Cheapest Characters in Mortal Kombat History: Part 1

The Mortal Kombat games are known to have some cheap AI when playing against the computer, but that’s nothing compared to playing against some of the best players in the world. You thought your Baraka was good in MK2? Sorry, you’re wrong. That said, we compiled a list of the top 20 cheapest characters in the history of Mortal Kombat. One thing to note, this is not necessarily a list of the best characters in a tournament setting. This is more about how cheap things could be when messing around with your friends.

Raiden (MK1)
Raiden is a God. Why is a God allowed to compete in a tournament with mere mortals? OK, so half the roster isn’t mortal, but you get the point. You don’t see Kano summoning lightning to shoot at his opponent or using a move commonly referred to as “Superman.” Don’t even get started on Raiden’s corner pressure in MK1. At the right height he could land multiple jump punches in a row and there was nothing the opponent could do about it. Remember the damage of a jump punch in MK1? Well if you don’t, let us jog your memory by saying it didn’t take many to finish a round.

Johnny Cage (MK1)

Are we all in agreement that the MK1 version of Johnny Cage was the most lethal? If not, allow us to explain. If Cage blocked a sweep, free Shadow Kick. If Cage got you in the corner, he could land multiple jump punches just like Raiden. He also had one of the fastest sweeps in the game, and the best uppercut in the history of the franchise. If you thought you could use a jump-in attack on Cage, you were quickly corrected on the matter. Let’s not forget he punched you in the nuts, and there was a glitch that allowed him to add insult to injury by knocking off way more than one head for his fatality.

Sub-Zero (Multiple)

No one liked the unmasked MK3 version of Sub-Zero with the funky scar and weird raining ice techniques, but other than that crazy dude, Sub-Zero was a pain in the behind. Did you block that jump-in attack? I’m sorry, I’m going to freeze the ground now. Did you want to get near me at all? Sorry again, the ground right in front of me is frozen. Did you think trading projectiles was a good idea? Yeah, no… Sub-Zero froze you and usually let him get a free hit (if not a full combo) before you could block again. Let’s not forget that he had the coolest fatality by ripping off your head with the spinal cord still attached.

Reptile (Multiple)

Mortal Kombat is all about the various ninjas featured in every single game. They all were cheap in their own way, but Reptile could turn invisible. How is that even remotely fair? Don’t even get us started on the MK2 version in which you couldn’t use a jump-in attack because of that roundhouse kick that was probably the easiest anti-air in the history of the franchise. Not to mention Force Balls that move at varying speeds and can combo into each other, then a much faster Acid Spit in case two projectiles weren’t enough.

Shang Tsung (MK9)

We listed the most recent version of Shang Tsung because of his insane pressure game, but you can honestly list just about any version of the character. That Snake style in the first PS2-era 3D games was ridiculous, and don’t even start with the AI version of MK2 Shang Tsung. The guy didn’t even have feet in the first Mortal Kombat game, and if the difficulty was cranked up, he was insane to fight against. But getting back to the MK9 version, his upward fireballs gave him ridiculous frame advantage that basically let him continuously attack unless you knew exactly when to interrupt with your fastest attack (or something with armor).

We’ll have more of our list of the cheapest characters in MK history this week, but if you disagree, feel free to make your own list in the comments below.