Liu Kang was a Shaolin monk of the White Lotus Society in the Mortal Kombat video games. While he has most frequently been regarded as the series' foremost heroic character, there have been times when he has been corrupted to the side of evil. In both the original and current timelines of the series, Liu Kang has been killed only to be revived as an undead creature. Most recently, he has ascended to godhood after saving all of reality from total destruction.
History[]
Original timeline[]
An exceptionally skilled warrior and one of the few chosen by the thunder god Raiden, Liu Kang became the Grand Champion of the Mortal Kombat tournament by defeating the demonic sorcerer Shang Tsung and saving Earthrealm from being absorbed into Outworld. Liu Kang has stood among Earthrealm's strongest defenders for years, protecting his world from conquerors such as Shao Kahn and Shinnok. However, he would one day fall victim to the Deadly Alliance of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, losing his life and his soul to the villainous sorcerers.
Not long after his murder, Liu Kang's corpse would be reanimated by Raiden. In a confrontation with the newly reborn Onaga, Raiden had sacrificed his own life as he released a blast of celestial energy. This blast killed Shang Tsung - who had consumed Liu Kang's soul - causing Liu Kang and the thousands of other souls Tsung had stolen to be released. However, when the thunder god was reborn, he returned as a dark, corrupted version of his former self. This twisted version of Raiden attacked the Wu Shi Academy of the White Lotus where Liu Kang's body had been buried and reanimated the corpse as a mindless zombie.
Liu Kang as a zombie
Under Raiden's control, Liu Kang's undead corpse went on a brutal rampage, murdering many of his fellow Shaolin monks and anyone else who stood in his way. Liu Kang's spirit would come to learn of Raiden's dark reformation and how he was using his body, allying himself with the mysterious ninja Ermac so that they could stop Raiden and also free Liu Kang's allies who had been enslaved by Onaga. Liu Kang was successful in saving his friends, but Raiden still had control of Kang's body.
As Armageddon loomed, the spirit of Liu Kang, now anchored to the mortal plane by Nightwolf, intended to confront Raiden and regain his body. During the final battle, however, Nightwolf was slain and Liu Kang's soul could no longer maintain its presence in the physical world. As for Liu Kang's body, in a fit of mindless fury, it attacked and killed Shang Tsung. Raiden released his control of the corpse prior to his final duel with Shao Kahn.
Alternate timeline[]
Liu Kang as a mortal human
In the current timeline of the series, Liu Kang participated in Mortal Kombat in Earthrealm and Outworld as he had in the original timeline, achieving victory in both tournaments. However, during the Outworld Invasion of Earthrealm, Kang's destiny takes a most dire turn. His mentor and friend, the thunder god Raiden, is plagued by troublesome visions of a future where Shao Kahn brings about Armageddon. Repeated over and over in these flashes is a message sent by Raiden's future self, stating "He must win".
With the Elder Gods refusing to intervene and more Earth kombatants falling to Kahn's forces, Raiden decides to meet with the Netherrealm sorcerer Quan Chi and request his help. This decision greatly shakes Liu Kang's faith in Raiden and the monk fears that the thunder god's desperation has driven him mad.
Raiden soon returns from the Netherrealm, having deciphered the meaning of his message from the future. "He must win" actually refers to Shao Kahn; when the Outworld emperor sets foot in Earthrealm, the Elder Gods will be forced to intervene as Kahn did not achieve victory through Mortal Kombat. Liu Kang, however, believes that Raiden has snapped and that this decision will surely doom Earthrealm. He attacks his former mentor but Raiden casts lightning to protect himself. The lightning burns Liu Kang's flesh and leaves him gravely wounded. With his final breaths, Liu Kang curses Raiden, then dies in the thunder god's arms.
Due to a pact forged between Shao Kahn and Quan Chi, the souls of any warriors slain during the Outworld invasion descend into the Netherrealm and fall under Quan Chi's control. With his powers of necromancy, Quan Chi uses the souls of the dead kombatants to create a force revenant servants, among them being Liu Kang. The revenant Liu Kang, along with the revenant versions of his other fallen comrades, later join Shinnok's army of demons as they invade Earthrealm.
Liu Kang as a revenant
While Shinnok's invasion is thwarted, Liu Kang and the other revenant kombatants retreat back to the Netherrealm. It is only twenty-five years later that they reappear again as Quan Chi, before he is slain by Scorpion, reacquires Shinnok's amulet and releases the fallen god once more. Liu Kang and the other undead warriors then accompany Shinnok as he heads for the Jinsei, the source of Earth's life force. While Shinnok enters the Jinsei Chamber, Liu Kang and the revenants hold Raiden at bay. During this time, Raiden attempts to make peace with Liu Kang, stating that Kang's death has continued to haunt him. The corrupted Liu Kang dismisses Raiden's apologies, claiming that he has been freed in death. Former master and student fight, with Raiden emerging victorious and proceeding to follow Shinnok to the Jinsei Chamber.
After Shinnok is defeated by Cassie Cage and Raiden has purified the Jinsei, Liu Kang and the other revenants retreat back to the Netherrealm. With his master beaten, Liu Kang takes the throne of the Netherrealm in his absense. He and his queen, the revenant Kitana, are later greeted by Raiden, who has been corrupted after purifying the Jinsei. Raiden throws Shinnok's still-living head before Kang's feet, stating that there are worse fates than death and warns that he will no longer merely 'defend' Earthrealm, threatening to take more aggressive actions should anyone dare to endanger his world again.
Months later, Raiden follows through on his threat and leads the Special Forces in an attack on the Bone Temple, which Liu Kang has made his palace. While it appears that the attack is successful, Raiden's victory is undone when Kronika, the Keeper of Time, enacts a plot to create a new, perfect timeline. Appearing before Kang and Kitana, Kronika restores the Bone Temple before enlisting the revenants' assistance with her scheme: to create a timeline where Raiden doesn't exist. Having long since been twisted towards vengeance against his former master, Liu Kang agrees to help Kronika.
Liu's past self appears in the present
As the past and present collide, Raiden is erased from the timeline, though his uncorrupted past self appears in Outworld along with past versions of Liu Kang, Kitana, Jade, Sonya Blade, Jax Briggs and Johnny Cage. Following the initial battle against Kronika's allies in the Koliseum, Kang learns about the events that led to the creation of his revenant self. Despite all this, he maintains his trust and faith in Raiden, determined to avoid falling down the path of darkness that his counterpart had.
After returning to Earthrealm, Liu Kang and Kung Lao head for the White Lotus Temple, beneath which rests the Dragon Grotto where the Jinsei springs forth. There, they manage to stop Scorpion and the revenant Jade from reaching the grotto. Kung Lao expresses fear they will run into their revenant selves, which becomes true as the revenant Liu Kang and Kung Lao arrive to impede them. The revenants mock their younger selves for trusting Raiden, as he was responsible for their deaths, but Liu Kang defends Raiden. The revenant Liu Kang challenges his younger self, commenting on how blind he was in the past. The younger Liu Kang overwhelms his revenant counterpart, commenting on how deluded he has become in the future just as Kung Lao defeats his revenant counterpart. They then confront Geras and defeat him, but Kronika halts and reverts time to collect the Jinsei.
After all of the heroes' bases in Earthrealm are compromised, along with the deaths of the Elder Gods, Liu Kang and Kung Lao return to Outworld to help Kitana prevent Shao Kahn from reclaiming his throne. After recruiting both the Tarkatan hordes and the Shokan, they march on the Koliseum where Shao Kahn is about to execute Jade and Kotal Kahn. Ultimately, the battle is won as Shao Kahn is crippled in battle against Kitana. However, Kotal's spine was damaged during the battle and he decides that he is unfit to rule, abdicating the throne to Kitana.
When Liu Kang returns to the Shirai Ryu Fire Gardens, he finds Scorpion there, but it is the past version of Scorpion who had sided with Kronika. Scorpion states that his future self was killed, but he wishes to redeem himself by helping Raiden's forces. Raiden does not trust the spectre, but Liu Kang believes that they should hear him out. Raiden refuses and becomes increasingly aggressive, which Liu realizes is the effect of Shinnok's amulet on Raiden's mind. The two fight, and in the heat of kombat, Raiden experiences multiple visions of he and Liu Kang fighting across multiple battlefields in multiple timelines, realizing that Kronika has been manipulating them into fighting across different timestreams. However, just as Raiden and Liu Kang decide not to continue fighting, Kronika appears and abducts the Shaolin monk, taking him back to her keep.
At the keep, Liu Kang once again meets his revenant self, who has now gained the power of soul magic. The revenant Kang uses his new ability to consume the soul of his past self, becoming even more powerful. When Raiden's forces later traverse the Sea of Blood to reach Kronika's keep, Kang joins the battle and boards Kharon's ship where he battles Raiden once more. After a lengthy battle, Raiden emerges victorious. Instead of killing his former student, however, he attempts to merge his own godly essence with both the revenant Kang's body and past Kang's soul. This endeavour succeeds and Liu Kang awakens as a Fire God, his past self's mind becoming dominant while retaining his revenant's memories.
With his new godly powers and the knowledge about the Hourglass and Kronika's plan, Liu Kang is able to combat her forces and her time-manipulating abilities. The armies of Earthrealm and Outworld begin their assault on Kronika's keep with Liu Kang's new abilities wiping out several legions to get through. Once inside however, Kronika reverses time, sending Liu Kang's allies back to Kharon's ship and forcing Kang to battle the revenant counterparts of his friends alone. Liu eventually defeats the revenant Kitana, Kung Lao, and Jade, then battles Cetrion and defeats her. Kronika then reverses time for the final time to the Prehistoric Age.
The final battle sends them to the dawn of time itself. Fortunately, Liu Kang succeeds and defeats Kronika, using his fire to turn her to glass and destroy her body, including her crown. Raiden is separated from him leaving Liu Kang a God and the latter a mortal. During his conversation with Raiden, the former Thunder God bestows the title of protector of Earthrealm and the Keeper of Time to Liu Kang. When Liu Kang describes the task as hard to carry alone, Raiden promises to advise him for as long as he lives. Liu Kang agrees, and they began to reshape the timeline.
However, before Liu Kang could begin his task, a portal opened nearby and through it came Shang Tsung, Nightwolf and Fujin. Tsung warned Liu Kang that he could not begin recrafting the timeline until he had Kronika's crown, which Kang had destroyed along with the Titan. Attempting to do so without the crown would shatter the Hourglass, resulting in the total destruction of reality. Liu Kang saw in the Hourglass that his old nemesis was telling the truth, thus he sent Shang Tsung, Fujin and Nightwolf back in time to retrieve the crown. The Fire God was aware that Shang Tsung would eventually get the crown and win, seizing control of the Hourglass, betraying and using those around him as pawns in his chess game, until he would give his checkmate. He would wait until Shang's victory to happen to stop his plans, choosing to sacrifice all of his friends' lives for the greater good of giving them a more peaceful and orderly future in a new timeline he would create.
As Liu Kang had foreseen, Shang Tsung did obtain the crown and used it to empower himself, turning on his allies. After the sorcerer slew Kronika, Liu Kang appeared before him, prepared to stop him from stepping into Kronika's role. The two fought in what was to be their final battle, with Liu Kang emerging victorious. Before destroying Shang Tsung once and for all, Liu Kang took Kronika's crown from his head. With the crown and Hourglass in his possession, he began the daunting task of restarting history, shaping the timeline as he saw fit.
New Era[]
Remaking reality was a daunting task, one that Liu Kang accepted with humility and grace. Wary of how Kronika had been driven mad by her duty and obsession with creating her idea of a "perfect" timeline, Liu Kang took to his task with the utmost care and patience. Though it would take eons, he eventually managed to create a relatively stable timeline.
In Liu Kang's new era, the realms were in a state of relative peace with no interrealm conflicts being fought. As such, the Mortal Kombat tournament was never established, although warriors of Earthrealm and Outworld would participate in a martial arts competition between their realms as a tradition of maintaining the peace between them. Liu Kang would also ensure that the various malefactors of the previous timeline would not come into power in this new era: Shao Kahn would never become ruler of Outworld, which would prosper under the benevolent rule of Emperor Jerrod, and Shang Tsung would live a meaningless, mediocre life as an unsuccessful con artist attempting to sell fake elixirs and cure-alls.
For all his efforts in forging a peaceful timeline, Liu Kang remembered one important thing: the inhabitants of his universe must be free to choose their destinies. While he had taken steps to prevent his former enemies from following destructive paths, he refused to control every aspect of their lives. To ensure he remained true to this purpose, Liu Kang would relinquish his status as the Keeper of Time, giving control of the Hourglass to Geras while he took on the role of Protector of Earthrealm. He even cast off the lightning powers he had gained from Raiden in the previous timeline, binding said power to an amulet forged by the Elder Gods.
By the time of Earth's modern era, Jerrod had been assassinated and Sindel ruled in his stead. As the tenth centennial tournament between Earth and Outworld neared, Liu Kang began gathering exceptional fighters from around the world to participate, such as the ex-Yakuza swordsman Kenshi Takahashi, the actor Johnny Cage, and the farmer Kung Lao. Liu Kang's champion would turn out to be the human reincarnation of Raiden, who lived in the same farming village as Kung Lao. Recognizing Raiden's exceptional fighting prowess, Liu Kang mentored him in the ways of the White Lotus and would pass on the lightning amulet from Raiden's past incarnation to his current self, thus evening the playing field against the magic-wielding Outworld fighters.
As Raiden took part in the tournament, Liu Kang received a dire warning from Geras. Through the Sands of Time, Geras had learned that Shang Tsung had escaped from his meaningless life as a huckster and returned to his role as a manipulative sorcerer. In order to learn more, Liu Kang sent Kung Lao, Kenshi and Cage to find and capture Tsung. This meant trespassing into Outworld without Sindel's knowledge and jeopardizing the treaty between Earthrealm and Outworld, but it was a risk that Kang felt needed to be taken.
The team arrived at a Tarkatan colony where they met with the settlement's leader, Baraka. Baraka stated that Shang Tsung regularly came to the colony to obtain blood and bone marrow samples from the afflicted residents and led the team towards the sorcerer's laboratory. There, the group interrupted the sorcerer as he was providing treatment to Princess Mileena, who unknown to the group and even Outworld's citizens, suffered from Tarkat herself. During the ensuing altercation, Mileena succumbed to her Tarkatan bloodlust briefly and stabbed Kenshi's eyes out. General Shao soon appeared on the scene and Shang Tsung had Liu Kang's warriors framed for interfering with Mileena's treatment.
Kenshi, Johnny, Kung Lao and Baraka were locked away in Shang Tsung's dungeon, but would be freed by the sorcerer's servant Syzoth. After escaping through the Living Forest and encountering the demoness Ashrah, they confronted the sorcerer Quan Chi, who was in cahoots with Shang Tsung. After fighting off Quan Chi's servants, the group returned to Liu Kang's sanctum in Earthrealm and informed him of their discovery. Kang consulted with Geras, who had been examining events via the Hourglass and had learned that Quan Chi, Shang Tsung and General Shao were being aided by an unknown benefactor. Kang wondered if this benefactor might have been Kronika, but Geras assured him that Titans could not be revived once destroyed. Whoever this unknown agent was, Liu Kang suspected it was someone from the previous timeline who sought revenge against him.
Liu Kang later sent the Lin Kuei to Outworld in order to disrupt the plans of the new Deadly Alliance. However, Shang Tsung coaxed Bi-Han into joining the sorcerers' cause, offering him and his clan the opportunity to rule Earthrealm. Smoke and Scorpion turned against Sub-Zero and defected from the Lin Kuei, escaping to inform Liu Kang of Bi-Han's treachery. Kang then traveled to Outworld himself to meet with Empress Sindel, but First Constable Li Mei barred his path. After fighting her, Liu Kang convinced Li Mei that General Shao and Shang Tsung were both plotting against the throne. The Constable took him to the Empress so that he could make his case, but Sindel was outraged that she was aiding someone now viewed as an enemy. The Empress' bodyguard Tanya attacked Li Mei, but the Constable defeated her. The Empress and her daughters then rose to attack Li Mei, but Mileena succumbed to a bout of madness from her Tarkat disease, attacking Sindel. Tanya administered a serum to Mileena, bringing her back to her senses.
Liu Kang then addressed Sindel, informing her of General Shao's and Shang Tsung's treasonous actions. Sindel remained skeptical and demanded proof, and so the Fire God took her to Shang Tsung's laboratory, showing her the grotesque abominations born from the sorcerer's vile experiments. The Empress was stunned by this revelation, but Liu Kang went on to reveal that he had previously been the Keeper of Time, responsible for the creation of the realms and all who inhabited them. She asked if Liu Kang expected worship, but he declined and stated that his role was thrust upon him by circumstance and in no way divine. Just then, General Shao arrived wielding the Amulet of Shinnok, trapping the two princesses, Tanya and Geras within it. Liu Kang and Sindel battled against Shao's forces and forced them to retreat while Liu Kang freed the captives from the amulet. When Liu Kang asked Sindel to help him foil the plans of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, she asked if this was the command of a creator, but he stated that it was only the request of a friend.
Liu Kang would then lead his allies in an assault on Ying Fortress where the Deadly Alliance had constructed several soul-stealer devices. With the countless souls collected by these arcane machines, they intended to revive the lost Dragon Army entombed within the fortress. Mileena offered to be a distraction for the Deadly Alliance, and once their allies were in place, they attacked General Shao and Quan Chi's forces en masse. Gaining the upper hand, Liu Kang demanded to know who the Alliance's benefactor was, and Shang Tsung revealed the hidden manipulator to be "Damashi". However, the "benefactor" instead appeared in the form of another Shang Tsung, who revealed himself to be the same Shang from the previous timeline who battled Liu Kang for Kronika's Hourglass. Their battle had torn time apart, resulting in two outcomes: one where Kang won, and another where Tsung did. Titan Shang Tsung betrayed the Deadly Alliance, revealing his intention not to conquer this timeline, but to destroy it with the Dragon Army and merge it with his own.
Liu Kang's allies (including a defecting Deadly Alliance) battled against Titan Shang Tsung's, and Queen Sindel was mortally wounded in the battle. They were forced to retreat and regroup, realizing how dire the odds were. Sorcerer Shang Tsung posed the theory that if two timelines emerged from the battle against Kronika, then perhaps there were more, and some of the Titans of those divergent timelines may prove valuable allies. Geras posed that the theory may be possible but could only be attempted by a Keeper of Time. Liu Kang repeated that he gave up that power long ago, but Geras revealed that he stored it away in the figurine gifted by the Great Kung Lao instead of allowing it to dissipate, as he feared Liu Kang may have need of it again. He also warned Liu Kang that retrieving the power this time will prove permanent, meaning he could never again become a mere demigod.
When Liu Kang asked why Geras never told him about this, Geras revealed that he did not want Kang's joyous life as the Protector of Earthrealm and his own happy life to be ruined by the temptation of a Titan's power. Liu Kang also realized that Geras could have taken the power for himself at any time, but Geras also stated that he was content as a guardian and had faith in Liu Kang's vision for the New Era. Upon reaching the figurine and the Hourglass, Liu Kang once more became the Titan of Time and searched for other timelines and other Titans, finding a Titan Kitana, who was the same one he had known and loved in his past life. In the meantime, their allies disrupted the Dragon Army and destroyed the portals that would allow it to invade other realms.
After reuniting with "his" Kitana, Liu Kang summoned more allies from across the multiverse, informing them of their mutual enemy in Titan Shang Tsung. However, Titan Tsung had caught wind of Liu Kang's plan, learning of the existence of multiple timelines and a whole multiverse for him to conquer. As for Kang's timeline, Tsung opted to simply destroy it to spite his old nemesis. Liu Kang's allies fought against Shang Tsung's minions and emerged victorious, but the evil Titan fled the scene and retreated to the Pyramid of Argus where he was amassing his own army of warriors from across the multiverse.
After his allies from across the timelines had been rallied, Liu Kang led them into kombat against Shang Tsung in a second Battle of Armageddon. He fought his way up the Pyramid in order to reach Tsung and his Hourglass, but was overwhelmed and captured by the dark Titan's forces. One of his allies managed to make it to the top of the Pyramid where they confronted Shang Tsung and Quan Chi and also freed Liu Kang. Once free, Kang fought Titan Shang Tsung and defeated him before destroying his Hourglass. With the Hourglass destroyed, the timeline began to unravel and Liu Kang used his temporal powers to send his allies back to their own timelines.
An indeterminate amount of time later, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Kung Lao, Raiden and Kenshi reunited at Madame Bo's restaurant in Fengjian and shared where their fates had led. They all declined taking cameo roles in Cage's newest film due to their duties and Liu Kang revealed that he was assisting Scorpion and Smoke to build a new clan to oppose and replace the traitorous Lin Kuei: the Shirai Ryu. As Johnny thanked Liu Kang for all his help, Kang left the restaurant saying that he was glad to know that the realms were in safe hands.
Powers and abilities[]
- Martial Arts - Liu Kang is a master of many fighting styles including Karate, Jun Fan, Pao Chui and Monkey.
- Pyromancy - In all of his incarnations, Liu Kang has possessed the ability to channel his chi in the form of dragon fire. He has been shown to use this fire to enhance his physical strikes, cast fireballs and even conjure flames from thin air.
- Dragon Form - Liu Kang is capable of transforming into a dragon. He typically does this when delivering fatalities, incinerating enemies in dragon fire or crushing them in his powerful jaws.
- Demon Control - As a revenant, Liu Kang was granted control over Netherrealm demons. His authority was only succeeded by Quan Chi and Shinnok.
- Lightning Magic - After Raiden merged with him, Liu Kang gained all of the Thunder God's powers. As a Fire God, he could cast fireballs and also lightning bolts at enemies.
- Immortality - After transcending to godhood, Liu Kang became immortal and was no longer bound by the mortal laws of life and death.
- Temporal Manipulation - After acquiring Kronika's Hourglass, Liu Kang gained the power to shape time as he saw fit. After establishing the New Era, he relinquished this power to Geras, but was forced to take the power back in order to stop Titan Shang Tsung from destroying the timeline.