MK Fighters fighting styles
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To SaiFanStaff: Wow....just wow....I'm surprised and a bit ashamed that I did not see your post much sooner. I've been busy in my personal life, and I honestly don't post too much on these forums anymore even though I am technically around a lot of the time. It's really funny just how your post is very much in line with my kind of thinking in regards to this stuff.
I pretty much agree with all of the points you made. I especially agree with you about the characters' fighting styles using real martial arts as a sort of baseline instead of strictly sticking to the techniques of those arts. Kitana using Piguazhang moves makes sense, and I think they did have her use the windmill chops in MK vs. DC. I do also like the idea the MK team had with her using Baguazhang and Ying Zhao Pai (Eagle Claw).
To Immortal_Kanji: To me, if you want to keep this sort of discussion going, it would help to really contribute more to your own thread. Why not go beyond just "Which martial arts should the characters use?" and go more for "How should each character play?". I think that would open up for a much broader and more interesting discussion. I certainly love to talk about the different martial arts styles for the characters, but for a series like Mortal Kombat, I agree with SaiFanStaff that they are best used as a sort of base for the characters' fighting styles.
Now, having said all of that, I'm going to give a brief rundown to give an idea of what I mean. And mind you, it's going to be very long, and we still might not get much activity in this thread anyway, but hey, you pretty much asked for updates.
Ashrah: I see her fighting style focusing on using the Kriss and her overall special powers. For hand-to-hand combat techniques, I see influences from traditional Chinese and Javanese (e.g. Indonesian and Malaysian) martial arts.
Baraka: NRS did a pretty good job capturing his fighting style, in my opinion. For his hand-to-hand combat moves, I see him focusing much more in the striking and trapping ranges with a bit of grappling and limited kicks.
Blaze: He would largely focus on using his powers. For hand-to-hand combat, I imagine him focusing more in the striking range. I kind of see some Xingyiquan type influence for the way he fights. It was one of the styles he used in MKDA and MKU.
Bo' Rai Cho: I actually like all the martial arts styles they had him use, but I like the idea of him focusing mainly on Zuiquan (Drunken Fist) techniques. I really hope that NRS uses the character trait feature from Injustice: Gods Among Us as a staple in their fighting games, especially for MK games. For Bo' Rai Cho, he would pretty much rip off of Shun Di from the Virtua Fighter series by drinking alcohol to unlock other moves. In addition to the Zuiquan moves, it would be nice to throw in some Jo (cane) moves for normals and specials.
Chameleon: I haven't really thought too much about him, to be honest. His fighting style could easily be a hodge-podge of moves from the other male ninja-type characters, but that would be too predictable. Perhaps it would be sort of funny to have his fighting style be based off of the fake Ninjutsu styles, the ones that go under "Ninjitsu" like Dux-ryu and Tew-ryu.
Cyrax: It's a little tricky with him, in my opinion. I really like what they did with his gameplay in MK9. If we stick with the African roots, it would be interesting to have influences from African martial arts along with influences from traditional Chinese martial arts, especially more of the Northern styles like Meihuazhuang (Plum Flower Pillar).
Daegon: I see his fighting style being largely based off of traditional Chinese martial arts. I think I came to a suggestion of Huo Long Quan (Fire Dragon Fist) from Emei mountain, but there are some martial arts styles, especially the Chinese martial arts, that most people, including myself, just don't know much or anything about.
Dairou: Dairou's fighting style should reflect both his previous military background as a Seidan Guardsman and his current role as a mercenary. I see his hand-to-hand combat style reflecting traditional Chinese martial arts like Xingyiquan and traditional Japanese martial arts, especially the sogo bujutsu (comprehensive martial arts) that were designed for battlefield fighting such as Tatsumi-ryu Heiho. So basically, I see him more focused in close-ranged combat by using a lot of grappling and trapping techniques.
Darrius: I see Darrius being fairly balanced in the different ranges of hand-to-hand combat but using his axe-bladed gauntlets a lot more. I find that it makes sense for his gameplay to use more gadgets to reflect his style of fighting.
Drahmin: For Drahmin, it's really as straight-forward as it can get. He's a character that is about offensive and brute strength, with little-to-no defensive options. Using "Netherrealm" and "Oni" as fighting style names is kind of bland, predictable, and boring, in my opinion. But having said all of that, he would mainly be a striking-oriented character with extremely limited grappling, some kicks, and definitely some trapping range moves like stomps, elbows, and knees. I kinda see influences from Japanese Karate as well as some influence from Lethwei, the Burmese equivalent to Muay Thai.
Ermac: I really like what NRS did with Ermac's fighting style in MK9. He should have a good focus on both hand-to-hand combat and the usage of his special powers. Like in MK: Deception and MK: Armageddon, I mainly see a traditional Chinese martial arts influence, especially with Choy Li Fut influences as it is a hybrid style designed for defending against multiple opponents.
Frost: Like Ermac, I see Frost's fighting style having a good focus on both hand-to-hand combat and the usage of special powers. However, with Frost, like Sub-Zero, I see her using her powers to form weapon constructs such as her ice daggers. I did think of an interesting style that could perhaps be used as a basis for her fighting style. It's called Xueshanquan (Snowy Mountain Fist), but I'm just going by the name like with Huo Long Quan for Daegon.
Fujin: I see Fujin's fighting style mainly focusing on his divine powers and being a bit more of a defensive fighter. I like the idea of him using a kuda yari (tube spear) as his weapon much like how Raiden uses the rokushakubo (six-shaku staff). Its techniques would be derived from a Sojutsu (spear art/skill) tradition called Owari Kan-ryu. For his hand-to-hand combat techniques, I see influences from both traditional Chinese and Japanese martial arts. I'm thinking along the lines of Taijiquan, Baguazhang, Daito-ryu Aiki-Jujutsu, and Kito-ryu Jujutsu.
Goro: With characters like Goro, it's easy to just say "brute strength". It's more interesting to give flavor to that theme. I see his fighting style being more about close-ranged combat with strikes and grapples with limited kicks. I would like to see a sort of dragon-like quality in his striking techniques and for his overall fighting style to reflect a sort of majestic feel. For his grappling moves, I thought of them being influenced from the Jarasandhi approach to Malla-yuddha (Indian combat wrestling), which focuses on breaking limbs and joints.
Havik: I see Havik focusing more on his special abilities. It'd be very cool to see him use moves with confusion, disruption, etc. Instead of using the Morning Star as his weapon, I like the idea of him using a three-chained flail for more of a chaotic look and feel. For his hand-to-hand combat moves, I would love to see influences from two Chinese martial arts known as Emei Boziquan (Emei Cripple Fist), which imitates the movements of a crippled person, and Zhong Jia Jiao Feng Quan (Zhong family Tradition Crazy Fist), which imitates a crazy person. That would be just perfect for him.
Hotaru: Hotaru's fighting style should reflect his military background, and I mainly see his fighting style being influenced by traditional Japanese martial arts, especially the battlefield styles. I'm thinking of styles like Takenouchi-ryu, Kukishin-ryu, Tatsumi-ryu, and Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu. His hand-to-hand combat techniques would mainly focus on grappling.
Hsu Hao: Being in the Chinese military, it makes sense for him to be trained in Junshi Sanda (Military Freefighting). Given his Mongolian heritage, I'd draw influence from Bokh, the Mongolian wrestling style.
Jade: I more or less like what NRS captured for her fighting style in MK9, and I do like the idea they had of her using Fanziquan in MKD and MKA. I would also throw in influence from Japanese martial arts like Tatsumi-ryu for its Yawara (hand-to-hand combat skills), Bojutsu (Stick/Staff skills), Shurikenjutsu (hand-hidden blade skills) for her Razor-Rangs, and Monomi (scouting) to reflect the espionage element more prevalent in her later role in the Edenian forces.
Jarek: Jarek would be something of a brawler who uses machetes as his weapons. Although the lasso moves are kind of weird for him, I sort of dig them when thinking in retrospect, especially if we go with a Hojojutsu/Nawajutsu (Rope-tying skills) influence. I had thought of some Filipino martial arts influences for his hand-to-hand fighting techniques with Panantukan/Suntukan (Filipino boxing), but then again, I see him being less refined than Kano.
Jataaka: Although she's a very minor character, I actually thought of something interesting for her. I came up with the idea of African martial arts influences for her from arts like Testa, an Ethiopian martial art specializing in headbutts, and Njom/Laamb, a folk wrestling style from Senegal. She'd basically be a more close-ranged fighter. I also thought about her weapon, and I think that it would be neat to see her sword be based on the shotel, an Abyssinian sickle sword.
Jax: Jax is a little tricky. For one, I really love what NRS did with his gameplay in MK9. He's actually one of my favorite characters to play as. I do like the idea of him using various grappling techniques, and I imagine his grappling techniques would focus more on throws, takedowns, and slams as opposed to joint-locks and submissions and such. However, I do see him using a fair bit of striking, trapping, and kicking techniques as well. In a way, Sambo kind of fits as it has influences from a lot of grappling styles like Judo and Uzbek Kurash as well as striking and kicking techhniques. Krav Maga makes sense too.
Johnny Cage: Basically, I see his fighting style being fairly balanced in terms of offensive and defense and using Kenpo Karate and Jeet Kune Do (using the term loosely here). I think it does make sense for him to have this sort of freestyle feel and draw influences from multiple martial arts. I do see him using more strikes and kicks than grapples though.
Kabal: I see Kabal as something of a brawler with his hand-to-hand fighting techniques, but I mainly see his fighting style involving his hookswords. I did think of a style called Duan Quan (Short Fist) as an influence. It's a short-ranged style that uses punching techniques like straight punches and uppercuts. The hookswords are one of the weapons taught.
Kai: I sort of see Kai's fighting style similar to Cyrax's by drawing influences from both African and Chinese martial arts. I know that a lot of people would easily suggest Capoeira due to the handstand and all that, but I have something else in mind. There's a West African martial art called Dambe which is sort of boxing-like but has kicks and used to use some wrestling moves. For the Chinese martial arts influences, I actually think that using Houquan (Monkey Fist) makes sense for him as I see him being a very nimble fighter. He'd be more about speed and tricks.
Kano: I had previously thought of him to be this brawler who fights crudely, but I did a fair bit of rethinking with Kano. Personally, I would go with a very militant, Japanese Kano who uses Japanese Karate (Shotokan and/or Kyokushin influences) along with some grappling and tantojutsu (knife skills). For the Karate influences, I do see him using more of the striking techniques akin to boxing-type punches, such as Kizami Tsuki or Seiken Ago Uchi (essentially Karate's equivalent of the jab), Kagi Tsuki (Hook Punch) and Mawashi Tsuki (Roundhouse Punch or "haymaker").
Kenshi: I really like what NRS did with Kenshi in MK9. His fighting style should mainly focus on his powers and his katana. For his sword-fighting moves, he should pretty much draw influences from various arts that focus on Kenjutsu (Sword Skills), such as Ono-ha Itto-ryu.
Khameleon: Like Chameleon and the other male ninja-type characters, Khameleon's fighting style could easily be a simple hodge-podge of moves from the female ninja-type characters. Instead, I suggest something different for her. For one thing, instead of using the Falchion as her weapon, I think it would be more interesting to see her use the Nunti Bo. It's an Okinawan polearm weapon with a manji sai attached to it, reflecting a sort of similarity to Jade's and Mileena's weapons. The techniques for the Nunti Bo could come from Matayoshi Kobudo, an Okinawan martial art that teaches various Okinawan weapons. For hand-to-hand fighting techniques, I'm not really sure, to be honest. I see her focusing more on her abilities anyway.
Kia: I don't have any solid ideas yet.
Kintaro: Like Goro, it's very easy to go with the whole "brute strength" theme without really giving it flavor. With Kintaro, I see a strong tiger motif in his fighting stance, namely as if he looks like a tiger that is about to pounce on its prey. Aside from using tiger claw strikes and slashes, I see him as being the most grappling-oriented of the three Shokan characters, with his grappling being the least refined, drawing influence from the Bhimaseni approach to Malla-yuddha (Indian combat wrestling) which focuses on raw strength.
Kira: I see Kira's fighting style having a strong Filipino martial arts influence from arts like Pekiti-Tirsia Kali and Kali Sikaran. She'd use striking, kicking, and grappling moves but be especially focused on weapons (her knives) and trapping techniques. She would certainly be vastly different from Sonya and Kano like that.
Kitana: I see influences from Ying Zhao Pai (Eagle Claw), Baguazhang (Eight Trigram Palm), and Piguazhang (Chop-Hanging Palm), to name a few. I could also see influences from Gyokko-ryu, a Japanese martial art associated with the ninja which specializes in kosshijutsu (bone finger skills that use thumbs and fingers to strike vital areas). For her Baguazhang influences, I like the idea of more of the Yin style Baguazhang with its more linear/angular approach. For example, she'd be up in the opponent's face with thread palm strikes to the eyes and throat along with takedowns and Muay Thai-like roundhouse kicks. The Eagle Claw influences would involve acrobatic movements along with very mean gripping and tearing claw attacks.
Kobra: I see Kobra's fighting style based off of the "knockdown" Karate styles like Kyokushin to go with the Karate Kid influenced theme.
Kung Lao: His fighting style would obviously be based off of traditional Chinese martial arts. With him, I'm thinking in terms of styles like Qixing Tanglangquan (Seven Star Mantis) and Taizu Changquan (Great Ancestor Long Fist).
Li Mei: In my view, Li Mei's fighting style would also be influenced by traditional Chinese martial arts. I kind of see her using a fair bit of kicks, especially considering two of her special moves. I was thinking along the lines of influences from Chuojiao and Fanziquan, maybe even Huaquan (Huaquan of Hua mountain).
Liu Kang: It's very easy to go with the Bruce Lee influence, but I kind of like the idea of going more towards the traditional Chinese martial arts influence for him since he is supposed to be a Shaolin warrior monk. The Shaolin Dragon style would make sense for an influence of his fighting style. Perhaps both he and Kung Lao would both use techniques from Taizu Changquan (Great Ancestor Long Fist) to show a similarity between the two and to go with the theme of them being descendants of the original Kung Lao.
Mavado: His fighting style would have traditional Chinese martial arts influences. I was thinking in terms of something like the Li style of Zhaquan.
Meat: I see Meat's hand-to-hand combat style reflecting either a Mokujin/Tetsujin/Combot influence or an Ogre influence from the Tekken series. I would keep the cleavers as his weapons.
Mileena: I kind of thought of a type of Tiger style Kung Fu to reflect a more aggressive, animalistic approach to her hand-to-hand combat style. Of course, her weapon techniques would be derived from some form of Saijutsu (Sai skills).
Mokap: Mokap would really come off as the "mixed martial artist" but not just Muay Thai, Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Catch Wrestling, Judo, and whatever else I didn't think of. I can see Taijiquan moves or Savate moves or Wing Chun, etc. etc. He would almost entirely be focused on hand-to-hand combat, with a lot of his special moves reflecting that. So yeah, he would be a very technical fighter.
Moloch: Like with the other boss-type characters, it's easy to just go with "brute strength". There's a Chinese martial art called Yuan Gong Quan (Ape Movement Fist), which has seemingly crude techniques with ripping and tearing. It looks a bit like something that could be interesting and fitting for Moloch to use.
Motaro: With Motaro, it really depends on if he's a Centaur or a Minotaur. As a Centaur, his fighting style would be pretty straight forward to come up with. As a Minotaur, I'm thinking of him using the Labrys (Minoan axe) as his weapon and drawing influences from Pygme/Pygmachia (Greek boxing) for his hand-to-hand combat techniques. I see him being a very striking-oriented fighter with the hand-to-hand moves along with some kicks.
Nightwolf: I really love what NRS did with Nightwolf's fighting style in MK9. For martial arts influences, I suppose whatever Native American fighting techniques can be used for influence would work just fine to add onto how he fought in MK9.
Nitara: I'd either keep the kama (Japanese/Okinawan sickles) for her or use the sabit (Indonesian sickle) for her weapons. For her hand-to-hand style, while I do like Baoquan (Leopard Fist) for her, I later thought of Hawk and Eagle styles of Kung Fu as influences. The idea is that of being a winged predator who uses claws and such to attack, and I feel that sort of fits with her kind of character.
Noob Saibot: Although I see him using his powers to form weapon constructs, I like the idea of him using a weapon based off of the Ji Dao Lian (Chicken Saber Sickle). The name might sound odd but it's something of a sickle sword, and that fits him with the sort of death theme, imo. For his hand-to-hand combat skills, I see Japanese martial arts influences from Gyokushin-ryu, which focuses more on Ninjutsu for espionage while using Kosshijutsu (attacks to vital areas) for hand-to-hand combat. I also see Chinese martial arts influences...possibly a form of Northern Mantis like Eight Step Mantis.
Onaga: Like Goro, I see Onaga using dragon-claw type strikes. With Onaga, I mainly see him using strikes, with very basic grappling and limited kicking. To me, he's more about his special powers anyway.
Quan Chi: Quan Chi's fighting style was captured very well in MK9. He's very much about his special powers anyway.
Raiden: With Raiden, I mainly see influences from Japanese and Chinese martial arts, but since he's the thunder god in all sorts of traditions on Earth, he could have European, African, etc. influences. For the Chinese martial arts influences, I see influence from more of the Northern Chinese styles like Fanziquan. I especially see influence from a subset of Chen family Taijiquan called Hu Lei Jia (Sudden Thunder Frame) for its power issuing being explosive like thunder. For the Japanese martial arts influences, I particularly see influence from both the Sendai and Edo lines for Yagyu Shingan-ryu for its Jujutsu/Taijutsu (hand-to-hand fighting), Bojutsu (Stick/Staff skills), and Jingasajutsu (using the war hat for fighting).
Rain: I kind of like the idea of him using styles like Liuhebafa to go with the sort of water theme...the idea of him being very fluid like water in his moves.
Reiko: I see him having both Eastern and Western influences in his martial arts style. Pankration and Worstel Konst (Dutch grappling art) would be his Western influences while arts like Yuejiaquan (Yue family Fist) and Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu would be the Eastern influences.
Reptile: I'd go with a very reptilian feel and draw influences from dragon type styles like Fuzhou Long Zun Quan (Fuzhou Dragon-Honoring Fist), and Foshan Long Xing Quan (Buddha Mountain Dragon Fist).
Sareena: I'm not entirely sure, but I kind of see her being more kicking-oriented.
Scorpion: His style should have strong influences from actual ninja arts. I'm thinking of Togakure-ryu, Gyokushin-ryu, Kumogakure-ryu, Gyokko-ryu, and Koto-ryu. In addition, I'd like to touch on the story element of using shuriken, so I also think of Negishi-ryu Shurikenjutsu, with him using bo shuriken (stick-shaped shuriken).
Sektor: I see his style being somewhat militant and more linear, drawing influences from Chinese martial arts such as Sunbinquan, Meihuaquan, and Yuejiaquan.
Shang Tsung: I see influences from Shequan (Snake Fist), Choy Li Fut, and some form of Crane style Kung Fu along with using a snake-shaped jian (double-edged straight sword).
Shao Kahn: I see Eastern and Western influences from arts like Pankration, Bajiquan, and some obscure Chinese art called Si Tong Chui (Four Through Hammer).
Sheeva: I see her remaining a more grappling-focused character, drawing influences from Indian martial arts such as Vajramushti and the Hanumanti approach to Malla-yuddha (combat wrestling), which is about technical superiority. I also think it would be interesting to see her use the Trisula (tridents) as her weapons as they are affiliated with Shiva, the Hindu goddess.
Shinnok: I see his fighting style largely focusing on his special powers, but I did like the Amulet Staff concept. I would design it off of a Shakujo (monk's staff). For his hand-to-hand combat moves, I would draw influence from the internal Chinese martial arts like Taijiquan and Wujiquan (Void/Boundless Fist).
Shujinko: I had Baimeiquan (White Eyebrow Fist) in mind with the whole Bak Mei theme since Shujinko's character resembles Pai Mei from Kill Bill. Also, I like him using Northern Mantis. He could be opposite to Kung Lao by using Liuhe Tanglangquan (Six Harmony Mantis Fist) as it is more on the "softer" side.
Sindel: I like Sindel using the Guan Dao (Guan Saber) like she used in MKD and MKA though I see her fighting style being a bit more centered around her powers. For her hand-to-hand combat moves, I see her using a lot of kicks. I'm thinking in terms of styles like Yuan Yang Quan (Mandarin Duck Fist) and and Yang family Zhaquan.
Skarlet: I'm not sure other than her retaining her twin kodachi (small swords) and focusing a fair bit on her powers.
Smoke: I came up with Mazhaquan (Locust/Grasshopper Fist) for being agile, kinda angular and kinda similar to Northern Mantis. The other influence would be Gyokko-ryu Kosshijutsu for its vital area attacks. I see him going for more of that approach than a more direct approach.
Sonya: She should be moderately focused on striking and trapping ranges while using a fair bit of grappling and a lot of kicking. I'm thinking along the lines of styles like Muay Thai, Kyokushin, Krav Maga, Tang Soo Do, and Taekwondo for striking and kicking with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for grappling influence. I also like the idea of her using a bayonet. I believe one of the other members here thought of that, and I kinda like that myself.
Stryker: I could see influences from Tonfajutsu (Baton skills) for his nightstick techniques while his hand-to-hand combat moves would be influenced from Western boxing and perhaps arts like Krav Maga and a style of Karate called Gosoku-ryu.
Sub-Zero: I would go with both Chinese and Japanese influences. For the Chinese martial arts influences, there's a Wudang dragon style as well as Foshan Dragon Fist. For the Japanese influences, I'd draw from Togakure-ryu and Gyokko-ryu.
Tanya: I'd draw influences from arts like Mizongyi (Lost Track Skill) and Zhang family Zhaquan to go with a sort of "deceptive" theme. I also like the idea of her using a fair bit of kicks.
Taven: I see influences from Foshan Dragon Fist as well as Pankration to go with a sort of Eastern/Western thing.
I pretty much agree with all of the points you made. I especially agree with you about the characters' fighting styles using real martial arts as a sort of baseline instead of strictly sticking to the techniques of those arts. Kitana using Piguazhang moves makes sense, and I think they did have her use the windmill chops in MK vs. DC. I do also like the idea the MK team had with her using Baguazhang and Ying Zhao Pai (Eagle Claw).
To Immortal_Kanji: To me, if you want to keep this sort of discussion going, it would help to really contribute more to your own thread. Why not go beyond just "Which martial arts should the characters use?" and go more for "How should each character play?". I think that would open up for a much broader and more interesting discussion. I certainly love to talk about the different martial arts styles for the characters, but for a series like Mortal Kombat, I agree with SaiFanStaff that they are best used as a sort of base for the characters' fighting styles.
Now, having said all of that, I'm going to give a brief rundown to give an idea of what I mean. And mind you, it's going to be very long, and we still might not get much activity in this thread anyway, but hey, you pretty much asked for updates.
Ashrah: I see her fighting style focusing on using the Kriss and her overall special powers. For hand-to-hand combat techniques, I see influences from traditional Chinese and Javanese (e.g. Indonesian and Malaysian) martial arts.
Baraka: NRS did a pretty good job capturing his fighting style, in my opinion. For his hand-to-hand combat moves, I see him focusing much more in the striking and trapping ranges with a bit of grappling and limited kicks.
Blaze: He would largely focus on using his powers. For hand-to-hand combat, I imagine him focusing more in the striking range. I kind of see some Xingyiquan type influence for the way he fights. It was one of the styles he used in MKDA and MKU.
Bo' Rai Cho: I actually like all the martial arts styles they had him use, but I like the idea of him focusing mainly on Zuiquan (Drunken Fist) techniques. I really hope that NRS uses the character trait feature from Injustice: Gods Among Us as a staple in their fighting games, especially for MK games. For Bo' Rai Cho, he would pretty much rip off of Shun Di from the Virtua Fighter series by drinking alcohol to unlock other moves. In addition to the Zuiquan moves, it would be nice to throw in some Jo (cane) moves for normals and specials.
Chameleon: I haven't really thought too much about him, to be honest. His fighting style could easily be a hodge-podge of moves from the other male ninja-type characters, but that would be too predictable. Perhaps it would be sort of funny to have his fighting style be based off of the fake Ninjutsu styles, the ones that go under "Ninjitsu" like Dux-ryu and Tew-ryu.
Cyrax: It's a little tricky with him, in my opinion. I really like what they did with his gameplay in MK9. If we stick with the African roots, it would be interesting to have influences from African martial arts along with influences from traditional Chinese martial arts, especially more of the Northern styles like Meihuazhuang (Plum Flower Pillar).
Daegon: I see his fighting style being largely based off of traditional Chinese martial arts. I think I came to a suggestion of Huo Long Quan (Fire Dragon Fist) from Emei mountain, but there are some martial arts styles, especially the Chinese martial arts, that most people, including myself, just don't know much or anything about.
Dairou: Dairou's fighting style should reflect both his previous military background as a Seidan Guardsman and his current role as a mercenary. I see his hand-to-hand combat style reflecting traditional Chinese martial arts like Xingyiquan and traditional Japanese martial arts, especially the sogo bujutsu (comprehensive martial arts) that were designed for battlefield fighting such as Tatsumi-ryu Heiho. So basically, I see him more focused in close-ranged combat by using a lot of grappling and trapping techniques.
Darrius: I see Darrius being fairly balanced in the different ranges of hand-to-hand combat but using his axe-bladed gauntlets a lot more. I find that it makes sense for his gameplay to use more gadgets to reflect his style of fighting.
Drahmin: For Drahmin, it's really as straight-forward as it can get. He's a character that is about offensive and brute strength, with little-to-no defensive options. Using "Netherrealm" and "Oni" as fighting style names is kind of bland, predictable, and boring, in my opinion. But having said all of that, he would mainly be a striking-oriented character with extremely limited grappling, some kicks, and definitely some trapping range moves like stomps, elbows, and knees. I kinda see influences from Japanese Karate as well as some influence from Lethwei, the Burmese equivalent to Muay Thai.
Ermac: I really like what NRS did with Ermac's fighting style in MK9. He should have a good focus on both hand-to-hand combat and the usage of his special powers. Like in MK: Deception and MK: Armageddon, I mainly see a traditional Chinese martial arts influence, especially with Choy Li Fut influences as it is a hybrid style designed for defending against multiple opponents.
Frost: Like Ermac, I see Frost's fighting style having a good focus on both hand-to-hand combat and the usage of special powers. However, with Frost, like Sub-Zero, I see her using her powers to form weapon constructs such as her ice daggers. I did think of an interesting style that could perhaps be used as a basis for her fighting style. It's called Xueshanquan (Snowy Mountain Fist), but I'm just going by the name like with Huo Long Quan for Daegon.
Fujin: I see Fujin's fighting style mainly focusing on his divine powers and being a bit more of a defensive fighter. I like the idea of him using a kuda yari (tube spear) as his weapon much like how Raiden uses the rokushakubo (six-shaku staff). Its techniques would be derived from a Sojutsu (spear art/skill) tradition called Owari Kan-ryu. For his hand-to-hand combat techniques, I see influences from both traditional Chinese and Japanese martial arts. I'm thinking along the lines of Taijiquan, Baguazhang, Daito-ryu Aiki-Jujutsu, and Kito-ryu Jujutsu.
Goro: With characters like Goro, it's easy to just say "brute strength". It's more interesting to give flavor to that theme. I see his fighting style being more about close-ranged combat with strikes and grapples with limited kicks. I would like to see a sort of dragon-like quality in his striking techniques and for his overall fighting style to reflect a sort of majestic feel. For his grappling moves, I thought of them being influenced from the Jarasandhi approach to Malla-yuddha (Indian combat wrestling), which focuses on breaking limbs and joints.
Havik: I see Havik focusing more on his special abilities. It'd be very cool to see him use moves with confusion, disruption, etc. Instead of using the Morning Star as his weapon, I like the idea of him using a three-chained flail for more of a chaotic look and feel. For his hand-to-hand combat moves, I would love to see influences from two Chinese martial arts known as Emei Boziquan (Emei Cripple Fist), which imitates the movements of a crippled person, and Zhong Jia Jiao Feng Quan (Zhong family Tradition Crazy Fist), which imitates a crazy person. That would be just perfect for him.
Hotaru: Hotaru's fighting style should reflect his military background, and I mainly see his fighting style being influenced by traditional Japanese martial arts, especially the battlefield styles. I'm thinking of styles like Takenouchi-ryu, Kukishin-ryu, Tatsumi-ryu, and Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu. His hand-to-hand combat techniques would mainly focus on grappling.
Hsu Hao: Being in the Chinese military, it makes sense for him to be trained in Junshi Sanda (Military Freefighting). Given his Mongolian heritage, I'd draw influence from Bokh, the Mongolian wrestling style.
Jade: I more or less like what NRS captured for her fighting style in MK9, and I do like the idea they had of her using Fanziquan in MKD and MKA. I would also throw in influence from Japanese martial arts like Tatsumi-ryu for its Yawara (hand-to-hand combat skills), Bojutsu (Stick/Staff skills), Shurikenjutsu (hand-hidden blade skills) for her Razor-Rangs, and Monomi (scouting) to reflect the espionage element more prevalent in her later role in the Edenian forces.
Jarek: Jarek would be something of a brawler who uses machetes as his weapons. Although the lasso moves are kind of weird for him, I sort of dig them when thinking in retrospect, especially if we go with a Hojojutsu/Nawajutsu (Rope-tying skills) influence. I had thought of some Filipino martial arts influences for his hand-to-hand fighting techniques with Panantukan/Suntukan (Filipino boxing), but then again, I see him being less refined than Kano.
Jataaka: Although she's a very minor character, I actually thought of something interesting for her. I came up with the idea of African martial arts influences for her from arts like Testa, an Ethiopian martial art specializing in headbutts, and Njom/Laamb, a folk wrestling style from Senegal. She'd basically be a more close-ranged fighter. I also thought about her weapon, and I think that it would be neat to see her sword be based on the shotel, an Abyssinian sickle sword.
Jax: Jax is a little tricky. For one, I really love what NRS did with his gameplay in MK9. He's actually one of my favorite characters to play as. I do like the idea of him using various grappling techniques, and I imagine his grappling techniques would focus more on throws, takedowns, and slams as opposed to joint-locks and submissions and such. However, I do see him using a fair bit of striking, trapping, and kicking techniques as well. In a way, Sambo kind of fits as it has influences from a lot of grappling styles like Judo and Uzbek Kurash as well as striking and kicking techhniques. Krav Maga makes sense too.
Johnny Cage: Basically, I see his fighting style being fairly balanced in terms of offensive and defense and using Kenpo Karate and Jeet Kune Do (using the term loosely here). I think it does make sense for him to have this sort of freestyle feel and draw influences from multiple martial arts. I do see him using more strikes and kicks than grapples though.
Kabal: I see Kabal as something of a brawler with his hand-to-hand fighting techniques, but I mainly see his fighting style involving his hookswords. I did think of a style called Duan Quan (Short Fist) as an influence. It's a short-ranged style that uses punching techniques like straight punches and uppercuts. The hookswords are one of the weapons taught.
Kai: I sort of see Kai's fighting style similar to Cyrax's by drawing influences from both African and Chinese martial arts. I know that a lot of people would easily suggest Capoeira due to the handstand and all that, but I have something else in mind. There's a West African martial art called Dambe which is sort of boxing-like but has kicks and used to use some wrestling moves. For the Chinese martial arts influences, I actually think that using Houquan (Monkey Fist) makes sense for him as I see him being a very nimble fighter. He'd be more about speed and tricks.
Kano: I had previously thought of him to be this brawler who fights crudely, but I did a fair bit of rethinking with Kano. Personally, I would go with a very militant, Japanese Kano who uses Japanese Karate (Shotokan and/or Kyokushin influences) along with some grappling and tantojutsu (knife skills). For the Karate influences, I do see him using more of the striking techniques akin to boxing-type punches, such as Kizami Tsuki or Seiken Ago Uchi (essentially Karate's equivalent of the jab), Kagi Tsuki (Hook Punch) and Mawashi Tsuki (Roundhouse Punch or "haymaker").
Kenshi: I really like what NRS did with Kenshi in MK9. His fighting style should mainly focus on his powers and his katana. For his sword-fighting moves, he should pretty much draw influences from various arts that focus on Kenjutsu (Sword Skills), such as Ono-ha Itto-ryu.
Khameleon: Like Chameleon and the other male ninja-type characters, Khameleon's fighting style could easily be a simple hodge-podge of moves from the female ninja-type characters. Instead, I suggest something different for her. For one thing, instead of using the Falchion as her weapon, I think it would be more interesting to see her use the Nunti Bo. It's an Okinawan polearm weapon with a manji sai attached to it, reflecting a sort of similarity to Jade's and Mileena's weapons. The techniques for the Nunti Bo could come from Matayoshi Kobudo, an Okinawan martial art that teaches various Okinawan weapons. For hand-to-hand fighting techniques, I'm not really sure, to be honest. I see her focusing more on her abilities anyway.
Kia: I don't have any solid ideas yet.
Kintaro: Like Goro, it's very easy to go with the whole "brute strength" theme without really giving it flavor. With Kintaro, I see a strong tiger motif in his fighting stance, namely as if he looks like a tiger that is about to pounce on its prey. Aside from using tiger claw strikes and slashes, I see him as being the most grappling-oriented of the three Shokan characters, with his grappling being the least refined, drawing influence from the Bhimaseni approach to Malla-yuddha (Indian combat wrestling) which focuses on raw strength.
Kira: I see Kira's fighting style having a strong Filipino martial arts influence from arts like Pekiti-Tirsia Kali and Kali Sikaran. She'd use striking, kicking, and grappling moves but be especially focused on weapons (her knives) and trapping techniques. She would certainly be vastly different from Sonya and Kano like that.
Kitana: I see influences from Ying Zhao Pai (Eagle Claw), Baguazhang (Eight Trigram Palm), and Piguazhang (Chop-Hanging Palm), to name a few. I could also see influences from Gyokko-ryu, a Japanese martial art associated with the ninja which specializes in kosshijutsu (bone finger skills that use thumbs and fingers to strike vital areas). For her Baguazhang influences, I like the idea of more of the Yin style Baguazhang with its more linear/angular approach. For example, she'd be up in the opponent's face with thread palm strikes to the eyes and throat along with takedowns and Muay Thai-like roundhouse kicks. The Eagle Claw influences would involve acrobatic movements along with very mean gripping and tearing claw attacks.
Kobra: I see Kobra's fighting style based off of the "knockdown" Karate styles like Kyokushin to go with the Karate Kid influenced theme.
Kung Lao: His fighting style would obviously be based off of traditional Chinese martial arts. With him, I'm thinking in terms of styles like Qixing Tanglangquan (Seven Star Mantis) and Taizu Changquan (Great Ancestor Long Fist).
Li Mei: In my view, Li Mei's fighting style would also be influenced by traditional Chinese martial arts. I kind of see her using a fair bit of kicks, especially considering two of her special moves. I was thinking along the lines of influences from Chuojiao and Fanziquan, maybe even Huaquan (Huaquan of Hua mountain).
Liu Kang: It's very easy to go with the Bruce Lee influence, but I kind of like the idea of going more towards the traditional Chinese martial arts influence for him since he is supposed to be a Shaolin warrior monk. The Shaolin Dragon style would make sense for an influence of his fighting style. Perhaps both he and Kung Lao would both use techniques from Taizu Changquan (Great Ancestor Long Fist) to show a similarity between the two and to go with the theme of them being descendants of the original Kung Lao.
Mavado: His fighting style would have traditional Chinese martial arts influences. I was thinking in terms of something like the Li style of Zhaquan.
Meat: I see Meat's hand-to-hand combat style reflecting either a Mokujin/Tetsujin/Combot influence or an Ogre influence from the Tekken series. I would keep the cleavers as his weapons.
Mileena: I kind of thought of a type of Tiger style Kung Fu to reflect a more aggressive, animalistic approach to her hand-to-hand combat style. Of course, her weapon techniques would be derived from some form of Saijutsu (Sai skills).
Mokap: Mokap would really come off as the "mixed martial artist" but not just Muay Thai, Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Catch Wrestling, Judo, and whatever else I didn't think of. I can see Taijiquan moves or Savate moves or Wing Chun, etc. etc. He would almost entirely be focused on hand-to-hand combat, with a lot of his special moves reflecting that. So yeah, he would be a very technical fighter.
Moloch: Like with the other boss-type characters, it's easy to just go with "brute strength". There's a Chinese martial art called Yuan Gong Quan (Ape Movement Fist), which has seemingly crude techniques with ripping and tearing. It looks a bit like something that could be interesting and fitting for Moloch to use.
Motaro: With Motaro, it really depends on if he's a Centaur or a Minotaur. As a Centaur, his fighting style would be pretty straight forward to come up with. As a Minotaur, I'm thinking of him using the Labrys (Minoan axe) as his weapon and drawing influences from Pygme/Pygmachia (Greek boxing) for his hand-to-hand combat techniques. I see him being a very striking-oriented fighter with the hand-to-hand moves along with some kicks.
Nightwolf: I really love what NRS did with Nightwolf's fighting style in MK9. For martial arts influences, I suppose whatever Native American fighting techniques can be used for influence would work just fine to add onto how he fought in MK9.
Nitara: I'd either keep the kama (Japanese/Okinawan sickles) for her or use the sabit (Indonesian sickle) for her weapons. For her hand-to-hand style, while I do like Baoquan (Leopard Fist) for her, I later thought of Hawk and Eagle styles of Kung Fu as influences. The idea is that of being a winged predator who uses claws and such to attack, and I feel that sort of fits with her kind of character.
Noob Saibot: Although I see him using his powers to form weapon constructs, I like the idea of him using a weapon based off of the Ji Dao Lian (Chicken Saber Sickle). The name might sound odd but it's something of a sickle sword, and that fits him with the sort of death theme, imo. For his hand-to-hand combat skills, I see Japanese martial arts influences from Gyokushin-ryu, which focuses more on Ninjutsu for espionage while using Kosshijutsu (attacks to vital areas) for hand-to-hand combat. I also see Chinese martial arts influences...possibly a form of Northern Mantis like Eight Step Mantis.
Onaga: Like Goro, I see Onaga using dragon-claw type strikes. With Onaga, I mainly see him using strikes, with very basic grappling and limited kicking. To me, he's more about his special powers anyway.
Quan Chi: Quan Chi's fighting style was captured very well in MK9. He's very much about his special powers anyway.
Raiden: With Raiden, I mainly see influences from Japanese and Chinese martial arts, but since he's the thunder god in all sorts of traditions on Earth, he could have European, African, etc. influences. For the Chinese martial arts influences, I see influence from more of the Northern Chinese styles like Fanziquan. I especially see influence from a subset of Chen family Taijiquan called Hu Lei Jia (Sudden Thunder Frame) for its power issuing being explosive like thunder. For the Japanese martial arts influences, I particularly see influence from both the Sendai and Edo lines for Yagyu Shingan-ryu for its Jujutsu/Taijutsu (hand-to-hand fighting), Bojutsu (Stick/Staff skills), and Jingasajutsu (using the war hat for fighting).
Rain: I kind of like the idea of him using styles like Liuhebafa to go with the sort of water theme...the idea of him being very fluid like water in his moves.
Reiko: I see him having both Eastern and Western influences in his martial arts style. Pankration and Worstel Konst (Dutch grappling art) would be his Western influences while arts like Yuejiaquan (Yue family Fist) and Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu would be the Eastern influences.
Reptile: I'd go with a very reptilian feel and draw influences from dragon type styles like Fuzhou Long Zun Quan (Fuzhou Dragon-Honoring Fist), and Foshan Long Xing Quan (Buddha Mountain Dragon Fist).
Sareena: I'm not entirely sure, but I kind of see her being more kicking-oriented.
Scorpion: His style should have strong influences from actual ninja arts. I'm thinking of Togakure-ryu, Gyokushin-ryu, Kumogakure-ryu, Gyokko-ryu, and Koto-ryu. In addition, I'd like to touch on the story element of using shuriken, so I also think of Negishi-ryu Shurikenjutsu, with him using bo shuriken (stick-shaped shuriken).
Sektor: I see his style being somewhat militant and more linear, drawing influences from Chinese martial arts such as Sunbinquan, Meihuaquan, and Yuejiaquan.
Shang Tsung: I see influences from Shequan (Snake Fist), Choy Li Fut, and some form of Crane style Kung Fu along with using a snake-shaped jian (double-edged straight sword).
Shao Kahn: I see Eastern and Western influences from arts like Pankration, Bajiquan, and some obscure Chinese art called Si Tong Chui (Four Through Hammer).
Sheeva: I see her remaining a more grappling-focused character, drawing influences from Indian martial arts such as Vajramushti and the Hanumanti approach to Malla-yuddha (combat wrestling), which is about technical superiority. I also think it would be interesting to see her use the Trisula (tridents) as her weapons as they are affiliated with Shiva, the Hindu goddess.
Shinnok: I see his fighting style largely focusing on his special powers, but I did like the Amulet Staff concept. I would design it off of a Shakujo (monk's staff). For his hand-to-hand combat moves, I would draw influence from the internal Chinese martial arts like Taijiquan and Wujiquan (Void/Boundless Fist).
Shujinko: I had Baimeiquan (White Eyebrow Fist) in mind with the whole Bak Mei theme since Shujinko's character resembles Pai Mei from Kill Bill. Also, I like him using Northern Mantis. He could be opposite to Kung Lao by using Liuhe Tanglangquan (Six Harmony Mantis Fist) as it is more on the "softer" side.
Sindel: I like Sindel using the Guan Dao (Guan Saber) like she used in MKD and MKA though I see her fighting style being a bit more centered around her powers. For her hand-to-hand combat moves, I see her using a lot of kicks. I'm thinking in terms of styles like Yuan Yang Quan (Mandarin Duck Fist) and and Yang family Zhaquan.
Skarlet: I'm not sure other than her retaining her twin kodachi (small swords) and focusing a fair bit on her powers.
Smoke: I came up with Mazhaquan (Locust/Grasshopper Fist) for being agile, kinda angular and kinda similar to Northern Mantis. The other influence would be Gyokko-ryu Kosshijutsu for its vital area attacks. I see him going for more of that approach than a more direct approach.
Sonya: She should be moderately focused on striking and trapping ranges while using a fair bit of grappling and a lot of kicking. I'm thinking along the lines of styles like Muay Thai, Kyokushin, Krav Maga, Tang Soo Do, and Taekwondo for striking and kicking with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for grappling influence. I also like the idea of her using a bayonet. I believe one of the other members here thought of that, and I kinda like that myself.
Stryker: I could see influences from Tonfajutsu (Baton skills) for his nightstick techniques while his hand-to-hand combat moves would be influenced from Western boxing and perhaps arts like Krav Maga and a style of Karate called Gosoku-ryu.
Sub-Zero: I would go with both Chinese and Japanese influences. For the Chinese martial arts influences, there's a Wudang dragon style as well as Foshan Dragon Fist. For the Japanese influences, I'd draw from Togakure-ryu and Gyokko-ryu.
Tanya: I'd draw influences from arts like Mizongyi (Lost Track Skill) and Zhang family Zhaquan to go with a sort of "deceptive" theme. I also like the idea of her using a fair bit of kicks.
Taven: I see influences from Foshan Dragon Fist as well as Pankration to go with a sort of Eastern/Western thing.
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