Just one point ahead of Ermac, coming in twelfth, we have the unluckiest character in Mortal Kombat, Smoke. Smoke is probably one of the most tragic characters in the Mortal Kombat franchise. He first appeared as another pallet swap ninja and was just a quick version of Scorpion. His story in this was that he was sent along with Sub-Zero to assassinate Shang Tsung. Sub-Zero would compete in the tournament while Smoke would watch and make sure the Lin Kuei did not lose another assassin on this mission. Ultimately, the two of them failed and returned to the Lin Kuei. In MK3, he got more story as a human soul trapped inside a cyborg, although arguably, he still didn’t get any ‘original’ moves. In UMK3 and MK: T Human and Cyborg Smoke were available, for those who liked both. Smoke then disappeared from our screens. Smoke had been turned into a cyborg by the Lin Kuei and ordered to kill Sub-Zero with Cyrax and Sektor. However, Sub-Zero convinced Smoke he had a soul and helped him recover it. The two of them then fought and defeated Cyrax and Sektor. Smoke then disappeared and we didn’t know what had happened to him until Mortal Kombat Deception, where Smoke came back under the control of Noob Saibot. Smoke got some original moves and as the team Noob-Smoke, was a high tier character, Smoke being the more powerful of the two, plus his throw which allowed you to follow up with another move like his teleport uppercut. Controversy still followed Smoke, as people were not sure whether his second has is ‘human’ costume or his ‘cyber demon’ costume. Although Boon said it was a human costume, he looked anything but human. In Armageddon, he was one of the few characters with no weapon, and that was fine, I found I enjoyed playing as him because he didn’t have one.
As previously stated, his story is tied to the two brothers, his friend Sub Zero or his master, Noob Saibot, the Sub Zeros older brother. He could go either way after Armageddon, he could either stay with Noob and continue to be a thorn in Sub Zeros side unwillingly, or he could be freed by Sub Zero once again and join his long time friend against his demonic brother. Because of his ties to two prominent characters, Smoke coming back is of a higher possibility then some other characters.
Adam’s Input
Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and May Complicate Pregnancy. No, not that smoke… the former member of the Lin Kuei clan Smoke. Unit LK-7T2. I suppose gesticulating wildly and blowing stuff up with your convenient chest missile earns you a spot as the 12th most popular Mortal Kombat character of all time.
Grail’s Input
Probably the most tragic of all MK characters. I doubt very much that Smoke believes in Karma. For someone who started life as effectively a grey Scorpion, he’s certainly evolved over time. And then there’s the confusion over the Robo-Smoke and Human Smoke that for some odd reason seems to add to his popularity. Personally I’m more partial to Robo-Smoke as this is the current evolution of the character. It also serves as a reminder of the cruelty of humanity. Plus he has dreds! His current ninja-esk look complete with transparent smoke parts is by far the coolest look and having regained his own free will away from Noob, he seems to be heading in the right direction. Time will tell.
Dave’s Input
What is it about Smoke that makes him so much more special than his cybernetic counterparts Sektor and Cyrax? Him being a hidden character in the MK3/UMK3/MKT era? His human form? Oh I know, it’s gotta be that smoke right? I have to admit, I never liked Smoke because he was simply just another pallet swap and when in his ninja form he basically imitated my favorite character Scorpion. I know, my judgment may seem unfair considering this is coming from a guy who’s played the majority of Smoke in the 2-D days!