Gaining ninth position, we have the nomad, Baraka. His first appearance in Mortal Kombat two was spawned somewhat from Wolverine from Xmen, but, the simplest ideas can make a great character, like what we got here. We didn’t get much into his story, only that he was from the wastelands of Outworld and served Shao Kahn. After MK: 2, he appeared in Mortal Kombat Trilogy, seemingly with the same storyline as before. He then appeared in Mortal Kombat Gold, where he had staples going down himself after he apparently died at the hands of Kung Lao and his very gruesome MK: 2 fatality. He served Quan chi as a wild card to assassinate Shinnok when the time was right. However, that time never came and he fled back to Outworld and rejoined him people.
It was Mortal Kombat Deception when everyone’s eyes were opened to him. He was on all the posters and videos for Deception, first against Sub Zero then against Mileena. And from the videos, people saw how psychotic and badass Baraka was. When the game came out, he was one of the first people chose and many stayed with, he was an easy character to use and had a lot of good moves. There was also the romance with Mileena in his stories as well, which were just rumors until Mortal Kombat Deception, where it was made canon, however, in Mileena’s ending, she betrayed him. In his ending however, he sensed she would do this and sent a body double to his death while he ambushed her. Although the second part didn’t happen, it would explain why he is alive in Armageddon, where he served the Dark Alliance.
As far as if Baraka will return or not, it is hard to say. Although he is a cool character with a lot of fans, unlike many other characters, he hasn’t got much to his story and has very few ties to characters. So, it’s really a 50/50 on whether Boon and co can come up with something for him or not. Cross your fingers Baraka fans.
Adam’s Input
Isn’t he running for President of the United States? Oops, wrong guy. Known for his unpredictable actions and wild fits of anger Baraka goes on rampages. What a freak! Actually mutant is the politically correct term for them. For those interested, Baraka is an ancient Middle Eastern word, meaning “a blessing” or “breath of life”. Well, maybe bad breath in Baraka’s case. I can only imagine Baraka going to the dentist… the dentist would probably have to give himself gas. Booyakasha!
Grail’s Input
SNIKT! Yes, you are looking at the twisted MK version of the X-Man Wolverine. Only this guy is downright ugly and perhaps even more brutal than Logan. As an X-men fan, I guess I’ve always had a soft spot for Baraka. There’s something intriguing about a character that is all rage. Kinda makes the dark part in every person grin with delight. Much like his nomad personality, Baraka has been in and out of MK games so inconsistently, it’s hard to know how he is perceived by the designers. I don’t think we’ll see him return in future games, but I’m sure that his attitude will.
Dave’s Input
I distinctly remember selecting Baraka as the first character I played as in MKII simply because he looked the coolest! Some may argue that his looks alone brought the Tarkatan in at the #9 spot but the guy sure makes great use of blades and he doesn’t have to go to the store and buy ’em! Baraka will surely be remembered for his unique reoccurring Decapitation and Blade Lift Fatalities as well.