OPENING:
Wiz: The studies and practice of martial arts from cults of monks have long been an ancient tradition. They seek to find inner peace and balance within themselves, and in the universe.
Boomstick: Or they can just get buff and become deadly ass kickers! Like these two!
Wiz: Liu Kang, Earthrealm's champion of Mortal Kombat.
Boomstick: And Jago, Warrior of the Tiger Spirit from Killer Instinct. He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win a Death Battle!
LIU KANG:
Wiz: Goro lives. A 2,000 year old half-human half-dragon, this Shokan warrior prince remained undefeated for the past 500 years. He won the title of Grand Champion by defeating the Great Kung Lao, a Shaolin Fighting Monk. It was during this period that the tournament fell into Shang Tsung's hands and was corrupted.
Boomstick: And the name of that tournament? MORTAL KOMBAT!
Wiz: It was a grim time for Earthrealm. Should the invading realm of Outworld win one more tournament, as they had done nine times in a row, they would be able to conquer Earthrealm and merge it with their own.
Boomstick: But one kung-fu legend wasn't going down without a fight. With fireballs, flying kicks, and a whole lotta yelling, he managed to kick the asses of both all kombatants, that four-armed freak, and even that shapeshifting old guy, breaking Outworld's winning streak! His name...was Bruce Lee-uh, I mean, Liu Kang!
Wiz: Orphaned as a child, Liu Kang was taken in by the Order of Light's Shaolin Temple, hidden in the mountains of Honan Province in China. Trained in the teachings of the Great Kung Lao, Liu Kang's talent in the martial arts caught the attention of Lord Raiden, the Elder God of Thunder and protector of Earthrealm. Raiden saw Earthrealm's last hope in the young warrior monk, and took Liu Kang to see the legendary Outworld master of martial arts, Bo' Rai Cho to further the young Shaolin's development. During his training, Liu Kang practiced several martial arts, such as Jun Fan, Karate, Pao Chui, Jeet Kune Do, Choy Lay Fut, as well as the Xiaolin Monkey and Dragon styles.
Boomstick: Training under the drunken master, huh? I'd like him to teach me how to drink more beers before I black out!
Wiz: But Liu Kang isn't reliant on unarmed combat alone. He also has incredible pyrokinesis, thanks to his inner energy known as Arcana, he's a master swordsman and wields the Dragon Sword, but mostly prefers to use Nunchaku as his weapon of choice.
Boomstick: He's also got some literal kickass special moves. He can fly like a rocket to your face with the Flying Kick, shoot a fiery Hadoken with Dragon Fire, defy gravity with the Bicycle Kick, and even smash you with an arcade cabinet for a Fatality and turn into a dragon to eat you alive!
(We cut to Wiz and Boomstick)
Wiz: This is Liu Kang's Animality, where he can access his inner spirit animal and give it a physical form to battle his opponents. Mostly, the person itself is the vessel the spirit animal requires, but Liu Kang has mastered it enough to make it a construct to fight alongside him.
Boomstick: Oh! Lemme try!
(Boomstick grunts as he tries to concentrate, but in a poof of smoke, his Animality is nothing but a sloth)
Wiz: (sighs) I thought as much. Anyway, after several years, Liu Kang's training was complete, and then he was enrolled into the top secret White Lotus Society, an order of warriors created by Raiden to defend the Earthrealm. As the tenth generation of the Mortal Kombat Tournament approached, Liu Kang was summoned by Shaolin Grandmaster Wu, and was sent by the Temple of Light to defeat Shang Tsung. He desired to defeat Shang Tsung and bring the tournament back to its Shaolin owners.
Boomstick: And he did! In fact, not only did he kick Shang Tsung's ass by flying at it, and by ass I mean face, Liu Liu also beat the Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn, TWICE, and even the fallen Elder God Shinnok! And Kahn's a guy who eats souls!
Wiz: However, not even Liu Kang could stand against the combined Deadly Alliance of his old nemesis and Shinnok's servant, Quan Chi.
Boomstick: In a dick move, Tsung snapped Kang's neck and killed the guy! But then he came back as a zombie with hooked chain whips, and then Raiden reset the timeline. But then Liu Kang was killed again! What a waste of a reset button…
Wiz: Believing that Raiden had betrayed him and had gone mad after his fellow Earthrealm warriors had fallen, Liu Kang was remade as a Revenant serving Quan Chi, although he may have done so in his own free will. But after Quan Chi was killed, and Liu Kang lost his chance of getting resurrected, he instead served Shinnok and later ruled the Netherrealm.
Boomstick: And being the King of Hell isn't without dangers. Sure, Liu Kang may have had his Edenian girlfriend Kitana as his queen, but then Raiden really did go mad, sort of killed Shinnok, and then had a raid on Kang's place, sacrificing yet another warrior.
Wiz: But Liu Kang and his allies weren't the only ones who despised Raiden, such as a being even higher than the Elder Gods: A Titan. More specifically, Kronika. The Keeper of Time.
Boomstick: This time SHE was the one that sort of reset the timeline, and Liu ended up facing his younger self, and even stole his soul! Wait, if someone dies, their future self ceases to exist. And people die if they lose their soul...so then how come…?
Wiz: Possibly Kronika's will, as she feared that the combined power of Raiden and Liu Kang would threaten her plans for a New Era, so she always had them set against each other.
Boomstick: But that cycle was broken as easily as bones when the two of them did a Fusion and Liu Kang became a freaking fire god! With this immortal status and lightning added into his Firebending, the Super Shaolin was immune to the time reversal, defeated his dead friend, girlfriend, and her friend, then beat Shinnok's secret sister Cetrion before even kicking the ass of Kronika herself at the dawn of time! He then went back in time to fight Shang Tsung one last time, swiping Kronika's Crown and creating a new New Era! Just goes to show that if Scorpion wasn't the Mortal Kombat maskot, it would be this dude.
Wiz: Thus, Liu Kang isn't just the Chosen One and Champion of Mortal Kombat. He is the new Protector of Earthrealm.
Liu Kang: Shang Tsung! Only one fight remains! Face me in Mortal Kombat!
JAGO:
Wiz: Within the mountainous regions of Tibet, there is a group of mysterious warrior monks that worship a mystical deity capable of bestowing superhuman feats and powers. The Tiger Spirit. One of these warriors was chosen and guided by this great spirit to compete in the tournament known as-.
Boomstick: KILLER INSTINCT!
Wiz: Really?!
Boomstick: Sorry. I couldn't resist.
Wiz: Jago was abandoned as a baby at a secluded monastery in the Himalayas where he was trained by the Monks of the Tiger. When he reached adulthood a fellow warrior—under the influence of an evil force—tried to murder him, but Jago killed the man in self-defense. To atone for this sin he became a hermit, isolating himself in a mountain cave and turning his thoughts inward, meditating on his actions and the guilt he carried from the act. During this time, he was visited by the Tiger Spirit and infused with a tremendous power.
Boomstick: And the ninja got some kickass powers from that dude, too! Jago can throw golden fireballs with Endokuken, deal devastating combos with his kora / katana, do a flying roundhouse kick, and do a Shoryuken with Tiger's Fury! And he can amplify these moves with Shadow Energy! Oh, and for his No Mercies, he can use telekinesis to drop a car on you, throw energy swords, and even throw down a Spirit Bomb as his Ultimate! Thanks, Tiger!
Wiz: And by being infused with his own energy in Instinct Mode, Jago can enter Tiger's Focus. In this state, he summons an aura unleashed by the true Tiger Spirit as his tiger tattoo glows, and he can fire two Endokukens at the same time!
Boomstick: So yeah, Ghost Cat told Jago to kick evil Wal-Mart's ass, so he competed in their fighting tournament. But while there, he also met his secret half-sister and super hot witch, Orchid! Who he nearly killed. Damn. Might as well wait until she's stuck for another chance…
Wiz: But during the tournament, Jago felt the Tiger Spirit growing more...aggressive. Hungrier. Pushing him to further and deeper violent tendencies. A force of dread within him, Jago returned to his temple to meditate on his growing anger and rage.
Boomstick: But that's when he learned that the Tiger Spirit wasn't actually a tiger, but a cosmic gargoyle demon who suddenly corrupted the monk, getting him possessed by a shadowy demon and transforming into Shadow Jago! Shago then traveled the world to kick even more ass and feed Gargos more power, drawing him closer to this plane of reality and the eventual destruction of mankind.
Wiz: Trapped within his own mind, Jago fought back against his possession, finally freeing himself from the corrupting influence and destroying the manifestation he once was. In doing so, he freed Omen, giving form to the once-formless shadow energy.
Boomstick: Resolving to finish the job, Jago set out to kill the demon. But Omen managed to escape and Gargos was on the verge of arriving. So he decided to reunite with his big sis (big in one specific area), and join forces with her, a boxer, and an Amazon, forming the new Night Guard, composed of the Disavowed. And after they fought off some of Ultratech's very own Jurassic Park ripoffs, their robot CEO ARIA realized that the end of the world was on the verge of happening, so she ended all their feuds and forged The Alliance, with the task of recruiting new strong warriors to help fight back to save the world.
Wiz: Jago was sent out to find the Korean-Chinese kung-fu warrior Kim Wu, who had been chosen by the Dragon Spirit Yeouiju to help destroy Gargos. Suddenly, they were ambushed by Omen, and Jago managed to defeat him, but then entered the Astral Portal from which Omen came from.
Boomstick: There, he managed to confront the being responsible for manipulating him, but the Shadow Lord one-shotted him after wearing Jago out with just an illusion of his old form.
Wiz: Knocked back to where he came from, Jago was nearly killed if not for the efforts of Kim Wu and Kan-Ra, who managed to heal him. Once more, he could help in the fight against Gargos' army of Mimics.
Boomstick: Along the way, Jago fought his shadow self, somehow, along with an alien soldier, a Ram general, and a kung fu frog. But in the end, he helped kick the gargoyle's ass and save the world!
Wiz: And as one of the many Killer Instinct fighters, he embraced the Shadow Energy and life forces Gargos stole from the other Shadow Lords. Now, Jago is guided on the right path as a true warrior, under the true Tiger Spirit.
Jago: I'm afraid your path ends here.
BATTLE:
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set! And we've run the data through all possibilities! Let's end this debate once and for all!
Boomstick: It's time for a DEATH BATTLLLLEEEEEEE!
…
(Fire And Fury - Brandon Yates)
A combination of the Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct symbols (MK + KI as MKI) is shown on a banner in Shang Tsung's Courtyard, with Ringmaster sitting in the sorcerer's throne as the crowd cheers.
Ringmaster: Welcome back to the Killer Kombat tournament! You've seen robots, cryomancy, and even lizards duke it out, but now it's time to get to REAL fighting action with the fourth match! The Kombatants have won twice, with the Killers only snagging one win! Will the Alliance even the odds? Or will Earthrealm nab a third victory under their belt? Let's go to the fighters!
We see a Tibetan monk meditating on the left side of the arena, with a Shaolin monk doing the same at the right.
Ringmaster: He's the champion of his realm, having bested sorcerers, emperors, and even gods alike! He's tested his might, gained flawless victories, and even conquered both death and time itself! I give you the Mortal Master, Liu Kang!
Liu Kang opens his eyes and stands up, turning to face Jago with his fists aflame.
Ringmaster: He's the tiger's chosen. Director of his own fate! He's shown no mercy to machines, monsters, and astral beings! I present to you the warrior with the ultimate instinct, Jago!
Jago rises and turns, punching an open palm and getting in a stance similar to his KI 2013 intro. Liu Kang only smirks, moving his arms in a similar fashion to his MK9 intro before blowing out the fire in one hand.
Liu Kang: I have been looking forward to this. Let's see what you can do.
Jago: The same is said for you. Show me your skill.
Ringmaster: Round One! Ready! FIGHT!
Liu Kang begins with a Flying Kick, which Jago dodges with a slide. They trade punches and kicks until Liu Kang performs a sweeping attack, knocking Jago to his feet. He gets back up and backflips away before Liu Kang can do it again. Jago then charges up energy…
Jago: Endokuken!
He launches an Endokuken, which Liu Kang counters with Dragon Fire.
Liu Kang: HWA!
The two projectiles meet and cancel out, an incredible burst of energy being sent out.
Ringmaster: WOAH! What a blast!
Jago pulls out his katana, and Liu Kang readies his nunchucks. The two charge and clash weapons, blocking and parrying strikes. Finally, Jago's katana cuts through the chain linking the two sticks together, breaking the nunchucks. Liu Kang then blocks on overhead strike and breaks the blade with his own palms before kicking Jago away. He only pulls out his kora.
Liu Kang: You're good. But you'll find I'm full of surprises.
He then grabs his Dragon Sword, stabbed in the ground near him. He then charges and the two clash blades. After a few seconds, Jago disarms Liu Kang and begins executing a combo to the soundtrack's rhythm, but Liu Kang grabs the kora blade and delivers a powerful palm strike to Jago's chest, cracking his ribs as shown in an X-Ray move.
Ringmaster: OOO! That's gotta hurt!
Jago stumbles back and Liu Kang places his palms together. The Tibetan Monk looks up and sees an arcade cabinet falling on him. Leaping up, he effortlessly slices it in half before landing.
Jago: Not bad. But enough games.
Using telekinesis, Jago sends a nearby wrecked car falling onto Liu Kang. Smirking, the Shaolin only unleashes his Animality, becoming a Dragon and eating the car before breathing fire at Jago. The Tibetan manages to doge the flame but a tail swipe deals a critical hit and sends him flying into a wall. Groaning, Jago gets back up and sees the dragon become a fiery construct, with the Shaolin emerging.
Jago: A dragon? You remind me of another warrior.
Liu Kang: Thankfully, you do not seek vengeance. Unlike another ninja I know.
Jago: Yet still, you are not the only one with a spirit.
Jago then unleashes the power of the Tiger Spirit, entering Tiger's Focus. Liu Kang is impressed by this.
Liu Kang: Tiger style then. Let us see if it can match a dragon's fury.
Ringmaster: Round Two! Ready! FIGHT!
Jago pounces like a tiger, but Liu Kang manages to dodge his Shadow Moves and counters with a Bycicle Kick. However, Jago manages to counter this with Tiger's Fury.
Ringmaster: C-C-C-Combo Breaker!
Flipping back up, Liu Kang lands a butterfly kick before performing an uppercut, damaging Jago's skull and jaw. The monk recovers mid-air and dodges an upward kick, then throws out an energy sword. Liu Kang easily dodges this and counters with a fireball, with Jago countering with two Endokukens just before his Instinct Mode can end. The fireball blocks the first one, but Liu Kang is hit by the second, making the dragon construct, about to lunge at Jago, fade away. Still, the Shaolin manages to get back up, making a "Get over here" gesture with his hand before getting into a stance. With a yell, Jago does a leaping kick, which Liu Kang catches and throws Jago into a pillar. With a Bruce Lee yell, Liu Kang launches out more fire from his palms, but Jago manages to roll to dodge them and counters with a flying roundhouse kick. He then slashes at Liu Kang with his kora before stabbing him in the chest in a style similar to a Fatal Blow. With a yell, Liu Kang is knocked back and hits the ground. Still, he manages to get back up, recalling Raiden's teachings.
Liu Kang: Focus...read his chi. Anticipate his movements.
Ringmaster: Final Round! Ready! FIGHT!
Liu Kang taps into his arcana to draw out more power as Jago prepares his Shadow Energy. The two then charge, fighting in both Dragon and Tiger styles. Both creatures can be heard roaring as both strike critical blows. A Shaolin kick damages Jago's leg, but a Tibetan punch cracks Liu Kang's skull. Liu Kang then stuns Jago with a blast of fire to the face, then delivers a barrage of punches to the opponent's torso, followed by four more. He then finishes with a fiery one-inch palm strike, leaving Jago heavily wounded, but he manages to catch himself from falling.
Jago: Not...yet…!
Liu Kang: Enough of this! Time for some brutality…
With a yell, Liu Kang leaps up, readying a fist of fire. However, Jago catches it, despite the fire burning him, and channels the Tiger Spirit into a powerful punch, shattering Liu Kang's ribs. Liu Kang is stunned from the blast and stumbles.
Ringmaster: Danger!
Jago then rushes up, delivering 6 kicks, 6 sideways kora swings, 6 upward kora swings, and then 6 flying roundhouse kicks before ending in a wide spinning slash with his kora, hitting 10 times, sending Liu Kang flying.
Ringmaster: ULTRAAA COMBOOOOOOO!
Liu Kang is then seen weakly getting up, but is stunned from the immense blows.
Ringmaster: Finish him!
Jago pulls out his sword and strikes Liu Kang as the third hit launches him in the air. While the Shaolin is still in the air, Jago jumps into the air and then punches his opponent to the ground. Jago charges a massive amount of fiery energy and then throws an enormous Endokuken towards Liu Kang.
Seeing this, Liu Kang summons his fire dragon and has it breathe fire at the Endokuken as he follows with a Dragon Fire stream, both slamming into the massive sphere and trying to push it back. Jago lands on the ground thanks to gravity and catches the Endokuken, struggling to push it back as well.
Jago: Great Tiger Spirit...grant me your instinct!
He enters Instinct Mode once more as his tattoo glows, and Jago lets out a roar as he punches the Endokuken, sending it hurtling towards Liu Kang, who only screams out as the screen goes white. Finally, the screen fades back to normal and the smoke clears out to show that all that's left of Liu Kang is a skeleton.
Ringmaster: Fatality! Jago Wins! Ultimate!
Jago only folds his arms and shakes his head after looking at the skeleton.
Jago: You fought well. But not well enough.
Ringmaster: And there you have it! Both teams are tied 2 to 2! Who will be up next to break it?! Come back next time, and remember! Fight on!
RESULTS:
DB Announcer: KO!
Boomstick: Holy Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, that was amazing!
Wiz: This was undoubtedly the closest fight we've ever had between two fighting game characters. But in the end. Jago proved that the REAL Tiger Spirit is no one to mess with.
Boomstick: Yeah, both of these guys have bested gods, but Liu Kang needed help from a god to beat Kronika! With Gargos weakened from all those buffs stolen from his Omens, Jago was able to match and even beat him no problem!
Wiz: Besides, Liu Kang's died many times before, and had to face even himself. Jago managed to purge himself of his own mental demons and even fought his shadow self, the former of which the reboot Liu Kang possibly could never do due to growing closer to his friends and growing untrustworthy of Raiden.
Boomstick: Looks like this Mortal Killer just didn't have the Instinct in this Kombat.
Wiz: The winner is Jago.