AUTHOR'S NOTE

The Mortal Kombat series has been by far my most favorite video game series for as long as I can remember.  I was probably about nine-years old when I first picked up the Sega Genesis™ controller to Mortal Kombat 3 at a friends house.  I remember “button-mashing,” and just hoping to win a round.  I remember arguing over which of us got to play as “player 2” so we could see Sonya in her cerulean blue outfit.  I remember the sheer thrill I had at playing this video game as compared to the few others I had at home.

When I went home that day, I begged my parents to take me out to Toys ‘R’ Us™ to buy MK3.  Little did I know the intense debate they had before making such a purchase, afraid that making that game available to me would twist my young mind.  Eventually, though, they relented (possibly due to my arguments that “you could turn the blood off” and “you let me watch Power Rangers™!”).  Also, to my delight, they accidentally purchased me Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

Over the years, my interest in the series never seemed to wane.  I drew my own character concepts in notebooks.  I watched the movie, and it’s terrible sequel repeatedly.  I studied the little booklets that came with my games.  I even earned the nickname “Toasty!” amongst a few friends after I corrected them as to what Dan Forden was actually saying when he popped up during gameplay.  As time went on, I even became an administrator on the Mortal Kombat Wiki.

When I decided to write this, the idea was simple: write a story that would take all of the important elements of the franchise – from the first Mortal Kombat game in 1993, to Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, and side-games like Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, and Mortal Kombat: Special Forces – and combine them into one cohesive story.  A tale that included all sixty-three playable characters.  A narrative that developed the forgotten characters like Kintaro and Hsu Hao.  This story would add a sense of realism to Mortal Kombat, while still respecting and fantastical elements inherent in its canon.

It was a daunting task, but one that I enjoyed.

An expert in the series would probably be quick to point out the numerous canonical “errors” in this tale.  But, I insist, they were all intentional.  I changed a few plots points – ones that I considered minor – to help make the story more cohesive.  However, everything important is kept!  And I did not abandon the story.  And, most importantly, the characters are very purposely developed to create sympathetic three-dimensional people.

I hope the reader enjoys this, and perhaps more importantly, I hope the reader comes to a new appreciation for the intricacies of the Mortal Kombat storyline, and the kombatants within it.

Any comments, criticisms, or questions can be sent to Author@theSubwayWall.com, or amongst the comments in whatever forum this was posted in.  I’ll make a point of trying to answer them.  Any spamming will be deleted.  However, constructive criticism will be taken into consideration gladly.

Now read…and enjoy.