Scorpion (Mortal Kombat)

Scorpion
Mortal Kombat series character
File:Scorpion mkvsdc.jpg
First game	Mortal Kombat (1992)

Scorpion is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat video game series.

About Scorpion

Formerly a human ninja and member of the Japanese ninja clan Shirai Ryu, Scorpion is now a hellspawned revenant, inexorably seeking vengeance against those responsible for the destruction of his clan and the death of his family. Although essentialy neutral in allegiance, Scorpion will align with anyone who can assist his plans of revenge. He was once manipulated by Quan Chi, who promised him life in exchange for his impressive combat abilities in order to defeat Sub-Zero. Since Scorpion's a specter, sorcery and supernatural anomalies have proven effective against him in battle; though none have ever succeeded in destroying him in an absolute sense.

Storyline

Pre-Mortal Kombat

"Scorpion" was the code name of one of the Shirai Ryu's finest warriors: a ninja assassin named Hanzo Hasashi. His father, a former clansman, forbade his son from joining as he did not wish him to live an assassin's life, but his request fell on deaf ears because Hanzo wanted a comfortable life for his wife and son. During the events of Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, he was enlisted by Quan Chi to find a map hidden somewhere in the Himalayas. However, Quan Chi had also hired Sub-Zero — Scorpion's archnemesis and member of the rival Lin Kuei clan — as insurance in case Scorpion failed in his mission.

They met while reaching for the same map they were sent out to acquire. A battle ensued, with Sub-Zero decapitating Scorpion and leaving his corpse where it fell. Scorpion's soul entered the Netherealm, where he had to decide whether to stay there for eternity, or to return to the world of the living as a specter while losing any memory of his past and his family. Fueled by anger and the desire for revenge, Scorpion opted for the latter, upon learning that the Lin Kuei had massacred his family as well as his entire clan. He vowed to kill Sub-Zero in retaliation for his own murder.

File:MK1Scorpion.jpg

Scorpion, as depicted in John Tobias' comic

Scorpion would not come in contact with Sub-Zero again until Sub-Zero had been sent by Raiden to enter the Netherealm to regain an amulet from Shinnok and Quan Chi. He bested Scorpion once more in battle before retrieving the amulet. Once back on Earth, Sub-Zero was invited to participate in the Mortal Kombat tournament, but little did he know that Scorpion had been invited as well. The two interacted on Shang Tsung's boat en route to his private island, with Scorpion declaring that he would seek revenge for his death at the tournament.

Mortal Kombat

While Scorpion and Sub-Zero never met during the actual tournament, they did meet in its closing moments. True to his word, Scorpion slew his nemesis in a fight to the death, then disappeared back to the Netherealm in a burst of flames and ash.

Mortal Kombat II

Scorpion learned of Sub-Zero's plans to compete in the second tournament. Enraged at the idea that he had somehow returned, Scorpion tracked him down during the tournament, during which he noticed Sub-Zero sparing the life of a fallen opponent. He realized that this Sub-Zero was actually his killer's younger brother, who was sent to complete his brother's failed mission of assassinating Shang Tsung. As a result, Scorpion vowed to be the new Sub-Zero's guardian in atonement for killing his older brother.

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

When Shao Kahn tried to conquer the Netherealm after his invasion of Earth, Scorpion was inadvertently set free, and he pledged allegiance to no one. Kahn, however, recognized Scorpion's skills, and enlisted the ninja in his forces. Scorpion's allegiance to Kahn quickly dissolved when he discovered that Sub-Zero was one of Earth's chosen warriors, with whom he then sided in their final showdown with Kahn. Scorpion returned to the Netherealm once more after Kahn's defeat.

Mortal Kombat 4

Scorpion came to believe that the younger Sub-Zero was actually involved in the deaths of his family and clan. Quan Chi offered him life in exchange for his assistance in the war with the Elder Gods; Scorpion accepted simply for the opportunity to face Sub-Zero in combat, in which he emerged victorious. However, Quan Chi revealed afterward that he himself had orchestrated the murders, and as he sent Scorpion back to the Netherealm, he was grabbed by Scorpion in the midst of his spell, sending them both into the dreaded realm.

Deadly Alliance

Quan Chi was tortured by Scorpion while trapped in the Netherealm. He eventually struck a deal with Drahmin and Moloch, who fought off Scorpion for him and enabled him to escape. Scorpion followed him, but was deposited in a different location by the portal. He continued to hunt Quan Chi until he was ambushed by Drahmin and Moloch, who threw him into the Soulnado, believing that it would kill Scorpion once and for all.

Deception

Scorpion managed to escape into the Void before the purity of the Soulnado tore him apart. There, he met the Elder Gods, who were aware of his presence and enhanced his mortal and supernatural abilities, and gave him a new mission to seek and destroy Onaga before he unmade the realms. Scorpion emerged from the Void and returned to Outworld.

Armageddon

In MK: Armageddon's Konquest mode, Scorpion cut a deal with the Elder Gods to serve them in exchange for the resurrection of the Shirai Ryu clan. The Elder Gods were true to their word, but the clan were revived not as flesh-and-blood humans but as hellspawned warriors, like Scorpion himself. Scorpion took this as a sign of betrayal and vowed to gain vengeance on the Elder Gods by removing the two elements crucial to their plans, Taven and Daegon, who were the only means of preventing Armageddon.

In Scorpion's Armageddon ending, after defeating Blaze, his wife and son are resurrected, along with the entire Shirai Ryu clan, who were ordered to find Quan Chi after he kidnapped Scorpion's son and took him into the Netherealm.π

Combat characteristics

Signature moves

• Spear: Scorpion's signature move, in which he hurls a spear that impales the victim's chest, allowing Scorpion to pull him or her through the air toward him for a free hit, as well as cause a small bit of damage. This move often follows the words, "Get over here!" or "Come here!" (MK, MKII, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:DA, MK:D, MK:U, MK:SM, MK:A)
• Teleport Attack: Teleporting behind his opponent he connects with a punch. In Deception and Unchained; Scorpion gained this attack as a kick instead of a punch, however he regained this attack as a punch in Armageddon. (MK, MKII, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:D, MK:U, MK:SM, MK:A)
• Aerial Back Teleport Punch: Scorpion performs his teleport punch in the air. (MKII, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:SM)
• Leg Takedown: Scorpion trips his opponent with a leg scissor takedown. (MKII, MK:SM)
• Air Throw: Scorpion throws his opponent while in the air. (MKII, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:SM)
• Breathe Fire: Removing his mask to show his flaming skull, he spews fire on his opponent. (MK4, MKG,MK:SM)
• Hellfire: Scorpion summons the fires of Hell to burn his opponent from underneath. (MK:DA, MK:D, MK:U, MK:SM, MK:A, MK:DCU)
• Backflip Kick: Scorpion performs a backflip kick followed by a trail of fire. (MK:DA, MK:D, MK:U, MK:A)

Recurring fatalities

• Toasty!: Scorpion's signature Fatality, in which he removes his mask and immolates his opponent with a breath of fire. There was an alternate version of the finisher in MKII that required a different button/joystick combination, but could be performed anywhere on the screen (as opposed to just close range with the original) and resulted in the voice of Midway sound designer Dan Forden yelling "Toasty!", with the word also appearing onscreen after the opponent exploded in a mass of flaming bones. In Mortal Kombat 4, Forden said, "Toasty! 3D!" (MK, MKII, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:SM, MK:DCU)
• Spear Slice: With his spear, Scorpion slices his opponent across the throat, then slices them through the hip, which detaches the torso from their lower body. In MK:SM, this was changed to a backhand followed by Scorpion stabbing the opponent with the knife, then ripping the body across the blade embedded in their stomach; Scorpion then rips the torso off, raising it in victory in this version. (MKII, MK:SM)

Game information

Scorpion's "Get over here!" and "Come here!" spear taunts in the games and both movies were voiced by Ed Boon. When the earlier arcade titles were ported from the arcade to the home consoles, only one of these two taunts were featured in the games due to memory constraints. The phrase "Toasty!", according to MK co-creator John Tobias, first originated as "You're Toast!", which was a taunt bandied among the programmers during MKII game-testing sessions.

Scorpion was one of four selected characters to appear in the cover for a special edition of MK: Deception released for the Xbox, which included a metallic character card. In Krypt UI of Deadly Alliance, the player can buy a fifteen-second video entitled "Cooking with Scorpion," which showed him chopping various meats and decorating a cake.

In addition to the MK series, Scorpion appeared in three other Midway titles, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, MLB Slugfest: Loaded, and Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy.

Character development

Scorpion appeared in the first four MK titles simply as a yellow palette swap of Sub-Zero, though the original costume used for filming in the first two games was yellow. According to canon, his outfit is said to have mocked the Lin Kuei, after former Lin Kuei member Takeda developed Ninjutsu, then left the clan and founded the rival Shirai Ryu. In the games after MK4, his outfit was enhanced with two swords on his back and his kunai attached to a rope tied to his belt.

In Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, a character called "Inferno Scorpion" is featured. After the original Scorpion is defeated by Liu Kang and Kung Lao, the monks are confronted by a more formidable version sporting the flaming skull instead of his mask.

Boon has openly admitted that his favorite character has always been Scorpion. While he and all the male ninjas were absent from MK3 due to Daniel Pesina being fired by Midway, he was later added to UMK3 after John Turk did the motion capture for the male ninjas.

Appearances in other media

Film

File:MK Scorpion Cropped.jpg

Chris Casamassa as Scorpion in Mortal Kombat

Scorpion was played by Chris Casamassa in the first Mortal Kombat film. His spear was changed to a living metal snake-like entity that shot from a slit in his palm and could fly to a limited extent. Scorpion's rivalry with Sub-Zero was only mentioned in passing by Shang Tsung in the storyline, which instead had them both serving as his guardians.

Scorpion also appeared briefly in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, in which he kidnapped Kitana after inconclusively dueling the younger Sub-Zero. He was played by J.J. Perry.

Television

Scorpion appeared in one episode of Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, titled "Sting of the Scorpion," in which he fought, and was defeated by, Liu Kang. His voice actor was uncredited.

He also appeared in several episodes of Mortal Kombat: Conquest with an origin unrelated to the games, and was again played by Chris Casamassa.

Comic books

Scorpion was portrayed in Malibu Comics' MK comic series as an evil entity, a specter consumed by revenge against Sub-Zero who had decided to kill those close to him as well before killing him personally. In the conclusion of the Blood & Thunder miniseries, he had a short fight with Kitana (who stopped him from murdering an unconscious Sub-Zero) that ultimately led to his demise.

During the Battlewave miniseries, Shao Kahn returned Scorpion to the living world using a mystical gem called the "Deathstone," which also allowed him to resurrect an army of undead soldiers under his control. Scorpion became Shao Kahn's general, while his army replaced the mutants that engrossed his ranks.

Novel

Scorpion is depicted in Jeff Rovin's 1995 non-canon novelization of the first Mortal Kombat game. He was a combination of sorts of a father and a son; the father, a former Lin Kuei member named Yong Park, was killed in front of his family by Sub-Zero. Yong's spirit merged with his son Tsui's body, in order to seek revenge under the form of Scorpion.

External links

• Scorpion's official MySpace profile
• MK Characters Unmasked - Scorpion at The Kombat Pavilion