Can't remember ever seeing reference to a Dream Realm yet...unless you're talking about the mystery crystal realm from Jade's MK9 ending.

There's also the Spirit Realm, which souls who haven't gone to Heaven or Hell yet and become ghosts, like Liu Kang in MKD and MKA, are connected to, and is where Nightwolf draws power from.
Also, I'm not sure it's canon, but I've seen references to Shokan being a realm of its own that Kahn merged into Outworld before.
And there's the Nexus, a mini-realm that acts as a connecting portal hub, created so that Champions of the Elder Gods could travel between the six realms that hold Kamidogus and find them more easily.

The Dream Realm is the home of Freddy Kreuger (I forgot to place the star by it)
Though the Shokan are said to come from another Realm, the name is never clarified, and in various Goro, Kintaro, Sheeva, and Kahn bios, they're stated as "native to Outworld".
The Nexus is actually a monument in The Void.
The Spirit Realm is also another designation of the Void's purposes.
(Though, there have been thoughts I've had about the fabled "Shokan Realm"...)
I wasn't sure if I should place the result of Smoke's MK: A ending, either...

Well that's not true. The Spirit realm is like Limbo or Purgatory in mythology, it's full of dead who haven't gone to Heaven or Hell. And it overlaps all the realms, which is how ghosts are able to be on both sides at the same time.
Nothing lives in the Void except the Elder Gods, and it's the empty space outside all the realms.

Huh.
I was under the impression that the Elder Gods lived in Heaven.
My theory was just disproven. Page edited.

I read that there is a Nightmare Realm that is only mentioned in the Mortal Kombat comic book titled "Battlewave." I havent read the comic book but from reading more i found that there is someone there named Henge that was defeated by Liu Kang. I got this information from mortalkombat.wikia.com , which, just in case if people don't know, is a treasure trove of MK knowledge. Also, I thought I saw a reference to the Dream Realm, possibly in a bio of Freddy Kreuger somewhere because i remember it being connected to him somehow. (Besides the obvious connection to the Nightmare on Elm Street movies) Not 100% sure on the Freddy thing, though.

The Dream Realm is in the list,
and the Nightmare Realm os refetenced as the Dream Realm as well.

We need a realm outside of time. A time realm.

Kuatan, 7th astral plane of the Shokan.



Ka-Tra

THAT'S WHAT IT WAS!!
Thanks a ton!

The only time I recall a reference to Shokan as a realm unto itself was in the first movie, when Goro's goes off on Kano as he gorges at the dining table with something along the lines of, "I am Goro, general of the armies of Outworld and prince of the subterranean realm of Shokan."

Maybe it's also referred as Shokan in MK:TJB in the Goro/Durak/Gorbak scene?

Can't recall the games making mention of Shokan as a realm, but maybe someone can clarify what the deal was before they changed it to that astral plane in MKDA mentioned above.



What about the Cobalt mines? Anyone know where they are???

The "astral plane" thing is from Goro's MK1 bio.



Without knowing what an "astral plane" Is in Mortal Kombat, it's hard to say what the hell that means, beyond the idea that "Shokan" is a country in Outworld and "Kuatan" is the capital city, where the Kuatan Palace stage from Deadly Alliance would obviously be located.

The "astral plane" in fiction and religion is usually a term for the spirit world or some kind of mystical dimension that wizards and psychics and the like can "astral project" to, by having their mind or spirit leave their body and travel through it ethereally.

I have no idea how that would translate to the way MK is using the term. It could be that "astral planes" are meant to be floating chunks of land, or perhaps some kind of sub-realms, like pocket dimensions that shoot off from Outworld via portals.
In which case, maybe they're what's left of realms that have been merged with Outworld. Like, if you smoosh two planets together, you'd think the pieces wouldn't fit very well and you'd get some weird geographical anomalies, right? Even if not, it seems likely that Tobias imagined Outworld to be a much more supernatural looking place when he first came up with it, with floating landmasses and such, like Chaosrealm is now, before they decided in MK2 that it's just a dead wasteland planet with ancient Japanese architecture.



The Cobalt Mines of Shokan haven't actually been referred to in any of the games.

They're first described in the animated movie MK: The Journey Begins, the movie describing them as a prison Kahn sent Shang to as punishment for losing to the Great Kung Lao, and it's while he was there that Shang met Goro and invited him to compete in Mortal Kombat. They then appeared in the Conquest TV show, where that very thing happens (except we never got to see the part where he meets Goro cuz the show was cancelled).

They're also mentioned in the MK4 comic book. Queen Sindel banishes Reptile there. But that comic wasn't written by Tobias like MK1 and 2 comics were, so it might not be canon, and the game said Sindel banished Reptile to the Netherealm instead.

As a final thought, I think it's worth mentioning that Shokan is the ONLY named country in Outworld. The whole realm is ruled by one king, Shao Kahn, but he lets the Shokan have their own king and prince too? None of the other species have their own royalty. What's up with that?

Edit: nevermind

Edenian Royalty: Jerrod, Sindel, Kitana & Rain.

I'm fairly sure the MK4 comics were official, what with the whole launch scheme they had goin back in the day.


I thought the "astral planes" were various realms the Shokan were native to. Mystical alternate dimensions, not other planets.

Yeah...Kahn is systematically hijacking the Stargate network...



Ka-Tra

If that was in response to my comment about how weird it is that Kahn lets the Shokans have their own rulers but doesn't afford that luxury to any other race in his kingdom, I'd like to point out the key phrase there is "in his kingdom".

None of the Edenians are royalty in Outworld except as the wife and daughter of Shao Kahn.
As for whether the MK4 comic is "official" or not...sure, it was released by the developers as part of the game's marketing, but that doesn't mean the story in it is canon.
There are lots of little continuity errors in it, like the fact that when Johnny Cage shows up for the first time, he's hanging out with Sonya and Jax, whereas in the game, he's been dead and chilling in Heaven since MK3 and Raiden brings him back to life after Shinnok attacks. Or like I said, the two different Reptile stories. He needs to have been banished to the Netherealm like in the game, not the Cobalt Mines, because that's how he ends up working for Quan Chi and Shinnok.
That said, I've always believed that the fact that the Cobalt Mines is mentioned in so many different and unconnected works is proof that John Tobias invented the idea of the mines and Shang being banished there after GKL beat him, and included it in the series bible when consulting on the movie...he just never had a place to mention it in the games.

I think that there ARE royalty in those "countries" as you said,it is just Shokan realm is the most fleshed and famous one in Outworld.

We never learned anything about Centaurs except that Motaro was the leader and they had land disputes with Shokans. But we never knew what's Motaro's position in his own realm is (is he a general? Or a prince? Or a king? Or maybe both general and prince/king like Goro is to Shokans?)

And I have suspicion that Shao Kahn intentionally fuels the rivalry for centuries between these two races,because as they say,competition brings the best out of you. And these land disputes are created by Shao Kahn (the guy is a ruler and MUST be some kind of politician). That's why it was so hard for Kitana to settle their disputes in MK4 comics.

Also we don't know what kind of society Vaeternus and Zaterra had,and while I doubt Reptile was any kind of royalty or important person since THAT side of him would be in his personality,but he acts like simple peasant not like a royalty in the games (except MK Conquest). But Nitara MIGHT be royalty as she is the only vampire that has a goal in separating her realm from Outworld. She even treats Reptile like servant,so that speaks volumes for me.

As for Baraka and tarkatans,I have also suspicion that these guys were genetically created by shao Kahn by breeding Outworld people with Netherrealm onis,as it is stated in MK deception. They are loyal to Shao Kahn only and equivalent to barbarians,which is why they will have tribal system. And in tribal systems the strongest is usually a leader,and Baraka is the strongest and ruthless Tarkata we know.

All the other realms inside the Out world (or races) are not mentioned enough to have some kind of opinion about them.

I believe you forgot The Nexus

The Nexus is in the Void.

Is that an assumption, or is there a line from Konquest that actually says that? Because I don't remember one.

Yeah, Damashi (though, since it's damashi, not a god, I could be wrong) said that in the Void, the Elder Gods built a monument, a portal to the realms, that would aid their champion in his quest.

I am going to place that in the above lis though, for clarification if anybody else wonders.

Hmm...I have transcripts of the dialogue from Konquest but can't seem to find that line.

Oh, I didn't quote it word-for-word. It was during one of his first visits to the Nexcus, and I do remember it being his VERY first.

Yeah, Damashi says something similar to that the first time you visit the Nexus.

But he doesn't mention the Void at all. He just says "This is the Nexus. Constructed by the Elder Gods to aid their champion on his quest to save the realms."

I double-checked Youtube vids of Konquest Mode too. There's no mention of it being part of the Void.

hm. So...
we don't really know? I'll do some slight research on some sites, and if I find anthing about it, I'll bring it here. If not, we'll put something up in the top. Maybe another realm, maybe another footer.