The TW Network
Mortal Kombat Games
Fighter ID:
Password
Arcade
Worldwide
10/15/1997
Nintendo 64
Worldwide
6/23/1998
Playstation
Worldwide
6/24/1998
Windows
Worldwide
7/23/1998
Game Boy
GameBoy Color release
Worldwide
12/29/1998

Fighters
Fujin
Arcade
Goro
Arcade
Jarek
Arcade
Jax
Arcade
Johnny Cage
Arcade
Kai
Arcade
Liu Kang
Arcade
Meat
Arcade
Noob Saibot
Playstation
Quan Chi
Arcade
Raiden
Arcade
Reiko
Arcade
Reptile
Arcade
Scorpion
Arcade
Shinnok
Arcade
Sonya Blade
Arcade
Sub-Zero (II)
Arcade
Tanya
Arcade

Gameplay
Fujin
Command Moves

Wind Kick
down+lowkick(in air)
Diving kick attack from the sky.
Special Moves

Air Funnel
forwarddownforwardhighpunch
Fujin summons a whirlwinds that lifts the opponent. In Armageddon, he automatically slams them afterward.

Atomic Knee
downforwardhighkick
Jumping knee attack.

Gusting Cyclone
forwarddownlowpunch,m-lowpunch
Fujin spins around and sucks the opponent in with a whirlwind that surrounds him.
Fatal Moves

Crossbow Killing
blck+n_runblck+n_runblck+n_runblck+n_run
Fujin uses a large funnel to lift the opponent high into the air, then fires at them with his crossbow, causing the foe to explode.

Wind Skinner
downforwardforwardupblck
Fujin summons a powerful gust of wind that peels off the opponent's skin.
Goro
Special Moves

Furious Stomp
backwardforwarddowndownhighkick
Goro hops up and comes back down to stomp the ground, shaking it and damaging the foe if they are touching it.

Leaping Stomp / Stomp
forwardforwardbackwardhighkick
Goro leaps up and attempts to stomp on his foe. If this move hits, he stomps on them several times before leaping off.

Scorch Breath
forwardbackwardhighpunch
Goro shoots a fireball from his mouth.
Jarek

Cannonball
backwardforwardlowkick
Jarek rolls into a ball, launching himself at the opponent.

Rhino Stomp
backwarddownbackwardhighkick
Jarek falls backwards and slams the ground with his back, damaging the foe if they are touching the ground.

Tri-Blade
downbackwardlowpunch
Jarek tosses a three-pronged projectile.

Vertical Cannonball
forwarddownforwardhighpunch
Jarek performs a diagonally vertical cannonball attack.
Fatal Moves

Eye Lasers
upupforwardforwardblck
Jarek fires beams from his eyes which slice the opponent's head and then torso off.

Heart Rip
forwardbackwardforwardforwardlowkick(close)
Jarek reaches into his opponent's chest and pulls out their still-beating heart, then holds it high above his head.
Jax
Throw Moves

Back Crack / Back Breaker
blck(close)(in air)
Jax slings his foe over his shoulder and drops from the air, cracking their back.

Body Slam
forward+lowpunch(close)
Jax slams his opponent's body on the opposite side of him.
Special Moves

Fist Dash / Dash Punch
downbackwardlowpunch
Jax rushes across the screen with his fist out.

Fist Missile / Rocket Blast
downforwardlowpunch
Jax fires a missile from his fist.

Ground Pound
forwardforwarddownlowkick
Jax strikes the ground with his fist, causing the foe to take damage and stumble if he or she is not in the air.
Fatal Moves

Arm Rip
(hold)lowkick,forwardforwarddownforward,(release)(close)
Jax pulls his foe's arms from their sockets.

Head Pop
backwardforwardforwarddownblck(close)
Jax forcefully claps his hands on either side of his foe's head, smashing the head into pieces.
Johnny Cage
Special Moves

High Forceball
downforwardhighpunch
Johnny lobs a Forceball that has a higher arc.

Low Forceball / Forceball, Plasmic Fireball
downbackwardlowpunch
Johnny lobs a trailing energy sphere at the opponent in a slight arc.

Shadow Kick
backwardforwardlowkick
Johnny slides forward with a kick, trailed by green shadows.

Shadow Uppercut / Rising Shadow, Rising Star
backwarddownbackwardhighpunch
Johnny leaps up with an uppercut while a trail of green shadows follows him.

Splits Punch / Nutcracker, Nut Punch
lowpunch+blck
While performing the splits, Johnny punches out at the opponents crotch.
Fatal Moves

Torso Rip
forwardbackwarddowndownhighkick(close)
Johnny tears his opponent's upper torso from the rest of their body, then forcefully slams it behind him on the ground.

Uppercut Decapitation
downdownforwarddownblck(close)
Johnny Cage crouches in front of his foe and stands quickly, delivering a powerful rising uppercut that knocks the opponent's head off.
Kai
Special Moves

Downward Fire Blast
forwardforwardlowpunch(air)
Kai fires a fireball at the ground, which comes back up in the opponent's relative position.

Draw Weapon
downbackwardlowpunch
Draws Kai's weapon, or if it's already drawn, throws it. Default weapon is a Ghurka Knife.

Fire From Above
backwardbackwardhighpunch
Kai fires a fireball straight up, which comes back down at the opponent's relative position.

Handstand
blck+lowkick
Kai flips onto his hands and fights in a handstand position. Pressing @term=blck@ makes him stand back up on his feet.

Renegade Kick
downforwardlowkick
Powerful knockdown roundhouse kick.

downforwardlowkick
Powerful knockdown roundhouse kick.

Square Wave Punch
downforwardhighpunch
Kai leaps into the air and dashes forward slightly with a punch before returning to the ground.
Fatal Moves

Body Tear
upforwardupbackwardhighkick(close)
Kai lifts his opponent above his head and begins pulling, eventually tearing the opponent at the waist before slamming their halves on the ground.

Headshot
upupupdownblck
Kai levitates and hurls a fireball that takes off the opponent's head.
Liu Kang
Special Moves

Bicycle Kick / Flying Bicycle Kick
(hold)lowkick,(release)
Liu launches forward through the air, pedaling his feet to strike the foe.

Fireball
forwardforwardanypunch
Liu tosses a straight, horizontal fireball at his foe.

Flying Kick / Flying Dragon Kick
forward,forward+highkick
Liu Kang launches forth with foot outstretched.
Fatal Moves

Detonation Fireball
forwarddowndownuphighpunch(close)
Liu tosses his opponent at the screen and flings a fireball at the them, causing them to explode.

Dragon Chewtoy
forwardforwardforwarddownblck+lowkick+highkick
Liu Kang transforms into a dragon and bites down into the opponent, swinging them around in his mouth before slamming them to the ground.
Noob Saibot
Throw Moves

Airborne Tomoe Nage / Air Throw
blck(close)(in air)
Whilst in the air, Saibot grabs his opponent and flips them over his head, tossing them across the screen.

Somersault Slam
blck(in air)(close)
Saibot snatches his opponent out of the air and somersaults before slamming them to the ground.
Special Moves

Eidolic Flame / Fireball, Purple Fireball, Blue Fireball
downforward+lowpunch(air)
Saibot summons a forbidden flame that is violet or bluish in color and lobs it at his foe.

Teleport Slam / Teleport Grab
downup,blck
Saibot teleports next to his opponent and grabs them by the shoulders, driving their body into the ground.
Quan Chi
Throw Moves

Somersault Slam
blck(in air)(close)
Quan Chi snatches his opponent out of the air and somersaults before slamming them to the ground.
Special Moves

Body Stomp / Sky Drop
forwarddownlowkick
Quan Chi teleports and lands on the opponent, tap-dancing on them.

Draw Weapon
downbackwardhighkick
Draws Quan Chi's weapon, or if it's already drawn, throws it. Default weapon is a Morning Star.

Magnetic Force
forwardbackwardhighpunch
Quan Chi poses and takes away the opponent's weapon. In MK4/Gold, this allowed Quan Chi to steal the opponent's weapon. In Armageddon, this simply seals off their Weapon Style from them.

Skull Toss / Skull Fireball, Skull Ball
forwardforwardlowpunch
Quan Chi tosses a giant green skull.

Slide
forwardforwardhighkick
Slide across the screen and trip up the opponent.
Fatal Moves

Beat Down
(hold)lowkick,forwarddownforward,(release)(close)
Quan Chi tears his opponent's leg off and beats the tar out of them with it.

Copy Sorcery
upupdowndownlowpunch
Quan Chi performs one of the opponent's Fatalities.
Raiden
Special Moves

Draw Weapon
forwardbackwardhighpunch
Draws Raiden's weapon, or if it's already drawn, throws it. Default weapon is a Warhammer.

Flying Thunder God / The Superman, Torpedo, Lightning Dash, Electric Fly
forwardforwardlowkick(air)
Raiden stretches out vertically and rushes in mid-air toward the opponent, striking the opponent with his palms and channeling the full force of his body into the attack.

Lightning Bolt
downbackwardlowpunch
Raiden puts his hands together and fires off a bolt of electricity.

Static Teleport / Energy Teleport
downup
Raiden uses his electric powers to disappear from one place and reappear elsewhere in the arena.
Fatal Moves

Electric Execution
backwardupuphighkick(close)
Raiden grabs his foe, lifting them up and shocking them repeatedly until they explode.

Staff of the Thunder God
downupupuphighpunch(close)
Raiden summons his Lightning Staff and sticks it into the opponent, lifting them up and electrocuting them. The opponent then slides down the staff, and Raiden slams them to the ground.
Reiko
Special Moves

Devastating Flip Kick
backwarddownforwardlowkick
Flipping kick attack.

Phantom Warp
backwardforwardhighkick
Reiko spins around the opponent to end up behind them.

Shadow Grab
downup,blck
Reiko teleports next to his opponent. In MK4/Gold, press @term=blck@ to perform a somersault slamming attack. In Armageddon, the throw is automatic.

Shuriken Cluster
downforwardlowpunch
Reiko tosses a large cluster of shuriken at his foe.
Fatal Moves

Shuriken Barrage
backwardbackwarddowndownhighkick
Reiko tosses many shuriken at the foe, which stick into their body.

Thrust Kick
forwarddownforwardblck+lowpunch+twokick(close)
Reiko kicks the opponent in the chest, knocking it flying while his or her head and arms spin in the air momentarily, before they crash to the ground.
Reptile
Special Moves

Acid Bubbles
downforwardhighpunch
Reptile spits a wide spray of acid bubbles.

Attack Krawl
backwardforwardlowkick
Reptile crawls across the ground, tripping up the opponent if he strikes them.

Dash Palm
backwardforwardlowpunch
Reptile slides forward and stikes with a palm.

Invisibility / Chameleon
blck+highkick
Reptile disappears behind a mushroom cloud, effectively becoming invisible both to player and opponent.
Fatal Moves

Acid Shower
updowndowndownhighpunch
Reptile levitates and pukes a massive amount of acid over the opponent, melting off their skin.

Face Feasting
up+twopunch+twokick(close)
Reptile leaps on his opponent and chews their face off. The opponent screams and falls backward.
Scorpion
Throw Moves

Airborne Tomoe Nage / Air Throw
blck(close)(in air)
Whilst in the air, Scorpion grabs his opponent and flips them over his head, tossing them across the screen.
Special Moves

Fire Breathing / Demon Breath
downforwardlowpunch
Scorpion pulls off his mask and breathes fire on the foe.

Spear / Bloody Spear, Harpoon, Rope Dart
backward,backward+lowpunch
Scorpion hurls a spear attached by rope at his foe. On contact, the victim is reeled in for further damage.

Teleport Jab / Teleport Punch, Teleport
downbackwardhighpunch(air)
Scorpion teleports off of the side of the screen and reappears on the other side with a jumping punch.
Fatal Moves

Fire Breath / Death Breath, Flame Breath, Hell Breath, Toasty!
backwardforwardforwardbackwardblck(near)
Scorpion removes his mask and reveals a hideous skull. He then turns to his opponent and releases the burning flames of Hell from his mouth, burning the clothing and flesh right off of them.

Scorpion the Scorpion
backwardforwarddownuphighpunch
Scorpion transforms into a gigantic scorpion and grabs the foe with his pincers, then stabs his stinger through their chest and tears their torso off.
Shinnok
Special Moves

Charge
downforwardkck [Game Boy Color only]
Shinnok rushes at the opponent.

Mimic
downbackwardlowpunch [Sub-Zero II]
Shinnok temporarily copies a character's moveset.

backwardbackwardforwardhighkick [Liu Kang]
Shinnok temporarily copies a character's moveset.

backwardbackwardbackwardlowkick [Jarek]
Shinnok temporarily copies a character's moveset.

backwardforwardlowpunch [Scorpion]
Shinnok temporarily copies a character's moveset.

forwardforwardbackwardhighkick [Fujin]
Shinnok temporarily copies a character's moveset.

backwardbackwardbackwardblck [Reiko]
Shinnok temporarily copies a character's moveset.

downdownhighpunch [Johnny Cage]
Shinnok temporarily copies a character's moveset.

downforwardforwardhighpunch [Raiden]
Shinnok temporarily copies a character's moveset.

backwardforwardbackwardforwardlowkick [Quan Chi]
Shinnok temporarily copies a character's moveset.

forwardforwardforwardlowkick [Kai]
Shinnok temporarily copies a character's moveset.

backwardbackwardforwardblck [Reptile]
Shinnok temporarily copies a character's moveset.

backwardforwarddownblck [Tanya]
Shinnok temporarily copies a character's moveset.

forwarddownforwardhighkick [Jax]
Shinnok temporarily copies a character's moveset.

forwarddownforwardhighpunch [Sonya Blade]
Shinnok temporarily copies a character's moveset.

Spear
downforwardpnch [Game Boy Color only]
Shinnok hurls a spear attached by rope at his foe. On contact, the victim is reeled in for further damage.
Fatal Moves

Hand From Hell
downbackwardforwarddownn_run(close)
Shinnok disappears and a giant skeleton hand comes from the ground and squeezes the opponent, popping their head off. As the hand returns from whence it came, it drags the opponent's body down with it.

Hands of Hell
downupupdownblck(close)
Shinnok disappears into the ground and two giant skeleton hands appear. The opponent levitates, and the hands clap together, squashing the foe.
Sonya Blade
Throw Moves

Somersault Slam / Air Throw
blck(in air)(close)
Sonya grabs her opponent with her legs and does a somersault before slamming the opponent to the ground.
Special Moves

Armed Forces
downforwardlowpunch
Sonya fires a purplish ball of energy.

Bicycle Kick
backwardbackwarddownhighkick
Sonya performs an upward kicking flurry.

Kartwheel
backwarddownforwardlowkick
A forward cartwheel kick.

Leg Grab / Leg Throw
down+lowpunch+blck
Sonya performs a handstand and flings her legs toward the opponent, tossing them behind her upon contact.

Square Wave Punch / Face Planter, Square Wave
forwardbackwardhighpunch
Sonya leaps into the air and dashes forward slightly with a punch before returning to the ground.
Fatal Moves

Kutting Kiss
downdowndownupn_run
Sonya blows on her open palm, causing a purplish energy ball to appear and cut her opponent in half.

Scissor Split
updowndownuphighkick
Sonya grabs her opponent with her legs and lifts them up, then tears them in half.
Sub-Zero (II)
Special Moves

Ice Ball / Freeze Ray, Deep Freeze, Freeze Ball, Icy Freeze
downforwardlowpunch
A burst of ice from the hands. On impact freezes target to allow further damage.

Ice Clone / Ice Sculpture
downbackwardlowpunch(air)
Sub-Zero flips back, leaving an effigy of himself made of ice in the position he was in prior to performing the move. If the opponent physically touches this ice, they are promptly rendered frozen.

Slide / Cold Slide
backward+lowpunch+blck+lowkick
Slide across the screen and trip up the opponent.
Fatal Moves

Deep Freeze
backwardbackwarddownbackwardhighpunch
Sub-Zero performs a more powerful version of his Freeze Ray that freezes the opponent solid, for a setup to a finishing move.

Head Rip / Spine Rip
forwardbackwardforwarddownhighpunch+blck+n_run(close)
Sub-Zero uses amazing strength to tear his opponent's head right off of their shoulders - along with their spine still attached.
Tanya
Special Moves

Air Fire Blast
downbackwardlowpunch
Tanya leaps into the air and flings a fireball down at her foe.

Human Cannon Drill
forwardforwardlowkick
Tanya performs a rushing drill kick.

Split Flip Kick
forwarddownbackwardlowkick
Flip kick whilst performing the splits.

Surging Blast
downforwardhighpunch
Standard fireball
Fatal Moves

Neck Breaker
downforwarddownforwardhighkick(close)
Tanya leaps onto her opponent's shoulders and twists three times, breaking the opponent's neck and causing it to wobble unrealistically on their neck.

Twister Kisser
downdownupdownblck+highpunch(close)
Tanya kisses her opponent on the cheek and backs away. The foe's limbs and neck contort in unnatural directions, and they explode.

Fun Facts
Face Off
While they eliminated fully digitized actors for Mortal Kombat 4, many of the character's face textures were modeled after Midway staff members. Namely Steve Beran (Shinnok), and Herman Sanchez (Jarek).
Kitanya
Much of MK4's newcomer cast originally started as returning characters, but they were replaced by pastiches to give the cast more new faces. Of note is the replacing of Kitana with Tanya; either Kitana was replaced late in development, or Eurocom (the company responsible for the home ports) designed a palette swap of Kitana for the home versions that was left unfinished; there exists in the coding of the Playstation, Nintendo 64, and PC versions a buggy recolored Tanya that is named "Kitana" and has a medley of moves from other characters. The console versions even give her the fan as a weapon. This faux Kitana can be access via game enhancer in the console versions and an external trainer program in the PC version. Whatever the case, Midway openly acknowledged that the blurry Kitana that appears in Liu Kang's ending uses the same model as Tanya.

This connection between the two characters may explain why Khameleon borrows a move from Tanya in MK Armageddon despite the latter not actually existing as one of the "female ninja" that Khameleon normally mimics.

Credits
Worldwide
Character Design

John Tobias
Director
One of the most important roles on a game and often the "team lead" of the project.
Ed Boon
Face Model
An actor or other crew member who was used as the reference for a character's CGI model.
Steve Beran as Shinnok
Lia Montelongo as Tanya
Motion Capture

Carlos Pesina
John Parrish
Rich Divizio
Sal DiVita
Kerri Hoskins as Sonya Blade
Lia Montelongo as Tanya
Music Department
Anybody who worked on a game's original score.
Dan Forden
Neil Baldwin
Voice Actor

Ed Boon as Jax
Ed Boon as Liu Kang
Ed Boon as Reiko
Ed Boon as Scorpion
John Tobias as Shinnok
Kerri Hoskins as Sonya Blade
John Tobias as Sub-Zero (II)