Great thread, let's go in



Raiden:

I think a big chunk of people here know of my ideas about Raiden. I TOTALLY disagree with the idealism of him being, or becoming some ultimate evil//Evil Boss type character. Just doesn't match up right to me in contrast to what his motivations are.

So, around Mortal Kombat 8, we should see Raiden tripping out big time. Stay essentially the same for the next game, but we should get better insight to this "Evil", slash, "Not Evil, but Ruthless" point of view about him.

Raiden tripping out should be a symbol of the taint within him, and the still good side of him, fighting the internal, mental battle for power over his free will and thought processes. "Light Raiden" will not gain full control, of course, just enough to help dictate "who to kill". We should recognize the struggle that he's going through.

We should be able to recognize the parts of his ruthlessness that allow him to act out the "By any means necessary", and then the part of him that dis-allows him to exercise any hostility "the taint" probably has towards pure innocent mortals.
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He's aiming at taking out the threats to EarthRealm. So, in my opinion, the most technically "evil" thing he's gonna do, would be an accident that he has no remorse for committing. Like, shooting at the bad guy, but hitting the innocent person behind them, and not having the impulse to try and rectify that mistake.

To me, THAT is the ruthless behavior of somebody who is fully aware of his actions. That's the behavior of someone who can plot and scheme, and play puppet master. Who can negotiate with the bad guys for his own ruthless means.
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By the time Mk8 is coming to a close, we should at least know for a fact, that Raiden is fully responsible for Killing at least one major threat to EarthRealms past. I think it'd be fitting for Raiden to kill at least one of these characters off:

a. Shinnok: which would probably please, and disappoint the Elder Gods.

b. Shao Kahn: which, in pure speculation, would knock off 15-20 characters from the MKA roster. Ending alot of problems, for alot of other characters. There's also tragic results from doing this, because Raiden might be responsible for killing off a couple characters that have changed their life around.

b. Quan Chi: Helped cause the taint in the first place, and helped kill Liu Kang. Long time enemy of Earth.

c. Shang Tsung: ^^Ditto^^

d. Diminish a Clan: Something big besides killing a boss character. Gives a chance to see what Zombie Liu has been ordered to do by Raiden. Also, Raiden now knows who the creator of the Black & Red Dragon clans are, and he's known who the ranking members of each clan have been for some time now.

It's a chance for him to show how powerful a threat he can be, instead of how fierce a protector in defense he's been. Presents a new type of fear for his enemies. ("Oh shit, Raiden's coming....and not just to talk either, he's bringing the dead champ to kill us!) Raiden and Zombie Liu Kang(the god and the champ) put everybody on "red alert".

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Down the line, likely post MK8, I'd be comfortable seeing Fujin, Kung Lao, and maybe a new person.....go subdue Raiden, and take him before the Elder Gods. This is where he'd be purified, and sentenced for crimes against Deity Law.

The sentence? Raiden is either reincarnated, or simply stripped of all his god powers, and made a human.....

To make the sentence even worse, and relevant to MK, he's challenged to become the champ of Mortal Kombat himself, in order to redeem himself and regain his god Rites and domain over the realm of Earth.

This way, he could reasonably win the challenge, age out, retire, or be killed. There's potential for a completely different looking Raiden in the future, tons of costumes, tons of emotional distress and complex story telling for Raiden.
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A sub-plot would be crazy. Shouldn't he be full of shame once he gets put on earth? Who does he meet and develop relationships with? Would Raiden experience Love, Hate, Despair, Depression, Utter Remorse differently? Fear, Anger, Pain? Raiden could get sick and wounded and everything......Will he avoid earths' "good guys", or will he still be involved with them? And a lot more questions in that vein.


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So yea, I totally disagree with Raiden becoming this "Evil Boss". I think it's far too predictable. I can just see it now, climb to the top of the latter(mount Olympus) "to kill a god". Alright Kratos from God of War. lol

Doesn't make sense to do it that way, to me..


I'll do another character later.

Kai:

A different character than I'd usually rant on about. Kai is a mortal, and for once, a respectable African American character. These attributes about him should not be put to waste, even if they do get rid of this particular character. It's that in this rare instance, this character is not a big ridiculous cliche'.

1. The Corn Rolls: Cool, especially on his design as a character, with the armor and the tiger-striped tatoos, they look like they could be associated with heritage somehow. Which is exactly the light braids need to be seen in because that's exactly what braids and dreadlocks are about.

Before they were diluted by fads and fashion statements, they were more commonly known for tradition. Like the long ponytail in Asian history. And most basically, they're merely simple ways to keep the hair. Dreads= a consequence for dealing with water alot. Braids= formal hair-do for women and the warrior who happened to grow his hair.
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On the other side of this....this, issue. NEVER do an afro again. Ever. It's still waaay too cliche in a video game, to have the black character, with the huge retro afro. They never get it right and I can honestly say I despise the look with polygons. Turns me completely off about a character just by the way it looks. I hate that shit.

The short hair he had in MK4 was good, it's part of the overall look of his that got me to notice him in the first place because, there was "nothing wrong" with his appearance. The feel of his overall look was of any martial artists walking around....

The kind of personality I'm talking about, has a detachment from all the fads and stereo-types, doesn't have tie-ups about race and all that, although he recognizes a "problem" there that he can't fix. This personality has an unorthodox view about racial, political, and religious//spiritual matters when you actually sit down and talk to him...but is "true" no matter what. Doesn't buy into "the in crowd", mostly operates on necessity, and just kinda likes...what he likes regardless of popular opinion.

Makes him unique because, he's the rare black dude who could have a purpose within any group of people in a high school setting. This is the dude who had an unusually freindly relationship with the "emo" or "damaged" crowds. You saw this dude genuinely care about the homeless, and witnessed him oddly, have a genuine preference for specific types of rock music over the majority of rap. Even though his look might contradict these facts. He's the impressively built guy with aggressive facial features, but if you get to know him, he's a truly genuine and nice person.....unless you wanna fight. lol

So anyway, if he gets a homage nod again anywhere in the future, don't do it like in MKA. Go all the way and do the MK4 version as exactly as possible. No long boots, no braids for that alt costume.

2. Striped Tattoos: Great. It's original, and it's not too over the top. They individualize him, and they could also have something to do with his history. In his story somewhere, we should told why he has them. Are they a rank thing? Where, he had accomplishments over time. Or, are they a coming of age thing? Is he hiding a terrific scar? Could have something to do with an animal he encountered.

Yknow, just something to explain what he's about besides the White Lotus Society.

3. Purple Clothes: They're cool, but he can wear any color really, as long as it's dark and it shows the tattoos. Purple is symbolic of "love", but that doesn't mean he can't wear blood red, or grey, black and blue.

4. Voice: Tone in his voice should be similar to his voice in MK4. "Spirited", respectable, but not booming at all. Almost to the point where he seems like a weak person just by the fact that you're friendly with this guy. Depth in his voice comes from rare "barks" out of excitement. We should always hear compassion in his voice though...always an "I care about you because you're like me" in his tone. No matter the situation or circumstance. "sympathy for others basic association to him". Human=mortal=breath air=a living thing....ect ect that sort of thing.

His speech patterns should always be direct("so, you're saying this or that..." Always trying to find the absolute root of the problem.), but also always "understanding"("I see what you're saying, but here are some facts to consider..." Like a psychologist complex). Always like: "how can we solve the problem?.....okay, let's get it done".

5. Demeanor: 70%Calm, 10%Brash and a little immature, 10%Harsh, cynical Killer.

:Calm contributes to why he's an extremely good team player and problem solver.

::Brash and Immature contributes to his competitive spirit, and sense of humor. Which can come off like it's at the admitted expense of another person. Can seem like someone else's innocent anguish, is entertaining to him. Which it is...because it's consistent, but on rare occasion.

:::Harsh and cynical contributes to what he took from the lessons he learned...Or more importantly, the potentially killer moves he learned as a fighter. He exercises the moves "you're not supposed to do". Which, I guess could also be a reason for this "soul searching" thing he's going through. cuz, he knows the rules, and he abides by them....just, except for those incredibly obvious "you're asking for it" opportunities in a fight. lol

Give him the "No Opportunity" complex. No chance to come back from what he will do to his opponent, because he's seen what happens when you are merciful and reluctant in a fight. As a result of him being compassionate about human matters, he probably lost alot of fights as a youth. Which, after training, he grows to nullify that personality trait, and this makes him apt to force the issue of how strong a person he has become in fights as an adult.
Utter discombobulations like gripping the ribs should be in his upper body arsenal of moves. 3 Second choke outs, and other ability disablers should be in the upper body arsenal as well...

6. Overall Story:

Kai doesn't really have much of a story besides wandering the earth so, I'd simply appreciate if they'd use him. Tie him in there with Fujin and Kung Lao or something. He doesn't need to have an "ever-present" clan attached to him because of his indifference and unique view-points about everything, even though he is a member of the White Lotus. So maybe this is the opportunity to give a detailed background with motivations from family members or traditions.

I'd model his family "situation" something like someone I know. I'd say that he has a more sisters than brothers. He seems sensitive, so there should be more women around in his past than men. Women make boys compassionate men. He might have one brother, but he's considerably distant in age. 4-5 years between them, and maybe even one of the sisters is the oldest sibling Kai has.

The mother is there, but she's busy all the time with other people. Saay in a bad way....leaving Kai the chance to have to fend for himself alot, and find himself in the fights as a youth. Father is alive, but would probably have to be absent for the majority of Kai's life. Yea, dad pops in and out of Kai's life, but is not a bad person though. Likely has another family started because things just didn't work out with Kai's mom somehow.

The sisters, and brother are pretty spread out from each other but there's not a real reason for it besides "fend for yourself". Everybody finds their own way....So, Kai's guidance really comes from an elder. A woman....an older aunt or grandmother figure is there, who reinforces his good heart....but then dies at some point during his late youth(7-14yrs old).

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Soul Searching often has alot to do with the past affecting where the future of a peson will head, so I could see relationships and maybe incidents surrounding his tattoos effecting his choices alot. In his MKA ending, I think it's actually on par with his personality for him to have compelling dreams, but not know exactly what to do with the content.

He needs a breakthrough though, so I'd have him simply tell someone a story about one of these really graphic, extremely vivid dreams.

A noble roll he could play in the future, is as an Oracle because of the ideal path I'm on for him....Fits his profile and personality traits in my opinion.
Always independent and indifferent, yet understanding alot. Self preservation is likely of high importance for him, although for no apparent reason at the present time....Passionate and confident about what he does know about himself....and then, the dreams always move him.

He might contemplate suicide because of strenuous, extremely complex circumstances he is exposed to(often making him choose "for the greater good" over all other properties in the matter at hand. Uncompromisingly difficult decision making), and some of the dreams he has....but without a real serious look at self mutilation because his believes and training avidly disagree with that sort of thing. The possible responsibility of "Sacrifice" probably keeps the idea of suicide at bay. This is still kinda demeanor, but his role in the story is subject to his various mental states and moods.

Fighting Style:

In MK4, he could fight standing on his hands. I'd love to see him "de-bulked" by design again, and become the character that is extremely heavy on lower body fighting styles. But in the same respect to his character not being cliche', I absolutely do not wanna see capoeira come from Kai. Something using his legs to a fantastic amount.

As I mentioned before, his upper body stuff shouldn't be less fantastic, but should be alot of straight forward, discombobulation....almost mutilation by tact, fighting.



That's all I got for Kai.....maybe another character later.

Interesting thread, indeed.

If Kitana and Mileena swap their physical appearances around, I think it would be interesting to see how both develop as characters. Some are against the idea, because it is very basic, but I think it would make for some fun.

Mileena would not be able to lead Edenia into war with all the realms without people figuring out it was her. To rule, she would need to pretend to be Kitana, and act peaceful. Mileena kind of reminds me of a girl who cries and cries about getting a pony, so when she finally does get it, it's all smiles and "I love you, Daddy." Meanwhile, Kitana would have to battle with being grotesque, and being labeled the evil twin. She is a trained assassin, and has presumingly done some dark things in her past. Would she fill the role circumstance has placed on her, or would she remain the elegant princess at heart?

There is a lot of chance to really warp both characters, and turn each into something more than "good twin/bad twin."

Sareena is an interesting character to me. I'll admit it, I'm not too up to scratch on her story, but I think I am right in assuming she is a good girl struggling with her evil nature? What I am not sure about, is what her relationship with Noob Saibot is. Does she know he's the original Sub-Zero? Would she care? Sareena, to me, seems like she is fighting her demonic roots to aid Sub-Zero, who she sees herself as having an honorable tie to. Now, let's assume that she doesn't know that Noob Saibot is the Sub-Zero that she actually had the fling with:

1. Is Sareena angry for being deceived by Sub-Zero (who did not mean to, of course)?

2. Does Sareena move her attention to the older Sub-Zero, who is now a wraith of the Netherealm?

Noob Saibot basically provides Sareena with the man she had her thing with, and it ends the fight she is having internally. I think it would be a tragic end to her story if she decided to go with Noob Saibot, and gave in to herself, and then she had to be grouped with the forces of evil.

One character I am really interested in, is Kurtis Stryker. Growing up, he was my favorite. I always liked the way he was just a regular guy, caught up in all this whack shit. He didn't ask to fight centaurs, or anything of the like, but he didn't really have a choice.

The perfect Armageddon story for him, in my opinion, would have been for Raiden to appear to Stryker, and again recruit the Outworld invasion survivor to fight for Earthrealm. Stryker is happy leaving all the supernatural stuff in his past, but Raiden, now slightly deranged, does not take no for an answer. Let's say Stryker is handling a hostage situation: Raiden could fry Stryker's team, the hostage and the perpetrator of the act, and then tell Stryker he will do the same if he does not fight for him in Armageddon.

Stryker then goes on to somehow survive Armageddon, while beings like giant Oni are destroyed. Imagine what surviving two experiences like that would do to a person? I think it would begin to toy with Stryker's ego a bit. He might develop a bit of an "invincibility" complex. I can see him seeking out Sonya Blade, and asking to be in her Outer Realm Defense Agency (ORDA for short), and he becomes kind of like a replacement for both Jax and Johnny Cage. He's a bad ass, a talented fighter, and he has his heart in the right place, but his mind is a little warped by his experiences.

I can also see Stryker, being a regular human being, bowing to an evil power one day. He has no special powers, and faced with a force like Shao Kahn, it would make perfect sense for Stryker to say "fuck this shit, man, I don't want to fight something like you." Maybe he could even be granted supernatural powers of his own as a reward for his betrayal of the Forces of Light?

A lot of people will disagree with me, but I think there are amazing legs on a character as simple and impressionable as Kurtis Stryker.

Cool, I'll come back in here at some point to do a few characters I'd like to see developed further.

Oh yeah. I almost forgot about Kitana. Thanks for reminding me of my favorite hottie ex-assassin.

Kitana was originally one of my favorites. Originally, she was alligned, willingly, but unknowingly, with evil. She believed Shao Kahn was her father. She served him faithfully, and did many terrible things on her own to please him before she discovered the truth and turned against him. She's got a lot of emotional baggage, but she seems so calm and well-adjusted, it's boring, making her "twin" Mileena a much more interesting character study.

Yes, I know Shaolin Monks explained her evil actions as magic mind control, but it's a lot more compelling to believe she had a genuine change of heart and has to deal with the ramifications of her past actions. I'd love to see someone from her past want revenge against her from before her re-allignment with good. Her relationship with Rain, perhaps, could be much more complex.

Making her the almost de facto love interest of the main hero was an alright move, though not necessarily inspired. As it is, Liu Kang's still dead, but she's moved on quite nicely. Then she was killed. Then she was resurrected and controlled by Onaga. Then she was freed. And through it all, she's never appeared so much as shocked or phased by all these events. As much as I like a well-adjusted woman, she should have some serious mental scars, not only of what she did but of she couldn't do, such as save Liu Kang or even her own people.

She's a princess, and yet she's one of the more boring characters now in my opinion. She doesn't do anything particularly unexpected. She doesn't really evolve. Not since MKII, where she went from sinister assassin to good-hearted Edenian princess, and MKII was awhile ago.

The idea of swapping places with Mileena is actually rather inspired in a "Prince and the Pauper" sort of way. One must wonder, if Kitana wasn't loved and respected, like her "twin", how would she act? Just how strong is her mental barriers? Personally, I refuse to believe she's the spotless saint she acts like... hundreds of years of remorseless killing don't tend to vanish all at once. I'm eager to see her do something... unexpected.

Actually Shaolin Monks doesn't suggest Kitana was under a spell her whole life. Even if we were to accept MK:SM as canon (which I don't), it doesn't change her being raised by Kahn, serving him, learning the truth, etc, etc. That spell was only placed on her recently, as explained by Mileena.



That's not really true. MK:DA suggested Kitana was becoming increasingly frustrated and stressed out and finally in Unchained we see her actually starting to break down. So the tragedies and turmoil she's been going through recently has indeed been getting to her and wearing her down.


I'll chime in on Kitana....
I agree that if Kitana returns, her life needs to be ruined. I think we can all agree Kitana's princess act has run it's course and constantly defending Edenia has become redundant. What I'd like to see if run with the idea Kitana is getting sick of her responsiblities as princess. If her story from MK2-MK4 was her rise to Princess of Edenia, her story from MK:DA-MK:A can be her fall. As pointed out, her story from MK:DA to MK:A has been marked with tragedy and loss and as seen in Unchained, it's starting to get to her. It might just take one last straw to send her over the edge, so to speak. And obviously, it would be intriguing to see what she would do and where she would go if her life was destroyed a second time.

I'm not one of the people who's into the idea of Kitana and Mileena swapping faces. For starters, if both Kitana and Mileena return in the next gen games I want the thing between them OVER. As in, they go their separate ways and have no further interaction. And their faces getting swapped just seems like a continuation of the feud. Like Quan Chi kidnapping Scorpion's son. Sure, Scorpion doesn't exactly want revenge anymore...but at the end of the day, he's still whining about his family & hunting Quan Chi. I loved the Kitana/Mileena feud, but it's run its course. It doesn't need a new twist, it needs to end.

I know some people are into the "Oh, now Kitana's going to learn how bad it is for Mileena" thing...but I'm not. Is this a lesson Kitana really needs to learn? She already knows Mileena's life sucks. She pities her. It's unnecessary. Also, Kitana's story has never really been about Mileena. Why start now?

And I'm just not interested in seeing how Kitana will deal with that. Oh no...Kitana needs to prove she's not Mileena, but no one believes her...how can she save Edenia now...how will she deal with being ugly....yadda, yadda, yadda. No interest. And I really don't want to see Kitana go insane. I would like to see something new from her, but insanity isn't it. It just makes her seem stupid and I don't to see Kitana return just so she can essentially become Mileena. I'm also not keen on removing a very unique aspect of Mileena and giving it to Kitana. Something about that that just feels off.


What I would prefer is, when that last big tragedy occurs...whatever is may be, the death of a loved one, the complete destruction of Edenia, etc....Kitana just goes numb. She stops caring and renounces her title as Princess. I think that's another reason I don't favor the Mileena face swap idea...I don't want Kitana's life as princess stolen per say, I'd rather she throws it away. Not only would this be more interesting and less predictable, in my opinion....I also just think it would be cooler. For her to say "fuck this" and abandon Edenia to it's fate.

We could pick up on Kitana in the next generaton stewing in the shadows, wanting nothing to do with anything. She's bitter and angry that rug got pulled out from under her a second time. Here we'd see a darker side of her personality: pessimistic, cynical, and bitter. This could then create friction between Jade and/or Sindel if either return...them upset she's given up on them and life and she just not caring. Then in when the next tournament or threat emerges, Kitana finds herself drawn into the battle even though she doesn't really want to or care.

And from there...well, that'd depend on what the overall story is. I always did like the idea of someone from Kitana's past returning seeking revenge for something she did while she served Shao Kahn. But I don't really want to see her involved with Edenia that much anymore.

SAREENA

Sareena is a definite must, in my opinion. She's been around since Mythologies, but only made her first appearance in a regular game now with Armageddon...even though she they'd planned on bringing her in for a while. They set her up nicely as an interesting, conflicted, and (IMO) sympathetic character.

She's a Demon...by nature, a violent and evil monster...but she wants to be good. In her own words, "a being of light." But, as we've already seen, it's not going to be easy for her...as she can't always control herself and can be swayed into evil, even if she doesn't really want to.


Potential
Sareena has massive potential. Solid potential...I mean Meat has potential, but that''s not based on anything. Sareena can very easily be a star. We know what she wants, but we know she's going to have earn it. She has conflict, both internal and external. And she has ties or at least potential ties to numerous other characters. And of course, she also has a good look and cool moves.

Sareena wants to be good and probably rid herself of her Demonic taint...so how can she accomplish this? That right there would be her journey. And it would be up to her to accomplish it. Where would this little quest take her? I can see Sareena becoming something of an "unlikely hero" in the next generation. She'd be just trying to do her thing, but she finds herself getting caught up in some huge mess over her head.


Background
For starters, there's some interesting unanswered questions about Sareena's past. Like for starters, if she's a Demon, how can she be good? If Demons are naturally evil creatures, Sareena (and Ashrah, too) is something of an anamoly. Is there a reason for this? Was she always a Demon or was she maybe a human who was turned into one...which could possibly explain it. If so, who/what was she and how did she end up becoming a Demon? Or did something happen to her that made her change her ways? If so, what happened and who was involved?


Ashrah
Here's something I'd like to see. I can see Ashrah and Sareena becoming each other antitheses. They're both similar in they're Demons who used to serve Quan Chi, but turned against him. Maybe they even have history together. I think it would interesting if they'd played with Ashrah being the "bad one" and Sareena being the "good one." They could play up Ashrah's zeal in purifying things and have her deem Sareena an impure creature that must be destroyed. Or maybe at first Ashrah sees a reflection in Sareena and wants to help her...but somewhere along the way, things just go wrong. Lot of interesting directions this could take.


Nitara
I was always a fan of the idea of Sareena and Nitara having some kind of feud...but that wasn't really based on much more than liking the idea of a Demon chick and Vampire chick brawling with each other. BUT, in Armageddon they've started a feud between Nitara and Ashrah......which Sareena can easily be a part of. If Sareena wants to purify herself, trying to use the Kriss seems like a logical way to go. But then suppose Nitara comes up to her and lays the Datusha side of the story to Sareena and suddenly she's not so sure about it. This could lead to Sareena being stuck in the middle of the situation between Ashrah & Nitara.


Drahmin
When Sareena helped Sub-Zero in Mythologies, she was banished to 5th Plane as punishment. Drahmin was one of the chief torturors of the 5th Plane. Perhaps he was Sareena's tormentor, or at least one of them? This is another potential feud I think would be interesting. In my stories, I play up Drahmin's sadistic nature and portray him as having this perverted love/hate feeling towards Sareena. Not just wanting to kill and eat her....he wants to violate her. A nicely twisted and disturbing story there.


Noob Saibot
Personally, and I know I'm a minority on this, I'd be much more interested in seeing Sareena portrayed as Noob Saibot's primary enemy rather than Sub-Zero. Since it was suggested she had some feelings for the old Sub-Zero, she'll probably be a little upset to find out what he's become. Noob Saibot could maybe try to sway her into joining him...although I'd be careful with this. Noob is supposed to be a emotionless, pure evil wraith...so I don't see him being all that romantic. Maybe seeing Sareena sparks something inside him that remembers his old self...and he therefore deems her a threat that must be destroyed. What they could do is something like I mentioned with Sareena being an "unlikely hero." Perhaps somehow or another, without even realizing it, Sareena finds herself the only thing between Noob Saibot and whatever plans he has....so she finds herself a target, even though she might have some feelings for him.


Reiko
Long shot, I know....but they could always resurrect the hinted & forgotten connection these two were supposed to have. If they play Reiko as the "next Outworld Emperor" Sareena could play a part here. Again, maybe an "unlikely hero" type of thing. It would depend on what their connection was.


Sub-Zero
I'm glad to see they have Sareena wanting to stay on Sub-Zero's side...but in future games, I'd rather she not be too tied to him. Like I said, she can very easily be a star. I'd like her to be allies with Sub-Zero, but I don't want her to get overshadowed into HIS storyline, which I think could happen if they're not careful.


Quan Chi
I know the odds of Quan Chi returning are rather slim...and even if he does, he's been designated Scorpion's target...but I would like to see Sareena stand up to him. In Armageddon, Quan Chi swayed her into being his slave again by convincing her she's just a pure evil Demon and that's all she ever can be. I'd like to see her stand up to him and prove she can choose what she wants to be. Would be a nice moment for Sareena.


There are also potential connections to Scorpion, Frost, Sektor, and some others...but I don't really have much to say about them. Far as looks and moves go....I think they should keep the Goth theme with her. Whever I draw Sareena, I go harcore with that: belts, buckles, fishnets, etc. Goth chicks rule. And moves...I like the ones she has, and hope she keeps them, or at least most othem. For new moves and Fatalities, they could play up her having trouble with her Demon side and make something of that.
All in all, I think Sareena is a character who should definitely return. They've set her up very nicely...all they need to do is follow through.

*writes an essay about video game characters*

Er... Pardon?

I thought of another, and actually referenced him earlier without thinking about it, but...

Rain. While originally, he was (and sort of still is) a joke character, like Dan from Street Fighter, he DOES have some depth to him. Besides the "purple rain" thing, it was revealed in MK: Armageddon that he's actually a half-god and half-brother to Taven and Daegon. Basically, he's the bastard son of a god and an Edenian woman, it seems. He grew up never fitting in, then betrayed his homeland first chance he got. Apparently, he also has some sort of past with Kitana, judging by non-canon events from MK3. But, despite the fact that his real father is the protector of Edenia, and that he was raised in Edenia, he still acts selfishly and fights for the opposing side. Whether it's out of anger at having been disowned by his true father, jealous of his half-brothers for taking "his" place as true sons of Argus, or cowardice that he'd rather live than fight for his homeland, he's an interesting character study and one that I actually hope we can learn more about. He's more than a joke character now, which is actually rather impressive considering how often joke characters remain lambasted and ridiculed.