The Mortal Kombat franchise is preparing for its newest installment, with rumors and speculation on Mortal Kombat 12 reaching a fever pitch since it was confirmed to be in development earlier this year. Series co-creator Ed Boon has been teasing fans with cryptic tweets, a recent 30th anniversary video has sent the rumor mill into a frenzy, and the prospect of a late 2023 release has many fans clamoring for any official news. After the success of Mortal Kombat 11, many just want to know how Mortal Kombat 12 could possibly top the gameplay and narrative heights of the 2019 fighting game.
Like every Mortal Kombat game in recent memory, one of the biggest questions surrounding Mortal Kombat 12 is who will make the roster. It's safe to assume franchise icons like Scorpion and Johnny Cage will return, and NetherRealm Studios will likely create some fresh faces, but there are fringe MK characters who are less certain to be included. With Mortal Kombat seemingly expanding its multiverse, MK12 could feature fighters from throughout the franchise's history. Not all MK characters are created equally, however, and there are a select few who should stay far away from MK12's roster.
Hotaru Wouldn't Add Much to Mortal Kombat 12
Recent Mortal Kombat rosters have stuck to a manageable amount of kombatants, but the franchise underwent a massive expansion with MK: Deadly Alliance and MK: Deception. Some of these characters have their fans, but many are clones of established names. Hotaru is one such character, combining the martial arts of Liu Kang with the fire-based powers of Scorpion to create a derivative moveset. He isn't helped by his backstory either, as his only personality is being obsessed with law and order. Unless he gets a major rework, Hotaru would likely make for a bland addition to MK 12.
Drahmin is Too Clunky for Mortal Kombat 12
Introduced in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Drahmin is a demon from Netherrealm who uses a large iron club to take down foes. While his backstory could lend itself to an interesting character, just about everything else regarding Drahmin works against him. Drahmin was one of the more difficult characters to use in Deadly Alliance due to his slow movements and weak combos. His design is also one of the more disjointed in all of Mortal Kombat, with his bright green mask harshly contrasting his dull, fleshy body. Overall, he's an MK character worth forgetting about.
Blaze Represents Why Mortal Kombat Rebooted in the First Place
A handful of things contributed to Mortal Kombat's reboot, one of them being the narrative direction the series found itself in following Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. This installment featured the second playable appearance of Blaze, an elemental capable of destroying all existence or granting limitless power to those capable of defeating him. Reintroducing Blaze in MK12's timeline could undo all the storytelling from the past three games, putting the franchise in another complicated spot. If that wasn't enough, Blaze's moveset wasn't all that compelling, and relied more on the spectacle of his sheer size.
Mortal Kombat 11 had a varied and exciting roster, giving Mortal Kombat 12 some high expectations to meet. It seems the sky is the limit with MK12's rumored timeline expansion, and that could lend itself to many returning faces from the Mortal Kombat franchise. Over unique 60 kombatants have been created in the 30 years since the first Mortal Kombat released, and MK12 could prove to be a celebration of that long history. When assembling MK12's roster, however, NetherRealm Studios would be wise to focus on fighters who are remembered well and provide hours of exciting gameplay.
Mortal Kombat12 is currently in development.