Non-slutty.

I don't know really, I just pray it would be something a little different than the other females in the game.

Garlador's art isn't bad...but it's limited by the fact that it had to be based on the red mystery leg. Personally, I think a proper Sareena costume should have black as the primary color with red or pink as the trim. The dominant red is just too bright for a goth chick. (Edit: Okay, I was thinking of the wrong Garlador picture. The one you posted, Brad, is actually just about perfect.)

I don't think anybody looking for a female to break the "dressed too slutty" mold would or even should be happy with a Sareena costume though. Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy with how much skin Kitana and Sonya are showing either...but Kitana and Sonya are supposed to be serious professionals with modesty and dignity. Sareena was nearly naked before showing too much skin was a trend. There's really no reason to attach modesty and dignity to a character whose backstory is "Quan Chi's glorified sex slave." Her whole visual concept is basically fetish-wear based.

Basically I guess I'm just looking for her Mythologies/MKA Primary outfit to come back once again, or something that hits the same beats. XD's done some Sareena fan art too (here, here, and here) that I think perfectly captures the kind of costumes she would wear.

As far as moves, I've suggested this a few times in the past, but I hope the Five Star Kick becomes her iconic trademark move in future appearances, and I would suggest the addition to it of a special effect, a glowing streak tracing off the end of her foot that draws a pentagram in the air as she kicks at the five endpoints of the star.

I like the speedy daggers too, but I'd rather they were sickles like she had in Mythologies. That's a weapon with more character to it I think, particularly since throwing knives is already Kano's shtick.

I'd also like to see some of her more generic moves replaced with attacks that involve shapeshifting an arm into a clawed, demonic one and swiping or smashing into the opponent.

At this point, I'm seriously hoping Sareena doesn't make it in. For one thing, her presence might actually make me want to buy this game. But also, based on we've seen so far, I'm just dreading what they'd do to her.

In terms of looks...Sareena, as is, is already one of the more revealing female characters. But I fear the developers, as they've been doing, will just use that as an excuse to just throw her into something like this.

Ideally, I would want to see her wearing something that keeps her goth-chick theme...but, you know, with thought and effort put in to make it distinctive and memorable, as opposed to just going for cheap t & a.
These are old drawings, but I always imagined Sareena in something like this.

Special moves, I'd definitely keep the 5-Star Kick. Razor and others have said all there is be said. They should fancy up her moves and probaly incorporate her Demon side into her attacks and fighting style. But a I would like it if they maintain that she doesn't really like doing that, since she hates being a Demon.

Story-wise, I could see them finding a way to sneak her in. I'm not sure how or why "Raiden's Retconning" would have an effect on Sareena's situation at the time of MK1-MK3...but I'm willing to bet there'll be far worse changes to the story.

I don't really know what they'd do with her story-wise beyond that. To tell the truth, I don't see Sareena contributing much to the story at this time. Her story would most likely focus on how/why she got out to the Netherealm and trying to figure out where to go....essentially, it'd be her MK:TE story all over again.

The Netherealm and Brotherhood of the Shadow in general doesn't become a major players in the story until MK4. No one should know who Noob Saibot really is at this time. Sub-Zero's already be pretty busy, and I'm not a fan of anchoring her to him. Drahmin and Ashrah aren't going to appear.
All she's got is her personal conflict, trying to control her Demonic instincts. Maybe that could get her recruited by Shao Kahn...and she'd have to decide which side she wants to fight on....which isn't much of a choice, because she wants to be good (not to mention that's pretty much Scorpion's MK3 story). Maybe Quan Chi knows she got out and tries to use her in some way. Maybe she knows Shinnok's invasion is imminent and she tries to warn everybody.

I really wouldn't expect much from Sareena in terms of story, if they included her in this game. She doesn't really have a place at this time and, if they include her, she'll probably just wind up shoe-horned in.

Y'know, I've been thinking the same exact thing. There's really no good reason for her to be escaping the Netherealm this early and nothing good for her to do once she does. Things really do make more sense for her if you save her for MK4 or Deadly Alliance like the first time 'round.

Most of my thoughts on what to do with her are just, y'know, general "in any MK game" ideas. I'm not sure she's actually a good fit for MK9 (which sucks to say since she is my favorite female character), unless they decide that DLC are just for play and not for story, don't give them bios, and call them non-canon. But I don't see them doing that. I suspect the DLC will be handled as though it's the UMK3 to this game's MK3, if you will, that the added characters will be made to fit in, as though they're just late arrivals to the festivities.

Even though they dont come into play until MK4 she was technically around during the MK1-3 time period. Id like to see her in since I think shes a great character and deserves to be an OFFICIAL character in one of these games (Tournament edition and MKA dont count IMO)

As for her outfit. something along the lines of what she wears already is perfectly fine

That's not really true.

I mean, you can say that about some of the later characters, sure.

Quan Chi and Shinnok were background characters in Scorpion, Noob, Sindel, and Mileena's storylines.

Kenshi lives on Earth, already has his blindness/powers, and was supposed to be at the MK1 tournament but missed the boat, so he could make it this time or be one of the chosen ones during the invasion.

Bo' Rai Cho was around, training Liu Kang to fight in the tournament.

Shujinko could be in Earth or Outworld at any given time since MKD Konquest is so vague and full of plotholes once it reaches that time period.

Blaze is, of course, from originally from MK2. And if Raiden is trying to prevent Armageddon, he really oughtta do something about that guy.

Nitara lives in Outworld at this time.

Hsu Hao's a Special Forces agent (secretly a Red Dragon mole) at this time.

Jarek's a Black Dragon, reason enough for him to show up.

I could probably name a few more.

But Sareena? Sareena spent the time from the end of Mythologies until Deadly Alliance imprisoned and tortured in the lower levels of Hell for betraying the Brotherhood. The only reason she ever escaped was she found that portal Quan Chi runs through in the MKDA opening cinema. So she really has nothing to do with the war between Earth and Shao Kahn at all, and no way to even get to either realm right now.

I guess thats true.

And that also made me think of something in regards to DLC

I mean this in the nicest way but when we didnt get Bios for Armageddon characters oh my god the rage was off the charts. How would you people feel if characters who werent around during the original MK1-3 get added as DLC with no Bios. I mean it would be damn near impossible for them to come up with a canonical story for characters they add at a later time?

Well like I said, making certain DLC characters non-canon and saying "we only made them so you could play as them" actually would be a very elegant solution to adding characters who don't fit. I mean, if they go by fan feedback to decide who to make, let's say lots and lots of fans ask for Frost. There's no way in hell that Frost would make any sense in MK1 thru 3...but people theoretically want to PLAY as Frost, to use her in vs. mode against their friends and don't care about the story so much...so releasing her but saying she's not canon would satisfy all parties.

But at the same time, here's another hypothetical scenario: Let's say Stryker or Rain isn't in MK9 at release. The fans beg for them, so they get made as DLC. Now, Stryker and Rain have every right to be part of the storyline and have bios, because they were in MK3's story the first time around.

So leaving out bios and declaring DLC characters non-canon would have to be on a case-by-case basis if they did it at all. It seems too complicated that way and then you'll have people whining "well how come this character got a bio but that one didn't? It's not fair that they got lazy and didn't do as much work on the guy I like as much as they did on this other guy!"

But I don't think they will do such a thing, because of how angry the fans were at the lack of bios in Armageddon, and because I think, like I already said, that NRS will treat any DLC they release the same way they treated UMK3 and Trilogy as add-on versions of MK3, or how they treated Gold's characters as added onto MK4, or Unchained's characters as added onto Deception. "The newest version of the game is the canon version."

In fact, I feel like I've already seen an interview where one of the devs said any DLC characters they release will be fully completed characters with bios, the same number of fatalities and costumes as everyone else, the works.

Just FYI, there IS a possibility for Sareena to be around during this time.

All her bio said was she discovered the same portal Quan Chi used to get out of the Netherrealm, but it never once states WHEN she escaped... it could have been years before Quan Chi discovered it and she could have spent a considerable time roaming around Outworld. She was stuck in an unstable, monstrous form during most of this period until she discovered a way to stabilize her human form. Afterward she ran into Sub-Zero during the Deadly Alliance timeframe, supposedly, and the rest is history.

Things to consider about this, of course, is Raiden messing with the timeline and twisting fate a bit. That could leave her in Outworld or Earthrealm sooner than Tournament Edition indicated.

Moving on to other parts of her characters, I've ranted endlessly about her story potential. She's a fascinating character full of inner conflict that exists as an uncontrollable danger to both friend and foe alike. As an ally, she proved her worth and saved Sub-Zero's life; she was there for him when he needed her most. But her demonic nature makes others distrustful of her and if she loses control she could very well kill those she cares for, despite her best efforts to control herself... that's amazing material, and I am still brimming with rage that something so cool hasn't been capitalized upon in most of the games.

... and that goes into gameplay too. Her five-star kick is a great move (again, I love the pentagram idea), and she's got some fast projectile moves. Spice her up with more occultist style moves (a teleport through a nexus of smoke and ash, demonic claws and wings sprouting during certain moves, etc.) and she would easily stand alone as a significant contender in the series... because even WITHOUT all those extras and trimmings, she's netted a pretty sizable and passionate fanbase.

In terms of her design, well, you guys linked to a few pictures of mine already. I love her goth-girl motif, something dark and almost witchy. I've loved the idea that she's dark, surreal, and almost evil looking, but she's got a good heart. Even as a human woman, she looks "tainted", with black lipstick, dark leather, blood-red emblems, and black tattoo markings. She is literally branded by Quan Chi and the Brotherhood of Shadow, and though she broke her ties to them and turned against her former master, she carries his mark, seared into her very flesh... she's a woman whose entire drive in the series is to become something she isn't and struggles to escape her wicked and twisted past. Even as a hero, there's the fear of her demonic form. Even freed from Quan Chi's control, she bears his brand. Separated from the Brotherhood of Shadow, she wears their markings. No matter what she does, her past catches up to her; the original Sub-Zero, whom she saved and trusted, grows to become the leader of the clan she rebelled against. She breaks from Quan Chi, yet he enslaves her with sorcery again in Armageddon. She proves her worth to Sub-Zero, but loses control of herself and is forced to flee from him to prevent herself from harming him.

Her design has always been a clash of who she is. Sure, she's a bit scantily dressed in black leather... it's pretty hot stuff. But even her sexuality is something forced upon her. She was Quan Chi's slave, and that's how he made her look and dress. She's arguably more pure than Ashrah, yet she looks more evil than Tanya or Kira. It's a great contrast because Sareena, to me, has always been a woman full of surprises. She's unpredictable, even to herself. You know what she strives to become, but whether she can overcome what she actually is, a fearsome demon, it's a struggle, both within and without.

A good developer could capitalize on that, tap into that potential, and really make her into something special, both in terms of how she acts, plays, and exists within the Mortal Kombat universe.

I absolutely want her in this game and I absolutely would love to see what could be done with her. More than almost any other character, really. And that's quite impressive considering her rather paltry appearances. She's always been the stand-out character for me in every game she's been in, by far the best thing to emerge from Mythologies, the most special thing about Tournament Edition, and arguably the greatest addition in Armageddon. It's like putting a talented actor in the most mediocre movies; he's always the best performance, but he deserves a better vehicle to show his talents in.

Sareena is like that. And this game is shaping up to be a great game, both in terms of how it's presented and played, and I would like Sareena to be a part of it.

Uhh...that doesn't work at all because that portal could only be activated by Shinnok's Amulet.
That's why it was...y'know...shaped like a giant replica of Shinnok's Amulet.

Where did it ever say that? Yes, it was shaped like Shinnok's amulet, but I thought Quan Chi merely stumbled upon an ancient runestone (not a portal) that was shaped like the amulet that directed him towards one of several gateways between realms. The amulet didn't activate any of the gateways, I don't think; he just needed to read the runes to find out where they were.

Well first of all...you're really going to doubt that a portal that looks like Shinnok's Amulet (the giant amulet IS the portal, watch the opening video again) needs Shinnok's Amulet to control it? I mean that's just silly.

But fine, we can do this.

MKDA, Quan Chi's Konquest:

"It seemed that Quan Chi had been trapped in the Netherealm to be forever tormented by the ninja spectre Scorpion. But fate turned to Quan Chi's favor when two Oni, Moloch and Drahmin, presented to him ancient information regarding his amulet.

This new information, enscribed on tablets, detailed the amulet's purpose and how to control it. Quan Chi used the information to escape from the Netherealm through a cloaked Realm Gateway without his Oni companions."

And an even clearer line:

"Quan Chi had discovered that the amulet he stole from the Elder God, Shinnok, was in fact a key to manipulate inter-realm portals."

Also, because I just love to go the extra mile, I have dug my Gamecube and copy of MKDA out of mothballs to bring you the text from the image of the amulet unlocked from the Krypt:

"Quan Chi has discovered that his amulet is the key to inter-realm travel and much more. It is possibly as old as the realms themselves and acts as a key to unlock and control the many ancient portals throughout reality."

Note that the Dragon King's Tomb stage also has a giant amulet sitting there, blatantly obvious as the centerpiece of the arena, because that is the portal Quan came OUT of when he left the Netherealm, and there's also text in the game about how they built Shang's palace on top of one of those amulet-portals so Quan could open a portal to Heaven and provide Shang with the Soulnado...but I figure that's more than enough already.

I never said the portals didn't look like the amulet. I wasn't being confrontational either. I was just asking for information.

I still think he used the amulet to decipher the runs that lead him to the portals but that the portals themselves weren't controlled by the amulet. If they were, then how would Scorpion and Sareena be able to go through them as well since they didn't have the amulet?

I viewed the amulet as a "key" to inter-realm portals like a compass is a key to navigating the oceans. Without it, you'd be lost and aimless unless you lucked out and stumbled upon them at random.

Not saying you're wrong, but rather that it's a way to stretch the info we've been given into a loophole to allow Sareena to be present in this game, much as how Nightwolf found a loophole to exist in the Netherrealm (and Sub-Zero did as well, for some reason). Sareena did not have the amulet, but she could have obtained the knowledge of how to proceed through the portals herself, which could have occurred prior to or after Quan Chi.

You'd have to explain how she found and went through the portal without the amulet in the first place.... you could very well find some excuse for her to fall into Outworld and roam the land for the lengthy period of time it took for her to figure out how to control her demonic abilities without Quan Chi's magic.

Uhh...the same way Scorpion, Drahmin, and Moloch did. They all went through after Quan and it hadn't closed yet.
And none of them had control over their destinations (not even Quan, because he hadn't fully figured out how to control the amulet yet at that point, which is why he found Onaga's tomb by complete accident. All the amulet did was turn it on.) As you can see in the opening cinema, the portal randomly shuffles what's on the other side. And in those characters' stories, it points out that they followed Quan, but didn't land where he landed and had to wander around Outworld for a bit trying to find their bearings. Scorpion eventually tracked Quan because he has some sort of spectre "sense my prey" powers, Drahmin and Moloch terrorized a local village until Shang found them and kept them in his basement, and Sareena of course ran into Sub-Zero.

isnt ashrah story the same as sareena. you know with hating being a demon and trying to purify herself??

Well Ashrah's story is that she USED to be like Sareena. By the time we meet her, she's already mostly purified because she's running around with that magic sword, slaying demons. Her core character concept was to be "the opposite of a fallen angel" and her core personality trait is sorta religious/moral zealotry.

And then in Armageddon, they twisted it by revealing that her sword was actually made for vampire slaying and it slowly drives its weilder into obsession/madness where they just can't stop killing. Which made her and Nitara arch-enemies.

I'm just pulling this out of thin air, so bare with me, but what if Quan Chi was the one responsible for Sareena's release as an hidden extra plot of some kind against Sub-Zero or the eventual build up against Shinnok?
I know she just turned on him, but Quan Chi has a habit of making his enemies his slaves.

Do you mean like he intentionally allows her to escape and join his enemies, intent on "activating" her and taking control of her during the opportune moment to slaughter them all?.... that's actually a fairly clever idea, though that would show a massive amount of foresight on Quan Chi's part, and that's undermined by him just enslaving her in Armageddon as well rather than planting her as a spy.

I sort of prefer Sareena's demonic powers to manifest due to her own weaknesses and emotions, keeping her conflict personal rather than a result of outside influence (like Li Mei's soul being tainted by Onaga's soldier). If she slips up, that's her own fault, and if she hurts someone she loves and cares for that's blood on her hands as well.

I'd like to see Sareena have more of her MK Mythologies moves/style, yet keep her 5-star kick move only. I remember her having a spin move, a unique flip kick, and used those sickles which went with her look and was even used as a nice projectile. I think we will see her, whether a DLC character, regular character, or hidden SU/unlockable character. I'd like to see more from her storywise, and maybe she/Raiden can make a deal for her and Sub Zero, to get together and help him defeat Khan's invasion and trick somehow trick Quan Chi/Shinnok in some way to prevent MK4 from happening or something, can be involved easily.

Sareena's Mythologies moves weren't that unique, really. The spin was just like Kung Lao's (Goro, Baraka, and Ashrah all have one like it too, as did Wonder Woman in MKvsDCU) and I don't remember what Sareena's flip kick looked like, but I'm pretty sure between Sonya, Scorpion, Li Mei, and Tanya, there aren't any good ways to do one left.
I mean, they were decent for a boss fight in a platformer, but as a playable character in the main series, she needs something with a stronger theme. That's why I suggested adding some moves where, like, she can transform an arm or hand into it's true demon clawed form. There aren't any characters currently who have anything that looks like that in their moves.

Yeah. That's another reason I feel she has so much potential that is being squandered. She's a DEMON. Apparently a terrifying and powerful one at that. But if you looked at her moves, could you tell?

To me, that's like having Sub-Zero in a game where all he does is kick and throw knives. He's got powers! Use them! Having Sareena not use demonic abilities or occultist spellcraft in lieu of kicks and knives just isn't tapping into how visually spectacular and memorable she could be if she showed even a hint of her demonic nature.

It's like if Scorpion, with his trademark spear, undead status, and control of hellfire, had a fatality where he just chopped a guy up with swords! ... and then they gave him a second fatality where he just chops people up with swords! How lame would THAT be?

Her MK5 Tournament Edition Outfit i would say is the best. So something very close to that.