To whom it may concern:

I have been a Mortal Kombat fan since it first appeared, and as such, I’ve seen the series throughout it’s ups and downs. For the most part, I’m open to new characters, new fighting engines, and even though there may be things...like the crossover with DC, for one...that may initially irk me, I like to think I’m an open and fairly reasonable fan.

Ultimately, I am a fan who values storyline and the characters as much as the gameplay...and I would say more than mini-games or new costume designs. And I really have to express concern over the recent depictions and treatment of my favorite character overall: Kitana. As said, I value story a great deal and Kitana’s story is something I love especially about her...however, in recent years this aspect of her character, among other things, has been severely lacking.

I’ve looked the other way and accepted certain limitations...always with the optimistic thought of “Well, hopefully in the next game, they’ll fix that.” However, with Kitana’s depiction in the latest entry, Mortal Kombat vs. DC, I can’t look the other way or make excuses. There’s something very wrong going on with the way Kitana’s been made and as a fan, I have to speak up.
(Pardon the length, but I have a lot to get off)

First of all, let me point out that Kitana is, objectively, one of the stronger creations on the Mortal Kombat roster. The fans really are a fairly unique and interesting weapon and the image of Kitana wielding them is...or was anyway...a striking and memorable image. But also in terms of storyline. Whether you guys are aware of it or not, with Kitana you’ve created a legitimately strong and effective character.

Just consider some of the basic principles of storytelling and character development:

1) “characterization is the sum of all observable qualities of a human being; everything we can know about a person just by studying their history and observing them day in, day out”
There are actually not all that many characters in Mortal Kombat who have legitimately fleshed characterization. A lot of characters...too many, some would argue...are very thinly developed, vaguely defined, or just way too broad. There aren’t many whom we can get a clear sense of who they are based on what we know about them. While Kitana obviously isn’t 100% fleshed out and there are aspects of her that remain unknown, she has sufficient characterization where can get a fairly good sense of who, why, and how she is who she is.

2) “true character, who a character really is underneath, is revealed in the choices he/she makes or conflicts they encounter under pressure; the greater the pressure, the truer the revelation of true character”
There aren’t many characters who have a reasonable amount of characterization, but even fewer who have been confronted with what we can call true choices or encountered real conflict. Kitana has. She made a major defining choice when she chose to turn against Shao Kahn despite loyally serving him for most of her life. She’s then gone on to deal with assassins, her brainwashed mother, more invasions, death and loss, etc.

3) “revelation of true character in contrast or contradiction to characterization is fundamental in all fine storytelling; furthermore, revelation of deeper character in contrast to characterization is essential in major characters”
Once again, all information about Kitana’s past suggests she was purely loyal to Shao Kahn, and yet, she chose to turn against him when she learned the truth about her past. A compelling character...so is it really a surprise she has gone on to become on the major heroes of the series?

4) “the best writing not only reveals true character, but arcs or changes that inner nature over the course of the story”
We’ve watched Kitana grow from this mysterious assassin who once served her evil step-father into this strong, heroic leader of her people and a diplomat over the course of the series. She is one of the very small few characters who has undergone an arc of change through the series.

5) “the key difference between a protagonist and supporting character, between hero and victim, is self-reliance; the protagonist must be able to achieve his/her goals under their own power”
As far as we know, Kitana learned the truth about herself, she did it herself. When she turned on Shao Kahn, she was alone and she made that choice herself. She fought Mileena. She escaped Outworld. She convinced Jade to join her. She freed Sindel. She led Edenia’s armies into Outworld.

Kitana was not just an effective and compelling protagonist overcoming conflict, she was a strong and independent hero capable of fulfilling her journey on her own. But lately in recent years, everything that’s made her story and character special seems to be chipping away.

That first great defining choice, turning against Shao Kahn, has been undermined or flat-out ignored more and more with each passing game. Either it’s not even acknowledged she was once a loyal servant of Kahn or it’s explained away as all due to some evil spell. This either flattens her character by taking away the revelation of true character completely...or it cheapens it into nothing.

Ignore this aspect of Kitana’s character, and all you’re really left with is this typical “heroic princess fighting to save her realm,” which is quickly becoming another problem. More and more, Kitana’s choices and conflicts seems to be made, less because that’s who she is as a character and what she wants...but more because she’s “one of the good guys.” And as “one of the good guys” she will only do whatever “one of the good guys” will do.

And this is what’s giving way to what I think may be the most damaging to her character: the removal of her self-reliance. She’s tied in a ill-conceived and poorly developed relationship with Liu Kang. And since Deadly Alliance, we’ve seen Kitana killed, enslaved, beaten, under spells, and taken prisoner whether the game was canon or not. Culminating in what I think has to be right up there alongside Shaolin Monks as one of the most degrading and humiliating portrayals of her character: the scenes in MK vs. DC where she is beaten by Scorpion, placed under a spell by Quan Chi, and led around like a mindless puppet.

All this does is trash her credibility as a fighter and hero...leaving fans with a sense she’s little more than a soft and fragile damsel in distress who can do nothing without her white bread knight in shining armor Liu Kang or ultra competent best friend Jade to hold her hand. What happened to the Kitana who served Shao Kahn as a cold-blooded assassin for thousands of years? What happened to bad ass ninja woman who fought and killed her deranged evil clone? What happened to lone warrior who almost single-handedly saved her realm from Outworld? Why has she been replaced by this pathetic creature who can’t even escape a simple armbar?

Adding insult to injury, look at MK vs. DC’s story mode. DC’s side has eight chapters. Mortal Kombat’s side has seven chapters. What MK characters were not given their own chapter? Kitana. Kano. And Baraka. This is who we’re equating Kitana, one of the main heroes of the story and one of the most popular characters, with? Two lower-level henchmen characters?

Could we chalk this all up to a simple lack of effort or care? Maybe...because story certainly isn’t the only place Kitana’s been lacking. I’ve been told Kitana plays great in MK vs. DC and that, in fact, this is the best she’s played since MK2...which, honestly, I think is a sad commentary in and of itself considering it’s been about fourteen years and she’s been in seven games since MK2. Maybe I would be happier about this though, if Kitana wasn’t sharing a move with Sonya Blade and stealing moves from Jade and Mileena.

I’ll say again, the fans are a unique and interesting weapon...and yet the extent we’ve seen Kitana do with them is a throw, a lift, and a slash. Now we’ve gotten to the point where she has to rip off one of the trademark moves of Mileena...that’s just sad. Kitana also hasn’t had a decent fatality since her debut. All she’s ever had is the Kiss of Death and a Decapitation. And finally, how much effort has gone into Kitana’s design through the years? All she’s even worn since day one is a variation of a blue and black bathing suit. Characters who originated as clones of her like Mileena, Jade, and Tanya have gone on to develop their own distinctive looks while Kitana remains eternally wearing the standard issue blue bathing suit.

I think what especially bothers me about this is how during on the developer Kasts, someone stated that MK vs. DC would be a “return to MK2 glory” for Kitana. I looked the other way on her recycled design and fatalities...as I understand the goal here was an “iconic” feeling...but I consider that claim as we have her also ripping off one of Mileena’s moves, being completely degraded in the story, and not even being allowed to have a story chapter of her own. And I have to ask: THIS is her return to glory?

If this pathetic display is really considered by the creators as some sort of return to glory then, in all honesty, they should just kill Kitana off and never speak of her again. Because this is embarrassing. As a Kitana fan, I’m embarrassed...just as I was embarrassed by her portrayal in Shaolin Monks. And I firmly believe Kitana should not be an embarrassing character.

There’s speculation that Kitana will be granted a story chapter as downloadable content, but frankly, that’s not good enough for me. I’m tired of seeing her treated as an afterthought. As a character thrown in to fill a quota. It’s been going on for years and I’m tired of it. She was planned to be in Mortal Kombat 3, but was left out...only to be added to UMK3. She was supposed to be in MK4, but left out at the last minute...only to be added to MK Gold. Too many times I’ve settled for less and Kitana should not be such a character.

Like I said, she has one of the strongest storylines in the game...until it gets officially retconned into oblivion. The fans remain a great weapon. And despite all the ways Kitana’s been treated as an afterthought through, she remains a popular and beloved character...though obviously not as popular as she was or can still be. And to be perfectly blunt, I think it’s pathetic. There’s no reason she should be treated this way. There’s no reason, no reason at all, why Kitana should not be one of the top faces of Mortal Kombat...up there with Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Raiden.

Unless, you guys simply don’t want her to be. And if that is the case...again, kill her off and never speak of her again. I truly would rather see Kitana gone from the series altogether than to see her continue to sink into becoming this pathetic joke of wasted potential.


Sincerely,
a concerned fan