in the alternate), and he was able to best the likes of Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn, who should have easily overpowered Liu with their brute strength and mystical powers.

Such is the legend and unstoppable nature of Liu Kang. While Liu can generate fire and use various mystical abilities, he tends to rely on his incredible speed, agility, acrobatic skills, and martial arts to best his opponents. Sometimes old school is the best school.

Liu Kang's Mortal Kombat 11 Finishers

Fatalities:

Burn Out: Down, Back, Down, Forward, 1
Belly Of The Beast: Back, Down, Back, Forward, 2
Stage Fatality: Back, Forward, Back, 3

Brutalities:

The Klassic: Down + 2
Get Chucked: Down, Back, Forward, 2
One Inch Death Strike: Down, Back, 3
Insert Koin: Throw or 1 + 3
Fly By: Back, Forward, 3
The Chosen One: Down, Back, 4, 1
Klassic Kicks: Forward + Throw or Forward + 1 + 3
Scorching Presence: Back, Forward, 1

1 Raiden

Of course, the top spot goes to Raiden. How could it NOT go to Raiden!? Raiden is literally the God of thunder and lightning, and he is every bit as powerful as one would expect. He uses and manipulates electricity at will, and can pretty much do anything you can think of with it.

He can use it to both heal himself and resurrect others. He can summon lightning bolts and shoot electricity from his hands, which of course has the ability to incapacitate, and even kill, all of his opponents. He is also unbelievably fast, he can set traps, create forcefields, manipulate objects and people, and even control the weather. Put simply, he is a God, and he comes equipped with all the bells and whistles that accompany such a lofty designation.

Raiden's Mortal Kombat 11 Finishers

Fatalities:

Alternating Current: Back, Down, Back, 1
Direct Current: Down, Forward, Back, 3
Stage Fatality: Back, Back, Down, 3

Brutalities:

The Klassic: Down + 2
Zap Zap: Forward + 7
Elder Storm Strike: 7
Brutal Bolt: Back, Forward, 1
Karma: Down, Forward, 2
Planted: Back, Forward, 3, 6
Pushing Through: Back, Forward, 3
God's Wrath: Back, Forward, 3, 6

Thank you, Now go and dominate any Opponent that may slide your way and end it with a " Flawless Victory "

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