Mortal Kombat 1: Who is Onaga?

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home November 13, 2024 152 Views 7 Min Read
Mortal Kombat 1: Who is Onaga?

The world of Mortal Kombat is filled with all manner of creatures and people throughout its six realms. From the primitive inhabitants of Chaosrealm to the near-immortal people of Edenia, beings of all shapes and sizes can be found in the universe and take part in realm-defining Mortal Kombat tournaments. However, some beings are so monstrous and so powerful that they threaten the existence of all realms and all reality, even those who are not gods or titans. One such character is the almighty Dragon King Onaga, who is referred to multiple times in Mortal Kombat 1.



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Mortal Kombat’s Dragon King Onaga Explained

First introduced in 2004’s Mortal Kombat: Deception, Onaga was Outworld’s first ruler and mentor to Shao Kahn. Like Shao Kahn, Onaga was a mighty conqueror with the ability to resurrect the dead, making his army seem near invincible. However, Onaga himself was not invulnerable and sought immortality by drinking the blood of an infant Great Dragon. Onaga’s life was cut short before he could try to achieve immortality, as Shao Khan poisoned him and usurped his throne. Millennia later, following the death of Shao Kahn by Quan Chi and Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Onaga’s spirit tricked the material artist Shujinko into resurrecting him within the body of Reptile into a monstrous, dragon-like form.


In Deception, Onaga is quickly able to defeat the titular deadly alliance along with the Thunder God Raiden, though his now soul-infused army was destroyed. Guilty of his role in the resurrection of Onaga, Shujinko traveled the realms recruiting and gaining the abilities of several fighters to defeat the Dragon King. Meanwhile, Onaga acquired the six Kamidogu amulets and the Amulet of Shinnok with the intention of using them to conquer and merge the realms with an army of resurrected fighters. Shujinko, using the power of every fighter in Mortal Kombat at the time, was able to defeat Onaga and destroy the Kamidogu.


Onaga’s Fate in the Original Mortal Kombat Timeline

Following his defeat at the hands of Shujinko, Onaga’s spirit was sent to the Netherrealm, where the Elder God Shinnok proposed to work with the Dragon King alongside Quan Chi and Shang Tsung to help the god gain unlimited power via the defeat of the being Blaze. Onaga was promised control of Outworld for his assistance, though he secretly planned to take Blaze’s power for himself in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. During the climactic Battle of Armageddon, Onaga is shown fighting against a resurrected Shao Kahn and is presumably defeated off-screen, as Kahn is shown to be victorious at the beginning of 2011’s Mortal Kombat.

While Onaga appears or is at least referred to in multiple
Mortal Kombat
games, he has only been playable in
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
so far.

Onaga’s Potential Future in Mortal Kombat


While Titan Liu Kang reset many characters’ origins and destinies within his new timeline in Mortal Kombat 1, the threat of Onaga still remains. It’s said that millennia ago, General Shao’s ancestors helped defeat and imprison Onaga deep within Outworld’s Mount Tsaagan. However, emboldened by his desire to usurp Queen Sindel and Mileena’s rule and destroy Earthrealmers, General Shao has sought to free and tame Onaga to use him as a weapon in his rebellion. In Reiko’s tower ending, he is shown attempting to tame Onaga, while some pre-battle dialogue sequences have General Shao claim he’s already tamed the Dragon King. Geras and Liu Kang even mention the threat of a Titan Onaga in a pre-battle dialogue sequence.


Little is currently known about Onaga’s history in this timeline, but Sindel referred to the Dragon King as the most dangerous creature to ever roam Outworld. The Dragon King’s Army still exists in this timeline, but it’s never explicitly explained if they were created by Onaga. Regardless of the new Onaga’s origins, the Dragon King may serve as the next primary antagonist in the eventual Mortal Kombat 2 or future Mortal Kombat 1 DLC, either as a tamed tool of General Shao or as an invading Titan from an alternate timeline. Given how effortlessly the original Onaga was able to defeat the deadly alliance and Raiden, the new Onaga may prove to be the deadliest threat Titan Liu Kang and his allies have faced yet.

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