Kung Lao is my No 1 character in the MK Universe..... He doesn't seem to catch a break from dying. Kung Lao deserves better.... For God sakes, he's on par with Liu Kang. Many characters like Kung Lao, Reptile, Kenshi, Goro etc all deserved better
People might say “it’s only the intros” but those little things start adding up and it’s really fucking annoying hearing characters unnecessarily disrespect Kung Lao.
@@jesuspernia8031 The sad part is that when they mock Lao it's almost like hypocrisy because most of the time these guys spit on his face and seemingly forget that they have done much horrible stuff than Lao. Sooo Raiden, Kitana, Spawn, Rambo, Fujin, Kotal, Jade, etc. Do me a favor and JUST SHUT THE EFFFF UP!!!!! You have also messed up equally than Lao if not worse
How is it that WB has repeatedly done both of my favorite characters in both respective universes dirty since 2011. Why does Nightwing get stupidly written out of every story that isn't about him, treated like a joke, or killed. Why is Kung Lao consistently underwritten, miswritten, or killed in every story since 2011. Why am I doomed to never see my favorite characters done justice? :(
@@Unchainedful they’re talking about his mk9 chapter. they literally mention him defeating kintaro so idk why you think they meant original timeline kung lao lmao
Simply put, if Kung Lao has to die for a plot reason, it should elicit a "Holy shit, they killed Kung Lao" reaction rather than a "Dammit, they killed Kung Lao".
I feel that one of the ways to make an egotistical and/or witty character lovable is to have them fail a bunch, but the writers take it way too far with Kung Lao. At least let him put up a fight.
but the thing is, they already ruined him by making him egotistical. Thats not who kung lao was. Yet they turned him into that, and have him die like a loser every time
@@sonic-bbexactly and he was designed after Michael Jackson yet they don’t try to incorporate that into his design anymore since MKA , the whole reason I personally loved this character . 🤦🏾♂️
@@justindeliwe8065 I mean, Nightwing does get kind of shafted in the New 52 films. Mainly the Titans films and the Son of Batman films. I mean, Dick Grayson losing to Damian Wayne? Really? Or getting absolutely stomped by Deathstroke? I kinda have some problems with that when he is the best of Batman's young protegés.
Kung Lao and Goro. Those two have just been falling since Armageddon and the pit does not seem to have a bottom. And don't forget he went from having a full chapter in MK9 to sharing a chapter with Liu Kang who gets a full chapter later.
Remember when goro meant bussiness? Like, "oh shit, goro is going to destroy us, he has been winning mortal combats for ever", now he is either dead or right about the same level to people like reptile, who is powerful but ends up being killed because he is a bad guy and secondary character
@@demonwolf570 Kotal shouldn’t have been getting anal’d like that. We even get a chapter to play as him in X and 11 and he still ends up looking pathetic. With the other villains I get they lose all the time because they have no chapter, but with Kotal? HE HAS HIS OWN CHAPTER AND STILL ENDS UP LOOKING LIKE A JOBBER
The biggest battle of realms sin was how Kung Laos hat is used against him. That’s never been canon and should never be. It’s like someone killing Raiden by deflecting his lighting back at him or Shang Tsung getting soul sucked by someone else. Unforgivable
@@dudejuice that wasn’t exactly well received by fans either, simply put, NRS shouldn’t constantly kill off the same characters, let alone with their own signature weapons/moves
At least make him look strong in death. The shock value death in MK9 is far more tolerable in hindsight because he was caught off guard by a panicked Shao Kahn after Lao beat Quan Chi and Shang Tsung simultaneously then Kintarto immediately after.
Of all the characters in the Mortal Kombat universe that deserve more respect, my man Kung Lao is definitely in the top 5; IMO. Great video underdawg. Edit: O MY GOSH. 1K likes? Thank you all so much. This my first comment to ever receive that amount.
I'd say the top 5 that deserve respect from the writers are Kung Lao, Reptile, Baraka, Rain, and especially Onaga. Onaga was the closest any character has gotten to the one being, even stronger than Kronika. I really think Netherrealm should've had a full game center around Onaga to pay the well deserved respect to the original ruler of outworld.
One of the worst things imo about Kung Laos character especially in MK11 is his abrupt cocky nature. In MK9 and X it wasn’t so apparent cause it’s just one part of his character, but in 11 that IS his character and nothing else! Whatever happened to the character who wants nothing more than to be a simple monk who humbly accepted Liu Kang as the chosen one and made peace with Goro? (Which btw at 4:30 Kung Laos ancestor, the Great Kung Lao was the champion of mortal kombat up until Goro killed him, and so this Kung Lao simply wanted to bury the hatchet, or…hat XD) Is that really too much to ask?
@@oblivionslight1346 Sad thing is he's not the only character MK11 ruins. For one, Kung Jin who was Lao's cousin in X is now his NEPHEW??? Then there's Skarlet, Sindel Kotal, etc...
Kung lao gets disrespected in the movies, story mode, and he's fatal blow almost never hits. Damn disrespect for kung lao. He must have more respect. Netherealm please more respect for kung lao. :)
It's like all the writers after MK9 misunderstood that the game used Kung Lao's death as a huge shock factor in one of Earthrealm's strongest fighters dying to create a big change in the timeline, and just viewed it as "the good guy who dies."
As a Kung Lao and Liu Kang main for the past two games . . . this hits too close to home. I will say, I too enjoyed Liu Kang's character in MKX. My favorite line of his is when he fights Kotal Khan. I think the line starts with Kotal stating, "You shall be defeated by Outworld's best!" The best bit is Liu Kang's response, which is "Goro, Shang Tsung, or Shao Kahn?" I forget the last/first bit (if Liu Kang actually speaks first).
@@sonic-bb It sucks massive balls I'm sure. My first game was MK9 since I was too young to catch the earlier entries (I was a 2000 baby and my dad played the first three games so he knew how violent they were). My mains in 9 were Rain and Ermac.
Same! 💪💪 Also, it was fun to beat on ppl with a low/mid-tier character: like when you'd pull off the spin move just right and knock those cheesy ninjas out of their teleport attacks.. 😅
Damn, you’re so right.. I am a big fan of Kung Lao since my younger age, from Shaolin Monks. And i’ll be honest seeing him being treated like that just really hurts me
Kung Lao was my favorite character since I was a kid. Not only did he have sick moves, a sick hat, but he had a sick style. He could be a character in Devil May Cry, he's so smooth. What sucks is that in a lot of stories, he just doesn't have much of a purpose. You can only have so many main characters and plots and turning Lui Kang from a goody straight man down a darker path is just more popular. It's kinda the same path Netherrealm has been on since Injustice.
Me either. I remember when I was a kid I played MK II and I liked Kung Lao's style more than others. On the MK Deception and Armageddon, they set a fighting style for him, and I found it fascinating. On MK 9 that would be an opportunity to make him an important character like in MK Shao Lin, but they fucked up history. Shao Kahn killed him without at least fighting.
They have so many characters the stories should actually come EASIER 🤦🏾♂️😂😂 wtf . The real story is the people who ACTUALLY characted these characters are allowing these new Gen z tards to ruin their art. It’s annoying
Aside from Scorpion and Sub-Zero, Kung Lao's fatalities were the most iconic and I think what a lot of people had in their mind in the early days since MK2
You said it yourself. Kung Lao is the Vegeta of the series. He has to take the L to make the bad guy look dangerous. It's like when a bad guy beats up Galactus in Marvel. It's not to say that the character is weak, it's to say that the new bad guy is dangerous. It really sucks because there are other characters that can have that be done with. Maybe Sektor could have it done. All those cybernetic enhancements mean nothing to the bad guy, he just tears him apart. Or how about Jax, the guy who survived having his arms destroyed? That would be interesting. Or maybe even Johnny Cage? Like… Let Kung Lao have a win. At the very least let him do something big like beat Shang Tsung and _then_ lose to Shao Kahn. At least then, he would actually be the Vegeta of the series instead of the Yamcha.
except vegeta has been redeeming himself since the beginning of super the fact that he beat 3 people alone in the u6vsu7 tournament is better than everything else he has ever done prior to it.
It bothers me that in Battle of the Realms, it’s fine that Shao Khan kills people, but why did he kill Raiden and Kung Lao but leave Jax, Sonya, and Kitana alive? At least make it consistent
Kung Lao and Sub-Zero are my favorite characters not only for Mortal Kombat, but for all fighting games. See my favorite character (that actually inspired me to train martial arts) receive this treatment is disapointing beyond words.
I really don't understand why Kung lao is getting all these ls and disrespect out of nowhere since Mk9 especially in the movies because remember he took down the deadly alliance especially shang tsung in his young form including kintaro and goro but everyone still treats him like trash especially in mk11. In my opinion he is Liu Kang's equal and he deserves to be a chosen one next to him.
I’d say he should be slightly under liu kang. Liu just seems more committed to the Kraft kung laos cockiness is and has been used as a weakness. So at one point they probably were equal but with Liu kangs commitment over time he surpassed kung lao
Been waiting for this one, second i saw him MK9, he was fantastic to watch in the story. You'd get to beat goro the deadly alliance and kintaro in his chapter. I was so heated to see him die after taking down all those characters. Keep up the content. there's so many characters that deserve better in the series.
At least in MK9 he goes out honorably. He owned all the sub-bosses, and got attacked from behind by Shao. Since then, it's been nothing bit disrespect.
I think another character you should do that has mad potential but never gets alot of cinematic love is smoke,and he's got an amazing backstory with his enenra demonology
I honestly liked kung lao in every game from mk9 because of his gameplay and the one movie exceeded my expectations for him. It always brings a tear into my eye when i see him die because he is such a badass and he just dies on the spot like nothing
I much preferred Kung Lao's original backstory where he was simply that quiet, honorable, badass warriors instead of them taking his Shaolin Monks persona and retconning that into his character. Sure, he's had some entertaining moments here and there in his current incarnation, but it just doesn't feel the same.
Back in the 90's when MKII came out, Kung Lao became my favorite character. It was also the first MK action figure I had when I started becoming a teenager. Imagine my happiness with all this...
@@Янебр Or rather AntiHero in John Walker levels by uuhhh IDK KILLING OF SOMEONE CLOSE TO LAO AND IN RETALIATION KILLS OF ITS ACCOMPLICE IN A HORRIFYING WAY IN FRONT OF SOOOO MANY CIVILIANS FROM EARTHREALM AND OUTWORLD (PLEASE NOT MILEENA) AND GETS DEMOTED FROM HIS DUTES AS A MONK FOR THIS REASON EVEN WHEN LAO TELLS HIS LEADERS THAT EVEN WHEN NOT CHOSEN HE WOULD STILL DO WHAT THEY SAID AND HE DID! IT! WELL!
I don't know what else to say except strongly agree!! I feel exactly the same way!!!! Kong Lao and liu kang are my main character all the time !!!! Don’t understand why they keep killing Lao. He’s like Jackie Chan lives in IP Man’s body liu kang be like Jet Li has a Bruce Lee face.
I like to think that in the aftermath dlcs human kung lao didnt die because we later see shang tsung kill his revenant form who was still alive even after human kung lao was thrown into the sea
Lao is surelly one of my most favourite characters and I am so disappointed of how much disrespect he received from everyone. I really hope he could have his justice in mk12 together with his closest friend Liu Kang. Lao is not absolutely jealous of him, he cares about his friend.
I'm pretty sure that, in the original timeline, there was a story that Kung Lao was supposed to be the chosen one, but refused to participate in the tournament due to the peace-seeking nature he had back then, and so the monks picked Liu Kang, who was more willing to fight
Idk but I always thought that Kung Lao was supposed to be the chosen one but Liu Kang showed his strength and was chosen instead. I’m pretty sure I’m wrong but that’s what I thought post mk9, I didn’t even know what the story in mk9 was until probably a year or two ago.
Man, kung lao always had a special place to me since i playing the flash version of the mk trilogy when i was little. I've always liked the way he fought and his weapon is so unique, but like all characters i like, they're always getting punked
9:59 me, as a lao main, like to think he teleported and then faked his death again to live peacefully...until the reset bullshit. there's something wrong with me, cause I usually hate plot-armored main characters.
It's odd that I was thinking about this last week. Kung Lao has been my favorite, and main, since his introduction in MKII. I even cosplayed as the guy. He seemed so cool and badass. Shaolin Monks was great for game play, but I HATED the beginning of Liu and Lao's skewed dynamic, and that was when Lao's arrogance entered the chat, and only evolved from there. That seething envy he harbored for Liu was the most ANNOYING trait, because that's where the arrogance came from. Ew!! KUNG LAO DESERVED BETTER, and his fans do, too. FGS, his character design is so cool. I'd rather he have been more aloof and enigmatic. Almost a bit of that desperado vibe. I wish they would retcon his hideous arrogance (isn't Johnny Cage arrogant enough for everyone???) and make him cool and humble again, the way he was when training under Bo Rai Cho. Oh well... a girl can dream.
Have to give a major down to the video for leaving out that story wise he was actually stronger than liu kang in the first game and was actually picked to be the chosen fighter for the tournament but refused.
OG Kung Lao: I ain't fighting unless the world's about the end. Being the Chosen One is for nerds! Kung Lao now: Man, being a punching bag sucks! I have an inferiority complex! Boo-hoo!
For real Kung Lao is the goat. I quite like his role in MK9, he always tried to convince Raiden that he was Liu Kang's equal, and in the end he actually pulled it off, proving that to everyone. Sure, Shao Kahn did his thing after that, but Kung Lao was still great
@@TrueUnderDawgGaming true, but everytime he gets to those villains, he ends up dying due to plot convenience, since they have to push Liu Kang up, instead of having them be a powerful duo. Genuinely why I feel bad for the guy, since he loses and dies based on his friend needing to win every time. He's rarely ever fighting outside his established fights, making him come off like he's all talk and no action until he comes to the end, right before it was his time to die.
Kung Lao: Has been wanting to live a peaceful life since the beginning, and wants to stop being the Robin to Liu Kang’s Batman. Liu Kang: Roasts Kung Lao at the end of MK11- Aftermath.
Kung Lao became Luigi to Liu Kang's Mario, worse they made him cocky when he actually just a resposible shaolin monk, who would take the call when the world is in danger.
MkX Kung Lao(the "old" one) is my favorite. Because altough he keeps most of his witty personality and ego, he has some humility and is wise, based on life experience(or on his journey as a lost soul trapped in Netherrealm)
i love the realationship between kung lao and liu kang in the new games, but he is just a jobber now, i would like to see they change his character, as you said turn him into an equal to liu kang but make their personalities different. for exemple i think a good change is to make kung lao the more playful/smart and make liu kang the more spiritual/serious fighter, they would work really well as counterparts to each other and just make him know his power, not needing to show everyone.
Even with less training than Liu Kang (he's lazy apparently), Kung Lao still managed to be more or less, Liu Kang's equal. Now imagine him with LK's commitment. Definitely the great Kung Lao's descendant
Watching your videos about characters falling from their grace (Kung Lao, Goro, Reptile) and I just can't help but think about 2 of the most disrespected characters of the series - Baraka and Kintaro. First is just embarassed every single time despite his superior physiology and place as a leader of savage and deadly tribe of warriors (as well as general of Shao Kahn armies). Battle of the Realms was the best proof of that: creators returned Baraka, retconned him so that it was not him who was killed in Scorpion's Revenge, basically gave him a second chance to shine. And what did they do to him? Embarassed even more, making him lose every single time he appeared on screen, and he does not even have anything to say - just another random bad guy. And Kintaro... Goro 2.0, everybody. No personality, rarely appears, no threat at all, and no impact on story. Again, Goro 2.0, everybody. Even Sheeva had more in terms of personality and character.
I don't feel bothered by kung lao being a punching bag and taking L's. If the writers want him to be lesser than liu kang, kitana and jade (the best friend group) that seems fair given who the friends are. Just because he's not as strong doesn't mean he's weak. But a lot of those times he didn't need to die. He could still lose without dying. Especially in mk9 and mk11. Although I like to believe aftermath is not canon, given the fact the main story is superior and that aftermath is redundant.
Another thing - Kung Lao's fall began the very moment NRS decided to turn Liu Kang into murderous monk, which has always been Kung Lao's thing. Ever since then, he was just "another murderous monk but with a cool hat". He lost everything that made him special.
This situation kinda reminds me of the South Park concept of killing Kenny. Kenny always had to die enable for the episodes to feel "complete" and I think Netherealm has a similar feeling towards Kung Lao. They don't feel like it's Mortal Kombat unless Kung Lao dies in some way shape or form
Crazy to think, that in the original timeline he was gonna have a major role in Deadly Alliance after Liu Kang's death and now he has become the punching bag to the bad guys as Reptile was to the good guys.
I remember when I played Kung Lao in Shaolin Monks when I was a kid and Kung Lao has been my main choice (besides Scorpion). In MK9, Kung Lao took L's from Scorpion and Shao Kahn, but he defeated Noob Saibot, Goro, Kintaro, and even the Deadly Alliance, all by himself. Kung Lao deserves better than how the writers have treated him.
i really dont understand why they seem to hate kung lao so much. Ever since mk9... They make his personality so lame and they keep him down... in mk9 he was ruined in more ways than just dying to shao kahn. The fact that his personality was so petty and jealous and brash was worse than them having him die.
I always liked Kung Lao. I remember when me and my buddy beat Shaolin Monks together we fought over who was going to play as Kung. We both thought Liu was kind of lame
which is stupid cause in the original first mortal kombat game, kung lao was chosen. But he refused, so they (the monks) chose liu kang instead. Since he was more willing to fight...
I agree with the whole video and said the exact same thing. I have no idea why NRS seem to hate him so much. Like damn, they gave Shujinko more respect than Kung Lao.
I’m not sure if NRS can redeem themselfs with potraying kung lao wel in mk12 now that he’s the new champion of earthrealm. If not then kung lao wil always be the hero who is chosen as the punching bag. And always give the hero’s the plot armor they need
Dude the reason why I like Kung Lao is because he is the underdog of the story, (some) ppl from the community or story may not like him but everything from his design and ancestry is really cool and seeing how in some situations he is able to pull off his own weight without being "The chosen one" is really badass but I do always get upset when my boy gets done dirty, hopefully they do him right in the next game Also I slightly like Kung Lao better than Liu Kang
because a lot of us have been fans since the 90s. Kung lao was the stoic badass back then. Now, he's the cocky (but cant back it up), jealous of my best friend, petty ass loser that always dies in a lame way.... try to imagine how that would make you feel. They really ruined him. like the problem isnt just because he dies. It's a whole character assassination
Im a Skorpion guy since... well MK 1, but i love kung Lao, even in MK 11 he is so badass and have awesome moves and combos, to me he is even beter fighter than Liu Kang. And yes, is annoying how much they kill him. If the final of the Dlc for MK 11 means something, i hope they give him a time to shine in the next game.
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F for the Monkey Lao....Hope they do The Great Kung Loa (aka Great Monke Lao) better in story mode
Kung Lao is my No 1 character in the MK Universe.....
He doesn't seem to catch a break from dying.
Kung Lao deserves better.... For God sakes, he's on par with Liu Kang. Many characters like Kung Lao, Reptile, Kenshi, Goro etc all deserved better
I could swear Raid runs off of meme fuel.
Can you do noob saibot next?…..he’s too disrespected.
Everyone in MK11 intros:
"You're not Liu Kang, you suck"
Guest Fighters too even the Joker might not turn him into a Joker Shaolin
People might say “it’s only the intros” but those little things start adding up and it’s really fucking annoying hearing characters unnecessarily disrespect Kung Lao.
@@jesuspernia8031 The sad part is that when they mock Lao it's almost like hypocrisy because most of the time these guys spit on his face and seemingly forget that they have done much horrible stuff than Lao. Sooo Raiden, Kitana, Spawn, Rambo, Fujin, Kotal, Jade, etc. Do me a favor and JUST SHUT THE EFFFF UP!!!!! You have also messed up equally than Lao if not worse
@@jesuspernia8031 And he never strike back, he's always at the receiving end of an insult.
@@jesuspernia8031 yeah, like at this point Kung Lao is canonically known as "shitty Liu Kang"
That moment when you're said to be on par with Liu Kang numerous times, but ever since MK9 you've been in the same tier as animated Nightwing
Nightwing's arm
You did him dirty bro jeez
@@Vyelvl I love Kung Lao, but man he gets shafted every media he's in past MK9.
Deserves better.
As a batman stan....ooooh that hurt that I can't deny it
How is it that WB has repeatedly done both of my favorite characters in both respective universes dirty since 2011. Why does Nightwing get stupidly written out of every story that isn't about him, treated like a joke, or killed. Why is Kung Lao consistently underwritten, miswritten, or killed in every story since 2011. Why am I doomed to never see my favorite characters done justice? :(
This guy defeated Kintaro and the Deadly Alliance all by himself and yet he's treated with the same threat level of Frost
i’m cackling at this comment not only bc it’s funny and clever but also bc it’s very true and sad.
He never defeated the deadly alliance, he was killed by them. See Mortal Kombat Deception for more info.
@@Unchainedful they’re talking about his mk9 chapter. they literally mention him defeating kintaro so idk why you think they meant original timeline kung lao lmao
I hate how in most character intros with Kung Lao in mk11 he is always shitted on.
@@theretrogamingnerd3316 for real
Simply put, if Kung Lao has to die for a plot reason, it should elicit a "Holy shit, they killed Kung Lao" reaction rather than a "Dammit, they killed Kung Lao".
Agreed, at this point it is just a matter of when will the actually well written version of my favorite character in MK survive again I am hopeless.
@@Fortniteloverepic
"Oh my God! They killed Kung Lao!"
"You bastards!"
I feel that one of the ways to make an egotistical and/or witty character lovable is to have them fail a bunch, but the writers take it way too far with Kung Lao. At least let him put up a fight.
Seeing him fail will never make me like him … makes me laugh
Kung Lao is literally Vegeta lol
but the thing is, they already ruined him by making him egotistical. Thats not who kung lao was. Yet they turned him into that, and have him die like a loser every time
@@sonic-bbexactly and he was designed after Michael Jackson yet they don’t try to incorporate that into his design anymore since MKA , the whole reason I personally loved this character . 🤦🏾♂️
Kung Lao just seriously cant catch a break ever since mk9. He's literally the Nightwing of this franchise now.
No, that's only Injustice, Nightwing gets the good end of the stick in a whole lot of other media
@@justindeliwe8065 nightwing doesn't get treated well in animated movies
@@kryo4491 he is, the only problem is you just love to see the grim side of things all the time.
@@justindeliwe8065 I mean, Nightwing does get kind of shafted in the New 52 films. Mainly the Titans films and the Son of Batman films. I mean, Dick Grayson losing to Damian Wayne? Really? Or getting absolutely stomped by Deathstroke? I kinda have some problems with that when he is the best of Batman's young protegés.
@@austinkersey2445 bro Damien was trained by the league of assassins, and there's a thing called underestimating.
Kung Lao and Goro. Those two have just been falling since Armageddon and the pit does not seem to have a bottom.
And don't forget he went from having a full chapter in MK9 to sharing a chapter with Liu Kang who gets a full chapter later.
Lol... Who becomes A GOD later😂😂😂
Not even a full chapter, the last fight was with Liu Kang instead
Remember when goro meant bussiness? Like, "oh shit, goro is going to destroy us, he has been winning mortal combats for ever", now he is either dead or right about the same level to people like reptile, who is powerful but ends up being killed because he is a bad guy and secondary character
@@skylex157 What I don't get is how Goro is killed by Kotal even though Kotal got his cheeks clapped by Cassie, Kung Jin, and freaking Jade!
@@demonwolf570
Kotal shouldn’t have been getting anal’d like that. We even get a chapter to play as him in X and 11 and he still ends up looking pathetic. With the other villains I get they lose all the time because they have no chapter, but with Kotal? HE HAS HIS OWN CHAPTER AND STILL ENDS UP LOOKING LIKE A JOBBER
The Vegeta to Liu Kang’s Goku but with Krillin’s death count.
Underrated comment
Damn facts
Except unlike Kung Lao Vegeta has actually beat Goku more than once as a matter of fact 😂
@@mando7323 vegeta never beat goku tho so I’m confused
@@amantejohnson6916 But he has tho 😂 haven’t watched dbz I take it?
The biggest battle of realms sin was how Kung Laos hat is used against him. That’s never been canon and should never be. It’s like someone killing Raiden by deflecting his lighting back at him or Shang Tsung getting soul sucked by someone else. Unforgivable
Wasn't shangtsung's soul got sucked in mk9?
@@dudejuice that wasn’t exactly well received by fans either, simply put, NRS shouldn’t constantly kill off the same characters, let alone with their own signature weapons/moves
@@dudejuice
Yes but that was by the big bad and served a story purpose to bring back Sindel. Also he survived
At least make him look strong in death. The shock value death in MK9 is far more tolerable in hindsight because he was caught off guard by a panicked Shao Kahn after Lao beat Quan Chi and Shang Tsung simultaneously then Kintarto immediately after.
@@mr.awesome6011 very true
Of all the characters in the Mortal Kombat universe that deserve more respect, my man Kung Lao is definitely in the top 5; IMO. Great video underdawg.
Edit: O MY GOSH. 1K likes? Thank you all so much. This my first comment to ever receive that amount.
Exactly, he takes all the blows and doesn’t get enough love
I'd say the top 5 that deserve respect from the writers are Kung Lao, Reptile, Baraka, Rain, and especially Onaga. Onaga was the closest any character has gotten to the one being, even stronger than Kronika. I really think Netherrealm should've had a full game center around Onaga to pay the well deserved respect to the original ruler of outworld.
Reptile is up there to
I'd replace rain and onaga with Goro and noob considering their track record in the new timeline.
Before Kung loa, Johnny cage was the jobber. Earth realm fighters need a jobber they can't all survive or it'd be super lame
I remember thinking of Kung Lao as a 'talks very little, stoic type' when seeing him in mk2. That version will always be top 5 in my mind.
One of the worst things imo about Kung Laos character especially in MK11 is his abrupt cocky nature. In MK9 and X it wasn’t so apparent cause it’s just one part of his character, but in 11 that IS his character and nothing else! Whatever happened to the character who wants nothing more than to be a simple monk who humbly accepted Liu Kang as the chosen one and made peace with Goro? (Which btw at 4:30 Kung Laos ancestor, the Great Kung Lao was the champion of mortal kombat up until Goro killed him, and so this Kung Lao simply wanted to bury the hatchet, or…hat XD) Is that really too much to ask?
BATMAN approves 👍
YES YES AND YES! This MK11 cocky Kung Lao is SO bidimmensional... It sucks
Yes to all of this dude! I feel less alone incessantly commenting about Kung Lao’s treatment.
@@oblivionslight1346 Sad thing is he's not the only character MK11 ruins. For one, Kung Jin who was Lao's cousin in X is now his NEPHEW??? Then there's Skarlet, Sindel Kotal, etc...
@@K-11609 Skarlet was actually the first character I bitched about when the reveal happened
The disrespect to Kung Lao by Netherrealm is outrageous. Pure character assassination.
Haha fuck Kung Lao
Kung lao gets disrespected in the movies, story mode, and he's fatal blow almost never hits. Damn disrespect for kung lao. He must have more respect. Netherealm please more respect for kung lao. :)
Netherrealm has absolutely zero respect for kung Laos x-ray or fatal blow it's mad offensive 🤣🤣🤣
@@choshow86 his fatal blow and x rays are great
@@michealbanksjr.3630 Yea good luck ever landing and not getting your ass beat for trying
@@choshow86 they are easy to land. I get my dad, cousins, and friends most of time with Lao’s fatal blow and x ray
It's like all the writers after MK9 misunderstood that the game used Kung Lao's death as a huge shock factor in one of Earthrealm's strongest fighters dying to create a big change in the timeline, and just viewed it as "the good guy who dies."
As a Kung Lao and Liu Kang main for the past two games . . . this hits too close to home. I will say, I too enjoyed Liu Kang's character in MKX. My favorite line of his is when he fights Kotal Khan. I think the line starts with Kotal stating, "You shall be defeated by Outworld's best!" The best bit is Liu Kang's response, which is "Goro, Shang Tsung, or Shao Kahn?" I forget the last/first bit (if Liu Kang actually speaks first).
imagine being a fan of kung lao since mk2. Then having his character just be totally destroyed in mk9 onwards... just really sucks man.
@@sonic-bb It sucks massive balls I'm sure. My first game was MK9 since I was too young to catch the earlier entries (I was a 2000 baby and my dad played the first three games so he knew how violent they were). My mains in 9 were Rain and Ermac.
@@austinkersey2445 aye rain and ermac were powerful. Great mains :)
Kung Lao and Jade take the most L's in MK history.
Jade? You sure Baraka and Reptile (I fucking hate admitting this) don’t take more L’s?
I agree with this😭
Reiko says hold my shurikens.
Jade? Nobody cares about Jade and Baraka takes more Ls
Reptile is another candidate.
2:54 That's actually why I became a Kung lao main, his fighting style was just looked cool and badass to me
Same! 💪💪 Also, it was fun to beat on ppl with a low/mid-tier character: like when you'd pull off the spin move just right and knock those cheesy ninjas out of their teleport attacks.. 😅
Damn, you’re so right.. I am a big fan of Kung Lao since my younger age, from Shaolin Monks. And i’ll be honest seeing him being treated like that just really hurts me
Kung Lao was my favorite character since I was a kid. Not only did he have sick moves, a sick hat, but he had a sick style. He could be a character in Devil May Cry, he's so smooth.
What sucks is that in a lot of stories, he just doesn't have much of a purpose. You can only have so many main characters and plots and turning Lui Kang from a goody straight man down a darker path is just more popular. It's kinda the same path Netherrealm has been on since Injustice.
Me either. I remember when I was a kid I played MK II and I liked Kung Lao's style more than others. On the MK Deception and Armageddon, they set a fighting style for him, and I found it fascinating. On MK 9 that would be an opportunity to make him an important character like in MK Shao Lin, but they fucked up history. Shao Kahn killed him without at least fighting.
@@kylecrane295 for me the main thing i hate is that they made him an egotistical jealous child in mk9..
They have so many characters the stories should actually come EASIER 🤦🏾♂️😂😂 wtf . The real story is the people who ACTUALLY characted these characters are allowing these new Gen z tards to ruin their art. It’s annoying
Aside from Scorpion and Sub-Zero, Kung Lao's fatalities were the most iconic and I think what a lot of people had in their mind in the early days since MK2
You said it yourself. Kung Lao is the Vegeta of the series. He has to take the L to make the bad guy look dangerous. It's like when a bad guy beats up Galactus in Marvel. It's not to say that the character is weak, it's to say that the new bad guy is dangerous. It really sucks because there are other characters that can have that be done with. Maybe Sektor could have it done. All those cybernetic enhancements mean nothing to the bad guy, he just tears him apart. Or how about Jax, the guy who survived having his arms destroyed? That would be interesting. Or maybe even Johnny Cage? Like… Let Kung Lao have a win. At the very least let him do something big like beat Shang Tsung and _then_ lose to Shao Kahn. At least then, he would actually be the Vegeta of the series instead of the Yamcha.
He's more like Kuririn, and he was underestimated a lot.
The dreaded Worf effect. We want old Kung Lao as Liu Kang's true rival. There should be few people who can dog him. Let alone use his hat against him.
Too bad, kung lao did a damn good job in mk 2011. Beating the deadly alliance, goro, noob, and kintaro
except vegeta has been redeeming himself since the beginning of super the fact that he beat 3 people alone in the u6vsu7 tournament is better than everything else he has ever done prior to it.
@@newnamek96 he did a good job beating those guys in 2011, but his personality was assassinated.
It bothers me that in Battle of the Realms, it’s fine that Shao Khan kills people, but why did he kill Raiden and Kung Lao but leave Jax, Sonya, and Kitana alive? At least make it consistent
plot armor at its best
Kung Lao and Sub-Zero are my favorite characters not only for Mortal Kombat, but for all fighting games.
See my favorite character (that actually inspired me to train martial arts) receive this treatment is disapointing beyond words.
Yeah i really loved him when i wss younger and stuff but man this guy keeps getting l's. His name should be llll lll or lung lao
@@capperbuns his name should be "screwed over by new writers"
@@sonic-bbtrue
I really don't understand why Kung lao is getting all these ls and disrespect out of nowhere since Mk9 especially in the movies because remember he took down the deadly alliance especially shang tsung in his young form including kintaro and goro but everyone still treats him like trash especially in mk11. In my opinion he is Liu Kang's equal and he deserves to be a chosen one next to him.
I’d say he should be slightly under liu kang. Liu just seems more committed to the Kraft kung laos cockiness is and has been used as a weakness. So at one point they probably were equal but with Liu kangs commitment over time he surpassed kung lao
It's just embarassing what they've been doing to him. Especially in the last movie, the animated one
Kung Lao all the way, for me. He is the One, after the chosen one. He should be the one to give the bad guys a flash back of "Kung Lao the Champion."
Been waiting for this one, second i saw him MK9, he was fantastic to watch in the story. You'd get to beat goro the deadly alliance and kintaro in his chapter. I was so heated to see him die after taking down all those characters. Keep up the content. there's so many characters that deserve better in the series.
At least in MK9 he goes out honorably. He owned all the sub-bosses, and got attacked from behind by Shao. Since then, it's been nothing bit disrespect.
Don't get me started on the movies and animes though.
nah, the way they made him an egotistical jealous child was just so aggravating. They ruined him in mk9
As a kid I definitely always thought Kung Lao was one of the best character designs with some really cool moves
I told people and I'll tell them again, Kung Lao is officially the Krillin of Mortal Kombat.
Kung Lao is my favorite character, and reading this killed my soul because it's so true
Something fun: in the Latin American Spanish dub of MKXL, Kung Lao has Krillin's VA.
@@gonzalotorres5282Why? Why did you do this to me?
And Liu Kang is the Tien of Mortal Kombat
@@gonzalotorres5282 no, No, NOOOOOOOOOOO
I think another character you should do that has mad potential but never gets alot of cinematic love is smoke,and he's got an amazing backstory with his enenra demonology
I honestly liked kung lao in every game from mk9 because of his gameplay and the one movie exceeded my expectations for him.
It always brings a tear into my eye when i see him die because he is such a badass and he just dies on the spot like nothing
I much preferred Kung Lao's original backstory where he was simply that quiet, honorable, badass warriors instead of them taking his Shaolin Monks persona and retconning that into his character. Sure, he's had some entertaining moments here and there in his current incarnation, but it just doesn't feel the same.
Back in the 90's when MKII came out, Kung Lao became my favorite character. It was also the first MK action figure I had when I started becoming a teenager. Imagine my happiness with all this...
i feel ya man. same. his personality, ruined. The way's he dies, lame.
hurts to see. been a fan since the 90s as well
At least with the ending of Aftermath, it looks like the GREAT Kung Lao might be our next hero.
And to Liu Kang DO NOT DARE TO INHERIT RAIDEN'S SCREWUPS BECAUSE IT WAS BAD TO SE THE MYSTERY OF "HE MUST WIN" END UP IN NEARLY THE END OF EVERYTHING
@@nestorsifuentesaguirre2722 Raiden's like a crooked CEO that "resigns" after stocks crash and he gets caught diddling the office girls lol
Yeah but sacrificing your bff aka best cousin into a sea of blood isn’t the best decision ever :)
MK aftermath was just dumb tbh
I wouldn't even be surprised if Kung Lao was MK's next antagonist
Based on his last acts, ge might be lol
@@Янебр Or rather AntiHero in John Walker levels by uuhhh IDK KILLING OF SOMEONE CLOSE TO LAO AND IN RETALIATION KILLS OF ITS ACCOMPLICE IN A HORRIFYING WAY IN FRONT OF SOOOO MANY CIVILIANS FROM EARTHREALM AND OUTWORLD (PLEASE NOT MILEENA) AND GETS DEMOTED FROM HIS DUTES AS A MONK FOR THIS REASON EVEN WHEN LAO TELLS HIS LEADERS THAT EVEN WHEN NOT CHOSEN HE WOULD STILL DO WHAT THEY SAID AND HE DID! IT! WELL!
As a Kung Lao fan ( who pronounces it kooong lao) this breaks my heart 🤧
I say it like "Dung Lao" except with a K.
If hes the "Vegeta to his Goku", then it makes absolute sense for him to get smacked around.
Vegeta at least beat Granolah and was stronger than Goku until TUI
I feel Bad for Kung Lao no matter how much he tries and sucseed he get's a Big L from the developer and get's killed horrible.
I don't know what else to say except strongly agree!! I feel exactly the same way!!!! Kong Lao and liu kang are my main character all the time !!!! Don’t understand why they keep killing Lao. He’s like Jackie Chan lives in IP Man’s body liu kang be like Jet Li has a Bruce Lee face.
I like to think that in the aftermath dlcs human kung lao didnt die because we later see shang tsung kill his revenant form who was still alive even after human kung lao was thrown into the sea
Guy with a decapitated arm: not saying anything
Kung Lao: *are you okay?*
Lao is surelly one of my most favourite characters and I am so disappointed of how much disrespect he received from everyone. I really hope he could have his justice in mk12 together with his closest friend Liu Kang. Lao is not absolutely jealous of him, he cares about his friend.
I'm pretty sure that, in the original timeline, there was a story that Kung Lao was supposed to be the chosen one, but refused to participate in the tournament due to the peace-seeking nature he had back then, and so the monks picked Liu Kang, who was more willing to fight
Idk but I always thought that Kung Lao was supposed to be the chosen one but Liu Kang showed his strength and was chosen instead. I’m pretty sure I’m wrong but that’s what I thought post mk9, I didn’t even know what the story in mk9 was until probably a year or two ago.
@@ningmushiithat’s how it was kung lao was originally the chosen one but declined it
Kung Lao had the best scenes next to Kano. Yes it was short, but that fatality he did was awesome.
Man, kung lao always had a special place to me since i playing the flash version of the mk trilogy when i was little. I've always liked the way he fought and his weapon is so unique, but like all characters i like, they're always getting punked
Kung Lao is the Vegeta to Liu Kang’s goku, story writing wise
“Oh my god! They killed Kung Lao!”
“YOU BASTARDS!”
Sorry I had to
9:59 me, as a lao main, like to think he teleported and then faked his death again to live peacefully...until the reset bullshit.
there's something wrong with me, cause I usually hate plot-armored main characters.
Well even after he was thrown hisrevanant was alive
Shoalin monk always has a soft spot in my heart because that game introduced me to MK
It's odd that I was thinking about this last week. Kung Lao has been my favorite, and main, since his introduction in MKII. I even cosplayed as the guy. He seemed so cool and badass. Shaolin Monks was great for game play, but I HATED the beginning of Liu and Lao's skewed dynamic, and that was when Lao's arrogance entered the chat, and only evolved from there. That seething envy he harbored for Liu was the most ANNOYING trait, because that's where the arrogance came from. Ew!! KUNG LAO DESERVED BETTER, and his fans do, too.
FGS, his character design is so cool. I'd rather he have been more aloof and enigmatic. Almost a bit of that desperado vibe. I wish they would retcon his hideous arrogance (isn't Johnny Cage arrogant enough for everyone???) and make him cool and humble again, the way he was when training under Bo Rai Cho.
Oh well... a girl can dream.
Exactly, its hard being a Kung Lao fan 😭
Yes.. Johnny Cage is arrogant enough for everyone... 😅
@@sebastianfeuerstein9306Agreed
0:27 that me……… king loa is my second favourite character besides smoke!
You know I was kinda hoping we would get a Wind God Kung Lao in Mortal Kombat 11
That'd be cool, however given fujin exists kung lao would be redundant
"He is the Vegeta to Goku"
Laughs in Perfect Cell.
Have to give a major down to the video for leaving out that story wise he was actually stronger than liu kang in the first game and was actually picked to be the chosen fighter for the tournament but refused.
OG Kung Lao: I ain't fighting unless the world's about the end. Being the Chosen One is for nerds!
Kung Lao now: Man, being a punching bag sucks! I have an inferiority complex! Boo-hoo!
For real Kung Lao is the goat.
I quite like his role in MK9, he always tried to convince Raiden that he was Liu Kang's equal, and in the end he actually pulled it off, proving that to everyone.
Sure, Shao Kahn did his thing after that, but Kung Lao was still great
I loved the idea that Kung Lao only fought for the Shaolin, he didn’t care about status and being the chosen one.
Is it much of a fall if Kung Lao was always second best to Liu Kang and constantly getting wiped out by villains?
He doesn't really get wiped by many villains. It's just that when he does lose that ONE time, it kills him lol
@@TrueUnderDawgGaming true, but everytime he gets to those villains, he ends up dying due to plot convenience, since they have to push Liu Kang up, instead of having them be a powerful duo. Genuinely why I feel bad for the guy, since he loses and dies based on his friend needing to win every time. He's rarely ever fighting outside his established fights, making him come off like he's all talk and no action until he comes to the end, right before it was his time to die.
Kung Lao: Has been wanting to live a peaceful life since the beginning, and wants to stop being the Robin to Liu Kang’s Batman.
Liu Kang: Roasts Kung Lao at the end of MK11- Aftermath.
Kung Lao became Luigi to Liu Kang's Mario, worse they made him cocky when he actually just a resposible shaolin monk, who would take the call when the world is in danger.
The moment he says _"I am Kung Lao, descendant of The Great Kung Lao"_ you know it's curtains for the lad.
When Shao Kahn stood behind Kung Lao and broke his neck Raiden and others didn't see Kahn and couldn't warn Kung Lao?
MkX Kung Lao(the "old" one) is my favorite. Because altough he keeps most of his witty personality and ego, he has some humility and is wise, based on life experience(or on his journey as a lost soul trapped in Netherrealm)
i love the realationship between kung lao and liu kang in the new games, but he is just a jobber now, i would like to see they change his character, as you said turn him into an equal to liu kang but make their personalities different. for exemple i think a good change is to make kung lao the more playful/smart and make liu kang the more spiritual/serious fighter, they would work really well as counterparts to each other and just make him know his power, not needing to show everyone.
they definitely need to remove the petty personality they gave him in mk9
Has damn near the same skill as the golden child, gets bodied by everyone.
Kung Lao getting that Nightwing treatment I see.
Even with less training than Liu Kang (he's lazy apparently), Kung Lao still managed to be more or less, Liu Kang's equal. Now imagine him with LK's commitment. Definitely the great Kung Lao's descendant
I will never get over how fking cool it is for Kung Lao to just run his fingers along the brim of his hat before a fight.
Watching your videos about characters falling from their grace (Kung Lao, Goro, Reptile) and I just can't help but think about 2 of the most disrespected characters of the series - Baraka and Kintaro. First is just embarassed every single time despite his superior physiology and place as a leader of savage and deadly tribe of warriors (as well as general of Shao Kahn armies). Battle of the Realms was the best proof of that: creators returned Baraka, retconned him so that it was not him who was killed in Scorpion's Revenge, basically gave him a second chance to shine. And what did they do to him? Embarassed even more, making him lose every single time he appeared on screen, and he does not even have anything to say - just another random bad guy. And Kintaro... Goro 2.0, everybody. No personality, rarely appears, no threat at all, and no impact on story. Again, Goro 2.0, everybody. Even Sheeva had more in terms of personality and character.
Besides the RAID ad, great content, man!
I don't feel bothered by kung lao being a punching bag and taking L's. If the writers want him to be lesser than liu kang, kitana and jade (the best friend group) that seems fair given who the friends are. Just because he's not as strong doesn't mean he's weak. But a lot of those times he didn't need to die. He could still lose without dying. Especially in mk9 and mk11. Although I like to believe aftermath is not canon, given the fact the main story is superior and that aftermath is redundant.
😐
the main issue is what they did to his personality
Was literally thinking he is the Vegeta to Liu Kang's Goku and he said it. Poor guys are absolute killers but can never catch that W
Another thing - Kung Lao's fall began the very moment NRS decided to turn Liu Kang into murderous monk, which has always been Kung Lao's thing. Ever since then, he was just "another murderous monk but with a cool hat". He lost everything that made him special.
Technically that was shaolin monks that made Liu Kang blood thirsty.
Kung Lau doesn't die in the after math because his revenent was still lives until he Shang Sung kills him.
At least he's the descendant of the great Kung Lao
He's actually the original Kung Lao reincarnated based on one of the endings.
The biggest L Kung Lao has had is he went from being a humble monk to be an arrogant jealous bastard. They really did him dirty.
👻I actually loved playing with him in Shaolin Monks. He was very fun to mess around with & execute his Fatalities, Brutalities, & Multalities. 👀
One year later...
Dev: congratulation kung lao. Now you are MC
This situation kinda reminds me of the South Park concept of killing Kenny. Kenny always had to die enable for the episodes to feel "complete" and I think Netherealm has a similar feeling towards Kung Lao. They don't feel like it's Mortal Kombat unless Kung Lao dies in some way shape or form
Crazy to think, that in the original timeline he was gonna have a major role in Deadly Alliance after Liu Kang's death and now he has become the punching bag to the bad guys as Reptile was to the good guys.
I remember when I played Kung Lao in Shaolin Monks when I was a kid and Kung Lao has been my main choice (besides Scorpion). In MK9, Kung Lao took L's from Scorpion and Shao Kahn, but he defeated Noob Saibot, Goro, Kintaro, and even the Deadly Alliance, all by himself. Kung Lao deserves better than how the writers have treated him.
his personality needs to go back to the way it was as well. not this new petty personality
Kung Lao: I don't wanna fight... What, I have to? Fiiine, let me grab my hat.
he just got shat on by devs :(
i really dont understand why they seem to hate kung lao so much. Ever since mk9... They make his personality so lame and they keep him down...
in mk9 he was ruined in more ways than just dying to shao kahn. The fact that his personality was so petty and jealous and brash was worse than them having him die.
MK3's Lao: The Yoshikage Kira of MK
How does Kung Lao have a harder time catching his own hat than the bad guys. Man needs a new weapon big time.
I always liked Kung Lao. I remember when me and my buddy beat Shaolin Monks together we fought over who was going to play as Kung. We both thought Liu was kind of lame
You forgot one… at the beginning of mk9 raiden basically implied that kung lao was NOT lui kang’s equal but was less than that…
which is stupid cause in the original first mortal kombat game, kung lao was chosen. But he refused, so they (the monks) chose liu kang instead. Since he was more willing to fight...
I agree with the whole video and said the exact same thing. I have no idea why NRS seem to hate him so much. Like damn, they gave Shujinko more respect than Kung Lao.
"Kung lao seems to be the logical one"
Someone: highly injured.
Kung lao: aRe yOu oKaY.
I’m not sure if NRS can redeem themselfs with potraying kung lao wel in mk12 now that he’s the new champion of earthrealm. If not then kung lao wil always be the hero who is chosen as the punching bag. And always give the hero’s the plot armor they need
that was the great kung lao from 500 years ago. not the one we know.
It's crazy how they make Kung Lao so good but they just don't care for the character they even did him dirty in the movies like what
Kung Lao is actually so badass in the first four games
Dude the reason why I like Kung Lao is because he is the underdog of the story, (some) ppl from the community or story may not like him but everything from his design and ancestry is really cool and seeing how in some situations he is able to pull off his own weight without being "The chosen one" is really badass but I do always get upset when my boy gets done dirty, hopefully they do him right in the next game
Also I slightly like Kung Lao better than Liu Kang
because a lot of us have been fans since the 90s. Kung lao was the stoic badass back then. Now, he's the cocky (but cant back it up), jealous of my best friend, petty ass loser that always dies in a lame way.... try to imagine how that would make you feel. They really ruined him.
like the problem isnt just because he dies. It's a whole character assassination
Im a Skorpion guy since... well MK 1, but i love kung Lao, even in MK 11 he is so badass and have awesome moves and combos, to me he is even beter fighter than Liu Kang. And yes, is annoying how much they kill him. If the final of the Dlc for MK 11 means something, i hope they give him a time to shine in the next game.
Goro: understandably let's shake on it
Kung lao: which one
I thought this was going to be about Perfect Legend being beat 13-0 in a first to 10 if I'm being honest.
I honestly wish you'd do more videos like this
You know what's crazy? Is that in the previous timeline Kung Lao wasn't even cocky and abrasive
thats what im saying. Thats the worst part.