Mortal Kombat 1: Baraka Guide — Moves, Combos, & More Tips

This article is part of a directory: Mortal Kombat 1: Complete Guide

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Baraka's Moves and Special Moves

Baraka Combos in Mortal Kombat 1

Baraka's Fatalities and Brutalities

The Best Kameos for Baraka

How to Play Baraka in Mortal Kombat 1

Baraka has been a staple of the Mortal Kombat franchise since the second game, instantly becoming a fan favorite with his fierce playstyle and Tarkatan disease. In Mortal Kombat 1, Baraka retains his fighting style, choosing to fight at close range while being able to take care of himself at further ranges.

Mortal Kombat 1: Character Tier List (Best MK1 Fighters)

Figuring out who is the best MK1 fighter should prove to be a little easier with the help of this Mortal Kombat 1 tier list.

This time around, Baraka has tugged at heartstrings in Liu Kang's new timeline, in which Mortal Kombat 1 takes place. Diseased and forced out of his home, Baraka helps Liu Kang and the rest of the gang against Shang Tsung. Fans looking to 'main' Baraka won't find it too difficult to master the character but will want to ensure that they practice his unique combos.

Baraka's Moves and Special Moves

Basic Moves	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
Jawripper	Square	X	FP	Y
Gutwrencher	Square, Triangle	X, Y	FP, BP	Y, X
Lobotomizer	Square, Triangle, Square	X, Y, X	FP, BP, FP	Y, X, Y
Reflex Tester	Back + Square	Back + X	Back + FP	Back + Y
Deep Cuts	Back + Square, Triangle	Back + X, Y	Back + FP, BP	Back + Y, X
Side Swipe	Down + Square	Down + X	Down + FP	Down + Y
Gutbuster	Triangle	Y	BP	X
Gurgler	Triangle, Square	Y, X	BP, FP	X, Y
Euthanizer	Triangle, Square, Triangle	Y, X, Y	BP, FP, BP	X, Y, X
Tarkatan Plunger	Forward + Triangle	Forward + Y	Forward + BP	Forward + X
Upper-Clawt	Down + Triangle	Down + Y	Down + BP	Down + X
Kick Off	X	A	FK	B
Two-Step	X, Circle	A, B	FK, BK	B, A
Bleeding Foot	Back + X	Back + A	Back + FK	Back + B
Battle Cry	Back + X, Square	Back + A, X	Back + FK, FP	Back + B, Y
Warrior's Fury	Back + X, Triangle	Back + A, Y	Back + FK, BP	Back + B, X
Heel Drop	Forward + X	Forward + A	Forward + FK	Forward + B
Knee Breaker	Down + X	Down + A	Down + FK	Down + B
Quick Shave	Circle	B	BK	A
Butcher	Circle, Circle, Circle	B, B, B	BK, BK, BK	A, A, A
Slaughter House	Circle, Circle, Circle, Circle, Circle, Circle	B, B, B, B, B, B	BK, BK, BK, BK, BK, BK	A, A, A, A, A, A
Cut Down	Back + Circle	Back + B	Back + BK	Back + A
Muay Kry	Forward + Circle	Forward + B	Forward + BK	Forward + A
Shove Off	Forward + Circle, Circle	Forward + B, B	Forward + BK, BK	Forward + A, A
Klean Kuts	Down + Circle	Down + B	Down + BK	Down + A

Aerial Moves	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
Quick Palm	Square	X	FP	Y
Set	Square, Triangle	X, Y	FP, BP	Y, X
Spike	Square, Triangle, Square	X, Y, X	FP, BP, FP	Y, X, Y
Hellish Heel	Square, Circle	X, B	FP, BK	Y, A
Bird Slayer	Triangle	Y	BP	X
Karnivorous Kick	X OR Circle	A OR B	FK OR BK	B OR A

Special Moves	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
Bleeding Blade	Back, Forward, Square	Back, Forward, X	Back, Forward, FP	Back, Forward, Y
(Air) Blade Sparks	Down, Back, Square	Down, Back, X	Down, Back, FP	Down, Back, Y
Stab Stab	Down, Back, Square	Down, Back, X	Down, Back, FP	Down, Back, Y
Stab Stab Chuck	Down, Back, Square, Hold Back	Down, Back, X, Hold Back	Down, Back, FP, Hold Back	Down, Back, Y, Hold Back
Baraka Barrage	Down, Forward, Triangle	Down, Forward, Y	Down, Forward, BP	Down, Forward, X
(Air) Death Spin	Down, Forward, Triangle	Down, Forward, Y	Down, Forward, BP	Down, Forward, X
(Air) Enhanced Death Spin Delay	Hold Triangle	Hold Y	Hold BP	Hold X
Chop Chop	Back, Forward, X	Back, Forward, A	Back, Forward, FK	Back, Forward, B
Extend Chop Chop	Guard	Guard	Guard	Guard

Bleeding Blade, Blade Sparks, Stab Stab, Baraka Barrage, Death Spin, and Chop Chop can be enhanced with Meter by adding the 'guard' button at the end of the input.

Baraka Combos in Mortal Kombat 1

Baraka is a master at performing combos on the enemy; his combos are fairly simple, while he has the potential to deal loads of damage with his more difficult strings. The key to utilizing Baraka's strings is to understand the technicalities of his special moves while also being knowledgeable about his best starters.

Baraka has a harder time coming up with combos from medium to far ranges, making players rely on rushing the opponent down to throw out Baraka's monstrous combos. That's not to say Baraka is unable to combo from afar, as with the right Kameos and special moves utilized, Baraka can easily close in on the enemy.

Combos	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
Bread-and-Butter (Cyrax Kameo)	Triangle, Square, Enhanced Baraka Barrage, Back + X, Square, Forward-Dash, Triangle, Square, Baraka Barrage, Back + Kameo, Jump, Square, Circle, Death Spin	Y, X, Enhanced Baraka Barrage, Back + A, X, Forward-Dash, Y, X, Baraka Barrage, Back + Kameo, Jump, X, B, Death Spin	BP, FP, Enhanced Baraka Barrage, Back + FK, FP, Forward-Dash, BP, FP, Baraka Barrage, Back + Kameo, Jump, FP, BK, Death Spin	X, Y, Enhanced Baraka Barrage, Back + B, Y, Forward-Dash, X, Y, Baraka Barrage, Back + Kameo, Jump, Y, A, Death Spin
300 Meterless	Back + X, Square, Forward-Jump, Square, Circle, Triangle, Square, Chop Chop	Back + A, X, Forward-Jump, X, B, Y, X, Chop Chop	Back + FK, FP, Forward-Jump, FP, BK, BP, FK, Chop Chop	Back + B, Y, Forward-Jump, Y, A, X, Y, Chop Chop
Swap Sides	Back + X, Square, Forward-Jump, Square, Circle, Triangle, Square, Chop Chop Chuck	Back + A, X, Forward-Jump, X, B, Y, X, Chop Chop Chuck	Back + FK, FP, Forward-Jump, FP, BK, BP, FK, Chop Chop Chuck	Back + B, Y, Forward-Jump, Y, A, X, Y, Chop Chop Chuck
Overhead Combo	Forward + X, Back + X, Square, Forward-Dash, Triangle, Square, Baraka Barrage	Forward + A, Back + A, X, Forward-Dash, Y, X, Baraka Barrage	Forward + FK, Back + FK, FP, Forward-Dash, BP, FP, Baraka Barrage	Forward + B, Back + B, Y, Forward-Dash, X, Y, Baraka Barrage
Fatal Blow Combo	Back + X, Square, Back + X, Square, Forward-Dash, Triangle, Square, Fatal Blow	Back + A, X, Back + A, X, Forward-Dash, Y, X, Fatal Blow	Back + FK, FP, Back + FK, FP, Forward-Dash, BP, FP, Fatal Blow	Back + B, Y, Back + B, Y, Forward-Dash, X, Y, Fatal Blow

Baraka's Fatalities and Brutalities

Baraka has always had some of the most brutal and satisfying finishers in the Mortal Kombat franchise; the same goes for Mortal Kombat 1. Baraka's Fatalities are definitely creative, as one roasts the enemy over a fire while a group of Tarkat-inflicted folk dig in. Baraka's Brutalities are also exceptional while being fairly easy to activate.

Mortal Kombat 1: All Baraka Fatalities (Video Guide)

Baraka's Mortal Kombat 1 Fatalities are as grotesque as his physical appearance, yet pulling them off in-game is actually surprisingly simple.

Players who wish to unlock more Fatalities and Brutalities for Baraka will need to level up their character mastery. This is done by choosing Baraka on the roster through different game modes—mainly competitive matches online.

Fatalities	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
(Close) Split Decision	Back, Forward, Down, Square	Back, Forward, Down, X	Back, Forward, Down, FP	Back, Forward, Down, Y
(Close) Fatality 2	Forward, Back, Down, Circle	Forward, Back, Down, B	Forward, Back, Down, BK	Forward, Back, Down, A

Brutalities	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
The Klassic	Down + Hold Triangle	Down + Hold Y	Down + Hold BP	Down + Hold X
Nom Nom	Grab	Grab	Grab	Grab
Tis A Flesh Wound	Chop Chop	Chop Chop	Chop Chop	Chop Chop
Empty Inside	Stab Stab	Stab Stab	Stab Stab	Stab Stab
Old School	Baraka Barrage	Baraka Barrage	Baraka Barrage	Baraka Barrage
Chop Shop	Forward + X	Forward + A	Forward + FK	Forward + B

The Best Kameos for Baraka

Baraka has very impressive synergy with much of the Kameo roster in Mortal Kombat 1. The Tarkatan warrior is capable of putting together moves in strings with ranged and physical Kameo fighters. But, looking deeper into gameplay, Baraka has several Kombatants that work alongside him flawlessly, especially in areas that Baraka lacks.

Mainly, Baraka likes to fight alongside a Kameo fighter that can allow him to attack from far ranges, as well as letting him close in on the enemy when needed. As such, here are the best Kameos for Baraka in Mortal Kombat 1:

Cyrax
Sonya
Kano
Frost
Darrius

How to Play Baraka in Mortal Kombat 1

To play an efficient Baraka in Mortal Kombat 1, players will want to get used to swapping sides, as well as understanding Baraka's technicalities while in the air. That's because, despite Baraka's focus on rushing down opponents and hitting them with strings up close, Baraka has excellent versatility.

This versatility allows him to punish from locations on the map that players may not expect, as well as land combos that are unique. Here are some more tips for players looking to master Baraka in Mortal Kombat 1:

Baraka's Bleeding Blade lets him 'zone,' though he may not be a 'zoning' character. This lets him punish from afar, as well as utilize a tool to synergize with Kameos.
Baraka's best basic strings are Battle Cry and Gurgler. Battle Cry launches enemies in the air, making it easier to juggle them. Gurgler is the best string to cancel into special moves while on the ground.
While Baraka is, at his core, a rush-down Kombatant, it's best to play a bit cautious with the fighter. Watch the enemy more than you would with characters like Reptile.
"Forward + FK" is an excellent starter and one that punishes enemies blocking low devastatingly. Focusing on attacking low will open up the opportunity to throw the enemy off their guard and use this move.