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Shao Kahn (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) is a major antagonist in the animated film series Mortal Kombat Legends. He is a malicious warlord and the emperor of the realm of Outworld, feared for his brute strength and unquenchable thirst for power. For millennia, he has conquered many realms and absorbed them into his empire, but the rules of Mortal Kombat have so far prevented him from claiming Earthrealm.
History[]
Scorpion's Revenge[]
While Shao Kahn only makes a brief appearance at the end of the first film, his influence is felt throughout the course of the film's events. For centuries, he has sought to conquer Earthrealm and merge it with Outworld, but the Elder Gods have forbidden him from claiming the realm without first winning ten consecutive victories in the Mortal Kombat tournament. For the last 500 years, Outworld's fiercest warriors - under the command of the sorcerer Shang Tsung - have won nine tournaments in a row. If they win once more, Shao Kahn will have the right to claim Earth for himself.
However, Shao Kahn's hopes for conquest are dashed by the undead ninja Scorpion. Whilst in the employ of the demon sorcerer Quan Chi, Scorpion enters Mortal Kombat on behalf of the Netherrealm, but his true mission is to obtain a mystical key from Shang Tsung's treasury that will enable the Mad God Shinnok to escape from the Netherrealm. After learning that Quan Chi had orchestrated the massacre of his family and clan, Scorpion turns against the sorcerer, refusing to hand over the key. During the final tier of the tournament, Scorpion interrupts the battle between Liu Kang and Goro, killing the Shokan warrior. Shang Tsung attempts to salvage the situation by demanding that Scorpion fight Liu Kang, but the revenant ninja teleports behind Tsung and holds him at knifepoint before forfeiting the match, thus granting Liu Kang victory and ending Outworld's winning streak.
With the tournament lost, Shang Tsung flees the island and returns to Outworld where he begs Shao Kahn for mercy. But Kahn is not yet done with Earthrealm and rallies his armies to prepare for an assault.
Battle of the Realms[]
Immediately following Shang Tsung's failure to win Mortal Kombat, Shao Kahn sends his forces to attack the Wu Shi Academy, the temple of the White Lotus Society. Though Raiden's forces manage to hold back the Outworld army, they suffer heavy losses as well. In the midst of the siege, Shao Kahn appears before Raiden with a proposal: a final Mortal Kombat tournament to be held in Outworld. Should Earthrealm's heroes win this tournament, Shao Kahn's claim to Earth will be rendered null and void forever and Outworld can never threaten Earth again. Weary of having to watch others spill blood over Earthrealm over generations, Raiden agrees to the proposal and he and Shao Kahn petition the Elder Gods to grant the emperor's request. The gods agree and even allow Raiden to participate in the tournament himself, stripping him of his godhood in accordance with the rules of Mortal Kombat.
Shao Kahn leads Raiden and Earth's chosen warriors to his fortress in Outworld where the tournament is to take place. Over the next two days, he pits his finest warriors against Raiden and his champions. Late into the tournament, after watching several of his warriors fall, Shao Kahn enters the arena himself. In his first match, he fights against Major Jax Briggs, who sports weaponized prosthetic arms. Kahn does not kill Jax, but he does disable his arms, leaving Jax unable to fight and thus claiming the win. He later battles against the Shaolin monk Kung Lao and kills him by ripping him vertically in half.
In the most anticipated match of the tournament, Shao Kahn fights against Raiden himself. Though no longer able to call upon his lightning powers, the former thunder god has millennia of kombat experience and puts up a valiant struggle against Kahn. Sadly, in the end, the Outworld tyrant's skill, raw brute strength and magical prowess prove to be overwhelming and Raiden is killed whilst his remaining warriors watch in anguish.
After watching Raiden's demise, Liu Kang steps into the arena and challenges Shao Kahn. Even though his arm had been afflicted with a curse during his previous bout against Shang Tsung, Liu is determined to avenge his mentor and protect Earthrealm from Kahn's wrath. Tapping into a power he did not know he had, Liu Kang's pyrokinetic abilities are amplified and the curse on his arm is broken. Driven by righteous fury, the Chosen One thrashes Shao Kahn with the pure strength of a great dragon, catapulting the Outworld emperor into the sky above the arena before sending him crashing back down. Shao Kahn appears to be dead and Liu Kang is declared the victor.
Immediately after winning the match against Shao Kahn, Liu Kang is approached by the Elder Gods who warn him that the One Being has returned. Outworld begins to merge with the other realms of reality as the One Being begins to devour all of creation. As the Chosen One, Liu Kang is granted great power by the Elder Gods and transforms into a divine dragon so that he may battle the One Being. After Liu and his allies defeat the One Being and restore the realms, they return to the Koliseum to find that Shao Kahn's body is gone, hinting that the emperor may still be alive.