Mortal Kombat 1 Trailer Adds a Host of Returning Characters to its Roster

NetherRealm Studios has released a new trailer for its upcoming fighting game Mortal Kombat 1, with the latest trailer confirming more characters that will be on the roster at launch.

The latest trailer spotlighted Smoke and Rain, two characters with a long history in the Mortal Kombat series. It also revealed four new Kameo Fighters: Sektor, Cyrax, Frost, and Scorpion. As a quick refresher, Kameo Fighters is a separate roster of characters in Mortal Kombat 1 that can assist players during a match.

Smoke was first introduced back in Mortal Kombat 2 as an unplayable secret character before eventually making a proper debut in Mortal Kombat 3 as a cyborg. His first appearance as a human was in 2011’s Mortal Kombat. He primarily specializes in ability utilizing speed and smoke, which is reflected in the trailer as he strikes his foe with a dagger then reappears in a puff of smoke for the finishing strike.

Rain, meanwhile, first appeared in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 as a gag character intended to mislead players into thinking he was unlockable before eventually appearing for real in the console versions. He was subsequently playable in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon and Mortal Kombat (2011). As a half-god, Rain controls water and lightning, and he’s shown in the trailer abusing Scorpion with his particular brand of water bending.

The rest of the trailer features Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Smoke working together to infiltrate a compound, as a well as a typically gruesome fatality from Smoke. Outside of the new story trailer, NetherRealm Studios released several new gameplay videos, including a high level battle between Scorpion and Johnny Cage.

NetherRealm also offered new deep dives into Scorpion, Johnny Cage, and Kameo Kung Lao.

Mortal Kombat 1 was revealed in May during an earning call held by NetheRealm’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. The game is a sequel to 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11 but will also serve as a reboot, with Netherealm Studios previously noting that the game “will introduce a reborn Mortal Kombat Universe.” Shortly after its reveal, news surfaced that Amazon may have leaked the game’s first DLC Kombat Pack, which included characters such as Quan Chi, Omni Man, and Peacemaker, among others.

Mortal Kombat 1 arrives on September 19 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. For more information on Mortal Kombat 1, check out our interview with series creator Ed Boon on why NetherRealm chose to develop Mortal Kombat 1 over Injustice 3.

Additional reporting by Kat Bailey

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.