10. Johnny Cage. Mortal Kombat Characters Ranked

Even though the plots in fighting games can get pretty elaborate (and convoluted) from one installment to the next, the characters rarely undergo much development – and if they do, it's usually in a drastic way, in response to some betrayal or other harrowing experience that causes them to completely change their approach. The case of Johnny Cage is all the more interesting, as he, over the course of the games, has transformed from a complacent narcissist and womanizer into a brave leader in charge of Earthly warriors fighting the evil in the old timeline, and a responsible father in the reality of the new games.

However, Johnny evoked sympathy even before he sorted his life out. A sassy smile and self-confidence pushed to extreme created a charismatic mix that made it hard not to like this Jean-Claude-Van-Damme-like warrior. His iconic kick in the crotch, which, director Paul W.S. Anderson brilliantly showed in the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie, was also cause of many smiles.

9. Kenshi

The Mortal Kombat releases from the sixth generation – Deadly Alliance, Deception and Armageddon – are not very respected by fans today. Wrongly, I dear say, because while they had their flaws, they also brought a lot of interesting ideas to the series and were very successful games on their own terms. A consequence of disliking these games is also lack of love for the new characters introduced in them, most of which are not very popular with fans.

The glorious exception is Kenshi, who, despite making his debut in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, is considered one of the most interesting characters in the series. It's hardly surprising – after all, this is a character who, despite his blindness, turns out to be an excellent swordsman wielding powerful telekinetic abilities. As if that weren't enough, he looks great, and his story in the game is based on his search for the traitor who led him to losing his sight. How can you not like a character like that?