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12 May, 2021
"Finish Him!" - a guide to Mortal Kombat's final moves
From Babalities to Brutalities, here are all the ways you can give your opponent a good send-off in the MK series
From Babalities to Brutalities, here are all the ways you can give your opponent a good send-off in the MK series.
Fatality
This old classic has appeared in every Mortal Kombat game from the very beginning. After two successful rounds, the player is prompted to “Finish Him” (or “Finish Her”) and punch in the correct button sequence to see a gruesome animation scene, pretty much ensuring there won’t be a round three! Decapitation, disembowelment, detonation, devouring - you name it, and it’s pretty much guaranteed that at least one “kombatant” has done the deed!
Fatalities come in many shapes and sizes. We’ve had “Stage Fatalities”, which were recently reintroduced in Mortal Kombat 11, “Death Traps” in MK: Deception, and “Multatities” in the spin-off game Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, which allowed you to wipe out a whole host of enemies in one fell swoop. Plus, if you were feeling extra “kreative”, MK: Armageddon allowed players to eviscerate their opponent in a manner of their choosing, thanks to the “Kreate a Fatality'' feature. Whatever the variant, you’re in for a bloody good show!
Babality
If you felt the Fatalities were too violent, this was the finisher for you! Mortal Kombat II allowed players to bring their rivals back down to size, turning them into tiny, babified versions of themselves that would often end up in tears. “Babalities” were later reborn for the Mortal Kombat reboot, creating a new wave of “kry-babies”. But at least they’ve still got their whole lives ahead of them!
Friendship
Who says we can’t play nice? MKII also introduced “Friendships” - a lighter way to end a life-or-death match. Do a dance, give a gift, or surprise your foe with a tasty treat - it’s all good, clean fun! Friendships made a recent comeback in MK11, and you can find a few of the funniest ones in our blog!
Animality
After starting out as a rumour among the MK fan community, Mortal Kombat 3’s “Animalities” allowed gamers to unleash their inner beast! This finisher was likely inspired by one of Liu Kang’s fatalities in MKII, in which the Shaolin Monk would morph into a ferocious dragon before biting the enemy in two. Many of the fighters’ animal forms were based on their names and attack themes; Nightwolf became a wolf, Raiden became an electric eel, Sub-Zero turned into a polar bear, and Scorpion transformed into… a penguin? Okay, nobody saw that one coming!
Brutality
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 introduced the “Brutality” - an extremely difficult and lengthy button combination that caused your opponent to explode in a bloody mess, showering the screen with more body parts than you would expect to find in a typical corpse! While Brutality moves are still present today, they’ve had a bit of an overhaul since their debut. Now players can unlock plenty of different Brutality finishers, with special attacks based on character variations. They also occur in a more “organic” fashion than before, with the fatal blow delivered right before the “Finish Him!” prompt. Another variation is the “Heroic Brutality” finisher from Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, replacing Fatalities for the many DC heroes who don’t kill.
Hara-Kiri
So, you’ve lost the match and your opponent is preparing to tear you a new one. Why give them the satisfaction? Mortal Kombat: Deception presented the “Hara-Kiri” - an unorthodox move in which the losers “finish” themselves. Because why should the winner have all the fun? It’s certainly one way to go out with a bang (quite literally, in the cases of Raiden and Bo’ Rai Cho). Another “self-sabotage” style ending was introduced for the online matches in Mortal Kombat X and MK11. Any attempt to abandon the fight early will result in a “Quitality”, leaving that player’s character to meet a sudden, sticky end!
Faction Kill
Why not make it a team effort? With the inclusion of player factions in MKX, we can get the whole gang together for the killing blow. Whether you’re with the Lin Kuei, Special Forces, White Lotus, Black Dragon or Brotherhood of Shadow, “Faction Kills” use the unique characters and weapons of your clan to help dispatch your rival. Because there’s nothing like sending in the troops to finish the job!
Those were some of the most ferocious and funny finishers Mortal Kombat has to offer! How will you end your next fight?