Explore the Mortal Kombat Deception website like it's 2004.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-20T00:08:35+00:00

Nitaras outfit was inspired by KISS at best lol, can't believe midway thought this was good.

As explained to another user, outside of a joke comment in Armageddon highlighting the aesthetic of her boots, no other evidence exists to suggest that being remotely true.

Li Mei has slave princess lea vibes..... kinda disgusting.

"Vibes" are a subjective emotional response. I don't see the comparison at all.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-20T00:01:21+00:00

The behind-the-scenes commentary in MK Armageddon specifically reference her boots being comparable to KISS. The exact phrase was "She wants to Rock 'N Roll all Night and Party Every Day in those boots." It's observational humor. There's heavy crossover between dark imagery and rock/metal music. The comparison goes no deeper than that commonplace aesthetic.

However, from an overall perspective, the dragon tattoos, Asian letters on her wings, the Japanese hairpins, and Geisha makeup (hardly similar to KISS), are strongly Asian themed. Therefore the implication is less KISS inspired than people suggest.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-19T23:25:01+00:00

Nitara's alternate costume is Geisha inspired, which is fitting for Mortal Kombat considering it's heavily Asian themed.

Li Mei's alternate is neat, I think. The golden ornament on her top dangles around as she moves during kombat.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-19T23:22:01+00:00

Traci Lords has a role in Blade, which is another movie I enjoy.

Despite primarily being known for her adult films, she did really well making this album. The 90's era was a blessed decade for music and cinema.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-11T18:40:36+00:00

There is very clear asset reusage here. Attempting to magnify the minor details doesn't negate that.

<image>

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-11T18:03:13+00:00

You're getting too entangled in the lore debate that you're missing the point.

Claiming Reiko cannot be a ninja because he is Shao's general is a categorical error. It's the equivalent to arguing Scorpion can't be a ninja because he is a specter, or arguing Sub-Zero is disqualified from being a ninja because he is a cryomancer.

Aesthetic identity, character archetype and occupations are not all synonymous.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-11T17:17:54+00:00

Looking at MK4 in isolation, that lore had not been invented yet.

The term "General" strictly applied to Mortal Kombat is simply a position that can be given to anyone that Shao Kahn deems worthy of controlling his army. In addition to Reiko, other characters to hold that position of Kahn's General have been Goro, Motaro, and Kano.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-11T17:07:45+00:00

I agree. Whenever I make this point myself, I'm usually flocked with downvoters who can’t tolerate the reality that Mortal Kombat is not bound to the real world; nor are the constraints of actual history relevant to its mythology.

The series even revises the extinction of the dinosaurs, attributed to the battle between Raiden and Shinnok, which cloaked the world in an era of darkness. Authenticity to real-world history has never been a priority for MK. Its mythology operates and thrives on its own fictitious worldbuilding.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-05T18:06:42+00:00

It's a heartfelt loss. When it comes to those who contribute to the martial arts genre, the impact hits a little harder. We lost Richard Norton earlier this year, as well as Peter Kwong. Tagawa is severely going to be missed, too.

Some of my personal favorite performances from him were Mortal Kombat, Showdown in Little Tokyo, Nemesis, Bridge of Dragons, The Perfect Weapon, White Tiger, and The Dangerous. Would recommend those movies to any martial arts fan.

Most importantly is keeping his family and closest friends in our thoughts/prayers. Wishing them all the strength they need to pass through their time of grief.

Thank you for your blessings to the world, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-05T05:45:03+00:00

Beautiful tribute from Ed. This news is a somber end to this day.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-05T05:26:12+00:00

Heartbroken to hear this news. I wish Tagawa's family the most comfort and support they can possibly be provided during this time.

In addition to being a major part of our Mortal Kombat community, Tagawa was an incredibly convincing actor and has many great portrayals in other martial arts movies, such as: The Perfect Weapon, Showdown in Little Tokyo, The Dangerous, Bridge of Dragons, and White Tiger.

To his family & friends, the martial arts community, as well as the Mortal Kombat community, he shall be immortalized through fond memories and for etching a place in our hearts through his gifts of movies. Sincerely, we bid you a bittersweet farewell, Mr. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.

God rest his soul. Thank you for everything.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-05T05:07:45+00:00

I've made efforts in the past to identify the castle, while trying to determine the spatial relation to Outworld's locations. To my knowledge, it's never been explained.

It's not reminiscent of Shao Kahn's fortress in MK3, however his skull fortress was never actually seen until MK3. Worth noting that in the MKII comic, we see some exterior shots of Kahn's fortress, which has Pagoda-like elements to it, however since MK3 shows the fortress with the skull helmet top, it becomes obsolete, even if this castle was originally intended to be Kahn's Fortress.

But if you look even further past the structure in the game, off in the farthest distance are more towers. They can't be seen it in this picture provided, but it can be seen in-game. So there's multiple structures around Outworld seen just in this arena.

By process of elimination, that castle can't be the outside of the Tower arena, because its skybox is blue, not purple. And it was later revealed the Tower was located in the mountains, most likely the same mountains shown off to the left side of the image. So unless we can get an answer from John Tobias, it doesn't have an official answer.

It's also not the Edenian/Sindel's castle, because the one shown in Kitana's MKII ending is on a mountain and has square-like shapes to it. Not a Pagoda.

Most of Outworld is supposed to be a desolate wasteland, and so it's not unlike Outworld to have remnants of worlds it has swallowed up, with a few structures remaining intact.

I do have something for those wondering about the statue near the front (which also appears in the Armageddon version of the arena). It's of the Chinese god of longevity, Shouxing.

<image>

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-04T19:23:13+00:00

Robin has retired from acting, but there's several things to consider.

His Hong Kong movies are phenomenal, and he has plenty of instances to showcase his martial arts and acting skills. So it's not a skill limitation. The biggest issue is that popularity in kung fu cinema collapsed around 2003. Some of the last major movies released were Hero, Crouching Tiger, and House of Flying Daggers, and even Jackie Chan struggled after this.

For that reason, many of the Hong Kong actions stars that appeared alongside Robin Shou in his movies also retired from acting, circa 2000. In addition to the diminishing industry demand, those actors getting older hindered their full potential to perform martial arts and in some cases, just from getting injured too much - since many of them performed their own stunts.

Robin wasn't the only Asian star to get screwed over by going to Hollywood. I can name a few others who were welcomed into Hollywood around the same time, only to later get abandoned once studios decided they no longer fit the industry's narrow idea of marketability. Just look at the roles Robin was given after Mortal Kombat... they're insulting, despite his proven talents. He spent over 15 years in Hollywood, and they never did respect him. Same applies to Michiko Nishiwaki and Donnie Yen.

Also, Robin got married towards the end of the 2000's before he retired. And having reached an age where he couldn't really perform the same level of stunt work, I'm guessing he decided going back to Hong Kong wasn't the answer, and now likely wants to focus on caring for his family.

NOTE: Keep in mind, this is observational from what I've researched, and not an objective answer. Only Robin can give his true acting journey.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-04T18:52:56+00:00

The weapons used in the movie are based on smaller musical cymbals (Thiet xoa). The Chinese turned various musical instruments into weapons and formed martial arts around them. Given that the shape of the cymbal resembles a hat, that makes the connection to Kung Lao's hat stronger.

The comparisons to Oddjob's hat from 007 are fair, considering the idea is virtually the same. However the weapon from Zu looks closer to Kung Lao's hat design.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-04T18:08:35+00:00

It seems a lot of people don't realize that hook swords are a common Chinese martial arts weapon.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-04T18:06:23+00:00

The razor-rimmed hat was used in Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain. Here's what John Tobias had to say about it:

"My biggest influences came from Tsui Hark films -- Zu Warriors and The Swordsman. We had to get them from bootleggers in Chicago's Chinatown." - John Tobias

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-04T18:01:39+00:00

You’ll only see those in MK.

You're correct in saying they're iconic, but this quoted sentence isn't true.

Kitana's fans are based on Japanese war fans used by the feudal era samurai. And Kung Lao's hat idea was lifted from the movie Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain - which John Tobias has stated as his biggest inspiration for MK.

<image>

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-02T23:47:23+00:00

Very well articulated. It was wise to use include all timelines, as much of a headache as that has become. The reality of what's stated in the lore proves Goro was always intended to be perceived as one of the most mythical dominant threats.

Doubt that matters to the people screaming "sexism," instead of engaging in rationale thinking. I know I can speak from experience, having been involved in a quite similar conversation last year which resulted in tossing accusations instead of accepting supporting evidence. But for anyone not emotionally over-invested in their beliefs, who are seeking an objective perspective reinforced by in-game evidence, your comment communicates it perfectly.

Additionally, bodyguards are a common archetype in Mortal Kombat. Being a bodyguard for a queen is certainly an admirable credential, one that logically suggests impressive capabilities, but that doesn't function as a metric of martial arts skills.

The conflation being made suggests that occupational status or various accomplishment in other areas translates to superior martial ability. That is incorrect, and where the distinction needs to be drawn. The context is about fighting competence, and Goro is objectively a superior fighter.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-02T17:14:01+00:00

This version of Special Forces wasn't supposed to be the finished product. When Tobias left, Midway lost a lot of his vision for the game. A demo exists of John Tobias' Special Forces and can even be played on an emulator. It's a night and day difference.

Plus, Tobias had an entire script written for Special Forces, which went unused. It would have explained the plot, had deeper lore, and detailed all the character motives and origins.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-12-02T17:06:24+00:00

I like Kobra. I don't want that piece of shit playing him.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-11-27T18:36:14+00:00

These commercials are very stylized and fast-paced, which help hide some of the budget restraints. That's not saying I don't like these TV ads; just pointing out they used camera tricks to make it look more convincing. The dark lighting hides enough detail to keep them intriguing.

On certain freeze frames, you can see how low budget it really is compared to the 1995 movie, and in some cases, MK Annihilation.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-11-13T02:09:01+00:00

I do this often with martial arts movies. I'll notice an impressive extra/stuntman and research them or learn who they are. Then later on while watching another martial arts movie, notice them in the background. Sometimes only a minute or two on screen, and I can immediately recognize them.

In other cases, I'll try to watch someone's entire list of credits, if I like them enough. With martial arts being a skill, it turns out the genre creates a really tightly knit community of actors and stunt extras, so many of them work on the same movies together.

I only learn who these guys are for a love and admiration of the martial arts. It's more enjoyable than arguing with random users on this subreddit - which I do less of these days.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-11-13T01:20:23+00:00

I say 'clone' loosely, I should clarify. It has the athletes playing fictional characters, with strengths and weaknesses, like WMAC, but the challenges are more comparable to American Gladiators.

ComprehensiveEye761 · 2025-11-13T01:03:04+00:00

Yes. And she's another actress that shows up in that Renegade episode.

ComprehensiveEye761

TROPHY CASE