I did create it! I'm very proud of it. =D
And that's awesome. Seriously. :top:
For the most part I agree with that list, although given that Shinnok is trapped at the beginning and then 25 years later gets released for a short time only to be defeated once again, I wouldn't personally put him at #3, but the rest of the order I agree with.
I'd disagree with this. I think he got a LOT of new fans with MKX.
Sure, he may have gained some fans with MKX, but he's still not at the level of popularity of the top 10 in MKX (story mode-wise).
I still see tons of potential for him. The biggest thing holding Kano back is that as of MKX, NRS doesn't seem to know what to do with the Black Dragon Clan. As soon as the Black Dragon starts to have real weight in the universe, Kano's stock skyrockets because, guess what, he's their leader.
You can tell that NRS WANT him to be a top dog. He and his "snare" are the reason Raiden is missing throughout half of the game, for Chrissakes! He fooled, and trapped, Raiden! In the story it's nothing more than an excuse to keep Raiden from god-moding everyone in chapter 5 and ending the threat before it even begins, and Kano's role is glossed over with a couple of mentions, but just the idea that they see nothing wrong with Kano one-upping Raiden, and didn't feel the need to involve Quan Chi, bodes well for him in the long run, I think.
The issue that I see is that NRS doesn't know what to do with HIM (Kano himself).
The best thing that could happen for Kano, imo, is him getting killed and his son (non-canon, as of yet, in his arcade ending) taking his place and getting revenge for the death of his father.
It's a legacy that would grow his status even bigger, and we all know that characters don't always stay dead in MK.
No, you really can't tell (at least I can't) that NRS wants him to be top dog.
The only thing that I can tell is that NRS is unsure of what to do with him.
Him fooling Raiden means nothing.
He's still a puppet, at the end of the day, and that's what NRS can't figure out with him; how to make him into his own character.
In MKX he falsely served Kotal, later betraying him to reveal that he was working with Mileena, but the fact still remains that he was "working for" someone, and that still makes him a lackey.
Sure, it could be argued that The Black Dragon being a crime organization will always make him a lackey as he will always be a work for hire, but him being his own threat and not working for someone is the character building problem that he's conflicted with.
You can't have someone that's a "hired gun" and not have him be a lackey.
It's an oxymoron.
He needs a story arch that takes him away from being a "hired gun."
For example - Kano can make the Black Dragon more of a band of thieves and a dangerous gang who takes what they want and holds no sides.
While NRS tried to show that in MKX, at the end of the day he was still tied down to the next possible ruler of Outworld; Mileena.