Despite being set in Liu Kang's brand new timeline, Mortal Kombat 1 is still littered with easter eggs that make reference to previous titles in this beloved fighting game series, and even other media too. Longtime fans of the Mortal Kombat games will be pleased to see that NetherRealm are still showing respect to the lineage of the series through these secrets, but there's even a few unusual easter eggs players have found too which aren't directly related to the games, but that are still fun to seek out nonetheless.
Some of these can be heard during the conversations between characters when loading into a match, while others are actually placed in the game's story mode, and a few even make an appearance during some of the new bloody Fatalities. Needless to say, easter egg hunters will have a field day finding all that this game has to offer in terms of hidden secrets and references.
7 Young And Old Kano
Keen-eyed players might be able to spot an easter egg during the very first fight inside Madam Bo's tea-house, especially those who are fans of the maniacal and violent Black Dragon member known as Kano. Mortal Kombat 11 featured a lot of time-bending which resulted in characters meeting alternate versions of themselves, but this easter egg seems to suggest that young and older Kano actually became friends and shared a photo together during the events of that game.
By looking to the right of the stage on one of the pillars, players will be able to spot a few black and white photographs, with one featuring Madam Boe herself, but underneath her picture can actually be seen young and older Kano sharing a shot together. This is an incredibly hard secret to spot considering how fast-paced the combat of Mortal Kombat 1 is, but it's worth keeping an eye out for in between rounds.
6 Sento's Name Tag
Invasion Mode is a fun and unique game mode introduced to Mortal Kombat 1 that essentially acts as a board game where the player must navigate their character around an area while getting into fights and retrieving items to progress to the next stage. The mode is great for providing players with a little break in between fights, but it also features a few easter eggs, including the secret origins of Kenshi's very own sword, Sento.
When loading into Johnny Cage's Mansion on Invasion, a small cutscene will play showcasing a few decorations in his house, including a close-up shot of Sento that has a very revealing name tag attached to it. According to the tag, it says that "This relic has been recovered from the deep depths of one of our artist's hard drives, and was made in a modeling program", so maybe the theory about it being passed down through Kenshi's long-lost ancestors wasn't true after all.
5 Jennifer's Body
Jean-Claude Van Damme isn't the only celebrity name to make an appearance in Mortal Kombat 1 as Megan Fox has also joined the cast as the voice of the bloodthirsty vampire Nitara. While Fox does a great job at displaying the deceiving and manipulative nature of Nitara through her voice, there's also a quick reference to one of her most well-known movies which came out in 2009, that being Jennifer's Body.
The reference can be heard if Nitara clashes with Kung Lao when loading into a battle. Lao will ask Nitara "What did you do with Jen's body?" only for Nitara to assure him that he can kiss his chances of seeing her ever again goodbye. This is actually an extremely clever meta joke as Jen could also be in reference to Jen Reyland, Kung Lao's girlfriend in the television series Mortal Kombat Conquest. In the tenth episode of the show, Quan Chi even uses an illusion of Jen to torment Kung Lao after she had died, showing just how deeply he cared for her.
4 Hsu Hao Wanted Poster
The Tea House stage is an absolute gold mine when it comes to easter eggs, but one that really throws it back to classic Mortal Kombat is a wanted poster featuring none other than Hsu Hao. For newer fans who may not know this character, Hsu Hao first appeared in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, but he's become somewhat of a running joke among the fanbase due to how little attention he receives from NetherRealm.
Despite the fact that many classic characters have been re-introduced to the series in recent entries, such as Nitara for example, Hsu Hao unfortunately keeps getting left on the shelf, though this wanted poster does at least confirm that he's out there somewhere. It wouldn't be unreasonable to say that this could even be NetherRealm hinting that the loyal but intimidating grappler might on the cards as future DLC, potentially as a Kameo Fighter.
3 Ellen Ripley Reference
Unfortunately, the Alien guest character from Mortal Kombat X has not made an appearance in any of the games since, but that isn't to say that there still haven't been numerous references to the Alien franchise, and Mortal Kombat 1 continues this trend. At a certain point in the story, Kenshi, Johnny, and Kung Lao come face to face with the terrifying shape-shifter Shang Tsung.
After Kenshi demands that Shang step away from Tanya, Johnny almost immediately follows this up with some colorful language before a puzzled Kung Lao asks why he would say something so uncalled for. Johnny, being the movie buff that he is, tries explaining to both them how Ellen Ripley uttered the same words when facing down the Queen Alien while in an exosuit cargo loader at the end of the movie Aliens.
2 Johnny Cage Selfie
At multiple points during the story, Johnny will decide to pull out his phone to catch a recording of some of the jaw-dropping techniques and abilities being pulled off by his new-found comrades, but in one scene, his phone actually features a clever callback to Mortal Kombat 11. This can be spotted when the camera zooms in on Johnny's phone whilst he records Raiden using his lightning powers for the very first time.
At the very bottom left of the screen, the face of an older-looking Johnny will pop up as his last saved photo. The image itself is actually taken from Johnny's win pose in Mortal Kombat 11 where he can be seen messing around with his very own action figure. Unfortunately, the figure doesn't make an appearance in the photo, but no one could mistake those cool and classic shades that Johnny has become synonymous with by this point.
1 "Toasty!"
Probably the most well-kown easter egg in the entire series, "Toasty", is back, but it's a lot harder to notice this time around and will only pop up during a specific Fatality. The classic line has made an appearance in nearly every game since Mortal Kombat 2, and it's even been included in the Mortal Kombat movies too, but rather than hearing it after executing an uppercut, players will need to use Johnny Cage's second Fatality and listen very closely to catch it this time around.
During this incredibly gory Fatality, Johnny fires up his sportscar and lets it run over his enemy who has been cut in half, only for their guts to get caught in the tires, leading to a very miserable and messy death. However, as soon as Johnny activates the engines using the remote, a faint "Toasty" can be heard as soon as the car starts moving, making for a subtle but very appreciated reference to one of the most iconic easter eggs in video game history.
Mortal Kombat 1 is available now on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series S and X, and PC.