Summary
From his first introduction inMortal Kombat 2, the highly anticipated sequel to Midway’s monster arcade hit, Shao Kahn has stood as the ultimate antagonist. Sporting a much more barbaric appearance and an aggressive fighting style, he differentiated himself from the originalMortal Kombat’s final boss, Shang Tsung. Much in the same way as Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn watched over each fight in the game’s arcade tower, sitting in the background of many arenas. By the time players made their way to face the Outworld emperor, they were not prepared for the fight awaiting them.
Shao Kahn was a notoriously difficult final boss in each of the games he appeared in. That is, of course, until players found ways to cheese him (gotta love a jump-kick, uppercut). Nevertheless, Shao Kahn has always been a fearsome foe in eachmainlineMortal Kombatgame. Shao was a conqueror of realms in the lore, with his eyes set on taking Earthrealm next. He would attempt to continue his conquest over the years, even after several timeline reboots. No matter the era, Shao Kahn’s ruthlessness and lust for power remain unmatched.
This tier list only considers mainline games for Shao Kahn’s versions.
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S-Tier
Mortal Kombat 2/Mortal Kombat 3
Sometimes the classics are hard to beat. The original portrayal by actor Brian Glynn and the legendary voice of Steve Ritchie helped establish Shao Kahn asan iconicMortal Kombatvillain. The simple barbarian design with more spikes than clothes is nothing less than memorable. Players will remember the sight of those shoulder spikes all too well, as their character is continuously pummeled by them. However, the feeling of triumph after defeating Shao Kahn in these original games is second to none.
Mortal Kombat (2011)
Mortal Kombat 9served as the first timeline reset afterMK: Armageddonended the original timeline.This Shao Kahn was essentially a next-generation version of the character fromMK2andMK3,since this game was a retelling of the same events. Shao came complete with his signature Wrath Hammer, spears, spiky outfit, and brutal shoulder attack. This Shao Kahn was also the first to use the new announcer voice that would continue untilMK:11.
A-Tier
Mortal Kombat 1
Mortal Kombat 1’s rebooted timeline introducednew versions of theMKvillainsin subdued roles due to Liu Kang’s influence. This included General Shao, the demoted form of the character. This version was an interesting take on the famous antagonist, putting him in a position where he must team up with other villains to gain the power he feels is owed to him. From a design perspective, this Shao stands out for being the most dragon-like, which adds another new layer to his backstory. The redesigned General Shao perfectly fits into the new era of the series.
B-Tier
Mortal Kombat 11
Shao Kahn inMK11was another iconic rendition of the character. This was the first time he began to sport a dragon-like appearance, with many fans even suspecting at first that he was a reincarnation of his rival, Onaga. His role as the secondary antagonist inthe story ofMortal Kombat 11was substantial, seeing him return to reclaim the throne of Outworld fromMKX’s Kotal Kahn. Players had the ability to customize the character for the first time and had access to a range of different gear and special moves for the warlord.MK11’s Shao was a fearsome rendition of the famous character.
C-Tier
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
InMortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Shao Kahn is defeatedby the evil duo Shang Tsung and Quan Chi. The two sorcerers know that Shao Kahn is one of the few individuals who stand in their way of total power. The other is the champion of Earthrealm, Liu Kang. After defeating Shao Kahn in Outworld, the Deadly Alliance travels to Earthrealm to kill Liu Kang and pursue their plot to revive the undead army of Onaga.
Mortal Kombat: Deception
After a brief hiatus, Shao Kahn returned as an exclusive playable character in the GameCube version ofMortal Kombat: Deception. He was also included in the PSP port of the game,Mortal Kombat: Unchained. This game saw the classic character setting out to defeat his ancient nemesis, Onaga, and once again reclaim the throne of Outworld. Shao also played a role inMK: Deception’s Konquest mode, being a point of contact for protagonist Shujinko.
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Armageddonbrought back everyMKcharacter up to that point in time and did not leave out Shao Kahn. There is a brief nod to his endless rivalry with Onaga in the opening cutscene, which shows the Dragon King grabbing Shao and flying him far away from the rest of the battle. This game featured the same design asMK: DAandMK: Dbut also included a new alternate costume. As always, Shao doesn’t go far without his deadly hammer, and players have the opportunity to wield it against any character inMortal Kombat’s massive roster.
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
With the same design as theShao Kahn fromMortal Kombat(2011), this Shao remains consistent with the look of the character from both the original trilogy and the 3D era. However, this game also introduced a new antagonist in the form of Dark Kahn, the hybrid Shao Kahn/Darkseid.
A perfectly monstrous antagonist for the game, Dark Kahn was a fun, comic book-inspired take on the two villains. Undoubtedly, this is one of the most unique versions of theMortal Kombatcharacter to date.
