I like how Reptile seems like an agile character, I remember seeing him do a drop kick... And I want Jax to be a brutal character with hard punches, spartan kicks and the return of his "Gotcha" punches...

Mileena should have an acrobatic fighting style.

Kitana's movements should covey 'royalty' somehow.

Sonya's style should be heavily influenced by the military.

Well, there's quite a bit to say, but I'm going to be brief for now. I definitely want to see techniques from various martial arts styles be incorporated into a lot of characters' fighting styles. Mortal Kombat can do it that way while retaining that unique feel for each character. I'll just list some characters and try not to go too in-depth (at least not now, lol).

Kitana: Yin style Baguazhang and Ying Jow Pai (Eagle Claw); The first style is a more angular/linear form of Baguazhang and has an aggressive mentality of going up to the opponent's face, especially going for the eyes and throat. The second style involves acrobatics and grappling as well as tearing and ripping moves. Kitana would be graceful and refined yet very deadly and vicious.

Sonya: Tae Kwon Do (ITF), Kickboxing (Western), and Kodokan Judo; I see Sonya as being a character that uses more leg techniques, but it would be nice to see her with grappling moves. A style like Judo or BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) would compliment with the striking and kicking moves from Tae Kwon Do and Kickboxing.

Sub-Zero: Gyokko-Ryu Kosshijutsu, Ba Bu Tanglangquan (Eight Step Preying Mantis Fist); Gyokko-Ryu is a Japanese martial art that uses fingers and thumbs to attack the vital areas, and it is a style said to originate from China. This style is closely associated with the ninja. I like the idea of Sub-Zero using a style like Mantis, because it's fast and sneaky. The Eight Step style has influences from various other martial arts, and I feel the combination of those styles would suit Sub-Zero's gameplay style well. He'd be advanced and sophisticated, focusing a lot on strategy.

Shao Kahn: Bajiquan, Pankration; Bajiquan is a Kung Fu style that wasn't done well in MK: Deadly Alliance. If anyone is familiar with Akira from Virtua Fighter, he uses that style. I like the idea of Shao Kahn being a fighter that uses powerful attacks that have a strong sense of impact. I honestly think that having Shao Kahn with Bajiquan moves would make him really badass. Pankration is an ancient Greek martial art that's more or less been reconstructed in modern times. It's very much like the MMA of ancient Greece. Shao Kahn has Eastern and Western influences, so I think having this blend would work.

Scorpion: Togakure-Ryu Ninpo Taijutsu, Koto-Ryu Koppojutsu; Both of those arts are associated with the ninja. Koto-Ryu involves attacks to the bone structure of the opponent, and it's a style complementary to Gyokko-Ryu. While I see Sub-Zero more on the defensive side, using the circular, long-ranged techniques of Gyokko-Ryu, Scorpion, on the other hand, is one I see as being more linear and aggressive. So having Scorpion and Sub-Zero with influences from those respective styles would be a very nice touch, in my opinion.

Obviously, they aren't going to go as far as I would like them to, but it would be nice to at least see a few moves from such styles as part of the way the character fights.

I'm trying to picture Shao Kahn using Bajinquan attacks and It doesn't really fit. Bajiquan has a lot of palm and shoulder attacks that don't with well with the emperor. He's too much of a brute to be fighting with a style as noble and technical as Bajiquan. I don't see him pushing the opponent around as much as I were to see him brutally pounding on them.

Unfortunately, it was indeed used poorly in MKDA. Shamefully because Li Mei looks like she would own up to the style pretty well.

Pankration wasn't a martial art, it was a sport, in the same way MMA isn't a martial art, but is merely a sport.

I always envisioned something similar for Sonya though (and maybe Jax to some degree), I think she should fight very much in the style of the MCMAP. Perhaps she could be a more technical representative of US military combatives (incorporating things like her Frankensteiner throw in a more realistic manner, such as a flying triangle, for example). While perhaps Jax on the other hand could be a more "brutish" representation of it with more stomps, headbutts, etc.

Incorrect.

Pan Kratos - All Force- was the necessary curriculum for Spartans for example. The problem is that it is not a defined martial art, it is, like saying wrestling which encompasses many things but still functions.

Not to mention, during the olzmpics, Pankratión mtches were to the death sometimes, usually the loser submited before going down completely.

And it was later revised into the curriculum of German and Italian knights, most notably Castle wrestling for sport and exercise, or Kampfringen or Ringem am Schwert for combat use. But it essentially worked o the principles set by all martial arts.

Martial art means ability, not style. An MMA fighter who can kill or incapacitate is every bit a martial artist (considering he pays his or her dues to the aspect of art. But still martial). A McDojo student may know martial art moves and can identify them, but if he cannot put them to effective use he/she is not a martial artist and what he does, is not martial art (as no martial art can exist without functinality).

I want at least one character to have Jeet Kune Do.

Exactly what I was thinking

That Sir, has my total agreement.

I agree with your last paragraph although I don't really know what it has to do with the topic specifically. But if a martial art is "not defined" then it is not really a martial art. It's just fighting. Fighting possibly-in-some-way-but-not-necessarily-in-that-way-and-maybe-in-another-way-entirely-because-the-way-in-which-the-person-is-fighting-isn't-actually-defined-so-it-could-be-any-way-at-all. One could make the argument that any and all fighting is martial art, I guess - which is probably a good argument and an interesting point of view - but I take it that isn't what you intended to say.

It's also true that "wrestling" is unspecific, but "wrestling" isn't a noun, it's a verb. Greco-Roman Wrestling is a defined martial art. As is Freestyle Wrestling, and Scottish Backhold Wrestling, and so on. But those are nouns. As "Pankration" also is a noun. "Wrestling" on the other hand isn't a noun, it's a verb. Which is why your example comparing the ambiguous nature of "Pankration" as a martial art to the ambiguous nature of the word "wrestling" is flawed.

This is getting a little bit off topic though, and it's probably not the appropriate place for this discussion. So...

I was thinking about Kano and I don't know how I'd ideally like him to play aesthetically. Traditionally he's had more of a Chinese vibe, or a even the vibe of a Judoka, but given that he's defined as a roughneck Australian mercenary now that stuff doesn't seem to suit his character in my opinion. I guess the most suitable way for him to fight would be more like western Boxing? Maybe with only really basic kicks and some other dirty stuff?

Kano is specifically said to be completely undisciplined so I really would just let him throw wild punches and kicks that hit hard.

Some more ideas:
Ermac: A style that uses tk for regular moves,making him a distance player. He could do strikes with added range (like kenshi's telefury with single attacks and balanced range) or mid combo draw an opponent into a strike . This would make him very dynamic visually.
Shao Kahn: Scary powerfull again,but some new regular moves like backhands,headbuts ect that make him look both violent and like he is not even trying at the same time

I don't see why he can't use palm and shoulder attacks. He's a powerful, ruthless warlord, and I feel that the aggressive nature of Bajiquan would fit him. It'd be very simple just to have him fight like the brute he comes off as, but he is a warrior and a skilled tactician. Years ago, I probably would have agreed with you. However, that is more where the Pankration elements would come into play.

And besides, Shao Kahn used Taizu Changquan in MK: Deception and MK: Armageddon, and it doesn't really resemble that style. Taizu Changquan is a very dynamic style that wouldn't fit the kind of brutish nature that can be associated with Shao Kahn. I actually think that style would be better off being used by someone like Kung Lao.

How about have a Pankration-ish base, with Bajiquan moves incorporated here and there?



Although some arts have their sport versions, I had thought that Pankration also acted as a martial art, as in military use. Some of the arts used for MMA competiton (e.g. Muay Thai) are/were originally used for military purposes.

I agree with you about Sonya and somewhat about Jax. They should fight like they are soldiers in the military. Perhaps with headbutting, Jax could use techniques from Lethwei (Burmese kickboxing) instead of Muay Thai since that style uses them.



Jeet Kune Do is a tricky thing, because in reality, it's not meant to be a style. It's simply a means of individual discovery, finding what works and doesn't work for that particular person. It essentially represents one's personal expression and interpretation of the martial arts. So with that said, all of the characters should be using Jeet Kune Do.



Yeah, I think that for a character like Kano, it works fine just to have him be a brawler. Then again, I have been thinking that he could perhaps incorporate Shootfighting techniques. In his original story, he was raised in Japan, so it could sort of work. It would certain make more sense than him using Aikido.