@@The4thSnake lol the MK franchise needs to be like nintendo were the have an entire universe to make spinoff games from. puzzle kombat and motor kombat are great examples. of spin off games.
Bo rai cho: Ah my favorite student. Kung Lao: I bet you say the same to Liu Kang. Bo rai cho: You're right, I take it back. Bo rai cho: Ah my favorite student. Liu Kang: I bet you say the same to Kung Lao. Bo rai cho: With him I mean it. I may have butchered the dialogue, but I think I got the message across
Kung Lao: The Lesser Cage... Cassie Cage: Liu Kang Lite... Kung Lao: A mouth in search of a fist! Jacqui: I'm not afraid of you. Kung Lao: How might I change that? Jacqui: Change your name to Liu Kang.
Whats funny is lao isnt a dick in either timeline the new Liu kang is. Kung lao and liu kang were always my favorite characters. Liu isnt anymore he's cool but not the same. I love the new lao.
Here's an interesting tidbit I learned recently. If Kung Lao existed in real life, his given name would NOT be Lao. To quote wikipedia, "It is considered disrespectful in China to name a child after an older relative, and both bad practice and disadvantageous for the child's fortune to copy the names of celebrities or famous historical figures" So for that reason, Lao should realistically not be named Lao.
@@The4thSnake I could see it as not his birth name, but a name he chooses to don himself despite the stigma attached to doing so in the culture, feeling he should vindicate the namesake of his once great ancestor.
It might add to the story immensely then if he was the one who was chosen and he defeats Goro, saving Earthrealm. I know Liu Kang is meant to be the protagonist, but if we switch him for Kung Lao, maybe he could be given the name as a kind of ceremonial title after defeating Shang Tsung and Goro, proving himself worthy of his ancestor's name as the new champion of Mortal Kombat and saviour of Earthrealm.
I love your analysis here. My favorite version of Kung Lao IS the MK9 version: Envious of Liu Kang because of his whole name/bloodline/familial duty thing, but still respects him and sees him as a true friend. My first MK was Deadly Alliance, and Kung Lao was the first character I ever beat the Arcade mode with. His ending in that game had him wrecking Shang Tsung's shit with a new move, staying humble, then paying respects to Liu Kang, which the ending refers to as "[Kung Lao's] friend and brother". That solidified Kung Lao for me, so I hated the way Shaolin Monks portrayed him.
shaolin monks was cool even if i didnt much like hsi character. but the part that pisses me off in mk11 about lao is that they make him over jealous and cocky, like he supposedly was in mk9, but if you look at mk9 he has only ever wanted to prove that he was liu kangs equal, never about jealously or cockiness, and they over did it with his cahracter. i understand to a sense that it gives him more depth as a character but it ultimately kinda ruined him. plus they always make him cocky to everyone and thast nowhere near what his character should be. like a lil jealous and training to prove himself to be better than liu kang could ahve made him the perfect character.
@@JackTheLotuz12 Yeah, I like the balance between him wanting to catch up to/surpass Liu Kang, whiles still seeing him as a friend rather than an obstacle.
@@WiiMan25 too bad mk11 going forward will now paint him as the cocky type and ppl will call kung lao fans like me but hurt or some shit. He deserves better than just "liu kangs" this and that.
Kitana humiliates Kung Lao in all PF her dialogues. In the first she implies she would trash his as in combat without Liu Kang to protect him. In the second she implies that he envy their relationship. A lot of chatacters do that as well, with time it could make him become bitter
I like how in one of his dialogues, Liu Kang defends him and tells Kitana that its not her place to talk about him. Probably one of the rare times he's disappointed in her.
Im not gonna lie i didnt mind kung lao but his story and character in 9 is what got me into kung lao im sad how hes treated but kung lao is a relatable character to someone who has a sense of pride and expectations
Solid Snake Plissken not really. Lang is a Mary Sue. Typical goku archetype. Kung Lao is reminiscent of vegeta as well. Trains just as hard if not harder, never gets the same respect. Even when he does win something always happens to make it a total victory
@@EcnomicSuicide i disagree with Lang being a mary sue. In both 9 and X he is either killed by accident or vrought back as an angry zombie for the biggest gary stu in MK.
@@EcnomicSuicide Vegeta? Did you not freaking see him in the original timeline, He's a very honorable and cool headed person who wanted no part in the Mk tournament yet almost as capable as Liu Kang.
@@EcnomicSuicide Okay I’m not the biggest fan of Liu Kang but he’s not a Mary Sue at all. He’s not presented as perfect and he sure isn’t presented as liked by everyone. Not too mention he’s been killed off twice in this entire franchise. The chosen one crap cheapens him as a character but that’s something that didn’t exist until at least MK 11 in their infinite “wisdom”.
So your logic is that Kung Lao story wasn't given justice in MK9 because he was killed later on? The old Kung Lao's story was boring, and he seemed kinda selfish. His presence in MK9 was better than most of the roster. He's very selfless in the new timeline, and he took on a big responsibility as a child without a choice. And his envy and rivalry towards Liu Kang is much clearer, and is understandable. Kung Lao spent his whole life being something he doesn't want to be, and for nothing, since Liu Kang took the spotlight. And he's less of dick about it, and understand that it isn't Liu's fault.
StarlightKY I think you are describing Shaolin monks kung Lao.original kung Lao was quiet and a pacifist.he only fought if it was truly needed like saving earthrealm and had no desire to participate in the first tournament.he went in hiding after mk3 tonkive a peaceful life.in deadly alliance he was so broken by Liu Lang’s death he dropped his passive beliefs to kill Shang stung
I kinda would have like Kung Lao to survive MK9 and Liu Kang still die. So Lao could play a part bring Liu kang back to life. They could have a fight and Kang(revenant) saying how he(loa) always wanted to better than me. Loa realizing what kind of person he becomes, changes his ways. Then defeats liu kang.
Dysoh That's the previous timeline's story in Deadly Alliance. Kung Lao and Kitana work together with Raiden and his heroes to take revenge for Liu Kang's death and prevent Onaga's armies resurrection. They end up dying, and failing HARD. With almost everyone from the series dead.
Biggest wasted potential was Shaolin Monks. They could build a trilogy off that game maybe even more and also Lui Kang and Kung Lao were thrown out of the story as heros.
So true all the klassic MK storylines could've been done in Shaolin Monks sequels imagine a Shaolin Monks game set during the invasion of Earthrealm that would kick ass
I really liked how MK9 had Kung Lao get his moment in the spotlight at Shao Kahn's tournament, giving him the chance to prove himself as Liu Kang's equal, showing off against the Deadly Alliance and Kintaro back to back. I wish they'd hard committed though and had him be the first one to beat Shao Kahn like Raiden was thinking, only for that to not be enough to change the future either.
Sooooo Liu Kang : Goku/Naruto *Unlikely Hero *Works Hard *Righteous *Becomes Strongest(Etc) Kung Lao : Vegeta/Sasuke *Expected to be strongest via lineage *Works harder then anyone yet lacks the talent that rival possesses *Badass Ancestors *Looks Cooler(Etc)
Actually, Sasuke was portrayed as having more talent than Naruto. The latter got on top with more hard work. And although you're correct that Goku is portrayed as more talented than Vegeta, Goku has actually trained more throughout his life. For the first 30 years of Vegeta's life, he simply got by with his relatively high power level. It was Goku who had to struggle in his childhood to raise his battle power along with having training opportunities that Vegeta didn't have.
As a life long fan of Mark Dacascos it was great seeing him in the role -- my older brother (also Mark) not only resembles him but managed to contact the guy decades before social media was a thing. For Kung Lao, I remember how in the Malibu comics (all of which I read and had access to thanks to Mark) there was the Goro: Prince of Pain mini series where Kung Lao circa MK2 was depicted as a Shaollin warrior trapped in Outworld for years. It gave him a distinctive Alice in Wonderland quality as someone who traversed the other dimensional realms while being human. Not sure if John Tobias (who was the creative consultant for the Malibu comics) gave it his blessing or not but that managed to be yet another iteration or interpretation of Liu Kang's equivalent to Ken Masters. I like the idea of the headband and gauntlets. Some real nature vs.nurture / responsibility vs. destiny theme here like the best MK stories!
Young Kung Lao was honestly one of the only characters I liked in MK11. Him and Liu Kang had some great banter and comradery. Made me really want a Shaolin Monks 2. More than I can say for 90% of the Mortal Kombat 11 cast
@@KingOfDarknessAndEvil I hate MK11, but him saying "She's officially out of your league" to Liu Kang and then later telling Kitana that he's out of her league after becoming a god put a smile on my face.
I always thought a good twist would be Kung Lao betraying Earthrealm to gain the glory he felt he deserved. The irony of a character named Kung Lao now fighting against Earthrealm is interesting.
I've always had a particular liking to Kung Lao over Liu King, idk I guess his story of being crushed under expectations and feeling of inadequately always resonated with me... he's honestly probably my favorite earthrealm defender in the series
I really wish that Lao's arcade ending in MKX where Kung Jin saves him from the Netherrealm and he becomes essentially Shaolin Scorpion was canonical...
Goddamn you are amazing at this. Seriously this is an amazing take on the character. I was really unhappy with the bitchy new version of Kung Lao, but you've gone an opened up some fascinating new possibilities. I really hope someday your talents get to shine outside of TH-cam. Go ahead and take a bow.
I really hope next game they bring his ego down. During the second tournament in MK 9 was the perfect Kung Lao. He actually stops and looks at Raiden before stepping up to fight in the second tournament. He had learned from his first experience with Scorpian. Then actually won. But with Mk 11 he basically can't help himself. Watch any of his intros. Even meeting his revenant it didn't change him.
Also I wished mk11 could’ve displayed Lao’s virtuous side both in story and in the intros. And for the love of the elder gods is Jin his cousin or nephew, nether realm!
I sorely miss the Kung Lao of MK 2 and 3. I dig the video as a cross-section of Lao's persona evolving. I don't even mind TOO much the revenant trope, but what the holy hell did they turn him into in mk11???? It makes me want to cry....
Liu Kang and Kung Lao being both descended from the OG Kung Lao was something I thought of as a Jon Snow/Robb Stark thing. That Kung Lao would be the actual heir to the family line and legacy, while Liu Kang was an orphaned bastard who also had a bit of the family blood, but not the name. But the two would be friends, nonetheless, due to being classmates and blood-relatives.
I'm subbing for a couple reasons, you cover my main man, you have him a fair trial and made if funny, and you enlightened me about some aspects and made me like my character even more. Also you didn't show Kung Lao's neck treatment ;D
Hopefully the new game shows the og characters a little more love instead of catering to the newcomers so heavily... we get it, new blood new money but.... c’mon
one correction, the head bandaba in martial arts has 2 uses improve focus, and soak up head sweat to prevent it from falling in the eyes wich could be a problem in a fight. Since using tight artifacts improves focus, i believe that's also the use of liu kang gauntlets. So he can focus energy in his fists. wich in turn can produce fireballs better
In all seriousness, the best decision the game devs and IP holders could do for the actual story in games forward is freaking hire you. Or really anyone even remotely close to as dedicated and skilled as you. Either would work, but at least you'd get paid for all the sensible sorting out of this Gordian Knot you've done. Good points all.
So, building on that family legacy idea, what if in addition to being an offshoot of the Kung family, Liu Kang also has some family ties back to Shang Tsung? It could allow for some exploration of how family legacy affects a person, and how your lineage doesn't define who you are. Plus it wouldn't hurt to give Liu Kang more depth as a character in these newer games.
I think the main thing I don't like about Kung Lao in the reboot timeline is how hair cut like damn bro you had a sick as hell ponytail last time around, where the fuck did it go?
Are you planning on doing any wasted plotential videos on the cyber ninjas? I know to most people they are goofy relics of mks past, these predator power rangers, but they were always one of my favorite parts of mk, Cyrax in particular. I always thought it would have been awesome if instead of blowing himself up in the mkx comic and taking the whole of the cyber lin quei with him, to "clean the slate", instead he formed a new clan, the tekunin, a mirror or Sektor from the old timeline, but now his tekunin will be on the side of good. Seeing an army of cyber ninjas vs the forces of darkness in mk would have been really cool to me, I always love the technology vs magic idea in other fiction. And if they had to go through with the whole Cyrax suicide thing, I had an idea for Triborg too. Triborgs mind is composed of Cyrax, Smoke Sektor, and Sub Zero. Why if Sektor was then only evil one among them, do they give him literally the most boring goal for any robot style villain, to destroy all organic life, that is the most played out and overdone objective they could have given him. Skynet, Ultron, Sigma. Its been done to death. If anything they should have made him a neutral, trying to figure out where he stands in all this. They could have had a dynamic where when hes using Sektors configuration, his weapons and armor, he becomes much more violent, but stronger, and more powerful, because he was the most deadly, the one who actually wanted to be transformed, and inherits Sektors personality traits, the same way with the other personalities in triborg. It would have made his character much more interesting than "DESTROY ALL ORGANIC LIFE, because thats the most boring thing for me to want to do."
The *"Great"* Kung Lao -> Beats Shang Tsung -> Killed by Goro Our Kung Lao -> Beats Goro -> Beats Shang Tsung + Quan Chi -> Beats Kintaro In my eyes, Kung Lao is way superior than his ancestor
The “great” KL is mediocre as fuck, I mean it make sense in the first game but as time go he look like a wimp, they better fix it by making it a trickery that he lost to goro
hmmmm that was interesting. hell i could see it working out the way you described if it were like a movie. you have a good eye about these things. do more of these im really liking what you come up with and the information you give :) its all useful
Fire God Liu Kang: "But Raiden, I cant reshape history alone") Raiden: "Well, there might be someone who's always been at your side") Fire God Liu Kang: "Kitana!") Raiden and Kung Lao: "Hoes over Bros I guess") Atleast the Raiden ending is canon but damn, hurts that he didnt even consider Kung Lao, one of his bestest friends)
I think kung laos orgin could be exploited on aswell as he is one of my favorite characters in the series. I have high hopes for him in mk11 with him and kung jins ending, he should be the 1st revenant freed and have a fight with him and jade vs kitana and liu kang where they free their allies and come out of their shadows.
I've got an idea for him that relates to his morals to add some extra drama in the old timeline. The new timeline version is just ruined and I don't know how to fix him beyond a redemption arc.
I actually think new timeline's Liu Kang is more relatable (flawed, imperfect). In fact I wouldnt've minded if he, by himself, became some sort of an antihero, or even a villain, and not become so because of forced sorcery. I like OT Kang, but NT Kang was more interesting to me... until he became a revenant.
@@ESFAndy011 Hes a freaking shaolin monk. Not a love sick, headstrong stubborn baby. Yeah, Raidens decisions made stuff worse, but if your going to have Liu Kang go against, him, do it appropriately where he still comes off as understandable and level headed while , pushed into a corner. Don't make him blatantly an unreasonable character. And that was all MK 9. X just buried him. There are more than enough "relatable" characters in MK who are all angry.
I mean how reasonable can you be to someone who you think is responsible for the death of so many people, Kung Lao and Kitana included? In fact, he was just as you described up until almost everyone up and died while Raiden dragged Liu Kang into a pointless debate with the Elder Gods. I don't care who raised or mentored you, that has to be incredibly frustrating, especially if you knew that had you been there, they'd probably still be alive. You'd think even Liu Kang would have his limits.
I have always felt Liu Kang and Kung lao were equal the only difference is raiden. Both seeing him as a father figure lao wanting his approval and encouragement but not getting it causing him to doubt himself and fail. Liu Kang gets his approval and encouragement but doesn't really care or need it because liu believes in himself while lso doesn't which leads to laos resentment towards Liu Kang.
@@The4thSnake it's still good especially the video on mkx when you say what they could have done instead, the idea of scorpion and subzero teaming up to get sub zero human body and rescuing smoke and noob was good, I don't remember much but I think you said something like that
The only problem I have here is the same plot hole thats from the game itself. There's no reason they cant both fight in the tournament. You might say there's a limited amount of fighters allowed for earthrealm, but thats just not true. Liu Kang, Nightwolf, and Cage were the only earthrealm fighters. Sonya was only there to save Jax. So Raiden only brought 3 fighters to combat Shang Tsung's 10, while actively arguing that Kung Lao shouldnt get involved. No wonder Earthrealm lost nine tournaments in a row.
I wish I could remember the idea I had for Reptile. Maybe something could be done with Shang Tsung's origin in Earthrealm, or his machinations to overthrow Kahn.
At this point, why don't you just make 1 all-encompassing video called, "Every Mortal Kombat Character Ever | Wasted Potential". because you're gonna get there eventually anyway.
I really thought they would take a kyo and iori (king of fighters.) route with Liu kang and Kung Lao. In that kyo doesn’t care about lineage or destiny but his carefree self is exactly how he falls into the destiny. While iori doesn’t feel like he can escape the expectations or destiny. So he’s obsessed with kyo and how he can have a life and be a carefree person despite the weight on his shoulders.
What I always thought should have happened is have Fujin and Raiden both be equals in defending earthrelm, have Raiden choose Lui Kang, and Fujin choose Kung Lao.
*Bro u have inspired me to start my own channel and document my progress. Even though I have a fitness channel, your videos prevent me from giving up💪*
I actually like Kung lao because I played him alot in mortal Kombat Shaolin monks with my brother and I was always player 2 meaning only playing Kung lao😢
Kung Lao classic games: wanted a peaceful life and was pretty lazy but entered the tournament to avenge his fellow shaolin Shaolin Monks: has a realistic rivalry with Liu kang since they are praticaly at the same level yet Liu kang is favoritized by everyone. Mk9: Is a good rival to Liu kang without being too jealous or an asshole. MKX and 11: *Gets Flanderized into being an Asshole with everyone and has Inferiority complex towards Liu Kang*
One thing that confuses me about Kung Lao is his hat. Why does a peace loving monk wear a razor bladed hat? I get that it sets him apart from Liu Kang and "Cool Hat Guy" is a better position than "Not Liu Kang." However, when you think of razor bladed hats, the three characters you think of are Oddjob from Goldfinger (and confirmed to be a major influence in Kung Lao's design), Robert E.O. Speedwagon from JJBA Part 1: Phantom Blood, and Kung Lao. One of these things is obviously not like the other. Oddjob is just a Bond henchman. He's an iconic one, matched only by Jaws, but he's hired muscle nonetheless. Speedwagon, before he was Jonathan's friend/unrequited lover, was the leader of a group of thugs in London's appropriately named Ogre Street. He stopped using it after he became a good guy. That leaves Kung Lao, a monk who only desires to live a peaceful life, using a weapon specifically designed for tearing people apart. At least Oddjob and Speedwagon's hats look like they were hats first and weapons later. Kung Lao's hat looks like he's wearing a buzzsaw on his head.
I'm very interested to see where his character will go in mk11 since kung jins ending makes me hopeful that netherrealms wants to make kung lao similar to scorpion in the since that he gains autonomy over the powers that made him into a raith
The Luigi of MK.
Year of Kung Lao when?
@@The4thSnake lol the MK franchise needs to be like nintendo were the have an entire universe to make spinoff games from. puzzle kombat and motor kombat are great examples. of spin off games.
Now i want to see Kung Lao's Mansion
@@dtims3262 Kung Lao's Temple
@@dtims3262 kung laos temple but you fight tarkans
His razor rimmed hat is one of the coolest weapons I have seen in a fictional fighting game. I love it when he traces his finger around it.
I wonder how he keeps it from getting dented up after cutting through flesh,bone,and whatever else he hit with it.
@@Chadmiral magic
Basically a cooler version of Odd Job from James Bond...
@@cactusmalone how do you know that?
@@Darthmgtow I think Kung Lao was inspired by the same character
What?! Kung Lao could've been the next Liu Kang, you say?! NONSENSE! We got a selfie-taking 'murican teenager for that role!
What do you mean????
Ryan Anderson Cassie Cage
@@Muhammad-hf8ld okay
I was so hyped in DA when he stepped up to avenge his friend, but they fucked it up :(
I hate Cassie cage so much
Bo rai cho: Ah my favorite student.
Kung Lao: I bet you say the same to Liu Kang.
Bo rai cho: You're right, I take it back.
Bo rai cho: Ah my favorite student.
Liu Kang: I bet you say the same to Kung Lao.
Bo rai cho: With him I mean it.
I may have butchered the dialogue, but I think I got the message across
Kung Lao: The Lesser Cage...
Cassie Cage: Liu Kang Lite...
Kung Lao: A mouth in search of a fist!
Jacqui: I'm not afraid of you.
Kung Lao: How might I change that?
Jacqui: Change your name to Liu Kang.
SA24-Coldy Mcphearson that dialogue hurts as a king loa fan.. A1writing
That one was brilliant
@@cybercoldymcphearson7338 those intros are gold. I can't wait for the next game
Whats funny is lao isnt a dick in either timeline the new Liu kang is. Kung lao and liu kang were always my favorite characters. Liu isnt anymore he's cool but not the same. I love the new lao.
Here's an interesting tidbit I learned recently. If Kung Lao existed in real life, his given name would NOT be Lao.
To quote wikipedia, "It is considered disrespectful in China to name a child after an older relative, and both bad practice and disadvantageous for the child's fortune to copy the names of celebrities or famous historical figures"
So for that reason, Lao should realistically not be named Lao.
Huh. Interesting.
Kung Rao then
@@The4thSnake I could see it as not his birth name, but a name he chooses to don himself despite the stigma attached to doing so in the culture, feeling he should vindicate the namesake of his once great ancestor.
It might add to the story immensely then if he was the one who was chosen and he defeats Goro, saving Earthrealm. I know Liu Kang is meant to be the protagonist, but if we switch him for Kung Lao, maybe he could be given the name as a kind of ceremonial title after defeating Shang Tsung and Goro, proving himself worthy of his ancestor's name as the new champion of Mortal Kombat and saviour of Earthrealm.
@Kali Bradshaw I think it applies to just people who knowingly/purposely name them a such
I love your analysis here. My favorite version of Kung Lao IS the MK9 version: Envious of Liu Kang because of his whole name/bloodline/familial duty thing, but still respects him and sees him as a true friend.
My first MK was Deadly Alliance, and Kung Lao was the first character I ever beat the Arcade mode with. His ending in that game had him wrecking Shang Tsung's shit with a new move, staying humble, then paying respects to Liu Kang, which the ending refers to as "[Kung Lao's] friend and brother". That solidified Kung Lao for me, so I hated the way Shaolin Monks portrayed him.
shaolin monks was cool even if i didnt much like hsi character. but the part that pisses me off in mk11 about lao is that they make him over jealous and cocky, like he supposedly was in mk9, but if you look at mk9 he has only ever wanted to prove that he was liu kangs equal, never about jealously or cockiness, and they over did it with his cahracter. i understand to a sense that it gives him more depth as a character but it ultimately kinda ruined him. plus they always make him cocky to everyone and thast nowhere near what his character should be. like a lil jealous and training to prove himself to be better than liu kang could ahve made him the perfect character.
@@JackTheLotuz12 Yeah, I like the balance between him wanting to catch up to/surpass Liu Kang, whiles still seeing him as a friend rather than an obstacle.
@@WiiMan25 too bad mk11 going forward will now paint him as the cocky type and ppl will call kung lao fans like me but hurt or some shit. He deserves better than just "liu kangs" this and that.
@Trevor White yeah I think making Kung Lao a cocky guy makes him more interesting honestly. At least he is more different than liu kang
the worst version of Lao
Kitana humiliates Kung Lao in all PF her dialogues.
In the first she implies she would trash his as in combat without Liu Kang to protect him.
In the second she implies that he envy their relationship.
A lot of chatacters do that as well, with time it could make him become bitter
Lol, Mk11 made him into his shaolin monks persona, but almost everyone minus johnny, who is naturally an asshole, is a prick to him.
I like how in one of his dialogues, Liu Kang defends him and tells Kitana that its not her place to talk about him. Probably one of the rare times he's disappointed in her.
all the characters shit on him. Its stupid. NRS hates him or something. I hate what theyve done to him
Im not gonna lie i didnt mind kung lao but his story and character in 9 is what got me into kung lao im sad how hes treated but kung lao is a relatable character to someone who has a sense of pride and expectations
Solid Snake Plissken not really. Lang is a Mary Sue. Typical goku archetype. Kung Lao is reminiscent of vegeta as well. Trains just as hard if not harder, never gets the same respect. Even when he does win something always happens to make it a total victory
@@EcnomicSuicide i disagree with Lang being a mary sue. In both 9 and X he is either killed by accident or vrought back as an angry zombie for the biggest gary stu in MK.
That's why he will remain my favorite character honestly.
@@EcnomicSuicide Vegeta? Did you not freaking see him in the original timeline, He's a very honorable and cool headed person who wanted no part in the Mk tournament yet almost as capable as Liu Kang.
@@EcnomicSuicide
Okay I’m not the biggest fan of Liu Kang but he’s not a Mary Sue at all. He’s not presented as perfect and he sure isn’t presented as liked by everyone. Not too mention he’s been killed off twice in this entire franchise. The chosen one crap cheapens him as a character but that’s something that didn’t exist until at least MK 11 in their infinite “wisdom”.
You mean to tell me MK9 did a character’s character some justice kind of? Before killing him off and making him an angry zombie?
So your logic is that Kung Lao story wasn't given justice in MK9 because he was killed later on? The old Kung Lao's story was boring, and he seemed kinda selfish. His presence in MK9 was better than most of the roster. He's very selfless in the new timeline, and he took on a big responsibility as a child without a choice. And his envy and rivalry towards Liu Kang is much clearer, and is understandable.
Kung Lao spent his whole life being something he doesn't want to be, and for nothing, since Liu Kang took the spotlight.
And he's less of dick about it, and understand that it isn't Liu's fault.
StarlightKY I think you are describing Shaolin monks kung Lao.original kung Lao was quiet and a pacifist.he only fought if it was truly needed like saving earthrealm and had no desire to participate in the first tournament.he went in hiding after mk3 tonkive a peaceful life.in deadly alliance he was so broken by Liu Lang’s death he dropped his passive beliefs to kill Shang stung
@@kungfuenthusiasm6592 Before Sub-Zero would assassinate Shang Tsung.
Mk9 and mkx kung lao are my favorites
@@Dabajaws And are the worst versión
I kinda would have like Kung Lao to survive MK9 and Liu Kang still die. So Lao could play a part bring Liu kang back to life. They could have a fight and Kang(revenant) saying how he(loa) always wanted to better than me. Loa realizing what kind of person he becomes, changes his ways. Then defeats liu kang.
That Would Have Been Amazing!
Dysoh
That's the previous timeline's story in Deadly Alliance.
Kung Lao and Kitana work together with Raiden and his heroes to take revenge for Liu Kang's death and prevent Onaga's armies resurrection.
They end up dying, and failing HARD. With almost everyone from the series dead.
Hell wish that he was one of the revenant fights that gained his humanity back
Sub Saibot I’m sorry ur hopes were high homie I feel ya
*(lao)
Biggest wasted potential was Shaolin Monks. They could build a trilogy off that game maybe even more and also Lui Kang and Kung Lao were thrown out of the story as heros.
So true all the klassic MK storylines could've been done in Shaolin Monks sequels imagine a Shaolin Monks game set during the invasion of Earthrealm that would kick ass
I really liked how MK9 had Kung Lao get his moment in the spotlight at Shao Kahn's tournament, giving him the chance to prove himself as Liu Kang's equal, showing off against the Deadly Alliance and Kintaro back to back. I wish they'd hard committed though and had him be the first one to beat Shao Kahn like Raiden was thinking, only for that to not be enough to change the future either.
Sooooo
Liu Kang : Goku/Naruto
*Unlikely Hero
*Works Hard
*Righteous
*Becomes Strongest(Etc)
Kung Lao : Vegeta/Sasuke
*Expected to be strongest via lineage
*Works harder then anyone yet lacks the talent that rival possesses
*Badass Ancestors
*Looks Cooler(Etc)
Heart of Chaos Lmao, You want a piece of that man huh? 😂
nah naruto didnt do jackshit for work.
@@thevibestationuwu4081 lol yea his clones did
Maybe but Liu Kang will ALWAYS sound better
Actually, Sasuke was portrayed as having more talent than Naruto. The latter got on top with more hard work. And although you're correct that Goku is portrayed as more talented than Vegeta, Goku has actually trained more throughout his life. For the first 30 years of Vegeta's life, he simply got by with his relatively high power level. It was Goku who had to struggle in his childhood to raise his battle power along with having training opportunities that Vegeta didn't have.
As a life long fan of Mark Dacascos it was great seeing him in the role -- my older brother (also Mark) not only resembles him but managed to contact the guy decades before social media was a thing. For Kung Lao, I remember how in the Malibu comics (all of which I read and had access to thanks to Mark) there was the Goro: Prince of Pain mini series where Kung Lao circa MK2 was depicted as a Shaollin warrior trapped in Outworld for years. It gave him a distinctive Alice in Wonderland quality as someone who traversed the other dimensional realms while being human. Not sure if John Tobias (who was the creative consultant for the Malibu comics) gave it his blessing or not but that managed to be yet another iteration or interpretation of Liu Kang's equivalent to Ken Masters. I like the idea of the headband and gauntlets. Some real nature vs.nurture / responsibility vs. destiny theme here like the best MK stories!
This is probably my favorite wasted plotential for a character so far, making an already great character even better with a very solid character arch.
Watching this again after seeing the shitty way his character was treated in MK11.
Yep
LiU kAnG bEtTeR, u BiG eGo
Young Kung Lao was honestly one of the only characters I liked in MK11. Him and Liu Kang had some great banter and comradery. Made me really want a Shaolin Monks 2. More than I can say for 90% of the Mortal Kombat 11 cast
@@KingOfDarknessAndEvil Yh but they keep trying to shit on him by saying “liu is better”
@@KingOfDarknessAndEvil
I hate MK11, but him saying "She's officially out of your league" to Liu Kang and then later telling Kitana that he's out of her league after becoming a god put a smile on my face.
I always thought a good twist would be Kung Lao betraying Earthrealm to gain the glory he felt he deserved. The irony of a character named Kung Lao now fighting against Earthrealm is interesting.
Wow, never expected so much emotions towards Kung Lao. Great video btw 😊👍
My favourite character!
KUNG LAO.. WINS!
Always good to see Lao getting some love.
You son of a bitch! 👒
I've always had a particular liking to Kung Lao over Liu King, idk I guess his story of being crushed under expectations and feeling of inadequately always resonated with me... he's honestly probably my favorite earthrealm defender in the series
No one talks about how crazy Kung Lao goes in MKX. Dudes combos go nuts.
I really wish that Lao's arcade ending in MKX where Kung Jin saves him from the Netherrealm and he becomes essentially Shaolin Scorpion was canonical...
Always glad to see another video. The effort put into these videos, is greatly appreciated! Keep them coming.
Oh, I plan to.
Basically Kung Loa is Vegeta and Lu Kang is Goku
SenileYeti that’s actually a very accurate example
Mmm more like rock lee
You can't spell and didn't listen to the video.
O wait that's literally african logic
More like Krillin.
Goddamn you are amazing at this. Seriously this is an amazing take on the character. I was really unhappy with the bitchy new version of Kung Lao, but you've gone an opened up some fascinating new possibilities. I really hope someday your talents get to shine outside of TH-cam. Go ahead and take a bow.
You made me love Kung Lao even more.
I like your version of events. It kinda reminds me of the conflict between Neji and Hinata in Naruto.
The way he emphasized the word ‘stark’ in the beginning sounded hilarious, like he can’t hide how much he hates SM Kung Lao.
You just made my favorite mk character even greater, I thank you for that
I really hope next game they bring his ego down. During the second tournament in MK 9 was the perfect Kung Lao. He actually stops and looks at Raiden before stepping up to fight in the second tournament. He had learned from his first experience with Scorpian. Then actually won. But with Mk 11 he basically can't help himself. Watch any of his intros. Even meeting his revenant it didn't change him.
i love shaolin monks and i want a remastered version!
Even though I never played it, Shaolin Monks needs a HD remake with no story changes.
Trust me Remakes always suffer major changes. Better not be one for Shaolin Monks.
*Liu Kang is the chosen one*
Kung Lao: "and I took that personally.."
Also I wished mk11 could’ve displayed Lao’s virtuous side both in story and in the intros. And for the love of the elder gods is Jin his cousin or nephew, nether realm!
Kung Jin is his nephew and Liu kang is his distant cousins
Cousin
I sorely miss the Kung Lao of MK 2 and 3. I dig the video as a cross-section of Lao's persona evolving. I don't even mind TOO much the revenant trope, but what the holy hell did they turn him into in mk11???? It makes me want to cry....
Liu Kang and Kung Lao being both descended from the OG Kung Lao was something I thought of as a Jon Snow/Robb Stark thing. That Kung Lao would be the actual heir to the family line and legacy, while Liu Kang was an orphaned bastard who also had a bit of the family blood, but not the name. But the two would be friends, nonetheless, due to being classmates and blood-relatives.
Ready for 4thsnake to be hired as a writer for the next mk or injustice. These plotential vids always hit 🔥
I'm subbing for a couple reasons, you cover my main man, you have him a fair trial and made if funny, and you enlightened me about some aspects and made me like my character even more. Also you didn't show Kung Lao's neck treatment ;D
Neck treatment?
9:58
Must of blinked damn it !
You should make a wasted potential on Reptile, he doesn't get the love he deserves
I did plan to, but I forgot whatever idea I had for him.
Hopefully the new game shows the og characters a little more love instead of catering to the newcomers so heavily... we get it, new blood new money but.... c’mon
Don't even need to watch the video. Thumbnail says it all. Hands down favorite character
Yeah, but please watch it though.
one correction, the head bandaba in martial arts has 2 uses
improve focus, and soak up head sweat to prevent it from falling in the eyes wich could be a problem in a fight. Since using tight artifacts improves focus, i believe that's also the use of liu kang gauntlets. So he can focus energy in his fists. wich in turn can produce fireballs better
Very happy to see an in-depth video of my favorite character!
Nice to see some Lao love for once. Dude needs way more.
In all seriousness, the best decision the game devs and IP holders could do for the actual story in games forward is freaking hire you. Or really anyone even remotely close to as dedicated and skilled as you. Either would work, but at least you'd get paid for all the sensible sorting out of this Gordian Knot you've done. Good points all.
this is beautiful, you should write the script for an MK movie
What this gives me is huge Iron Fist vibes, with Danny and Davos, which was one of the few plot points I loved in that show....very well done!
So, building on that family legacy idea, what if in addition to being an offshoot of the Kung family, Liu Kang also has some family ties back to Shang Tsung? It could allow for some exploration of how family legacy affects a person, and how your lineage doesn't define who you are. Plus it wouldn't hurt to give Liu Kang more depth as a character in these newer games.
the virgin liu kang vs the chad kung lao
Everone loves a hero and everone loves an underdog
I think the main thing I don't like about Kung Lao in the reboot timeline is how hair cut like damn bro you had a sick as hell ponytail last time around, where the fuck did it go?
reason why Liu Kang is the chosen one is because Liu is ready to die to save Earthrealm while Kung Lao is ready to die for his own personal glory.
Jade wasted potential is next?
I think I had an idea for her once, but if I did, I forgot.
Jade is my favorite!
OK thanks, it would be nice if she and Tanya got more of the spotlight in next upcoming MK game.
Yeah, she need more love.
Also, could you do a Marshal Law wasted potential video?
I was hoping u did this guy thank you for the video ✊🏽💯
Are you planning on doing any wasted plotential videos on the cyber ninjas? I know to most people they are goofy relics of mks past, these predator power rangers, but they were always one of my favorite parts of mk, Cyrax in particular. I always thought it would have been awesome if instead of blowing himself up in the mkx comic and taking the whole of the cyber lin quei with him, to "clean the slate", instead he formed a new clan, the tekunin, a mirror or Sektor from the old timeline, but now his tekunin will be on the side of good. Seeing an army of cyber ninjas vs the forces of darkness in mk would have been really cool to me, I always love the technology vs magic idea in other fiction. And if they had to go through with the whole Cyrax suicide thing, I had an idea for Triborg too. Triborgs mind is composed of Cyrax, Smoke Sektor, and Sub Zero. Why if Sektor was then only evil one among them, do they give him literally the most boring goal for any robot style villain, to destroy all organic life, that is the most played out and overdone objective they could have given him. Skynet, Ultron, Sigma. Its been done to death. If anything they should have made him a neutral, trying to figure out where he stands in all this. They could have had a dynamic where when hes using Sektors configuration, his weapons and armor, he becomes much more violent, but stronger, and more powerful, because he was the most deadly, the one who actually wanted to be transformed, and inherits Sektors personality traits, the same way with the other personalities in triborg. It would have made his character much more interesting than "DESTROY ALL ORGANIC LIFE, because thats the most boring thing for me to want to do."
Interesting ideas. I've thought about doing one for Cyrax, but I'm lacking ideas for him beyond "don't fucking kill him in the comic".
Your greatest video so far, great content, keep up
5:32 Oh my god I remember unlocking that in the Deadly Alliance Krypt but I never realized until now that it's just the Highlander katana.
Love this series so much!
The *"Great"* Kung Lao
-> Beats Shang Tsung
-> Killed by Goro
Our Kung Lao
-> Beats Goro
-> Beats Shang Tsung + Quan Chi
-> Beats Kintaro
In my eyes, Kung Lao is way superior than his ancestor
Anubis you forgot he got his neck broken by Shao Khan
The “great” KL is mediocre as fuck, I mean it make sense in the first game but as time go he look like a wimp, they better fix it by making it a trickery that he lost to goro
fucking truth!!!
I'm really happy that they made the Mk 9 version of kung Lao as a 1/6 scale figure. Looks almost like him. Mk 9 and Mk 11 are my fav outfits of his.
hmmmm that was interesting. hell i could see it working out the way you described if it were like a movie. you have a good eye about these things. do more of these im really liking what you come up with and the information you give :) its all useful
I have plenty more of these ideas.
0:58 *OH GOD THE HANDSHAKE, IT'S TOO POWERFUL!*
It sears the eyes with its majesty.
Im just waiting for the day when kung lao is the main character... and not that shitty 90s show
Fire God Liu Kang: "But Raiden, I cant reshape history alone")
Raiden: "Well, there might be someone who's always been at your side")
Fire God Liu Kang: "Kitana!")
Raiden and Kung Lao: "Hoes over Bros I guess")
Atleast the Raiden ending is canon but damn, hurts that he didnt even consider Kung Lao, one of his bestest friends)
I think kung laos orgin could be exploited on aswell as he is one of my favorite characters in the series. I have high hopes for him in mk11 with him and kung jins ending, he should be the 1st revenant freed and have a fight with him and jade vs kitana and liu kang where they free their allies and come out of their shadows.
Remember that time when Kung Jin never encountered Kung Lao in MKX? You can be sure I'm gonna fix that in the future.
Yeah that was wierd, jaquie never countered jax either like why?
Bad writing.
I from the future. Sadly don't have high hopes for it. 🙁
I am in love with your videos.
They're also in love with you. Be sure to spend as much time with them as possible. ;)
Liu Kang next. PUH LEASE. Soooooo much wasted potential in both original AND new timeline. Freaking Ed Boon
I've got an idea for him that relates to his morals to add some extra drama in the old timeline. The new timeline version is just ruined and I don't know how to fix him beyond a redemption arc.
I actually think new timeline's Liu Kang is more relatable (flawed, imperfect). In fact I wouldnt've minded if he, by himself, became some sort of an antihero, or even a villain, and not become so because of forced sorcery. I like OT Kang, but NT Kang was more interesting to me... until he became a revenant.
@@ESFAndy011 Hes a freaking shaolin monk. Not a love sick, headstrong stubborn baby. Yeah, Raidens decisions made stuff worse, but if your going to have Liu Kang go against, him, do it appropriately where he still comes off as understandable and level headed while , pushed into a corner. Don't make him blatantly an unreasonable character. And that was all MK 9. X just buried him. There are more than enough "relatable" characters in MK who are all angry.
I mean how reasonable can you be to someone who you think is responsible for the death of so many people, Kung Lao and Kitana included? In fact, he was just as you described up until almost everyone up and died while Raiden dragged Liu Kang into a pointless debate with the Elder Gods. I don't care who raised or mentored you, that has to be incredibly frustrating, especially if you knew that had you been there, they'd probably still be alive. You'd think even Liu Kang would have his limits.
I have always felt Liu Kang and Kung lao were equal the only difference is raiden. Both seeing him as a father figure lao wanting his approval and encouragement but not getting it causing him to doubt himself and fail. Liu Kang gets his approval and encouragement but doesn't really care or need it because liu believes in himself while lso doesn't which leads to laos resentment towards Liu Kang.
Thank you for understanding mah boi
.First video of yours I’ve seen and I’m definitely going to watch more. Very informative and thorough; subscribed for sure.
Awesome. I hope you like what you find.
Quality content as usual
Can't think of a bigger reason for wasted potential than the character who's main character trait is being tragically killed
God this reminds me of Vegeta and goku. Which makes me love kung lao even more!
I enjoy these wasted potential ed boon should hire you man
hes too scurred
@@The4thSnake your videos makes more sense than that mkx sorry excuse for a story
To be fair, it's not that hard.
@@The4thSnake it's still good especially the video on mkx when you say what they could have done instead, the idea of scorpion and subzero teaming up to get sub zero human body and rescuing smoke and noob was good, I don't remember much but I think you said something like that
Something like that yeah. You could always... I dunno... rewatch it or something to refresh your memory of its awesomeness? ;)
You are a very good writer
Thank you.
I yelled "FUCK NOOOOO!!!!" in MK9 when Kung Lao was killed out of nowhere
I get what they were going for, but he deserved better.
@@The4thSnake Fr
The only problem I have here is the same plot hole thats from the game itself. There's no reason they cant both fight in the tournament. You might say there's a limited amount of fighters allowed for earthrealm, but thats just not true. Liu Kang, Nightwolf, and Cage were the only earthrealm fighters. Sonya was only there to save Jax. So Raiden only brought 3 fighters to combat Shang Tsung's 10, while actively arguing that Kung Lao shouldnt get involved. No wonder Earthrealm lost nine tournaments in a row.
MK11 Aftermath about to change all this
This is the Kung Lao we should've gotten, Ed Boon should hire you as a writer.
Loved hearing the Wu-Shi Academy soundtrack from Shaolin Monks. Such great music.
You didn’t mention the fact he’s the family breadwinner. I’m mean wth was his (paying) job when not fighting tarkatans. I could be wrong though
Past Kung Lao wanted a peaceful life? Sounds like some one who likes hands.
That Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks soundtrack is really making me nostalgic.
Love with Kung Loa reignited
This was awesome
Do one for reptile or shang tsung
The video for Tsung in the current timeline would be obscenely long :P
ReloadPsi true true
Reptile is just another case like baraka and kano they don't REALLY do anything
I wish I could remember the idea I had for Reptile. Maybe something could be done with Shang Tsung's origin in Earthrealm, or his machinations to overthrow Kahn.
At this point, why don't you just make 1 all-encompassing video called, "Every Mortal Kombat Character Ever | Wasted Potential". because you're gonna get there eventually anyway.
Because that video would be tens of hours long.
I really thought they would take a kyo and iori (king of fighters.) route with Liu kang and Kung Lao. In that kyo doesn’t care about lineage or destiny but his carefree self is exactly how he falls into the destiny. While iori doesn’t feel like he can escape the expectations or destiny. So he’s obsessed with kyo and how he can have a life and be a carefree person despite the weight on his shoulders.
Yoshikage Lao wants to live a quiet life.
Kung Lao's arcade ending(and Kung Jin's) has tons of potential, hope they make it somewhat cannon in MK 11.
just have fujin merge with kung lao as
raiden did with liu kang in mk 11.
Funny enough in the 2D era Kung Lao and Fujin were played by the same person Anthony Marquez
Yeah, that would be interesting 🤔
Now that's some powerful Wind God.
@@Stealther11
Kung lao would some how screw it up
Though.
7:55 I saw where this was going as soon as you said “gift”
What I always thought should have happened is have Fujin and Raiden both be equals in defending earthrelm, have Raiden choose Lui Kang, and Fujin choose Kung Lao.
*Bro u have inspired me to start my own channel and document my progress. Even though I have a fitness channel, your videos prevent me from giving up💪*
I'm not sure I see the correlation. Is it all the big muscular men I show in my Mortal Kombat videos making you want to get on their level?
@@The4thSnake lol
I actually like Kung lao because I played him alot in mortal Kombat Shaolin monks with my brother and I was always player 2 meaning only playing Kung lao😢
He is one of my favourite characters 🔥 and mk11 confirmed it together with Liu Kang.
Kung Lao classic games: wanted a peaceful life and was pretty lazy but entered the tournament to avenge his fellow shaolin
Shaolin Monks: has a realistic rivalry with Liu kang since they are praticaly at the same level yet Liu kang is favoritized by everyone.
Mk9: Is a good rival to Liu kang without being too jealous or an asshole.
MKX and 11: *Gets Flanderized into being an Asshole with everyone and has Inferiority complex towards Liu Kang*
One thing that confuses me about Kung Lao is his hat. Why does a peace loving monk wear a razor bladed hat? I get that it sets him apart from Liu Kang and "Cool Hat Guy" is a better position than "Not Liu Kang." However, when you think of razor bladed hats, the three characters you think of are Oddjob from Goldfinger (and confirmed to be a major influence in Kung Lao's design), Robert E.O. Speedwagon from JJBA Part 1: Phantom Blood, and Kung Lao. One of these things is obviously not like the other. Oddjob is just a Bond henchman. He's an iconic one, matched only by Jaws, but he's hired muscle nonetheless. Speedwagon, before he was Jonathan's friend/unrequited lover, was the leader of a group of thugs in London's appropriately named Ogre Street. He stopped using it after he became a good guy. That leaves Kung Lao, a monk who only desires to live a peaceful life, using a weapon specifically designed for tearing people apart. At least Oddjob and Speedwagon's hats look like they were hats first and weapons later. Kung Lao's hat looks like he's wearing a buzzsaw on his head.
He's gonna be redeemed in MK12 with the GREAT KUNG LAO
I'm very interested to see where his character will go in mk11 since kung jins ending makes me hopeful that netherrealms wants to make kung lao similar to scorpion in the since that he gains autonomy over the powers that made him into a raith
Nope hes still just a evil revenant, they show him fighting his past self in the trailer
The4thSnake:Wasted Potential
o fug
The4thSnake I'm suprised that's the first time someone's made that joke
I think it's been made... up to twice before. It's a relatively new meme.