Shang Tsung
Encyclopedia
Shang Tsung is a boss and player character
in the Mortal Kombat fighting game
series. A powerful and deadly sorcerer and a primary antagonist in the Mortal Kombat series, Shang Tsung is a shapeshifter
who absorbs the souls of those he slays in order to maintain his youth and power. He has also frequently appeared in the other media in the franchise.
Shang Tsung returned years later, much older in appearance, after the "mysterious" death of one of the tournament's three Grandmasters. With him was his greatest student: the Shokan Prince Goro. Tsung had been ordered by the ruler of Outworld, Shao Kahn
, to finally bring about the winning streak in Mortal Kombat necessary to unbalance the Furies and weaken the dimensional gates, allowing the Outworld Emperor to conquer Earth. After a valiant but doomed fight, The Great Kung Lao was defeated by Goro and killed; Tsung consumed his soul, and the Outworld's domination of the Mortal Kombat tournament began. Shang Tsung came into contact with another sorcerer, Quan Chi, who was seeking a mystical item, Shinnok's amulet. The amulet's location was known only to the Shaolin Monks; as a result of consuming the Great Kung Lao's soul, Shang Tsung knew where it was. In exchange for Quan Chi's and Shinnok's aid in completing a task for the Emperor Shao Kahn, he revealed the location of the Map of the Elements – but neglected to inform Quan Chi that no sorcerer could enter the Temple where it was stored. Over the next 500 years, as Goro remained undefeated, the tournament fell further into Tsung's depraved hands. He became the sole Grandmaster, and the tournament came to be held on his private island – in reality, a zone in between Earth and the Outworld. Near the end of this time period, Tsung learned of the swordsman Kenshi. Realizing that Kenshi's pride could easily be exploited, Tsung disguised himself as an old man named Song and tricked him into releasing his warrior king ancestors, blinding Kenshi in the process. Tsung revealed his true self, consumed the souls, and left Kenshi to die, not knowing the swordsman would survive to become his bitter enemy. Tsung also sparred with Shujinko to determine whether or not he would allow him to enter the tournament. The spar ended in a draw with Tsung granting Shujinko permission to enter. Shujinko did not do so as he was on a quest.
During the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament
, the final victory that would enable Kahn to conquer Earth, Liu Kang
defeated Goro, breaking the streak. Liu Kang then challenged Shang Tsung in Kombat to restore the honour of the once-sacred tournament; Liu Kang prevailed, and Shang Tsung fled to Outworld. Dragged before Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung begged for his life and said that if they challenged Earthrealm to Mortal Kombat in Outworld, they would have to accept or forfeit. Kahn agreed to this plan, and restored Tsung's youth. While the tournament served as a diversion, Shao Kahn could continue with his own scheme, 10,000 years in the making: the restoration to life of his former queen, Sindel. During the Outworld tournament
, despite having his youth restored and after a long brutal fight, Tsung lost again to Liu Kang, this time in front of Kahn. After Shang Tsung's defeat at the hands of Liu Kang, Shao Kahn finished the process of Sindel's resurrection with the aid of his cult of Shadow Priests. Thanks to the help of Quan Chi and Shinnok, her soul would indeed be resurrected – but in Earthrealm, and tainted by evil.
When Queen Sindel was revived in Earthrealm, Shao Kahn could reach across the realms and reclaim her, forcefully merging Earthrealm with Outworld
. Shang Tsung led one of Kahn's extermination squads to hunt down the fighters that Lord Raiden
had protected. Despite being granted more power than ever before, Tsung still lost to Liu Kang for a third time. Upon Kahn's defeat, Shang Tsung retreated with him back to Outworld, when the merger was reversed. Tsung would then be imprisoned and tortured for his failure to help his master merge Earthrealm into Outworld. He was periodically released to do Kahn's bidding, and was finally released for good after regaining Kahn's favour.
A few years later, Shang Tsung found Quan Chi in his palace courtyard, fighting Scorpion
. When Quan Chi defeated him, he gave Shang an offer: if Tsung helped him revive the lost army of the Dragon King Onaga by means of his ability to transplant souls, he would open a "Soulnado" to the Heavens, giving him an endless supply of souls. Tsung accepted, and together, they formed the Deadly Alliance
. Shang Tsung introduced Quan Chi to Shao Kahn, vouched for his loyalty, and then they attacked and apparently killed him (however, Shao Kahn appears in the GameCube
version of Mortal Kombat: Deception
, and reveals that they merely killed a clone). After accepting Kano's offer to serve them, they travelled through a portal, known only to sorcerers and deities, to Earthrealm and headed to the Wu Shi Academy where Shang Tsung disguised himself as Kung Lao
and approached Liu Kang. As Liu practiced his kata
, Shang revealed his true form and attacked; although Liu had the upper hand, Quan Chi struck from behind, giving Shang the opportunity to finally take his revenge on Liu Kang by breaking his neck and taking his soul. However, Shang Tsung did not fully trust Quan Chi. Upon returning to Outworld, he gave the Oni Drahmin and Moloch, who had escaped from the Netherealm, an offer: after Tsung performed his part in the plan, Quan Chi, who the two despised for abandoning them in the infernal pits after promising to free them, would be theirs to do with as they wished. The Deadly Alliance soon commanded Kano's troops to force a small Outworld village to construct a new palace around the tomb to house the Soulnado. When one of the citizens, Li Mei, attacked Kano, they offered to free her village if she could win a tournament they would hold. About the same time, they approached Mavado, offering him a deal as well; he could earn the right to fight and kill Kano in exchange for eliminating Kenshi, who had been spying on Tsung; Mavado accomplished his mission, and the Alliance granted him his wish.
Li Mei, having won the local tournament, demanded her reward, but instead Shang Tsung started transferring her soul to a mummified soldier of Onaga's army. It was at this time that the forces of Earthrealm, led by Raiden, attacked. Li Mei was rescued by Bo' Rai Cho, who escaped with her, but the remainder of the warriors assaulted the Alliance. The two defeated Earthrealm's champions (with Shang Tsung victorious in a one on one battle against an improved Kung Lao) and finally Raiden. Then, Shang's lust for power and Quan Chi's suspicion finally came to light. The two fought, and Quan Chi emerged the victor. But immediately after defeating Tsung, he was confronted by the powerful reborn Onaga. Tsung regained consciousness, and recognizing the Dragon King to be a more serious threat, assisted Quan Chi in attacking him. Moments later, the thunder god did as well, but their combined efforts could not stop the former Outworld ruler, who had come to reclaim Shinnok's amulet and his ancient army. In Raiden's ensuing last-ditch attempt at victory through a self-sacrificial blast, Shang Tsung was caught in the blast, killing him. The thousands of souls he had consumed over the years were released, including the souls of Liu Kang and the Great Kung Lao.
Tsung's own soul was magically drawn to Outworld, where he was delivered to Shao Kahn. Tsung had pledged his soul to the emperor ages before and this agreement was binding, even beyond death. Kahn provided Tsung with a new body and then allied with him in taking his kingdom from Mileena, Kitana
's clone once created by Tsung for him. Although Tsung was bound to serve Kahn, an opportunity to free himself arose when he discovered that Quan Chi was alive. Quan Chi brought word from Shinnok of a plan to take a great power, and Tsung realized if he were to take the power for himself, he could sever his bond with Shao Kahn. Until his opportunity arose, Tsung continued to feign loyalty to the emperor while redirecting suspicion to other members of the his alliance. In the ensuing battle of the Armaggeddon
, Tsung manages to hold off several warriors, including Kahn himself, and nearly reaches Blaze, but is stopped when Liu Kang's corpse holds him back with his chains; this causes Tsung to age rapidly and perish.
Shang Tsung appears in the video game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
representing the Mortal Kombat Universe against the DC Universe
. Despite an apparent alliance between himself and all of the Mortal Kombat Universe warriors involved in the event, he still has aspirations of supreme power and is as devious a villain as ever. In the story mode, Liu Kang
mistook the Flash
as Shang Tsung transforming his appearance as a red devil with a lightning bolt on his chest and defeated him. As the Mortal Kombat champion awaited his masters to discover its origin, he showed up and challenged him to a fight in which the sorcerer was defeated. As the realms began to merge with the DC Universe's Earth, he attempted to invade Themyscira
, but was driven off by Wonder Woman
and her Amazons. He later teamed up with Quan Chi and Baraka to find Scorpion
accomplishing his objective to locate Princess Kitana
and bring her to Raiden
. As they did so, they saw Captain Marvel
nearby, and they lured him into the Netherrealm to kill him, but all were singlehandedly defeated. As they returned to the Thunder God, he was given an assignment to fight alongside Liu Kang. He fought Superman
, but Kang turned against him. Nonetheless, he defeated him, however Green Lantern
finished him. A fight between them ensued, and Shang Tsung gained the upper hand. He returned once more, only to handle Kano. In the ensuing battle against the DC heroes and villains, he fought against Captain Marvel. He suggested that he should follow Dark Kahn to his fortress, but Raiden himself considered that he was leading them into their doom and fought him. In his ending Shang Tsung, being impressed by Captain Marvel
's fighting ability, but angered at his own defeat by the hero, he seeks to create a new creature which would have Captain Marvel's abilities but be a perversion of them. Using his sorcery, he merged blood from a torn piece of Captain Marvel's cape, and the flesh of a Tarkatan corpse. The result of this experiment being a "Super Tarkatan", an abomination the likes of which had never been seen before. Knowing that he would be unstoppable with more of such creatures, Shang Tsung quickly began preparations to create an army of them.
He is featured as a playable character in Mortal Kombat. As the game is a reboot of the first three titles in the series, his role is mostly consistent with these; however, he is killed when Shao Kahn steals his soul to power up the resurrected Sindel.
Shang Tsung's name was hyphenated in Midway
's official arcade flyer for the original Mortal Kombat ("Shang-Tsung"). He first appeared as an elderly man in his mid-eighties, then became a younger man in his late-twenties to early-thirties. According to GamePro
magazine in 1993, the Mortal Kombat II
version of Shang Tsung was 19 years old. The article also included a rough sketch of Tsung's "true form," a twisted demon. Though it was drawn by Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias
, this form has never actually appeared in the video games. In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
he is roughly 45 years old. Tobias wanted Shang Tsung's long hair to hang loose in Mortal Kombat 3
, but potential problems with it flopping about whenever he jumped resulted in it being tied back into a ponytail.
's "Slide". He can't transform into anyone in Deadly Alliance, Deception, Armageddon, or Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe; Ed Boon
explained in an interview with Mortal Kombat Online this was due to a lack of sufficient memory. However, he could actually transform into anyone but Reptile
in the Game Boy Advance
version of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (and the second re-release called Tournament Edition). In MK (2011), Shang Tsung's morphing ability returns. Although, when playing as him, he can only morph into his opponent, while the CPU Shang Tsung can morph into anyone, but is limited to three characters per fight, two randomly chosen (excluding Kintaro, Goro and Shao Kahn), the third one being the player's. Shang Tsung's Friendship in MK3 turns him into a sprite from the arcade game Joust.
Shang Tsung plays his original role of main villain in the first series of the Malibu Comics
' Blood & Thunder miniseries, with his backstory mostly unchanged as an old man serving Shao Kahn to open the portal through 10 consecutive Mortal Kombat wins. He and Raiden share a bitter relationship, usually ending in either verbal assaults or draw fights. While Shang Tsung hosted the tenth tournament, he secretly planned to gain the powers of the mystical book Tao Te Zhan, which granted immense strength to whoever resolves its seven riddles. Shang Tsung and Raiden later joins forces to stop Goro after he took the power of the book, since he cannot be trusted with such strength. During the Battlewave miniseries, it is implied that Shang Tsung resumed the tournament after his plans were foiled and lost it alongside Goro at the hands of Liu Kang. He is seen in the first pages of issue #1 being pursued and punished by Shao Kahn, Kintaro, and Gorbak (Goro's father). Even though Shao Kahn supposedly punished him, he later appears in the last page of issue #5 completely rejuvenated and still under Shao Kahn's servitude. Shang Tsung would later serve as leader of Shao Kahn's team during the tournament he prepared in the last issue of the series, "Tournament Edition II". Shang Tsung's last appearance is during the 1995 Kung Lao one-shot comic, in which he serves as antagonist, attempting to kill Kung Lao through deceptive tricks using his shapeshifting abilities.
Shang Tsung is the main antagonist in Mortal Kombat
, and was played by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
. He regularly resorted to intimidation and trickery to try to manipulate the outcome of the tournament, which ultimately proved unsuccessful as he was defeated and killed by Liu Kang in the final battle.
Shang Tsung is also the prime villain of the animated film Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins, voiced by Jim Cummings
. In this version, he is portrayed as having the ability to read his opponent's thoughts during battle (an ability which is not present in the game series), allowing him to predict their attacks and adapt his own strategy to exploit the opponent's greatest weakness.
Shang Tsung appeared in several episodes of the animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm
, voiced by Neil Ross
.
In the Mortal Kombat: Konquest
TV series, Shang Tsung was portrayed by Bruce Locke
as a sorcerer eager to take revenge on the Great Kung Lao, who had defeated him in Mortal Kombat. For most of the series, he was confined to Shao Kahn's cobalt
mines for his failure in the Mortal Kombat tournament, although he occasionally escapes, since his powers are unaffected by the cobalt in the mines due to his human heritage. While in the mines, he keeps Kreeyan princess Vorpax as his personal slave (both literal and pleasure), and generally mistreats her until she receives her mother's powers. He was played by Bruce Locke.
He also appeared briefly in the short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth
, portrayed by James Lew
, and in the third episode of the webseries Mortal Kombat: Legacy
, played by Johnson Phan.
's 2009 list of "Top 25 Evil Masterminds of All Time" article, which noted his attack style and goals while stating he is "one twisted freak." Same year, GamesRadar
listed him as one of the top villains who will never stay dead. He was also 6th in GamesRadar's "The 12 most misunderstood videogame villains" with comments on his role. In 2010, Shang Tsung was ranked #97 on IGN's
"Top 100 Video Game Villains" list and they said "Considering Shang Tsung's devious powers and his cruel methods, his status as a reputable villain of the series is well deserved." He was also third in Game Revolution
's "Top 10 Old School Mortal Kombat Characters" in response to morph into other fighters across the battles. Game Rant ranked Shang Tsung at #5 on their "10 Most Awesome Mortal Kombat Characters" list, praising his ability to transform into other characters and adding "despite Shang Tsung’s limited arsenal of unique special attacks, the character still provides experienced players with a stylish way to dispatch opponents."
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
in the Mortal Kombat fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
series. A powerful and deadly sorcerer and a primary antagonist in the Mortal Kombat series, Shang Tsung is a shapeshifter
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
who absorbs the souls of those he slays in order to maintain his youth and power. He has also frequently appeared in the other media in the franchise.
In video games
Most of Shang Tsung's past remains shrouded in mystery. There are several different origin stories for Shang Tsung. On Midway's defunct Mortal Kombat Mythologies website, it was stated Shang Tsung was originally from Earth. However, his Armageddon bio makes reference to Tsung binding his soul to Shao Kahn, which could provide a loophole allowing him to represent Outworld in the tournament despite not being a native of that realm. Shang Tsung's bio in Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition states his origin as "Earthrealm/Outworld". According to the first Mortal Kombat comic, he was cursed by "his gods" not only to kill his enemies, but to take their souls as well. Only in this way would he hold off a grim fate: to age rapidly and die prematurely. As a side effect of his consuming the souls of others, Tsung also absorbed their memories and knowledge, an ability which would greatly benefit him years later. At some point, Tsung entered the Mortal Kombat tournament and then overcame all competition and became Grand Champion. How long he retained the title is unclear; however, the overconfident Tsung would eventually be defeated by the legendary Shaolin warrior monk, the Great Kung Lao.Shang Tsung returned years later, much older in appearance, after the "mysterious" death of one of the tournament's three Grandmasters. With him was his greatest student: the Shokan Prince Goro. Tsung had been ordered by the ruler of Outworld, Shao Kahn
Shao Kahn
Shao Kahn is a boss, announcer and recurring playable character from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. The main antagonist in the Mortal Kombat series, Shao Kahn is the Emperor of Outworld known for his godlike strength, extreme brutality and knowledge of black magic...
, to finally bring about the winning streak in Mortal Kombat necessary to unbalance the Furies and weaken the dimensional gates, allowing the Outworld Emperor to conquer Earth. After a valiant but doomed fight, The Great Kung Lao was defeated by Goro and killed; Tsung consumed his soul, and the Outworld's domination of the Mortal Kombat tournament began. Shang Tsung came into contact with another sorcerer, Quan Chi, who was seeking a mystical item, Shinnok's amulet. The amulet's location was known only to the Shaolin Monks; as a result of consuming the Great Kung Lao's soul, Shang Tsung knew where it was. In exchange for Quan Chi's and Shinnok's aid in completing a task for the Emperor Shao Kahn, he revealed the location of the Map of the Elements – but neglected to inform Quan Chi that no sorcerer could enter the Temple where it was stored. Over the next 500 years, as Goro remained undefeated, the tournament fell further into Tsung's depraved hands. He became the sole Grandmaster, and the tournament came to be held on his private island – in reality, a zone in between Earth and the Outworld. Near the end of this time period, Tsung learned of the swordsman Kenshi. Realizing that Kenshi's pride could easily be exploited, Tsung disguised himself as an old man named Song and tricked him into releasing his warrior king ancestors, blinding Kenshi in the process. Tsung revealed his true self, consumed the souls, and left Kenshi to die, not knowing the swordsman would survive to become his bitter enemy. Tsung also sparred with Shujinko to determine whether or not he would allow him to enter the tournament. The spar ended in a draw with Tsung granting Shujinko permission to enter. Shujinko did not do so as he was on a quest.
During the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament
Mortal Kombat (video game)
Mortal Kombat is a 1992 fighting-game developed and published by Midway for arcades. In 1993, home versions were released by Acclaim Entertainment. Released in the Fall of 1994, the Microsoft Windows 3.1x version was released by Activision Interactive. It is the first title in the Mortal Kombat...
, the final victory that would enable Kahn to conquer Earth, Liu Kang
Liu Kang
Liu Kang is a video game character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. First appearing in the series' first title, Liu Kang is portrayed as a Shaolin monk who enters the Mortal Kombat tournament to save his world, Earthrealm, from being destroyed due to having lost nine consecutive...
defeated Goro, breaking the streak. Liu Kang then challenged Shang Tsung in Kombat to restore the honour of the once-sacred tournament; Liu Kang prevailed, and Shang Tsung fled to Outworld. Dragged before Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung begged for his life and said that if they challenged Earthrealm to Mortal Kombat in Outworld, they would have to accept or forfeit. Kahn agreed to this plan, and restored Tsung's youth. While the tournament served as a diversion, Shao Kahn could continue with his own scheme, 10,000 years in the making: the restoration to life of his former queen, Sindel. During the Outworld tournament
Mortal Kombat II
Mortal Kombat II is a competitive fighting game originally produced by Midway Games for the arcades in . It is the second game in the Mortal Kombat series. Like its predecessor, various home versions were produced...
, despite having his youth restored and after a long brutal fight, Tsung lost again to Liu Kang, this time in front of Kahn. After Shang Tsung's defeat at the hands of Liu Kang, Shao Kahn finished the process of Sindel's resurrection with the aid of his cult of Shadow Priests. Thanks to the help of Quan Chi and Shinnok, her soul would indeed be resurrected – but in Earthrealm, and tainted by evil.
When Queen Sindel was revived in Earthrealm, Shao Kahn could reach across the realms and reclaim her, forcefully merging Earthrealm with Outworld
Mortal Kombat 3
Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game developed by Midway and released in 1995, first as an arcade game. It is the third game in the Mortal Kombat series...
. Shang Tsung led one of Kahn's extermination squads to hunt down the fighters that Lord Raiden
Raiden (Mortal Kombat)
Raiden is a player character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. Raiden, also known as Lord Raiden, is a thunder god of the Mortal Kombat universe and protector of Earthrealm. He commands many supernatural abilities such as the ability to teleport, control over lightning, and flight...
had protected. Despite being granted more power than ever before, Tsung still lost to Liu Kang for a third time. Upon Kahn's defeat, Shang Tsung retreated with him back to Outworld, when the merger was reversed. Tsung would then be imprisoned and tortured for his failure to help his master merge Earthrealm into Outworld. He was periodically released to do Kahn's bidding, and was finally released for good after regaining Kahn's favour.
A few years later, Shang Tsung found Quan Chi in his palace courtyard, fighting Scorpion
Scorpion (Mortal Kombat)
Scorpion is a recurring player and boss character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He has been a playable character in all the games, with the exception of the original version of Mortal Kombat 3.-In video games:...
. When Quan Chi defeated him, he gave Shang an offer: if Tsung helped him revive the lost army of the Dragon King Onaga by means of his ability to transplant souls, he would open a "Soulnado" to the Heavens, giving him an endless supply of souls. Tsung accepted, and together, they formed the Deadly Alliance
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, originally known as Mortal Kombat V: Vengeance or simply Mortal Kombat 5, is a fighting game developed and published by Midway for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo GameCube, and Game Boy Advance...
. Shang Tsung introduced Quan Chi to Shao Kahn, vouched for his loyalty, and then they attacked and apparently killed him (however, Shao Kahn appears in the GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
version of Mortal Kombat: Deception
Mortal Kombat: Deception
Mortal Kombat: Deception is a fighting game developed and published by Midway as the sixth installment for the Mortal Kombat series. It was released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in October 2004, while a Nintendo GameCube version was published in March 2005. Mortal Kombat: Deception follows the...
, and reveals that they merely killed a clone). After accepting Kano's offer to serve them, they travelled through a portal, known only to sorcerers and deities, to Earthrealm and headed to the Wu Shi Academy where Shang Tsung disguised himself as Kung Lao
Kung Lao
Kung Lao is a player character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.Kung Lao is a former Shaolin monk and a former member of the White Lotus Society. He stands in the shadow of his great ancestor, the Great Kung Lao, but unlike his great ancestor he has no desire to be champion and would...
and approached Liu Kang. As Liu practiced his kata
Kata
is a Japanese word describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practised either solo or in pairs. The term form is used for the corresponding concept in non-Japanese martial arts in general....
, Shang revealed his true form and attacked; although Liu had the upper hand, Quan Chi struck from behind, giving Shang the opportunity to finally take his revenge on Liu Kang by breaking his neck and taking his soul. However, Shang Tsung did not fully trust Quan Chi. Upon returning to Outworld, he gave the Oni Drahmin and Moloch, who had escaped from the Netherealm, an offer: after Tsung performed his part in the plan, Quan Chi, who the two despised for abandoning them in the infernal pits after promising to free them, would be theirs to do with as they wished. The Deadly Alliance soon commanded Kano's troops to force a small Outworld village to construct a new palace around the tomb to house the Soulnado. When one of the citizens, Li Mei, attacked Kano, they offered to free her village if she could win a tournament they would hold. About the same time, they approached Mavado, offering him a deal as well; he could earn the right to fight and kill Kano in exchange for eliminating Kenshi, who had been spying on Tsung; Mavado accomplished his mission, and the Alliance granted him his wish.
Li Mei, having won the local tournament, demanded her reward, but instead Shang Tsung started transferring her soul to a mummified soldier of Onaga's army. It was at this time that the forces of Earthrealm, led by Raiden, attacked. Li Mei was rescued by Bo' Rai Cho, who escaped with her, but the remainder of the warriors assaulted the Alliance. The two defeated Earthrealm's champions (with Shang Tsung victorious in a one on one battle against an improved Kung Lao) and finally Raiden. Then, Shang's lust for power and Quan Chi's suspicion finally came to light. The two fought, and Quan Chi emerged the victor. But immediately after defeating Tsung, he was confronted by the powerful reborn Onaga. Tsung regained consciousness, and recognizing the Dragon King to be a more serious threat, assisted Quan Chi in attacking him. Moments later, the thunder god did as well, but their combined efforts could not stop the former Outworld ruler, who had come to reclaim Shinnok's amulet and his ancient army. In Raiden's ensuing last-ditch attempt at victory through a self-sacrificial blast, Shang Tsung was caught in the blast, killing him. The thousands of souls he had consumed over the years were released, including the souls of Liu Kang and the Great Kung Lao.
Tsung's own soul was magically drawn to Outworld, where he was delivered to Shao Kahn. Tsung had pledged his soul to the emperor ages before and this agreement was binding, even beyond death. Kahn provided Tsung with a new body and then allied with him in taking his kingdom from Mileena, Kitana
Kitana (Mortal Kombat)
Kitana is a recurring player and a one-time boss character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. One of the lead characters of the Mortal Kombat saga, Kitana is the princess of the otherdimensional realm of Edenia and the daughter of Queen Sindel...
's clone once created by Tsung for him. Although Tsung was bound to serve Kahn, an opportunity to free himself arose when he discovered that Quan Chi was alive. Quan Chi brought word from Shinnok of a plan to take a great power, and Tsung realized if he were to take the power for himself, he could sever his bond with Shao Kahn. Until his opportunity arose, Tsung continued to feign loyalty to the emperor while redirecting suspicion to other members of the his alliance. In the ensuing battle of the Armaggeddon
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon is the seventh game in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. The PlayStation 2 version was released in stores on October 11, 2006 while the Xbox version was released on the October 16, with a Wii version released on May 29, 2007 in North America.The game was not released...
, Tsung manages to hold off several warriors, including Kahn himself, and nearly reaches Blaze, but is stopped when Liu Kang's corpse holds him back with his chains; this causes Tsung to age rapidly and perish.
Shang Tsung appears in the video game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe is a crossover fighting game from Midway Games and Warner Bros. Games. The eighth game in the Mortal Kombat series, MK vs. DC was released on November 16, . MK vs. DC contains characters from both the Mortal Kombat franchise and the DC Universe...
representing the Mortal Kombat Universe against the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
. Despite an apparent alliance between himself and all of the Mortal Kombat Universe warriors involved in the event, he still has aspirations of supreme power and is as devious a villain as ever. In the story mode, Liu Kang
Liu Kang
Liu Kang is a video game character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. First appearing in the series' first title, Liu Kang is portrayed as a Shaolin monk who enters the Mortal Kombat tournament to save his world, Earthrealm, from being destroyed due to having lost nine consecutive...
mistook the Flash
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
as Shang Tsung transforming his appearance as a red devil with a lightning bolt on his chest and defeated him. As the Mortal Kombat champion awaited his masters to discover its origin, he showed up and challenged him to a fight in which the sorcerer was defeated. As the realms began to merge with the DC Universe's Earth, he attempted to invade Themyscira
Themyscira
Themyscira is a fictional island nation in the DC Comics universe that is the place of origin of Wonder Woman and her sister Amazons. Known as Paradise Island since Wonder Woman and the island's first appearance in All Star Comics #8 , it was renamed "Themyscira" with the character's February...
, but was driven off by Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
and her Amazons. He later teamed up with Quan Chi and Baraka to find Scorpion
Scorpion (Mortal Kombat)
Scorpion is a recurring player and boss character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He has been a playable character in all the games, with the exception of the original version of Mortal Kombat 3.-In video games:...
accomplishing his objective to locate Princess Kitana
Kitana (Mortal Kombat)
Kitana is a recurring player and a one-time boss character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. One of the lead characters of the Mortal Kombat saga, Kitana is the princess of the otherdimensional realm of Edenia and the daughter of Queen Sindel...
and bring her to Raiden
Raiden (Mortal Kombat)
Raiden is a player character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. Raiden, also known as Lord Raiden, is a thunder god of the Mortal Kombat universe and protector of Earthrealm. He commands many supernatural abilities such as the ability to teleport, control over lightning, and flight...
. As they did so, they saw Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
nearby, and they lured him into the Netherrealm to kill him, but all were singlehandedly defeated. As they returned to the Thunder God, he was given an assignment to fight alongside Liu Kang. He fought Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, but Kang turned against him. Nonetheless, he defeated him, however Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
finished him. A fight between them ensued, and Shang Tsung gained the upper hand. He returned once more, only to handle Kano. In the ensuing battle against the DC heroes and villains, he fought against Captain Marvel. He suggested that he should follow Dark Kahn to his fortress, but Raiden himself considered that he was leading them into their doom and fought him. In his ending Shang Tsung, being impressed by Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
's fighting ability, but angered at his own defeat by the hero, he seeks to create a new creature which would have Captain Marvel's abilities but be a perversion of them. Using his sorcery, he merged blood from a torn piece of Captain Marvel's cape, and the flesh of a Tarkatan corpse. The result of this experiment being a "Super Tarkatan", an abomination the likes of which had never been seen before. Knowing that he would be unstoppable with more of such creatures, Shang Tsung quickly began preparations to create an army of them.
He is featured as a playable character in Mortal Kombat. As the game is a reboot of the first three titles in the series, his role is mostly consistent with these; however, he is killed when Shao Kahn steals his soul to power up the resurrected Sindel.
Character design
Shang Tsung's name was hyphenated in Midway
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
's official arcade flyer for the original Mortal Kombat ("Shang-Tsung"). He first appeared as an elderly man in his mid-eighties, then became a younger man in his late-twenties to early-thirties. According to GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
magazine in 1993, the Mortal Kombat II
Mortal Kombat II
Mortal Kombat II is a competitive fighting game originally produced by Midway Games for the arcades in . It is the second game in the Mortal Kombat series. Like its predecessor, various home versions were produced...
version of Shang Tsung was 19 years old. The article also included a rough sketch of Tsung's "true form," a twisted demon. Though it was drawn by Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias
John Tobias
John Tobias is an American comic book artist, graphic designer and video game designer. Along with Ed Boon he is one of the creators of the groundbreaking Mortal Kombat fighting game series....
, this form has never actually appeared in the video games. In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, originally known as Mortal Kombat V: Vengeance or simply Mortal Kombat 5, is a fighting game developed and published by Midway for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo GameCube, and Game Boy Advance...
he is roughly 45 years old. Tobias wanted Shang Tsung's long hair to hang loose in Mortal Kombat 3
Mortal Kombat 3
Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game developed by Midway and released in 1995, first as an arcade game. It is the third game in the Mortal Kombat series...
, but potential problems with it flopping about whenever he jumped resulted in it being tied back into a ponytail.
Gameplay
In the original Mortal Kombat game, Shang Tsung seems to be hovering on the floor, like his fellow Shadow Priests. Because of this, he is completely immune to sweep attacks and Sub-ZeroSub-Zero (Mortal Kombat)
Sub-Zero is the name given to two video game characters from the Mortal Kombat series. The older Sub-Zero first appeared in the first Mortal Kombat game, being replaced by his younger brother in Mortal Kombat II and the subsequent games...
's "Slide". He can't transform into anyone in Deadly Alliance, Deception, Armageddon, or Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe; Ed Boon
Ed Boon
Edward J. Boon is an American video game programmer who had been employed for over 15 years at Midway. He now works for Warner Bros...
explained in an interview with Mortal Kombat Online this was due to a lack of sufficient memory. However, he could actually transform into anyone but Reptile
Reptile (Mortal Kombat)
Reptile is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat series of video games. Created for Midway Games by John Tobias and Ed Boon, Reptile debuted in Mortal Kombat as a hidden boss and appeared in subsequent titles as a playable character. The character has also appeared on various merchandise,...
in the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
version of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (and the second re-release called Tournament Edition). In MK (2011), Shang Tsung's morphing ability returns. Although, when playing as him, he can only morph into his opponent, while the CPU Shang Tsung can morph into anyone, but is limited to three characters per fight, two randomly chosen (excluding Kintaro, Goro and Shao Kahn), the third one being the player's. Shang Tsung's Friendship in MK3 turns him into a sprite from the arcade game Joust.
In other media
Shang Tsung plays his original role of main villain in the first series of the Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. The company's headquarters was in Calabasas, California. Malibu imprints included Aircel Comics and Eternity Comics...
' Blood & Thunder miniseries, with his backstory mostly unchanged as an old man serving Shao Kahn to open the portal through 10 consecutive Mortal Kombat wins. He and Raiden share a bitter relationship, usually ending in either verbal assaults or draw fights. While Shang Tsung hosted the tenth tournament, he secretly planned to gain the powers of the mystical book Tao Te Zhan, which granted immense strength to whoever resolves its seven riddles. Shang Tsung and Raiden later joins forces to stop Goro after he took the power of the book, since he cannot be trusted with such strength. During the Battlewave miniseries, it is implied that Shang Tsung resumed the tournament after his plans were foiled and lost it alongside Goro at the hands of Liu Kang. He is seen in the first pages of issue #1 being pursued and punished by Shao Kahn, Kintaro, and Gorbak (Goro's father). Even though Shao Kahn supposedly punished him, he later appears in the last page of issue #5 completely rejuvenated and still under Shao Kahn's servitude. Shang Tsung would later serve as leader of Shao Kahn's team during the tournament he prepared in the last issue of the series, "Tournament Edition II". Shang Tsung's last appearance is during the 1995 Kung Lao one-shot comic, in which he serves as antagonist, attempting to kill Kung Lao through deceptive tricks using his shapeshifting abilities.
Shang Tsung is the main antagonist in Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat (film)
Mortal Kombat is a 1995 American action and adventure film directed by Paul Anderson. Based on the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games, the film was the first part of the Mortal Kombat film series...
, and was played by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
is a Japanese-American actor.In addition to his extensive film work, he has appeared on television in Star Trek: The Next Generation - "Encounter at Farpoint" , Thunder in Paradise , Nash Bridges , Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding , and Heroes . He also provided the voice of Sin Tzu for the video game...
. He regularly resorted to intimidation and trickery to try to manipulate the outcome of the tournament, which ultimately proved unsuccessful as he was defeated and killed by Liu Kang in the final battle.
Shang Tsung is also the prime villain of the animated film Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins, voiced by Jim Cummings
Jim Cummings
James Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
. In this version, he is portrayed as having the ability to read his opponent's thoughts during battle (an ability which is not present in the game series), allowing him to predict their attacks and adapt his own strategy to exploit the opponent's greatest weakness.
Shang Tsung appeared in several episodes of the animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm
Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm
Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, also known as Mortal Kombat: The Animated Series, is a cartoon series based on the popular Mortal Kombat video game series...
, voiced by Neil Ross
Neil Ross
Theodoric Neilson "Neil" Ross is an English voice actor and announcer, born in London, England and now resident and working in Los Angeles, in the United States. He has provided voices for in many American cartoons, particularly those based on Hasbro products and Marvel Comics, and numerous...
.
In the Mortal Kombat: Konquest
Mortal Kombat: Konquest
Mortal Kombat: Konquest is an American martial arts television series that aired for one season from 1998 to 1999, and was based on the popular Mortal Kombat fighting game series. The program was filmed at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida.-Storyline:"In each of us there burns a soul...
TV series, Shang Tsung was portrayed by Bruce Locke
Bruce Locke
Bruce Asato Locke is an American actor born and raised in Oregon. Locke is not a martial artist and yet is known for some of the action characters he has portrayed.He played tennis in college and was nationally ranked...
as a sorcerer eager to take revenge on the Great Kung Lao, who had defeated him in Mortal Kombat. For most of the series, he was confined to Shao Kahn's cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
mines for his failure in the Mortal Kombat tournament, although he occasionally escapes, since his powers are unaffected by the cobalt in the mines due to his human heritage. While in the mines, he keeps Kreeyan princess Vorpax as his personal slave (both literal and pleasure), and generally mistreats her until she receives her mother's powers. He was played by Bruce Locke.
He also appeared briefly in the short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth
Mortal Kombat: Rebirth
Mortal Kombat: Rebirth is a 2010 action short film directed by Kevin Tancharoen with fight choreography by Larnell Stovall who also choreographed Undisputed III: Redemption. Based on the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games, the short-film "actually was made by the director to sell Warner Bros...
, portrayed by James Lew
James Lew
James Jene Fae Lew is an American martial arts actor. He has made 80 on screen film and television appearances and 46 more as a stunt coordinator or stunt double. He has done choreography for movies like Get Smart and Double Impact as well as television shows such as, Discovery Channel's Fight...
, and in the third episode of the webseries Mortal Kombat: Legacy
Mortal Kombat: Legacy
Mortal Kombat: Legacy is an American web series anthology that debuted on Machinima.com's YouTube channel on April 11, 2011. The show is an adaptation of the fictional universe of the Mortal Kombat video game franchise...
, played by Johnson Phan.
Reception
Shang Tsung was ranked #17 on GameDailyGameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
's 2009 list of "Top 25 Evil Masterminds of All Time" article, which noted his attack style and goals while stating he is "one twisted freak." Same year, GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
listed him as one of the top villains who will never stay dead. He was also 6th in GamesRadar's "The 12 most misunderstood videogame villains" with comments on his role. In 2010, Shang Tsung was ranked #97 on IGN's
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
"Top 100 Video Game Villains" list and they said "Considering Shang Tsung's devious powers and his cruel methods, his status as a reputable villain of the series is well deserved." He was also third in Game Revolution
Game Revolution
Game Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
's "Top 10 Old School Mortal Kombat Characters" in response to morph into other fighters across the battles. Game Rant ranked Shang Tsung at #5 on their "10 Most Awesome Mortal Kombat Characters" list, praising his ability to transform into other characters and adding "despite Shang Tsung’s limited arsenal of unique special attacks, the character still provides experienced players with a stylish way to dispatch opponents."
External links
- Shang Tsung - The Mortal Kombat Wiki
- Shang Tsung at IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
- Shang Tsung at the IMDb