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There's about ten characters to discuss in this thread, let's get to it boys and girls

I missed commenting on certain people, I believe Cyrax might have been on I didn't voice my opinion on...I don't want to be redundant lol.




Thanks man, and awesomeness, I was wondering when we'd hear from captain America

I'm assuming there has to be some way to edit posts, it has been done before, but it would require constant updating.

Yes. Jax is next! In the words of our special forces friend...

*Smash!*

"BRING IT!"

Just now was able to read the Kano review. Good stuff. Your analysis of the Kano vs. Kabal chapter in Story Mode was interesting as I had forgotten the attempted camaraderie towards Kabal. Was this a retcon for 2011 too or has Kabal always had ties to Kano?

As I said in the now-closed Sonya thread, the zeal with which moderators on this forum have always closed perfectly acceptable threads for going on naturally occurring tangents is bizarre. A discussion board is for discussion, and discussion naturally evolves. What kind of stifling environment are you trying to achieve by demanding that every post need-be about MK directly?

Clearly there is a HUGE need for PUBLIC discussion on the subject, not just of Garlador's threads themselves, but on our understanding on upcoming changes and how the moderators are handling the transition... And it's only natural that that discussion should occur on the board and KOTW subject that brought it all to our attention. You're stifling everyone's voice and the very thing that makes a message board successful... Dogmatic "EVERYTHING IN THIS PARTICULAR SECTION MUST BE MK" approaches is NOT what will bring in traffic, keep old users, attract new ones or make this a good MK community... Being able to talk to each other without PMing behind each other's back or trolling through unpopular forums to try and beg for a response is vital to its evolution and success.

I can understand the reasoning behind it, but the logic is flawed and will only serve to further divide and depopulate MKO...

/Rant

To keep on topic, the Kano thread was a classic, some genuine laugh-out-loud graphics... especially the sonya-puppy with the kano-ball...

And I must say, however much I thought MK was the bees-knees as a kid, I never realised how blatantly they ripped everything off... *chuckle*

Dumb it down

I like Jax. He is cool and doesn't afraid of anything.

Nobody's going to continue a discussion or anything? Alright then, I'll go for it.
I always hated how the Black Dragon was so unrepresented in the series until the 6th game of the series. Seriously, a huge, powerful organization on Earth, and we only hear about them as being affiliated with Kano, and that's it. Where were they during the invasion? I like how this game basically brought them into a bit more of the limelight, and actually makes Kano seem less like a scumbag this time around.
Think about it, in the original storyline, when was it ever mentioned that Kano actually brought in the Black Dragon to help Shao Kahn? Never! His original biography stated he taught Shao Kahn's militia how to use Earth weapons, never bringing in the rest of the organization. Jarek was first introduced being pursued by Sonya on Earth, with him eventually helping Earthrealm, unlike the leader of the group. Having Kano interact with Kabal and save him shows he actually gives a shit about someone other than himself, even though Kabal's now his enemy! Also, this game has it so that the Black Dragon has a reason to profit from siding with Kahn (selling Outworld the actual weapons).
I did hate how they went about it, though. Anybody else remember Liu Kang beating Shang Tsung, and then Kano just waltzed into the portal with them, as if he belonged? Kano competed AGAINST Outworld, and he wasn't even invited to the tournament! How or why'd they even trust him so easily? Terrible story telling, I say, but that's just me.

I know, right? Who knew that comically misguided decisions could have an adverse effect on things?

Admin Edit: The magic of the internet!... You find something, then you come back and post about it.

^Truth.


Of the portrayals in this game, Kano's I actually really dug. He was vicious, kinda funny, had some new dimensions added to him, and didn't get arbitrarily screwed over like the majority of the roster.

But I'll add that, by the nature of the story mode's format, his greatest rivalry never got closure....
Yes he and Sonya got their fight... (well, one and a half fights if you count that short one where he ambushes her post-Johnny Cage), and it was good.... But since Sonya's chapter was at the start... we never got to have closure for either of them... We didn't get to see their epic skyscraper fight, which I sooooo wanted to see... Hell, they even had a map that was perfect for it! Perhaps Kano could have gotten away rather than thrown from it like in the original canon, but at least we could say "okay, the Sonya V Kano thing has played out with a proper ending".... Finishing it off while they were still on the island was soooo rushed.

Yeah, you're right, what were the higher-ups thinking? Seriously, it's impossible to have a discussion about 30 characters in one thread, let alone the entire cast! It's never been done before, and is absolutely incomprehensible! Nope, it can't ever be done, no chance in Hell, that's for sure!

Agreed, they finally established why Kano and Sonya had so many problems with one-another, and there was never any pay off. At least they both survived for the next game.

Well if you hadn't noticed, Garlador's articles aren't there anymore. It's hard to discuss something that is in forum limbo.

For those of you whose undying enthusiasm needs a little help:

Previous Kharacter of the Week Topics:

• KOTW 18 - Kano


• KOTW 17 - Kenshi


• KOTW 16 - Quan Chi


• KOTW 15 - Cyrax


• KOTW 14 - Rain


• KOTW 13 - Kabal


• KOTW 12 - Baraka


• KOTW 11 - Johnny Cage


• KOTW 10 - Sektor


• KOTW 9 - Sonya


• KOTW 8 - Rosetta and Derek TickleMuffins


• KOTW 7 - Reptile


• KOTW 6 - Stryker


• KOTW 5 - Shang Tsung


• KOTW 4 - Smoke


• KOTW 3 - Mileena


• KOTW 2 - Nightwolf


• KOTW 1 - Sheeva

Remember to take full advantage of previous thread quotes and links if you're interested in continuing strands in this thread. If anyone needs help using the internet, let us know.

Latest Kharacter of the Week - Kano:

Full speed ahead, El Capitán! We are far past the half-way point, and there be choppy waters ahead, but by Neptune's nipples, we're going to finish this through, for better or worse!

We've covered Sheeva, Nightwolf, Mileena, Smoke, Shang Tsung, Stryker, Reptile, Sonya's boobs, Sonya Blade, Sektor, Johnny Cage, Baraka, Kabal, Rain, Cyrax, Quan Chi, and Kenshi, and there's so many more to cover!

So, who we got this week? Well, *ahem*, so glad ya asked, mate! We're taking a trip down under, to the fertile lands of marsupial mistakes of God, baby-eating dingos, and swarthy, hairy, masculine manly men.

(It's been scientifically proven that if you're a straight man and you feel attracted to Hugh Jackman, that doesn't mean you're gay; it just means you haven't met a woman as awesome as he is yet)

So give a nice, warm welcome to video gaming's greatest Aussie, and MK's least classy fighter, Kano!

("Classy"? Kano eats "classy" and craps out blood!... which may be the result of his lifelong hemorrhoids flaring up, but you don't need to know that!)

WHO IS KANO?
Kano is Mortal Kombat's most recurring and enduring thug, a crime lord and opportunist who, through luck, fate, and the nature of being a cowardly, backstabbing bastard, has enduring through Mortal Kombat to be in far more games than common sense would dictate he should've been in. He's literally backstabbed everyone he's ever worked with, yet for some reason villains keep him around.

(A philosophy that Megatron subscribes to)

If it sounds like I'm hating on Kano, I'm not. In fact, his bad qualities are actually the reasons people like him so much! There's a saying that "everyone loves a good bastard" and Kano most certainly fits the bit. I mean, how would I describe Kano? Here, one second. Let me open the floor up to someone I'm sure we all know...


Hi there Shang. How've you been? Glad to have you with us. You doing well?


Yes, yes. We heard. Sorry to hear about your troubles. But we're short on time, so I was wondering if you could tell us a bit about your buddy Kano. I mean, he is one of your number 1 guys, right? That's an odd choice.


Thanks Shang. I couldn't have said it better myse....


Um, okay Shang. Thanks. You can go now though. Seriously. I have to keep this on-topic. Could you let me get back on Kano?


Oookay....Um, moving on...

Kano is, in many ways, Mortal Kombat's greatest accidental success. The Kano that we know and love today is a combination of so many things the Mortal Kombat team did entirely by accident, then married to an insane amount of retcons and unique personal touches that every single Kano portrayal has added, leaving us with a Kano that is nearly 100% different from the Kano of MK1, and yet, for all MK's retcons and reboots and plot holes, Kano is possibly the one nobody is very upset about.

(This one, however....)

But let's look deeper as to why Kano is in this series, and how he came to be the Kano we know today.

WHY IS KANO IN THE SERIES?
If you've followed this threads, then you know that most Mortal Kombat characters were as unoriginal as an Asylum Film.

(though Mortal Kombat at least stole GOOD ideas)

And if you haven't been reading these KOTWs, stop what you're doing and go click on a few links at the top of this thread. Seriously. I've been doing this for over 4 months now. Get with the program.

Anyway, many super-hardcore fans know that most of the MK cast were based on pre-existing characters stolen from popular movies at the time. So... what was a really popular movie that had recently come out, with an iconic character with an iconic look, just ripe for ripping off?

(though, to be fair, Kano's eye can shoot LASERS. Can Arnold's eye do that?)

Kano popped up in MK1 as a crime gang leader of the Black Dragon crime syndicate, who also sported a wickedly sinister evil robot eye (tm), and existed as the driving motivation for enduring MK stalwart and my reoccurring wet dream Sonya Blade to even be at the tournament and the franchise as a whole.

(Without Kano, we'd have none of this. He has my eternal thanks.)

However, in the original game, things were different. For starters, Kano wasn't the lovable Australian he is today. Instead, he was Chinese.

(Still more believably Asian than John Turk's Shang Tsung)

Also, currently, we know Kano as being hairy enough to be the missing link between man and Bigfoot...


... but by MK3, poor Rich Divizio's hairline had receded as much as Mileena's thong has up her ass, making Kano look more like a cyborg Nappa rather than our current knife-flinging Furby.

(Bald and beautiful, Rich. You're bald and beautiful. I would be honored to buy you and your chrome dome drinks)

While Rich Divizio gave Kano the gleeful murderlust he has today, you can thank another man for taking the role of Kano, turning it on its head, and spanking it into submission. That man was the late, great Trevor Goddard.

(Trevor Goddard is dead, yet Adam Sandler is out there making "Jack & Jill". We live in a world ruled by an angry, spiteful God, it seems.)

The look, the swagger, the cockiness, the accent... Kano wasn't the lead villain of the film, but his presence was beyond memorable, to the point that everyone who saw the film left the theater with his voice stuck in their heads roaring , "I love punctuality in a woman", " 'Ello baby", "Oooh, now look at this", and "I've studied all your moves".

(I say that to all my lovers too. Anybody whose lines can be used for love-making AND premeditated murder is cool in my book)

Trevor Goddard's performance left such an impression on people, and the MK team themselves, that they just said "screw it" and made Kano 100% Australian in the games and pretended that anything before that never happened.

(the truth is buried somewhere with this game)

Bits and pieces were added over the years. Our current version seems like he's always existed, but he's technically more of a new character than even Quan Chi or Kenshi are, given it took that long to get his essence down. But it was mainly done through happenstance, luck, and lots of trial and error. He's gross, disgusting, disgraceful, vile, putrid, unsavory, and revolting... but those qualities naturally emerged, rather than being thrown in our face from the start.

(Take note, NRS)

KANO'S STORY-
Kano is a championn of the original roster, but while his story technically began in MK1, Kano didn't do ANYTHING that interesting during the tournament. What Kano DID do that was interesting occurred just BEFORE the tournament.

(I hear some interesting things happened before this tournament too)

What happened exactly? What did Kano do that was so bad that it led Sonya on a hell-and-high-water, self-destructive mission to bring him down no matter what pain she endured and got the entire Special Forces to hunt him down like a rabid dog?

Um...


Depending on the source, be it comics, movies, cartoons, games, or even the stellar Kombat CD album, what Kano did and Sonya's motivations for hating him either differ or aren't made clear. Many people still have it in their minds that Kano killed her partner, due to the popularity of the movie, but others stated he killed her fiance, while other just pegged him as a crime lord being hunted by a cop doing her job, while the most recent game states that Kano was a mole in the Special Forces, an informant that fed them false information, and then very cryptically implies that he "used" Sonya in some way, making her feel personally responsible.

Though, we can sum it up either way quite nicely.


Kano hasn't really "developed" since the first game. His role in the story may change, but he never has. It's odd to know that the Sonya/Kano rivalry has endured since the very beginning and has lasted all the way to present day with very little getting in the way (apart from a few kidnappings, deaths, resurrections, more deaths, and faked deaths, of course).

Anyhoo, Kano betrayed his homeworld and allied with Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn in Outworld, providing them with Earthrealm weapons and technology to help them enslave the rest of humanity after Earthrealm would lose the tournament. Since that didn't happen, they just barreled through like jerks anyway during MK3, shooting lasers and rockets and everything else Kano hawked to them for a pint of gold and a pat on the back.

(No word on whether Kano was paid in Kahn Bucks... which would only exist after Kahn took the Queen of England hostage)

And that's basically Kano's role. Who he served might change repeatedly - first Shang Tsung, then Kahn, then the Deadly Alliance, then Onaga, then the Reboot Gods - but he's been hitching up with whoever seemed like the top dog at the time since before the game chronology began.

Between games, however, he did do some noteworthy things. In the original timeline, he betrayed Sheeva when he discovered she killed Motaro and was going to kill Kahn too, then he betrayed Kahn to Shang and Quan Chi, and at some point he found Sonya on a skyscraper and ripped out some of her hair (a fight we all wished we could see, but never have seen), and he popped up again just to get screwed over in Armageddon like everyone else.

(At least he gave Stryker a bad sunburn before he died)

In the new reboot? Not much has changed. Sure, he's hairier, and far more Australian than his last appearance during MK1, but he's still the lackey doing bad things for bad people because he's a bad man who likes to get money to do more bad things.

... Except there were a few surprises that I, admittedly, LOVED.


Chiefly, we learn how instrumental Kano was for Kabal's presence. It was very, very interesting to see Kano, a man we've seen so much violence, anger, and spite from, secretly save a former comrade that fled from his gang, save his life, rebuild him, and attempt to appease him into joining back. It was a strange and yet human moment for Kano, one where we could tell that Kano felt strong kinsmanship towards the former Black Dragon-turned-cop and legitimately wanted his friend by his side again. Even after Kabal beat him and made his intentions clear, Kano was still cracking wise with him like they were old bar buddies. To see Kano act social towards ANYONE, particular a "hero" like Kabal, was, in my opinion, one of the most rewarding moments of the story mode, and it gave a character I was ready to pass off as one-dimensional a layer of empathy that had always been lacking before.

... And then Kano went back to zapping prisoners of war and laughing like a hillbilly retard.

(Oh, that wily Kano. What WILL he do next?)

KANO'S FUTURE-
It's weird that ever-developing characters like Sub-Zero, Kitana, and Kabal are dead... but that Kano is still alive and kicking.

And, since Sonya is alive too, I'm willing to bet that their nearly 20 year long rivalry is STILL GOING TO GO ON.

(It will never end...)

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they'll do a "enemies team up" bit, but even then, it'd still just be a temporary pause on the vendetta the two have against each other. As much as Kano exists as a memorable and interesting fighter and personality, he's never felt like he had any reason to be in any game other than to give Sonya something to chase after, like a puppy running after a bouncing ball.

(The last time Kano saw a puppy, he ate it whole, just because he could)

Again, we'll see come the next game. I'm willing and eager to eat my own words (mmm, tastes like pudding), but Kano is one of the few characters from MK's "golden age" that I feel keeps showing up in games he has no real place in while more interesting or important characters wind up sitting it out because, oh well, they weren't in MK1 so they get kicked to the curb.

I'd love to see something done with Kano. Something unique and interesting. Hell, even the Malibu comics took Kano and did something interesting with him. The movies practically defined him. I'm going to outright state that, of all Kano's portrayals, the video game versions of him are the blandest, most uninteresting, most uninspired, and most pointless.

(Kano is more interesting in Malibu comics than he is in the games... that's probably a bad thing)

... But there's absolutely no reason things have to stay that way. I would have easily said the exact same thing about characters such as Rain or Smoke or Sheeva or Stryker, and the last game took my expectations, punched them in the face, and told me to wise up and see things from a new perspective. Kano didn't quite get that same level of appreciation this go-around, but there's no reason he can't get something decent and worthwhile in the next game.

And, ultimately, Kano has become someone I can't honestly say excites me about Mortal Kombat, but he is certainly now one of the more interesting and memorable presences in the game, especially with the personal touches he received in MK2011. I believe that Kano really has nowhere to go but up, and he'll only become a better character now with time, yet I still can't bring myself to say he's someone I feel is more worthy of that time and effort than so many others.

But we'll see. I have no hate for Kano, and he's carved himself out a sizable niche of followers recently, so I can only think positive and look to the future. And I think if NRS takes their time, Kano will keep his throne as gaming's greatest Aussie.

(provided Sheeva doesn't take over Australia first)

But sound off! What are your thoughts on Kano? Do you love the bastard? Do you hate him? Hate to love him? Love to hate him? Do you find him an essential part of any MK roster, or do you think he unfairly hogs spots other characters might benefit from? Did you like him in the last game? Do you want more development from him, or are you happy with him as the quintessential Starscream? Let me know! And let me know who I should do next!

Okay people. That's all for this week. Garlador out.

Note: Reposted without quotes to respect much emphasised integrity of layout. [Original Thread posted by Garlador] Subsequent (new) entries to be posted at Garlador's discretion.

Anyone feeling cramped and keen to continue conventional character discussion subjects can feel encouraged to create new topics about those things, or seek out existing topics. Do not abuse this.

Because who wouldn't want to relive the glories of 2006?

This single sentence exhibits the fundamental disconnect between your perspective and how your actions are communicated to the users. Failure to cognizantly recognize this appears unlikely at this point and in fact, is revealed as emphatically deliberate. Regardless, thank you for cleaning up the links and reposting the recent Kano thread.

I don't understand unprovoked snarkiness, do you want people to respond negatively or are you unaware of the way your rhetoric comes off as? I'm not going to get into this nonsense further though...I've got a lengthy and thought out post about Kano so here it goes....

I want to see him and Sonya move on, the two of them are good together, but they're great apart. The Black Dragon clan is supposed to be this deadly international crime syndicate and yet they have minimal relevance in the grand scheme of things...it makes them seem impotent and I detest impotent threats that are hyped up and then come to nothing, that irks me to no end.

It would nice to see a big power struggle between the Red Dragon, Black Dragon, and United States/ rest of the world against them, a huge global war two games from now, do something different, every major threat doesn't have to be external to be good and it would shake things up, especially if Kano amasses an army of his clan in addition to gaining the influence over legit nations.

This is of course a down the road scenario, not MK 1o, preferably Kano will seek to see Shinnok and Quan Chi fail for his own dark agenda, Earth is weak as it is and after the Netherrealm threat, it will only be more fractured, giving the Black Dragon their chance to pounce.

Kano needs to get some actual authority to him as well, he's supoosed to be the organizational leader, yet he acts more like a common thug than the leader of an international crime syndicate. I'd like to see his interactions with Jarek expanded upon, they did a decent job with Kabal in this game, they showed Kano's capacity for positive interaction and even kindness for remembering his former ally and saving his life. Kano got more interestign just from that scene alone.

Additionally, I'd like some insight into how Kano "used" Sonya, it isn't elaborated upon in any relevant detail and I'd like to know, did they have a physical intimacy, did she confide her fears about her father in him? Jax and the rest of the Special Forces felt betrayed, but Sonya felt he particularly did something to her, my guesses is it was either her pouring her hear out to him or something a bit more provocative, like they had a minor thing going, I want how he "used" her elaborated upon next game, I don't want to wonder this issue...not to mention a former lover or confidant screwing you over and leaving you in the dust is something the normal person can relate to and it's a great direction that gives Sonya and Kano emotional depth, bring it on :)

I've always had a positive opinion of Kano, but I respect the character much more now, great voice actor, nice scruffy look, great lines, more depth, they just need to step it up with him to move him from adequate to great.



The TL;DR version keep the positive momentum going with Kano, add on the depth and after MK10, have Sonya and Kano go their separate ways...nobody has to die for this to happen, but they should have one last hurrah battle and a conclusion of their confilct, Kano and Sonya deserve this evolution.

Green's really not your colour Mick. ;)

Anyhoo, thumbs up Garlador! I found that thread quite humourous, and it highlighted the fact that they actually really did portray Kano quite well in this game. He was always one of those characters that I knew I could grow to like if I got used to him, but he really grew on me in this game. Even his X-Ray and his win pose suggest a lot of character and really give him a lot of life, though the team may have butchered the Story Mode, they done fairly well portraying the characters personalities this time around. The only thing I found slightly weak about Kano was his fatalities, they did seem a bit repetitive, but none the less they did a good job all round with him. He's the hottest looking guy on the roster ;)

Gaaaaaarleeeeeeeeeeeeh!

I know this has been a blow, all this crap with your threads been squeezed together in one tiny little bag, but I was wondering when you are going to post your next epic post, IF you are going to post one? ^^

I was wondering this as well and hope he does, if at all.

It's one of the only reasons I have to visit this site outside of setting up the tournament and interacting with a few people from here.

In the interest of getting discussion going again and maybe provoking Garlador into making more KOTWs, I have a couple thoughts on Kano...



That's not quite right. In MK1, he was an American abandoned and raised in Japan as a child. Sorry to kill the joke.



Y'know, I was wondering if I was the only one who got a totally creepy "before I found out he was a bad guy, I fucked him and now I feel used and dirty" vibe from Sonya and him during the MK1 part of Story Mode...

Not sure about that. But they say Sonya was "used" by Kano in this game. I just love how they completely retconned Hsu Hao out of existence and gave Kano his backstory. I mean, I know the whole Kano killed Sonya's partner was just something from the movies and just became fanon but why not go with that?

Well didn't the trading card that said he killed her fiancée come out before the movie? LIke it was from '93 or '94 and the movie was in '95. And that info had to have come from somewhere, trading cards don't make up their own stories.
EDIT: Ah, found it.
You'll, ahh...have to open it in a new window, it's wider than the forum.
Yep, copyright info says the card was made in '94.

Ah, then again it's pretty obvious NRS doesn't really bother to remember that stuff or look it up. I mean, this game is obvious proof.

Well...there is that, yeah, but I'm just saying, I don't think the movie invented the "Sonya's partner" thing, it very well could've been another Tobias stealth-plan, like the Liu/Kitana romance.

Seeing that Dereck and Rosetta have already gained their attention, perhaps some side characters could get a KOTW of their own as well. I can already picture "KOTW 71 - Masked Guards and Shadow Priests".