4. Shang Tsung
Alongside Baraka, Shang Tsung is the other character to bring about the "How could you make a MK game without this guy?!" response. The stuff of legend, I daresay his name is well-known enough to be recognised by your average person on the street, alongside Shao Kahn's more recognisable image, Tsung is just the go-to guy for Mortal Kombat villainy. Powers-wise he's always been MK's version of the 'copycat', a fairly standard fighting game trope, yet with the appeal of ripping souls out of peoples' bodies and calling upon them at will to morph into a huge variety of characters. MK 9's version was extremely fun to play as (featuring a fatality where he made the loser pull their own head off) and his presence is just standard for MK's roster as a whole. There are those of us who absolutely adore going up against the living roulette wheel that is Shang Tsung - not to mention learning his moves for ourselves - making his omission one of the most immediate and ever-lasting.