Motaro

Template:Mortal Kombat character Motaro is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.

About Motaro

Motaro made his first appearance in Mortal Kombat 3. He is a Centaurian, meaning that he has the body of a stallion and the torso of a man. He as well sports a pair of capricorn-like horns and has a long, metallic rat-like tail he can use as both an energy channeling point and a limb. Centaurians are known for their hunting prowess and their mystical powers.

Motaro, along with his entire race, harbors a deep-seated hatred for the Shokan, whom he sees as inferior. The two races constantly struggle against each other in order to prove their value to Shao Kahn and to finally define which is superior.

Storyline

File:Mk motaro.jpg

Motaro concept art for Mortal Kombat 3

In the realm of Outworld, Motaro's race of Centaurians had come into conflict with the Shokan. Shao Kahn, Emperor of Outworld, had begun to favor the Centaurians over the Shokan, and had been punishing the latter, aiding the Centaurians in their defeat and subjugation. When Kahn formed special extermination squads to eliminate the chosen warriors of Earthrealm during his invasion, Motaro was appointed to head this elite group of savage warriors.

Sonya Blade's defeat of Kano during the events of Mortal Kombat Trilogy had resulted in the Black Dragon member being thrown from a skyscraper to the streets below. Motaro recovered the severely injured Kano, and brought him back to Shao Kahn's fortress. After reviving him with magic, Motaro then imprisoned the criminal so that he could later be punished by Kahn for failing to defeat Sonya. It is at this point that Motaro was assaulted and killed by Sheeva.

Possible future

Motaro has made no game appearances since Trilogy, aside from the mention of his death in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, and a cameo appearance in Mortal Kombat: Deception's Konquest mode. When Mortal Kombat: Armageddon was announced, Motaro was one of the few major characters who was not confirmed to be included. However, in a later interview with IGN, series creator Ed Boon confirmed that he would indeed appear.

On August 22 2006, a new screenshot of Armageddon was released, revealing that Motaro will now be a bipedal character, comparable to a Faun or a Satyr rather than a four legged Centaur like creature. [1] It will be revealed in his MKA storyline how he became a biped.

File:MotaroMKA1.jpg

Motaro as he will appear in Mortal Kombat Armageddon

Signature moves

• Fireball: Motaro would fire an energy blast from his tail at the opponent. (MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK:A)
• Grab and Punch: Motaro would lift his opponent up by the throat with one hand and then smash his fist into their face sending them sailing across the screen. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
• Teleport: Motaro vaporizes in a wavy fashion and reappears behind his opponent in the same manner. (MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK:A)

Recurring fatalities

• Head Rip: Motaro grabs and rips the opponent's head off. (MKT N64)

Movie and TV appearances

Motaro appears in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, portrayed by former American Gladiators star Deron McBee. His rivalry with Sheeva is briefly hinted at, and in his last battle sequence, he is defeated by Jax.

Motaro appeared in the final episode of the animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, which aired in December of 1996. He and other Centaurs were recruited by Kitana in her (unsuccessful) attempt to overthrow Shao Kahn.

Trivia

File:Mk3 motaro.png

Motaro in a battle against Cyrax in Mortal Kombat 3

• Motaro was a last minute addition to Mortal Kombat 3. Originally, a fighter with two hammers was going to be the sub-boss, but the hammer was given to Shao Kahn and Motaro became the sub-boss.
• He was seen as one of the most difficult bosses in the Mortal Kombat series. This is because projectiles, which were effective on his predecessors, are useless against him, bouncing back at the player, resulting in an accidental free hit. He was also known to teleport frequently, often grabbing his opponents, whether from behind or after blocking their jump kicks. It was also dangerous for a player to block his attacks, since he or she will be put off-balance. In Mortal Kombat Trilogy, his ability to reflect projectiles was greatly lessened; at close range, they would now work properly. Scorpion could spear him, Sub-Zero freeze him, and so on.
• Motaro also has one fatality, only seen in the N64 version of Mortal Kombat Trilogy, in which he grabs and rips the opponent's head off. This fatality is often seen as cheap, as the animation is simply Motaro's win pose with the opponent's head being ripped off in the process.
• Motaro makes a cameo appearance in Mortal Kombat: Deception. In it, Shujinko crosses upon a village in Earthrealm and stumbles upon the Centaur, who gives Shujinko a good amount of koins before disappearing within a second.
• Both Motaro and Shao Kahn are playable in the SNES and Sega Genesis versions of Mortal Kombat 3 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 via secret code menu, though they remain unselectable in single player mode. He is also playable in Mortal Kombat Trilogy.

External link

• Motaro's bio card at YouTube