Mortal Kombat 1 Brings Back Fan-Favorites Smoke & Rain, Unleashing the Widely Feared Lin Kuei

Warning – The trailer below contains violent content that is Not Safe For Work

Warner Bros. Games has announced that two fan-favorite characters will be part of Mortal Kombat 1’s roster at launch as Smoke and Rain will be part of the game. They are joining fresh incarnations of classic characters like Johnny Cage, Liu Kang, Scorpion, and Sub-Zero, who are part of a brand-new universe than the one seen in the classic Mortal Kombat games.

Smoke and Rain were once members of the Palette-Swap Ninja club, as the early Mortal Kombat games changed the color of the one ninja actor’s costume to turn him into multiple characters. This started with Reptile, Scorpion, and Sub-Zero but resulted in many ninjas created using this method, with Mortal Kombat II introducing Smoke as the grey ninja. At the same time, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 debuted Rain as the purple ninja. Over time, these characters received new designs and fleshed-out backstories that separated them from the other ninjas.

Related: The 10 best Mortal Kombat characters of all time, ranked

Smoke & Rain Will Be In Mortal Kombat 1’s Base Roster

Mortal Kombat 1 is launching on September 19, and it will add a few more ninjas to its roster. A new trailer on the official Mortal Kombat YouTube channel has confirmed that Smoke and Rain will be in the game at launch. At the same time, characters like Sektor, Cyrax, Frost, and Scorpion will be available as Kameo Fighters.

Mortal Kombat 1 takes place in a new universe, allowing the familiar characters to have new backstories. In the case of Smoke, he’s a member of the Lin Kuei clan and a close friend of Scorpion and Sub-Zero, with the three of them acting as defenders of Earthrealm. Smoke combines the classic ninja stealth and assassination skills with his own smoke-based magical powers.

Rain is now a much more important figure in the Mortal Kombat 1 world, as he’s now the High Mage of Outworld. In this reality, Rain is a master wizard who utilizes his control over water to deadly effect to brutalize his opponents. Rain is also on the hunt for dark and powerful sorcery, pitting him against Liu Kang and his allies.

Related: The 10 best Fatalities from the Mortal Kombat series

Knowing the recent history of the Mortal Kombat franchise, most fans expect it to receive a lot of post-launch DLC. As such, it’s exciting to know that more of the familiar characters who debuted after the original Mortal Kombat will be part of the base roster for no extra charge. There should also be more announcements soon, as Mortal Kombat 1 will launch for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC on September 19.