I personally liked Raiden better when he wasn't the Protecter of Earth, but just a crazy mystical guy that threw lightning bolts at people.

While Mortal Kombat has become mainly a good vs. evil story there are still a few characters who are just doing their own thing and don't really care about the fate of Earth. Scorpion being the most obvious example.
I think if they didn't turn Mortal Kombat into a good vs. evil story, it'd probably be a lot similar to other fighting game stories like Street Fighter or DOA.

Actually, I think Raiden's mentality was this in MK1. He lost faith in the mortals.

Shang Tsung was confident that in MK1 he would win, so to demonstrate as such, he decided to make a mockery of it and invite Raiden to the tournament, proving that not even a god could save Earth.

Raiden, meanwhile, was pissed off and took the challenge. He had lost all faith in the mortals to save themselves. He figured this was his only chance to save Earth and took it. He would save this sorry ass realm. However, he begins to have more and more faith as the Earth warriors keep winning. Soon, he begins to count on them more and more.

PsychoFight Wrote: Actually, I think Raiden's mentality was this in MK1. He lost faith in the mortals. Shang Tsung was confident that in MK1 he would win, so to demonstrate as such, he decided to make a mockery of it and invite Raiden to the tournament, proving that not even a god could save Earth. Raiden, meanwhile, was pissed off and took the challenge. He had lost all faith in the mortals to save themselves. He figured this was his only chance to save Earth and took it. He would save this sorry ass realm. However, he begins to have more and more faith as the Earth warriors keep winning. Soon, he begins to count on them more and more.

Huh, I never thought of it that way. It makes perfect sense though. And the whole Shang Tsung mocking the earth thing makes him seem like more of a badass.

Don't forget also that the story of MK was redone extensibly after MK1. In MK1 there was no outworld, no Shao Kahn, Goro was half man half dragon or something and seemed more like a complete oddity rather then part of a other-realm race.

When they did MK2 I think they realized they needed to reinvent the game to include more storyline and that is part of what made MK2 so fantastic. The story was great, and it got even better in MK3 IMO because I too love the invasion plot that takes place.

I really think a game needs to track through the entire history of MK in one game. It can be a fighting game like MKD, just one where you can play story mode from before MK1 to after MKD. Maybe change the movesets as you go through time and adjust costumes to match. Not try to make it a dead on replica of the earlier ones, just something to focus on retelling the story.

MK1's story was this:

It was time for the tenth tournament, the one that would decide if Earth would still be free, but no one knew. To them it was just a simple tournament.

Johnny Cage was one of those who felt he needed to prove he was the best.
Kano was merely hiding out from Sonya on the island. It was by chance that he happened upon MK. He decided that a tournament like this must hold power and plunder. So he decided to investigate.
Raiden, like I said, was invited by Shang Tsung as a challenge and Raiden, frustrated with no one taking it seriously, entered to put an end to it all himself.
Liu Kang was determined to stop Shang Tsung as well. He knew all about the bad things surrounding the tournament from his people, and decided he could stop it himself.
Scorpion had no interest in the tournament. He just wanted his revenge for the death of himself, his family and clan at Sub-Zero. So he followed him there.
Sub-Zero was invited to the tournament, but it was just a masking for his true mission: to assassinate Shang Tsung for a large sum of money paid by one of his wealthy enemies on Earth. He went off....
Sonya, meanwhile, also happened upon the tournament by accident. She was tracking Kano to the island and once she got there, she and her forces were ambushed by Shang Tsung's. She was forced to fight for her freedom and that of her unit's.

While in the tournament, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya met and became something like friends, seeking some comfort from all the craziness of this tournament. Raiden saw something special in them and decided to guide them as well as help them fight. THere was something about them, especially Liu Kang, that could help....he hadn't seen warriors like this in a long time.
Sonya met Kano in battle, surpringly, and they fought. Sonya won, and was thought to have killed him, but Kano was taken hostage by the Outworld forces to give to Shao Kahn.

Later on, Sonya was also captured and taken away.

Meanwhile, Sub-Zero found Scorpion in the tournament a total shock. They fought, and Scorpion won, taking his revenge and killing him. Then he ascended back to the NEtherealm.

Liu Kang, Cage, and Raiden made it to the end and they watched as Liu Kang dismantled Reptile and both Goro and Shang Tsung (it was thought that Goro died). THe tournament was won and Shang Tsung and Reptile returned back to Outworld with Sonya and Kano in tow (Sonya, however, left a distress signal to the USSF) to give some bad news while Liu Kang and Cage went back home. Cage would make a hit movie out of his experience in the tournament.

Raiden went back to the HEavens reassured. Maybe there was hope for Earth yet.

PsychoFight Wrote: MK1's story was this: It was time for the tenth tournament, the one that would decide if Earth would still be free, but no one knew. To them it was just a simple tournament. Johnny Cage was one of those who felt he needed to prove he was the best. Kano was merely hiding out from Sonya on the island. It was by chance that he happened upon MK. He decided that a tournament like this must hold power and plunder. So he decided to investigate. Raiden, like I said, was invited by Shang Tsung as a challenge and Raiden, frustrated with no one taking it seriously, entered to put an end to it all himself. Liu Kang was determined to stop Shang Tsung as well. He knew all about the bad things surrounding the tournament from his people, and decided he could stop it himself. Scorpion had no interest in the tournament. He just wanted his revenge for the death of himself, his family and clan at Sub-Zero. So he followed him there. Sub-Zero was invited to the tournament, but it was just a masking for his true mission: to assassinate Shang Tsung for a large sum of money paid by one of his wealthy enemies on Earth. He went off.... Sonya, meanwhile, also happened upon the tournament by accident. She was tracking Kano to the island and once she got there, she and her forces were ambushed by Shang Tsung's. She was forced to fight for her freedom and that of her unit's. While in the tournament, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya met and became something like friends, seeking some comfort from all the craziness of this tournament. Raiden saw something special in them and decided to guide them as well as help them fight. THere was something about them, especially Liu Kang, that could help....he hadn't seen warriors like this in a long time. Sonya met Kano in battle, surpringly, and they fought. Sonya won, and was thought to have killed him, but Kano was taken hostage by the Outworld forces to give to Shao Kahn. Later on, Sonya was also captured and taken away. Meanwhile, Sub-Zero found Scorpion in the tournament a total shock. They fought, and Scorpion won, taking his revenge and killing him. Then he ascended back to the NEtherealm. Liu Kang, Cage, and Raiden made it to the end and they watched as Liu Kang dismantled Reptile and both Goro and Shang Tsung (it was thought that Goro died). THe tournament was won and Shang Tsung and Reptile returned back to Outworld with Sonya and Kano in tow (Sonya, however, left a distress signal to the USSF) to give some bad news while Liu Kang and Cage went back home. Cage would make a hit movie out of his experience in the tournament. Raiden went back to the HEavens reassured. Maybe there was hope for Earth yet.

Cool, but exactly how do things go from there? MK's 3 story is so damn confusing, you wonder who killed who.

I know this is MK2 -

Shao Kahn, convinced by Shang Tsung to give him a second chance, gave him back his youth. They began to set their plan in motion and they called forth a tournament to be held in Outworld, where being surrounded by an unfamiliar setting and warriors would surely bring them down.

To make matters better, Kintaro, a Shokan, agreed to join them in this mission. He was determined to bring down the one who "killed" Goro. Shao Kahn decided to let him lead his armies. He picked another general - Baraka, a mutant whom impressed him with his fighting skills. They needed to send a little message to Liu Kang, the new champ of MK2 - "Don't fuck with us."

Kintara, Baraka, and the rest of Outworld's armies attacked the Shaolin temples, killing everyone and wrecking everything. Then they disappeared. When Liu Kang finally returned home after a year's worth of traveling, he was in utter shock and depression....and then it turned to anger. He learned that it was Outworld that did this. He heard of the tournament, and he decided to enter. While on his journey there, he met his old friend Kung Lao. Kung Lao wanted to join Liu Kang in his mission to bring down Outworld, also grieving the loss of his brother. They went together.

Meanwhile, Cage also heard of the tournament. He disappeared without telling anyone where he was going, so the media was in a frenzy as to where he was, but Cage found Liu Kang and Kung Lao and traveled with them. Cage took these matters seriously, but it was also an inspiration of sorts for a new movie.

Meanwhile, there was disarray in the Lin Kuei. Sub-Zero never came back, he was rumored to be dead, and Shang Tsung's survival didn't help. Determined to see Shang Tsung dead, they sent another assassin to complete the task.....his younger brother, who inherited the name Sub-Zero. He went into Outworld...and his best friend Smoke followed him there to make sure no harm came to his friend. Meanwhile, Scorpion found this Sub-Zero and didn't know the truth, all he knew was that a man was supposed to be dead and he wasn't. In a rage, he followed him into Outworld to make sure he died this time.

Last year, Jax received a distress signal from Sonya. She was in danger, but no one could trace her signal. However, from a past experience (SPECIAL FORCES), Jax already knew and used the forbidden Eye of Chitian he obtained from that journey to go there.....he would rescue Sonya.

Raiden knew all about this and he went to Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Kung Lao about it and told them to be careful. However, Raiden still didn't have complete trust in them. This was Shao Kahn they were dealing with. He decided he would help them fight again.

In Outworld's ranks, everyone was ready to fight. Reptile no longer hid, he was out and about and ready to fight for his world, but he still secretly protected Shang Tsung when not fighting. Shao Kahn's two best assassins, Kitana and Mileena were also fightng for Outworld but had ulterior motives of overthrowing him and taking the throne themselves. It was all a matter of a race of who did it first. Kitana, having faith in the Earth warriors to set her and her world free of Kahn, decided to help them. Mileena, on the other hand, teamed up with her secret lover Baraka (who also was fighting for Outworld) in order to do so....

No one was more motivated than Shang Tsung, though. By God, he would take back his honor this time around. Kintaro and Shao Kahn would also see to it that this victory went to Outworld. They could not fail!

The tournament began.

While there, Liu Kang, Cage, Raiden, and Kung Lao met Jax. They knew Sonya from the last tournament, and Jax teamed up with them, figuring they could help him in his mission.

Meanwhile, Sub-Zero met Scorpion in the tournament and he could not figure out why he was being so viciously attacked and accused. Nevertheless, he defended himself and ended up beating him back to the Netherealm. Raiden knew that this Sub-Zero wasn't the same as the other, and he appeared to him and told him what happened to his brother and why Scorpion hated him....the whole truth. Nevertheless, he had a mission, and Sub-Zero decided to ally with Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Cage, Raiden, and Jax in order to better his effort to assassinate Shang Tsung (even though he would learn that there was someone bigger than him).

Kitana, meanwhile, kept having secret meetings with Liu Kang. She gave him tips to give to his friends on how to defeat their opponents, so they could survive and move higher on up (she was also slightly drawn to him). Her friend Jade secretly hid in the shadows to protect her friend, but not even she saw when Mileena saw. Mileena knew that if she wanted the Outworld throne, Kitana would have to die too. What a perfect opportunity to show to Kahn that she was a traitor. Kahn told her to murder her.

Mileena attacked Kitana (out of the tournament) and Kitana viciously slaughtered her. Outworld viewed this as an atrocity - killing her own kind. Knowing the game was up, and that Kahn would have her killed if she stayed any longer, she was forced to run away....

Even though Mileena was dead, Baraka continued his own mission to overthrow Kahn so he could take the realm himself. However, he was put an end to when Liu Kang beat him mercilessly for what he did to his temples. Fearing he would be executed for failing to kill him, Baraka deserted....to who knows where.

Reptile also found himself defeated.

Liu Kang once again defeated Shang Tsung later on in the championships.

Shao Kahn could now see that this tournament was not going their way. He decided that now was the time to do something sneaky.....he called Shang Tsung and some shadow priests aside and told them to "do it now." They knew what he meant and they traveled to Earthrealm.... Kano overheard while imprisoned, and made a deal with them. He would give them some help if they spared his life in the big explosion. Shao Kahn agreed.

Liu Kang next faced Kintaro, who wanted him dead for "killing" Goro. Despite being stronger than Goro, Liu Kang made slight work of Kintaro, killing him as well for bringing his people down.

During this fight, Jax saw that Sonya and Kano were trapped in Shao Kahn's Arena. He went and freed them, but they held Kano down. He was still going to jail...

Next, Liu Kang faced off with Shao Kahn himself. After a long battle, he won and Shao Kahn exploded in stone, but not dead. He would not die that easily. They all then left.

Liu Kang would wander Earth aimlessly.
Kung Lao would do the same, apart from Kang.
Cage returned to the media and made a movie of MK2.
Sonya and Jax returned to base. Unforunately, during their run to the portal, Kano escaped. They would have to catch him again.
Sub-Zero (with Smoke closely behind him) returned to the Lin Kuei.
Raiden ascended to the HEavens, and had a little more faith in these mortals.

Reptile remained behind in Outworld, knowing it wasn't over.
Kitana was still a fugitive, and without knowing where she was, Jade had to stay behind in Outworld to wonder what her friend would do.
Mileena's soul was in the Netherealm, now a servant to someone way darker than Kahn.
Baraka was out somewhere wandering and running away
Scorpion rotted in the Netherealm, vowing he would kill Sub-Zero once and for all.

Shao Kahn knew it wasn't over. Shang Tsung would do the deed and Earth would be his without breaking a sweat....

No one ever noticed that Noob Saibot watched all this happen to report to his people in the Netherealm to countdown when Shao Kahn would fall so that they could make their own move....

Huh, pretty cool. the story seems a lot more kick ass when it's told to you like that, plus it makes some damn sense. Well thanks, but if you can get the MK3 story PLEASE POST IT!!! Thanks!

there was bound to be war instead of a tournement because khan wanted earth so badly enough he would in vade and there wont be a tournment after another generation so a tournment isnt coming soon.

Plz Post Mortal Kombat Story Line with also character story Line

The stuff about it being the 10th tournament and Shang working for Kahn is all recton. It was never in the actual MK1 game, it's all stuff they made up later and act like it was always the case.