In the
Mortal Kombat series of
fighting gameFighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in one-on-one close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena...
s, a
Fatality is a special
finishing movein video games are player character moves that often involve the violent and gory death of the enemy it is performed upon. The most famous examples of these types of finishing moves are the "Fatalities" of the Mortal Kombat franchise, which involve attacks ranging from decapitation of a defeated...
that can be used against one's opponent at the end of the final match. When the announcer (usually
Shao KahnShao Kahn is a boss and recurring playable character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.-About Shao Kahn:One of the primary villains in the Mortal Kombat series, Shao Kahn is the Emperor of Outworld. He resembles an Asian warrior-king in many respects, and embodies evil in many forms...
) says "Finish Him/Her," the player can choose to kill him or her through a fatality move.
Unlike special moves, a fatality may require certain distances and quick button sequences in order to achieve the desired result (for example, in
Mortal Kombat 3Mortal Kombat 3 is the third game in the Mortal Kombat series, released in arcades in 1995. It was updated into Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 in arcade and home consoles, and later Mortal Kombat Trilogy home consoles only...
,
Sub-Zero'sSub-Zero is a fictional video game character. A mainstay of the Mortal Kombat series, Sub-Zero is the only character in the series to be playable in every game. He also appears in many other Mortal Kombat media works such as the Mortal Kombat live action film series and cartoons.In the fighting...
Break Down Fatality requires that he stands close to the opponent and quickly execute Block, Block, Run, Block, Run). Every character has their own special fatality that must be performed at a certain distance from the opponent. The number of fatalities varies depending on the game; while characters in
Mortal Kombat and
Mortal Kombat: Deadly AllianceMortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, originally known as Mortal Kombat V: Vengeance, is a fighting game developed and produced by Midway. It is chronologically the fifth in the Mortal Kombat series. Deadly Alliance was released for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance on November 20,...
had only one,
Mortal Kombat IIMortal Kombat II is a 1993 arcade game and the second title in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.-Development:To create the character animations for the game, actors were placed in front of a gray background and performed the motions, which was recorded by on a Hi-8 videotape, which had been...
and its updates featured as many as four. Traditionally for the main and important characters of the games (such as Sub-Zero,
RaidenRaiden is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.-About Raiden:The thunder god of the Mortal Kombat universe is also a protector of Earthrealm. Raiden commands many supernatural abilities such as the ability to teleport, control over lightning, and flight...
,
ScorpionScorpion is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat video game series.-About Scorpion:Formerly a human ninja, Scorpion is a hellspawned revenant, inexorably seeking vengeance against those responsible for the destruction of his clan and the death of his family. Although essentially neutral in...
, etc.) their fatalities are usually a reflection of either their storyline or their special abilities- eg, Sub-Zero's fatalities have traditionally involved the use of his powers of ice (though his spine rip was found to be the most infamous of the fatalities), whereas Scorpion's storyline of a hellspawn ninja spectre involves the use of setting someone alight or using his famous spear in a fatality.
Origin
With the
Street Fighter IIis a series in Capcom's Street Fighter saga of head-to-head fighting games, originally released as coin-operated arcade games. The Street Fighter II series started with the Street Fighter II game itself, released in as a sequel to Capcoms fighting game Street Fighter.Street Fighter II improved...
series dominating
arcadesA video arcade is a venue where people play arcade video games that are housed in colourfully-decorated cabinets...
,
Mortal Kombat co-creators
Ed BoonEdward J. Boon is a video game programmer, who works for Warner Bros, where he is the Executive Producer of the Mortal Kombat series.-Biography:...
and
John TobiasJohn Tobias is an American comic book artist, graphic designer and video game designer. Along with Ed Boon he is one of the creators of the groundbreaking Mortal Kombat fighting game series....
wanted to create a fighting game that retained
Street Fighter's gameplay without being a complete copy. Originally, the project revolved around
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Jean-Claude Van DammeJean-Claude Van Damme is a Belgian martial artist and actor who is best known for martial arts and action movies. His most successful films include Bloodsport , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , and Timecop...
this idea was eventually dropped and
Mortal Kombat was born.
Tobias and Boon started with the idea of Street Fighter IIs system and retained many of its conventions (fireball-style projectile attacks, one on one matches,
minigameA minigame, sometimes called a subgame, is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained...
s, etc.), but tweaked others (the block button, special endurance matches, juggling, etc.). The most notable additions were graphic
bloodBlood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells — such as nutrients and oxygen — and transports waste products away from those same cells....
effects, more brutal fighting techniques (such as the twisting of body parts), and fatal finishing moves. Traditional fighting games ended with the loser knocked
unconsciousUnconsciousness, more appropriately referred to as loss of consciousness or lack of consciousness, is a dramatic alteration of mental state that involves complete or near-complete lack of responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli. Being in a comatose state or coma is an illustration...
and the victor posing for the players, which meant that characters never actually died during a match. The idea of a fatality proved very popular with fans, resulting in Mortal Kombat's success.
Variations
- Animality — This finisher allows the player to morph into an animal and maul or eat their opponent alive. This style of fatality debuted in Mortal Kombat 3.
Mercy — In order to perform an Animality, the player must first grant his opponent Mercy. This act revives the opponent in lieu of delivering a final blow or performing a Fatality by restoring a small amount of health. Should the opponent be defeated again, an Animality may be performed.
Babality — Introduced in Mortal Kombat II, the Babality turns an opponent into an infantAn infant or baby is the term used to refer to the very young offspring of humans and other primates.-Infant:The term infant derives from the Latin word infans, meaning "unable to speak."...
version of the character, often clad in a diaper. Sometimes the opponent will wear a miniature version of the clothes he or she wore when fully-grown, complete with smaller versions of accessories such as Raiden's hat or Johnny Cage's shades. After a Babality is performed, the sound of a baby crying plays and the victor strikes a winning pose. The announcer proclaims: "[victor] wins; Babality!" In Mortal Kombat 3 and its updates, the generic green "Babality!!" text used in MKII is replaced with pastel colored alphabet blocks and a short lullaby.
- Babalities were introduced as a deliberately absurd counter-argument to the controversy that the original received for its violent content, and a tamer counterpart to the typical Fatality. Some fans found them humorous and enjoyable, while others felt they were an unwelcome, out-of-character intrusion in what is otherwise a serious game. The moves were later dropped in an effort to abate this criticism.
- Babalities appeared in Mortal Kombat II, Mortal Kombat 3, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and Mortal Kombat Trilogy.
- Their initial appearance in Mortal Kombat II Revision 2.1 came with some glitches including one that allowed players to perform attacks after the babality was performed.
Brutality — Introduced in Mortal Kombat TrilogyMortal Kombat Trilogy is a fighting game developed and published by Midway. It is a compilation of content from the previous titles based primarily upon the gameplay mechanics of Mortal Kombat 3 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3...
and the SNESThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
and Sega GenesisThe is a fourth-generation video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988 and Europe in 1990. The console was released in North America in 1989 under the name Genesis, as Sega was unable to secure legal rights to the Mega Drive name in that region...
ports of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game in the Mortal Kombat series, released in arcades in 1995. It is an update of Mortal Kombat 3 and was later updated into Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Midway has also released an online version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 for the Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360...
, this finisher allowed players to perform a combo which would cause the opponent to explode. Brutalities were not very popular, as they were extremely difficult to accomplish, requiring the player to memorize and perform a special 11-hit combo. Many felt the pay-off was lacking with the only result being a fiery explosion where the victim disappears and an unrealistic amount of bone and flesh (at least 3 rib cages, 4 legs, 3 arms, and 3 skulls) are sent flying and covering most of the screen. In some versions, the bone and flesh flies completely offscreen. This finisher didn't appear in another game until Mortal Kombat: Shaolin MonksMortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is a standalone game in the Mortal Kombat series. Shaolin Monks was developed by Midway LA and published by Midway for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox and was released September 16, 2005 in the United States.In October 2004, the president of Midway, David F...
, in which it wasn't explicitly used as a finisher, but rather as a power-upIn computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character. This is contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
.
- A move similar to the Brutality appeared in
Mortal Kombat: DeceptionMortal Kombat: Deception is a fighting game developed and published by Midway as the sixth installment for the Mortal Kombat series. Deception was released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in October 2004, while a Nintendo GameCube version was published in March 2005. Mortal Kombat: Deception...
, in the form of a Fatality of Li Mei. Her Fatality was to rapidly strike the opponent repeatedly, then to step back and pose as her opponent twitches for a moment, before exploding in a pile of gore.
Friendship — The fighter performs a somewhat silly act on a "FINISH HIM/HER!" area at the end of the fight. These actions include Sub-Zero making a snowmanA snowman is an anthropomorphic snow sculpture of a human.-Construction:Packing snow is formed when regular powder snow comes near its melting point and becomes moist and compactible. This allows for the construction of large balls of snow by simply rolling a ball of snow until it grows the...
, Noob SaibotNoob Saibot is a video game character and a recurring antagonist from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He debuted as a hidden character in Mortal Kombat II , although the later game Mortal Kombat: Deception established his true identity as that of the original Sub-Zero from the first...
throwing a bowling ballA bowling ball is a round ball made from urethane, plastic, reactive resin or a combination of these materials which is used in the sport of bowling. Ten-pin bowling balls generally have a set of three holes drilled in them, one each for the ring and middle finger, and one for the thumb; however,...
and hitting a few pins, or Jax taking out a jump ropeA jump rope, skipping rope, or skip rope is the primary tool used in the game of skipping played by children and many young adults, where one or more participants jump over a rope swung so that it passes under their feet and over their heads...
and using it. This was mostly done to mock the parents and the ESRBThe Entertainment Software Rating Board is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy principles for computer and video games and other entertainment software in Canada and the United...
who complained about the violence in the game. In Mortal Kombat II, Shao KahnShao Kahn is a boss and recurring playable character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.-About Shao Kahn:One of the primary villains in the Mortal Kombat series, Shao Kahn is the Emperor of Outworld. He resembles an Asian warrior-king in many respects, and embodies evil in many forms...
would announce "Friendship!!... Friendship?!", and in Mortal Kombat III and TrilogyMortal Kombat Trilogy is a fighting game developed and published by Midway. It is a compilation of content from the previous titles based primarily upon the gameplay mechanics of Mortal Kombat 3 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3...
he would say "Friendship!!!... Friendship?! Again?!"
Fergality — Mortal Kombat: II for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive featured an exclusive finishing move, one which would allow Raiden to transform his opponent into Fergus McGovern who worked on that port of the game.
Hara-Kiri — See the "Hara-Kiri" section below
Multality — Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks also features multalities, which are fatalities performed on multiple enemies at one time.
Stage fatalities
Stage fatalities brought a new level of environment interaction within the series. A stage fatality occurs when a player uses a part of the stage or map to execute a fatality that is not a standard character fatality. Some examples of stage fatalities are having the victim fall into a pool of
acidAn acid is traditionally considered any chemical compound that, when dissolved in water, gives a solution with a hydrogen ion activity greater than in pure water, i.e. a pH less than 7.0...
or a pit of spikes, or to be run over by a
subway trainA rapid transit, metro, subway, underground, or elevated railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with high capacity and frequency, and which is grade separated from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically either in underground tunnels or elevated above street level...
. Stage fatalities are present in the series from Mortal Kombat
through Mortal Kombat: Shaolin MonksMortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is a standalone game in the Mortal Kombat series. Shaolin Monks was developed by Midway LA and published by Midway for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox and was released September 16, 2005 in the United States.In October 2004, the president of Midway, David F...
and Mortal Kombat: ArmageddonMortal Kombat: Armageddon is the seventh title in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. The PlayStation 2 version was released in stores on October 11, 2006 while the Xbox version was released on the October 16, with a Wii version released on May 29, 2007 in North America.The game was not...
, though are absent from Mortal Kombat: Deadly AllianceMortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, originally known as Mortal Kombat V: Vengeance, is a fighting game developed and produced by Midway. It is chronologically the fifth in the Mortal Kombat series. Deadly Alliance was released for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance on November 20,...
. The stage does not darken in stage fatalites.
Mortal Kombat: DeceptionMortal Kombat: Deception is a fighting game developed and published by Midway as the sixth installment for the Mortal Kombat series. Deception was released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in October 2004, while a Nintendo GameCube version was published in March 2005. Mortal Kombat: Deception...
features more stage fatalities than any previous Mortal Kombat game. Renamed "Death Traps", there are more stages that allow death by stage interaction than not. No longer is a special button combination required as the opponent only needs to be either standing or hit in a particular spot on the stage. Unlike previous stage fatalities, "Death Traps" can be initiated anytime during a round and only require the opponent be hit into them, meaning an instant victory. However, if they are not executed in the decisive round, the fight does not end, going on to the next round. This action acts as a ring out.
Hara-Kiri
Another kind of fatality is the Hara-Kiri. The Hara-Kiri (which is
Japaneseis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family. There are a number of proposed relationships with other languages, but none have gained general acceptance...
for a
certain typeis a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai honor code, seppuku was used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies, as a form of capital punishment for samurai who have...
of ritual
suicideSuicide is the intentional killing of one's self. Many dictionaries also note the metaphorical sense of "willful destruction of one's self-interest"...
, and literally means belly cut
; even though Kenshi is the only character who uses the Hara-Kiri in this form) is a move in which the losing player kills him/herself upon defeat at the end of the last match, rather than be finished off by his/her opponent. It is the first and only time in the Mortal Kombat series in which the defeated player is allowed to perform a finishing move. The move Hara-Kiri made its debut in Deception and Unchained
and seems to be a popular feature with the fans, although is not included in Mortal Kombat: ArmageddonMortal Kombat: Armageddon is the seventh title in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. The PlayStation 2 version was released in stores on October 11, 2006 while the Xbox version was released on the October 16, with a Wii version released on May 29, 2007 in North America.The game was not...
due to the new Kreate-a-Fatality feature.
Although it was called a fatality in-game, the first example of a suicidal finishing move in Mortal Kombat
was Cyrax's "self-destructA self-destruct is a mechanism which causes a device to destroy itself under a predefined set of circumstances. Self-destruct mechanisms are sometimes found in high-security data storage devices, where it is important for the data to be destroyed to prevent compromise.Self-destruct mechanisms are...
" move from Mortal Kombat 3
and Mortal Kombat Gold
; Cyrax, a cyborg, enters a code on to his arm panel and moments later explodes along with his opponent in a manner reminiscient of the ending of the first PredatorPredator is a 1987 science fiction, action and horror film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Kevin Peter Hall. The story follows an elite team on a mission to rescue hostages from a guerrilla group in Central America. Unknowingly, the...
movie. Smoke went farther with his fatality, since he destroys the whole planet (and every living being on it) with giant bombs. In Mortal Kombat Gold, Cyrax adopted this Fatality together with his own while Smoke adopted Cyrax's self-destruct as his Hara-Kiri in Deception. Some examples of Hara-Kiris are Sindel performing a back flip but landing badly, breaking her neck. Another example is
Liu KangLiu Kang is a video game character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. First appearing in Mortal Kombat Liu Kang is portrayed as a Shaolin monk who enters the Mortal Kombat tournament to save his world, Earthrealm, from being destroyed due to having lost nine consecutive tournaments...
internally combusting.
Heroic Brutality
Heroic Brutalities appear in the Midway/DC Comics crossover game
Mortal Kombat vs. DC UniverseMortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is a crossover fighting game from Midway Games and Warner Bros. in the Mortal Kombat series, which was released on November 16, . The game contains characters from both the Mortal Kombat franchise and the DC Universe...
as exclusive finishing moves for the DC heroes. While they are similar to Fatalities, a Heroic Brutality doesn't kill an opponent, since normally the DC heroes don't kill people. These can range from somewhat gruesome like
Green LanternGreen Lantern is the name of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 ....
's, in which he crushes his enemy in a bubble of green energy breaking all of their bones, to the
FlashFlash may refer to:* Flash, Staffordshire* Teen Patti, a 3-Cards poker style game, popular in South Asia.In technology:* Flash , instantaneous illumination for picture taking...
's where he lifts the enemy into the air with a tornado and simply punches them down. Another example would be
SupermanSuperman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc...
's Heroic Brutality, where he repeatedly pounds his enemy into the ground. Brutalities are easier to do then the Brutalities of Mortal Kombat 3, requiring hit combos identical to the normal Fatality hit combo and are noticably less violent, probably being the least violent non-parody finishing moves in Mortal Kombat history.
Kreate-A-Fatality
For
Mortal Kombat: ArmageddonMortal Kombat: Armageddon is the seventh title in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. The PlayStation 2 version was released in stores on October 11, 2006 while the Xbox version was released on the October 16, with a Wii version released on May 29, 2007 in North America.The game was not...
, the fatality concept was completely revised. In all previous games, fatalities and finishing moves were in the form of a button combo, activating a scripted animation sequence. For MK:A, the old system was replaced with a new Kreate-A-Fatality, or "kustom chain-fatality" system. After defeating an opponent in two rounds (with default settings), players are given a limited amount of time to perform one of several violent moves (such as ripping an organ out) attributed to a button and direction combination. The time then resets and the player can perform a second move, but the timebar decreases more rapidly after each move. The longer a player is able to continue the chain, the higher ranking his fatality receives:
- Fatality
- Deadly Fatality
- Killer Fatality
- Bloody Fatality
- Mortal Fatality
- Brutal Fatality
- Evil Fatality
- Vicious Fatality
- Savage Fatality
- Extreme Fatality
- Ultimate Fatality
- Ultimate Fatality (rarely)
It is possible, with practice, to pull off a fatality of up to twelve moves. It is also possible to "fail" the fatality by running out of time before performing a final finishing move (such as ripping the opponent's head off). If time runs out before the player can end the chain with a final fatal move, no rank or reward is given and the fatality is not counted, regardless of how many moves were completed. Once the player reaches 12 chains, he/she must use a finisher or else the fatality sequence will stop and the player will not receive a rank or reward.
This has been met with a mixed reaction, with some fans and critics preferring the more interactive nature and freedom of the Kreate-a-Fatality system, and others missing the previous games' character-specific ending moves and alternatives to killing the opponent. Also, originally, there were individual character-specific Kreate-a-Fatality moves for each character, but this feature was dropped, reportedly due to such a feat's infeasibility (especially in regards to the Kreate-A-Character option, which individual moves would not translate to).
External links
- GameFAQs Mortal Kombat codes, move lists and fatalities
- Mortal Kombat fatalities video
- Fatality Clan Official Website
- Fatality Fest, fatalities from Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II
Mortal Kombat II is a 1993 arcade game and the second title in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.-Development:To create the character animations for the game, actors were placed in front of a gray background and performed the motions, which was recorded by on a Hi-8 videotape, which had been...
and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game in the Mortal Kombat series, released in arcades in 1995. It is an update of Mortal Kombat 3 and was later updated into Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Midway has also released an online version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 for the Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360...