The world-renowned franchise began in 1992 as the Mortal Kombat game for Arcades worldwide, developed by Midway Games Chicago. The original MK team only consisted of four people: Ed Boon (programmer), John Tobias (graphics), John Vogel (graphics), and Dan Forden (sound). Hilariously, the team began working on Mortal Kombat as a (then) video game tie-in to the Jean-Claude Van Damme movie Universal Soldier.
When licensing fell through, Boon and Tobias decided to continue their project without tie-ins, and eventually finished developing Mortal Kombat for cabinet release in the early 90s. The two wanted to ensure that their f💙ighting game “had more edge” than its arcade competition in Street Fights, or Tekken. Hence the over-the-top shock and gore, which by this generations standard, is very low and no longer something that could cause a huff.
Numerous video game publications have been cited as calling Mortal Kombat “one of the most important, and most violent video game franchises ever made,” as the cultural impact of violence and gore sent the video game industry into a righteous tailspin of scrutiny and censorship. To this day, Mortal Kombat remains one of the biggest and most popu𓃲lar video game franchises, and most of their cast of warriors are among the most recognizable characters in gaming culture.
Scorpion, our focus today, is the unannounced poster-boy for the lucratively successful fighting game series. Introduced in the very first Mortal Kombat arcade game, Scorpion has been a mainstay since day one. Here are 20 facts about Scorpion that most Mortal Kombat fans don’t even know.
20 Corporate Shill - "Buy a Scorpion🎐 Doll"
Scorpion has long been seen as the face of the Mortal Kombat Franchise, and original developers Midway Games knew right away that they had a golden (or yellow – gi’d) goose. So when it came time to begin developing Scorpion’s finishers—the bread and gruesome butter of the Mortal Kombat franchise—they decided to turn the mascot of their blood bath into a merchandise pusher. His “Friendship #1 Finisher” sees the brutal ninja warrior pull out a stuffed Scorpion Doll, and the message “Buy A Scorpion Doll” shows on the screen instead of the norm𝔍al “Victory.” Hilariously, there seems to be no evidence that either the developers or publishers ever actually sold the doll. So maybe it was all just a cheeky way to poke fun at the over-merchandised franchises of the 90s – 00’s.
19 Samurai Roots - Scorpion's Real Name
Scorpion, and the other ninja fighters in Mortal Kombat, obviously have some eastern roots. Especially when compared to other fighters like Johnny Cage or Sonya Blade. Scorpion’s human name, from when he was alive, is (or was) Hanzo Hasashi. The small nod in the name is his family name; Hasashi, which could very well be a tribute to notorious Japanese swordsman from late 1500s, Miyamoto Musashi. Scorpion’s first name, Hanzo, is a direct reference to Hattori Hanzo, one of the most famous samurai from the Sengoku / Edo period of Japan. Hanzo Hasashi (Scorpion) was indeed canonically from the s🀅ame region of Japan as both Musashi and Hattori Hanzo. It’s a beautiful way to tribute the past, and to respect the inspiration behind the character.
18 "Get Over Here" Voiced By Mortal Kombat Creator Ed Boon Himself ♕ 🦹
Mortal Kombat was originally created in the early 90s by Ed Boon and John Tobias. The co-creator, Ed Boon, has been involved in the Mortal Kombat franchise since. He spent 15 years at Midway, before leaving in 2011 and joining Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s subsidiary NetherRealm Studios, which retained the rights to the Mortal Kombat brand, and has taken the torch into the current generation. Boon, as if he couldn’t be more monumental in the world of Mortal Kombat, is also credited for voicing the franchise’s best character, Scorpion. He remained the voice of the tro𓆉ubled spectral ninja up until 2008 when Patrick Seitz (an astoundingly reputable voice actor with an abundant list ๊of voice credits in games spanning from 1992 – present) took over.
17 ♏ Foul Language In Shaolin Monks ♏
Speaking of franchise co-creator Ed Boon, and his now infamous portrayal of Scorpion over the years, it’s clear that Mortal Kombat’s titular undead fighter has one of the most quotable and parodied quotes in video game history. “Get Over Here!” has become a recognizable line, the world over. Attached to Scorpion’s Kunai grapple move—a move that is used very often … maybe a little too often—it’s typical to hear the voice line numerous times during a match. Much to the chagrin of his opponents. It gets irritating, very quickly. So, in the Mortal Kombat spin-off game Shaolin Monks (a braꦕwler game staring characters Liu Kang and Kung Lao) if you use the spear move x number of times, the line will change to “GET THE F*** OVER HERE!” or “GET OVER HEཧRE, B****!”. A salty Scorpion.
16 Scorpion's TOASTY! Fatality Is The Finishing Move With The Most Appearances
Harping back, the finishing moves in the Mortal Kombat, known as Fatalities, are a staple in the over the top action and gore that saw the fighting game set in stone in regards to the history of gaming. When you empty the health bar of your opponent, you get a “free shot” against a wobbly, teetering on the edge of death version. Punch in a pre-determined order of inputs into your controller (or fightstick, as any real fighting game player would use) and you can perform a myriad of gruesome finishers from decapitations, to upper-cutting someone into a spike pit, and Scorpion’s own “Toasty!” fatality. In this post-fight brutality, Scorpion pulls off his mask, and spits flames on his opponent until they’re ash. Scorpion’s “Toasty!” fatality has the highest appearance rate in Mortal Kombat franchise history.
15 ꦕ Scorpion Is Heavily Considered The Best MK Fighter ♑
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed … but lists are kind of a thing (this just got really meta), and people have been making them to refer to their classification of the best on a given subject, and that best things subsequent closest competitors. Much like this list, ranking the importance, and intriguing nature of Scorpion facts, listicles often contain ranks. Many outlets have slaved over lists of what they consider “The Best Mortal Kombat Characters Of All Time” and as you have probably guessed by the title of this list item; Scorpion is (on average) considered #1 across the board. He’s iconic, a pleasure to use in-game, and a hassle to fight against. It’s safe to say that Mortal Kombat might have a different legacy if i𒐪t didn’t include this🌌 badass assassin.
14 Parodied To𝔍 Death - Odes Pour In From All Over Pop-Culture 🤡
Parody is the ultimate form of flattery. Or is it imitation? … I don’t know. But in the case of Scorpion, and the Mortal Kombat franchise, parody in a comedic setting is something that occurs often. In an insanely long list of appearances from Mortal Kombat’s pseudo-mascot, you’ll see the likes of the TV show Drawn Together, other fighting games like Injustice 2, odes in Marvel vs Capcom 3 (in the form of Bionic Commando’s wire grapple move), and even the most popular game on earth, League of Legends, has a character called Shen with a costume very similar to Scorpion’s. Even indie games like Terraria and Skullgirls have💞 Scorpion tributes within them. With popular in-game quotes, an🔴d a 26 year history of being the face of a franchise, it’s no surprise that Scorpion pops up all over the place!
13 Scorpion Has The Most Skins Of An♏y MK Character
Unlockable items and collectibles fuel gamers passion for completion. It’s a tale as old as time. Fighting games, though shy on “extra content,” do have one thing up their sleeve; character costumes. It’s also no surprise that Mortal Kombat fans have gotten used to the idea of a Scorpion vs Scorpion fight—as we’ve already discussed that he’s the highest ranked favorite in-game fighter to choose. Though he, and Sub-Zero were originally just palette swapped ninjas, over the years (26 to be exact) Scorpion has collected the absolute most costumes out of their entire line-up of fightersꦡ, since the series began. And we’re talking 30-plus outfits here, most of which aren’t just different colored similar outfi🔯ts. Out of all of them though, his throwback to the 1995 live-action movie, and it’s glorious.
12 🌌 Live-Action Scorpion Was Played By Stunt Actor Chris Casamassa
Speaking of the best-worst video game movie ever made, Mortal Kombat was part of the unfortunate 90s attempt by Hollywood to capitalize on the sudden success of home gaming consoles and the brands that graced them. The original take on the tournament of death has an outrageously generous 34% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s the most fun you’ll ever have watching a horribly made movie. But did you know that the actor that played Scorpion in the live-action New Line Cinema film wasn’t even an actor? Apparently, the contracted stuntman and choreographer Chris Casamassa wowed the director so much that they let him don the yellow ninja outfit on-screen. Though, Scorpion was still voiced by Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon for the film. Casamassa could not (due to scheduling conflicts) reprise his role as Scorpion in the second—and just as infamously bad—movie subtitled Annihilation.
11 ꦐ Thanks To MK:Legacy, Mortal Kombat Andꦕ Tekken Will Forever Be Connected
Years after gamers had written off any live-action portrayal of the popular fighting franchise’s lore, an independent group of filmmakers decided to take the DC and Marvel approach to the Mortal Kombat universe, and produced Mortal Kombat: Legacy. The gritty reimagining of the beloved characters immediately won the internet over. But did you know that the actor who played the most iconic Mortal Kombat fighter, also played the lead character in the Tekken live-action movie? Forever connecting the universes of these two franchises. It was a weird time for Mortal Kombat fans. By the time Legacy came around, fans worldwide had got to be used to Mortal Kombat in live-action media being cheesy and kind of garbage. But in an entertaining way. Now, all of a sudden, we (the royal we) have to flip that mind set and ingest a very well done version of Mortal Kombat? Oh. Okay.