To say the Mortal Kombat series is attached to its main cast of characters is a bit of an understatement. MK12's Roster Can Bring People Out of Liu Kang's Shadow
#Mortal kombat x liu kang series
For someone who trained alongside both Liu Kang and Kung Lao (the descendant, not the original "Great" one) it makes little sense, other than character brand awareness, that Kai hasn't been featured in games like Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11, especially when Kung Lao has continued to reappear even in revenant form. It's undeniable that MK4's roster was one of the weakest the series has ever seen, but that doesn't mean Mortal Kombat characters like Kai should be abandoned altogether - especially when he was the one who was originally meant to wield Raiden's power, not Liu Kang. Kai deserves more screen time than he's received in Mortal Kombat so far. Related: Mortal Kombat Sonya Blade Cosplay Brings Back Her Retro Uniform Despite Mortal Kombat 12's roster rumors indicating differently, it would be better if NetherRealm Studios DIDN'T follow MK tradition with every third main entry being a large almagamation of the previous games' fighters, and instead pared things down a bit. Kai originally appeared on Mortal Kombat's roster in MK4, and was brought back (along with everyone else) during the events of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. Despite these appearances (and, of course, in the enhanced MK4 edition called Mortal Kombat Gold) Kai has only appeared in cameos, and he hasn't been a playable character in any Mortal Kombat game since 2006. While MK11: Aftermath's ending hints strongly that the next Mortal Kombat game will feature The Great Kung Lao, there is no reason not to include other members of the White Lotus as well.
Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath turned Liu Kang into a multi-elemental god, and now that he will ostensibly be replacing Raiden in Mortal Kombat 12it's time to bring Kai back into the limelight.