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DespiteMortal Kombatbuilding a new identity for itself over the past decade with its character-driven stories and competitive focus, it has retained the brutal gore that made the series an icon in the ‘90s.Mortal Kombat 1doubled down with its growingly gruesome fatalities over the past few entries, with even more cringe-inducing ways to humiliate your opponent.
So I’ve done what every reasonable fan with too much time on their hands would do and given them all a rating out of ten.
Related:Mortal Kombat 1 Review - A Bloody Promising New Timeline
A few ground rules before we get to the murders. I won’t be including Kameo Fatalities on this list, mostly because they’re just recreations of classic Fatalities, but also there’s 46 already and, despite having too much time on my hands, I do have a life. With all that said, let’s go grade the traumatising deaths of a bunch of characters I really like and feel no remorse for doing so.
Ashrah
Fatality 1 - Spicy Skewers
Somewhere between a bang and a whimper sits Ashrah’s First Fatality. Chucking a bunch of swords into the opponent is pretty dull, but the last-minute grilling they get manages to bring this one up a bit. A solid start.
7/10.
Fatality 2 - Killer Ballerina
Some fancy footwork and sword twirling isn’t enough to save this one from being anything other than meh.
5/10
Baraka
Fatality 1 - Eye Felt That One
Ooh ‘er, a Mortal Kombat 2 reference! This Fatality is basically the same as the Blade Lift that Baraka did 30 years ago, but with some eye-popping that makes me wish my own eyes could pop out. It’s a neat upgrade, even if it feels a little stale to see yet another blade impale and lift.
7/10
Fatality 2 - Tarkatan Bargain Bucket
Thankfully this Fatality is a lot more creative and sees Baraka making a meal out of his enemy before feeding them to a bunch of Tarkatans. It drags a bit, but at least it’s something new.
8/10
Geras
Fatality 1 - Bully Maguire Would Be Proud
Geras had some weak Fatalities in Mortal Kombat 11, but his training and murdering between games has paid off. This not only makes you wince as he sandpapers the other fighter in half, it also proves that Peter Parker was undeniably out to kill Sandman in Spider-Man 3. So, that’s fun.
I can’t believe we’re three characters in and we’ve already got a perfect score, but this is how a Fatality is done. Having Geras reach into the future, rip off the other fighter’s head, and then hand it back to them is genius and hits all the right notes. It’s funny, creative, gory, and just the right length. A strong contender for one of the best Fatalities in the series.
10/10
Havik
Fatality 1 - Heartburn
Havik is so gross to look at that I was expecting big things for his Fatality. His first is unique, at least, but it’s not very interesting beyond that.
Fatality 2 - Wolverine
A nice showcase of Havik’s gross regeneration abilities, but I feel like he could have done something a bit more creative with those broken bones.
6/10
Johnny Cage
Fatality 1 - Walk Of Pain
Johnny Cage’s puppeteering and triple uppercut Fatalities inMortal Kombat 11were some of the best in the whole game, so there’s a high bar for him to reach in MK1. His first Fatality, which has him signing his opponent’s Walk of Fame star with their own brain, doesn’t quite reach those heights, but it’s still a great finisher.
Fatality 2 - Motor Kombat
Johnny’s second Fatality changes things up a bit by utilising the environment. In this case, a torso-cleaving car that has given me a brand new fear, shutting my fingers in a car door. Bonus points for the subtle “Toasty!” reference.
Who doesn’t love some deepthroat action?
Fatality 2 - Deadly Conductor
Here we have one of my favourite Fatalities in the game, where Kenshi telepathically uses his sword to slice the opponent to ribbons. It’s quick, simple, and doubles as a great way to wrap presents.
9/10
Kitana
Fatality 1 - Fantality
Every time I saw this Fatality I couldn’t shake the feeling that it’d been done in a previous Mortal Kombat. Time to move on from the fans, methinks.
Fatality 2 - Ewwww, Cooties
This one has also been in a previous Mortal Kombat - all of them, in fact. But I am a hypocrite easily swayed by memorable gross-out finishers. And I’d absolutely risk a Kitana kiss, even if it meant death.
Kung Lao
Fatality 1 - Old Hat
I can’t help but feel a little bad for Kung Lao. It’s just always going to be the hat for him, isn’t it? This first Fatality sadly showcases that with a limp hat toss dissection that’s weirdly similar to his crap flower one from MKX.
4/10
Fatality 2 - Hat’s A Little Better
Kung Lao’s second Fatality is yet another hat attack from the man who clearly forgets he can turn himself into a tornado, but at least it’s a bit more interesting. Lao breaks the enemy’s arms then holds them still to be buzzed through. Just get a new trick, dude.
Li Mei
Fatality 1 - Baby You’re A Firework
I was never a fan of Li Mei in the 3D era of Mortal Kombat, but she’s quickly become one of my favourite fighters in MK1. That’s partly thanks to her awesome first Fatality, which has her ripping out a fighter’s guts and then using them as a spark that turns their head into a firework for her to punt into the sky.
Fatality 2 - Dragon Dinner
Good thing I love that first Fatality so much, because god knows I won’t be using the second one. It’s a boring explosion, but at least it has a dragon spirit at the end.
Liu Kang
Fatality 1 - Double Dragon
This has two dragons, so I’ll double Li Mei’s score. We’ve all seen this in the trailer anyway.
Fatality 2 - The Snap
There’s never been a Fatality as over-the-top and cinematic as this. It sees Liu Kang drag whatever poor soul he’s fighting into outer space and create a black hole that brutally sucks their guts out. This is hands down the best Fatality in the game and my all-time favourite in the series.
