The rules and rites of Mortal Kombat

mortalkombat

mortalkombat

New member
I think there is a vast majority of confusion when it comes to understanding the tournament (or what it is, really). This is my attempt to take an educated guess on what the rules are:

- Every 50 years, there is a ceremony of single-elimination tournaments for every realm.

- Anyone, from any realm, may participate in the tournament.

- The ceremonial contest may be hosted anywhere as long as the hosts represent their home realm.

- The champion of Mortal Kombat is protected with immortality until the next tournament.

- If the MK champion is a native of a foreign realm, they gain consecutive points.

- If a foreign realm garners 10 consecutive points, they earn the right to invade the host realm.

- These rules are written and decreed by the Elder Gods.

- These rules are interpreted and enforced by the Grand Master(s) of the ceremony.

- A Grand Master(s) can only be a native of the hosting realm.

- The Grand Master(s) represents a contestant of the ceremonial contest.

- The Grand Master(s) may banish fighting practices deemed unfair to the contest.

- The Grand Master(s) who represent the champion of the ceremony are protected with immortality.

- The Grandmaster(s) may call for another ceremonial tournament to substitute the last.

- The outcome of the substitute will replace the last tournament's outcome.
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Please critique what you think is off or comment on what you think is wrong.

I hope these rules are significant to the story of this new game. Do you think they will be?

Discuss...
 
Hmm, very interesting thread idea. I also seem to remember the whole 'immortality for the champion until the next tournament' thing. But I can't remember where, or how canon it was... It begs the question though - if Liu Kang was the champion after MK4 (just assuming here, I don't remember anyone else being canonized as the champ), then how come he was killed by Shang Tsung before MK:DA? Shouldn't he have been immortal?
 
Yes, it is canon; but they say "immortality" when it does not make sense. It would make more sense if they said eternal youth. The title of champion also apparently gives you powers too until the next tournament.
 
mortalkombat said:
The title of champion also apparently gives you powers too until the next tournament.
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According to whom/what, just out of curiosity? Also where is the champion being immortal made canon? As much as we all love the MK mythos, I think it's fair to say there are a lot of plot holes/incongruities in the story. I'm sure Ed and the team would be aware of this which is a good reason to reboot with this whole time travel thing. One thing in particular I've always been interested by is the plot for MK3. So Kahn arranges for Sindel to be resurrected in Earthrealm, albeit in a corrupted form, and that supposedly lets him invade Eathrealm when 9 consecutive MK wins didn't? Those elder gods must be pretty lazy, or really short-sighted legislators, ha.
 
Nethervestige said:
According to whom/what, just out of curiosity? Also where is the champion being immortal made canon? As much as we all love the MK mythos, I think it's fair to say there are a lot of plot holes/incongruities in the story. I'm sure Ed and the team would be aware of this which is a good reason to reboot with this whole time travel thing. One thing in particular I've always been interested by is the plot for MK3. So Kahn arranges for Sindel to be resurrected in Earthrealm, albeit in a corrupted form, and that supposedly lets him invade Eathrealm when 9 consecutive MK wins didn't? Those elder gods must be pretty lazy, or really short-sighted legislators, ha.
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There have been several comic books created by a group lead by John Tobias that go into details about a lot of aspects of the plot and the introduction. In this comics, it is made clear that the champion is somehow immortal from age. It was illustrated that Shang Tsung and Goro won Mortal Kombat many times throughout centuries, maintaining their youth. Liu Kang was also references as the immortal champion of MK in both the 4th game and its introductory comic by Kai.

I don't know for sure if the champion of MK (and the representative Grand Master) also get special powers; it is just a guess. But it would explain why Shao Kahn's shadow priest tells Kahn that he would gain immortality AND more power if his realm won the second tournament; it also explains why Liu Kang can turn into a dragon after MKI. I think it connects with what they did with Scorpion in Mortal Kombat deception.

I think the Elder Gods have created a special, ceremonial rites of the universe. One of them is probably marriage of souls; similar to how religions see marriages as unions of souls, I'm guessing in MK, the Elder Gods actually do so. It was said that Kahn was able to hold onto Sindel's soul after she died; it would either be because his sorcery or because he really was married to her. Therefore, the Elder Gods might have let the invasion occur for Kahn to claim "what was his" on Earthrealm. It's a really bad exploit.
 
mortalkombat said:
...The champion of Mortal Kombat is protected with immortality until the next tournament.
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Nah... The Elder Gods demanded that the champion of MK would not age. Not immortality, or else Kang would have materialized himself after getting killed by Shang Tsung.

Although ageless, the Champion can still be killed: that is, if he's a mortal in the first place.
 
Inmorbium said:
Nah... The Elder Gods demanded that the champion of MK would not age. Not immortality, or else Kang would have materialized himself after getting killed by Shang Tsung.

Although ageless, the Champion can still be killed: that is, if he's a mortal in the first place.
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I remember reading that in one of the comics, can't remember which one. I wish they would just put out a book that covers the cannon of the entire mk universe. Leading up to mk2011. It would help out a lot.
 
Inmorbium said:
Nah... The Elder Gods demanded that the champion of MK would not age. Not immortality, or else Kang would have materialized himself after getting killed by Shang Tsung.

Although ageless, the Champion can still be killed: that is, if he's a mortal in the first place.
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I know. I'm just quoting what the games and comics have said. They said immortality.
 
That was probably a typo. There's no way immortality will be bestowed upon the Champion of MK.
Hence why the Great Kung Lao is dead.
 
I hope they don't do comics to explain the history. They did that in the past because the games did not have enough memory. Now, they should explain every little detail in the game, on story mode. I really don't care so much about a book covering all MK story until MK2011, because there are a lot of holes and retconnings. As they're already starting all over, I just hope they explain everything this time.
 
Aldo Moreno said:
Only people from the defending realm or the realm who is doing the mortal kombat kan participate.
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You sure about this?

Every realm has been, by retcon, practicing Mortal Kombat ever since Outworld has been considered a threat by the Elder Gods. I would imagine the tournament became merely a "universal process" that every realm had to follow if they wanted to invade another. It's just that you never hear of other realms invading others.

Inmorbium said:
That was probably a typo. There's no way immortality will be bestowed upon the Champion of MK.
Hence why the Great Kung Lao is dead.
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It was illustrated that this power of immortality was until the next tournament. The point is obviously to keep the champion alive as to give other generations a chance to challenge the champion and to prevent cheating by assassinating the champion before a fair fight.
 
mortalkombat said:
You sure about this?

Every realm has been, by retcon, practicing Mortal Kombat ever since Outworld has been considered a threat by the Elder Gods. I would imagine the tournament became merely a "universal process" that every realm had to follow if they wanted to invade another. It's just that you never hear of other realms invading others.
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Yeah, but I think he meant only fighters from the two realms, the invader and the invaded, could participate in that tournament. So, on the Mortal Kombat between Earthrealm and Outworld, which is the one showed in MK1, no warriors from for exapmle Orderrealm or Chaosrealm could participate.

But, as I was typing this asnwer, I realized: how come they can't when Kitana and Reptile participated on the second tournament, if they are from Edenia and Zaterra?

So, that's one of the reasons I think there's no reason in doing a book or comic to cover all the MK story. There are a lot of holes. It's better NRS just start it all over on MK2011. And explain it. In game.
 
I know what he meant, but I don't see why it has to be the case. The tournament was said to be open to everybody.

Also, I could argue about your Reptile and Kitana comment by saying their realms now technically count as Outworld since they were annexed. However, we still have Scorpion, Blaze and Noob Saibot in MKII.

I see it as a process that must be practiced every generation, no matter what; and if no one from foreign realms come to participate, then it's "good for them", basically.

It would be perfectly fair and balanced if other realms of interest would send fighters to participate to earn the right to invade that realm because obviously they wouldn't have to worry about other opposing realms being interested since none of their fighters won the tournament in the defending realm's tournament.
 
mortalkombat said:
You sure about this?

Every realm has been, by retcon, practicing Mortal Kombat ever since Outworld has been considered a threat by the Elder Gods. I would imagine the tournament became merely a "universal process" that every realm had to follow if they wanted to invade another. It's just that you never hear of other realms invading others.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I am sure. Bo'Rai'Cho talk about it in Konquest mode. If he joins it, then he will be defending Outworld(but he doesnt want that cause he loves earthrealm more). If someone from Earthrealm joins, then they are defending Earthrealm. Someone else from another realm joining the tornament wouldnt make sense cause they won't be defending neither of the realms. Unless, they pull a Shang Tsung and sell their soul to Shao Kahn, then they kan fight for Outworld.
 
If someone from another realm participated and won, wouldn't it just negate another invading realm's victories and just start another tally of consecutive wins for the new winning realm? I still don't see why this isn't possible.

Sorry if you think I'm ignoring your point, Aldo Moreno; but I don't see how that invalidates what I'm guessing.
 
mortalkombat said:
It would be perfectly fair and balanced if other realms of interest would send fighters to participate to earn the right to invade that realm because obviously they wouldn't have to worry about other opposing realms being interested since none of their fighters won the tournament in the defending realm's tournament.
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But then we'd have that problem about Bo' Rai Cho, who could not participate MK because his victory would count for Outworld. If anyone from any realm could participate and choose their "side", then it'd make no sense why Bo' Rai Cho could not participate.

Again, holes on the story. IMO, leave it like that, and let's wait for the start over of the story.
 
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