Kano

**Kano** (加納)[1] is a member of the Black Dragon clan, and features in the *Mortal Kombat* fighting game series. He is one of the few original characters, debuting in the *Mortal Kombat* series. He was the first member of the Black Dragon to appear in the series, followed by many others.

## About Kano

As a mercenary and leader of the international crime cartel known as the Black Dragon, he rises beyond the level of mere brutality and aggression by also being sly and cunning. It was through his resourcefulness that he convinced Shao Kahn to spare his life, and it was through ruthless ambition that he later ascended to position of general of Outworld's armies. Originally from Australia, Kano is highly opportunistic and incredibly selfish, eager to betray others even if it be his own allies, usually for financial gain. One of the more notable features of Kano is his facetious and twisted sense of humour, almost always making light of most circumstances. He combines the features of a cowardly minion, a lone survivor, a crazed madman, and a ruthless commander. His actions have made him the archenemy of Sonya Blade who has developed an obsession over finding and bringing Kano to justice.

A portion of Kano's face is covered with a metal plate, (in his more recent appearances this has been changed to cybernetic upgrades) the result of a disfiguring injury he sustained at the hands of Major Jackson Briggs prior to the events of the series, with the plated eye being a glowing red orb capable of emitting laser beams.

## Bios

* **Mortal Kombat** - *"Undisciplined and dangerous, Kano is a thug for hire. From weapons dealing to cold-blooded murder, his military training has made him the go-to man for the Black Dragon. But when an operation went to hell and his face horribly mutilated, Kano's crime spree was almost ended. Ever the survivor, he used his underworld connections to find a cyberneticist capable of repairing the damage. Kano was fitted with several high-tech enhancements, most notably his eye laser. With these new weapons, Kano's reign of terror has only just begun."*

## Kombat Characteristics

### Power and Abilities

Kano is very opportunistic and mostly engages in fights he has an advantage in. Although Kano fights when it best suits him, he is extremely adept in combat and has proven to be a challenge for even the more skilled fighters. What differentiates him from his opponents, however, is his dependence on weapons rather than special powers. He very often uses his signature Butterfly Knives in combat, whether he throws them at the opponent or uses them in hand-to-hand combat. In addition, his eye laser is used often.

Another of Kano's special moves is his ability to tuck into a cannonball and propel himself toward his opponents. This has been a signature move of his since the first game. Also, several of his finishers involve him ripping vital organs (or sometimes entire skeletons) out of the opponent's body. Along with the elder Sub-Zero's **Spine Rip** Fatality, Kano's **Heart Rip** helped *Mortal Kombat* garner significant controversy over its violence factor.

Kano's cybernetics have been upgraded and extended through his entire body. This includes a cybernetic "heart" similar to Hsu Hao, which serves as a booster to his cybernetic enhancements. He now uses thermal grenades as part of his already deadly arsenal.

## Movelist

### Signature Moves

* **Knife Throw:** Kano throws a pair of knives at his opponent.
	+ In *MKI*, the enhanced version is called **Knife Toss**. Kano throws two knives at once.
	+ In *MKvsDC*, the enhanced version is called **Blade Toss** and has Kano throw two knives in a row, with the second one being able to hit ducking opponents. The enhanced version of **Knife Toss** is called **Multi Blades**, which has Kano throw three knives at different heights that knock the enemy down.
* **Kanoball:** Kano curls into a ball and flies at his opponent.
	+ In *MK:DA* the enhanced version is called **Kano Ball**. Kano will spin in the air momentarily before launching at the opponent, hitting them several times. This can be charged (delayed) and it's unblockable if held for the full charge.
	+ In *MK:U*, the enhanced version is called **Black Dragon Ball** and, like the *MKII*, can be delayed, but won't become unblockable if held for the full charge. It also has armor and can be canceled while being delayed.
* **Down Ball**: Kano performs a **Ball** from the air to the ground, hitting the opponent if in his way.
	+ In *MKvsSJ*, the enhanced version is **Downward Ball**and allows Kano to do his **Air Throw** before the opponent hits the ground.
	+ In *MKF*, this move can be enhanced as soon as Kano lands, which will make him pounce at the opponent's torso to force them against the ground instead of the low kick.
* **Up Vall:** Kano aims his Kanoball upwards to an aerial opponent.
	+ In *MKvsDC*, the enhanced version is called **Uprise Ball**.
	+ In *MKvsJ* it has armor, but is slightly less damaging than the original version.

#### Cybernetic

gains multiple Eye Laser and grenade attacks. Cybernetic equipment and grenades emits a red glow, bowie knives are removed and combat knives are secured on either side of his waist.

* **Eye Laser:** Kano shoots a laser from his eye at the opponent.
	+ The enhanced version is called **Eye Blast**, which has armor, increased damage and again, stuns the opponent, leaving them open for another attack.
* **Upward Laser**: Kano shoots his laser upwards to hit a foe in the air.
	+ This move can be enhanced if it hits the enemy, which will make Kano quickly fire a second laser that sends the enemy flying into the air, allowing for a follow-up attack.

#### Commando

gains the Choke Grab, Power Slam, and High/Low Parry. Cybernetic equipment and grenades emits a yellow glow.

* **Chokehold:** Kano would grab his opponent and lift them in the air by the throat and proceed to stab them in the chest.
	+ In *MK:D*, the enhanced version is called **Kano Choke**. Kano grounds the opponent and constantly smashes their head on the ground whilst laughing. He then quickly rolls over them to the other side.
	+ In *MK:U*, the enhanced version is called **Strangle**. Instead of bashing his knee at the opponent's face at the end, Kano will stab them in the chest with his knife three times, lifting them up with the knife to deliver a punch to their face that knocks them away.
* **High Counter**: Kano will counter any high physical attack by knocking the opponent down with a vicious clothesline.
	+ The enhanced version does more damage.
* **Low Counter**: Kano will counter any low attack by pulling the enemy down to the ground, stabbing their chest with one of his elbow blades and then rolling away.
	+ The enhanced version does more damage.
* **Rib Strike**: Kano grabs the opponent to strike their rib cage with his knee twice before knocking them away with a knee to their face.
	+ The enhanced version does more damage and has armour on startup.
* **Power Slam**: Kano grabs his opponent and does a German Suplex, leaping up with them to slam their head against the floor.
	+ The enhanced version has armor on startup and sees Kano leap up with the enemy at a higher height to do extra damage as they land head-first.

#### Cutthroat

gains Knife attacks and Power Up move. Cybernetic equipment and grenades emits a blue glow.

* **Blade Swipe:** Kano slashes his opponents with his knife in an upward swing.
	+ The enhanced version is called**Bloody Slice** and has Kano stab the opponent's abdomen before pulling the blade up to throw them in the air.
* **Blade Spin:** Kano spins both of his knives around his body, knocking the opponent up into the air if it connects. Only usable by *MK* Kano.
* **Inner Rage:** Kano concentrates for a short amount of time before covering his hands in red energy. Using this move increases the amount of damage dealt. In *MKF*, this is known as **Power Up**, and has Kano pound his cybernetic heart to activate it. It also increases his damage for a period, but this time at the cost of making Kano himself lose health over time until the buff wears off.
	+ The enhanced version is called **Charge Up**. It gives him a greater damage buff without the disadvantage of health loss. It also armors him while he performs the chest pound animation.

### Other Moves

* **Throw:** Kano grabs his opponent and headbutts them twice and on the third strike, he launches the opponent into the air.
* **Reverse Throw:** Kano slashes his opponent in the stomach twice with a knife, then stabs them in the gut and throws them over his shoulder.

### X-Ray Move

* **Just the Tip:** Kano plunges a knife into his opponent's right thigh, going through and snapping the femur. Before the opponent can react, Kano proceeds to stab them in the left thigh, resulting in another broken femur. Then he delivers a devastating kick to the front of the skull, causing heavy fracture damage.

## Finishing Moves

### Fatalities

* **Knife Toss:** Before executing this Fatality, he slowly walks away from his opponent, as if he were giving up, then he throws both Butterfly Knives into the opponent abruptly.
* **Heart Rip:** Kano's signature Fatality has him ripping the heart out of his opponent's chest, then hoisting the still beating organ in the air in triumph.

### Brutalities

* **Ballin':** Kano does an enhanced **Down Ball**, rolling into a ball to stun the opponent and proceeding to snare them, mangling their upper body into a ball.
* **Terminate:** Kano grabs his opponent and knocks them with his metallic eye. He finishes with an upwards headbutt which launches their head clean off into the air.
* **Just the Tip:** Kano does a **Bloody Slice**, stabbing his opponent in the abdomen with one of his knives and violently pulling it upwards. The opponent looks at the screen before splitting in half until the abdomen. *(Cutthroat Variation)*
* **Glaring Light:** Kano hits his opponent several times and detonates a bomb which throws them upwards, forwarding with an enhanced **Upward Laser**. The second laser shot obliterates the lower half of the body. *(Cybernetic Variation)*
* **Wham Bam:** Kano grabs the opponent and performs a **Power Slam** that destroys his opponent's head. *(Commando Variation)*
* **Pop Off:** Kano grabs his opponent and **Chokes** them. Afterwards, he grabs their head and crushes it like a balloon. *(Secret - Commando Variation)*

## Sequences

### Battle Intro

Kano comes in tossing his knife in the air. He puts it away and gets out his cybernetic heart. As he embeds it into himself, he says, "Good evenin', mate." (if Kano's opponent is female, he'll say, "Hello, my lovely." instead.)

### Victory Pose

Kano leaps high up and stomps on his down opponent in full force. He then gets out a knife but instead of gutting his opponent then, he uses it like a shaving razor.

## Character Development

In an early sketch of Kano by John Tobias, he had an eye patch instead of a metal face plate with a bionic eye, and 2 katanas. Another design of Kano had a large helmet with two red eyes. This concept was also dropped later on to be replaced by a metal plate over his right eye. In Kano's *Deception* Bio Card, Ed Boon mentions how Kano's bionic eye in the first *MK* (involving digitized actors) was created by cutting out a piece of a plastic mask and painting it a silver color, then gluing it to Richard Divizio's head.

In an episode of Icons/Gamemakers, hosted by G4, Ed Boon stated that the eye implant was directly based on ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' in which the T-800's right side of his face begins to peel off from damage, revealing his mechanical visage.

## Trivia

* Kano was rumored to be in *MKII* through Shang Tsung's morphs, but this was proven false.
* In *Deadly Alliance*, Kano hung Sonya Blade's hair around his neck as a symbol of their rivalry, which he tore from her head during their battle atop the skyscraper in *MK3*.
* In the Krypt of *Deadly Alliance*, the koffin CO contains a comedic ad for "Kan-Os", a breakfast cereal with a cartoonish image of Kano on the box.
* In *Deadly Alliance*, if Kenshi's **Telekinetic Contortion** Fatality is performed on Kano, only his real eye pops out.
* The version of Kano from the original *Mortal Kombat* game is an unlockable character in the CD-based versions of *Mortal Kombat Trilogy*. Strangely, halfway through performing it, *MK* Kano's victory pose changes to a modified version of his *Mortal Kombat 3* victory pose.
* The knife that Kano uses in the *Mortal Kombat* film is a Gil Hibben Raptor.
* Kano appears as a hidden boss in *Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks*, and all the Black Dragon Mercenaries resemble Kano in this game.
* In each game Kano is absent, he either makes a cameo imprisoned, a substitute fighter from the Black Dragon borrows his techniques, or both during *Deception* when Kira was introduced.
* In *Mortal Kombat: Armageddon*, Kano's alternate costume resembles his *MK* outfit, while if both players chose Kano as their characters his second color will resemble his *UMK3*outfit.
* In *MK*, Kano, along with Jax, has an X-Ray that deals 41% damage - the most damaging of all of the playable characters.
	+ Their X-Ray Moves are two of three that cannot be blocked, along with Sheeva's X-Ray move.
* Richard Divizio once stated that Kano's favorite food is White Castle hamburgers. However, this likely just means that they are Richard Divizio's favorite food as well. [2]
* Kano's face plate has technical issues in *MK 2000.*The plate is invisible when he's attacked with X-Ray Moves, and it is incorrectly shown on the left side of his head for his Versus image as Player 2.
* In the cinematic trailer from *MK 2000*, Scorpion kills Sub-Zero with Kano's **Eat Your Heart Out** Fatality.
* In *MK 2000*, Kano is the only character whose victory pose is retained in the Challenge Tower, whereas everyone else's is changed.