Alright, so for the past couple of years I've been messing around with redesigning the Mortal Kombat franchise, both the story and look of the characters. I've introduced a more dark and grounded look to the characters, sometimes straying pretty far from the original subject matter. This series is meant to bring a fresh take on Mortal Kombat series, so I expect to get a lot of mixed reaction to my redesigns. So here's the first in a series of redesigns, Liu Kang.



LIU KANG

The Story

Liu Kang is a young monk living in the Order of Light's Shaolin Temple. He was orphaned as a child and discovered by Master Wu at the doorstep of the temple. As a toddler, Liu Kang developed the strange ability to cast fire from his hands, mostly triggered by fits of rage. The monks accepted him into their home and taught him to control and restrain his powers. Liu Kang grew up learning the peaceful ways of the temple and grew close to both Master Wu and Kung Lao. Over the years he continued to display great potential and eventually was accepted into The White Lotus Society, a secret organization claimed to have been started by Raiden himself and dedicated to defending Earthrealm.

One day a portal opened off the coast of China and a dark sorcerer by the name of Shang Tsung came down and decimated a shaolin temple on the island below. Shang Tsung claimed the land and announced the start of The Mortal Kombat tournament, inviting everyone that thinks they can defeat his champion, Goro.

Liu Kang is chosen among the White Lotus to defend the realm against this powerful enemy. As Kang fights his way to the island he quickly realizes that he must embrace his powers that the shaolin always restrained if he wants to stand a chance against this new enemy.

The Design

I kinda stuck close to my original redesign of Liu Kang, dressing him mostly in white and a shaved head. I wanted to stick to his roots as a Shaolin warrior, so he has a very pure, innocent look...for now. Don't worry, his hair will grow out later in the series. This is just his humble monk to deadly warrior transition. Also, I added a tattoo of strange markings along his left arm that grow whenever he uses his powers. The idea is to have this large series of tattoos engulfing his arm and illustrating his decent into becoming a ruthless warrior.



Here's the series of costumes Liu Kang will wear for my Mortal Kombat: Origins story. He has less of a variety in costumes because he's basically in the same wardrobe for the entire story.

Shaolin I:

This is Liu Kang's typical shaolin uniform. Everyone in the shaolin temple has this uniform or some type of variation.

Shaolin II:

Liu Kang's uniform towards the end of his journey in MKO.

Unleashed:

Liu Kang when he releases his pyromancer powers in a fit of rage. His clothes are covered in soot and his tattoo grows even more and glows.

Original MKI:

Liu Kang's original design from MKI.

RazorsEdge701:

The fifth costume is an alternate costume design by RazorsEdge701. Check out his original design here: http://razorsedge701.deviantart.com/#/d2q0sr2


Let me know what you think, and you can find all my MK redesigns on my deviantart here: http://schillingart.deviantart.com/gallery/27994479