Mortal Kombat 1 has been the subject of many discussions since its official announcement last month, with official trailers, release dates and fan requests all over the place. Just like Mortal Kombat 11 before it, as we get closer to the release date of the most violent fighting game, gaming insiders are leaking information we probably shouldn’t have.
Over on GameFAQs, prominent and long-time Mortal Kombat leaker r00000r has been discussing the upcoming Mortal Kombat 1’s roster. Having correctly predicted/leaked not only the lineup of the previous NetherRealms game, but also some of the specifics involved in Mortal Kombat 1’s announcement trailer, including the inclusion of a Yakuza-allied Kenshi clashing with Cage, which is just far too specific to be anything other than insider information.
Mortal Kombat 1 – What Should We Expect?

Mortal Kombat 1 was announced to much fanfare during the deluge of gaming showcases we’ve had over the last month. Now that seems to be coming to an end, fans are able to start picking apart the various trailers and leaks and put together an image of what’s to come. Due to release on 19th September 2023, fans don’t have long to wait before we can get stuck into the next big Mortal Kombat experience.
For anyone that may not have played Mortal Kombat 11 and as such is now confused by the reset of the name, Mortal Kombat 11 ends with Liu Kang having to reset the entire universe to from scratch, creating a new timeline filled with new characters and removing certain characters alike. Not only does this allow Ed Boon and the creative team a lot of creative freedom to go in a new direction story-wise from the established canon in the last three games, it also means new fans can jump on board the franchise without having to know three decades of history.
Related: Fans Bow to Perfect Kitana Casting as Resident Evil Star Adeline Rudolph Joins Mortal Kombat 2: ‘Finally a perfect cast’
The announcement trailer features Liu Kang travelling around Earth and the rest of the realms, seemingly teaming up with long-time franchise favorites to fight in a new threat, and a new tournament. The trailer featured a lot of familiar faces with their own new twists thanks to the timeline shenanigans, but we’ll have to wait a little while longer before we get any more character specifics, unfortunately.
Mortal Kombat 1 – The Leaked Roster

Regardless of the accuracy of r00000r’s previous leaks, we should take this with a pinch of salt, but it does seem like we’re in for a treat regarding the upcoming Mortal Kombat 1’s playable characters. With the game’s first DLC character pack supposedly including super-powered anti-heroes/villains Homelander, Omni-Man and Peacemaker, fans have been wondering who the main roster will include, and we now have some idea.
Talking on GameFAQs, r00000r took it upon himself to correct a fake leaker’s attempt at gaining notoriety, and in the process confirmed a significant chunk of the roster. The usual suspects are included with the obvious being Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Sub-Zero etc, but the more surprising inclusion of Smoke, a character that hasn’t been involved or included for twelve years is the real scoop.
The full list of characters as revealed by r00000r are Ashrah, Havik, Johnny Cage, Kenshi, Kitana, Kung Lao, Li Mei, Liu Kang, Mileena, Nitara, Raiden, Reiko, Reptile, Scorpion, Shang Tsung, Sindel, Smoke, Sub-Zero and Tanya.
Related: Summer Game Fest: ‘Mortal Kombat 1’ Finally Has A Gameplay Trailer – And It Is A Brutal Watch
Fans of Reptile will be glad to see their long wait is over, same as those of Smoke, last seen in Mortal Kombat 9. Unfortunately there isn’t any room for the cyborgs Cyrax and Sector, at least not yet, and other than Takeda, there’s no room for the so called Kombat Kids, although we’re unsure if Takeda is still Kenshi’s son in this new timeline.
Mortal Kombat is famous for its huge amount of DLC character packs, with previous installments featuring famous horror icons like Alien and Jason, as well as prominent characters that didn’t make the main game’s base roster. No doubt we’ll see some of those characters that don’t make the cut, but which and when is another story. If r00000r’s leak does indeed end up being true, there’s still another five spots on the main roster at least, so we’ll have to wait a little while to see the full roster completed.
Featuring fatalities, brutalities, a new ‘Kameo’ fighting system and more, Mortal Kombat 1 promises to be everything fans have been waiting for and more. Will you be buying the game come release? What one fighter do you want included that seemingly isn’t? Let us know in the comments.
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