I am not Jax007 but thanks!

I don't consider myself a Tremor advocate, but the reason people want him is obvious. Another ninja, and has Earth powers. Personally, I want him as a DLC character in the next game. Someone to play as but having nothing to do with the story.

I think in terms of gameplay a character that uses Earth based attacks could be really cool. I don't think he has to be a ninja but that's how most people want him.

Mavado not being on this list disgusts me.

Mavado disgusts me.

Great article! I like the list and the reasoning behind each pick. Here are my top ten:

10. Skarlett: She just appeared in her first MK game and while I thought that her move list was a little dull and half baked, that might actually work in her favor, as it leaves more room to expand on what she can do, especially with regards to her blood powers.

I see a lot of potential in her, and without being tied to Shao Khan, her story, what she wants, who she serves (Shinnok? Raiden? Herself?) are all wide open.

9. Tremor: Man this guy's catching some hate now! Here's why I like him. He's a ninja that's now working for a terrorist organization. Something about that makes me think that he has a ton of story possibilities. What's his situation with the Lin Kuei? Does Kano really trust him? How do Sub Zero and Smoke feel about him? What is his endgame?

Sure, he has "lackey" written all over him, but I'd like to see NRS go in a different direction. Maybe he left because of automation? Maybe he's infiltrating the Black Dragon for someone else? His potential lies in his situation, which is unique. Here's hoping he'd have the moves to match.

8. Reiko: I honestly hated Reiko in MK4. The generic throwing stars, the flip kick that looked more like a glitch than a move. The dull teleport. But then I saw his ending and practically jumped out of my seat! So yes, this is another "potential" character, but they could do a lot with him.

Revamp his move list with a much more Khan flavor, then reveal him to be a weakened Shao Khan that's posing as one of his own generals (don't just imply it!). He'd be one of the most popular characters, without a doubt.

7. Kira: Another "revamp the character for the story." Of all the new characters in MKD, I liked her background the most. I want to see what happens to her in the alternate timeline.

Take her away from Kabal and the Black Dragon. Who would she be? What would she want? Maybe she could be a hero. Again, her look and her moves would need a drastic change, but I still see a ton of potential here.

6. Drahmin: While throwing flies might not be the best move, the guy has one of, if not the coolest look of any post MK3 character. While I'll never find out what happened in his original storyline, I'd love to see them play that out and see what he becomes in the alternate timeline.

I also think that who he is, his background and that arm can all lead to some brutal and imaginative moves. Maybe the club gets some add-ons? Either way, a great character to revamp for next gen.

5. Mavado: Like Drahmin, I look at Mavado and see nothing but potential in his look, even if the moves and story aren't quite there yet. For one, I look at him and he seems Spanish to me, or perhaps Mexican. Either way, I think that's a little different from the see of white and Asian characters, which is good, as this is the world's struggle, not just the US and China or Japan.

But what really puts him on this list is his badass look and those awesome grappling hooks. No, not the hook swords (he shouldn't have those), but the hooks with the elastic bands. The potential for those on a 2D plane is off the charts! Plus, I'd kinda like to see them revamp his story in the alt timeline.

4. Sareena: Now we're getting in to the more indispensable characters for what the future appears to be for the next MK. Sareena is a great tweener character that has ties to multiple characters, and they're not all necessarily on the same side, so right away she's got my attention.

She has the potential to be a true wild card, especially if they allow her to release her inner demon, which I know some fans have been wanting to see.

3. Bo Rai Cho: It's just a guess, but I could see them leaving Liu Kang and Kung Lao out of the next game, which would be the first time that neither has appeared in an MK game. So there needs to be a new hero and a new hero could certainly use a teacher, right?

With good guys in short supply and Outworld likely to be in chaos after Khan's death, Bo Rai Cho could play a big part in the next game. I just hope they lay off the puking and farting this time around and give him an awesome drunken style.

2. Fujin: Given what Raiden did in the last game, this only makes sense. Who knows, maybe Raiden killing the chosen one will turn Fujin against him at the outset? Either way, I think that he has a part to play, either leading the good guys or simply opposing Raiden.

Plus, his background seemingly allows for a much more interesting play style than what we saw in MK4. Maybe an updated, more "god like" appearance could happen as well?

1. Kai: Others might disagree, but I want this guy groomed as the new champion of the gods. Sure, his original look and his updated look weren't all that exciting, but that can be fixed.

His move list can also be improved upon, and his handstand stance is a good place to start. I'd like to see them make Kai a full fledged capoeira fighter and then see how they can weave special moves in to that.

So that's my top 10 list (excluding Kenshi, Quan Chi and Shinnok, of course).

Personally, I would only add a few more returning characters: Scorpion, Sub Zero, Raiden, Noob, Cage, Sonya, maybe two of Milleena/Baraka/Kano/Reptile. So ten classic (including Quan and Kenshi), ten post MK3, and ten brand new would be nice. Maybe they bring back even more characters post launch.

Well, he can have two costumes: one - for ninja affectionados, another - for people who don't want to see another ninja in MK game.

I like Drahmin - he has interesting design and background, but his gameplay in MKDA was very lacking.

Thats a good list, though I don't really care about most of these characters. Who I would trully love to see return are Kenshi and maybe Onaga. Shujinko is also a good character.

Oh and Tremor? No way man! I would rather have hanky's Khrome.

I would hate that! I'd much rather have Reiko be his own character. Besides, Boon already confirmed a loooong time ago that Reiko and Shao Kahn are two different people. And I hope it stays that way.

Reiko can be a powerful character without being a clone of someone else.

I think it would be better for everyone if Tremor returns as a DLC like Rain did.

In fact, I wish Skarlet, Rain & Kenshi have a purpose in the next game.

I don't see Jarek being revamped anyhow. Maybe a cowboy look or something?

I feel the same about Tremor as I did about Freddy Krueger... All other already established canon characters come first! I'd even rather see Mokap than Tremor in the next game for that one simple reason. When all is said and done, then sure, bring in the garbage.

Nah DLC is a good way to have characters like Tremor who probably wouldn't actually appear in MK's story mode.

NRS would probably get garbage guest characters just because of their popularity. Freddy Kruger was the best selling DLC character in MK9. I don't think half of the people on this list is gonna make it in. People were complaining about Rain and to make him DLC at least, NRS made him DLC. Now people are complaining about Tremor and NRS knows he won't sell much vs a guest character. This is the benefit of hindsight.

Well, technically Tremor is an established MK character. Minor, but established nonetheless.

That's what I'm saying. :P As long he doesn't take up a potential spot for any of the canon characters like Freddy Krueger did.

In a non-canon game. MK: Special Forces wasn't canon.

Well Icebaby, vocal/obnoxious fans aside a lot of people see that he has some potential gameplay-wise and sticking him with the Black Dragon gives the Black Dragon something to do. The same could be said with Frost who also gets a bad rep for being "a bitchy sub-zero clone" even though there's potential there too.


@Kunglaodoesntsuck Agreed, As for backstory I think it'd be neat for him to start out as an unmasked ex-ninja who hates the look but over time gain an alternate costume that is barely masked that shows he can't help falling into old habits.

Sort of like a reverse Sub-Zero, I think it'd be a refreshing take on the masked ninja trope MK is fond of.

Tremor being an established character is not how u should look at it. Guest characters are established and widely recognised that's why they sell and are popular. The characters on this list are established but most are not widely recognised or well received by the community. That's why when they make new characters... they should make brand new characters like Skarlet because people already know some established characters suck and they form an opinion by jumping to conclusions. For example Tremor is from the worst MK game and he is not well received by the community. Kenshi was an established character and he worked well for MK9 because he was well recieved by the community. Rain fans were ranting about Rain in MK9, and now people are doing it for Tremor. Rain worked because he was in UMK3, but Tremor is from the worst MK game. However I can picture a new ninja in MK whether it's Tremor or Khrome but I say Khrome because there's no white ninja in MK.

It's still an official MK game anyway. Canonicity important only for the storyline.

But we haven't had an orange one yet, so Tremor might have a chance.

And that's enough for me not to have Tremor in the game.

MK is starting to be more colourful than a gay parade...

I wouldn't mind Tremor being in MK10 if he is well tended to.

Riyakou! You disappoint me. D:

- Shang Tsung.

He knows what's up.

Like I said if he's just a DLC character, he ain't hurting anybody.

I'll still vote against it. However, I am reasonable... IF NRS decides to make Tremor a playable character in the next MK AND they do an amazing job at it, then I might be persuaded. But if they do a half-assed job, I'll be very disappointed.

I don't like Tremor, I do not see the potential in the character, to me he is just another palette swapped ninja character with no soul put into his creation... and that's why I don't want him to be in the main games. But there's still a chance for NRS to prove me wrong, however, I really doubt they will.

The one I want the most on this game is Sareena, mostly because I was a big fan of the Sub-Zero and Sareena relationship and I even think she has a lot of potential contributing on Sub-Zero returning to human form and alive.

(My personal theory for this is:

- Quan Chi tries to make the deceased Sub-Zero his new champion like his brother before him, just because he thinks that would be too sweet and returns him to human form as a gift.

- Then asks him to kill Scorpion to prove his loyalty and that he deserves the position, because Quan Chi realizes that if Scorpion finds about what happened to his family he becomes a problem.

- Sareena warns Sub-Zero about this and how it's a plot to taint his soul and control him forever, with this advice Sub-Zero spares Scorpion's life and lets him go knowing the truth and enraged with Quan Chi.

- After that it's time to go kick some cyborgs and take the Lin Kuei for the forces of light, taking Sareena with him so she can prove that she really wants to redeem herself.

- Then they witness how Sektor used the DNA on Bi-Han's remains to build a new Cyber Sub-Zero so the very few that prefered the cyborg version still have him, and now Noob Saibot instead of reprogramming cyborg Smoke in the future, reprograms what used to be his mortal body and having what used to be the Noob-Smoke duo now be Bi Han's body and soul.)


I think Sareena has potential for some interesting moves, using her demonic form when using certain powers, switching forms in the middle of combos and of course during fatalities.

Apart from Sareena, I think Fujin is the most likely one, he even had a base model and voice archive with his name on the previous game.

Tanya has a lot of potential, specially if they mix her story with Rain, and they try to control Edenia now that Sindel and Kitana are both gone, so the forces of light have to either negotiate with them or take them down to get Edenia's army (the way I see it, I think the story would revolve around getting each deceased character back while controlling the survivors and new characters, and then each of them reclaiming certain armies during their chapters like the Lin Kuei, Edenia, Outworld, etc... to form a big force to oppose the netherealm forces).

Kai is a character that I'm intrigued, as if they do with him what they did with Stryker, it could be a really cool character with lots of potential.

Reiko I'm sure will have some role on this, and I hope they revamp Drahmin and Moloch.

I think Moloch should be in the same category than Sheeva: not big and strong enough for unplayable boss, but big.

Oh, and if the previous game story mode was an indication, prepare to kick those guys a lot during story mode like you had to kick Reptile, Baraka and Sheeva everytime the story demanded for random henchman kicking.

That or the other way around: Make Drahmin big and powerful enough in his revamp so he can be the Kintaro to Moloch's Goro. For some reason either way I want those 2 on the same category.


After that (Sareena, Fujin, Kai, Reiko, Moloch and Drahmin) I don't care too much. I think with Kano Jarek would be a bit redundant, and if they bring back Sub-Zero the same goes for Frost, she doesn't fit into the story as there is no human Lin Kuei to assist and to be honest I never liked her (and if they find a way to have both human and cyborg Sub-Zero, it would be too much). I never liked Ashrah though she has some revamp potential if they introduce her here. There are some cool characters out there but many of them would need a revamped story to fit into the plot and I don't know if the Red Dragon and the outworldian good guys have room in the plot. PS: I hope they maintain the playable roster of the previous game, as that's good both for fans of each character and for tournaments as increasing the roster brings more variety, like Tekken has been doing for so long.

Isn't that a tad unreasonable though? You gotta give them a chance to prove you wrong before shutting them out. :P