10 Iconic Video Game Character Debuts
6. Shao Khan - Mortal Kombat II (1993)
Resident scumbag of the Mortal Kombat series, Shao Khan, was originally introduced in 1993’s Mortal Kombat II. This widely adored title was first released on arcade machines before eventually being ported to multiple consoles. Khan has also returned as the primary antagonist in most of the subsequent Mortal Kombat games.
Shao Khan was the organiser of Mortal Kombat II’s fighting tournament, with plans to take over the Earthrealm, should he win. Stopping him from winning is a rage-inducing experience, to say the least.
Khan is without a doubt the most infamous character on this list. His encounters are often considered to be disgustingly cheap, with him repeatedly running train on your fighter when you do finally catch up to him for some one-on-one, gory violence. This mechanic was somewhat understandable when Mortal Kombat II came out in arcades. After all, once the final boss is beaten, players will stop churning out the coins.
However, Khan has continued to be a ridiculously difficult opponent across his career in the Mortal Kombat franchise. This particular debut has likely led to decades of broken controllers worldwide. At this point, the only real reasons to chase these encounters are the bragging rights and, of course, those sparkly platinum trophies.