Kano vs Kabal, 2 great leaders on a diff page.
Kung Lao vs Shang Tsung, Think MKC. Non-Canon-ly of Course.
Sektor vs Cyrax, Obvious Reasons.
Reptile vs Baraka, IDK But Gr8 fight imho.
Stryker vs Jax, No reason but sumn I'd like to see.
Shang Tsung vs Quan Chi, DA ne1?
Goro vs Johnny Cage, u know it!
Scorpion vs Kratos, Badass...
Ermac vs Rain, a mere Testament of Powers.

Smoke Vs. Noob (former friends/allies)
Sub-Zero Vs. Noob (like Peyton Manning Vs Eli Manning)
Kitana Vs. Sindel (A mother/daughter thing)
Liu Kang Vs. Kung Lao (each other's competition)

This is not Street Fighter so no I dont think this is a good idea

no offense or like that but that's w why street fighter is always a successful game through out because it has crazy and great battle modes!! I love the way how they did the story in sf4/ssf4 no offense but that's why sf past and current games are successful in story and the game itself. MK 2011 Looks badass and great but i personally believe they should have a rival match i makes perfect sense it really sends hatred and the battle of the fighters. It will work hope the story will be way longer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Each fighter has like many battles and a rival match if i dont have it i will be OK but it will be better! Mk will kick ass

Here's Mine:

Sonya vs Kano ( long time rivalry)
Johnny Cage vs Jax ( fight for Sonya)
Scorpion vs Sub-Zero ( obvious battle)
Kratos vs Raiden ( thunder god vs god slayer)
Kratos vs Scorpion( look cool from trailer)
Kitana vs Mileena ( sister rivalry)
Raiden vs Shao Kahn ( fight for power)
Kitana vs Sindel ( agreed mother,daughter thang)
Sub-Zero vs Sub- Zero ( brother thang)
Sub- Zero vs Smoke (old friend rivalry)
Kung Lao vs Liu Kang ( friendly rivalry)
Sektor vs Cyrax ( cyborg power)
Sonya vs Kitana ( who used the air punch better)
Sonya vs Kitana vs Mileena ( baddest chick)
Mileena vs Baraka ( ruler for tatarkan world)
Tanya vs Jade ( edenia rivalry)
Kano vs Kabal ( black dragon boss)
Stryker vs Jax ( gun and law battle)
Sheeva vs Goro vs Kintaro ( ruler over shokans)
Shao Kahn vs Sindel ( divorce battle)
Reptile vs Smoke ( I use my invisibility better)
Reptile vs Quan Chi ( betrayal since MK4)
Qaun Chi vs Kratos ( look alike battle)
Quan Chi vs Shang Tsung ( better sorcerer)
Liu Kang vs Shang Tsung ( since Mk1)
Ermac vs Kenshi (telekinesis powers)
Goro vs Kintaro vs Motaro ( best sub-boss)
Nightwolf vs Raiden ( some kind of mind battle)
All Ninjas vs All Ninjas ( who's the best)

Despite all the Scorp. and Subby stuff, I think that the real rival of young Sub-Zero is Sektor. Is the one he had to fight against to take the leadership of the Lin Kuei.

I like the idea of set fights vs. storyline opponents, but I don't think that rivalry is a good term to describe them. People who hold grudges against each other in MK tend to end those quickly by having one of them dead (then resurrected later). I'd call them death or grudge matches, rivalry kind of implies a friendly or spirited competition.

Many of the rival fights would, of course, be obvious:

- Kitana vs Mileena
- Scorpion vs Sub-Zero
- Liu Kang vs Shang Tsung

But there are some that may be quite interesting:

- Reptile vs Jade (they were both ordered by Shao Kahn to capture Kitana)
- Kano vs Kabal (Kano exacts revenge against Kabal for leaving the clan)
- Sindel vs Sheeva (Sindel returns to her normal state, and challanges her protector, Sheeva, to redeem herself)

These could work.

You know, Soul Calibur does the same thing, as does Dead Or Alive.

At one point, Super Smash Bros. Brawl was subject to do the same thing.

I would love this actually,as other's have said it's been in a few games. MK could do it pretty well I'm sure!

Alot of people are predicting that Cyrax and Sektor are going to be eachothers rivals. But givent eh rebooted story and this only taking place up to MK3 era, Cyrax hasnt gone rogue or isnt supposed to until the end of this game as a result of being reprogrammed by subzero.

This means Sektor wont even get the orders (should everythign be the same even) until the end of MK3.

There is nothing that even hints at Cyrax and Sektor opposing eachother at all in this game. Circumstances would suggest they would be allies actually at least for some time. Even if not travelling as a pair. Both are after Subzero.

Cyrax and Sektor really have no other paths that we have seen during this era other than subzero. I could however, see orders from the Lin Kuei come before this happens for their assassination skils to be targeted to somebody else.

Going to be interesting.

Seems as though they are trying to pit Scorpion and Subzero against eachother once again. The younger brother Hunting Scorpion? Looking back, I cant find any mentality of that in apst games. I admit There could be something I am missing though.

Sonya and Kano is a must

Raiden and Shao Kahn

I would LIKE for them to persue Kuai Liang vs Noob(Bi-Han)


This being a time-travel influence. With Raiden having knowledge of evemts, it could very well throw everything on its head and we wont know anything about what happens. Theoretically Speaking, everythign in this new storyline could be different from the alloted time of interuption from the message being received. Which is pretty much instant.


-Casselman

Id Like a good old Sheeva vs. Motaro grudge.

Khan vs. Sindel+Kitana after Sindel turns good, IF the story allows her to turn good.

Some of them could be tag fights, too. As in, they give you a tag partner for the match.
I.e.
Sub/Smoke vs. Sektor/Cyrax
Kung Lao/Liu Kang vs. Shang Tsung(special, w/morphs), then when you beat him, Khan comes out and knocks the fuck out of whoever you didn't pick.
Scorpion/Sub vs. Quan Chi/Shinnok(?) (secret boss fight)

I meant the idea of the thread. ^^
But indeed, rivalry fights have appeared in other fighting games as well. Besides those you mentioned, Tekken also comes to mind as one of the first fighting games to do so, having a unique rival to each character.

I would even go as far to say two rival fights since theres so many suggestions. Like this

Scorpion first rival fight would be sub zero or noob ( I know technically him and noob never really fight but just for arcade reasons)

and his second rival fight (the one for all the marbles befor the boss fight)
would be quan chi. (I have a felling hell learn of chis bullshit earlier this time... since hes in the game and all)



but yea first fight rival/ somone they have a realtionship with. the second rival fight, is there sworn enemy. This may sound like alot but almost every character in mk has interation with more than one other character

Darn, I forgot about Tekken.

There are no rival fights in Tekken 6, though.

Scorpion can't have a rival fight with Quan Chi this time around.

In this game, he's yet to find out Quan Chi murdered his family.

Remember, we gotta stick to the story at hand.

Sektor fight 1- Cyrax or Smoke (realtionship) (target) fight 2 - Subby (target)

Sonya Fight 1 - Jax or Johhny or Kabal(Relationships) (Red dragon)
fight 2 -Kano (duh)

Reptile - Jade (Competition/partner) fight 2 Shang tsung or kahn (they fucked him over big time)

Kitana - Fight 1- Kahn or Sindel (parents just dont understand)
Fight 2 Millena (Fight to be the favourite... among other things)



I think you get the idea. If they had the time to this I think it would be really cool.

The main problem with this is most MK characters don't have a rival.

Sure you have some classic rivalries like:

Sonya/Kano, Liu Kang/Shang Tsung, Johnny Cage/Goro, Scorpion/Sub-Zero, Raiden/Shinnok, Kitana/Mileena, Tanya/The Universe, Scorpion/Shujinko, Onaga/Meat, Bo' Rai Cho/Baraka, Hotaru/Chun Li, Motaro/Noob/Smoke, Jax/Darrius, Stryker/Jarek, and Quan Chi/His Own Tremendous Quantity Of Fail.

Sure you have those, but for the most part, characters don't have rivalries. Except the original 7.

Except Raiden. Poor lonely Raiden.