Mortal Kombat is known for many things: violence, goofy and brutal finishers, visuals, and story modes. However, what keeps fans coming back is its characters. Mortal Kombat has built up an impressive stable of fighters over the years, and while Mortal Kombat 11 has most of them, there are a number of glaring omissions. Apart from minor fan favorites like Stryker and most of the cyber ninjas, there are the classic color ninjas.
Scorpion and Sub-Zero have headlined every Mortal Kombat roster (except for MK3’s initial launch), and in Mortal Kombat 11 they are joined by Noob Saibot (the first Sub-Zero) and Rain. However, that still leaves a number of color ninjas on the cutting room floor, most of whom have been around since the first few entries. If NetherRealm intends to release any more Kombat Packs for MK11, these ninjas are all likely candidates for new fighters.
Reptile
One of the most notable absences in Mortal Kombat 11 is someone NetherRealm doesn’t seem to want fans to forget is absent: Reptile. Originating as a hidden boss in the first Mortal Kombat, Reptile has since gone on to have a signature style involving poison spit and invisibility.
He has been in most games in the series due to being a “classic” kombatant, but seems to be missing from MK11’s roster. It bears mentioning that some of the first gameplay footage ever revealed for Mortal Kombat 11 featured Baraka impaling a random lizard on the ground, and creative director Ed Boon has taken to teasing Reptile reveals on Twitter with some regularity. If MK11 really does get another Kombat Pack, Reptile feels like a shoe-in for entering the roster.
Chameleon/Khameleon
Less of a shoe-in for DLC are Chameleon and Khameleon. These two are color ninjas by association, and are barely even characters in the first place. Chameleon was present in the code for Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, but the two camouflaged ninjas made their official debuts in different ports of Mortal Kombat Trilogy.
Chameleon, who can transform into the series’ male ninjas, was a hidden character in the PC, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn versions of Mortal Kombat Trilogy, and as a playable default character in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. Khameleon shifts into the female ninjas, and debuted in the Nintendo 64 version of MK Trilogy and returned as a playable character in the Wii version of MK: Armageddon. These two have been forgotten by history and rendered obsolete by Shang Tsung, but despite everything, they are color ninjas.
Smoke
Next is the enigmatic Smoke. Having spent much of the series as Cyber Smoke (and as Noob Saibot’s tag team partner), Human Smoke is still a separate character who appears in several entries, most recently MK9.
Mortal Kombat 9 also did a lot to flesh out Human Smoke and make him his own character, providing a new backstory for the underrated character and some interesting new attacks. His ability to teleport himself and his opponent is accentuated, and Cyber Smoke carried on some of these traits when he reappeared as part of Triborg in MKX. Smoke is another classic fighter, and as it seems his odd origin story has yet to be concluded, there’s a good chance he’ll show up in the future.
Tremor
Among the male color ninjas, Tremor is notable for being the only one not introduced in the initial Mortal Kombat trilogy. First introduced in the critically panned spin-off Mortal Kombat: Special Forces, Tremor was a minor antagonist who worked for the Black Dragon clan.
It’s rather telling that this debut ended with his death. Tremor was first playable as a Challenge Mode-exclusive character in the PlayStation Vita port of MK9, and made his official playable debut as a downloadable character in Mortal Kombat X. His different Variations in MKX made him fairly interesting, and he is certainly a strong elemental ninja, but much like the water-manipulator Hydro, Tremor is considered a "bonus" ninja who doesn’t have a firm seat in MK rosters.
Ermac
Finally, there is the red color ninja, Ermac. Inspired by a rumor from the first Mortal Kombat game of there being a character named “ERror MACro,” he made his debut in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Ermac has broken away from the series’ secondary ninjas to become a major player in his own right; he is a telekinetic fusion of many souls, and works directly under Shao Kahn.
This has also meant that he’s traded much of his ninja design for wizard robes, but his old ninja outfit is usually around somewhere. Currently, Ermac is sided with Kotal Kahn, but some quotes in MKX have implied that Shao Kahn’s soul is trying to take over his body. Shao Kahn is already in MK11, so Ermac would have to be himself if he was added as DLC, but it’s an interesting plot hook that could come up again in the future.
Mortal Kombat 11 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
