Rebuilding Shujinko

BBBLP

Robot Rock
Shujinko, many of us hate him, few of us love him. I want to give him a story that makes him seem more relevant, and less of a a last second hero.

I was listening to this song while writing this, I encourage you to listen as you read.


Many many years ago, Shujinko was raised by a small monk monastery, high in the mountains. Ever the philosopher, Shujinko questioned everything around him, always looking to understand everything he encountered.

This led him on many travels when he left home. On one of his travels, he stumbles upon a mortally wounded man. The man looked very aged. Using herbs and torn cloth, he nurses the man back to health. The grateful man offers to teach Shujinko the ancient black magic act of Immortality.

Taught never to dwindle in such tainted affairs, Shujinko respectfully refuses. The man feels shamed and angered that this fool would decline such a privilege. Sensing much weakness in Shujinko, the man challenges him to Mortal Kombat.

Shujinko barely defeats the man, had this mysterious stranger been at full power, Shujinko would not have stood a chance. The man utters a strange incantation and blasts Shujinko with a horrid power that aches and twists his body.

When Shujinko awakens, he feels a vigor never known to him.

For years Shujinko travels, eventually settling down at an abandoned monastery. He is troubled by something. He is aging at unpredictable rates. One day he feels he could take on a tiger, another he feels weak and looks twice the age he should be. Then he is young again.

Skip a few hundred years ahead and Shujinko is still living, he is the abbot of a Shaolin Temple he and a few (now deceased) monks built over the years. He trains warriors for the Mortal Kombat tournament, in hopes of destroying the one who placed this curse of immortality on him, Shang Tsung.

Many failed attempts later, Shujinko is presented a child, left on the Temple's stairs. He names the child Liu Kang, after his father. He raises Liu Kang along with his son, Kung Lao. They train almost identically.

When the time comes to send them off to the tournament, Shujinko is torn by the decision of sending his sons off to almost certain death. He conquers his fears and much to the shock of the entire temple, enters the tournament himself. He forbids his sons from entering, telling them he needs to end this curse once and for all. By either killing Shang Tsung, or by Tsung killing him.

Liu and Kung Lao see this as him being selfish, for he is only thinking of himself and not of Earthrealm. Shujinko is shocked to find he sons already on the island when he gets there.

Shujinko does not believe his sons can take down this threat. He is driven mad, in his eyes, the only way to stop his curse, is to get to the top of the tournament. He is heartbroken that his sons are in the way, but he has no choice. His lack of faith will be his undoing.



Again, I winged it on the ending since I have things to do in a few minutes.
Tell me what you think :)
 
Excellent work! (I sound like a teacher, bahahaha) I have such a love-hate relationship with Shujinko story-wise (and gameplay-wise honestly) but this is wonderful. Thanks for making me feel a little better about such an iffy character. :)
 
WOAH. I hate, and I mean absolutely HATE and cannot stand Shujinko. This was a perfect rebuild for him. Now all he needs is his own move list.
 
His attacks should be heavily influenced by Shaolin styles.

Give him the Mantis stance.

He should have his Deception alternate costume with loose sleeves.


For special moves, I was thinking no projectiles.

He should have evading moves with varying distances and directions.

Give him a projectile reflection move with a generous window of reflection time.

A "teleportation" move where he does a high butterfly kick very very quickly over the opponent.
When he lands he gets in a low Mantis stance.
This a command stance. Press up to get out of it, front punch for a pop-up, back punch for a knockback, front kick for a sweep, back kick to slide backwards.
 
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Shujinko is probably one of my most hated charaters. He was my training dummy in MKA, and I loved beating him up. But after reading this he just seems way more intresting and like you said relevant, in Mortal Kombat. You get rep for this and I hope you can write rebuilding stories for more unliked characters (Kobra lol).
 
Shujinko is probably one of my most hated charaters. He was my training dummy in MKA, and I loved beating him up. But after reading this he just seems way more intresting and like you said relevant, in Mortal Kombat. You get rep for this and I hope you can write rebuilding stories for more unliked characters (Kobra lol).

Thank you very much. I don't know about Kobra lol. That guy has got to be the blandest MK character around.
 
Young Shujinko:
nEO_IMG_liuyunnan.jpg


Old Shujinko:
drunkmastersmall.jpg
 
It is pretty good. It makes the character a little more simplified. I still think he'd be able to interact with other characters (maybe come into contact with a character's ancestor or training with Bo Rai Cho) thanks to the age fluctuation aspect. would be neat if, storywise, he is able to learn the warrior's styles (through his years of studying ancient fighting styles) which gives him a leg up in the tournament.
 
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