In the Mortal Kombat franchise, Kotal Kahn has been one of the most intriguing contenders. Mortal Kombat X revealed him to be the new Emperor of Outworld following Shao Kahn’s downfall, but in the prequel comic series, we learned it was an arduous road to get to that point — one filled with blood and betrayal.
Interestingly enough, it also tied into one of the nastiest villains in the game, Goro, leading to a brutal fight that saw Kotal Kahn cut his arms off for a number of sinister reasons.
Kotal’s people, under his father K’etz, were the fiercest warriors in the realm. But when Shao Kahn’s forces invaded their Osh-Tekk realm, they fell, were made subservient and then integrated into his warped vision of Outworld. He hated how his dad bent the knee but it was all a matter of survival. Still, after training on Earth, becoming a god to the Mayans and then returning, Kotal Kahn harbored deep resentment, which came to a head when Goro turned on their forces.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
With Shao Kahn dead thanks to Raiden’s heroes, Kotal Kahn, now the leader of Outworld, gave K’etz the Wrath Hammer to take out Mileena, Reiko, Goro and any other usurpers. Once they were gone, he’d have total dominion over Outworld. Unfortunately, it totally backfired when Goro smashed K’etz’s head in with the hammer, killing him. This intensely angered Kotal. He’d eventually seek revenge against the Shokan prince, facing Goro in a fight to the death.
But just when the prince got the upper hand on Kotal, his ego factored in. He taunted him about killing his dad, leading an enraged Kotal to rip his arm off. He’d then take a blade to Goro, slicing each of his arms off and achieving vengeance for his slain father. However, while Kotal could have killed him, he opted to leave the prince like this as an insult.
He wanted Goro’s family to feel shame from this act of mercy, especially King Gorbak. Gorbak, though, would try to avenge his son and die too, with the maimed Goro being deemed unworthy of rulership. Their kingdom descended into civil war with Kintaro and Co. making it clear they needed a strong leader, so Kotal’s endgame was all about breaking everything Goro held dear — his mind, body and empire. It’s cruel and disrespectful, but he wanted to show Goro that as much as his hands built the kingdom, once they were gone, he’d have nothing. Mortal Kombat 11, however, retconned things slightly.
In the game, Goro’s found dead and rotting on his throne in the Krypt, with Shang Tsung mentioning how he misses him most of all his fallen champions. With his four arms intact, it may be that he was badly damaged, instead of being cut up in this battle, which ultimately led to his death back home. Other fans believe that Goro was able to regrow his arms using the Dragon King, Onaga’s information on regeneration per the prequel comics. He sought Daegon and the Red Dragon’s help in exchange for him bringing them Kenshi. Either way, Goro was definitely humbled in the MKX backstory and as Kotal often reminded him, his pride would always be his downfall.
About The Author
