With the recent release of theKhaos Reignsexpansion forMortal Kombat 1, the beloved animalties have made their return. These iconic finishers were first introduced back inMortal Kombat 3, allowing the winning player to have their charactertransform into an animal to unleash a brutal thrashing on the opponent. Each character has their own animality that is entirely unique to them, featuring creatures both massive and tiny, with all of them being incredibly deadly.
TheMortal Kombatcommunity has asked for the return of animalities for the longest time, and this latest addition toMortal Kombat 1has finally granted their wish.The finishers are flashier and gorier than ever, providing players with a uniquebloody spectacle compared to the typical fatalities. There are so many characters to choose from that have great animalities, but there are certain ones that clearly stand out from the rest.
10Sub-Zero
Animality: Wooly Mammoth
A wooly mammoth may not be the first animal one would expect Sub-Zero to transform into, considering how he’s a fast and nimble ninja, while a mammoth is rather bulky and slow. However, it is nevertheless quite fitting as a transformation for Bi-Han due to how prevalent mammoths were during the Ice Age, referencing his ice powers. Furthermore, the viciousness of this animality isa reflection of Sub-Zero’s brutal, unrelenting nature during combat.
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Sub-Zero’s animality starts with the wooly mammoth launching the opponent into the air with a single hard hit of its trunk, before they get impaled on one of its giant tusks.Their body is then ripped apartafter a few more sharp pulls with its trunk, leaving a mess of blood and guts on the ground and the mammoth’s tusk. It is a quick, but very brutal sequence that sticks with the viewer even after it’s done, partially due to the amount of blood and screaming from the opponent.
9Reptile
Animality: Venus Flytrap
Based on his name, one would expect Reptile to transform into an even larger reptile for his animality, but insteadhe turns into a giant venus fly trap. Once his transformation is complete, he opens his mouth and grabs the opponent with his long tongue, pulling them into his gaping maw. The part that makes Reptile’s animality truly unsettling is how the opponent screams and reaches out for help as they are being chewed up.
Reptile’s animality is a sequence that seems to come straight out ofLittle Shop Of Horrors, which makes it a very striking and unique animality. The visuals do a great job at portrayingthe level of danger that Reptile hidesunderneath his human disguise, much like how a venus fly trap appears to be a normal plant until it decides to strike its prey. This animality might not be as large of a spectacle compared to some others, but it does not need to be in order to be an effective finisher.
8Baraka
Animality: Porcupine
Baraka is an iconicMortal Kombatcharacterknown for the blades protruding from his hands, as well as his rows of sharp teeth. His animality gives him even more spikes to work with by having him transform into a porcupine. After launching the opponent into the air, he fires off a bunch of quills, which skewer the opponent all over their body before they fall and are impaled on the porcupine’s back.
Much like Baraka’s blades, a porcupine’s quills can be quite dangerous, and this animality does a good job of showcasing that. However, despite what the fatality shows,porcupines cannot actually shoot their quills, which does make this animality rather unrealistic and exaggerated. Regardless, it is still a very brutal finisher that is very impressive to look at, while simultaneously proving to be rather horrifying in a good way.
7Ashrah
Animality: Unicorn
TheMortal Kombatfranchise is no stranger to the presence of fantastical elements, and yetAshrah’s animality transformation comes as a complete surprise. Not many would have been able to guess that her animality would involve her transforming into a unicorn, complete with a majestic set of wings. The transformation is even complete with magical sparkles and colorful stars, which gives the animality an almost pure initial appearance.
The ridiculousness of this animality only continues as Ashrah soon appears behind the opponent, impaling them through the face with her horn. Once the opponent then falls to the ground, the unicorn quickly emitsa blast of rainbow-colored fire from its mouth, burning the opponent in a brutal yet colorful fashion. The sheer absurdity of this animality is what makes it so memorable, providing players with a great spectacle that sticks in their mind.
6Takeda
Animality: Giant Octopus
Takeda’s animality is slightly less connected to himself as a character, and is insteada more clever reference to his movesetin the game. Takeda isbest known for his attacks where he utilizes bladed whips, similar to Scorpion. Although he was Scorpion’s student in previous games, this timeline has changed him to instead be Kenshi’s cousin, yet he still retains a very similar moveset to what he had before.
During his animality, Takeda first impales the opponent with a tentacle after transforming into an octopus. Once they are dragged into the water with him, the octopus slowlyrips the opponent’s body in two before devouring them. It is a scene that depicts the kind of terror that can be found within the ocean depths, and the hidden potential that Takeda possesses as a capable warrior.
5Mileena
Animality: Praying Mantis
Mileena’s animality shows her transforming into a giant pink praying mantis that towers over the frightened opponent. After grabbing the opponent and lifting them into the air, Mileena proceeds to quickly devour their head in a gory, brutal fashion. This is a reference to howfemale praying mantises will bite off the heads of their mates.
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What makes this animality so great is thatit is a true reflection of Mileena herself as a character. Much like the praying mantis she turns into, Mileena is shown to be a very beautiful woman who at first glance appears very kind and gentle. However, she secretly harbors a savage nature due to being infected with a disease that gave her Tarkatan features, making her kill others in rather animalistic ways.
4Ermac
Animality: Locust Swarm
Ermac’s animality allows them totransform into a large swarm of locusts, which immediately proceed to consume the opponent’s entire body until only their skeleton remains. It is a horrifying concept, made all the more terrifying thanks to the close-up panning camera shots of the opponent as they are eaten alive.
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The idea that Ermac transforms into a swarm of many locusts is a great concept considering how they are as a character.Ermac is a being who consists of numerous different soulsthat are all bound together by Quan Chi’s magic, thinking and acting together as a group. The locusts in the animality are a reference to the numerous souls inside Ermac that are working together so that their body functions.
3Peacemaker
Animality: Eagle
In true over-the-topMortal Kombatfashion,Peacemaker’s animality is filled to the brim with American imagery, flashing lights, and powerful weaponry. Peacemaker not only transforms into a bald eagle, a well-known symbol of the United States, but he also proceeds to utilize not only multiple firearms, but also grenades to take out the opponent. By the time the win screen is displayed, a second bald eagle known as Eagly flies by while carrying the American flag.
As excessive as it is, this animality is rather fitting for Peacemaker considering his story in various DC comics.Peacemaker vows to bring about world peace to all the realmsby any means necessary, and that includes through the use of excessive violence. Given his skills as an incredibly talented marksman and soldier, it would make sense for his animality to feature immense amounts of weaponry and American iconography, which makes his finishing move stand out from most others.
2Liu Kang
Animality: Phoenix
Unlike his previous animality fromMortal Kombat 3,Liu Kang no longer transforms into a giant dragonto eat the opponent. Instead,Mortal Kombat 1has him turn into a brilliant fiery phoenix. After flying over to the opponent, he surrounds his foe with his wings, which proceed to slowly burn them to ashes.
Liu Kang’s animality is a true spectacle that is certainly befitting of one with the titles ofGod of Fire and Keeper of Time. Not only is the phoenix an immortal bird that is associated with fire, fitting Liu Kang’s powers and god status, but they are also known to constantly go through a cycle of death and rebirth. This is shown at the end of Liu Kang’s animality, where the phoenix is seen rising from the ashes in a triumphant display of victory, likelyhinting at how he reformed the timelineto hopefully give countless characters better lives.
1Johnny Cage
Animality: Shark
Johnny’s whole character centers around him being an actor, which leads to him making lots of movie references, andhis animality is yet another reference to a well-known film. Unlike the other characters in the roster, Johnny’s animality doesn’t start with him transforming into an animal, but instead involves him putting on a costume while the cameras prepare to roll. The opponent is then shown to be floating in a vast ocean, before a giant shark suddenly rises up from the depths to devour them in a moment reminiscent of the iconic movieJaws.
Given the fact that there was a reference toIndiana Jonesduring Johnny’s chapter inMK1’s story mode, it only makes sense for his finisher to pay homage to yet another iconic Spielberg film. Not only is this animality hilarious, it is also very brutal, referencing the terrifying depths of the ocean. Given that Johnny is a very beloved character in theMortal Kombatfranchise, it only makes sense that his animality inMortal Kombat 1is just as over-the-top and iconic as he is, making his animality the best in the entire roster.
