When you think of main bosses in the Mortal Kombat series, I’m sure a few names come to mind. Shang Tsung being the original big baddie paved the way for the likes of series mainstay Shao Kahn, and there have been several others who have gotten the opportunity to raise hell over the last 30 years of Mortal Kombat.
A new video made by UncannyCarlos on X (formerly Twitter), that has gotten the attention of Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon, provides a great breakdown of all of the bosses that we’ve seen in Mortal Kombat games over the years. When you look at the actual statistics, there are some interesting realizations to be made.
UncannyCarlos’ stylish video sees a bar graph generated that charts not only the main villains themselves, but how many times they’ve held that title in a Mortal Kombat game. Starting with Mortal Kombat 1 (the actual Mortal Kombat 1), Shang Tsung cements himself as the first final boss of the series.
MK2 introduced Shao Kahn, and he would go on to be the main boss in the sequel, Mortal Kombat 3, as well. This video doesn’t just chart the final bosses of main series Mortal Kombat games, but also incorporates spin-off games such as Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Shaolin Monks.
With that in mind, the next big boss to emerge was Shinnok in Mythologies: Sub-Zero, and he would quickly put two points on the board by being the main villain in Mortal Kombat 4 as well.
Funny enough, Kano actually acted as the final boss of a Mortal Kombat game at one point as well. Mortal Kombat: Special Forces was released on June 29, 2000, and this action-adventure beat ’em up title gave the knife-wielding, laser-eyed kombatant his time as a major villain.
We won’t spoil the exact numbers, but we can tell you a fact that you might not be surprised to hear. Shao Kahn has appeared as the main villain in Mortal Kombat games more times than any other character, but it’s not by as wide of a margin as you might think.
Check out the full stats on Mortal Kombat’s final bosses by checking out the video below.
Interesting video by @UncannyCarlos
“History of Bosses in Mortal Kombat”pic.twitter.com/acMV1udyZk
— Ed Boon (@noobde) November 17, 2023
