I just can't figure out why everyone is being so hard on the Ethereal Smoke concept.

Let me post what I wrote up in the Smoke Discussion thread. Would it be so hard to believe that Smoke has spent the last few years in the living forest mastering his power? If so, the odds are he's grasp his ability to the point where he can maintain his physical flesh in the form of Smoke, fortifying himself and giving him overall stronger. In many different fantasy or anime genres, having one being engrossed in their own element usually signifies they've reached the pinnacle of their own ability.

Or... perhaps he's shifted himself into a mystical mist spectre because it's the only way he can escape his mechanical prison(read: cybernetic form). Smoke has been through a lot. And since we've only seen him with Scorp's moves, we have no idea how he utilizes the very ability he learned in the Lin Kuei.

Sorry bout that. Sometimes I get carried away, and when I typed that I was mad at someone. I don't really like the idea, but I guess it's not that bad.

What I would like is if he wasn't elemental, just smoking most of the time. But for Fatalities and specials, he could "phase" into the smoke.