In Mortal Kombat II, his outfit was enhanced with red stripes, and now included a red headband, black shoes, and studded wristguards (the intro of MKII shows the younger version of the character defeating Shang Tsung in the background, while the updated character is in the foreground). In the first game, Liu Kang was modeled after Bruce Lee, as he had short hair and went shirtless, with a threadbare outfit of only black pants and white shoes. John Tobias originally intended for the character to be a traditional bald monk, but the actor refused to shave his head. Liu Kang was played by Ho-Sung Pak in the first two games. The track titled "Liu Kang's Tomb" would be used in Mortal Kombat: Deception in the arena that shows his tomb.
You don't do that." His eventual death caused Dan Forden, the music composer of the series, to make a "funeral song" for Liu Kang as he felt saddened by his death. However, starting with Mortal Kombat II, he was given gory Fatalities as he was thereafter depicted as a renegade monk who decided to grow his hair back, and who had "strong Shaolin beliefs, but was no longer a part of the Shaolin monks." In response to rumors that Liu Kang would die in Mortal Kombat II and therefore not make it into Mortal Kombat 3, Boon said, "It'd be like doing part three of Star Wars and not having Luke Skywalker in there. This was because Liu Kang was depicted therein as a Shaolin monk, who in general have strict beliefs regarding killing and murder. Liu Kang was the only character in the first game whose finishing move ( Fatality) did not explicitly murder his opponent, and also without the background dimming. The name Liu Kang was inspired by Gordon Liu, an actor famous for the film The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. The 1973 film Enter the Dragon was a major influence in Liu Kang's story.
Liu Kang was originally going to be a Japanese character called Minamoto Yoshitsune, but Mortal Kombat co-creator and character designer John Tobias stated that the staff could not "deal with the name." According to Tobias, whose favourite character in the series is Liu Kang, he "was originally going to be a traditional monk – bald and in robes – but he wound up resembling Bruce Lee." According to Tobias, Liu Kang was purposely the only character that voiced his finishing move in the original game, and was "the best" in the first sequel. His characterization in the reboot games has also received praise.īruce Lee and Minamoto Yoshitsune were the two main influences of Liu Kang's character Reception of the character has been mainly favorable for his special moves and gameplay, although criticism has been directed towards his Bruce Lee-inspired yells. Liu Kang has appeared in various media outside of the games, including as the hero of the 1995 film adaptation and its 1997 sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. He returns to his heroic role in Mortal Kombat 11 (2019), where he becomes the god of fire. During both the original and rebooted timelines, Liu Kang receives a more villainous depiction after he is killed, appearing as a reanimated corpse in the former and an undead revenant who rules the Netherrealm in the latter. The character's storyline sees him win the eponymous Mortal Kombat tournament in the first and second games, saving Earthrealm from being conquered by the opposing forces of Outworld. He is also one of the protagonists of the action-adventure spin-off Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (2005). Since his introduction, Liu Kang has appeared in every main installment except Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002). He debuted in the original 1992 game as a Shaolin monk with special moves intended to be the easiest to perform. Liu Kang ( Chinese: 劉鋼 pinyin: Liú gāng Wade–Giles: Liu 2 Kang 1 or Chinese: 劉康 pinyin: Liú kāng Wade–Giles: Liu 2 K'ang 1 ) is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios.ĭepicted as Earthrealm's greatest warrior and champion, he is generally the main hero of the series. Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do ( MK:D, MK:A, MK:SM)