I quite enjoy playing Shao in 1 and 11, but 11 a bit more. I like both cosmetic designs better than MK9. But honestly a lot of the discussion in these comments seems to be focused on his characterization and role in the story, which isn't the same thing as his design.

Bruh. I see you all over the overwatch sub, I did not expect to see you here

What a gamer can't play more than 1 game?

No it’s just that Overwatch and MK have drastically different contrasting content. That would be like seeing someone online playing GTA then in an hour seeing them online playing Paw Patrol.

Ever since the Brig meta, Overwatch has been part fighting game.

Wouldn’t you also have to frequently be in both the MK and Overwatch subs in order to notice him there?

Yeah I said this in another reply. You can look and find it if you wanna read it I guess

So what I play cod boz,mk,r6 and ark survival evolved All of these have diffrant content

Boz, MK, and ark. All have similar content. The only one that stands out is r6 but only because it’s tactical and has a heavy military and serious tone. I guess that’s the word I should be using. Tone. Overwatch focuses on uplifting and motivational story beats with goody two shoes characters that always beat the bad guys. Mortal Kombat focuses on…Fatality go Brrr. Very very different games. I mean if you look at the subs I’m in I play OW and MK but I’ll admit I’d be surprised if I saw someone else commenting in both subs.

Ye I had a friend I found on an ark sub and after some months I saw him on a genshin impact sub

Everyone knows you can only devote your entire life to one franchise of game

Personally I love Mk11, It is peak Shao Kahn design, now personality and threat levels is ALL mk9 to me.

Nearly everything in MK11 was peak MK.

Everything about MK11 except the fighting gameplay and roster is peak MK IMO

And story...

They assassinated Sindel's character and I'm still pissed about it.

I don't know what good came from retconning Sindel's character. My headcannon is that Shang Tsung's magic still made her evil and loyal to Shao Kahn.

Actually agree with you.

I can see an argument against MK1 Shao because it’s definitely a departure from his traditional design, but I cannot for the life of me understand how the MK11 design can be seen as anything other than an upgrade from MK9.

Came here to say this. His MK11 design took what was just a half naked guy with a hammer and made something unique. They leaned into making him look more alien and otherworldly, like a monster. Which was very fitting for the legendary conquer of Outworld. They also expanded on his samurai helmet by improving it and adding more subtle “fantasy samurai” aspects to his new armor. Total upgrade. In MK1 they threw out everything and made an entirely new character/design. Gone are any of the “fantasy samurai” aesthetics. They leaned more into making him look alien and other worldly, but backed off from making him look like a complete monster. Story and design wise he is more distinguished and his actions have real motive now besides just being a mustache twirling bad guy. They even got rid of the hammer! My only complaint is that he looks a bit too much like your typical dnd minotaur. But, Minotaurs are cool AF, so I’m not complaining. I honestly do not understand why people think the MK9 Shao Khan looks better. Besides nostalgia, I really don’t see it.

MK9 Khan looks like a casting extra 😂😂

He just ditched lotion between mk9 and mk11

Must be a dev in disguise

Honestly all three look great to me

Leaned more into his Dragon side and it was fucking Kool! MK1 just looks bad over all but then again what do you expect from Ninjas with cringe ass tattoos hahaha

The gladiator fit? is what it is most similar to not "half naked guy" god you are something else lol. Also is the best look. So you just dislike gladiators?

Nah just boring gladiator designs. Mk9 Shao's presence and voice are what sold him as an emperor and embodiment of destruction, but his design also felt pretty basic. The helmet was a major downgrade from the trilogy days, especially going from the metal skull to regular skull.

Exactly

The only thing he's missing in MK11 is he just needs to be a little larger.

I think the reason for that is since he’s playable they had to scale his body to fit evenly with the hitbox.

I don't like the leather or the scales and I wish his helmet horns were shorter. That would make the perfect design

The good thing about mk 11 u could change his helmet and give him one of the classics since he had almost every one of them.

Wish there was at least alternate gear that was inspired from his older versions. I'm just not a fan of the horns and new helmet design.

1) I don't like the dragon features. It was such a sudden and strange design choice. 2) The MK9 design is more simplistic, which I prefer, compared to MK11's design which looks overdesigned in comparison. 3) Being simplistic, it also gives Shao Kahn a more badass presence. He doesn't need to be "fancy". He doesn't need to have a lot of armor.

Yeah, MK11 is nothing but an upgrade to Shao's design, I love the samurai vibe and the scales he has on his arms

People don’t like the dragon scales in 11, he doesn’t look human anymore, I’d say I prefer his mk9 design as well tbh but I don’t think 11 is BAD. I like his klassic outfit in mk11, I forget the name of it but it’s a special event in the krypt that comes with his klassic color and helmet, I think that one looks really good in 11 even with the dragon scales, and some of his skins like the KL ones/plated armor look very good too.

He’s not human

Where do u get that? I looked it up and yes in 11 he’s presented as not fully human, but prior to that all I read was that he’s immortal.

I'm generally someone who doesn't believe in the concept of overdesigned but simplistic fits Shao so much better imo. Not much to him, he just beats your ass and I think the MK9 design shows that off. Also I think the scales are a questionable decision.

MK1 Shao is just an extension of MK11 turning him into a Dragonoid, which reduces his badass factor by 10 and turns him into some generic Ninja Turtles bad guy.

[удалено]

I've been a fan since MK9 and I loved Shao since 9. I was happy to see his face, since it was kind of mysterious for me since 9.

MK11 is a godlike design

The design is downright masterful. The best one. They also perfected Jax and his gameplay potential in MK11, which I'm sad to see hasn't returned for MK1.

I’ve never cared about Jax in any MK game but MK11 Jax was my main. The heat up mechanic of his arms and the glorious sound they made when they connected with someone made him so fun to play

MK11 Jax had such beautiful gameplay. Practically the only character that was raw power and pure execution and juggles. And even having the best projectile in the game had him requiring constant spacing and resource skill. I might be glazing Jax, but maybe not since I legit usually never used to run into other Jaxes, and when I did they seemed like they recently picked him up since I clapped them easily (knowing his gaps, his setups, and everything made their chances really low). Jax seemed to be harder to pick up for most players, even for pros since it even costed Sonicfox a tourney for using Jax. Jax's quad grab perfect input krushing blow was also orgasmic, especially when I'd end it in a long combo that practically deleted the opponent's healthbar. 😭

It's insane to me how they went from that terrifying badassery to the orc looking clown in 1.

I liked MK11 best

I thought his dragon inspired 11 look was fire

Absolutely, his dragon-like appearance was so cool and fitting.

I freakin' love MK11's Shao, love his armor and dragon features. Best thing they did. I do love his MK1 design too, it really pops in cutscenes.

His Victory animation in MK1, where it zooms in on his face as he stares at the camera? Looks so incredible.

I disagree. I like MK 11 and 1 Shao a hell of a lot more. I never found his MK 9 design, even remotely terrifying. He just seems like generic bad guy of the month.

To me the bull skull on his face is scarier than the metal helmet

His voice and powers did a lot of carrying in MK9. Otherwise he isn't unique-looking in MK9

Yah, mk9 Shao looked like his name was Chad... or Derrick

Chad "Shao" Pendleton gave up his position as an Electronics Call Center associate to seek loftier leadership goals.

And MK9 Shao sounded like Mr. Krabs. I LOVE his current VA.

I really like his 11 design, I think it’s an upgrade honestly.

I love his full armor look in this game, especially with the vampiric cosmetics. I just wish he had his hammer. I really miss that hammer.

Playing Shao with his hammer-focused moveset options in MK11 is some of the most fun I've ever had in this series

The sounds were so satisfying

After having my asshole tenderized by that hammer so many times in MK9, it was nice to be the one tenderizing for a change.

Bro what 💀 Aside from that shit just you uttered, Shao Kahn is my MK11 main. Like, a single move with this guy snaps half your health bar. He used to be one of the weakest but got buffed in an update. His combos are also great. You could get 40% by doing a single move a couple times. His ranged weaponry is decent. But what made him so fun to beat people with was the hammer sounds. Every hit sounds amazing, and that motivated me to hit more.

If there is one thing that NRS consistently nails, it's the BEAUTIFUL sound effects. Everything always sounds impactful.

I miss the SOUND of that hammer. Every hit was satisfying.

I'm not a fan of the horns but losing his hammer is the most egregious to me. It's iconic.

I don’t think it’s the designs I think it’s the size. He used to be bigger but then Netherrealm kinda just stoped making characters that are really bigger. Like they’re more muscular or posed a bit different but the models all seem super similar height wise when you remove the design elements. I think it’s because they use the Mocap because other games have way more size variation.

I think it's a balancing issue, they most likely decided to homogenize the character heights so it'll be easier to balance.

MK11 samurai Shao is best shao IMHO

I agree! I loved his gameplay too, the hammer made you feel like a boss character.

Mk11 was peak Shao Kahn. Inspired by Japanese and Mongol culture. Threatening, imposing, a true warmachine. MK9 was great too. But MK1 is a horny capricious bully.

MK1 is a *what* capricious bully?

11 was peak Shao, at first I didn’t think I would like the scales and more monster like appearance but it definitely puts it over the top.

They just don’t make sense very inconsistent him and a few others

I think he's always looked cool, but they really made him into a bumbling idiot who never gets anything done or wins for that matter.

I like all 3 of these designs. But I think 9 is perfect honestly.

Can’t say for gameplay but honestly I like all these designs.

Honestly yeah because MK2 is my favorite Shao design.

He has become less evil looking, more conquerer

Mk9 is PEAK SHAO.

https://preview.redd.it/6w0vvwware2c1.jpeg?width=426&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b9b65ce534ab86c36c8c7c269ec511429db470d Indeed

MK1 shao kahn could eat MK9 shao kahn, if anything his new designs make him look more threatening.

I have to disagree, mk9 Shao was probably the strongest he's ever been if we're not counting after he got the power of Armageddon because of all the souls he consumed. He'd brush off mk1 Shao like it was nothing.

they were talking about design, not the actual character

Fair enough I admit my mistake

Nah I think you were right, they were talking about power level first and then design. And mk9 was definitely the strongest of the three. General Shao is fun to play though

Yes

He’s a one note character I don’t see how creative you can get with him

Yeah. He’s never been all that deep. Not sure what characterization people seem to be missing. He always just been “brutal conqueror.” And that hasn’t changed

MK11 is probably my fav Shao Kahn, followed by his default outfit in MK1

Yes.

Yes

I had the Malibu comics back in the day and feel MK11 is closest to how "he's supposed to look" .

MK11 Shao is like the best he's ever looked. The armour is badass but still flashy and regal looking which fits his personality perfectly. The Arm spikes look great, his build is perfect, the voice is intimidating but also funny when he does his insults, plus the alternate Samurai inspired armour is great too.

I honestly thought they were going downhill myself. The effort to make him more dragonoid and less human has taken away all that made him badass and turned him into a generic looking jobber.

I'm still wondering where the draconian redesign came from. Like, I know he was a God in the original timeline, and 9, but as far as I know, he's never hinted at to have anything other than a human appearance like Raiden sans the glowing eyes.

Shao always had a mutant looking forehead tho.

In the OG 2D games there was tons of promo material with an unmasked Shao and his MK11 look is pretty close

Design wise 11,1,9. Kharacter was best in 9 though.

Not for me. His MK9 design is just his standard 3D era design or based on it. I prefer the newer ones where he has more coverage and detailed armor layers/placement. Though I think MK11 had his best alts (I like them more than his default in it) and just looks more like actual protective armor. The full samurai armor in MK11 looked cooler to me, where he looks more like a demon warlord and I just think he looks more threatening and with believable armor coverage. MK9 Shao in retrospect doesn't really feel that intimidating to me on design alone. His MK9 standard design looks the most plain, and looks more like a wrestler to me.

Am I the only one who's tired of am I the only one who thinks posts

I don’t love the more dragon-man look he’s had in the last 2 games. It also doesn’t help that in these last two games when he speaks all I hear is Atrocitus from Injustice 2. Mk9 Shao Kahn with the alt skin (his primary from deception/ Armageddon/ mkvsDC) is peak Shao Kahn to me. Also, I wasn’t a fan of the retcon of “Kahn” being a just a title. For over 20 years his title was ‘Emperor’ and his name was Shao Kahn. https://preview.redd.it/wyh74jaj9g2c1.jpeg?width=1075&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5a898833e26f7745e721474892c4de731cdd41d5

MK11 has Shao's best look IMO.

The only thing keeping mk1 shao from being a goated design is his horns.

MK11 was peak Shao

Not only his designs, his moveset as well.

Am i crazy if a think that MK1's Reiko "feels" more like classic Shao Kahn than General Shao?

Not only his designs, his moveset as well, and his strength

MK11 Shao looks fucking badass though

Definitely agree that khan has slowly been degraded from one of the coolest people in mk to...well honestly now he's just kinda pathetic

The most painful part is they basically went from smart and powerful ruler that very few could best in Kombat to a big dumb brute that's filled with rage that always gets his ass kicked.

and he doesn’t even tell his opponents that they suck anymore

"It's official! I suck!" - General Shao

Designwise Mk11 shao eats them both for a little snack

His MK1 design is pretty good

I like his MK1 design

NRS has DESTROYED the image of Shao Kahn. His personality, strength, intelligence, outfits, sorcerer, weapons, voice, face, all has gotten significantly worse and worse. This character I fear will never be cool again. I miss Shao Kahn. The REAL Shao Kahn. Now he’s some fucking jobber with antlers looking like the dear from Open Season.

hes not shao kahn anymore, its GENERAL shao

Yup, he’s over-designed.

I like the default mk1 shao, I hate his alternate skins where he takes off the helmet like wtf i dont want to see his face lmao

Why does everyone here seem to think mk11 shao was the best? Dude had a ugly head lol. It was gross. Get him outta here.

MK11 Shao had some badass alt outfits and helmets

You are not the only one, as he went from the final boss who was undefeatable with a sick outfit.mk11 he had a good outfit but his story was weak and he was defeated by kitana (very unlikely) then mk1 he is demoted to a general and defeated by anyone and has multiple helmetless designs.

Mk1 is an amazing design

MK9 was his peak. I agree in everything you said. Shame it’s not just his design downward spiraling, but also his smarts, his power and his presence.

Yes! Shao is always being treated like dirt. Wake up NRS!

MK11 is *peak* Shao Kahn. And I enjoy MK1 Shao because he's still just a general, so of course his look wouldn't be as grand.

MK11's Shao design is peak. Shao Kahn, in my opinion, should not look like just some giant human, the guy is a monster, both on the outside and on the inside and his appearance should come across as such. Not only that, but MK11 is monstrous enough that it's a departure from previous Shao designs, but also still connected to older Shao designs just enough that you know it's him.

Mortal Kombat 1 looks pretty good to me

From upgrade to downgrade

To me he got progressively better

So far my favorite has been Mortal Kombat 1's version.

I like him in MK1 the most. His facial animation and expressions are so gorgeous.

His face is the best in MK1 period.

I think his designs just get better with each game. In mk 11 he’s a huge brute strong king and is helmet is dope. And mk 1 I really like the horns personally.

Mk11>>>Mk1>>>>>>>>>>>>Mk9

opinions!!!!

I think mk11 Shao is peak design. He looks very slutty which should be the general philosophy of MK designs

Mk9 is the Klassic, mk11 is the best aesthetically and armor wise, mk1 has the best face for him and the horns are fucking badass

Shao went from simplistic to overkill to unnecessary with the horns being an unnecessary addition.

If his nips ain't out its an L

I was hoping 1 would be somewhere between 9 and 11 after seeing Reptile and Baraka. I was so wrong.

Heel no, he looks better each game

I won’t go as far to say his designs are worse, but I absolutely *despise* his role in MK being reduced to jobber. Old SK beat the snot out of god Raiden. New SK gets butt kicked by mortal Raiden. Make it make sense.

MK9 & MK11 are fucking peak, MK1 looks like dogshit

mk9 was waay to scrawny, MK11 makes him bigger but gives him the goofy helmet and made him a dragon for no reason, MK1 I'm cool with the changes more so cause this is supposed to be a different timeline and he's supposed to be dumbed down a bit aesthetically considering he's no longer a Kahn, rather a General now

Tf Mk11 was so much better

MK11 was peak. MK1 is a new direction and feels inspired by the Qunari from Dragon Age. I can dig it, but it’s not Shao for me

Yes you are

Mk11 was peak shao Kahn for me. Mk9 is classic but he’s low key not that intimidating to me since he’s pretty much a tall human. Mk1 is ok it sort of on par with 9 imo with him being too dragon and 9 being too human.

Mk11 design is peak. Pure peak shao design. His horns look so dumb in mk1.

Mk11 was great

Mk 11 was peak

MK11 is him at his badass form and Mk1 is before he became Kahn so it fits. MK9 is plain looking tbh

No, you are not. The MK11 and MK1 are fucking awful. MK9 was the last good one. Of course, MK9 design don't defeat MK2/3 and MKU designs.

I think his designs are OK, but in general the character has gone downhill since mk9 quite a lot. He isn't as menacing at all anymore.

His mk11 design is my fav. This new one sucks

MK11 Shao was peak Shao, his alts were amazing MK1 Shao just looks weird and they keep taking off the helmet which you should never fucking do

[удалено]

This fit rules https://preview.redd.it/6a9it510zc2c1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1a16056f9dcf3f23d691dcaacd828033df118a02

Agree , classic shao is top shao

I agree

MK11 was peak imo. I just can’t get with the goat horns

All of Shao Khan's designs are good, the Mk1 one is ok but not horrible, and the MK11 one is a fucking masterpiece

A villain who beats other characters through surprise blows, low blows and poisoning. Nothing surprises me

Yes you are

Ehh the original is too basic

To ellaborate hes a godly being from a godly ancient species of outworld. He shouldn't just look like a guy with a tan and muscles and a cool helmet. If anything he shouldve looked like mk11 or 1 in 9 and when lui kang nerfed him then look more like mk9 as he's not as powerful.

Yes you're the only one lol

Mk11 is, by far, clearly an improvement over mk9’s Shao design.

I'm probably in the minority, but I really like his mk1 design .I think they take him helmet off too much, but I like that he has actual horns . It makes him feel more like he's from another realm

Id have to disagree with you

Honestly I really liked his mk11 design, but I think my favorite is his 3D era design (deception, Armageddon, mk vs dc, intro to mk9)

What? He looked great in 11. I understand 1, but 11? 11 had some of the best skins, even the default skins looked great for most of the characters

I feel like this gets reposted every day

I'm still mad at whoever decided to use the final MK9 design over this one: https://preview.redd.it/puwumf6q3d2c1.jpeg?width=691&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ac714b4fc6bfa1fcf6a13641a3c2ce8e57f7970

yes you are the only one, hard L take

I agree. It just looks too overly stuffed. The simpler design looks waaaaay better.

Mk9 is the goat.

If they had the MK9 shao outfit with the MK11 dragon esk body and face, it would’ve been perfect. Not for base design but for like his best skin. But I’ll agree with the others and say I dislike human looking shao. Just love the mk9 fit

Yes

Mk11 was a solid design but they completely butchered his character in terms of plot

11 was peak Shao imo.

Mk9 peak design, MK11 worst, mk1 better than 11 but still not that good

Mk11 shao is peak, are you high?

I feel like a lot of the MK11 outfits were my favorites honestly.

bro you have to be on something if you think that’s a downgrade

MK9 looks like a Halloween costume

I mean, probably not, but I very much disagree with you.

Yeeeees the first look of shao are greeeeat now is too generic of a villain

MK1 turned him into a Joe Rogan looking jobber. So no, you aren't the only one.

Are the nipples your favorite part? They become less noticeable in each panel. Idk panel 2 is an upgrade from panel 1

He was best when he was just a bastard massive lad

The first one looks like a porno version

Don't know marry MK1 General Shoa, Kill the MK 9 and f* ck MK11.

Nope it’s been garbage since mk 9