When was the character Kano introduced in the game Mortal Kombat?
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Kano is a fictional character from the "Mortal Kombat" fighting game franchise. He is one of the series' original characters, having made his debut in "Mortal Kombat" in 1992. A calculating mercenary, and member of the international crime cartel known as the Black Dragon, Kano is also the top fugitive and persistent nemesis of Sonya Blade and Jax Briggs of the Special Forces, which has been his primary storyline throughout the course of his "Mortal Kombat" series appearances, and in "Mortal Kombat 3", he also becomes the general of Outworld emperor Shao Kahn's armies. In the 2011 series reboot, he additionally poses as a crooked Special Forces informant and serves as Kahn's arms dealer. His most recognizable feature is his cybernetic metal faceplate that houses an infrared eye laser.
Kano (Mortal Kombat)
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Divizio is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Kano in the original "Mortal Kombat" in 1992. He also appeared in "Mortal Kombat II" as Baraka, and reprised the role of Kano for both "Mortal Kombat II" in 1993 (as a chained up prisoner) and "Mortal Kombat 3" in 1995, making his playable return. In "MK3", he also played the masked hook swordsman Kabal and the shadowy fighter Noob Saibot. In 1997, he portrayed Quan Chi in both the game and full motion video sequences in the platform title "", and provided motion capture footage for the character as well in "Mortal Kombat 4". He returned to the series in 2002, contributing to "" as a motion capture actor.
Richard Divizio
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Out of the seven original series characters, Kano has featured the least in the "Mortal Kombat" games, though he was among the eleven characters who represented the franchise in the crossover game "Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe". He has appeared in alternate series media such as the first "Mortal Kombat" film, the animated series "" and the web series "", in addition to having a central role in the 1995 "Mortal Kombat" novel and featuring on official series merchandise. General and critical reception for the character has been mainly positive, but mixed in regards to his Fatality finishing moves.
Kano (Mortal Kombat)
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Kano was among the eleven "Mortal Kombat" characters representing the franchise in the 2008 crossover fighter "Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe". His official rival is The Joker, but he is not playable in the story mode. He also appears in the iOS game "" as an Easter egg fighting Batman in one of the levels. In the indie game Punch Club, a fighter named Jax, who is designed after the Mortal Kombat 3 incarnation of Kano makes an appearance in one of the game's gang turf war segments.
Kano (Mortal Kombat)
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Kano was not playable in "Mortal Kombat II"; according to series co-creator John Tobias in a 1994 interview with "GamePro," in the first game "Kano and Sonya were probably picked the least. We [Midway] still wanted to include them in the storyline, so we had them captured." He then confirmed that Kano and Sonya would return in a future installment. Indeed, Kano and Sonya were playable in "Mortal Kombat 3," where his moves from the first game were retained while he gained a new "Choke" maneuver where he lifted his opponents and then violently shook them. His Fatalities were far less graphic than in the first game, as he either exploded his opponent with a laser blast from his implant, or reached down their throat to pull out their entire skeleton and hold it aloft without any blood or gore present. The game featured the unplayable hidden character Noob Saibot, who was a silhouetted sprite of Kano before being switched to a traditional ninja palette swap in "Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3" and the 1996 compilation title "Mortal Kombat Trilogy", the latter which featured the original "MK1" Kano as a selectable along with the then-current version.
Kano (Mortal Kombat)
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Kabal is a fictional character in the "Mortal Kombat" fighting game franchise, created for Midway Games by Ed Boon and John Tobias. Kabal was introduced in "Mortal Kombat 3" as a former member of Kano's Black Dragon criminal organization who had reformed as a force for good and thus became one of the chosen defenders of Earthrealm, while notably suffering an attack by Outworld emperor Shao Kahn's extermination squads that left his face disfigured and thus concealed behind a mask. In the three-dimensional "Mortal Kombat" games, he returns to the side of evil by reforming the Black Dragon and feuding with Mavado, leader of their bitter rival, the Red Dragon. Kabal returns to the side of good in the 2011 "Mortal Kombat" reboot, again having quit the Black Dragon and fighting alongside Kurtis Stryker to defend Earthrealm against Kahn's forces.
Kabal (Mortal Kombat)
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Noob Saibot was first introduced in 1993's "Mortal Kombat II" as a hidden nonplayable opponent whom players fought in a secret battle in the "Goro's Lair" stage from the first game after winning fifty consecutive matches. He was a solid black palette swap of Sub-Zero who fought with increased speed and Scorpion's spear. He returned as a secret character in "Mortal Kombat 3" with the same attributes, but was instead a silhouette of Kano, since there were no human ninjas in the game, and in the Sega Game Gear port, he additionally had Kano's special moves and his "Eye Laser" Fatality. Upon being made playable in the console versions of "UMK3" and the 1996 compilation title "Mortal Kombat Trilogy", Noob Saibot returned as a palette-swap ninja, and one of ten human ninja swaps in the game overall. Noob Saibot is playable in "Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks" in the "Versus" mode if both players select Sub-Zero; the last player to select him will play as a variation of Noob Saibot. He is colored black but he has Sub-Zero's frozen forearms and retains the latter's moves and Fatalities.
Noob Saibot
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Kano placed 24th in UGO.com's 2012 selection of the series' top fifty characters, and the site had additionally ranked him in 2011 as the seventh best cyborg character of all time, ahead of RoboCop and "Star Trek" character Seven of Nine. Den of Geek placed him seventeenth in their 2015 ranking of the series' characters, commenting that "Kano is a special kind of scum, and the series is better for him existing ... [but] he probably wouldn’t rank quite as high if not for Trevor Goddard’s rocking performance in the first movie." Josh Wirtanen of Cheat Code Central listed Kano as the fifth best "Mortal Kombat" character while Game Revolution's Anthony Severino included in his 2011 "Top 10 Old School Mortal Kombat Characters" feature. Saldana praised the character as "such a scene-stealer in the movie that the "MK" team retconned everything about Kano to fit that portrayal", but Chris Buffa of Modojo.com included Kano in his "worst list" of characters from "MK3" without explanation, and IGN described him only by saying that he "sucks." Fans ranked Kano as the 27th best "MK" character in a 2013 online poll hosted by Dorkly that rated the series' entire character roster.
Kano (Mortal Kombat)
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Besides Jax, Kano, and Kano's Black Dragon subordinates Tremor and Jarek, the game features three characters exclusive to this entry in the series:This was the second "Mortal Kombat" game developed by Midway that was more of a platformer than a fighting game, after having tested the waters with "Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero" in 1997. Series co-creator John Tobias intended to work on a series of platform games to expand the "Mortal Kombat" universe, including titles centering on Baraka and Liu Kang; only the latter was actually released by Midway (2005's "") despite having sat on the drawing board for many years.
Mortal Kombat: Special Forces
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Kano was the only one of the original seven characters who was omitted from "Mortal Kombat 4" (1997), with new character Jarek debuting in his place. His role in the game was as the last surviving member of the Black Dragon following Kano's apparent death, and was being pursued by Sonya and Jax for "crimes against humanity." Jarek copied Kano's special moves as well as his "Heart Rip" and "Eye Laser" Fatalities despite possessing no cybernetic enhancements. He was not as well-received as his predecessor, and has not featured as a playable in the series again with the exception of "Armageddon".
Kano (Mortal Kombat)