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Recent revelations suggest that if development had gone differently, Shang Tsung and Liu Kang from Mortal Kombat could have been linked from afar.
Although the rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero has grown in popularity in recent years, one of the biggest Mortal combat feuds were originally between Liu Kang and Shang Tsung. The two have always been established as rivals, especially since Liu Kang is the canonical winner of the first match tournament. Recent revelations of Mortal combat Co-creator John Tobias, however, suggests that if development had gone differently, the two could have been blood related.
In some versions of Mortal combatLiu Kang’s extremely complicated plot is a descendant of Grand Kung Lao, not to be confused with young Kung Lao. This is the case in Mortal Kombat 4, for example, as well as the 1995 film and the Mortal Kombat: Konquest TV show. The Great Kung Lao was a Shaolin monk who trained to fight in the Mortal Kombat tournament, and in a late Mortal Kombat 11: AftermathOne of the people who helped him win is Liu Kang who is time traveling.
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In the first production notes shared by Tobias on Twitter, the equivalent of Shang Tsung – identified as “shapeshifter / antagonist“for the first game – is called Shang Lao. Assuming Mortal combatThe Chinese characters follow the order of the names “last name, first name”, this Shang Lao would have shared only one first name with the Grand Kung Lao. Yet Liu Kang shares no name with the legendary warrior, so a distant relationship between Grand Kung Lao and Shang Lao might have been possible; maybe “Lao” was meant to be just a clue to their unique connection.
Despite our desire to visually separate the ninjas with a paddle swap, we used a revenge story to tie the two characters together and fit them into archetypes our players would easily understand … (9/10) pic.twitter.com/6kuL6mxKut
– John Tobias (@therealsaibot) March 24, 2021
While a lot of things were eventually changed prior to the game’s delivery, if the name had stuck, it’s possible the series could have revolved around a family conflict. The notes already state many Mortal combat character roles, including Liu Kang as the protagonist. While players can choose other characters in the fights, fans may recall that Liu Kang featured prominently in the game’s arcade cabinets.
Why did Shang Tsung’s name change in Mortal Kombat?
It is not known why Shang Lao’s name was changed prior to its release. In the development of any story, however, the characters are often renamed or repositioned for reasons as basic as personal taste. A lot of details were in motion at the time: movie star Johnny Cage seems to have been named Michael Grimm, and Scorpion and Sub-Zero simply were “Ninja 1“and”Ninja 2. “Kurtis Stryker is mentioned as”skeptical, “but it has never appeared in games before Mortal Kombat 3. Kitana, who debuted in Mortal Kombat 2, is listed as “herald“figure named Kitsune.
Shang Tsung has become less prominent in the series over time as the developers try to keep the story fresh, joined by other villains like Shao Kahn and Quan Chi. However, it appears in 2021 Mortal combat restart the film, facing Liu Kang. The film is due out April 16 on HBO Max, and it may well rekindle interest in these more classics MK characters.
Source: John Tobias / Twitter
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