The Mortal Kombat 1 roster just got a whole lot bigger
The Mortal Kombat 1 roster just got a whole lot bigger with the announcement of three new fighters coming to the fighting game. Li Mei, Tanya, and Baraka are all playable characters in Mortal Kombat 1, and we’re getting our first look at their brutal gameplay in this new trailer.
Baraka has appeared in previous Mortal Kombat games, including Mortal Kombat 11, and Tanya was last playable in Mortal Kombat 10. Li Mei, meanwhile, hasn’t been playable since Mortal Kombat: Armageddon in 2006. All three fighters are part of the main roster, rather than just appearing as a cameo – which is particularly exciting news for those who loved Li Mei and Tanya in previous games.
We also got some new details about the fighters’ placement in the new timeline. A recent update to the official website gave us an in-depth look at the history of Mileena, Kitana, and the Umgadi fighters. We now know that Tanya is now the head of the Umgadi and works closely with Mileena, who is infected with an all-new Tarkatan disease – previously associated with Baraka’s race. This suggests that he was once a normal person before contracting the disease.
We also get to see the fighters’ various fatalities, with Li Mei’s getting special attention – particularly the way she slices her opponent’s head clean off from their shoulders. Fans are already speculating about a potential romantic relationship between Mileena and Tanya, though we’ll have to wait and see how their story plays out.
Most notably, we get a brief glimpse of a blighted area which looks like it could be the Umgadi village. The trailer also mentions Liu Kang’s failure to provide a cure for the infected, which could perhaps be a hint at a potential plot twist. After all, Liu Kang is widely considered to be a god of sorts – if he can’t provide a cure for those who look to him for guidance and protection, that could raise some doubts.
Despite the series’ recent missteps, it’s clear that fans are still excited about the return of these classic fighters. Check out our list of the best multiplayer games if you’re looking for something else to play while you wait to play as Li Mei.
