Mortal Kombat Shang Tsungs Original Name Mightve Made Him Related To Liu Kang

Mortal Kombat: Shang Tsung’s Original Name Might’ve Made Him Related To Liu Kang

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Recent revelations suggest that, had development gone differently, Mortal Kombat’s Shang Tsung and Liu Kang could have been distantly related.

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Mortal Kombat Shang Tsungs Original Name Mightve Made Him Related To Liu Kang

Although the rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero has become more popular in recent years, one of the biggest Mortal Kombat vendettas was originally between Liu Kang and Shang Tsung. The two have always been established as rivals, especially since Liu Kang is the canonical winner of the first game’s tournament. Recent revelations from Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias, though, suggest that, had development gone differently, the two could have been related by blood.

In some versions of Mortal Kombat’s extremely complicated plot, Liu Kang is descended from the Great Kung Lao, not to be confused with the younger Kung Lao. This is the case in Mortal Kombat 4, for example, as well as the 1995 movie and the Mortal Kombat: Konquest TV show. The Great Kung Lao was a Shaolin monk who trained to fight in the Mortal Kombat tournament, and in one ending of Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, a time-traveling Liu Kang is one of the people who helped him win.

In early production notes shared by Tobias on Twitter, Shang Tsung’s equivalent – identified as a “shapeshifter/antagonist” for the first game – is named Shang Lao. Assuming Mortal Kombat’s Chinese characters follow the “family name, given name” name order, this Shang Lao would only have shared a given name with the Great Kung Lao. Still, Liu Kang shares no names at all with the legendary warrior, so a distant relationship between the Great Kung Lao and Shang Lao could have been possible; perhaps the “Lao” was meant to be merely a hint at their once-connection.

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Despite our desire to visually separate the ninjas with a palette swap, we used a revenge story to tie the two characters together and fit them into archetypes that our players would easily understand… (9/10) pic.twitter.com/6kuL6mxKut

While many things were eventually changed before the game shipped, had the name stuck, there’s a possibility the series could’ve revolved around a family conflict. The notes already set out many Mortal Kombat character roles, including Liu Kang as the protagonist. Even though players can choose other characters in fights, fans may remember Liu Kang featured prominently on the game’s arcade cabinets.

Why Did Shang Tsung’s Name Change In Mortal Kombat?

It’s not clear why Shang Lao’s name was changed before release. In the development of any story, however, characters are often renamed or repositioned for reasons as basic as personal taste. Many details were in flux at the time: Movie star Johnny Cage seems to have been named Michael Grimm, and Scorpion and Sub-Zero were simply “Ninja 1” and “Ninja 2.” Kurtis Stryker is mentioned as “skeptic,” but he never appeared in the games until Mortal Kombat 3. Kitana, who debuted in Mortal Kombat 2, is listed as a “herald” figure named Kitsune.

Shang Tsung has become less prominent in the series over time as developers try to keep the story fresh, joined by other villains like Shao Kahn and Quan Chi. He does, however, appear in 2021’s Mortal Kombat reboot movie, facing off against Liu Kang. The film is due to premiere April 16 on HBO Max, and it could well reinvigorate interest in these more classic MK characters.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/mortal-kombat-shang-tsung-original-liu-kang-related/

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