Scorpion is one of the most recognizable and iconic characters in video games. He’s essentially the poster boy forMortal Kombat,along with his perpetual rival, Sub Zero. Over the last thirty years, theMortal Kombatfranchise has been thriving and going from strength to strength, and Scorpion has followed suit.
Regardless of the quality of the game and his place in the story, Scorpion has always been an important character with riveting storylines, incredible voice acting and design. And most of all, Scorpion is always fun to play, whether with his signature “GET OVER HERE” spear move, his aerial offense, or recently, his strike and throw game. Scorpion is always relevant and always important. The leader of the Shirai Ryu has hadcountless different iterations, and these are some of the best ones.
7Mortal Kombat: Deception
Scorpion has a badass design inDeception.Gameplay-wise, this is also the best he’s ever played in the MidWayMortal Kombatgames. Scorpion in this game picks up from his storyline inDeadly Alliance.While he isn’t a major character, he always seems to find himself in some huge story moments. Scorpion witnesses the battle between Raiden and Onaga. He’s also chosen by the Elder Gods as their champion.
Beyond this selection, Scorpion plays a cursory role in this game. While there’s nothing wrong with that,DeceptionScorpion being ranked so low speaks volumes about how good some of his other versions are.
6Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Deadly Alliancehas one of the coolest iterations of Scorpion out there, so much so that players are excited about the newDeadly Allianceskin inMortal Kombat 1as well. This Scorpion has a cool design, and some really fun gameplay to complement it. In terms of the character, however, it isn’t that black or white.
Scorpion doesn’t have a huge role in the story, but the spirit of vengeance is at his angry peak regardless. Scorpion spends the lion’s share of the game chasing Quan Chi, to avenge his family and clan. Scorpion is incredibly powerful in this game, easily a match for both Quan Chi and Shang Tsung. However, his ending where he gets ambushed and beaten by Drahmin and Moloch is a bit comical. Moreover, the character can be a little one-dimensional.
5Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Armageddon is a return to form for the vengeful, infuriated Hanzo Hasashi that fans love. Scorpion gets betrayed by the Elder Gods. In some twisted joke, his family and clan are returned to him, but there’s a problem: they’re all undead specters. Enraged by this betrayal, Scorpion joins the bad guys and nearly succeeds before being bested by Sub Zero. He has anotable tower endingas well.
The only thing that lets down this version of Scorpion is that his design and costumes are a bit iffy compared to the other iterations featured here. WhileMK11does an incredible job at the Armageddon inspired redesign, it looked a bit goofy in this game.
4Mortal Kombat 9
Mortal Kombat 9was Netherrealm Studios pulling out all the stops to save the franchise. Coincidentally, this involved a ton of focus on theMortal Kombatninjas, particularly Scorpion.
This game basically goes over the entire Scorpion story arc at once. He’s portrayed partly as an anti-hero and partly as a foolish villain. His decision to align himself with Quan Chi was especially questionable. Regardless, Scorpion in this game has an exciting new design, leaning into imagery related to his namesake. He also has tons of fun combos.
Each of these other iterations is incredible, and it’s hard to pick the number one version of Scorpion. TheMortal Kombat 1version is a little different. Scorpion is a member of the Lin Kuei, and is actually everyone’s favorite stoic grandmaster Kuai Liang. This Scorpion is a calm and compassionate hero. He also has some badass fights in the story mode and his ending is very exciting. It remains to be seen whether Kuai Liang remains Scorpion or not, but it is definitely an interesting notion.
Scorpion has an incredible design in this game. The costumes are slick, and the color pallettes are breathtaking. His gameplay is a bit harder now, focusing more on a strike/throw and footsies play style. He doesn’t have any mix-ups and can’t spam teleport.Mortal Kombat 1Scorpion is an interesting new take on the character, butit remains to be seenwhat Netherrealm do with him.
MKXpicks up nicely from the timeline reset inMK9.This game focuses less on Hanzo’s quest for revenge and more on him as a mature man building up his family and acting as a mentor for Takeda. Players are also given a treat when they see Hanzo and Kuai Liang having tea together without stabbing each other.
Scorpion learns of Quan Chi’s plotting and the truth behind the Cyber Initiative. He’s grown into a mature, yet somewhat hot-headed character, but he never crosses the line anymore. Protecting Earthrealm, and his clan is clearly his priority. Hanzo also has access to a ton of amazing designs in this game, including the retro look, the new design, and the more ‘human’ version. Overall this is one of the best versions of Scorpion and blends in well with bothMK9andMKX.
There is contention aboutwhetherMK11is better thanMK1. However,Mortal Kombat 11has the best design for Scorpion in the series. From the incredible costumes, to the gear to the visceral special moves, everything works so well and fits Scorpion to a tee. Even discarding the gear system, his base design is exceptional. He also has tons of flashy moves and cool Fatalities.
Hanzo in the story is a lot more calm and composed. His friendship with Kuai Liang is endearing. Two rivals turning into brothers in arms is super fun to see. His entire character arc of rebuilding the Shirai Ryu, his relationship with Sub Zero, and in particular his younger self is great to see. This is one of the best character in fighting games history, and he gets his dues in this game. It is a shame about the ending though.
