Summary
The main draw of a fighting game is rarely its narrative, but that hasn’t stopped theMortal Kombatfranchise from developing a rich and thorough lore over its 30-year history. Ever since the original game hit arcades, the developers behindMortal Kombathave fleshed out fighters, realms, and an extended history of the series that could rival properties likeThe Lord of the Rings. Even withMortal Kombat 1recently rebooting theMKtimeline, those many years of lore remain a present and essential aspect of the franchise’s storytelling.
Mortal Kombatwould be nothing without its fights, and one fight that has been essential to the series from the very beginning is the one between Bi-Han’s Sub-Zero and Hanzo Hasashi’s Scorpion. The two ninjas are more than justMortal Kombat’s mascots, they’ve endured a vengeful feud for almost as long as the series has existed. Even throughMK’s sporadic reboots, Bi-Han and Hanzo always end up at each other’s throats, creating a cycle of fateful violence that lasted untilMK1fundamentally changed Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s origins. Their past is nevertheless unshakable, however, and worthy of a thorough exploration.
Tale As Old As Time: Bi-Han & Hanzo’s Rivalry Explained
Before Bi-Han and Hanzo entered the feud they’re most known for, the two fighters were part of rival clans, the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu respectively. This created enough tension on its own, and that tension finally broke when Bi-Han and the Lin Kuei massacred Hanzo, his wife and child, and the entire Shirai Ryu clan. Hanzo was resurrected as the undead Scorpion byQuan Chisoon after, making him a servant of the necromancer and beginning his quest for revenge.
During the events ofthe firstMortal Kombattournament, Hanzo sought out Bi-Han and exacted his revenge, murdering the cryomancer. This inadvertently leads to the creation of Noob Saibot, another undead servant of Quan Chi and one ofMK’s more iconic kombatants. Long after Hanzo’s mission is complete, however, he learns that Quan Chi was actually the one who massacred the Shirai Ryu. Hanzo later succeeds in tracking down the man who manipulated him and executes him, but Bi-Han remains the sinister Noob Saibot, and his brother Kuai Liang takes up the mantle of Sub-Zero.
How Mortal Kombat 1 Subverts The Bi-Han & Hanzo Rivalry
Mortal Kombat 1thoroughly rejuvenated theMKtimeline, offering fresh starts for many fighters. Perhaps where it switches things up the most is the relationship between Sub-Zero and Scorpion, as the two characters start out as brothers instead of rivals. To take matters further,Hanzo Hasashi isn’tMK1’s Scorpion, it is instead Kuai Liang.
Players eventually learn throughMK1’s tower endingsthat Hanzo does in fact exist inMK1’s timeline, as he turns out to be a troubled kid who Scorpion and Smoke bring into the newly formed Shirai Ryu. Time will tell if history repeats itself and Hanzo finds himself at odds with Bi-Han yet again, but for now, the traditional Sub-Zero and Scorpion rivalry is firmly between Bi-Han and Kuai Liang.
Mortal Kombatis all about intense and gory battles, and the battle between Bi-Han and Hanzo is one of the franchise’s most well-documented. ThoughMortal Kombat 1has altered some of its biggest names,MK1’s endingsuggests the fight between the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu is just getting started. Fans will just have to wait and see if aspects of previousMKlore, like Noob Saibot or an undead Scorpion, make their way into a potentialMortal Kombat 2.
Mortal Kombat 1
WHERE TO PLAY
Welcome to a new era of Kombat. NetherRealm Studios ushers in a new era of the iconic fighting franchise with a total reset that changes the entire world as we know it. Following the thrilling climax of Mortal Kombat 11, the all-powerful Fire God Liu Kang has created a New Era in the hope of bringing peace to Earthrealm and beyond. Through the series' most cinematic story mode yet, you’ll be reintroduced to a cast of legendary warriors as you’ve never seen them before. Expect twists on classic friendships and rivalries, as well as new backstories that will change everything you think you know about your favorite Kombatants. Discover a host of new offline and online game modes as you master a revitalized fighting system that boasts bone-crunching Fatal Blows, defensive Breakers and the most creatively vicious Fatalities yet.
