Kung Lao

Template:Mortal Kombat character Kung Lao is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.

About Kung Lao

Along side Liu Kang, he is one of the most popular characters, He stands in the shadow of his great ancestor, the Great Kung Lao, but unlike his great ancestor he has no desire to be champion and would rather live a life of peace. He is the sparring partner and best friend of Earth's champion, his fellow Shaolin monk Liu Kang. As well, he seeks counsel from master Bo' Rai Cho. Of the Earthrealm warriors, Kung Lao is the most outspoken pacifist, although he will not hesitate to severely punish those who attack him, Earthrealm, his friends, or those who speak ill of his ancestors. His trademark is his razor-rimmed hat, which he can employ quite powerfully and effectively in combat. Many of his fatalities involve the use of his hat to some extent. Kung Lao is defined more by his mindful inwardness and quiet intelligence and inner skill rather than his competitiveness. He tends to act like a bigger brother to Liu, guiding him through his trials. Inside of him beats the heart of an unmistakably righteous, intelligent and powerful man.

Storyline

Kung Lao is the last known descendant of the Great Kung Lao, a former Champion of Mortal Kombat, who lost the title to Goro 500 years previous. Like his best friend, Liu Kang, Kung Lao is also a member of the White Lotus Society. Kung Lao was originally the one to represent the Temple of Light in the Mortal Kombat tournament but declined knowing the consequences of becoming Mortal Kombat champion. Liu Kang was then chosen to participate in the tournament, and emerged as the winner.

When the Shaolin Temples were attacked by Baraka and his Tarkatan soldiers, Liu Kang and Kung resolved to travel through the portal that brought the Tarkatas to their temple and avenge their fallen Shaolin brothers, goaded every step of the way by Shang Tsung. Although he joined his friend in his furious quest, Kung Lao's ultimate goal was to rebuild the White Lotus Society at the Wu Shi Academy, in order to train a new generation of warriors for the coming ages. He, along with Liu Kang, ventured into Outworld to do battle with Outworld's forces in a new tournament. During their adventures, they began to forge an even stronger friendship with each other than the one they had before. While it is unclear as to what matches took place, it is known that Liu Kang fought with Shao Kahn himself, eventually overpowering the emperor. Afterwards, Kung Lao traveled back to Earthrealm to rebuild the White Lotus Society.

When Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm came, he had to temporarily scrap his plans for reforming the Society. Kung Lao challenged Shao Kahn; He seemed to be doing well against the emperor but was brutally beaten forcing him to retreat, believed to be dead, Liu Kang challenged Shao Kahn and succesfully defeated him for the second time. With Outworld driven back, Kung Lao decided not to return to the Shaolin Temples, instead allowing everyone to believe that he was dead and went on to live a life of peace. Kung Lao would then find the tranquility and atonement he had always wanted. This would not last long however, as he was drawn away from his newfound peace to help fight against Shinnok's forces, when word reached him that Goro, the Shokan warrior who had defeated the Great Kung Lao centuries ago, was still alive. Confronting the giant, Kung Lao lashed out with a ceremonial strike of revenge in honor of his long-lost ancestor that left Goro's chest scarred. Considering the score settled, the two shook hands.

The next years were peaceful. This ended on a brutal note at the time of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, when the sorcerers Quan Chi and Shang Tsung united and murdered Liu Kang in a vicious attack (Tsung posing as Kung Lao to get close to the champion). Kung Lao found the body of his longtime friend, and was told immediately by Raiden that Tsung was the assassin, who had formed the Deadly Alliance with Quan Chi. Enraged, Kung Lao vowed revenge upon the sorcerer, and once again abandoned his pacifist Shaolin beliefs. He knew his current skills were insuffcient to defeat Shang Tsung so after meeting with the other Earthrealm warriors and travelling to Outworld, Kung Lao sought the advice of the martial arts teacher Bo' Rai Cho. Bo' Rai Cho trained Kung Lao for a short time, teaching him the 'whirlwind kick' maneuver. Together, they joined the other warriors in the assault against the two sorcerers. Kung Lao would not rest until Liu Kang was avenged, and Tsung had paid with his life. With Liu Kang's apparent death, it seemed that Kung Lao was Earthrealm's last hope

But the assault did not end well. Along with Sonya, Jax, Johnny Cage, and Kitana, Kung Lao was defeated in the assault against the Deadly Alliance specifically in a one on one fight against Shang Tsung. Despite putting up a tremendous battle, Shang Tsung prevailed against him.

Kung Lao was revived by Onaga as a slave during the events of Deception, but was later returned to his normal self by Liu Kang.

In his Armageddon ending, Kung Lao goes back in time after defeating Blaze. He meets his old ancestor, and with his blessing, takes his place in the Mortal Kombat tournament. He defeats Goro and becomes the MK Champion and was a legend. As a result, Liu Kang never competed, and his and Kung Lao's rivalry never came to be.

Combat characteristics

Signature moves

Wind Teleport: Kung Lao could reappear behind his opponent. (MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MKG, MK:SM,MK:A)
Double Pass Teleport: Kung Lao could pass twice before appearing behind his opponent. (MKT, MKG, MK:SM)
Hat Throw: Kung Lao could hurl his hat at the opponent. (MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MKG, MKDA, MK:SM, MK:A)
Whirlwind Kick: Kung Lao flies towards his opponent spinning like a tornado, doing multiple kicks that knocks them down. (MK:DA, MK:A)
Aura Spinning Shield: He would spin creating an aura around him that would knock his opponent into the air. (MKII, MKT, MK:SM)
3D Shield: Spinning like a tornado he could knock his opponent into the air. In Mortal Kombat Trilogy and Mortal Kombat Gold he could move while spinning. (MK3, UMK3, MKT, MKG, MK:SM)
Dive Kick: Also called the Bullet Kick, Kung Lao could dive down from the air and attack his opponent. (MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MKG, MK:SM, MK:A)

File:KungLaoMK.jpg

Kung Lao as he appeared in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

Recurring fatalities

Body Slice: Kung Lao brings his razor hat down, slicing the opponent vertically in half with a clean swipe. (MKII, MK:SM)
Hat Decapitation: Kung Lao throws his hat, which arcs upward suddenly, slicing his enemy's head off. (MKII, MKT, MKG)
Hat Trick: Kung Lao tosses his hat at an enemy, decapitating them. The hat then ricochets off the far wall of the screen and doubles back, cutting the enemy in half. A third ricochet slices the enemy off at the knees. (MK3, UMK3)
Tornado: Kung Lao executes his Cyclone Spin, and sucks the opponent into it, causing them to explode violently. (MK3, UMK3, MK:SM)

Trivia

His MK3 character bio was not included in the arcade version of Mortal Kombat 3. It was later made available for the home versions of MK3.
Kung Lao's hat was inspired by the 1964 James Bond movie Goldfinger, in which a character named "Oddjob" threw his derby as a weapon.
Kung Lao was featured in his own eponymous one-shot issue from Malibu Comics in the summer of 1995. (Other characters who received the same treatment were Baraka, Kitana and Mileena.) It would be the very last issue produced in Malibu's Mortal Kombat series.
He and Kintaro are the only characters from the first two MK games who have not appeared in any of the movies.
Midway have not enlightened whether Kung Lao's hat is an ancestral item used by the Great Kung Lao or a weapon he made for himself.
Around the time of then release of Shaolin Monks Kung Lao and Liu Kang made cameo appearances in the webcomic Ctrl+Alt+Del [1].