KUNG LAO
First Appearance: Mortal Kombat II
Total Appearances: MK II, MK3, MK: Deadly Alliance, MK: Armageddon, MK 2011, MK 11
Role: Secondary Hero, Guy With The Most Bitching Hat Ever
PL 9 (150)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 6
FIGHTING 12 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3
Skills:
Akrobatics 9 (+15)
Athletiks 5 (+8)
Klose Kombat (Unarmed) 2 (+14)
Expertise (Martial Arts) 9 (+11)
Expertise (Monk) 4 (+6)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 1 (+4)
Perception 4 (+7)
Ranged Kombat (Hat) 6 (+14)
Treatment 3 (+5)
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-Out Attack, Chokehold, Fast Grab, Improved Aim, Improved Kritical (Unarmed) 2, Improved Kritical (Hat) 2, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6, Takedown
Powers:
"Kung Lao's Bitching Hat" (Flaws: Removable) [10]
"Hat Toss" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Ricochet 3, Split 2, Indirect) (Extras: Ranged 4) (11) -- (12 points)
- AE: "Moving Hat" Strength-Damage +1 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Shapeable 4) (5)
- AE: "Whirlwind Kick" Strength-Damage +1 (1)
"Babality"
"Friendship!!" (Rabbit Out Of A Hat)
"Friendship!!" (Throws Hat Like a Frisbee & a Dog Chases It Off Screen, Then Yelps in Pain Off-Screen)
"Animality: Cheetah Mauls Enemy"
"Vertically Slicing Through a Dude"
"Hat Decapitation"
"Hat Trick- Three Slices"
"Assorted Other Slices"
"Beat Them To Death With a Bunny Rabbit"
"Throws a Decapitating Bunny At The Enemy"
"Cuts Off Body Parts One By One"
"Turns Hat Into a Grounded Buzzsaw, Then Drags The Opponent Crotch-First Across It"
"Decapitation & Vertical Slice"
Offense:
Unarmed +14 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Whirlwind Kick +14 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Hat Toss +14 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Moving Hat +4 Area (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +10
Defenses:
Dodge +13 (DC 23), Parry +14 (DC 24), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +8
Komplications:
Responsibility (Earthrealm)- Kung Lao is one of Raiden's chosen defenders of Earthrealm against Shao Kahn's forces.
Responsibility (Pacifist)- A Pacifist who kuts people the f*** in half with his hat? Believe it. In some games (Shaolin Monks & MK 2011), he replaces this with Ego, as he's kind of a butthole about Liu Kang being the best fighter.
Total: Abilities: 70 / Skills: 46--23 / Advantages: 21 / Powers: 20 / Defenses: 16 (150)
-The early part of the backstory of Mortal Kombat says that Earthrealm's old defenders would have to win Mortal Kombat to prevent Earth from falling into the Outworld, and its greatest champion was Kung Lao, who reigned for years. It was this Kung Lao who was unseated and killed by Goro, resulting in nine straight Outworld victories, and the final chance for Earth. So it was somewhat fitting that Mortal Kombat II, in expanding upon the series' mythology, introduced a descendent of Kung Lao's, with the same name. Kung Lao is a member of the White Lotus Society (presumably no relation to the Avatar series, but can you imagine the horrors that would result from THAT crossover? Azula with freaking FATALITIES??), though he wishes he could just live a life of peace. Peace... in the Mortal Kombat Universe... not likely.
-Despite being the secondary protagonist of MK II, Kung Lao spent a lot of time out of the franchise- he was gone from MK 4 and Deception. This was probably due to the attempts at creating new protagonists. And hell, he wasn't even in EITHER movie, which is crazy when you consider than Rain & Ermac got to fight. But in any case, he got into Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks with Liu Kang, so he has a starring role to his name as well.
-Kung Lao is reimagined in the 2011 game as a bit of a horse's ass- an arrogant, hot-headed fighter who gets himself into trouble more often than not. He sneaks into the first tournament and challenges Scorpion, but is defeated, and then forced to watch Liu Kang fight as penance. In that game's version of MK II, he's just one of the group, but in a good bit of storytelling, defeats the returned Goro, thus gaining vengeance for his dead ancestor. Unfortunately, showing off during a fight against Kintaro, which he also apparently won, he had his neck snapped by Shao Kahn. This was what allowed Liu Kang the rage necessary to slay Kahn.
-Kung Lao then appears as one of Quan Chi's many undead servants, and is "just one of the guys", often fighting people like Raiden and Jax instead of the main heroes. He never regains his freedom, escaping back to Netherrealm at the end of the game. His relative, Kung Jin, fights in his stead. Kung Lao reappears in a younger form in MK 11, via Kronika's time-disruption, coexisting with his Revenant version. He allies with the heroes at various points, even beating his elder self... but acts like an arrogant tool again, and drowns in the Sea of Blood after Sindel or Shao Kahn defeats him. The Revenant Lao is killed by Shang Tsung snapping his neck.
-Kung Lao is one of the best Kombatants overall, nearly matching Liu Kang's overall prowess. He gets more expensive than the others thanks to his Hat, which acts as a Device (but not Easily Removable, since it just reappears on his head when he throws it away), and is thus separate from his other attacks' Array. He's fast and tough, and hard to hit, and his Hat can either Blast you or hit an Area, making him arguably the best Goonsweeper of all the Kombatants in the game- a handy thing in a real Kampaign.