Fighting games are a popular breed among the numerous genres of gaming and few match up to the history and longevity of Mortal Kombat. It all began back in 1992 with the release of Mortal Kombat and has continued up until 2016’s Mortal Kombat XL, the deluxe e﷽dition of the tenth entry in the series.

With such a longstanding history, it also goes without saying that the series has showcased some of the most famous fighters in gaming his꧑tory. These characters have expansive lore and deep backstory (for the most part) that help us to better understand the fighters’ intentions and their place in the realms.

Of course, due to the technical limitations of the gaming hardware at the time of its initial release, many of these fighters appeared with exactly the same model, with the only difference coming in the form of their primary color palette💟s. Thankfully time and technology caught up with the dreams and ambitions of NetherRealm Studios and we eventually got each character in the form of their own model and unique gameplay ꦜmechanics.

Whether they were ninjas, warrior princesses, estranged sons, lizard people, or a legion of lost souls bound together in one entity, they all cཧome with their own motivations and alliances and each one is more intriguing then the last.

Their moves are numerous and widely diverse, and, without a ♍doubt, there is one 🔯ninja character out there for everyone, you just have to take a look at this list to figure out which ones are worth trying and which ones aren’t.

20 Khameleon

A very under represented character to say the least, the female version of the Chameleon character is nothing too special. She made her first appearance in the N64 version of Mortal Kombat Trilogy and shꩵe has only appeared in one other title as a playable character, with her appearance again being limited to a console exclusive edition of the game.

Her lack of game presence aside, she 𝐆isn’t a character that stands out too much anyway. She is pretty much the exact same thing as Chameleon, just with a female character model instead of the male. She i✤s fairly generic in terms of move set and capabilities, seeing as how she appeared when everyone looked the same and when everyone played very similar in combat style.

19 Chameleon

While only a very basic step up from his female counterpart, Chameleon is a little more interesting in his design and came before Khameleon, giving him the originality factor and landing him one place in front of her. It is cool to see his color change throughout a match, but his lackluster moves and overal𓂃l skill set put him far beneath the rest of ꦉthe ninja characters.

He lacks any sort of real spark of life, aside from his color swapping character gimmick. He hasn’t been seen in a game since 2006’s Mortal Kombat: Armageddon and it's unlikely that we will see him any time soon, due to his unpopularity among players༒. So if you never got to play as this character, don’t worry, you really 🐎aren’t missing much.

18 Frost

Front is essentially nothing more than a female version of the much more popular Sub-Zero. Her hair is cool, but outside of tha꧋t൲, almost everything about her is that she is exactly the same as the cloth she was cut from.

She was playable in three games within the whole series and she can be most recently seen in her very brief cameo in Mortal Kombat X, where she almost single handedly ruins the moment we were all waiting for years, when Scorpion a🌼nd Sub-Zero fin෴ally make peace.

Her young🦩 take on the Sub-Zero type character does distinguish her a slight bit from her older and more popඣular ice-toting counterpart, so she does have the potential to develop down the line. I guess we will see.

17 Smoke

Smoke is perhaps the most obnoxiously annoying of the ninjas; whether as a cyborg or not. Smoke is known for the hooks that he has while in cyborg form and, when he is not that form, such as in Mortal Kombat (2011), he has some of the most annoying mov🎀es in the game.

A large quantity of his move set revolves around displacing either himself or his opponent using smoke. Whether he is teleporting behind them to hit with three consecutive attacks or teleporting them abo✅ve him to drop them in for a wide-open combo opener, he is sure to drive people crazy and lead them to want to fight any other character available. He certainly isn’t the most fun cyborg, let alone the most enjoyable ninja, leaving him lowe🌠r on this list.

16 Rain

An Edenian and a controller of all things storm related, all of Rain's moves are predominantly water based and can often leave his opponents in very compromising situations. His Water Ball essentially leaves his opponent suspended in a floating orb of 😼water, while his Lightning Strike is pretty much what you would expect it to be; a strike of lightning that breaks through blocking opponents.

When he debuted, he was rocking the same ninja garb that every other ninja wore at some point, but was rocking a stylish set in purple. He definitely gains points for being a joke character based off th♔e Prince song “Purple Rain,” while also being of Edenian royalty. However, despite that fun tid-bit, not much else really sticks out about Rain, leaving him at 16th.

15 Skarlet

Now, this warrior is one with an interesting concept. Skarlet is a 🅘brutal and merciless fighter created by Shao Kahn. After collecting the blood of fallen warriors, Shao Kahn merged the blood with sorcery to create one of his most trusted warriors.

Skarlet is interesting because her moves revolve around her lust for blood and the fact that she actually requires it stay alive. In her first and only playable appearance in the series, she is actually the owner of the most powerful non-boss projectile move in the form of her Blood Ball. O꧟f course, the move cost her a small amount of her own health. She also has a telep𒀰ort and can throw her kunai knives for a little more distance damage. Her fatalities are no joke either, seeing as how both end with her bathing in the blood of her slain opponent.

14 Tremor

Tremor is one of the newest ninjas to join the series as a playable DLC fighter for Mortal Kombat X. This quake-commanding beast of a ไninja brought the pain, flinging boulders, lava, and golden spikes all over the battleground. He boasts a move set that controls the field, makin☂g it difficult for the opponent to even get in close enough to strike. If they do manage to close the gap though, they will be treated to some of the most painful and damaging moves in the game.

The Black Dragon clan member has gone rogue since a mission for the Black Dragon resulted in Tremor being betrayed by Kano. The state of their relationship is currently unknown, but he was a fairly populaওr fighter and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him return in the next installment in the series.

13 𝓰 Takeda Takahashi

If any character on this 🐭list has a chance to be truly badass, it's this one. Takeda Takahashi 𒈔is the son of the blind telekinetic swordsman Kenshi and was trained by the legendary ninja Hanzo Hasashi, otherwise known as Scorpion.

He has an interesting assortment of abilities depending on the variation you choose to use. He can use whips much in the way that Scorpion does but with a little moe flair to it. He can also use a plasma blade to slice his foes, whether from his hands directly or by throwing it his enemies feet. He is a very agile fighter who works as well from the air, as he does from the ground and his daddy issues add a nice touch to his character. He's only made one appearance on this list, leaving him a little lower, but he has plenty of time to flesh out his character and become a true MK fan favorite.

12 Noob S꧟aibot

The reanimated soul of the first Sub-Zero, Bi Han, has been causing trouble for Mortal Kombat players for years, both as a playab൲le andꦛ non-playable character. He was the black robed ninja back in the day.

Noob’s true identity isn't revealed until a good bit into the story, but he comes packing moves that will push even the most patient of players to their limits. He not only can use his shadow doppleganger to attack his opponent at range, but he can also generate wormholes that can teleport opponents to him for an up close and personal fight. Don’t even get me started on his Ghost Ball, which makes his opponent unable to block and his Teleport Slam which is almost unblockable and can come at any time. Aggravating doesn’t even begin to describe Noobs capabilities as an MK fighter. So, due to his uneven and, atꦅ times, unfair play style, Noob doesn't crack the top of this 🔴list.

11 Tanya

Yet another Edenian who fin🐼ds herself on this list and another who comes with a full arsenal of attacks and weapons that will leave her opponent without a second to breathe.

Her most recent appearance in Mortal Kombat X gives her some incredible moves to play with, that ensure damage an👍d combos are on their way every time she is picked. Her🌄 “Dragon Naginata” variant gives her a large naginata to stab and slice her opponents with and it actually gives her THE longest range for a basic poke attack, as she can pretty much stab the opponent from all the way across the map. She can also utilize teleportation, fireballs and some very rapid spinning to literally drill her way through an opponent and come out wearing their organs as a necklace. Very interesting, to say the least.