If the Mortal Kombat series is known for one thing, it's known for Fatalities. The long-running franchise grabbed the attention of the media upon its initial release for its over-the-top, gory finisher moves. Fatalities have been present in every Mortal Kombat game in some form, sometimes with the addition of brutalities, friendships, and animalities.
Scorpion, too, has been in the game since the very beginning. He's the most iconic character from the franchise as a whole. Almost everyone who's picked up a controller knows his catchphrase, "GET OVER HERE!" His fatalities throughout the series are generally fiery and vicious, especially in more recent entries. Here are some of the best.
10 Spinal Column Rip (Mortal Kombat: Deception)
In Mortal Kombat: Deception, Scorpion pays homage to his arch nemesis' most iconic fatality, the Spinal Column rip. This fatality is usually associated with Sub Zero, but in Deception, Scorpion gets to try his hand at removing a spinal column and head in one motion.
Scorpion follows much of the same moves as Sub Zero. However, puts his own twist on it with a front approach, ripping out the spinal column and head from the chest rather than the back.
9 Komboing With The Kunai (Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks)
This is a simple fatality that shows Scorpion's prowess with the kunai in close quarters. In Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Scorpion's fatalities are pretty subdued in terms of gore content, but this one is a lot more brutal than most fatalities in the game.
Scorpion walks up to his opponent, shivs them with each dagger, then rips them in half with sheer force as he pulls the daggers apart. He tosses the torso to the side, still bleeding out.
8 Split In Twain (Mortal Kombat 11)
Mortal Kombat 11 really turned up the brutality of fatalities to a new level. The enhanced graphics paired with new animation techniques easily makes the game the most stomach-turning of any in the series. Even over-the-top fatalities suddenly feel very realistic.
In this fatality, Scorpion leaps over his opponent after chaining them, pulling the red hot chain through their body. Then, Scorpion teleports to the other side and yanks the chain into the air, severing his opponent's body in half longways.
7 Flayed In Hellfire (Mortal Kombat 2011)
While Mortal Kombat 11 made the game immensely more realistic for modern players, so too did Mortal Kombat 2011 in its own time. It was the first game in a long time to feature character-specific fatalities rather than generic moves that could be chained together, like in Armageddon.
One of his most unique fatalities from this entry is involves chaining his opponent by the neck and flinging them into a portal. Another portal opens overhead, and his opponent falls through. Their body is flayed of skin, burned off by hellfire – harsh!
6 Kunai Decapitation (Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance)
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance was one of the franchise's first successful 3D iterations. It was praised for its unique characters and weapon system at the time, and also for its brutal fatalities compared to the previous Mortal Kombat 4.
In this game, one of Scorpion's fatalities has him rip off his opponent's head with a well-placed kunai. He tugs and tugs until it comes free, making the simple fatality feel much more gruesome.
5 Kunai Dismemberment (Mortal Kombat: Deception)
Where Deadly Alliance received praise for its weapon system, Deception's moveset system was what made it stand out. The two games are visually similar, but of the two, Deception had more intense fatalities.
Scorpion doesn't go for the head right away for this fatality. Instead, he rips off one of his opponent's legs and one of their arms with his kunai, then lets them bleed out for a few seconds before he snaps their neck.
4 Fire Breath Fatality (Multiple Games)
As the Spinal Column Rip fatality is synonymous with Sub Zero, the Fire Breath fatality is synonymous with Scorpion. From the very first game, this fatality has been Scorpion's most iconic and most famous – and it shows up again time and time again.
Typically, Scorpion rips off his mask and hood, revealing his real head – a flaming skull. Scorpion breathes hellfire onto his enemy and watches them burn almost instantly.
3 Ninja Party (Mortal Kombat 3)
Mortal Kombat 3 was considered by many to be the best 2D Mortal Kombat when it was initially released, thanks in part to its silliness. One of Scorpion's best fatalities of all time doesn't even show blood or gore, just a whole bunch of ninjas.
In this fatality, Scorpion summons numerous copies of himself at once. They all flex, then the screen turns black as the player hears cartoonish punching sounds. The enemy dies, and Scorpion's copies disappear.
2 Avoiding The Major Organs (Mortal Kombat X)
Mortal Kombat X is one of the most highly regarded in the series. Its combat mechanics and fluid fighting felt fresh, and its fatalities were nothing if not gutwrenching. For this fatality, Scorpion shoots a fireball through his enemy, completely burning through their torso. Then, the enemy's heart falls into view in this hole.
Scorpion waits a moment, then turns around and slices only the face off of his enemy. The face slides slowly to the ground, revealing the victim's brain and head anatomy, before the enemy falls to the floor.
1 Halved, Decapitated, And Definitely Dead (Mortal Kombat 11)
In terms of over-the-top fatalities, this one takes the cake, at least for Scorpion. In Mortal Kombat 11, the graphics and gore content of the game was turned up to a completely new level, even for the unbelievable ones.
For this fatality, Scorpion flies through his opponent, leaving only their spinal column intact. He waits for his victim to realize what's happened, then decapitates them in one swing. That's not it, though – while his enemy's head is flying through the air, he throws his kunai through the back of their head. The weapon exits through their mouth, making for one nasty visual.