Finish him! Is there a more iconic phrase in all of fighting game history? It's a rallying cry that is now firmly rooted in pop culture, an invitation to dish out some serious punishment and humiliate your opponent with an over-top finishing move that will get everybody watching talking.
Performing a fatality in Mortal Kombat is one of gaming's greatest pleasures.
How could it not be, when you have gems like these brutal finishing moves below to choose from? From devilishly deranged executions like Noob Saibot's "Make-A-Wish" to Sub-Zero's classic spine-rip, here are The 10 Best Mortal Kombat Fatalities from the series' 20+ year history.
Keep in mind, this is a list of fatalities only. No babalities, brutalities or friendships here.
Smoke Blows Up The Earth (Mortal Kombat III)
Let's kick things off with a bang, shall we? Back when Smoke was a cyborg he had the ability to toss out little bombs. This insane finishing move litters the arena with the bombs, before zooming out and blowing up the entire planet. Talk about overkill.
Quan Chi Breaks A Leg (Mortal Kombat 4)
This shouldn't be funny, but it's a fatality that makes me laugh every time. Quan Chi rips off his opponent's leg and furiously beats them with it over and over and over again. What's not to love?
Liu Kang Enters The Dragon (Mortal Kombat II)
Liu Kang's fatality in the original Mortal Kombat stinks. It's a cartwheel flip into an uppercut and it's the definition of boring. Thankfully he got a new one in Mortal Kombat II, and boy does it deliver. Kang transforms into a Chinese dragon and gobbles up his opponent. It has been a Liu Kang staple ever since.
Scorpion Turns Up The Heat (Mortal Kombat)
It doesn't get much more classic than this. Fans flipped out when Scorpion's fatality revealed that underneath that yellow ninja mask lurked a skull that could breath fire. And breath fire it did, incinerating Scorpion's opponents in one of the franchise's most memorable moments.
Kung Lao's Saw Table (Mortal Kombat 9)
This is one of those fatalities that make some people cover their eyes. Kung Lao throws his razor-sharp hat into the ground where it spins like a sawblade. He then proceeds to grab his opponent by their legs and drag them over the spinning hat, sawing them right down the middle. To top it off, he then holds up each half of the mutilated body in triumph as blood squirts everywhere.
Johnny Cage Nut Buster (Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks)
In true Johnny Cage fashion, this fatality has the movie-star-turned-warrior going to town on an opponent's crotch. But it's not even a man (or woman) being punched repeatedly where the sun don't shine that makes this fatality great. It's all about the sunglasses.
Noob Saibot Makes A Wish (Mortal Kombat 9)
Being able to make shadow-clone version of yourself definitely has its perks. Then can help you accomplish all kind of things you wouldn't be able to by yourself: like rip people in half, for instance. That's what Noob Saibot and his shadow do here in one of the most gruesome fatalities from 2011's Mortal Kombat. There is a reason it's called the "wishbone" fatality. Similar to how you might make a wish by yanking on a turkey's wishbone, Noob Saibot and his shadow friend each grab a leg and start pulling until their opponent is torn clean in two.
Kano Kali Ma (Mortal Kombat)
Kali ma! Kali ma! The infamous heart removal scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom has shocked many a viewer. Perhaps that is where Kano got his inspiration for his original fatality, where he punches his fist into his enemy and rips out their still beating heart.
Ermac's Shrink Ray (Mortal Kombat 9)
For every gruesome, borderline gag-reflex inducing fatality in Mortal Kombat, there are an equal number of completely silly and downright funny ones. One of Ermac's fatalities from Mortal Kombat 9 definitely falls into the later category. After shrinking his opponent down to micro size, Ermac casually walks over and stomps them under his boot. Humiliating for your opponent, hilarious for you.
Sub-Zero Spine Rip (Mortal Kombat)
Anybody can rip off an opponent's head. That's nothing special. But to rip it off WITH the spinal column still attached, now that is a feat only a game as delightfully gory as Mortal Kombat could achieve. Iconic as it is gruesome, Sub-Zero's original fatality makes a statement.
That's it for our favorite fatalities. But Mortal Kombat X is almost upon us, and with it will come a whole new batch of outrageous, over the top, hilarious and downright disturbing fatalities for us to gawk over. Judging from the ones we've seen ahead of the game's release, they are going to be just as good if not better than some of these classics.
What are some of your favorite Mortal Kombat fatalities? Let us know in the comments below.
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