Mortal Kombat: 30 Absolute Best Easter Eggs You Need To See

30. Why Does Shang Tsung Have A Sword? (MK1)

Because the sprites aren't very clear in the original Mortal Kombat, a lot of players didn't realise the final boss, the shape-shifting sorcerer, Shang Tsung, has a sword attached to his robe. This is a little weird considering he never uses it at any point in the game. So why is it there?

Well, what is Mortal Kombat most famous for? That's right. The Fatalities. After the final boss defeated the player, Shang Tsung was supposed to decapitate his opponent with his blade. He was going to be the only character in the game that could perform a finishing move.

The main developers, Ed Boon and John Tobias, realised it would be more satisfying if the player executed their rival with a finishing move instead. After seeing the reactions of fans performing a Fatality, Boon realised he made the right decision.

Ironically, the sub-boss and final boss are the only characters in the original game that cannot perform a Fatality. By the time the developers made this decision, they had already animated Shang Tsung and so, couldn't remove the sword from his animations.