Early MK was amazingly unique in that it was a martial arts horror-world and nothing was really like it; or it combined with "dark fantasy". Early lore was very Souls like. I remember always feeling more fascinated by the lore & unexplored potential of Mortal Kombat around the PS2 era. Your videos on taking & identifying all this potential and drastically improving upon it all is so good. Your videos feeling like an analysis of a series that technically doesn't exist but really should. Alas, the developers got lazy, released half cocked, disappointing ideas & systems. Your version focus on the world makes the setting feel like a TTRPG & it all fits perfect. You're a great writer and should do your own series
"an analysis of a series that technically doesn't exist" - Yep, that's my channel, in a nutshell. I'm a bit salty about Soulslikes, actually, because games like MK and Diablo did the dark eerie atmosphere thing way before they were a thing, yet people have forgotten (especially the devs). Thanks for the kind words, by the way. "TTRPG" is probably one of the coolest compliments the channel's gotten.
Early on it was definitely kinetic storytelling. I definitely think the series had such a strong identity in the 90's. But yeah your vids are some of the few I look forward to on youtube lately, great stuff. MK has always had great music & I love the backing track
I always wondered why they didn't make Kung Lao the main protagonist in Deadly Alliance. It would have made sense imo to have him win the tournament in that game instead of Li Mei of all people.
You can have both - have Li Mei win the tournament, but have Kung Lao step up after Liu's death and move the plot forward. I always thought Liu Kang should've died at the climax of a game, not at the start of one, and Kung Lao should've been the next protagonist going forward.
I'd say Kung Lao was the co-protag alongside Raiden. After having to step into the shoes that Liu left behind, he probably had the biggest personal stake in the proceedings. Besides, Li Mei wasn't fighting in a real proper tournament - it was all just a big prank by the sorcerers. It doesn't detract from Lao's importance in any way not to have participated in that.
I just want to add he was winning the fight with Shang but it was fought right beside the soulnado so every time he got to low health Shang just absorbed more souls until he overpowered Kung Lao so he lost to the plot at that point
@@CynicalWarlock I think he could've, you can do a side quest for the white lotus if I remember right but I think it was cut content and he probably wouldve train with the Shaolin if he ever got a break lol but training with bo rai cho before damashi showed up ain't too far off Shaolin training I think
Kinda unrelated but I still think you should keep the connection between Kung Lao and Kung Jin. Having his cousin idolize him could help Lao feel better about himself while also adding to his pressure of not wanting to let Jin down. Lao could also help Jin break away from the path you’ve been setting him down.
Ditto. He could be more self-loathing and Kung Lao; of all people, trains him not to be a jackass. Maybe Kung Jin could be like Shujinko's role in MK1. Kung Lao improperly trains him and the Monks need to fix that issue and Kung finally learns the importance of humility.
I swear either that or I thought for mk1 we would explore the very first mk tournament with the first kung lao and actually make him win this time but they again they said nah 🤦🏽♂️
@JustinJohnson-vc1gr @toonzthegreat8682 Both ideas would've been better than a clumsy rehash of Deadly Alliance and Armageddon - which, I just now realize they chose, deliberately chose.. to reuse elements of every 3D era game *except* the best one.
@@Nick-up5wv I get the logic - from Liu Kang's perspective, it was a bit of reciprocity, and from a storytelling perspective, it's a bit of symmetry between him and Raiden - now Liu is the god and Raiden is the champion - but it doesn't work that well in practice, since it puts a very boring character in the spotlight, while ignoring another character with a much more substantial legacy and more potential.
If I was an MK writer, I would 100% borrow from Tai Chi Master (Twin Warriors), Jet Li, Chin Siu-ho. Liu Kang would be the solid "not by bloodline but chosen" guy, while Kung Lao would be the "supposed to be top dog but is always second best" guy. Kung Lao would have the jealous, near-evil, looking for power angle Chin Siu-ho's character had in that movie. It would really flesh out Kung Lao's character if he's always the more jealous, brutal, possibly-can-be-corrupted one.
they should make him like shang tsung when he was earthrealmer in old canons. as you suggest, corruption would add some weight his characterization and differentiae from both his old canon designs and current canon raiden. it doesn't have to commit treason like shang tsung did back then but something akin to this in lesser extent could work
@@CynicalWarlock when I first saw the movie the first and only thing I thought of was Liu Kang and Kung Lao. Bro even had the hat to match, lol. I can totally see Kung Lao being approached by Shao Kahn (or Shang Tsung, who ever is in charge) getting manipulated via his ego. Just like Twin Warriors. They can even write it that he gets the hat after accepting place as Shao Kahn’s top general. Liu Kang’s pure good ass (pause) would frequently try to talk him out of it, believing in the “good that was once there.” Would Kung Lao rejoin Earth’s champions in the end? Up for grabs. Between those two, they need to cut me a check; I already got their story. As a matter of fact, the realization of Kung Lao’s heel turn breaks Liu Kang so hard, he stop cutting his hair; hence the full-head of hair monk.
@@johnnysilvercloud4470 Oh that's a nice detail about the hair; gives it new meaning - a reminder of pain and failure, rather than youthful flair. It's funny cause MK: Legacy did the exact opposite - they made Liu the renegade, and Lao the wholesome monk who tried to redeem him.
All good, except I would have Kung Lao NOT become corrupted. He's heavily envious, egotistical, even goes so far as to meet up with Shang or Shao ready to give in to temptation. However has a change of heart at the end. Realizes it's TOO easy to give into corruption just because he has every incentive in the world to do so. Perhaps he helps the villians defeat Kung Lao, but saves him from the finishing blow, only to realize what he's doing is wrong. This is exactly why Lui Kang IS the chosen one, BECAUSE Lao can be corrupted and gives into temptation. He realizes he can't restore family honor by taking a dishonorable path. He saves Lui Kang, realizing that he STILL restored family honor while having the TRUE champion save the world. Lui Kang is supposed to save the realms. Kung Lao is supposed to save his family and restore honor to Mortal Kombat. Realizing this he finds peace. While Lui Kang travels from realm to realm being a "hero: Kung Lao RUNS the Monastery and trains FUTURE generations to prepare for Mortal Kombat. Although he eagerly gives Lui a hand on adventures, Lao remains a constant presence in the Wu-Shi Academy and is in charge of the MK tournaments here on out. He runs the tournaments with honor and glory, the way MK USED to be and Lui saves the realms. Kung Lao takes on a Bo Rai Cho role and trains Kung Jin to be the next Lui Kang, but just as a defender of the tournament and not the realms. Lao has NO problem playing second fiddle to Lui Kang because he STILL has a vital role; in the same way Fujin plays second fiddle to Raiden, but is cool with it.
I would make lao evil, but neutral evil. Give him a grudge against outworld and send him on a mission where he kills anyone who gets in his way. Of course have liu fight him a few times try to bring him back Yaddayaddayadda you know where this is going
Yes, that's a good way of putting it - shows how different people who grew up in the same environment can be, and/or how such different people can come together, despite their differences. My pool of neck snap assets grows larger.
@CynicalWarlock - Goes to check on the easy bake oven with a hello kitty oven mit. - " Hmm... think an extra seasoning of death is needed. < sighs > knew I should watched the cooking with scorpion video. "
Great video as always, unlike what current NRS writers do with both of these badass monks for the past 10 years. There's incredible potential behind this dynamic duo; hell, they even got their own spin-off game which is proof enough. But instead all we got are fucking revenants... and MK1 storyline. P.S.: Liu Kang's and Kung Lao's human "skins" from MKX are both great designs and a missed opportunity from the story perspective.
The MKX skins are what I'm most salty about - how can you go through the trouble of making badass, aged skins of all these characters and then just not use them in the story mode? I get that the plot is what it is, but Jax got revived? Why not Kung Lao too, at least?
@@dannyleo5787 yes! That's what they did, writing themselves in a corner, with MK9 and I think they realized that and went ahead having MK11 bring them back and reboot the timeline. It's cool to introduce new characters, but you don't kill the majority of the cast to do it
I believe the aged Kung Lao skin is what Kung Lao WOULD become if the writers cut him slack. It'd work perfect for the role I'd give him as well which is host of Mortal Kombat tournaments. More on that later.
it's funny to think that the concept of Kung Lao as a whole came from Liu Kang, he was the decendant of the great Kung Lao before Kung Lao became a character and the actual descendant of Kung Lao while Liu Kang was retconned to a mere orphan with no legacy... which honestly makes things interesting, the man with a legacy always behind no matter how hard he works toward something, and the random man who's always on top for whatever reason.
That is a fun dynamic indeed, but was it a retcon? I don't remember Liu being mentioned as the descendant of the GKL, in MK 1992 (curse you M1K). And I know Tobias specifically tweeted that Kung Lao was always meant to be the descendant, not Kang.
@@CynicalWarlock yeah well, it was how they handled it in the '95 movie, Liu was the descendant of the great kung lao when kung lao as a character already existed in mk2 which is just really confusing
@@urdatninja Oh in the movie yeah, totally. Liu was also very bratty, so they really did amalgamate both characters into one.. before bratty Kung Lao was even a thing.
At one time Lui and Kung were distant cousins. The OG Lao was married to a Kang. Or something like that. Lui's mother was a Lao that married a Kang or something, I don't remember exactly how it went, but they were BOTH related to the OG Lao before Lui was re-written to be an orphan with no past, probably to rip off Ryu. Anyhow Lui was an orphan adopted by the Shaolin and became like a brother to Kung Lao. Basically the two are the Ken and Ryu of MK, character-wise, but MK was ORIGINAL in making them both VERY different characters with different motivations and goals. How Raiden and Kung Lao's friendship/brother dynamic in MK 1 was well depicted and I assume that that's how their relationship is; accept Raiden would be Lui Kang and not a sissy boy. I believe they would have light-hearted banter and be friendly rivals at first, but as the series goes on Kung Lao is more like his MK Shaolin Monks and MK1 counterpart where he struggles NOT to be envious of Lui Kang, but the seeds are there and he has to overcome it. He slowly starts to hate Lui Kang and fights to control that disdain. Probably Johnny's influence inspires him to act more cocky, but deep down he feels he's a failure to his family and Lui is the source of his internal pain and anger. Lui is to spar with him and kinda guide him, as well as keep an eye on him to ensure he doesn't become corrupted. If he can learn humility and discipline he could be GREAT like Lui Kang.
This was a fun video. Hoping to see a dedicated Liu Kang vid in the future, as I've recently come to enjoy the character more and think there are aspects about him most people overlook. One thing I've noticed is that in a number of ways he's like a more adult version of Aang. He's a kind humble monk who displays many of the qualities of his fellow monks, but has something special about him that separates him from his would be brothers other than a key few. He's blessed with incredible elemental power, but with that power he has to bare the weight of the entire world on his shoulders or else let it die. And at least in the beginning of his journey, Liu Kang refuses to kill, valuing all life as a monk much like Aang. And if we're including the power system stuff the connections get even stronger, as Liu Kang practices soul, giving him access to the four elements much like an Avatar. Kang even has a bit of an offscreen arc in mkx learning to utilize his opposite element just like how Aang struggled to learn Earth. I'm probably looking too deep into this, but that's what makes the speculation fun and part of why I've come to like Liu Kang so much
The Aang comparison is so based. The bit about Soul giving him all 4 elements isn't exactly how my system works, but overall, if they went in the Aang direction with Liu, it would fully realize this character, I think.
@CynicalWarlock I agree with that. If Liu Kang stuck to his guns and didn't kill it would make him stand out all the more. And while yeah, he's not exactly an avatar, but there is something undeniably special about him. When you think about it, turning into a Fire God wasn't just Raiden's godhood buffing Liu Kang, it was Liu Kang's limitless potential that also buffed the godhood itself, if that makes any sense. As a mortal, Liu Kang could go toe to toe with sorcerers, conquerors, shokkan warriors, and fallen gods. But as a god himself, even just getting Raiden's puny little lesser god juice, was enough for him to surpass the Elder gods and Kronika. It was enough for him to pretty much instantly reach the top tiers of the admittedly shaky power scale in MK, even though for as strong as he is, Raiden alone shouldn't have been able to amp him THAT much
Kung Lao is one of my favorite MK characters, check this in MK11 there's a dialogue between Liu Kang and Cetrion, mentioning Liu has the fire of Onaga! so i begin craft a story of what if Liu Kang was in Onaga's bloodline? Onaga is willing take a bride in Li Mei's Deception ending! your thoughts?
Kung Lao is third on my list of characters I want to see turn heel in the new era, dude needs fresh coat if he's gonna justify getting a spot in every base roster (plus inexplicably a kameo as well...) otherwise he'd better off taking a break for the next game. Cop-out revenant bullshit does not count either. Kung Jin (the most interesting Kombat Kid) could've added a lot to his story and also the White Lotus Society as a whole, it's a shame they ditched him while the other three have all returned.
Well they ditched Jin because they can't even do one Kung properly, let alone 2. Kung Lao is someone they hold on to, begrudgingly, cause they don't know what to do with him, yet they know the moment they don't include him in the roster, fans will outrage, a bunch of hats will be sent to their offices by sarcastic disgruntled fans, FoxyGrandpa will stop playing their games, it'd be horrible.
@@CynicalWarlock You're right, it would be very out-of-character for NRS to willingly piss off their own customers. At the very least, they could do some basic stuff like give him his own Outworld girlfriend, revisit his old rivalries with Baraka/Goro that seemed to get forgotten about or have him meet the Great Kung Lao with time shenanigans. Anything's better than just being "the other guy" (who gets fridged).
@@lordtrigon1733 Imagine if they went back in time and Kung Lao had the opportunity to save his ancestor from his grizzly death at the hands of Goro, but was told not to, because it could derail the timeline. Interesting internal conflict ensues.
Watching This Three times helped me realize that you managed to call me out through describing Kunglao and that I need a razor hat and a good work out regiment
Oooh I really like that idea with Liu’s arc being not specifically achieving certain characteristics but withstanding pressure and keeping the characteristics that he already has. Low key gives off a vibe of Berserk with struggling through the problems that occur in the world that is full of evil, as well as living your life and not giving up on it no matter what painful obstacle appears.
Yeah I agree with you in the fact both timelines never got Kung Lao right and it sucks that they keep him as a sloppy second when he can shine that doesnt effect Lui Kang. I also think the fact his element is air is interesting and actually constrasts with his ocd snarky high strung ways. Perhaps when he was training Fujin encouraged him to use this element as a way to help him see that you cant be so hands on with everything and not be so high strung. Let things flow. I think that would be a great arc for him: having that balance of keeping tradition and sticking to his guns while also learning the ways of the wind.
Air works wonders for him cause air is often depicted as the element of freedom, calm, peace, serenity, airbenders yes, but also as swift, tumultuous storm, raging winds summoned by shamans and chieftains, it's associated with autumn, the season of change, it's moody, it's all those things. And that makes for a wonderful arc for Kung Lao, cause he's a monk, but he's got all this turmoil inside him that he needs to work through; he kind of embodies both worlds.
I like the idea of a Lui Kang who has this grand destiny before hin but actively rejects it because he doesn't want people to only see him as some kind of a "chosen one." But he eventually accepts his role anyway because Raiden realizes that while Kung Lao may be more disciplined, Lui is more passionate about protecting not just Earthrealm but everyone.
I mean, I put extreme pressure on myself. I’m not the easiest person to get along with. I really stick to tradition. I stick to what I’ve learned things come easier to other people and it kind of makes me jealous but when I work hard, I’m able to keep up with them.
@ I definitely feel like wow should get some shine because that’s who I am in the sense of OK well this is my time to shine. I’ve worked hard. I deserved this. This is my piece of the pie.
I’m curious about your thoughts on who mk1 raiden is I’m asking every TH-camr to see if anyone knows who he is if anyone other than Liu Kang’s OC insert replacement
@ ok if Lord Raiden gave up his godhood to fire god liu who is the new Raiden in this timeline is he a descendant of the original Raiden after he became mortal or maybe his family replaced the Kang family in this timeline or is he just a random guy that Liu Kang groomed to be this new Kung Laos best friend/voice of reason much like he was in his original timeline
@@CynicalWarlock Vanilla coke is easily my top pick but dammit literally nobody in my region carries it the closest I can get is hoping the local Subway isn't out of the vanilla syrup in their soda fountain. ...Second is Barque's, which has the same issue -- gotta go to Burger King for it.
@@CoralCopperHead Only recently found vanilla coke myself; it used to not be a thing, but now there's **one store** that has it. Never had Barq's or any root beer really, so I'm envious.
kunglao status as a shaolin member has always been an ick to me, because of all the windy stuff he should've been belong to the bagua faction thing, but of course that spot is taken by shang tsung.
@@CynicalWarlock bagua is actually 8 trigrams (ba=8, gua=name for the trigram) that is used in Taoist tradition (I couldn't find the word Taoist earlier in my head)
I feel like it's a bad play to imply "Calm and Stoic = No Personality" I would say that is just the surface level of the character. The same way a character who is energetic and quirky can be just as shallow, a calm and stoic character can be given depth for why they behave the way they do, what it does or doesn't mean to them, how it affects their interactions with other characters both positively and negatively, and what can draw out their emotions or reinforce their steely exterior. So, while I won't say early Kung Lao is good, I will say that there is nothing wrong with wanting a return of his original temperament. As always, execution is everything, and everyone asking for it are doing so under them premise that it would be executed at least good enough.
Completely true, but og Lao fans never elaborate on why stoic Lao would be so great, and there's practically nothing in the old material to inform Lao's personality, in any way (except maybe some comic or old show I haven't seen). In that context, you're comparing nothing to something; something wins by default, even if it's not very good. There's also the issue that most people see Liu Kang as the stoic one, so if you make them both stoic, it's kind of redundant. That's probably why they moved away from that, from Shaolin Monks onwards.
@CynicalWarlock Well, after making this comment I did comment in the community post about how there is potential in having both a stoic Lao and stoic Lang if you want to see my case for it. However, I do think you're still have the wrong mindset. It isn't comparing something to nothing, Kung Lao's stoicism *is* the "something." It's the difference between having nothing to say and choosing to say nothing. And even taking that position as true the argument becomes whether a zero is better than a negative for everyone who actively dislikes the modern Kung Lao. Compare to the arguments against MK11 Sindel.
@@vadandrumist1670 Correct, but there's only one Sindel, whereas we have 2 monks that become more and more interchangeable if we make their personalities the same.
@CynicalWarlock Interesting way to put it. Does that mean you would not argue against (or even argue in favor of) MK11 Sindei's personality change if there was another caring mother and queen among the cast? And just because Kung Lao and Liu Kang would both be stoic does not mean they would have the same personalities. That would just be a shallow observation of their surface temperament. To reiterate from my comment in the community post, both should be stoic but open up in different ways and have different driving motivations. Liu Kang has his romance and has to deal with the frustrations and temptations of being the queen on Earthrealm's side of the chessboard, which limit his actions but grant him greater authority and respect in those that remain. Meanwhile Kung Lao has a personal goal of avenging the hero he also wants to live up to, and will also more frequently find himself in environments where he can more demonstrate his depth due to this goal, and in its aftermath the connections he'll have made along the way. Kung Lao might be more outwardly composed and disciplined while inwardly passionate compared to Liu Kang's more uplifting casual calmness that he can harden whenever it comes time to do the right-but-difficult thing for the greater good.
Liu Kang and Kung Lao are 2 sides of the same coin and in a way are kind of a don't judge a book based on it's cover type thing with Liu following the least amount of traditions but having the heart of a shaolin whereas Lao does honor traditions the best but still has work on when it comes to being a shaolin. Also I agree, Lao deserves to be a protagonist at some point (though I remember hearing that before Mythologies Sub-Zero flopped, Lao along with Baraka and Jax had planned Mythology games) and if you have to do the whole Liu is revived as a force of evil akin to zombie or revenant Liu Kang, have it be Lao that stops him either putting him down or saving him.
@@welchrebooted4739 Fully agree - Lao should've taken center stage, in the 3D era and confronted Zombie Kang. I don't get why they don't resurrect the Mythologies series; it would be a cheap, efficient way to add more lore, story and spinoffs to the franchise.
Not too soon, sadly. Will be away on work trips the entire next week, so I don't have time to work on ambitious stuff; have to prep smaller scale videos in advance, for now.
The way I see it is Kung Lao's snarkiness towards Liu is just his built up dissapointment with himself. I feel like whilst he builds himself up externally, internally, he doesn't, because in his eyes, he can never be the Great Kung Lao(even though he literally is). He has mythologised his ancestors' story and plight and uses it to motivate and keep himself down. Also I think the only reason we don't end up seeing him take on powerful opponents and show his true potential is due to the chapter system. The new MK power scaling is messed up.
Very well articulated. King Lao embodies our self doubt; it's what makes him such a relatable character. And I've been raging against the chapter system for a while now, it severely limits the storytelling.
I personally bash plot of Shaolin Monks (game). It basically cemented both Liu and Kung Lao into lesser versions of themselves that NRS use as base to this very day.
@@CynicalWarlock heretic! But serious now. It was the game where Midway rewritten Kung Lao into cocky and jealous to Liu douchbag, and he was written like that ever since
MK1 Intro Raiden: "My dark counterpart still roams this timeline." Kung Lao: "Guess that means we have an impostor a-monk us." Let me know what you think of this
I always think that on mortal kombat 1 to 3 liu kang partner with kung lao and on mortal kombat 4 liu kang partner with kai then when deadly alliance happen where liu kang is killed i think they should make kung lao partner with kai to train together with bo rai cho and maybe get help by other bo rai cho student li mei to stop shang tsung and quan chi
Also warlock can you maybe make video on who should be cast as mortal kombat characters if they make mortal kombat as streaming show with martial artist or stuntman or stuntwoman with acting ability that you think can play this mortal kombat characters
@@rezaashary402 Oh man, I'm not good at that - don't know nearly enough actors, but maybe I'll try it. Also, your trajectory for Liu, Lao, Li Mei and Kao makes the most sense; they just didn't have enough faith in these new characters, sadly.
lol yes! Mu Do Kwan is one of two Olympic TaeKwonDo styles developed in Seoul. The only time I’ve ever heard the term “indomitable spirit” was in one of the core tenets which is “I will endeavor to achieve an indomitable spirit” 24 years ago and I thought it was interesting to hear you put those two words together since I’ve only ever heard it in one place long ago.
lol yeah yeah especially when one of those words swing around every quarter century 🤣🤣🤣 Idk. I was kind of thinking (maybe hoping) that you might secretly be a Shaolin Monk and had a freudian slip.
@CynicalWarlock most Kung Lao fanatics do prefer the stoic, silent, Lao, like there is a legit KL fan that wouldn't have a probably with him been mute. It makes sense about "Kabal not been able to blindsind him" like in the 21 movie. And fuck MK1, for that, seriously.
@@syki-tp1tn The fact that they had all the fights happening at the same time, during the climax, and just cut from one to the other made it one big clusterfuck.
Raiden sucks in MK1. It SHOULD have been Kung Lao as champion. He should be the one at the Pyramid too. I think Raiden could be the hero at the Pyramid, but knowing NRS it's probably Lui Kang. I'm guessing Lui Kang from yet ANOTHER time-line fought alongside himself to defeat the Deadly Aliance and properly restore the time-line before returning to his own. HOWEVER we later learned that NRS simply doesn't give a 💩 and the winning character doesn't matter, so I'm not going to care either. MY head cannon says it's TWO Lui Kangs restoring their respective time-lines; because of COURSE it is 🙄, but Lao deserves love, so I'm saying it was finally Kung Lao's time to shine. Oh and on Kung Lao his personality has been so radical over the years that I suspect; at least during the Midway era, there were TWO Kung Laos. Perhaps there still is OR Kung Lao is a reincarnation, so he returns, slightly different each time. Think of how Raiden changed radically when he kept dying and coming back. Perhaps Kung Lao is the same and I have a reason. The OG Kung Lao was blessed by the Elder Gods with immortality because he was the MK Champion. However he died, but not unlike Scorpion was able to return to life to avenge his loss. Scorpion was tainted by the influence of the Netherrealm and Quan Chi. What if an adverse effect was imparted on Kung Lao by the Elder Gods. Perhaps Raiden himself or even Fujin gave Lao this ability. Maybe it was the Elder Gods' intentions all along for Kung Lao to be Earthrealm's champion, but they had to settle for Lui Kang. Maybe Kung Lao is like Vader where he was to create a balance, but failed so the Elder Gods had him reincarnate to prove himself. He's been trying for generations trying to atone for his loss in every lifetime and it lead up to modern day Kung Lao. Kung Lao is all about restoring family honor because he IS the ORIGINAL Kung Lao. In the Midway era he dies in MK 3 and returns in MK Gold. I believe he died in MK 3 and a NEW Kung Lao took his place in Gold and is the same one as MKDA. In the NRS time-line I think the serious Kung Lao died in Shao Kahn's Arena and the Snarky Kung Lao is actually a second Kung Lao. So far; according to my theory, we have 3 Kung Laos OR 3 different versions of the SAME Kung Lao, who changes every lifetime. Think of Link from LOZ and it's kinda like that.
The multiple Laos idea is pretty far out. That does account for the multiple personalities quite elegantly. Would've also made this multiverse crap more entertaining, by revealing all of this and putting all the incarnations in the same room and have them butt heads, then ally together. Or vice versa.
@CynicalWarlock I'm thinking "he must win" COULD have meant Kung Lao; just not how Raiden did it. Kung Lao should've won the tournament, but Lui Kang should defeat Shao Kahn to save the realms. Kung Lao is to restore family honor by uncorrupting the tournament and Lui Kang is meant to protect ALL of the realms, not just Earthrealm, the role Shujinko THOUGHT he fulfilled in MKD, but he was deceived instead.
@@Nick-up5wv I love that, actually. Good way to balance both monks (which, of course, everyone would bitch about). Kung Lao - savior of the tournament Liu Kang - savior of the realms Shujinko - damnation of the realms By the way, it's funny how the death of Liu Kang coincides with the arrival of Shujinko on the scene. Almost like a cosmic tipping of the scales from stability to utter chaos.
@@CynicalWarlock Never thought of it that way, but you are right. Oh I told Nappr to check out your content. He LOVES MK and does his own videos on it. When I told him about knowledgeable people on the topic I mentioned you to check out. Anyway yeah I like how you had Shujinko as damner of the realms. I believe he takes on BOTH roles of Lui Kang and Kung Lao, but in pure vanity. He WANTS to be a hero, but is blinded by ego and a sense of duty. With all the power going to his head he could even develop an ego like Johnny. Perhaps he serves as a warning to both Monks not to be too overconfident OR just devoted to duty. He's super dutiful like Lui Kang, but doesn't stop to consider whom or what he blindly follows. Lui Kang kinda had that negative trait in MK Shaolin Monks where he just blindly followed Raiden's orders without questioning for even a second if it was even Raiden. Kung Lao was the smarter of the two. I'd like to think that; although Shujinko and Lui Kang come off as stupid, both were intended to come off as naive. They're so focused on their training and sense of duty they tend to overlook small details and can be blindsided by villians who are cunning and strategic. Shujinko has Kung Lao's arrogance and ego, but he DOES possess the abilities of EVERY MK character, so... In a sense he also demonstrates abilities possessed by Shang Tsung. He's kinda a good Shang Tsung. Shujinko isn't a Monk per say, but do to Bo Rai Cho's teachings and the fact Bo trained BOTH Shaolin Monks it's not that far fetched.
@@Nick-up5wv Great analysis. I agree that naivete should be one of Liu and Shuji's common traits. Kung Lao (especially my version of him) is the guy who always questions and scrutinizes both himself and the world. As an aside, it's funny how the one time we see Liu Kang scrutinizing Raiden is when he dies a horrible death, in MK9. And yeah, technically speaking, Shuji is a better Shang than Shang, cause he doesn't need to steal Souls to gain their power. Also, thanks for the mention. Appreciate it.
Cynical Warlock. Kung Lao is Liu Kang 2.0. He is Liu Kang's dark side. Anxiety and jealousy, without hope and therefore without freedom. Because Liu Kang is living rent free in his head. He can't rise above himself, because he is eclipsed by Liu Kang.
Cynical Warlock. Thank you.❤️ Kung Lao is the mirror of Liu Kang. Envy, jealousy, anger and disappointment, in himself. He (unlike Liu Kang DOES KILL. Before Mortal Kombat II ret-coned Liu Kang. Long story.
Kung Lao sounds like me & I don't like it...I self sabotage a lot...I let the small things secretly bother me, but unlike Lao I'm not acidic & antagonistic & I like to think I have a pleasing presence & never have bad energy & because of that people always wanna be around me like Liu, but, even though I'm the youngest child, I feel like I'm the middle child :(
Well younger siblings can feel like that, sometimes. The brunt of the focus and responsibility doesn't land on them, yey, but that also comes with the downside of occasional neglect and falling into uncertainty about themselves and their role.
@@CynicalWarlock Omg you hit the nail on the head, I feel seen, especially regarding the neglect leading to uncertainty about myself & my value with people as I was neglected & never felt love & warmth as a kid, which led to me self sabotaging as I already mentioned & pushing loved ones away when they offer help in my adult life, thanks.
Early MK was amazingly unique in that it was a martial arts horror-world and nothing was really like it; or it combined with "dark fantasy". Early lore was very Souls like.
I remember always feeling more fascinated by the lore & unexplored potential of Mortal Kombat around the PS2 era.
Your videos on taking & identifying all this potential and drastically improving upon it all is so good. Your videos feeling like an analysis of a series that technically doesn't exist but really should. Alas, the developers got lazy, released half cocked, disappointing ideas & systems.
Your version focus on the world makes the setting feel like a TTRPG & it all fits perfect. You're a great writer and should do your own series
"an analysis of a series that technically doesn't exist" - Yep, that's my channel, in a nutshell.
I'm a bit salty about Soulslikes, actually, because games like MK and Diablo did the dark eerie atmosphere thing way before they were a thing, yet people have forgotten (especially the devs).
Thanks for the kind words, by the way. "TTRPG" is probably one of the coolest compliments the channel's gotten.
Early on it was definitely kinetic storytelling. I definitely think the series had such a strong identity in the 90's.
But yeah your vids are some of the few I look forward to on youtube lately, great stuff. MK has always had great music & I love the backing track
@@CynicalWarlock Hey just wanted to ask are you familiar with Vermis??
@@oliverjamesatkinson No.
I always wondered why they didn't make Kung Lao the main protagonist in Deadly Alliance. It would have made sense imo to have him win the tournament in that game instead of Li Mei of all people.
You can have both - have Li Mei win the tournament, but have Kung Lao step up after Liu's death and move the plot forward.
I always thought Liu Kang should've died at the climax of a game, not at the start of one, and Kung Lao should've been the next protagonist going forward.
I'd say Kung Lao was the co-protag alongside Raiden. After having to step into the shoes that Liu left behind, he probably had the biggest personal stake in the proceedings.
Besides, Li Mei wasn't fighting in a real proper tournament - it was all just a big prank by the sorcerers. It doesn't detract from Lao's importance in any way not to have participated in that.
I just want to add he was winning the fight with Shang but it was fought right beside the soulnado so every time he got to low health Shang just absorbed more souls until he overpowered Kung Lao so he lost to the plot at that point
Wasn't that tournament just for like her village?
@ yes
I know shujinko isn't but he always gave me the Shaolin monk vibe in deception
Shujinko the goat 🐐 🔥 I feel like he’s a mix of Liu and Lao to some extent.
He totally has that vibe; he should totally have trained with the Shaolin, for a time. Maybe even be part of the White Lotus society.
@@wren8253 Not a bad guideline for writing him, actually.
@@CynicalWarlock he has Liu Kangs optimism and enthusiasm mixed with Lao’s sense of duty, responsibility and self blaming.
@@CynicalWarlock I think he could've, you can do a side quest for the white lotus if I remember right but I think it was cut content and he probably wouldve train with the Shaolin if he ever got a break lol but training with bo rai cho before damashi showed up ain't too far off Shaolin training I think
Kinda unrelated but I still think you should keep the connection between Kung Lao and Kung Jin. Having his cousin idolize him could help Lao feel better about himself while also adding to his pressure of not wanting to let Jin down. Lao could also help Jin break away from the path you’ve been setting him down.
I, personally, need more to justify him as a character, but sure.
Guuuh, Kung Jin is the definition of "kombatant I don't hate and _want to like_ but I can't find any reason to."
@@CoralCopperHead Best way to put it.
I concur as well.
Ditto. He could be more self-loathing and Kung Lao; of all people, trains him not to be a jackass. Maybe Kung Jin could be like Shujinko's role in MK1. Kung Lao improperly trains him and the Monks need to fix that issue and Kung finally learns the importance of humility.
Still wondering why NRS never made Kung Lao champion. They had it right there with MK1 but said nah
I swear either that or I thought for mk1 we would explore the very first mk tournament with the first kung lao and actually make him win this time but they again they said nah 🤦🏽♂️
@toonzthegreat8682 It's so dumb
@JustinJohnson-vc1gr @toonzthegreat8682 Both ideas would've been better than a clumsy rehash of Deadly Alliance and Armageddon - which, I just now realize they chose, deliberately chose.. to reuse elements of every 3D era game *except* the best one.
Kung Lao could've been AMAZING, but nah. Let's make the worst version of Raiden I've ever seen be champion instead.
@@Nick-up5wv I get the logic - from Liu Kang's perspective, it was a bit of reciprocity, and from a storytelling perspective, it's a bit of symmetry between him and Raiden - now Liu is the god and Raiden is the champion - but it doesn't work that well in practice, since it puts a very boring character in the spotlight, while ignoring another character with a much more substantial legacy and more potential.
If I was an MK writer, I would 100% borrow from Tai Chi Master (Twin Warriors), Jet Li, Chin Siu-ho. Liu Kang would be the solid "not by bloodline but chosen" guy, while Kung Lao would be the "supposed to be top dog but is always second best" guy. Kung Lao would have the jealous, near-evil, looking for power angle Chin Siu-ho's character had in that movie. It would really flesh out Kung Lao's character if he's always the more jealous, brutal, possibly-can-be-corrupted one.
they should make him like shang tsung when he was earthrealmer in old canons. as you suggest, corruption would add some weight his characterization and differentiae from both his old canon designs and current canon raiden. it doesn't have to commit treason like shang tsung did back then but something akin to this in lesser extent could work
Would definitely work; you went all-in on the envy part.
Man, Jet Li would've been great as either of these mofos.
@@CynicalWarlock when I first saw the movie the first and only thing I thought of was Liu Kang and Kung Lao. Bro even had the hat to match, lol.
I can totally see Kung Lao being approached by Shao Kahn (or Shang Tsung, who ever is in charge) getting manipulated via his ego. Just like Twin Warriors. They can even write it that he gets the hat after accepting place as Shao Kahn’s top general. Liu Kang’s pure good ass (pause) would frequently try to talk him out of it, believing in the “good that was once there.” Would Kung Lao rejoin Earth’s champions in the end? Up for grabs.
Between those two, they need to cut me a check; I already got their story.
As a matter of fact, the realization of Kung Lao’s heel turn breaks Liu Kang so hard, he stop cutting his hair; hence the full-head of hair monk.
@@johnnysilvercloud4470 Oh that's a nice detail about the hair; gives it new meaning - a reminder of pain and failure, rather than youthful flair.
It's funny cause MK: Legacy did the exact opposite - they made Liu the renegade, and Lao the wholesome monk who tried to redeem him.
All good, except I would have Kung Lao NOT become corrupted. He's heavily envious, egotistical, even goes so far as to meet up with Shang or Shao ready to give in to temptation. However has a change of heart at the end. Realizes it's TOO easy to give into corruption just because he has every incentive in the world to do so. Perhaps he helps the villians defeat Kung Lao, but saves him from the finishing blow, only to realize what he's doing is wrong. This is exactly why Lui Kang IS the chosen one, BECAUSE Lao can be corrupted and gives into temptation. He realizes he can't restore family honor by taking a dishonorable path. He saves Lui Kang, realizing that he STILL restored family honor while having the TRUE champion save the world. Lui Kang is supposed to save the realms. Kung Lao is supposed to save his family and restore honor to Mortal Kombat. Realizing this he finds peace. While Lui Kang travels from realm to realm being a "hero: Kung Lao RUNS the Monastery and trains FUTURE generations to prepare for Mortal Kombat. Although he eagerly gives Lui a hand on adventures, Lao remains a constant presence in the Wu-Shi Academy and is in charge of the MK tournaments here on out. He runs the tournaments with honor and glory, the way MK USED to be and Lui saves the realms. Kung Lao takes on a Bo Rai Cho role and trains Kung Jin to be the next Lui Kang, but just as a defender of the tournament and not the realms. Lao has NO problem playing second fiddle to Lui Kang because he STILL has a vital role; in the same way Fujin plays second fiddle to Raiden, but is cool with it.
I would make lao evil, but neutral evil. Give him a grudge against outworld and send him on a mission where he kills anyone who gets in his way.
Of course have liu fight him a few times try to bring him back Yaddayaddayadda you know where this is going
It's funny cause that's the exact opposite of what MK: Legacy did.
So in a nutshell, they are similar people and yet so different. Also the " or an ambush" part at 7:13 is just wild 😂
Yes, that's a good way of putting it - shows how different people who grew up in the same environment can be, and/or how such different people can come together, despite their differences.
My pool of neck snap assets grows larger.
Got me curious on your version of shinnok.
Yeah me too, lawl.
I'm working on it, but it's not quite fully baked yet.
@CynicalWarlock - Goes to check on the easy bake oven with a hello kitty oven mit. -
" Hmm... think an extra seasoning of death is needed. < sighs > knew I should watched the cooking with scorpion video. "
@@dannyleo5787 We need an ice cream with Sub video.
*"Such wasted p(l)otential..."* ❄️
Amen.
Great video as always, unlike what current NRS writers do with both of these badass monks for the past 10 years. There's incredible potential behind this dynamic duo; hell, they even got their own spin-off game which is proof enough. But instead all we got are fucking revenants... and MK1 storyline.
P.S.: Liu Kang's and Kung Lao's human "skins" from MKX are both great designs and a missed opportunity from the story perspective.
The MKX skins are what I'm most salty about - how can you go through the trouble of making badass, aged skins of all these characters and then just not use them in the story mode? I get that the plot is what it is, but Jax got revived? Why not Kung Lao too, at least?
The easy answer is, mkx was... what i call the cornered writer who was aware that mk9 killed to many key players early in its reboot
@@dannyleo5787 yes! That's what they did, writing themselves in a corner, with MK9 and I think they realized that and went ahead having MK11 bring them back and reboot the timeline. It's cool to introduce new characters, but you don't kill the majority of the cast to do it
I believe the aged Kung Lao skin is what Kung Lao WOULD become if the writers cut him slack. It'd work perfect for the role I'd give him as well which is host of Mortal Kombat tournaments. More on that later.
it's funny to think that the concept of Kung Lao as a whole came from Liu Kang, he was the decendant of the great Kung Lao before Kung Lao became a character and the actual descendant of Kung Lao while Liu Kang was retconned to a mere orphan with no legacy... which honestly makes things interesting, the man with a legacy always behind no matter how hard he works toward something, and the random man who's always on top for whatever reason.
That is a fun dynamic indeed, but was it a retcon? I don't remember Liu being mentioned as the descendant of the GKL, in MK 1992 (curse you M1K). And I know Tobias specifically tweeted that Kung Lao was always meant to be the descendant, not Kang.
@@CynicalWarlock yeah well, it was how they handled it in the '95 movie, Liu was the descendant of the great kung lao when kung lao as a character already existed in mk2 which is just really confusing
@@urdatninja Oh in the movie yeah, totally. Liu was also very bratty, so they really did amalgamate both characters into one.. before bratty Kung Lao was even a thing.
At one time Lui and Kung were distant cousins. The OG Lao was married to a Kang. Or something like that. Lui's mother was a Lao that married a Kang or something, I don't remember exactly how it went, but they were BOTH related to the OG Lao before Lui was re-written to be an orphan with no past, probably to rip off Ryu. Anyhow Lui was an orphan adopted by the Shaolin and became like a brother to Kung Lao. Basically the two are the Ken and Ryu of MK, character-wise, but MK was ORIGINAL in making them both VERY different characters with different motivations and goals. How Raiden and Kung Lao's friendship/brother dynamic in MK 1 was well depicted and I assume that that's how their relationship is; accept Raiden would be Lui Kang and not a sissy boy. I believe they would have light-hearted banter and be friendly rivals at first, but as the series goes on Kung Lao is more like his MK Shaolin Monks and MK1 counterpart where he struggles NOT to be envious of Lui Kang, but the seeds are there and he has to overcome it. He slowly starts to hate Lui Kang and fights to control that disdain. Probably Johnny's influence inspires him to act more cocky, but deep down he feels he's a failure to his family and Lui is the source of his internal pain and anger. Lui is to spar with him and kinda guide him, as well as keep an eye on him to ensure he doesn't become corrupted. If he can learn humility and discipline he could be GREAT like Lui Kang.
I think with any series that goes on long enough things will change. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. But it will change.
Truth.
Kabal. Where is Kabal?!
Oh right, thanks for reminding me. Gotta do somethin for the poor burn victim.
That ambulance really is taking its time... should we um... take him ourselves to get treatment?
This was a fun video. Hoping to see a dedicated Liu Kang vid in the future, as I've recently come to enjoy the character more and think there are aspects about him most people overlook. One thing I've noticed is that in a number of ways he's like a more adult version of Aang. He's a kind humble monk who displays many of the qualities of his fellow monks, but has something special about him that separates him from his would be brothers other than a key few. He's blessed with incredible elemental power, but with that power he has to bare the weight of the entire world on his shoulders or else let it die. And at least in the beginning of his journey, Liu Kang refuses to kill, valuing all life as a monk much like Aang. And if we're including the power system stuff the connections get even stronger, as Liu Kang practices soul, giving him access to the four elements much like an Avatar. Kang even has a bit of an offscreen arc in mkx learning to utilize his opposite element just like how Aang struggled to learn Earth. I'm probably looking too deep into this, but that's what makes the speculation fun and part of why I've come to like Liu Kang so much
The Aang comparison is so based. The bit about Soul giving him all 4 elements isn't exactly how my system works, but overall, if they went in the Aang direction with Liu, it would fully realize this character, I think.
@CynicalWarlock I agree with that. If Liu Kang stuck to his guns and didn't kill it would make him stand out all the more. And while yeah, he's not exactly an avatar, but there is something undeniably special about him. When you think about it, turning into a Fire God wasn't just Raiden's godhood buffing Liu Kang, it was Liu Kang's limitless potential that also buffed the godhood itself, if that makes any sense. As a mortal, Liu Kang could go toe to toe with sorcerers, conquerors, shokkan warriors, and fallen gods. But as a god himself, even just getting Raiden's puny little lesser god juice, was enough for him to surpass the Elder gods and Kronika. It was enough for him to pretty much instantly reach the top tiers of the admittedly shaky power scale in MK, even though for as strong as he is, Raiden alone shouldn't have been able to amp him THAT much
Love your content keep up the great work
I feel good now
@ glad to be of service
@@CrazyGamingYT56 My lord responded🖤🖤🖤
Kung Lao is one of my favorite MK characters, check this in MK11 there's a dialogue between Liu Kang and Cetrion, mentioning Liu has the fire of Onaga! so i begin craft a story of what if Liu Kang was in Onaga's bloodline? Onaga is willing take a bride in Li Mei's Deception ending! your thoughts?
Yep, there is that connection, and I might or might not be alluding to the same thing.
Kung Lao is third on my list of characters I want to see turn heel in the new era, dude needs fresh coat if he's gonna justify getting a spot in every base roster (plus inexplicably a kameo as well...) otherwise he'd better off taking a break for the next game. Cop-out revenant bullshit does not count either.
Kung Jin (the most interesting Kombat Kid) could've added a lot to his story and also the White Lotus Society as a whole, it's a shame they ditched him while the other three have all returned.
Well they ditched Jin because they can't even do one Kung properly, let alone 2. Kung Lao is someone they hold on to, begrudgingly, cause they don't know what to do with him, yet they know the moment they don't include him in the roster, fans will outrage, a bunch of hats will be sent to their offices by sarcastic disgruntled fans, FoxyGrandpa will stop playing their games, it'd be horrible.
@@CynicalWarlock You're right, it would be very out-of-character for NRS to willingly piss off their own customers.
At the very least, they could do some basic stuff like give him his own Outworld girlfriend, revisit his old rivalries with Baraka/Goro that seemed to get forgotten about or have him meet the Great Kung Lao with time shenanigans. Anything's better than just being "the other guy" (who gets fridged).
@@lordtrigon1733 Imagine if they went back in time and Kung Lao had the opportunity to save his ancestor from his grizzly death at the hands of Goro, but was told not to, because it could derail the timeline.
Interesting internal conflict ensues.
Watching This Three times helped me realize that you managed to call me out through describing Kunglao and that I need a razor hat and a good work out regiment
Yes, don't fix the Lung Lao, double down on it.
Another highly entertaining vid, mr Warlock!!! I thank you 🙏
No Stijn, thank you.🙏
Well that was very monk-like.
@CynicalWarlock Don't throw your hat at me...
@@stijnvanrobaeys7011 It ain't sharp like Kung Lao's.
And I won't.
Reminds me of when I put my heart and soul into my Shaolin Monks idea and then proceeded to convince someone else that their idea is better
You put all your stat points into the 'Self-Sabotage' skill.
Oooh I really like that idea with Liu’s arc being not specifically achieving certain characteristics but withstanding pressure and keeping the characteristics that he already has. Low key gives off a vibe of Berserk with struggling through the problems that occur in the world that is full of evil, as well as living your life and not giving up on it no matter what painful obstacle appears.
Yep, that's what this character archetype is all about.
Always felt like Kung could be a better foil to Liu, you highlighted it well here.
I did, yeey.
Yeah I agree with you in the fact both timelines never got Kung Lao right and it sucks that they keep him as a sloppy second when he can shine that doesnt effect Lui Kang. I also think the fact his element is air is interesting and actually constrasts with his ocd snarky high strung ways. Perhaps when he was training Fujin encouraged him to use this element as a way to help him see that you cant be so hands on with everything and not be so high strung. Let things flow. I think that would be a great arc for him: having that balance of keeping tradition and sticking to his guns while also learning the ways of the wind.
Air works wonders for him cause air is often depicted as the element of freedom, calm, peace, serenity, airbenders yes, but also as swift, tumultuous storm, raging winds summoned by shamans and chieftains, it's associated with autumn, the season of change, it's moody, it's all those things. And that makes for a wonderful arc for Kung Lao, cause he's a monk, but he's got all this turmoil inside him that he needs to work through; he kind of embodies both worlds.
@@CynicalWarlock yeah exactly it's the element that fits the character arc and growth for kung lao
I like the idea of a Lui Kang who has this grand destiny before hin but actively rejects it because he doesn't want people to only see him as some kind of a "chosen one." But he eventually accepts his role anyway because Raiden realizes that while Kung Lao may be more disciplined, Lui is more passionate about protecting not just Earthrealm but everyone.
Aragorn vibes. The reluctant hero, but the one the world needs.
Well, the movie version of Aragorn, anyway.
@CynicalWarlock Basically yeah.
Significantly less down bad than the last video but was still another banger
Thanks. I'll be away for a week so I had to prep some smaller-scale stuff, since I don't have time to work on more ambitious videos right now.
Now I know why you were asking about what we will do if we get to handle Kung Lao
@@MischievousLoki1111 I would love to HAND Kung lao
Me listens to kung Laos break down… damn .. I think.. I think I’m kung Lao😮
It's funny cause I was just talking to a friend and concluded you could split more or less all people into these 2 categories.
I mean, I put extreme pressure on myself. I’m not the easiest person to get along with. I really stick to tradition. I stick to what I’ve learned things come easier to other people and it kind of makes me jealous but when I work hard, I’m able to keep up with them.
@@Kidapollo92 Yep, that definitely sounds like Kung Lao.
I relate to the jealousy bit, it's easy to spiral down into that endless pit.
@ I definitely feel like wow should get some shine because that’s who I am in the sense of OK well this is my time to shine. I’ve worked hard. I deserved this. This is my piece of the pie.
I’m curious about your thoughts on who mk1 raiden is I’m asking every TH-camr to see if anyone knows who he is if anyone other than Liu Kang’s OC insert replacement
Not sure I understand the question.
@ ok if Lord Raiden gave up his godhood to fire god liu who is the new Raiden in this timeline is he a descendant of the original Raiden after he became mortal or maybe his family replaced the Kang family in this timeline or is he just a random guy that Liu Kang groomed to be this new Kung Laos best friend/voice of reason much like he was in his original timeline
Hope Lao gets his day in the limelight rather than being overshadowed in all timelines
At this point, he should be called 'Cuck Lao'.
Cherry Dr. Pepper enjoyers🤝
My favorite soft drink, currently.🤝
Close second would be vanilla coke.
@@CynicalWarlock Vanilla coke is easily my top pick but dammit literally nobody in my region carries it the closest I can get is hoping the local Subway isn't out of the vanilla syrup in their soda fountain.
...Second is Barque's, which has the same issue -- gotta go to Burger King for it.
@@CoralCopperHead Only recently found vanilla coke myself; it used to not be a thing, but now there's **one store** that has it.
Never had Barq's or any root beer really, so I'm envious.
Wonder how much pressure Kung Lao feels and how much self inflicted.
Yes.
Could you talk about any potential ideas you have for kabal? He seems cool and interesting.
Yeah Kabal's long overdue, need to talk about the charred motherfucker.
kunglao status as a shaolin member has always been an ick to me, because of all the windy stuff he should've been belong to the bagua faction thing, but of course that spot is taken by shang tsung.
Isn't Ba Gua a martial art?
@@CynicalWarlock bagua is actually 8 trigrams (ba=8, gua=name for the trigram) that is used in Taoist tradition (I couldn't find the word Taoist earlier in my head)
@@d1tnhauxa0rau Neji from Naruto approves this.
I feel like it's a bad play to imply "Calm and Stoic = No Personality" I would say that is just the surface level of the character. The same way a character who is energetic and quirky can be just as shallow, a calm and stoic character can be given depth for why they behave the way they do, what it does or doesn't mean to them, how it affects their interactions with other characters both positively and negatively, and what can draw out their emotions or reinforce their steely exterior. So, while I won't say early Kung Lao is good, I will say that there is nothing wrong with wanting a return of his original temperament. As always, execution is everything, and everyone asking for it are doing so under them premise that it would be executed at least good enough.
Completely true, but og Lao fans never elaborate on why stoic Lao would be so great, and there's practically nothing in the old material to inform Lao's personality, in any way (except maybe some comic or old show I haven't seen). In that context, you're comparing nothing to something; something wins by default, even if it's not very good. There's also the issue that most people see Liu Kang as the stoic one, so if you make them both stoic, it's kind of redundant. That's probably why they moved away from that, from Shaolin Monks onwards.
@CynicalWarlock Well, after making this comment I did comment in the community post about how there is potential in having both a stoic Lao and stoic Lang if you want to see my case for it. However, I do think you're still have the wrong mindset. It isn't comparing something to nothing, Kung Lao's stoicism *is* the "something." It's the difference between having nothing to say and choosing to say nothing. And even taking that position as true the argument becomes whether a zero is better than a negative for everyone who actively dislikes the modern Kung Lao. Compare to the arguments against MK11 Sindel.
@@vadandrumist1670 Correct, but there's only one Sindel, whereas we have 2 monks that become more and more interchangeable if we make their personalities the same.
@CynicalWarlock Interesting way to put it. Does that mean you would not argue against (or even argue in favor of) MK11 Sindei's personality change if there was another caring mother and queen among the cast? And just because Kung Lao and Liu Kang would both be stoic does not mean they would have the same personalities. That would just be a shallow observation of their surface temperament. To reiterate from my comment in the community post, both should be stoic but open up in different ways and have different driving motivations. Liu Kang has his romance and has to deal with the frustrations and temptations of being the queen on Earthrealm's side of the chessboard, which limit his actions but grant him greater authority and respect in those that remain. Meanwhile Kung Lao has a personal goal of avenging the hero he also wants to live up to, and will also more frequently find himself in environments where he can more demonstrate his depth due to this goal, and in its aftermath the connections he'll have made along the way. Kung Lao might be more outwardly composed and disciplined while inwardly passionate compared to Liu Kang's more uplifting casual calmness that he can harden whenever it comes time to do the right-but-difficult thing for the greater good.
Liu Kang and Kung Lao are 2 sides of the same coin and in a way are kind of a don't judge a book based on it's cover type thing with Liu following the least amount of traditions but having the heart of a shaolin whereas Lao does honor traditions the best but still has work on when it comes to being a shaolin. Also I agree, Lao deserves to be a protagonist at some point (though I remember hearing that before Mythologies Sub-Zero flopped, Lao along with Baraka and Jax had planned Mythology games) and if you have to do the whole Liu is revived as a force of evil akin to zombie or revenant Liu Kang, have it be Lao that stops him either putting him down or saving him.
@@welchrebooted4739 Fully agree - Lao should've taken center stage, in the 3D era and confronted Zombie Kang.
I don't get why they don't resurrect the Mythologies series; it would be a cheap, efficient way to add more lore, story and spinoffs to the franchise.
When are we getting the next Else world what if story man I can’t wait
Not too soon, sadly. Will be away on work trips the entire next week, so I don't have time to work on ambitious stuff; have to prep smaller scale videos in advance, for now.
@ I totally understand also get your own personal time in when you can. I’ll post a what if on ur vids see if anything is useful.
The way I see it is Kung Lao's snarkiness towards Liu is just his built up dissapointment with himself. I feel like whilst he builds himself up externally, internally, he doesn't, because in his eyes, he can never be the Great Kung Lao(even though he literally is). He has mythologised his ancestors' story and plight and uses it to motivate and keep himself down.
Also I think the only reason we don't end up seeing him take on powerful opponents and show his true potential is due to the chapter system. The new MK power scaling is messed up.
Very well articulated. King Lao embodies our self doubt; it's what makes him such a relatable character.
And I've been raging against the chapter system for a while now, it severely limits the storytelling.
0:58 ranron my belvold ❤️
Ranton groupies unite.🤝
Naw lao can be like he was in og series just have to be written by someone who can write and develop characters
Someone who's not ChatGPT.
I identify with the hair bit
You too had a Shaolin brother who let his hair grow out?
@@CynicalWarlock I am that brother
The ai generated Shaolin monks
ShaolinGPT
Liu Kang is Yin and Kung Lao is Yang Basically
Isn't Yin the dark one?
@CynicalWarlock Yin is light and Yang is dark
I personally bash plot of Shaolin Monks (game). It basically cemented both Liu and Kung Lao into lesser versions of themselves that NRS use as base to this very day.
Never actually played Shaolin Monks [crowd gasps in disbelief]
@@CynicalWarlock heretic! But serious now. It was the game where Midway rewritten Kung Lao into cocky and jealous to Liu douchbag, and he was written like that ever since
@@blacksabbath9631 Yeah, so I heard. I'm curious how Liu got demoted to a lesser version of himself in that game, though.
@@CynicalWarlock less rational and level headed via MK9 Liu
@@blacksabbath9631 Ok, I get it now.
Guess what..... Noob killed Lao in his arcade ending. WHYYYYYYY? 😅
Well that’s what Saibot envisions, so he hasn’t actually done it… yet. *He likely will, though.*
How many deaths did that man suffer??
@@CynicalWarlock At least 5, SIX if you count Saibot’s dream sequence from M1K, but that hasn’t happened yet, so Lao is still good.
@@RedCommunistDragon Yeah still good, only **5** deaths.
@@CynicalWarlock Him and Saibot have so much in common when regarding *DEATH,* am I right?😏
Kung lao and Liu Kang used to be so bad ass
Fun times.
MK1 Intro
Raiden: "My dark counterpart still roams this timeline."
Kung Lao: "Guess that means we have an impostor a-monk us."
Let me know what you think of this
Love the among us pun.
I always think that on mortal kombat 1 to 3 liu kang partner with kung lao and on mortal kombat 4 liu kang partner with kai then when deadly alliance happen where liu kang is killed i think they should make kung lao partner with kai to train together with bo rai cho and maybe get help by other bo rai cho student li mei to stop shang tsung and quan chi
Also warlock can you maybe make video on who should be cast as mortal kombat characters if they make mortal kombat as streaming show with martial artist or stuntman or stuntwoman with acting ability that you think can play this mortal kombat characters
@@rezaashary402 Oh man, I'm not good at that - don't know nearly enough actors, but maybe I'll try it.
Also, your trajectory for Liu, Lao, Li Mei and Kao makes the most sense; they just didn't have enough faith in these new characters, sadly.
Kung Lao should have been the Champion of Earthrealm in Mortal Kombat 1.
Everyone agrees, by now..
..except NRS.
“Indomitable Spirit”? Mu Do Kwan?
Korean Taekwando?
lol yes! Mu Do Kwan is one of two Olympic TaeKwonDo styles developed in Seoul. The only time I’ve ever heard the term “indomitable spirit” was in one of the core tenets which is “I will endeavor to achieve an indomitable spirit” 24 years ago and I thought it was interesting to hear you put those two words together since I’ve only ever heard it in one place long ago.
@@Scott_King101 Interesting. I probably heard it in some video game or another.
The power of a couple words..
lol yeah yeah especially when one of those words swing around every quarter century 🤣🤣🤣 Idk. I was kind of thinking (maybe hoping) that you might secretly be a Shaolin Monk and had a freudian slip.
Next video: How to fix all of Mortal Kombat.
CW: Scrap it all and make it Avatar The Last Airbender, the end subscribe.
Not a bad idea.
I just put a paragraph in the other post, I deserve a break
I'll read it in a bit; you've earned your rest.
One is Goku and the other is Krillin
They sure look similar.
Another killer thumbnail, don't acre if its A.I, credit where credit is due
Was just discussing this in the Discord.
@CynicalWarlock most Kung Lao fanatics do prefer the stoic, silent, Lao, like there is a legit KL fan that wouldn't have a probably with him been mute.
It makes sense about "Kabal not been able to blindsind him" like in the 21 movie.
And fuck MK1, for that, seriously.
@@syki-tp1tn They really put a lot of their chips on that Liu Kang Kabal fight, in MK '21.
@@CynicalWarlock yeah, they even showcased it in the trailer a lot, I think they could've done better though
@@syki-tp1tn The fact that they had all the fights happening at the same time, during the climax, and just cut from one to the other made it one big clusterfuck.
Disslike. Why 8 minutes instead of 8 hours 🗣️
Have a heart maaan..
Raiden sucks in MK1. It SHOULD have been Kung Lao as champion. He should be the one at the Pyramid too. I think Raiden could be the hero at the Pyramid, but knowing NRS it's probably Lui Kang. I'm guessing Lui Kang from yet ANOTHER time-line fought alongside himself to defeat the Deadly Aliance and properly restore the time-line before returning to his own. HOWEVER we later learned that NRS simply doesn't give a 💩 and the winning character doesn't matter, so I'm not going to care either. MY head cannon says it's TWO Lui Kangs restoring their respective time-lines; because of COURSE it is 🙄, but Lao deserves love, so I'm saying it was finally Kung Lao's time to shine. Oh and on Kung Lao his personality has been so radical over the years that I suspect; at least during the Midway era, there were TWO Kung Laos. Perhaps there still is OR Kung Lao is a reincarnation, so he returns, slightly different each time. Think of how Raiden changed radically when he kept dying and coming back. Perhaps Kung Lao is the same and I have a reason. The OG Kung Lao was blessed by the Elder Gods with immortality because he was the MK Champion. However he died, but not unlike Scorpion was able to return to life to avenge his loss. Scorpion was tainted by the influence of the Netherrealm and Quan Chi. What if an adverse effect was imparted on Kung Lao by the Elder Gods. Perhaps Raiden himself or even Fujin gave Lao this ability. Maybe it was the Elder Gods' intentions all along for Kung Lao to be Earthrealm's champion, but they had to settle for Lui Kang. Maybe Kung Lao is like Vader where he was to create a balance, but failed so the Elder Gods had him reincarnate to prove himself. He's been trying for generations trying to atone for his loss in every lifetime and it lead up to modern day Kung Lao. Kung Lao is all about restoring family honor because he IS the ORIGINAL Kung Lao. In the Midway era he dies in MK 3 and returns in MK Gold. I believe he died in MK 3 and a NEW Kung Lao took his place in Gold and is the same one as MKDA. In the NRS time-line I think the serious Kung Lao died in Shao Kahn's Arena and the Snarky Kung Lao is actually a second Kung Lao. So far; according to my theory, we have 3 Kung Laos OR 3 different versions of the SAME Kung Lao, who changes every lifetime. Think of Link from LOZ and it's kinda like that.
The multiple Laos idea is pretty far out. That does account for the multiple personalities quite elegantly. Would've also made this multiverse crap more entertaining, by revealing all of this and putting all the incarnations in the same room and have them butt heads, then ally together. Or vice versa.
@CynicalWarlock I'm thinking "he must win" COULD have meant Kung Lao; just not how Raiden did it. Kung Lao should've won the tournament, but Lui Kang should defeat Shao Kahn to save the realms. Kung Lao is to restore family honor by uncorrupting the tournament and Lui Kang is meant to protect ALL of the realms, not just Earthrealm, the role Shujinko THOUGHT he fulfilled in MKD, but he was deceived instead.
@@Nick-up5wv I love that, actually. Good way to balance both monks (which, of course, everyone would bitch about).
Kung Lao - savior of the tournament
Liu Kang - savior of the realms
Shujinko - damnation of the realms
By the way, it's funny how the death of Liu Kang coincides with the arrival of Shujinko on the scene. Almost like a cosmic tipping of the scales from stability to utter chaos.
@@CynicalWarlock Never thought of it that way, but you are right. Oh I told Nappr to check out your content. He LOVES MK and does his own videos on it. When I told him about knowledgeable people on the topic I mentioned you to check out. Anyway yeah I like how you had Shujinko as damner of the realms. I believe he takes on BOTH roles of Lui Kang and Kung Lao, but in pure vanity. He WANTS to be a hero, but is blinded by ego and a sense of duty. With all the power going to his head he could even develop an ego like Johnny. Perhaps he serves as a warning to both Monks not to be too overconfident OR just devoted to duty. He's super dutiful like Lui Kang, but doesn't stop to consider whom or what he blindly follows. Lui Kang kinda had that negative trait in MK Shaolin Monks where he just blindly followed Raiden's orders without questioning for even a second if it was even Raiden. Kung Lao was the smarter of the two. I'd like to think that; although Shujinko and Lui Kang come off as stupid, both were intended to come off as naive. They're so focused on their training and sense of duty they tend to overlook small details and can be blindsided by villians who are cunning and strategic. Shujinko has Kung Lao's arrogance and ego, but he DOES possess the abilities of EVERY MK character, so...
In a sense he also demonstrates abilities possessed by Shang Tsung. He's kinda a good Shang Tsung. Shujinko isn't a Monk per say, but do to Bo Rai Cho's teachings and the fact Bo trained BOTH Shaolin Monks it's not that far fetched.
@@Nick-up5wv Great analysis. I agree that naivete should be one of Liu and Shuji's common traits. Kung Lao (especially my version of him) is the guy who always questions and scrutinizes both himself and the world.
As an aside, it's funny how the one time we see Liu Kang scrutinizing Raiden is when he dies a horrible death, in MK9.
And yeah, technically speaking, Shuji is a better Shang than Shang, cause he doesn't need to steal Souls to gain their power.
Also, thanks for the mention. Appreciate it.
Cynical Warlock. Kung Lao is Liu Kang 2.0. He is Liu Kang's dark side. Anxiety and jealousy, without hope and therefore without freedom. Because Liu Kang is living rent free in his head. He can't rise above himself, because he is eclipsed by Liu Kang.
As painful as that sounds, on some level, it's true.
Cynical Warlock. Thank you.❤️ Kung Lao is the mirror of Liu Kang. Envy, jealousy, anger and disappointment, in himself. He (unlike Liu Kang DOES KILL. Before Mortal Kombat II ret-coned Liu Kang. Long story.
Kung Lao sounds like me & I don't like it...I self sabotage a lot...I let the small things secretly bother me, but unlike Lao I'm not acidic & antagonistic & I like to think I have a pleasing presence & never have bad energy & because of that people always wanna be around me like Liu, but, even though I'm the youngest child, I feel like I'm the middle child :(
Well younger siblings can feel like that, sometimes. The brunt of the focus and responsibility doesn't land on them, yey, but that also comes with the downside of occasional neglect and falling into uncertainty about themselves and their role.
@@CynicalWarlock Omg you hit the nail on the head, I feel seen, especially regarding the neglect leading to uncertainty about myself & my value with people as I was neglected & never felt love & warmth as a kid, which led to me self sabotaging as I already mentioned & pushing loved ones away when they offer help in my adult life, thanks.