I just watched that video on YouTube, didn't know you were a poster here. I think it's just part of his design, no merging with other characters or any of those other theories out there. I remember Shao Khan art from the early 90's showing spikes on his arms and forehead, along the lines of the old art you showed in your video. With modern graphics being as good as they and NRS always bringing their A game in that department, now they can get all the intricate details in to the characters. I believe this is simply the way Shao Khan was always meant to look.

Interesting as the recent render, Raiden was also showing scales on his arm. Maybe that was the negative energy that Raiden absorbed. I think Shao Kahn will not be a charcter in the story mode however because he would overshadow the main antagonist.

I mentioned this in the Raiden render thread. The hands look REALLY similar.

This could just be a cosmetic, considering we have seen both characters without it. I think it would be more interesting if it was a sign of being "tainted."

Perhaps Onaga isn't really Onaga? What if "Onaga" is just an entity that taints other characters which will start with the dragonizing of an arm?

This could mean a lot or nothing.

Not sure where the “Raiden having scales” originated from, but if you look at the full render for Raiden he’s wearing leather fingerless-gloves .

So no dragon scales like Kahn.

I am looking really closely at that hand. If its fingerless gloves, his thumb is still covered. It looks more scale like than leather like to me. The end of his fingers are cut off in that pic, and his other hand looks brownish fingers and all. Are we looking at different pictures?

Clearly there is going to be more than one version of every character, Raiden didn't have these things in the trailer

in MKD Onaga tried to be The One Being by merging the Kamidogu / the realms (If I am right, havent played that game for a while)

So there is a connection here.

But those hands from Rayden are just wrapped in gloves, nothing else.

But Tabmok99, Shao kahn indeed looks tainted / infected by a kind of dragon thing...

The timeline, Onaga...

Its gonna be a complex story I think.

To me, it looks way more demon - similar to Shao Kahn's appearance from past games, but now spreading. It doesn't resemble dragon to me in the slightest. But we will all see in due time! Excited to see how this shakes out.

The arms definitely go with what his face looks like behind the mask IMO. We've just never seen them before because he's always worn something on his wrists and forearms.

Shao Kahn has always been a pointy dude. I don't see why people are thinking that this means something big.

Gotta agree with darkhound. Looks like gloves to me.

Pointy, never scaley.

Maybe we'll have a Ocelot/Liquid situation.

"But I...I live on through this arm!"

"This damn left arm...Onaga!"

Maybe the true Dragon King looks more evil than the Dragon King we Saw in MKD.

If Onaga wil be the final boss, I hope they make him evil as hell????????

Nice vid ]{. I agree with your sentiments where this aesthetic change may just represent a deeper corruption. Plus I don't think it would be a smart move by NRS to religate the epicness that is the Dragon King to scaled arms and pointed fingernails. I'm calling it now - Onaga will be a proper MK11 sub boss. His imposing and giant stature warrants it...no, requires it. We need to get that klassic sub boss/final boss formula back.

Maybe the reason Shao Kahn has a scaly looking arm is he is having a psoriasis outbreak.

It look like he may be part tarkatan, also it's not just his arm if u look closely it's the whole side of him looks like dead flesh or something . I'm thinking maybe it was dark magic they bought him back with tarkatan dna like with melina in the flesh pits .. maybe its shang tsung who cloned the original emperor like he cloned kitana with melina... because Khan was destroyed by the elder gods so I don't see how he would come back any other way . Either way I'm excited.

If i'm not mistaken, at some point Shao Kahn was supposed to be Tarkatan, but I think they dropped that idea along the way.

They added new details to the character. Remember when they gave the Tarkata Klingon head ridges in Deception? Same deal.