It is Sonya, everyone loves a blue eyed busty blonde. She's been in every game in some form or another. Check the prison of Deception for her. Sareena could easily be a flagship if they fleshed out her story a bit more.

It would be Kitana or Sonya but Im going to go with Kitana. MK2 made me a huge fan of the series and one of my favorite characters became Kitana. I had previously played MK1 and Sonya just didn't appeal to me. She looked rather manly. She did improve though in MK3. To me Kitana fits the MK world alot more than Sonya does as she has much more depth than Sonya. Yeah Sonya is the only female earth warrior or whatever but thats about it. So my choice is Kitana.

The point is to pick who you honestly feel is MK's flagship female, not who your favorite female is.

I think It would be between Sonya and Kitana. It's a tough decision, because they are very different. Sonya is a hardened military agent who dosn't take crap from anyone, while Kitana is an assassin who does it quietly, yet can kick some butt when she wants to. It's tough. Kitana has more appeal about her, while Sonya is more recognizable.

I would have to say nitara.

I thought Sub-Zero Was more popular than Scorpion

Kitana.

To me, Sonya has become a bit of a "back-story" character more involved with the special forces (Jax, Johnny Cage, Stryker) than with the main storyline (Netherworld, betrayals, Scorp, Sub, Shao, Rep, Goro) over the years. So, IN MY OPINION ONLY, Back then: Kitana = Sonya, now Kitana a little more than Sonya. Mileena third, Sindel fourth, Sheeva fifth.

Ok took me a little while to make my decision on this...ok to me each MK game had its own 'flagship' female.

MK- Sonya (no one else)
MK2- Kitana/Mileena
MK3- Sheeva/Sindel
MKT- Tanya (whose pic is on the homeversion case)
MK: Sub-Zero- Sareena
MK4- Sonya
MK5 (DA)- (I hate to say this but I have to, god I hate this character) Li Mei
MK6 (D)- Mileena
MK7 (A)- To be honest no single female character sticks out, except for Tavens mother who wasn't even a fighter in the game.

(Not going to include MK: SF only because I want to forget it ever happened)
Edit: Forgot to include MK:SM but in reality there was no flagship female for this game either since it centered around a pair of monks.

Now if you want to include other media....

MK the movie: Kitana and only because she had the good lighting. (would have been Sonya if they actually allow us to see a real fight between her and Kano not to mention didn't let her look like such a wimp when Shang kidnapped her.)

MK:A (movie): Sindel, the whole damn movie seemed to be about her.

MK: Conquest (TV Series): Taja (wish it could have been Jola but she wasn't on enough)

MK: DotR (Cartoon): Kitana but only because the fans made her stand out, personality wise it's Sonya. (Yes I did watch it and even have a few episodes on tape)


Now over all, I will admit the flagship female seems to be Kitana of the princess squad. Wish it could have been Sonya but she just doesn't stand out as much as a woman fighting with metal fans in a blue swimsuit. Sonya is just too much like all the other 'military woman' characters we see on TV, movies, etc. Damn it in a way Sonya even looks like Private Benjamin! (If you're too young to know who she is don't worry but us older people here will know who I'm talking about) If you see a picture of Kitana in her blue outfit and fans you already know its Mortal Kombat, but if you see a woman in military fatiques, could just be another show on military channel, sci-fi channel, etc.

I think it's a tie between 3 characters.

Sonya, Kitana, Sindel and Sheeva.

Sonya:-first female ever introduced into MK therefore she's automatically a flagship fem character and still to this day has a huge fanbase.Enough said.

Kitana:-This character was hands down the most popular female character from MK2 on for a while....her storyline was just as good as her character.She also has a big fanbase.

Sheeva:-Although I'm sure some will disagree with me, that's fine however she's the first female version of Goro, Kintaro etc.I think she is what boon said she is.More nimble, faster just as powerful in some ways such as her unblockable teleport and is just a fun character to use.Her storyline is also interesting IMO.

Sindel:-Her and Sheeva are tied IMO in MK3 although Sindel's story is more important, Sheeva played a big role also as one of Kahn's agents and her rivalry with Motaro.Sindel was a key in MK3 and now she's good since she's free from Kahn's control and all.

Sonya, she was a kick-ass woman

Defenatly Mallina by far, for two reasons 1: Shes a Shokotan
And second: Shes more ruthless than her sister Malina.

What the hell are you talking about?

Oh, it's just a quote from a noob.

But IMO, either Sonya or Kitana are MK's best flagship females.

I agree with the majority for the already mentioned reasons: Sonya Blade.

But still, that doesn’t mean there are others who cant take the lead, but more of that later.

Some might say “she is your favorite character, big surprise”...but seriously I don’t care, the reasons as why she is considered for many “MKs flagship female” have already been stated, I can only add a few things that I think are worth to mention about this very cool thread.

1.- Who is, who should be, who has been....:

Through the start of entire series Sonya has been “sold” or “promoted” as one of the icons of Mk, theres just no question about it, and till this day (MKA, MKD and MKA era), in obviously less extent, she still has.

Sure the comics, the movies, the tv show, the classic games, the toys, the stickers, the game cards, the cloth, the board games, etc etc etc etc. are many years old, but the fact that Sonya was used as a prominent character for all these merchandise of the game along side characters who were established as important “flagship males” like Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Goro, Rayden and Liu Kang means a lot. To say she was not/is not/might had had been a flag girl is bias.

So one cant say she IS the flagship female because one should consider who SHOULD be the flagship female? Hmmmmm.....Well, anyways, Sonya being the “flagship female” is something that has been established years ago, and who SHOULD be is all a matter of opinion.

For all I see Sonya can still maintain that title very well and strongly, but so could Mileena, so could Kitana, and even Nitara. Some would even say Sareena because of her potential, despite her being only two one Mk fighting games.

In the end, it matters very little all the “who should be, or could be, or is”, because the point is Sonya has been used and recognized the most, she qualifies with the terms required to be considered flagship female of the game, and has enough story potential and importance through the series to live up to the “title” (Im not saying she is the only candidate though, more of that later...).

Lets also remember (just a few things that weren’t mentioned) that she and Kano were the first characters confirmed for Mk3, also being the first characters to be revealed in a promotional image of the 2 in their VS poses for Mk3, and Ed gave interview saying she was his fave, and currently, not counting MKA and other things that are obvious, a small but interesting fact is that Sonya, of all the females that were absent in MKD, was the only one to be featured completely for one (just one sadly) of the cards of the “Epic Battle Card game”. The sexy and famous “Vixen Vendetta” card features her in her Mk3 classic outfit (points to my icon) and Kira, fighting till almost getting naked (you can also see Frost in another card but I guess it doesn’t count because its just a portion of her small head getting chopped).

And even more interesting, despite her short role in MKSM, Sonya was still very memorable and predominant when giving life to her characters potential in the intro, and the development of the story through the cut-scenes, particularly the one that showed her along side all the males receiving her medal, honors and gratitude from Rayden. Some like to say MKSM is not canon so they like to pretend they ignore this pretty detail about Sonya Blade, but the fact is MKSM might not be entirely canon in the obvious things (such as the death of characters), but its canon in those other aspects (the value the characters have, and even Kung Laos attitude that most fans hate, and sadly, for now, Kitana being under a spell, a thing many fans hate as well). And who could forget her very long role in “MKs Live tour”, and being back to being the only female fighting for good in Mk3 and Mk4?

I do agree that Sonyas character still needs development, no doubt about that, perhaps more then some of the other females. I do agree that Sonya should had evolved more in the course of the games, we could had learned so much more from her, there are still things to be explored sadly (or luckily), but the important thing is that her storyline, despite its flaws, has maintained her in the spot light as one of the protagonist characters. She is directly linked with the war and many characters, she doesn’t need to be from Outworld or Onagas lost sister to be important or recognizable. It might not be THE best storyline ever (far from it actually), but its certainly among the best with clear character potential and importance to have her where she currently is. One cant argue with that.

It requires more then a big fan base to make Sonya an important character. Sonya has been strong story-wise and in “personality” to be maintained as a central character. This alone is proof that despite its flaws, her storyline is just as good as many others, and has the potential to grow even more if well explored.

And still, many should remember that the role of females has been taken into serious consideration by the Mk team, so one cant say that ONLY Sonya represents the series.

The second candidate is hands down Mileena. No other female like Mileena, not counting Sonya, received such attention like she did in MKD. Going back to the old days, Mileenas was more like a secondary character, hidden in the shadows of Kitana, she needed just a slight push to step out and take over. It all started with MKG, but she finally managed it in MKD.

The promotion of the game, the covers, the new videogame cards, the comic book, the “Sexy Render”, etc. All are big proof that the Mk team considers other females to have enough potential to be “flagship females”.

My point is, to say Sonya is the ONLY disserving candidate for this title is wrong, because we have the likes of Mileena around (who has been exploited the most after Sonya), and Kitana (who has been exploited the same way but in lesser extent), just as its equally wrong to say its not Sonya, because of all, she is the one who has been exploited the most, in and outside the games. A strong character with a solid storyline.

I mean, all would understand Sonya not being considered a “flagship female” for having a horrible storyline, but the case is she doesn’t have a horrible storyline. Its not even bad. Its well developed, but it needs more depth (like almost all characters do including the “flagship boy” Scorpion). Still, that doesn’t make it anywhere near bad so, its all looking good for Sonya in this aspect.

2.- The Movies and TV series:

Just a few interesting notes.

First, in the animated TV series (yes, I have watched them all), Sonya is not only more prominent then Kitana, she is also given more roles (both primary and secondary depending on the chapters) and light then the rest of the cast in the majority of the episodes. The story might not be all about her, but somehow she is still heavily present. I honestly don’t know how to elaborate on this, but those who have seen all the animated series would know. Sonya for some reason, is “almost always there”, not just being there as a filler, but she is actually there there. LOL.

Don’t know how to explain it better, but Im sure this is not pure coincidence.

Second, Ed Boon and John Tobias were both involved with the movies (mainly the first one), both stated they checked the scripts, gave some ideas, and in some way, collaborated with the film creation.

Im sure its very possible that the film makers went ahead and decided to choose Sonya as the main female leader because of her already being an established Mk icon along side Liu Kang, Rayden, Cage, etc (if so, this is proof the “flagship female” thing was already there), as its just very possible that it was consulted (likely considering they are the creators) with Ed Boon and John Tobias the ideas for the main characters, leading male and leading female, etc.

Considering that Sonya was one of their fave characters, and also one of the central ones of the story, Im guessing they had at least a bit of opinion about her role. It could had not only been fan base and the “flagship female thing” that lead her to be there, but also their opinions on the matter. If Sonya got the bigger role is because they wanted Sonya to have the bigger role, who made the decision we don’t know, but the fact is that they chose Sonya over the rest, and actually, Kitana was already established as an important character, specially with her connections with the main hero of the storyline, and they weren’t even romantically involved back then (MK2 gave us all of that, and so did MKU that was also out in 1995).

Sonya was chosen lead female character not by mere luck or coincidence in the films like a some fans like to believe, but because she was already considered MKs flagship female. I find it funny and silly how some would say anything to take credibility away from her character in favor of others, but Ill just leave it at that because theres no need to discuss more of the obvious.

Sonyas role in both films was central and clearly important, despite having only one fight in the first (which was quickly forgiven when given more fights then anyone of the cast in the second despite the movie being horrible), and despite appearing in the form of a new actress in the second. You can even see this when you look at the idea the second film wanted to give, where Kitana and Sindel were both supposed to be key characters, but it was Sonya who took care of most of the butt-kicking action.

3.- Recognizable???:

While I adore the amazing steel fan weapons of the chick in the ninja outfit, I don’t see how this has ever made her more recognizable then the tough blond bitch with the super leg grab or the kiss of death.

My point, both are very recognizable. I still hear the “kiss of death” bit very much. This has very little to do when it comes to who is more of a “flagship female” between Kitana or Sonya.

I don’t agree a non-mk fan recognizes Sonya more *because* of the movies, sure they helped, but she had it going for her ever since her debut, because Mk became THE thing, and so did all its characters.

And since we are on the subject, I can easily say Sonya represents the franchise very well, just as much and more then Kitana. If this wasn’t the case, she wouldn’t had been chosen in the past, nor today for various things/publicity whatever, but Im honestly tired and don’t want to, I rather avoid any possible irritations, other posts have already stated it, all I would need to do is write it properly and with more decency.

And if you take into consideration the fact that Sonya has almost always been chosen first and not left as last minute material or forgotten like Kitana has in many occasions, says a lot, and this is not even only in games, but as well in toys/action figures. For example, the original characters considered (and sold) from the amazing Toy company “Infinite Concepts” has delivered some of the most beautiful and amazing action figures in the form of Sonya, Mileena, Liu Kang, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Goro and Shang Tsung.

The second series was supposed to feature other characters, among those Kitana. In the end, she was a copied model of Mileena, and the second series (sadly because they looked fantastic!!!) were never released.

But Im sure they tried to redeem themselves by giving Kitana a role in “Motor Kombat” and “MKU” (where she obviously fitted more then the rest because of all the Edenian girls). And I don’t remember how it was said, but both Kitana and Sonya had a role in MKDs Konquest. The difference is Kitana had a mission and talked about her past (things we already knew), while you only fought Sonya. All characters had mixed purposes in MKDs Konquest so I don’t see how that really matters.

In any case, Sonyas MKA Konquest appearance was no doubt much more memorable and delightedly amazing (it was simply fantastic to hear her tough sexy voice in Sektors ship and even better to see her in dangerous pissed-off action against the Ice Beast who she so easily killed and her lines with Taven, specially the “I HAVE FULL AUTHORITY” bit, which rocked! ).

Sonya just seems to have more personality going on for her then Kitana, much more.

4.- The “Rude tough bitch” and the “Polite dangerous princess”:

Two characteristics that have been used in the past for other females, including our own leading ladies Sonya and Kitana.

My view about this is clear: Kitana is not your typical princess with no depth, and Sonya is not your typical tough chick with no depth. But I do see more points for Sonya as stated in this post, and that’s not even just for people that don’t know how Kitana truly is (a diplomatic leader), but I hope its clear we don’t view her as a “Princess Peach”, I just think n00b-Saibot said it best, I understand his point:



Lara Croft and Sonya Blade, now that would be a fantastic duo! (love them both).

5.- Marketed Woman of Mk:

Even though I already mentioned a bit of this, I think it disserves its own little number. Like seen in the past and now, the most marketed girls of Mk have been:

1.- Sonya
2.- Mileena

Jade and Sindel have both been marketed, but despite Jades amazing appearance in that “sexy video” and Sindels amazing role in MK3, I don’t think they top Kitana.

3.- Kitana

Oh! I just remembered, Ed Boon saying Mileena and Kitana are the “female versions of Scorpion and Sub-Zero” precisely when he was talking all about the pallet-swap rivals history and changing colors stuff is very subjective, but still not confusing. Both males, both females, both identical and instant creations of the other, both rivals of different colors played by one actor in one outfit of one color, etc, see my point? Just too much coincidence imo. He was even saying they did the same thing with Kitana and Mileena that they did with Scorpion and Sub-Zero: wanted more different and new characters but due to time and memory couldn’t do so, so they pallet-swapped them.

It seems more clear that he was referring to the “pallet-swap” history because it was all of that the interview was talking about at that moment, but I also agree with Xiahou that he could had been talking about the characters iconic status, and I don’t see how that could be impossible since it is possible. Either way, it didn’t make much difference in the end. The important thing is that that history video rocked!

A “flagship character” requires a lot, and Kitana has what it takes, just in lesser extent then the two first mentioned females. Sure her storyline is well developed and greatly elaborated (and just like Sonya it has its flaws, fans agree almost all the classics are still in need of a serious twist), but if that was the case then we could easily say Mileena takes the spot, who managed to get out of her sisters shadows with a bang, and despite what some might say, she being obsessed or not with Kitana doesn’t make her any less. Mileena topped Kitana thanks to MKD. That game alone made her more memorable and fantastic.

Kitana, who also has a very good and large storyline, has just not been made as recognizable as Mileena (except the movies) and Sonya have in the past. Sonya has a solid and strong storyline, that alone makes her candidate for being “flagship female”, but even more is that she is the dominant female in comic books, tv series, movies, games appearance, publicity, etc. The list could go on but theres no point in writing more.

6.- Conclusions

I agree with the majority, Sonya has been the most recognizable female of Mk through the entire series years, much more in the past then now obviously, but she is still featured as not only one of the predominant character among the females, but also among the males.

Her storyline is great, surely not the best, surely not bad, its just in need of more development (come on Mk Team!!! We are still waiting! ), but its powerful enough to make her a central character directly involved with many others and the plot of the game, and it has big potential to grow more and be developed if given the chance.

Like most said, I think she takes the title of “flagship female” easily. The “tough blond bitch with the kiss of death”

But still, like I mentioned above, one cant say there is no room or possibilities for other females, specially considering that a new era of Mk is starting, and that Mileena has been “sold” a LOT quite recently and a bit in the past, and that there are others like Nitara, Sindel (specially since her role in Mk3 was very very important and cool) and Li Mei with enough potential, and of course, Kitana, who was also marketed like Sonya and Mileena but in way lesser extent both in and out the games.

A new era of MK is starting, and obviously, many things will come to an end, maybe including Sonyas role as the “flagship female” of Mk and her being the only true female hero from Earth since day one.

Its been 15 years for Sonya Blade.

Hopefully the next new “flagship female” takes the spot as brilliantly as Sonya and makes us proud.

Congrats for such an awesome thread QS(TB)! Excellent job!



It cant prove anything, but it does mean a lot.

Coincidence??? I doubt it. Theres a reason why Sonya is coincidently featured first in the line of females...coincidentally fallowed by Kitana and Mileena. The three woman fans consider the most important/popular in MK, in a selected order just like the first line.

There we have Scorpion first, fallowed by Sub-Zero and Reptile. The three main male ninjas....also three favorites of the team and fans, in a selected order.

Not coincidence IMO.

And remember the huge wallpaper with all the characters?

Sonya is the first female character who is seen in the lines (its only males till the third line, where she is the only female, the forward the other females appear), right in the middle, of Johnny Cage and Liu Kang who are both a line behind her, and in an almost similar direction of Scorpion, who is featured almost in the middle of the first line.

Hey, Im sure it could mean nothing, but it could also mean a lot. Who knows?

On a side note, its pretty cool to see the ”hero trio” in a vertical order (Johnny cage, Liu Kang, Sonya), and also the horizontal line of Liu Kang till Rayden, all those positions seem to make sense as they are all connected somehow.

Oh okay. Sorry.

And Queve.... Geez that was a long post. Lol. Very well explained.

I think you make a good argument by saying that Mileena is the first runner-up to Sonya since she was vastly promoted and "sold" in Deception, but I still see the MK Team promoting Kitana more. Mileena played no role in the first MK movie and only a short role in part 2. Other than in Deception, Mileena has always been living in Kitana's shadow. And, imo, being heavily promoted in only one game doesn't render someone a flagship character. That's just how I see it though.

I personally wish Mileena would be promoted more than Kitana since I think she's much cooler and more interesting, not to mention strong and intimidating the way MK characters should be.

Oh! Another thing I forgot that is actually quite interesting and important in all these “powerful females” thing.

Many Kitana fans like to hold in high regard the fact that she had been an “elite warrior/assassin” for Shao Kahn for many many years, and that during all that time, she has fought some of the worst monsters in MK history (living in Outworld, being trained, etc.)

All that is good and well and obviously has its value, but when you think about it, characters like Sonya, Johnny Cage, etc. have a better light in this scenario, and much bigger value and reorganization then Kitana or any of the experienced Outwerworld fighters have. Why? Very simple:

Put it this way: a very disciplined and well trained military female, and a movie star with experienced fighting techniques, both humans, with no idea whatsoever that there are four armed beats wondering around on the other side of their world, evil and powerful sorceress and dangerously psychotic Tarkatans, demonic Onis, etc., are dragged to a world that totally breaks the rules of their reality of their world.

They come to face something they had never thought existed, and if they liked to believe in fairies and all that, they never truly fought one.

None had ever thought of fought any of those powerful monsters and creatures, they had ZERO experience, unlike warriors like Kitana who already lived hand-by-hand with all those beasts, yet still, even though the shock must had affected them somehow (I could go on details over here with very pretty words that can give some depth to their potential and development but I don’t have time nor find it necessary), they fought them bravely, they faced the beasts, and they won.

They triumphed over all that evil that could had perturbed their emotions before anything else, and have done so long enough to get some credit.

I think my point is very clear, Sonya didn’t need to have more then 10,000 years of experience or training to accomplish what Kitana has/had accomplished during her life under Shao Kahns rule and after when it comes to fighting in MK Sonya fought and has lived long enough to prove what a truly powerful warrior she is.

Theres the real value.

Its like having two kids who are studying math. You have one that has always been a lot more intelligent and capable in that area, so he easily solves the problems, exercises and puzzles, much quicker then the other one.

But the other one, who has a lot more trouble learning all of that math and getting the correct answers, studies more and more, and despite all the cost, he manages to get great grades as well.

One can never put down the value the first kid has for having potential in numbers, but the other kid stands out more for perseverance and hard work. He had to work his way (with much more difficulty) through the math problems in order to get great results like the first.

Though at first site the first one will always get more reorganization because people will love to say how smart he is, the second one has more merit for being just as good as the other kid despite not being as capable in numbers.

Its all summarized in one word, logic.



I agree on the Mileena bits.

But yes, I too see the Mk team promoting Kitana more because of the obvious, she IS the second official "good girl" of Mk. After Sonya, its Kitana the new female one who steeped out to fight for good, and she has grown big enough to disserve the merit, with good development, etc.

Kitana's long years fighting the freak of Outworld and how that shows how strong she is vs. thread bullshit.

What you're talking about...perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds...I personally feel Kitana still trumps them because she turned against Shao Kahn, even though she didn't have to and most likely all common sense and logic would say that was probably a stupid move.

Here's a woman who spent most of her life loyally serving the evil empire that had easily stomped every realm it had gone after. As she herself would no doubt no from personal experience, all who would try to ovethrow Shao Kahn would only meet horrible death and/or suffering. All she knows is that she is Kahn's daughter and her place is to serve him...and in Outworld, Kahn always wins.

Then she discovers it's all a lie. And in response to this revelation, she chooses to turn her back on everything she knows and joins the losing side. And Kitana's gambit pays off. By her own personal strength and resolve, along with help from newfound Earth allies, and a bit of luck....she triumphs and manages to free her realm.

That, in my opinion, trumps "normal humans having to fight monsters they never saw before."

Sonya fans love to brag about her perseverance and how she keeps fighting despite all the losses and hardships of her life. Frankly, I think other female characters have had it worse. I've often rambled about Kitana's laundry list of misery....but also figure the bitch that is Mileena's life. Sindel's life hasn't had many sunshine and lollipops (although she commited suicide, so I guess that would disqualify her). Sareena, who was tortured for a decade. Ashrah...

No doubt Sonya has had to overcome personal loss and fought through many hardships....but no more than a lot of other characters.

Definitely Nitara.

If that’s the case then theres nothing that makes Kitana more special then the rest of the warriors for turning against her fake father, simply because she made a choice, just like all the other warriors made the choice to either fight with him or fight against him. They were all in that same position, Kitana was not the only one who had to decide what to do in the end. She chose a side, so did the rest. And how is it that she didn’t have to turn against him? She DID have to do it, Im guessing that after learning that your father is not your real father but in fact the protagonist of your realms destruction, mothers suicide and fathers murder, would be enough reason to do so, unless Kitana was evil or just didn’t care.

The Earth warriors were also in the same position, of either joining the “losers” side, or allying themselves to Kahn, the supreme ruler, and Im sure they all knew the big monster they were dealing with and the power he had and the many conquers and destruction he had achieved. They all witnessed and learned enough during Mk1 and Mk2. The big difference is they knew nothing about nothing to comfort them, they were not even in their world and only relied in the information they could get at the moment, and their skills. By all common sense of logic, they too made a “stupid” move by challenging him.

So she is really not much different then Sonya, Johnny Cage and the others for that matter. She had to make a choice after learning the truth, the others made that choice, and one pretty example is Kano....he too made his choice and because of it he was either lucky or stupid, we still don’t know. He decided to join a side, same as Kitana, same as Sonya, same as every body else.

The thing that sets Kitana apart is that she learned an awful truth that surely must had affected her personally, no one wants to take that special character thing from her, don’t get me wrong, but the princess seems to have gotten over that ages ago, and just like Kahn doesn’t seem to care for her, she doesn’t care for Kahn. The pain of the truth passed out. All that is left is to fix what was broken, thats her job.

And sure, all characters have their demons and a list of misery, but frankly, just like you stated your opinion, I don’t see how Kitanas demons are much more crueler and violent then Sindels and Mileenas for that matter. Kitana too (no doubt) has come to face terrible loss, but no more then a lot of other characters, at least we can assume she lived in comforts luxury and happy protection under Kahns violent tyranny, like any other loved princess would, for almost 10,000 years.

When analyzing who is Mortal Kombat's flagship female, you have to forget who your favorite character is or what the majority of people's favorite character is, and keep your mind open to include all current females. And even when you do go through that whole process, you find out that Sonya Blade really is the best fit for the mold.

The flagship female is that one girl who's most likely to pop up on a random person's mind when they think of MK. Like queve said, there are many candidates who have almost all of the qualities and privileges of a flagship female, but it can't be denied that Sonya has become an iconic character in the series and, through MK1 to the media sector of MK, to MK: A, is the female with the face whom most would connect to MK.

To back this up, I could bring up a lot of things. Queve has done the amazing job of mentioning the most comprehensive facts, such as her prominent role in the series and the media, so I'll just add on to it with some back-up evidence.

1. Sonya Is The "Protagonist" Of MK Among The Females

Think of any random movie you've seen lately. Which of the characters have the most lasting impressions? Which characters stay in your mind after the movie is over? The answer would be the main hero and the main villain. This translates to MK flawlessly, and since we're shrinking the group down to just the girls of MK, Sonya stands as the main hero of the story. This makes her more relatable, more lasting, and more recognizable to the public.

2. Sonya Was The First (and Is the Most Recurring) Female

When Mortal Kombat took the world by storm with its violence and its capacity to push the envelope, Sonya was the one girl among all those guys tearing each other limb from limb. Instantly, one couldn't help but see her as unique because of this. Unique... another quality that the flagship female MUST have (but more on that next). Then, Sonya kept coming back, and kept getting new looks and new additions to keep her fresh in the mind of the players. It's like we couldn't play Mortal Kombat without paying attention to Sonya, and her constant comeback and impressive presence game after game.


3. Sonya Has All the Qualities That Make a Flagship Female

Sonya has all of the traits I would want to see in the character who's supposed to represent Mortal Kombat for the females. First of all, she's unique. There is no other girl like her in MK - this instantly knocks out many possible candidates for the role, IMO: Kitana, Tanya, Jade, etc., just because of their similarities. Now, you might say "Scorpion is flagship male and he's like all the ninjas!" to which I say "NOOOOO!!!!!!!! He's still unique not because of his looks, but because of other traits like his spear and skull-head. Second, she's prominent in the MK media. You might not think so, but the media has a lot of influence over which characters are considered "flagship" ones for the series. Sonya has been main female in all movies, she's been advertised a lot in many different methods, and has made an appearence in most things MK-related. Third, she's a fave of the creator. Boon has mentioned before that Sonya is one of his favorites, so that gets her an advantadge over the other females. If the creator himself likes you so much, he's bound to give you preference.

Just a few things to think about when considering what makes Sonya "Flagship Female".

LOL

OMG RLY

Queve: What has to be understood is that unlike Sonya, Johnny Cage, etc., Kitana grew up serving Shao Kahn. She was raised to become one of his warrior assassins. It's not like it was easy for her to simply turn sides given the dangers that Outworld presents and how powerful Shao Kahn and his forces are. And also given how dangerous Outworld is, I don't think we can simply assume that Kitana had lived in a life of luxury and happy protection during her time serving Kahn. This isn't to say that she didn't have luxuries, but given the way Outworld is and her being trained as a warrior and assassin, such an assumption sounds rather off to me.

I don't know if Kahn doesn't care for Kitana. We haven't really gotten much exploration into Shao Kahn himself and it is a wonder as to why he would spare Kitana instead of just killing her. He may have simply wanted to piss on Jerrod by raising his own daughter as one his loyal warrior assassins, but it is possible that he also may have cared or begun to care for her. There's also Kitana's MK3 story, in which she is put on trial by the high courts of Outworld. She could've easily just been slaughtered without a trial yet she was put on trial. It's a bit strange, don't you think?

LeoBrZ81: I suppose it can't be denied that Sonya has become an iconic female character in MK, but the same could pretty much be said for Kitana and possibly even Mileena.

Sonya can be considered one of the protagonists in MK, but the same can be said for Kitana. The thing with Sonya is that even though she sides with the other heroes, her story arc is only semi-important and semi-relevant to the overall story while Kitana's story arc has more relevance due to her ties to characters like Shao Kahn.

I wouldn't say Sonya is quite unique...maybe in terms of MK in itself, I suppose. But in terms of character concepts in general, I wouldn't really consider her to be unique.

Despite her recurrences, her constant comeback has been without character development and without much interesting story development. This is rather disappointing and one aspect that holds me back from liking Sonya more. There's also her MKA bio, which did absolutely nothing to give her character development, something I feel she has been in need of for a while.

Scorpion isn't really that original. There have been characters in the past who have had skull heads, even flaming skull heads, such as Ghost Rider. His spear isn't a spear at all. It never was. His spear move was used by Smoke in the older MK games and Noob Saibot in MK2. Noob Saibot also has a skull head as can be seen in one of his alternate costumes in MK4/MKG.

In terms of the MK media, I think both Sonya and Kitana have had their fair share of prominence.

That is irrelevant. What matters is the visibility and promotion of the character. Sonya has been the most front and center female since MK1.


So has Scorpion's. I know you love MK's stories, but a character with good and changing bios doesn't automatically render them flagship characters. Sonya, like Scorp and Sub, is of the best known, most promoted, etc.

Storyline is not the most conspicuous aspect of a video game, and therefore can't solely determine such things as a flagship character. Shujinko was the storyline star of MKD, but Baraka and Mileena took more fame still.


Even in MK3, where Sindel had the hugest tie to Shao Kahn in MK history, I wouldn't say she was the flagship female. Sonya was still the most pushed and sold female.

Tanya is kind important at times as the evil Edenian who betrayed her people like Rain, but I'd say for her more for MK 4. Just because he colors are like Scorpion's doesn't mean she's as important, original or as meaningful as he is.

But yeah, for all of MK definitely Sonya, Kitana and Sindel

As for a particular MK, depends on the game.

QueenSindel(TheBitch): Please don't take what I said out of context. You're missing the points that I was trying to get across when replying to queve and Leo.