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

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

Table of contents

Although Mortal Kombat 1 has a large display of many incredible characters with their own ways of fighting, Kenshi Takahashi easily stands out to fans as one of the most popular characters. Famously known for wielding a sword against his enemies while physically blind, Kenshi devastates his opponents with the help of his ancestral magic, which is woven through his sword, Sento.

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

Here's what Mortal Kombat players need to know to master how to use Li Mei in Mortal Kombat 1.

In Mortal Kombat 1, Kenshi plays very differently from his previous adaptations, as he has access to the Sento Stance. This essential feature gives him the ability to combo his enemies with the support of his ancestors, meaning fans will have to master both of Kenshi's stances before taking on Mortal Kombat 1's competitive scene.

Kenshi's Moves & Special Moves

Kenshi with his ancestor against reptile

Basic Moves	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
Sheath Slap	Square	X	FP	Y
See No Evil	Square, Circle	X, B	FP, BK	Y, A
Blind Sided	Square, Circle, Square	X, B, X	FP, BK, FP	Y, A, Y
Belly Buster	Down + Square	Down + X	Down + FP	Down + Y
Silent Palm	Triangle	Y	BP	X
Gut Check	Triangle, Square	Y, X	BP, FP	X, Y
Tamahag-Pain	Triangle, Square, Triangle	Y, X, Y	BP, FP, BP	X, Y, X
Spirit Strike	Back + Triangle	Back + Y	Back + BP	Back + X
Silencing Souls	Back + Triangle, Triangle	Back + Y, Y	Back + BP, BP	Back + X, X
Dark Ritual	Forward + Triangle	Forward + Y	Forward + BP	Forward + X
Slice N' Dice	Forward + Triangle, Triangle	Forward + Y, Y	Forward + BP, BP	Forward + X, X
Pinned	Forward + Triangle, Triangle, Back + Triangle	Forward + Y, Y, Back + Y	Forward + BP, BP, Back + BP	Forward + X, X, Back + X
Spirit Away	Forward + Triangle, Triangle, Forward + Triangle	Forward + Y, Y, Forward + Y	Forward + BP, BP, Forward + BP	Forward + X, X, Forward + X
Deep Stab	Forward + Triangle, Triangle, Down + Triangle	Forward + Y, Y, Down + Y	Forward + BP, BP, Down + BP	Forward + X, X, Down + X
Rising Fist	Down + Triangle	Down + Y	Down + BP	Down + X
High Kick	X	A	FK	B
Sneaky Sneaker	Down + X	Down + A	Down + FK	Down + B
Face Breaker	Circle	B	BK	A
Heighten Senses	Circle, Circle	B, B	BK, BK	A, A
Achilles Cutter	Back + Circle	Back + B	Back + BK	Back + A
Sweeping Heel	Down + Circle	Down + B	Down + BK	Down + A

Aerial Moves	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
Quick Swipe	Square	X	FP	Y
Bleeding	Square, Triangle	X, Y	FP, BP	Y, X
Spirit Spike	Square, Triangle, Triangle	X, Y, Y	FP, BP, BP	Y, X, X
Hilting Flower	Triangle	Y	BP	X
Blooming Blade	Triangle, Triangle	Y, Y	BP, BP	X, X
Booted	Triangle, Triangle, Circle	Y, Y, B	BP, BP, BK	X, X, A
Flying Boot	X OR Circle	A OR B	FK OR BK	B OR A

Special Moves	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
Ancestral Guard	Down, Forward, Square	Down, Forward, X	Down, Forward, FP	Down, Forward, Y
Extend Ancestral Guard	Hold Square	Hold X	Hold FP	Hold Y
Soul Charge	Back, Forward, Triangle	Back, Forward, Y	Back, Forward, BP	Back, Forward, X
Demon Drop	Down, Back, Triangle	Down, Back, Y	Down, Back, BP	Down, Back, X
Close Demon Drop	Down, Back, Triangle, Back	Down, Back, Y, Back	Down, Back, BP, Back	Down, Back, X, Back
Far Demon Drop	Down, Back, Triangle, Forward	Down, Back, Y, Forward	Down, Back, BP, Forward	Down, Back, X, Forward
Rising Karma	Back, Forward, X	Back, Forward, A	Back, Forward, FK	Back, Forward, B
Force Push	Back, Forward, Circle	Back, Forward, B	Back, Forward, BK	Back, Forward, A
Charge Force Push	Hold Circle	Hold B	Hold BK	Hold A

To switch Kenshi's stance into the Sento Stance, players simply need to perform "Down, Back, Square/X/FP/Y."

Sento Stance Basic Moves	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
Brutal Blow	Square	X	FP	Y
Off Balance	Square, Triangle	X, Y	FP, BP	Y, X
Blind Justice	Square, Triangle, Triangle	X, Y, Y	FP, BP, BP	Y, X, X
Five Rings Slash	Back + Square	Back + X	Back + FP	Back + Y
Transcending Cut	Back + Square, Triangle	Back + X, Y	Back + FP, BP	Back + Y, X
Quick Laceration	Triangle	Y	BP	X
Don't Blink	Triangle, Square	Y, X	BP, FP	X, Y
Impaler	Back + Triangle	Back + Y	Back + BP	Back + X
Upper Slice	Forward + Triangle	Forward + Y	Forward + BP	Forward + X
Fading Light	Forward + Triangle, Triangle	Forward + Y, Y	Forward + BP, BP	Forward + X, X`
Lost Way	Forward + Triangle, Triangle, Square	Forward + Y, Y, X	Forward + BP, BP, FP	Forward + X, X, Y
Rising Blade	Down + Triangle	Down + Y	Down + BP	Down + X
Hammering Heel	X	A	FK	B
Tibia Tapper	Forward + X	Forward + A	Forward + FK	Forward + B
Bad Feeling	Forward + X, Triangle	Forward + A, Y	Forward + FK, BP	Forward + B, X
Gutted	Down + X	Down + A	Down + FK	Down + B
Chest Cracker	Circle	B	BK	A
Down The Middle	Circle, Triangle	B, Y	BK, BP	A, X
Get Back	Circle, Triangle, Square	B, Y, X	BK, BP, FP	A, X, Y
Cut Down	Back + Circle	Back + B	Back + BK	Back + A
Double Tap	Forward + Circle	Forward + B	Forward + BK	Forward + A
Painful Poke	Down + Circle	Down + B	Down + BK	Down + A

Sento Stance Aerial Moves	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
Quick Slice	Square	X	FP	Y
Losing Blood	Square, Square	X, X	FP, FP	Y, Y
Deep Cuts	Square, Square, Triangle	X, X, Y	FP, FP, BP	Y, Y, X
Upper Gash	Triangle	Y	BP	X
Treated	Triangle, X	Y, A	BP, FK	X, B
Falling Apart	Triangle, X, Circle	Y, A, B	BP, FK, BK	X, B, A
Foot Frenzy	X OR Circle	A OR B	FK OR BK	B OR A

Sento Stance Special Moves	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
Summon Ancestor	Down, Back, Square	Down, Back, X	Down, Back, FP	Down, Back, Y
Spirit Bop	Square	X	FP	Y
Double Dose	Triangle	Y	BP	X
Lunging Soul	X	A	FK	B
Pekara Punish	Circle	B	BK	A
Banish Ancestor	Down, Back, Square	Down, Back, X	Down, Back, FP	Down, Back, Y
Spiritual Alignment	Down, Back, Triangle	Down, Back, Y	Down, Back, BP	Down, Back, X
Soaring Sento	Down, Back, X	Down, Back, A	Down, Back, FK	Down, Back, B
Teamwork	Down, Back, Circle	Down, Back, B	Down, Back, BK	Down, Back, A

Most of Kenshi's special moves can be Enhanced by using the 'block' button with the last input in the special move. Doing so will consume one meter.

Kenshi Combos in Mortal Kombat 1

As said above, Kenshi Takahashi makes use of his Sento Stance and ancestral powers to combo through an opponent's health gauge very quickly. Though the swordsman can put on a wild display of dangerous moves without the help of Sento's Stance, the ancestor that appears next to Kenshi will help boost the amount of damage and hits that the fighter can perform.

That said, most of Kenshi's combos make use of the Sento Stance rather than the former stance. Players will want to master each stance alone, which will help them combo much easier in just about any situation.

Combos	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
Bread-and-Butter	Forward + Triangle, Triangle, Enhanced Close Demon Drop, Forward-Jump, Square, Circle, Soul Charge	Forward + Y, Y, Enhanced Close Demon Drop, Forward-Jump, X, B, Soul Charge	Forward + BP, BP, Enhanced Close Demon Drop, Forward-Jump, FP, BK, Soul Charge	Forward + X, X, Enhanced Close Demon Drop, Forward-Jump, Y, A, Soul Charge
Unsheathed Combo	Square, Circle, Square, Close Demon Drop	X, B, X, Close Demon Drop	FP, BK, FP, Close Demon Drop	Y, A, Y, Close Demon Drop
Unsheathed 250	Forward + Triangle, Triangle, Rising Karma, Forward-Dash, Forward + Triangle, Triangle, Soul Charge	Forward + Y, Y, Rising Karma, Forward-Dash, Forward + Y, Y, Soul Charge	Forward + BP, BP, Rising Karma, Forward-Dash, Forward + BP, BP, Soul Charge	Forward + X, X, Rising Karma, Forward-Dash, Forward + X, X, Soul Charge
1 Meter Sento Stance	Circle, Triangle, Enhanced Soaring Sento, X, Forward-Dash, Circle, Triangle, Soaring Sento	B, Y, Enhanced Soaring Sento, A, Forward-Dash, B, Y, Soaring Sento	BK, BP, Enhanced Soaring Sento, FK, Forward-Dash, BK, BP, Soaring Sento	A, X, Enhanced Soaring Sento, B, Forward-Dash, A, X, Soaring Sento
Corner Combo	Square, Circle, Square, Rising Karma, Jump, Triangle, Forward + Triangle, Triangle, Soul Charge	X, B, X, Rising Karma, Jump, Y, Forward + Y, Y, Soul Charge	FP, BK, FP, Rising Karma, Jump, BP, Forward + BP, BP, Soul Charge	Y, A, Y, Rising Karma, Jump, X, Forward + X, X, Soul Charge

Kenshi's Fatalities and Brutalities in Mortal Kombat 1

Kenshi Takahashi's Fatalities in Mortal Kombat 1 are just as bloody as his finishers from previous games, such as Mortal Kombat 9. With the help of Sento and Takahashi's ancestral magic, Kenshi performs some of the flashiest finishers in the entire game.

kenshi-takahashi-mortal-kombat-1-guide-gamezxc

Mortal Kombat 1: All Kenshi Fatalities (Video Guide)

Kenshi may not be able to see all of his MK1 Fatalities on account of him being blind, but everybody else can find videos of them right here.

In fact, Kenshi has one of the best Brutalities in Mortal Kombat 1. Fans looking to unlock more Fatalities and Brutalities for Kenshi Takahashi will want to make sure that they use the character fairly often in various game modes. This will level up Kenshi's character mastery, which will eventually grant him more finishers to use in battle.

Fatalities	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
(Close) Blended	Forward, Down, Down, Triangle	Forward, Down, Down, Y	Forward, Down, Down, BP	Forward, Down, Down, X
(Mid) Fatality 2	Back, Down, Back, Square	Back, Down, Back, X	Back, Down, Back, FP	Back, Down, Back, Y

Brutalities	PlayStation	Xbox	PC	Nintendo Switch
The Klassic	Down + Hold Triangle	Down + Hold Y	Down + Hold BP	Down + Hold X
Where You Going?	Grab	Grab	Grab	Grab
Out Of Sight	Sento Stance Grab	Sento Stance Grab	Sento Stance Grab	Sento Stance Grab
Did You See That?	Enhanced Teamwork	Enhanced Teamwork	Enhanced Teamwork	Enhanced Teamwork
See Ya Later	Soul Charge	Soul Charge	Soul Charge	Soul Charge
Nothing To See Here	Teamwork	Teamwork	Teamwork	Teamwork

The Best Kameos For Kenshi

Since Kameos are such an important feature in Mortal Kombat 1, Kenshi Takahashi practically can have three different fighters by his side in a match. With the ancestor that helps Kenshi in Sento Stance, he can call in a Kameo and make use of all three of their various attacks to destroy an enemy's health gauge.

But, fans will want to make sure that they can perform combos with Kenshi and his ancestors using the most reasonable Kameos possible. The best Kameos for Kenshi are those who can juggle opponents while in the air, like Scorpion and Jax. Here are the best Kameos for Kenshi Takahashi:

Scorpion
Jax
Frost
Sub-Zero
Kung Lao

How To Play Kenshi in Mortal Kombat 1

The key to playing a good Kenshi in Mortal Kombat 1 is to completely master his two different stances, alongside learning how to truly cope with the spirit that aids him in combat. With the Sento Stance being Kenshi's most reasonable stance overall, players will want to learn all the ancestral spirit's moves as well, so that they can combo with Kenshi's ancestor as soundest they can.

With all that, Kenshi Takahashi is a very technical character, which makes him fairly difficult to learn. But, once players have put time into honing their skills with Kenshi's ancestor, they will be very difficult to put down in a match, as the character has some of the most useful moves in the entire game. Here are some things to keep in mind when playing Kenshi:

The ancestral spirit will disappear after a short amount of time, so Kenshi will have to go back through his stances to make the spirit appear once more. Players should input the stance change into combos to avoid being punished.
Kenshi can only truly be mastered when players have learned how to play with Kenshi's ancestor at the same time. The various combos the ancestor can perform will prove Kenshi to be a formidable opponent.
Kenshi, being a technical character, can play almost at any range, but mid-to-close ranges are his finest ways to fight an enemy.
Keeping the ancestral spirit on the other side of the opponent opens up a ton more potential with combos, as the enemy becomes trapped between Kenshi and the spirit.