The Strongest Gods In Mortal Kombat Lore

Summary

• Gods play a major role in Mortal Kombat lore, with powers surpassing earthly warriors.
• Characters like Rain, a demigod obsessed with power, and Fujin, Raiden’s brother, add depth.
• Fire God Liu Kang saves the timeline by defeating Kronika and becoming the new Keeper of Time.

The realms in which the Mortal Kombat games take place are filled to the brim with fantastical characters, from monsters like Reptile and Mileena to sorcerers like Shang Tsung. However, from the beginning, gods have played a major part in the lore and continue to in the latest games.

For more than thirty years, developers at Midway and NetherRealm Studios have introduced immortal beings with powers that surpass those of earthly warriors into Mortal Kombat lore, allowing them to command elements, manipulate time, and even alter reality. Some of these gods have been playable since the first game, while others serve as NPCs or villains that players have encountered or battled throughout the series. These are the most powerful gods in Mortal Kombat‘s extensive lore.

9

Rain

A Demigod Obsessed With Usurping Outworld’s Throne

• First Appearance: Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
• Powers: Hydrokinesis

While not a full god, Rain is still the son of Argus in the first two MK timelines. He was abandoned by his father and raised by his mother Amara as a peddler in Outworld. When he discovered that he was a demigod and his mother died, it instilled in him a deep desire to become the ruler of Outworld, as he believes that is his birthright.

As his name implies, Rain was gifted with the power of water, able to summon a tsunami with a snap of his fingers. As one of the many Mortal Kombat ninjas, he may not be as strong as other gods or even his half-brothers, Taven and Daegon, but he does prove to be capable of taking on powerful foes such as Kotal Kahn and Lord Raiden.

8

Argus

Fans Have Seen Very Little Of Edenia’s Protector

• First Appearance: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
• Powers: Creation

Before it was merged with Outworld after ten losses in Mortal Kombat, Edenia was a beautiful realm ruled and protected by a God named Argus until he and his wife Delia were murdered by their son, Daegon. It is unclear just how powerful Argus was, as he was only shown briefly in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon and his role was brief.

It was shown that he knew that the warriors from all realms would battle and create Armageddon, so he devised a plan with Delia to prevent it. Argus not only created the Hellspawn known as Blaze but also the Pyramid that would draw all combatants to fight for ultimate power, including his two sons. He knew that the victor between his two sons would evolve into a full god.

7

Fujin

Raiden’s Little Brother Is A Protector Of People

• First Appearance: Mortal Kombat 4
• Powers: Wind And Air Manipulation

Fujin is the younger brother of Raiden and a god of wind who has protected Earthrealm from the threats of Quan Chi, Shinnok, and Kronika. Part of what makes Fujin so interesting is that he doesn’t wish to be like his fellow gods, including his older brother, because he believes their godlike power causes them to lose touch with their emotions, leading him to remain weaker to maintain his connection to mankind.

Fans were first introduced to Fujin in Mortal Kombat 4, but he didn’t truly shine until making an epic return in Mortal Kombat 11, where he assumed a major role as a protagonist in the Aftermath expansion. He played a crucial part in pushing back the forces of Kronika, battling the likes of Cetrion and Sindel, especially while wearing Kronika’s crown.

6

Taven

Evolved To Godhood By Fighting His Own Brother

• First Appearance: Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
• Powers: Pyromancy, Super Speed

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon attempted to end the franchise with a bang by introducing Taven and his twin brother, Daegon. Taven starts as a demigod, but as he travels through the realms and continues to evolve his powers, he gradually becomes more godlike until he is ready to fight the Hellspawn known as Blaze. Unfortunately, he fails and meets his end on the Pyramid in the official canon.

Taven had the potential to outshine other gods if he had been given more opportunities to showcase his abilities in previous games. He successfully defeated formidable opponents, including the Red Dragon Clan, his own brother, and even Raiden. However, in the last four games in the series, he has been relegated to mere references and cameos.

5

Raiden

Protected The Realms With His Lightning Powers

• First Appearance: Mortal Kombat (1992)
• Powers: Weather Manipulation, Electrokinesis

The role of Earthrealm’s Protector is not bestowed on just anyone with power, and Raiden has held that title for not only millennia but in countless timelines. While the rules of the realms and Elder Gods often hold him back from action, he never disappoints when he needs to join the fight, living up to his status as a Thunder God and wielding lightning as his ultimate weapon.

In the original and second timelines, Raiden battled the likes of Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, Shinnok, and Kronika, cementing himself as a vanguard of Earthrealm by fighting for justice. Raiden became even more powerful when he wielded Shinnok’s amulet to become Dark Raiden, but that power came at a great cost to his soul.

4

Shinnok

The Necromancer Ruler Of The Netherrealm

• First Appearance: Mortal Kombat 4
• Powers: Necromancy, Bone Construction, Soul Magic,

Given the fact that Shinnok is a fallen Elder God, it should be no surprise that he is a powerful foe for both Earthrealm and Outworld alike. He was cast out by his fellow Elder Gods for waging war against them and the life of all realms, which led to him becoming the ruler of the Netherrealm. He has since devoted all his power to returning and making all dead mortals into his slaves.

In the second timeline, Shinnok is revealed to be the son of the Titan, Kronika. Shinnok was the main antagonist in Mortal Kombat 4 and Mortal Kombat X, able to corrupt anyone’s dead soul and shape them into his own twisted servants. In Mortal Kombat X, he nearly won his war against life itself by transforming into a formidable demon that wielded Earthrealm’s corrupted Jinsei, until he was defeated by the Cage bloodline, which was bred to fight gods.

3

Cetrion

The First Time Gamers Could Play An Elder God

• First Appearance: Mortal Kombat 11
• Powers: Elemental Manipulation, Flight, Strength, Creation,

Shinnok was the god of darkness and death and, as a result, his sister was a paragon of light and life. Cetrion is the yin to Shinnok’s yang. She is one of the mighty Elder Gods who protected all life in the realms until her undying loyalty to her mother led to her betraying her kind in Kronika’s plot to restart history and craft what she considered a perfect timeline.

As the goddess of life itself, Cetrion wields the main elements of fire, water, earth, air, and light at her fingertips, and very few combatants in the franchise were even able to face off against her. It required someone else of godly status, or someone wielding Kronika’s Crown of Souls, to match her abilities and strengths.

2

Kronika

The Titan Obsessed With Quantum Perfection

• First Appearance: Mortal Kombat 11
• Powers: Creation, Time Manipulation

Never once after her introduction in Mortal Kombat 11 is Kronika referred to as a god, yet she is considered to be more powerful than any deity: a Titan. As a Titan and Keeper of Time, Kronika shaped existence itself, crafting the destinies of all Mortal Kombat characters in the realms to fit her vision of a perfect timeline and restarting history multiple times to achieve it.

With the Hourglass at her disposal, Kronika can freeze time with her very presence or create a fusion of past and future events to manipulate time itself. When fueled with enough soul energy and the essence of her daughter, Cetrion, she can reverse time to the beginning of history to fully control the fates of all beings, with her primary goal being the erasure of Raiden from the timeline.

1

Fire God Liu Kang

Liu Kang Became A God To Save The Timeline

• First Appearance: Mortal Kombat 11
• Powers: Pyromancy, Creation, Time Manipulation, Electrokinesis

Only one being was able to thwart Kronika from creating a timeline of chaos and war: the fusion of a young Liu Kang, the future Revenant Liu Kang, and Lord Raiden. The result was Fire God Liu Kang, a fully-fledged god who not only defeated a fully powered Kronika at the dawn of time but also a rival, Shang Tsung, who wielded the power of Kronika’s crown.

This version of Liu Kang would become the new Keeper of Time, starting and shaping his version of the timeline seen in Mortal Kombat 1. He chose to let mortals determine their own destinies rather than constantly intervening. However, when the Titan Shang Tsung emerged from the multiverse, Liu Kang rose to the occasion as Earthrealm’s Protector and defeated him.