Hmm, I see your point. I need to do some corrections then. ^^
Edit: And now I've done so. :)



Indeed I have seen the new scans (Jade in my sig is from them) and I love Jade's hair in the new MK. I hope her twin ox-horn pigtails return in her alternate outfit though. I loved that hairstyle for her in MKD.

ROOOOOAAAARRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I seriously do NOT understand why it has taken me sooooo freaking long to address the few "Jade Threads" that are floating around the forum. She is, after all, one of my favorite characters and I'm very excited to see her in action.

Shame. On. Me.

I have yet to read all the comments, but, I will definitely do so and address some points after I post my opinion or else I'll never be done with this (it is irking me that I haven't given Jade much though after her revealed render).

JADE's LOOK and COSTUME:

I'll be honest: my initial reaction was that of disappointed.

It's not her fault or anything, but, when I first saw that picture of hers I was like:

1) Why is Mileena's outfit green?
2) Why does it remind me too much of Kitana?
2) Why does Jade look more like Kitana's "real cloned-twin" than Mileena?

Seriously. I was not happy.

However, her head, face, and hair were an absolutely wonder to look at. Jade looks gorgeous. So, I was like:

1) She looks more beautiful and royal than Kitana.
2) The sexy hairstyle looks very nice on her.
3) She looks mysterious.

Point #3 made me really happy. They (somehow) made Jade look like THE mysterious ninja girl. Is it the hair style? Is it her sort of serene expression in that render? I don't know, but, whatever it is. It works.

Overall, I was mostly disappointed by her look despite being truly excited to see mow of her (she does look gorgeous though).

My main issue with the costume is that, somehow, it just doesn't look as original and unique as her "Amazonian/Gypsy Latina" look from MKD. The wavy hair and wild look from her primary and that cute hairstyle in the alternate really made her stand out as "unique" and "different" when placed side by side with Kitana (Mileena was already the Queen of Outfits back then). Now, however, I just keep thinking that this outfit should had been Kitana's (except the golden chains) and Jade should had gotten something more similar to her MKD primary look.

I'm still annoyed that Kitana has that long loin cloth and it pisses me off that Jade actually has another one as well (though a lot shorter). WTF!?

I just don't think it was a smart move to do that.

Another thing I'm annoyed at is that Jade seems to be more like Kitana's "clone sister" than Mileena in this game. Why is that? Jade and Kitana look a lot more similar in looks than Kitana and Mileena do. That's kind of sad 'cause I wish I could still say "Omg, that girl in pink is actually the twin of the girl in blue!".

BUT......

Time went by and that picture started to grow on me

Even though I still feel most of all those things I said above, they really aren;t that big of a deal anymore. I've grown to appreciate Jade's new look a lot more for what it is. What are the positives?

1) I absolutely LOVE the golden chains around her. Best new addition yet.
2) I love the Gold/Green/Black color combination. Flawless!
3) Her mask is my favorite of the 3 ninjas girls. very very cool.
4) Her gloves are wicked.

I still she had some things that would link her to that wild Amazonian/Latina gypsy look from MKD, but, we can always cross fingers for the alternate costumes.

But yes, Jade looks absolutely gorgeous and (imo) the best of the 3 ninja girls. I love Mileena a lot more, but, there is something about this "new Jade" that makes me like her look much much better (maybe it's the fact that Mileena doesn't look anything like her MKD primary look, cause that one kicks the hell out of all the others).

Anyway, I give Jade's look a positive nod because she is rocking that costume.

She has the best look of the 3 ninja girls and looks to be the most mysterious of them. I have high expectations for Jade.

Jade also looks like the "least sexualized" of the 3 ninja girls. She is still sexualized, though, and very revealing, but, it really is a closer look to her original outfit than the other 2.

MKD easily made her one of my ultimate favorites thanks to her awesome look.

PS: Kind of wish she had darker skin, but, no biggie I guess.

SPECIAL MOVES and FIGHTING STYLE

Here kitty kitty kitty...

I agree with the comments that I wish she would keep that "purple magic-trail" for her projectiles and Staff (weapon).

I'll be more direct and straight forward regarding Jade's powers:

1) I want a lot of "weapon combos" like in MKU.
2) I want to see that staff (with the purple magic) in more special attacks.
3) The boomerangs are cool. I'm happy.
4) Can you please give her at least 3 new special moves?
5) I won't miss the teleport if she doesn't have it back (Kitana seems to still have this as it appears in her X-ray).

I seriously don't even remember Jade's move set from MKU and MKD. That's not good. I've never really been impressed by her specials.

She needs more special and memorable attacks. Like Mileena, she was/is really lacking in that department.

I want Jade's style to be very "cat-like" when she fights. I think it was no coincidence that her Animality in MKU was a kitty. I perceive Jade as a very sneaky and treacherous fighter. Not necessarily noble or "moral" in fights. More like Mileena but a lot less obvious and not crazy, lol.

Jade just seems to me like the one who'd stab you in the back without even bothering to make an announcement.

Mileena is more like the one who'd do that but she'd make a glorious entrance and exit + giggles about it.

Kitana would be a combination of both, but, she's more likely to be upfront challenging.

Back to Jade, I want her to be very sneaky, "cat like" (if that makes any sense), and mysterious.

That render of her "makes her feel mysterious", so, that's a good thing.

FATALITIES

I loved the one she had in MKD where she stabs the head and then jumps, grabs the stick, pulls it off, and waves it around. AWESOME.

However, I'm not sure I wan't to see this one back. I kind of hope for an awesome new and amazing Fatality for Jade.

If she has to have a remake of one of her classics, I'm hoping for the one in MKU where she stabs you and moves you around like crazy making your skin come off your body. They don't need to make the victim explode, but, they can totally make the skin come out.

Painful.

STORY

Let's keep the essentials:

1) Bad and evil girl who serves Shao Kahn willingly.
2) Mysterious.
3) Make her really struggle with the decision of betraying Kahn or betraying Kitana.
4) More depth with her "relationship" with reptile (another secret/mysterious warrior).

And give us some new stuff to enjoy Jade:

1) How and why is she Kahn's ally?
2) How does she feel about her "lost realm"? Was she ever aware of Jerrod and Sindel?
3) How did she get where she is and why is Kahn happy to make her be part of the twins?
4) When did she became friends with Kitana (and quite possible, Mileena?).

MKDeception kind of implies that she knows about Edenia's real history because of her hatred against Tanya, but, when did she know this before or after joining Kitana?

Jade must had really been something special for Kahn to trust her so much and even appoint her his mission to kill Kitana.

So, that's all for know regarding this amazing and awesome "Jade thread". I hope I didn't miss anything important.

I will most definitely come back to read every single comment and probably write a couple of responses.

I'm a happy Jade lover. Awesome thread!

Loong post :o! Anyway I dont think she looks more Royal than Kitana :S

Very nice response ^^
I too have always found Jade to be cat-like. Not as much as Catwoman from Batman, but that she is dark and mysterious, sneaky and unpredictable. She is not good nor bad, but is her own and makes her own decisions, following the path she thinks is right. First it was as Kahn's assassin, then aiding Kitana with freeing Edenia.

While Kitana is more strict and direct, and Mileena is murderous and psychotic, I think Jade is the one with the sex-appeal, being playful about it without being obvious. And like a cat, she can be utter brutal when fighting, striking unexpectedly.

True, out of the three girls, Jade is the one with the least original outfit. It stays true to her UMK3 outfit with a few changes, albeit no dramatic ones. However, I think that is quite alright as I've always found that outfit to be one of the better ones. I liked her MKD outfit as well, but I preferred her alternate outfit. And though I miss the twin ox-horn pigtails, I think her new hairstyle looks beautiful. Very simple and befitting, giving her an exotic and mysterious look.

Like you said, I hope she will utilize her staff alot in combos. I also loved the "knee, knee, heel" combo the girls used in UMK3 and it would be awesome to see Jade have that as well.


As for Fatalities, I am open to see what they have in store for her. Her UMK3 fatalities seemed rather simple, where her MKD fatalities were quite awesome. I don't want to see some exploding people due to some heavy staff shaking. XD

And hopefully, she will have some great story in the game.

I may have already said this, but it seems now, after the release of Mileena's vignette showing she was created as a grown girl/woman, that Jade and Kitana were Shao Khan's personal assassins long before Mileena was in the picture, we know it is canon that Kitana was adopted as an infant, and most people assume, Jade was kidnapped or taken by Khan in the Outworld invasion of Edenia, but I dont think that has ever been canonically stated. It is, however, a canon fact that Kitana and Jade are childhood friends, so its safe to assume that they grew up together serving Shao Khan.

Indeed, so I can't help wondering if Jade and Kitana already knew that Mileena was created then, since they would seemingly be old enough to understand that Mileena couldn't be Kitana's twin sister.

Here I go:



I hope alternates provide a more creative and interesting design for most characters (including my favorite Miss Sonya Blade, as much as I like her new look).

But, in a way, I do agree with MKBooted and Leo. Jade should have resembled her MKD look more (just like Mileena's should had resembled MKD's primary more than the alternate).

I know this is "based around MK1-3", but, seriously, only a few costumes are "100% canon" in MK (Li Mei's MKD armor). All outfits are just "what if's" and can easily look super different from what they did during the first 3 games unless there is a good reason to keep them the same (such is the case of keeping the masks for the ninjas, for example). Just look at Sonya (she looks nothing like she did in MK1-MK3, but, her look (lack of a shirt aside) is truthful to what her character is/was in those games (and the new ones too).

MK: Shaolin Monks is a perfect example of this:





But yes, overall, I find Jade's look to be beautiful and better than Mileena's and Kitana's outfits.

Again, hopefully alternates will show more creative designs featuring the best of their more original MKD costumes (for Mileena the Arabic look, for Jade the Amazonian style).



Agreed.

That huge stick was a disappointment.



I do agree with many things you said, but, not with everything, specially the part about "Jade's special moves".

I actually have a hard time remembering her specials unless I actually stop to think about them carefully. I do love the fact she uses more mystique and magic than Mileena and Kitana, but, most of her specials are rather forgettable and unmemorable.

Kitana's fan throw and fan lift are superior than all of Jade's moves, imo, but, that doesn't mean she can't get an awesome arsenal.

Kitana had a few new amazing moves in MKSM that never made it beyond that game, so, hopefully she'll show some more creative attacks in this game.

Mileena's alwyas been short in new specials as well, but, this game is proving that she'll get an amazing new set of attacks.

I hope they same for Jade. The "vanishing winds teleport" and "nitro kick" are really not that special.

Sindel still kicks all their butts though. Sonic Scream and Hair throw and Hair fatality FTW!



I think Jade is bad (as in really a bad guy), at least at first though. I do think she follows her heart in the end, but, at the begging (MK2-MKU) she's not "doing what she wants" as in "feeling free to choose what she wants to do: good or bad". In MKU she is actually struggling with herself between the decision of betraying Kahn or aiding her best friend.

Also, I think you misunderstood me: I do not think she has the least original or creative costume, in fact, I think her costume is (by far) superior to Mileena's and Kitana's (specially Kitana's).

Kitana features a very heavy mixture of both Mileena and Jade more than anything original from "herself" (only things being the earrings and the tiara and "x" things in the boobs).

Mileena looks great for what it is, but, it really isn't that special when compared to Jade (she is half naked, after all, little room for design right there), imo (except for the awesome design in back of her costume and the fantastic sexy design in her boots).

Jade, on the other hand, seems to have a lot more going on in her costume and look. I find her outfit to be the best of the 3 and not in a "it's still mediocre" kind of way.

I don't think its "poor" (like Kitana's and Mileena's), but, I do think they should had stayed closer to her fantastic comeback look in MKD (which definitely established her as unique and original, like it did for Tanya and Ermac, for example).

I'm not being dramatic about it because my hopes and expectations for alternates and DLC costumes is really really really high.

Welcome back, Jade. It's your turn to shine.

When you write MKU, do you mean UMK3, as in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3?

Anyways, yeah, I did misunderstand you. I thought you meant she appeared like her UMK3 outfit too much to look original, and in a sense I agree with that. But at the same time, I like it.

I think Jade's outfit looks like a good mix of all her appearances, mostly leaning towards her UMK3 outfit. I would LOVE if her alternate outfit would be like her Shaolin Monks outfit, though with the twin ox-horn pigtails... I just love that hairstyle, can't help it.

Though I like Jade's MKD main outfit, I prefer her looking more ninja-assassin like. In MKD, Jade was less the secretive assassin, so showing her in the exotic outfit and without a mask was the perfect opportunity. However, at this point of the timeline, Jade is still the assassin, not the Edenian Freedom Fighter. I agree though that they could have used more elements from her MKD outfit, such as her jewel armbands and her boots. I love those boots! There are a few elements in her current outfit from those boots, such as the kneepads and the golden soles and heels.
I wouldn't mind seeing her alternate outfit be more like it though.

Jade's most memorable move is definately her Dodging Shadows move which makes her invulnerable to projectiles of any sort. She always used it when charging you in UMK3-MKT which was a pain in the ass. XD

But I agree, Jade's other moves aren't that special. She has a projectile like everyone else have (Razor-Rang), though unlike others, she was able to make it go upwards, downwards, straightforward AND have it return if it missed. Her Blazing Nitro Kick is basically the same as Cage's Shadow Kick, and her new teleport move Vanishing Winds wasn't very useful. Hopefully they will make her moves appear more unique and make them more useful. She needs to be faster, because if there's something I have always associated with Jade's gameplay, it's speed. In MK2-MKT, Jade was one of the fastest characters, if not THE fastest! And maybe even add a new special move, that would be awesome. I am always a fan of adding special moves to the characters as the franchise evolves.

Jade is Kahn's assassin at this point of the timeline, so yes, she will do his bidding. Most of her life she's been serving Kahn and suddenly changing that is a huge step for her. However, it depends on her past... If her past is like my little fanfic, then she's always had it in the back of her head that she was something else than just Kahn's minion. I have read other people's opinions about this, and I actually find the idea of her trying to convince Kitana to come back to Kahn rather attractive.

Jade doesn't want to lose her best friend, so that she's trying to convince Kitana to return under Kahn's rule and give up the ridiculous dream that is to free Edenia would make sense. I don't think she would attempt to do so only because Kahn ordered her to, though. Jade wants it herself as well. And as it seems to fail, and Reptile starts attacking Kitana, Jade says "Oh, fuck it" and chooses to follow Kitana and defy her emperor. She could just as well have let Kitana go and return to Kahn, but she didn't. That's what I mean with that Jade chooses on her own. She breaks free from servitude.

As to Sindel... Yes, her looks and moves makes her the most unique of all the Edenians. Her goth banshee queen look is just awesome and her special moves fit her well. I like that the Edenian girls seem to use air elemental in one way or the other, besides Tanya who is all about fire.

This statement might cause some controversy but PLEASE for the love of god DO NOT bring back Jades flashing move where all projectiles pass through her. that was quite possibly one of the cheapest moves in MK history. If you are gonna bring it make, make it a special move that can only be used once or something.

jade is egyptian (arab - middle eastern)
1. jade's desert
2. egyptians have african dna in their geneoly

I dont want Jade's story to change for this game, she should still be one of the assassins, and then switch sides to join Kitana. What I do want though is more depth.

The main things I want from this game in terms of Jade are:

Some more info on how she and Kitana came to be friends. (Was it childhood, training, working for Kahn that brought them together etc)
What is her relationship with Kahn like?
What is her relationship with Mileena like?
Where on earth did the Tanya rivalry come from? (It seemed very one-sided in MKD)

Ive never particularly liked Jade for varying reasons (thats for another day I guess) but mainly because I find her pretty bland to be honest. But hopefully this game with add some much needed depth.

Perhaps try and do something else than using projectiles then. ;P



Jade is Edenian. She's not even from Earthrealm. However, if she was, then I think being Egyptian would fit her quite well.



I hope we get to learn Jade more in this game, and you come up with some good points. Now that you mention it, her rivalry with Tanya did indeed seem one-sided, however, it will first happen after MK4 where Tanya shows her true colours.

will tanya and jade relationship be shown?? i mean tanya is gonna end up dlc eventually (much like rain, kenshi, shinnok and cyborg smoke)..but will any of them be in the story..it seems like a waste as their nrs will be spending time on these characters.

jade resembles patricia valesquez (fine ass egyptian chick from the mummy/returns)
http://www.crankycritic.com/qa/pf_articles/mummy/valesquez1.jpg

Oh lords, you're actually serious, aren't you?

To answer your question though:
Nothing is confirmed about if DLC's will have storylines or even who will be DLC's. Tanya won't turn out to be evil before MK4 though, so I doubt there will be any Jade/Tanya rivalry this time around.

Good topic, Jaded-Raven. I liked your version of Jade's origin, though I must admit, I don't really like the idea of making Jade significantly older than Kitana. I think she becomes too much like a mother figure in that scenario, and that role should be Sindel's.

I much prefer Jade and Kitana as peers -- I see Jade as the sister Kitana never had...the teammate who was more like a "twin" to Kitana than her fabricated twin. I view them as growing up together...reaching many of the same milestones together, but with starkly contrasting personalities. It makes their separation and Jade's conflict more compelling because, for a time, they both became estranged. Kitana sought to overthrow the Kahn regime while Jade floundered, thinking Kitana's ideas were foolish. I attribute this to their differing personalities. I view Kitana as more rebellious and Jade as more pragmatic and duty-bound...colder, and less impulsive.

I really like your idea that Jade is wary of trusting outsiders from the Earth realm...it meshes with the idea that Jade is less impulsive than Kitana. I believe Jade had strong aversions to Kahn, but her sense of duty kept her loyal. She was a soldier in a corrupt regime...imagine having to serve your country, but under a tyrant. There's this begrudged sense of duty, and finding a way to serve as best you can, but trying to do so without destroying your own sense of right and wrong. I imagine Mileena as the mole...the one sent to make sure Jade and Kitana adhere to missions. But Jade undermines Kahn when/where she can (along with Kitana), possibly allowing someone to survive with a warning, much to Mileena's disapproving glares.

I think Jade possibly had other methods of saving Edenia, but again, they were pragmatic. Perhaps she felt that it was impossible to win a war against Kahn through Kitana's impulsive means. I can envision discussions she has with Kitana where she urges her to fall in line with Kahn because she feels Kitana will do more harm than good...that now wasn't the time for foolishness. That leads into her ultimate conflict when she tracks Kitana. Jade was forced to choose the right side and be a little impulsive.

I kind of got the feeling the rivalry went back further than Tanya's betrayal to her realm in MK4. If there is nothing else behind the 'rivalry' that Jade hating Tanya for betraying Edenia, I will be quite disappointed.

I'd rather say Jade acts like an older sister to Kitana, not a mother figure. And I didn't mean to make Jade significantly older in my story, just old enough to know what's really happened with Edenia.
Other than that, you have some really good points. I can easily see Jade as being more analystical and, as you say, pragmatic. She's Kitana's "voice of reason" so to speak, the one Kitana trusts when in doubt, and I think that's how it also is when they both fight against Kahn.



That would mean that they know eachother when working for Kahn. Tanya's role in that point of the timeline has yet to be established, but I hope they will be creative about the rivalry if NRS makes it return. Honestly, I'm not too fond of that rivalry, as it seems like an easy excuse to try and make them both more interesting. It seems a bit lazy, as if there's not enough rivalries in MK already. They could have done so much more than just setting two characters up against eachother.

i said this on the smoke thread..but gonna say it twice cos jade's my fav mk female
ppl like my idea of jade <3 smoke romance..i think it should be like a forbidden love thing like romeo and juliet or a muslim woman and a non-muslim guy (big no-no btw)..for ex jade would say edenians can't be with a non-edenian (similar to what a muslim woman would say to a non-muslim man)..but smoke is in love with her beauty and tries it with her lol..player right there

Jade is an Edenian assassin working for Shao Kahn, Smoke is a Lin Kuei warrior who becomes automatized into a cyborg. They had a partnership in the Malibu comics, however, it was non-canon.

How would the two meet? Why would they fall in love? How would their love be forbidden?

Seeing as Jade is Edenian and wears little clothes, I don't see the muslim reference. And we have already seen that Kitana and Liu Kang having somewhat of a romance, so the whole "Edenians cannot be with non-Edenians" theory has kinda blown out the window there.

So far, it doesn't really make sense.

jade and smoke could work as a quick fling sort of thing..o.k give me more time to come up with something (or not)..but here's what i have
smoke saves jade from ambush in living forest..but dissapears in smoke before she could thank him..then jade finds out smoke is a friggin cyborg..she wants to visit him to say 'thank you gawjus' lol
she kisses cyborg smoke to see if he feels anything (like beauty and the beast haha or should i say beauty and the cyborg lol)..or jade just secretly wants to smoke his pole

... No words.

So you are into the whole damsel in distress thing and likes to get off to it?
I mean, seriously... don't be disgusting.

Apologize me but I have to criticize you: got to tell that you should think of another manner of receiving new fragile ideas, because what you are doing now is rather rude and immature. You don't go to bash on a rising artist by trying to find all the flaws from their artwork either just because you like the concept it's based on, do you? Not everyone dares to stand behind their fragile and innovative ideas because of people like you. For real, think of it. You are free to tell your opinion on it, in a mature way, but you don't have to bash on it for two pages or so (see vanishing winds...). Insulting the poster is an immature and unintelligent way to express yourself and, as a matter of fact, prohibited in forum rules.

About the idea noobsmoke_mk: such a relationship could even work if you look at other series with similar events. One example is the relationship between Chloe and Doomsday in Smallville. Maybe you should proceed your idea further to make it seem more sensible.

Uh... I wasn't bashing anyone's opinions, I just said "no words" that doesn't imply to "bashing one's opinions" sir.

Please, whatever you have with Jaded-Raven, keep me out of it. I saw your arguments on the other thread. If you want to see bashing opinions, I would happily get involved with the whole plant business in the other thread.

I guess that isn't for you then, I more like put you in it just in case you'd be involved in similar actions. I'll edit the post, my bad then. What comes to the plant idea, I agree that it may have not been all that good but I feel that Jaded-Raven made a mountain out of a molehill. That was a futile subject anyway and I have left the plant Jade mixture for good but if you'd like to accompany in the plant business, go for it. But I suppose we are fine.