You don’t get through aconversation about fighting games without mentioningMortal Kombat. The hyper-violent series boasts the kind of action, characters, and storyline that is already very interesting in its original format and has hence been adapted into various other media.Mortal Kombathas even been adapted into a cartoon series, but unfortunately, many of theMortal Kombatadaptations, especially those of the live-action variety, have fallen short of fan expectations.
Be that as it may, there is one medium that remains unexplored byMortal Kombatas a franchise. Despite having voyaged into the field of animation withMortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm (1996), theMortal Kombatfranchise seems to have avoided the specific field of Japanese animation. Here are a few reasons whyMortal Kombatwould be absolutely incredible as an anime series.
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Plot and Structure
Mortal Kombat is a long-running franchise with a plot spanning several games, both canon and non-canon elements are equally viable as storylines. The story as told from the perspective of Earthrealm features various key arcs andstories from theMortal Kombatuniverse, like the enlistment of Liu-Kang, and the Special Ops operative Sonya Blade; the maiming of Jax Briggs; Shang Tsung and the stealing of souls, among others. An anime that focuses on either the original storyline from the first trilogy, or the “reboot” era which began withMortal Kombat [2011](also called “Mortal Kombat 9”); followed byMortal Kombat Xand then the current iteration,Mortal Kombat 11, would be a very interesting reprisal of the well-known events.
There is also the spin-off route, where an anime-only sequence of events formed from the original lore can also be an option; a fill-in for events not covered in detail in the original work, or a fleshing out of the stories of various minor characters are some of the possibilities that would come with an anime adaptation. The fact that there are several important characters strewn across the realms in theMKuniverse means that the anime adaptation could follow different timelines or arcs in places like the Chaos Realm, Orderrealm, Netherrealm and even some exciting arcs about Kitana’s home realm of Edenia. Even the events of a single moment in time in theMortal Kombatuniverse are rife with rich lore, and interesting characters. Some of these elements are simply never seen again, and an anime adaptation would serve as the perfect stage to revisit older plot lines rendered moot by the recent developments in the franchise.
Character Development
In the same way various iterations oftheJoJo’s Bizarre Adventurefranchisehave managed to link characters through various moments in the in-universe history, a Mortal Kombat anime could have great success if it dedicated different arcs to different characters in the MK universe. An anime series that provides an in-depth account of the activities and sentiments of the Elder Gods could be interesting, and provide a level of insight into some of the series' most important aspects.
Arcs dedicated to Liu-Kang and Kung Lao go without saying; but there could be a lot to gain from an anime series inspired by the character arc of Scorpion, Sub-Zero & Noob Saibot; or the creation of the Triborg; or even something like the life story of theMortal Kombat: Deceptionmain character, Shujinko. Something from the perspective of Quan Chi, and even about his participation in the formation of the Deadly Alliance, would be an interesting change of perspective from the franchise’s consistent focus on a particular crop of characters, and even give a lot more to the perspective of the franchise’s characters who are aligned with evil. The rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero is a popular contention for fans. There is simply so much that can beadapted over several coursand eventually become an anthology ofMortal Kombatanime series both canon and non-canon.
Incredible Fights
Mortal Kombat’s sheer brutality and over-dramatized brand of violence comes with elements both natural and supernatural, and these are aspects that anime has been used to give life to for a very long time. An anime of theMortal Kombatfranchise, complete with a very close understanding of how the characters ought to move especially in battle, would already be extremely exciting, as such attention to detail is heavily appreciated by the core fans of the series, as is evident with the recentNetflix anime adaptation of theTekkenfranchise.Mortal Kombat’s signature mechanic, the Fatality, has been polished over several years and now inMK11, the Fatalities are extremely dynamic and interesting cinematic works that, if done with a similar penchant for details and design, could come off as an extremely well-crafted anime work.
The Return of Old Characters
One of the most attractive elements about the adaptation ofMortal Kombatmedia into an anime is the return of older characters from the franchise, more specifically, some of the older boss characters from previous games. The buildup towards the emergence of antagonists like Onaga the Dragon King; the primordial flame known as Blaze and the Armageddon arc that he is related to; and even the fall of Shinnok are all very interesting plot lines that a meticulously crafted anime adaptation could truly bring to life in ways that the video games did not have the time nor the need to do so. The reuse of characters lost to time such as the Red Dragon Clan could be very interesting for anime-only storylines.
Overall, aMortal Kombatanime series, if given enough attention and care in its creation, could prove to be a gorgeous reinterpretation of the series' lore and breathe new life into its characters. The animation and music have the potential to be incredible given the sheer talent that is available in the anime industry. There are so many possible advantages to the creation of an anime adaptation, and in this age of anime growing more popular than ever, a Mortal Kombat anime sounds like it wouldfit into the current eraseamlessly.
