Liu Kang was one of the first fighters introduced to the series, with has been a fan favorite ever since. With his story’s importance in the previous game, it comes as no surprise that he would return inMortal Kombat 1, but with some new powers to go along with his godhood.

Liu Kang focuses on fire techniques, but has plenty of tricks up his sleeve to help him stand out, take down his foes, and be a solid choice as a main. With that in mind, you’ll want to spend some time getting to know the character, learning the best tips, and seeing which Kameos will synergize with him.

Liu Kang and Reptile clashing against each other and preparing to fight in Mortal Kombat 1.

Liu Kang Overview

If you like the idea ofa character that heavily relies on projectiles, you’ll enjoy Liu Kang. He has an arsenal of attacks that hit high and low from across the screen, allowing you to remain safe while keeping close-ranged characters at bay. Liu Kang performsbestagainstgrapplersandcharacters withoutgap closers.

Liu Kang also hassome solid combos if the enemies are foolish enough to get closewithout a game plan. Even moves like Dragon’s Tail is a solid way to follow up with combos. Liu Kang will be meter-dependent for these combos and to power-up his moves, so you should be mindful to keep spare meter for combo breaks.

Liu Kang launches a low-hitting dragon projectile at Johnny cage in Mortal Kombat 1.

Liu Kang will have the most trouble against opponents with teleports and fast attacks, like Scorpion and Smoke. While you can combo,your normals won’t reach as far as other characters, making it difficult to challenge their moves.

However, if you can keep opponents away, have them guess your next moves, and fall into your tricks, you’ll have a great time with Liu Kang. After all, you can stillcatch them off-guard with your projectile mix-ups and specials to counter approaches.

Liu Kang performing a fire kick with Stryker in the background in Mortal Kombat 1

Liu Kang requires you to play patiently, so keep that in mind as you look into his specials and get a feel for his play style.

Liu Kang Special Moves

Liu Kang offers some fun and interesting special moves you can use, soit’s important for you to get a feel for each one. Spend some time memorizing them, seeing how the Enhanced versions work, and learning how to use them to your advantage.

Cosmic Flame

Back, Forward, 1

You shoot a fire projectile forward. The Enhanced version knocks the enemy down and deals more damage.

(Air) Cosmic Flame

You shoot multiple fireballs forward. If you Enhance it, the movedeals more damage and has less end lag.

Low Dragon

Down, Back, 1

Youshoot a fire dragon along the ground, hitting low. Enhance it to deal more damage.

Dragon’s Tail

Back, Forward, 3

You launch a fire dragon forward, hopping to the enemy and kicking them. If you Enhance it, you’llknock them into the air, allowing you to follow up with combos.

Dancing Dragon

Back, Forward, 4

You leap in the air, performing multiple air kicks.Enhancing it launches the opponent on the last hit.

Dragon’s Breath

Down, Back, 4

You teleport slightly forward, areinvincible to jumping attacks, and deal damage. If you Enhance it, you’ll befully invincible and can jump cancelout of the attack.

(Close) Dragon’s Breath

Down, Back, 4 + Back

This version doesn’t deal damage, but has the same invincibility properties as the other version.

The above inputs are a universal way to know what you must press no matter your controls or platform.The numbers correspond to specific attackswhile the directions are in relation to where your opponent is on the screen.

Stryker jumping in to throw grenades at Johnny Cage to protect Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat 1.

Forward: Toward the opponent

Back: Away from the opponent

Liu Kang holding Shang Tsung in place with two fire dragons while he leaps above in Mortal Kombat 1.

Liu Kang Tips

When you play as Liu Kang, you want to keep your opponents guessing. For instance,don’t constantly shoot Cosmic Flame, as your opponent can predict the move and jump toward you, closing the distance or landing an air attack.

However, if you bait another Cosmic Flame by faking a movement, they may jump at you, so you cancatch them off-guard with a Dragon’s Breath. You also shouldn’t be afraid to try the Enhanced version if the opponent closes the distance in an attempt to give yourself some breathing room.

With that in mind, you mustbe careful against characters with teleports or any Kameos that use them. For instance, if you run into a grappler with Kung Lao or Motaro, they can quickly close the distance. Goro can also cause you problems with his unblockable attack.

Despite those points, you can perform well against those opponents if you work around the teleports. For instance, you could wait for them to try and close the distance, hold the block button, andpunish them with a combo string into your Enhanced Dragon’s Tailfor severe damage.

It never hurts to chip your opponents with your projectiles, forcing them to approach. Otherwise, you’ll end up with more health than them if they’ll face a time-out or finish them off if they’re low on health. Doing soforces them to approach you, which can lead to mistakesthat you can capitalize on.

While you have these advantages, remember that most of your moves are committal, soopponents can punish you if you don’t space them properly. With that in mind, you should be careful using projectiles if your opponent is mid-screen. If they can hop over your attack and get an overhead punish, it’s not worth the risk.

Liu Kang Kameo Tips

With Liu Kang, you have multiple options that’ll work based on how you like to play him. If you want to double-down on his projectiles, you can pick a long-ranged Kameo fighter. On the other hand,you can pick someone with escapes if you have trouble keeping opponents awayfrom you.

You can also cover your close-ranged weaknesses by picking characters with strong approach moves and combo-extenders. If you want a few solid choices to get started,you should try Stryker, Motaro, and Sonya.

Stryker offers multiple projectiles to deal with your opponents, with most of them hitting at mid-range. His handcuff move can also hold an opponent in place, preparing you to launch an attack and giving them less time to react.Go with Stryker if you want more ranged mix-up options.

Motaro works well since you have a teleport and ranged attacks.The teleport will bring you to the other side of the opponent, giving you a way to escape the corner that Liu Kang doesn’t normally have. The ranged attacks can help you apply more pressure against the opponent as well, so use him for more safety measures.

As for Sonya,she’s a great way to add to your close-range arsenal and combo options. For instance, her Neutral Kameo will shoot a projectile, her Back Kameo can bounce the opponent and extend your combos, while the Forward Kameo will let you combo off your Enhanced Dancing Dragon.

If you want to try other characters, you should consider ones that can attack airborne opponents, includingJax, Sektor, and Cyrax. Kano and Sareena are great choices for additional ranged attacksand ways to poke down opponents. If you want a balance of abilities, Kung Lao can be a good choice.

Liu Kang Fatalities

You start with Liu Kang’s first Fatality, butyou must unlock the second one by getting his character Mastery to Rank 14. Once you do, you’ll need to position yourself accordingly to perform each move. If you need help learning how to perform his Fatalities, go to Learn and pick Fatalities for a quick tutorial.