This.

Vorpax and her species are my favorite non-game faction of the Mortal Kombat franchise. I've been waiting for years to see her cross over into the video game world. I think MK could very much benefit storywise from a species of insect-based superhuman beings (imagine the possibilities!). Just check the stats of what Vorpax and her species are capable of:

- Kreeyans (as they are called) mature from larvae to adults within days
- At "birth," Kreeyans are skilled in hand-to-hand combat
- Kreeyans are near-immortal, and are immune to most forms of illness
- Kreeyans possess the ability to heal the wounds of others with their blood
-Only the "queen" is capable of breeding, and any male who breeds with her is likely to die from the act. In addition, the "queen" is allegedly able breed with any species, though hybrids seem not to occur.

Kreeyans are also matriarchal species, and consist almost entirely of females. This is something that has yet to appear in the Mortal Kombat video game series, and could lead to a great deal of development.

For me, if anyone deserves to be canonized, it's Vorpax.

I agree with you about Vorpax, Riyakou. And I think I'd like Khameleon and Reptile to have some connection with the Kreeyans, too.

Goro's movie self should be re-introduced as a new Shokan character named Dufaz (pronounced DOOfaz). He'd look, sound and act exactly like the movie version of Goro. Though he could also just be an alternate design for Goro.

The female Tarkatan from Baraka's MK9 ending, and a playable Shadow Priest.

I'd rather Shadow Priests remain background characters.

Their mysterious presence adds a very nice touch to the atmosphere of Mortal Kombat and its arenas, and I think that's just fine. What I would like, however, is more of their involvement in the story.

Maybe Vorpex could be the lady in jade's ending or something.

Kiri and Ahnka were Raptors, weren't they?

That would be a problem 'cause the more you add, the more "Reptile is the last of his kind" becomes bullshit and the less special he is.

Like...Khameleon is already too many extra Raptors IMO but I'm willing to tolerate her because without one female, he has no actual hope of ever repopulating and his life goal is meaningless.

And who knows whether Male Chameleon is even supposed to be a Raptor or not, but if he is, fuck him.

Annnyway...I've always really liked the idea of Belokk. Why didn't MK4 have any kind of big strong demon to be Shinnok's muscle, y'know?
Kreeya and Vorpax were kind of interesting to me too...but I think that, if that race were to be characters in a game, where they're not limited by the low budget of a late night cable TV show, then they shouldn't look just like human beings. They should have some kind of insectile features to go with their bee/ant-like Hives-and-a-Queen gimmick. Nothing too over the top to make them ugly monsters like Tarkatans are, just some subtle shit like bug-eyes and antennae maybe? Serrated praying mantis spikes in their forearms? I dunno, I'm just throwing shit out there.

I'm not entirely sure whether or not such an appearance would work well.

Maybe hidden appendages or limbs could be effective, but a conspicuous look may lower them to being just another "beast" character.

I actually like the idea of Kreeyans starting out as insects and growing into humanoid beings, especially within days. It puts a nice spin on things. Again, I think hidden appendages, possibly for special moves, may be a better way to approach it.

@RazorsEdge701
Seeing as Kiri and Ankha aren't canon characters, they wouldn't have to be raptors if they ever were canonized. Their personalities don't really require them to be raptors. They could instead be vampires, inhabitants of the chaos realm, Edenians, Seidans, demons or even just human beings.

@Riyakou
What would be wrong with Kreeyans looking inhuman? I disagree with you that it would lower them.

Speaking of beasts, the creature in Shao Kahn's throne room in the latest game should have been a sub-boss, imo. And unlockable, of course, like all the bosses should have been.

The giant robots (from MKM), the dino-rider (also from MKM, though I'm mostly interested in the dino), MK:SM's giant Snake, No-Face (and all the other new characters introduced in MK:SF), the gigantic creature from Shao Kahn's coliseum and the streets, are the kind of beings that should be fought in a story mode instead of repeatedly jobbing out the likes of Baraka and Reptile to the heroes. And I'd love to play as many of them too, particularly the giant saw-wielding robot. Alternately, the robots' design could be used as alts for the cyborgs. Sawman's (particularly the skull) for Cyrax, and flamethrower/gunner's for Sektor (or Stryker, or Jax).

I may have used the wrong word with 'lowering.'

My point is that I feel giving the Kreeyans an appearance more conspicuous to their vespiary genes may keep them from standing out from other beastly characters.

So far, every known beastly character wears their 'beastness' on their sleeves. I think having a species who is far from human but can look the part would be very interesting, especially storywise.

Maybe an alternate costume with vespiary proportions would be nice.

But then they wouldn't actually be the same characters, so why not just create two new characters instead of reusing the names?

Especially since there's already a "Kira" so "Kiri" might just confuse people.

I mean, the fact that there's both a "Kia" and a "Kai" bothers me.



You want to play as a tiger? Just a straight up, walks-on-all-fours-and-doesn't-have-thumbs unintelligent pet tiger (that has horns because it's from Outworld)?

Maybe if summoning it to attack were part of a real character's moves, like Strider's robot-animals in MvC, that would be interesting. But as a character of its own? Not so much...

My argument would be the opposite, that I think it's when an alien race looks exactly like humans that it makes them "just like everybody else" and boring or in some cases nonsensical.

Like...I can accept human-Edenians and human-Outworlders and human-Seidans and such because they have all the same biological functions and abilities as humans do, and for all we know, all the human races in the realms might actually have originally been born on the same realm and migrated to the others in the ancient past.

Like what if that's the reason Edenia is named after the Garden of Eden? Maybe all humans come from Ancient Edenia and moved to Earth and Seido and so on long ago for some reason?

But if you have alien biology, you shouldn't look like an Earthling the way Superman does, that doesn't actually make scientific sense because you're nothing like a human on the inside and you're not even from the same planet they are, so how is it that you, completely by coincidence, evolved to look just like humans despite coming from a different environment and having different internal organs?

That's one of the reasons I've never been cool with the idea some people have that Reptile shouldn't have scales in his design and that his "human disguise" in MK1 thru 3 was his true form before devolving, or some kind of sorcery that gave him perfect skin. I mean first of all, it's always been canon that it was a mask and he has a lizard head underneath, and Reptile has never known magic, but as for an explanation of how the disguise works, I prefer the idea that either he was skinning people and wearing it (in which case he should look all stretched and rotting and gross like the villain from Men in Black), or he can't actually look exactly like a human, all he can do to disguise himself is change the color of his scales like a chameleon and cover up as much of his features as possible with clothes which is why he dresses like a ninja. So...they retconned away the disguise in MKSM and MK9, which is kinda the lazy way to do it...but if his disguise were ever put in a game that had modern graphics and didn't use palette swaps, then even when he's disguised there should be obvious tells that he's not a human, because the shape of his body is not like a human's. He has giant three-toed feet and claws.

It also makes each race more unique if they have their own traits. That's why I like that Nitara has wings. MK Vampires aren't transformed humans, they're their own race, they breed by having babies and their bite doesn't turn anyone, it just kills. Therefore, as their own separate race from another planet, they should have their own biological features.

You seem to lump all the "monster races" together and suggest that looking like a creature will automatically make the audience think a character is a dumb brute or animalistic, but I don't necessarily think that's always true. I mean, it is sometimes...it's definitely a stereotype that exists, and it has negatively impacted Goro and Sheeva's characters, because they are both supposed to be intelligent and noble but do often come across as dumb muscle...but there are monster characters in fiction that have features subtle enough, or are written well enough, to not be perceived as dumb, ugly animals. Again, Nitara is an example. Khameleon as well (although we've never actually seen her true scaly Raptor form yet, just a human-disguise palette swap and a "my invisibility mode is always on but for some reason doesn't work on my clothes" design. Speaking of which, why does she have hair in MKA?)

And there's even better examples of smart or even sexy looking monster-characters in other games, like most of the cast of Darkstalkers...

Besides, Tarkatans, Centaurs, Shokans, Raptors, and Vampires don't blend together into one big "monster" category for me because they don't look anything alike, each one has a unique and interesting design.

And as I said, I'd keep the monster features on the Kreeyans subtle anyway so they don't become unrelateable to human players or seem like dumb brutes because of being too ugly.

That actually does make a great deal of sense, and I am also quite aware of how I ironic my statement was.

However, it still seems fitting to me if they didn't bear the appearance of insects. Maybe it's because I like the idea of their 'true' appearance being more of a secret. Yeah, one can say it has been done before by Reptile, but to be honest, it was really only done for budget reasons. After MK3, Reptile was letting it all hang out.



I for one actually love Reptile's MK4 appearance, and I very much hope it makes a fine return in MK10, considering the nature of the game.



Not really.

In fact, my take on it is purely on the physical aspect. In MK, you can clearly pinpoint the characters who bear more animal-like genes. There's no character or species who tucks it away and hides it at will, allowing themselves to freely travel throughout the realms unnoticed. This species can be the Kreeyans.



Maybe, that could be an option.

Maybe I am just in so much awe by how the members of the species grow from insect larvae to humanoid. I think if the characters were to look more like insects, then the significance of such a growth would be erased.

@RazorsEdge701

I really don't see why it's hard to imagine them acting the exact same way as a different species, if they still look and sound exactly like humans, or are humans. I see no good reason to create new characters that look and act exactly like them, when they can just canonize them instead. As for people confusing Kiri and Kira, I don't really care about people who can't tell two characters apart merely because of similar names. I don't confuse Kia with Kai, or vice versa. These two couldn't be more different if they tried.

Thing is, I think there's a way Kiri being a raptor could work, even with Khameleon around. With two females, and only one male, they fight each other to prove who's the dominant female, and who deserves to have Reptile's children. As for Ankha, I wouldn't want her and Kiri to be enemies, so instead she'd be a different species, and still Kiri's loyal companion.

In the show they only ever did two things: be a source of lesbian innuendo because every episode of Konquest just HAD to be full of cheap titillation, and be Zaterran spies who fight for Reptile.

If you take away being Zaterran, they have no story at all except for whatever new one you might make up from scratch. And if you do that, then you're creating new characters, so just make up your own damn names for them.

As for the idea that they could work as Raptors if they're competition with Khameleon for Reptile's affections, that...well, it's a valid idea, but I wouldn't say a good one.

Frankly, Reptile's storyline of wanting to bring back the Raptors is the least important subplot in the entire MK universe...and I prefer it that way. In fact, I'd rather he NEVER succeed, because I don't think there's any place for the Raptors to play a role in the MK universe. The ONLY thing about Reptile that's interesting is precisely that he's the only one there is. The moment you bring his people back, he becomes just another boring, useless monster-leader like Baraka and Goro.

"In the show they only ever did two things: be a source of lesbian innuendo because every episode of Konquest just HAD to be full of cheap titillation, and be Zaterran spies who fight for Reptile.

Frankly, Reptile's storyline of wanting to bring back the Raptors is the least important subplot in the entire MK universe...and I prefer it that way. In fact, I'd rather he NEVER succeed, because I don't think there's any place for the Raptors to play a role in the MK universe. The ONLY thing about Reptile that's interesting is precisely that he's the only one there is. The moment you bring his people back, he becomes just another boring, useless monster-leader like Baraka and Goro."

This.

You're speaking of Tai-Gore. Whereas it is no doubt influenced by the tiger, I would say it is Mortal Kombat's version of the Chimera (a hybrid creature) with those horns, extra eyes and the long tail. For the predator to combat, it should evolve into a bipedal form first in order to throw some basic jabs.
I'm not bothered by that, as long as the pronunciation stays different. It wouldn't harm anyone however if either Khameleon or Chameleon would obtain a new name, should they appear again and in the same game.

Eh, doesn't have nearly enough parts from other actual animals for me to see it as a Chimera. It's just a jungle cat with monstrous Outworld features.

No but it does: the horns are from a goat, the body is from a feline and the tail is long like a snake. Only the snake's eyes are missing but then again this'd be MK's subtle version of the Chimera. (The tail can still slash.) Take for example the Centaurs of Mortal Kombat – they are very different from the basic Centaurs and we have no certainty if it is actually a hybrid of man and horse to begin with, i.e. the horse may have been replaced by another quadruped animal and there could be even a third creature in that mixture.

God of War's iteration of the Chimera is pretty close to Tai-Gore. MK always alters the mythological creatures.

Whether Tai-Gore is actually by the species a Chimera in Mortal Kombat is unknown, but the beast is undoubtedly based on one. You can't deny.

The God of War one has goat horns and a snake tail.

The Mortal Kombat one has demon horns and a blade on its tail. It's not a mix of animal parts, it's just a cat with monster features.

I know about the blade, it as well as the spikes on the back likely indicate that Tai-Gore is a creature of Outworld like Shao Kahn and the Tarkatans.Typical goat horns are actually closer to Tai-Gore's than those in GoW. Moreover, the demon horns are said to be based on the goat horns.

Why do we need background characters to be canonized at all?

I've seen plenty of requests for an apparently scrapped male vampire. While I'm open to new vampire characters, the demand for a male vampire in particular seems to reek of sexism a little, even if it's unintentional. Like, if we got that male vampire in MK:DA instead of Nitara, there probably wouldn't be as many requests for a female vampire. I'm certainly not seeing many request for a female tarkata (a "pure" one I mean, unlike Mileena), or a female centaur. I wonder how many were asking for a female Shokan before MK3 came out.

Maybe I'm making it a bigger deal than it actually is, and not that many people are requesting the male vampire, but there does seem to be a strong demand for him.

Well, this can probably be exlained through an understanding of familiarity.

Centaurs are typically imaged as males, and have been for centuries, so there wouldn't be much of a demand for a female counterpart.

The Shokan appearance was established with a male familiarity two games in, and even then that is also quite early for players to make requests for certain kinds of characters.

Mileena shows that female Tarkatans can be physically established, so I can understand the issue. However, one may also say that Mileena alone suffices as the female Tarkatan counterpart.

As for vampires, they have been heavily portrayed in both genders, so it is likely a counterpart would be requested. In fact, I think had the male vampire come first, a female would have been demanded almost instantly.

Nobody was asking for a female Shokan in 1995. Sheeva was created specifically because there was extremely high demand to play as Goro or Kintaro, but the creators felt that would be unbalanced and since females are usually smaller than males, they thought they could satisfy the fans by creating a girl Shokan, who could have Goro and Kintaro's most famous moves, without having their boss-features like being super tall (too tall for Fatalities to look right) and immune to stuff or absorbing way more damage than everybody else.

I'm not sure I'd say their plan worked. Sheeva's not very popular, and the whole reason people wanted to play as Goro and Kintaro was to be an overpowered giant, lol. (And she didn't even have Goro's most famous move until Armageddon...)

Anyway...I personally have no interest in a male vampire character.

I think vampires are, like, THE single most cliché-prone monster in fiction, and I appreciate Nitara specifically because she breaks the mold in a lot of ways (She has no interest in seducing or mesmerizing people so she can bite them, she doesn't act tortured or cursed, she's just a fighter who HAPPENS to damage her victims via fangs, her defining character traits are actually being an archeologist and a freedom fighter)...but the more vampires you add, the more likely it becomes each time that we're gonna end up with some goddamn Dracula-type suave posh and rich-lookin' guy with a European accent, or some Twilight or Angel-style tortured badboy who's all "I'm a monster, I have darkness inside, I don't want to hurt you..." When they turned Raphael in Soul Calibur into a vampire, he was kinda BOTH those clichés at once!

If they created the guy they were gonna in the Deadly Alliance concept art, we'd most likely get the first one. Dude was wearing medieval armor with a cape. A fucking cape! (Oh, and he had aqua-blue anime hair too, but that was probably just a placeholder...)

Well I say fuck that noise.

That said, I am TOTALLY down for a female centaur. In fact, I've had some ideas for a fanfic character/KAK-entry of that variety for quite some time. It shouldn't be hard to make a horse-person look feminine, unicorns and pegasi (that's the plural of pegasus) are horses too and they're totally girly.

There is no such thing as a European acccent.

As for the male vampire, go for it. I'm not a vampire fan but neither a vampire hater. They just ought to keep in mind the past characters, like Nitara, as well.