One year on from the record release of Mortal Kombat X; NetherRealm Studios Creative Director Ed Boon has polled fans on the controversial subject of absentee characters.

Using a Twitter poll: Boon asked which character fans missed the most, isolating his options to just four characters. With a 45% majority, Noob Saibot was the overwhelming winner. Popularly requested cult favourite Rain came second with 22%.

The question asked was arguably a loaded one, with only one of the four "missing" characters completely absent from Mortal Kombat X. Baraka (17%) and Rain made appearances as non-playable opponents in the game's story mode, and as eventual Invasion bosses. Kabal (16%) appeared in story mode cut scenes, reprising his Mortal Kombat (2011) role as a revenant soldier of the Netherrealm.

Speaking to Gamereactor; Boon discussed balancing fan expectations and requests, explaining: "Unfortunately, it's simply not possible to satisfy every single wish from players. Often times those wishes contradict each other and it falls on us to determine what is best for each iteration of Mortal Kombat. While we certainly do listen to what the fans would like to see in the next game, we also want to surprise them with each game and give them something they were not expecting."

Notable by omission from Boon's poll is Fujin: A significant figure in the game's FMV sequences, and one of the most talked about characters who did not make the Mortal Kombat X roster cut.

Fujin appears alongside Raiden during the story mode, playing a similar role featured in Mortal Kombat 4, upon which Mortal Kombat X is loosely based. He topped Mortal Kombat Online's pre-release comeback character list for that same tie, and was also voted 2015 Supreme Mortal Kombat Champion by fans hopeful to encourage his inclusion as downloadable content. The March release of Mortal Kombat XL appears to have closed the book on DLC for this installment in the game series.

Which unseen character did you miss the most? Register to vote in the MK Online User Poll, and sound off on your favourites on the Mortal Kombat X forum! Go deeper into character debate in the Fan Koliseum!