Summary
Mortal Kombat 1’s first Kombat Pack begins rolling out characters on November 9th, 2023 with Omni-Man and will continue until Summer 2024. The gradual release of fighters will stagger the highly anticipated guest characters with theMortal KombatUniverse characters. The last of these characters, Takeda, will be released next summer. The fact thatMortal Kombat 1developer NetherRealm Studios chose Takeda to round out the game’s first Kombat Pack could imply his importance for the future of the game.
Takeda Takahashi was first introduced inMortal Kombat Xback in 2015. He was one of the four “Kombat Kids” featured in the game, who at the time were touted asthe next generation of theMortal Kombatstoryline. Along with Cassie Cage, Jacqui Briggs, and Kung Jin, Takeda played an important role inMKX’s story, only to be left out ofMK11. After a brief cameo in the story mode ofMortal Kombat 1, Takeda will officially make his way into the lore of Liu Kang’s new era. Though there is not much officially announced about his new role in the rebooted timeline currently, his addition could set the stage for future DLC for a few key reasons.
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Takeda Through The Years
Mortal Kombat 1 - How Kombat Pack 1 sets up Story DLC
In the past, DLC fighters went on to play an important role inMortal KombatStory DLC. InMK11, Shang Tsung, Nightwolf, and Sindel were released as part of Kombat Pack 1 and went on to play major roles in theAftermathDLC that came later down the road. Even characters that were released in later Kombat Packs, such as Mileena and Rain, did not receive much attention. If this trend continues intoMortal Kombat 1,then the first Kombat Pack should be a hint of where the story will go.
Assuming guest characters will not be featured in the mainlineMortal Kombatstory, then that just leaves the returningMKcharacters to set the stage for future DLC. Quan Chi and Ermac have played large roles inMK1’s Story Modealready and may return in the future. But seeing as Takeda is the only character yet to make an official debut in the new timeline, it makes sense that he could be important in the future. It may be his relationship with Scorpion, Kenshi, and the Shirai Ryu that hints at what fans can expect in the future.
Takeda’s Role in Mortal Kombat 1
InMortal Kombat X, Takeda was a member of the new Shirai Ryu and a pupil of Scorpion. He was also the son of Kenshi. Now that the timeline has been reset inMK1, this may or may not be very different.InMK1, the Shirai Ryu were formedin Scorpion and Smoke’s Tower Endings. They were shown to be uniting new members to their cause, including a child version of Hanzo Hasashi. Given the appearance of Takeda’s uniform, he may be one of the new recruits of the Shirai Ryu. Although probably not the son of Kenshi in this new timeline, it is possible he is still a relative and member of his clan.
Atthe end ofMortal Kombat 1’s story, the new Shirai Ryu clan is at war with the Lin Kuei. Each respective headmaster, brothers Kuai Liang and Bi-Han, swore to defeat the other. Takeda entering the fray could set up a potential Story DLC focusing on this conflict. This DLC could also be the perfect opportunity to explore more of Kenshi’s background given his ties to Takeda. Perhaps a story where Takeda teams up with Kenshi to take down the Yakuza in Japan and clear their family name. Whatever the future ofMK1’s story holds, Takeda will likely play a part in it.
