Kung Lao

Kung Lao is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. A Shaolin monk, he debuted in Mortal Kombat II (1993). He is depicted as a primary hero in the series, including as one of the protagonists of the action-adventure spin-off Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (2005). The character is also a descendant of the Great Kung Lao, the first Earthrealm champion of the Mortal Kombat tournament. His main weapon is a metal hat, which he uses for both melee and projectile attacks.
Outside of the games, Kung Lao has appeared in various related media. Reception to the character has been generally positive, particularly in respect to his appearance, special abilities, and Fatality finishing moves.
Character design and gameplay
As stated in Kung Lao's bio card that after the first Mortal Kombat game, the creators wanted a monk character other than Liu Kang. According to Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias, Kung Lao's hat was inspired by the 1964 James Bond movie Goldfinger, in which a villain Oddjob threw his special derby hat as a deadly weapon. Kung Lao was portrayed by Anthony Marquez in Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3; Ed Boon said Marquez was ”one of the best martial artists we worked with." Liu and Kung Lao were meant to compliment each other. One as the present day chosen one and the other as a reflection of a failed past, yet it was their sense of righteous purpose that bonded their friendship. The 1995 Mortal Kombat film producers chose to combine Liu and Kung Lao's characters, making Liu the descendant of The Great Kung Lao in the films, and causing confusion in our games for years to follow. Any mention of Liu Kang as descendent of The Great Kung Lao in the games was a mistake. According to Tobias, there have been deviations in different media to serve their purposes, but the truth of Liu's hero's journey and the root of the character’s inspiration usually seemed to find their way.
Kung Lao can be seen in Mortal Kombat II, Mortal Kombat 3, and Shaolin Monks wearing the Chinese character 武 which means military/wu shu/martial arts. However, when asked about this character, John Tobias stated that it is Chinese for "war".
Kung Lao's attacks are based on wind-type moves. His most notable attack is the Hat Toss, which could be directed in Mortal Kombat II, but could not be directed since Mortal Kombat Gold, until Mortal Kombat (2011). Many of his Fatalities involve the use of his hat to some extent, such as slicing the body in half and decapitation.
According to Prima Games, Kung Lao is one of the cheapest Mortal Kombat characters, where they observe "He can combo almost any jumping attack into his Dive Kick. He even has multiple projectile attacks, one of which he can aim up or down, meaning you can't reliably crouch under or jump over it. In Mortal Kombat 3, he even had one of the longest dial-a-combos, because his damage clearly wasn't high enough already."
Appearances
Mortal Kombat games
Midway games
Introduced in Mortal Kombat II (1993), Kung Lao is one of the last known descendants of the Great Kung Lao, a Mortal Kombat champion who lost the title and his life to the Shokan Prince Goro 500 years previously, resulting in the start of corrupt sorcerer Shang Tsung's rule over the tournament. Kung Lao was originally chosen to represent the Shaolin in the Mortal Kombat tournament, but he declined due to the consequences of becoming champion. When a portal leading to the otherworldly dimension Outworld is opened and the Shaolin temple is attacked by Baraka and his Tarkatan soldiers, Liu Kang and Kung Lao resolve to travel through the portal themselves and avenge their fallen Shaolin brothers. Kung Lao's ultimate goal however was to rebuild the White Lotus Society at the Wu Shi Academy in order to train a new generation of warriors for the coming ages. Following Liu Kang's victory over the Outworld tyrant Shao Kahn, the monks return to Earth and begin training the next generation of Shaolin warriors. When Shao Kahn invades Earthrealm in Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), Kung Lao temporarily scraps his plans for reforming the White Lotus Society. While he faces the Kahn in battle, he is ultimately defeated and presumed dead.
In Mortal Kombat Gold (1999), Kung Lao had faked his death so he can live a life of peace in respect to the beliefs of his ancestors. However, he is drawn away from his newfound peace to help fight against the fallen Elder God Shinnok's forces when word reaches him that Goro is still alive. Kung Lao attacks Goro with a ceremonial strike of vengeance for the Great Kung Lao's death. With this act, the two warriors shake hands, ending their conflict.
In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002), Kung Lao vows revenge for Liu Kang's death at the handsof the title sorcerers. Along the way, Kung Lao seeks out advice and training from Outworld martial arts teacher Bo' Rai Cho. Kung Lao is killed by Deadly Alliance and then were resurrected by the dragon king Onaga to become his slaves in Mortal Kombat: Deception (2004). He and the rest of his brainwashed allies were later released from Onaga's spell by a partially resurrected Liu Kang and reformed ninja Ermac. In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006) describes Kung Lao joins forces with him to bring their former comrades Raiden and Liu Kang under control, with the God of Thunder becoming "as ruthless as Shao Kahn" and Liu Kang's corpse selectively slaying various people.
In the action-adventure game Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (2005), an alternate depiction of the events between the first and second Mortal Kombat games, Kung Lao's character was explored to a greater degree than had been shown in previous titles. In this game, he is portrayed as feeling almost resentful of Liu Kang's victory in the Shaolin tournament. A rivalry between the two monks was hence established for the first time. As the two fighters defeated Shang Tsung's warriors, they formed a race of sorts to become the Mortal Kombat champion. This rivalry escalated until the two warriors become convinced that the other has been corrupted by Outworld.
NetherRealm games
In the rebooted continuity of Mortal Kombat (2011), Raiden receives foreboding visions from his future self and attempts to change the timeline of events that lead to Armageddon. He allows Kung Lao to fight in the second tournament. Kung Lao defeats Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, and the Shokan Kintaro, but he is killed by Shao Kahn. Following Shao Kahn's failed invasion of Earthrealm, Kung Lao is resurrected as one of Quan Chi's undead revenant slaves. Kung Lao returns in Mortal Kombat X (2015), continuing to serve Quan Chi and Shinnok in the Netherrealm.
In Mortal Kombat 11 (2019), past iterations of Kung Lao and Liu Kang are brought to the present due to the machinations of the keeper of time Kronika. After learning the Shaolin Temple was attacked by Kronika's forces, the monks head out to investigate, only to encounter their revenant selves and fail to stop Kronika's henchman Geras from stealing vials of Earthrealm's lifeforce. They later help Kitana defeat Shao Kahn and lead the surviving Shaolin monks alongside the combined Earthrealm/Outworld armies in assaulting Kronika's Keep while their revenants attempt to stop them.
In Mortal Kombat 1, the Kung Lao from Liu Kang's new timeline was born and raised in the village of Fengjian, where he worked in the fields alongside his childhood friend, Raiden. In one of his intros with Liu Kang, the Great Kung Lao's victory is revealed to be hidden from the Earthrealm's public at the said ancestor's behest. After the two were trained in martial arts by Madam Bo, Liu Kang recruits them to be defenders of Earthrealm in the tournament against Outworld alongside Johnny Cage and Kenshi. The fight with Sub-Zero Liu Kang set up to test him also inspired him to develop his razor-sharp hat. After Raiden becomes Earthrealm's champion and wins the tournament for them, Liu Kang sends the remaining warriors to investigate Shang Tsung. To prevent Titan Shang Tsung from destroying his timeline, Liu Kang summons Titan incarnations of Kitana, Kung Lao, and Raiden to assist him. After Shang Tsung's Titan counterpart is defeated, Kung Lao becomes an instructor at the Wu Shi Academy, with Shujinko becoming one of his first students. Due to Kung Lao not teaching him humility, Shujinko became a threat to the realms before Liu Kang erased his memories. Kung Lao agreed to train him again, but with Raiden's help.
Other media
Kung Lao made several appearances in Malibu's' Mortal Kombat comic series. His story is slightly altered, stating he is an exile in Outworld due to the failure of his ancestor, and the fall of his lineage. During the comics, he shares a very close relation with Kitana. During the Mortal Kombat: Blood & Thunder miniseries he has a minor participation rescuing a near-death Liu Kang after he was stabbed by Kano. In the Battlewave miniseries, he joins with Kitana, Baraka and Sub-Zero in an attempt to overthrow the Emperor Shao Kahn. He was also featured in his own one-shot issue from Malibu in the summer of 1995. The comic, entitled Rising Son, showed his struggle against Shang Tsung and his shapeshifting mind tricks, using his friends' forms (Kitana, Baraka and Sub-Zero) as well as his ancestor's form to kill him. Kung Lao was also the centerpiece of Jeff Rovin's novelization of the first Mortal Kombat game, but his description therein completely differed from that of the games.
Kung Lao appears in the 2013 second season of the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, and was played by Mark Dacascos.
Max Huang, a member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, portrays Kung Lao in the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot film. In the reboot, Liu Kang calls him "shī xiōng”, (师兄) which means senior male student or an older male student studying under the same master. Although the English subtitles translate this as "cousin," Ludi Lin, who plays Liu Kang, clarifies that the relationship between the two is more of a "found family" one, and that "cousin" can be considered a term of endearment for a close friend, but the two are not, in fact, related by blood.
Kung Lao appears in the 2021 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, voiced by Matthew Yang King. He is among Earth's chosen warriors participating in the tournament but is killed by Shao Kahn.
The Great Kung Lao was featured in the television show Mortal Kombat: Conquest as the main protagonist, and was portrayed by Paolo Montalban. After becoming Grand Champion, the thunder god Raiden tells him that, because he was the last defending warrior of Earthrealm, Lao is now destined to train new warriors to compete against Shao Kahn's forces for the next Mortal Kombat. He initially rejects this responsibility because he desired to marry his girlfriend Jen, despite her father's refusal. While this took place, Shang Tsung, who was now imprisoned in the Cobalt Mines by Shao Kahn after he failed to beat Kung Lao, sought his revenge and sends the undead warrior Scorpion to kill Kung Lao. Scorpion fails to defeat Kung Lao, but manages to kill Jen during the battle. After losing her, Kung Lao commits to training new warriors to defend Earthrealm and fight in Mortal Kombat when the time comes. He is joined by Jen's bodyguard Siro and by Taja, a thief who (with Raiden's persuasion) saved Kung Lao's life from Jen's father. Kung Lao is killed by the Shadow Priests along with Taja and Siro in the final episode of Mortal Kombat: Conquest.
Reception
Despite being stated as a fan favorite by CNET in 2006, he has been referred to as an "obscure" character by CBS that same year. In 2010, IGN claimed that Liu Kang and Kung Lao make the franchise "at its best" when they join forces. In UGO's 2012 list of the top fifty Mortal Kombat characters, Kung Lao placed fifth.
Much of the reception regarded his Fatalities moves and his hat. In a CNET review of Shaolin Monks, it was stated that Kung Lao's body-dividing Fatality "simply doesn't get old." This Fatality was the only death move from the Mortal Kombat series added to the "Top 10 Death Moves" segment of the GamesMaster Gore Special episode and was voted at number four with a comment that no such list "will be complete without a death move from Mortal Kombat."GamePro listed Kung Lao's hat as the ninth best piece of headwear in gaming. His "Bunny Beatdown" from Shaolin Monks was ranked as the 43rd craziest finishing move in the gaming by Complex in 2010, while the hat slice was ranked fifth. Kung Lao's hat slice Fatality ranked as the 35th-most gruesome finishing move ever by UGO.com. Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon commented that Kung Lao's MK2011 'buzzsaw-on-the-ground' was "probably the most painful-looking Fatality ever made". It was included by FHM on their list of nine most brutal Fatalities in the game. That same year, IGN ranked his hat as 79th top weapon in video game history.
Gavin Jasper from Den of Geek gave praise to the character, stating "Kung Lao was easily one of the most fun to play and carried a unique style. Personally, I wish later games would have kept the chinstrap. I always thought that made him look cooler and almost made him seem like he had a slick beard going on." In Mortal Kombat 3 the writer lamented Kung Lao was killed in one of his endings and lacked the original appeal from his 'Mortal Kombat II persona while he was briefly mentioned in related works. In the book World of Martial Arts!, Robert Hill noticed that the duo was so popular that they earned their spin-off which helped to popularize shaolins more in the west, comparing them to early portrayals of fighters in Dragon Ball.
In regards to Kung Lao's portrayal in the live-action movie, Polygon praised him alongside Liu Kang for how the actors give deadpan but sarcastic tone to their characterizations when interacting with the rest of the cast, most notably Kano. The Ringer regarded Kung Lao's fatality when using his hat as a weapon as his second favorite moment it in the movie in contrast to TheWrap who found it hilarious. Meanwhile, another writer from the same site lamented that Kung Lao had little screen time. Den of Geek enjoyed the relationship Kung Lao has with Liu Kang in the reboot film and found his death tragic especially for how it affects Liu Kang. The idea of Kung Lao and Liu Kang being rivals in Legacy was praised by IGN but the journalist lamented such concept was not given its proper execution due to the large amount of characters.
Notes
References
External links
Fictional Buddhist monks
Fictional Chinese people in video games
Fictional Shaolin kung fu practitioners
Fictional Tang Láng Quán practitioners
Fictional Wing Chun practitioners
Fictional kenpō practitioners
Fictional male martial artists
Fictional martial artists in video games
Fictional pacifists
Fictional slaves in video games
Fictional swordfighters in video games
Male characters in video games
Video game antagonists
Mortal Kombat characters
Religious worker characters in video games
Video game characters introduced in 1993
Video game characters who can teleport
Video game protagonists
Zombie and revenant characters in video games