Mortal Kombat 1 is soon to release and continue the legacy of NetherRealm's iconic series, and it's already made the bold move of showing off its upcoming game's DLC. Revealed in a surprise trailer, Kombat Pack 1 is set to feature six fighters that had previously been thought to only be rumors. Between the debut of Invincible’s Omni-Man and the return of infamous antagonist Quan Chi, Mortal Kombat 1 is set to honor the past and future of the franchise alike. Despite the impact of most of the DLC roster seen so far, one member of the group stands out among the rest in a major way.

The licensed faces and classic retro combatants of the first new Kombat Pack may have captured most people's attention, but one character stands alone as a unique sign of things to come. Takeda Takahashi was introduced in Mortal Kombat X as a member of a group known as the “Kombat Kids”, successors to several key fighters following the game’s time skip into a new generation. With a mixed reception across the newly introduced progeny of existing combatants, it’s no wonder that only half of them even made it into Mortal Kombat 11. As the latest title pushes the series forward into a brand-new timeline, however, the implication of Takeda’s presence is more interesting than ever.

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Takeda's Mysterious Role in Liu Kang's New World

In the setting of the new world created by Liu Kang, various classic characters have been reimagined with new origin stories, but someone like Takeda has a more questionable place here. Takeda was originally conceived as the son of Kenshi who had also been trained by Scorpion, but he's unlikely to play the same role with the younger versions of those characters now existing. Some fans have theorized that Takeda could actually be Hanzo Hasashi (Scorpion’s original identity) in this timeline now that Scorpion seems to have become Kuai Liang (Sub-Zero’s typical identity), but a new concept could do even more justice to him and all the Kombat Kids alike.

Takeda may have several potential new origin points, but the Shirai Ryu clan member is most likely to take his own route away from the rest of the cast. Known to utilize bladed whips in the style of Scorpion and telekinetic sword abilities in the same nature as his father, blind swordsman Kenshi, Takeda is probably now better off establishing this fighting style as simply his own. Once this precedent is in place, however, some of the other Kombat Kids may have trouble integrating into the same formula.

The Dubious Lore of the Kombat Kids Could Affect Their Representation

Takeda may be able to free himself from the influence of his old mentors, but Cassie Cage and Jacqui Briggs are direct named descendants of their parents who could struggle to find a place in the new timeline. Cassie is the adult daughter of Johnny Cage, a character who has now reappeared in a much younger form. The role of a Kameo fighter may be the only manner by which Cassie can come into play since Kameos appear to exist on a multiversal level independent of the game's lore. In the same vein, Jacqui actually has the potential to take her father Jax's place as a whole due to his exclusive appearance as a non-canon Kameo thus far.

Ironically, the most appropriate Kombat Kid to return may be the least popular of the bunch, Kung Jin. The mostly forgotten cousin of Kung Lao, he would not be bound by the same generational gap that affects his peers. His lasting impact, despite Kung Jin’s subtle queer representation he brought to the series, has been less than equal to that of franchise mainstays like his cousin. The Kombat Kids may have existed in a controversial place ever since their inception, but Mortal Kombat 1 could be the perfect chance to redeem all of them if they are allowed to thrive in their own independent ways.

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