Every Mortal Kombat Secret Character, Ranked

From the very beginning with the arcade games, Mortal Kombat was known for its violence, but also for the hidden secrets within its games. The biggest secrets were usually hidden characters that players could unlock or fight by completing specific tasks. While many of these secret characters eventually became regular, playable fighters in the series, some are more memorable than others.

The most exciting secrets in Mortal Kombat often involve characters not initially included in the game. These hidden fighters often start as whispers – old forum posts from the 90s or recent discussions on social media like Twitter and Reddit. Even the newest Mortal Kombat games keep this tradition alive, and it’s always fun to watch the community work together to uncover these hidden characters.

13. Blaze

Okay, so Blaze is a pretty big deal – he’s the final boss in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, which was the last game in the series with the older 3D style. But get this, he actually showed up way back in Mortal Kombat 2 as just a guy in the background! Everyone always thought it’d be awesome to play as him, like a fire elemental, but it never happened… until Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. That’s when they let you unlock him! You had to do this crazy button combination on the character select screen, highlighting Raiden, and boom – you could finally play as Blaze. It was a cool little secret back then.

Blaze, like other hidden characters in Mortal Kombat, fights by combining moves from different characters. He’s only playable by one person and doesn’t have unique weapons or finishing moves, making him a straightforward but useful addition. While his design is simple, and he can be easy to overlook, Blaze plays a more important role in the game Armageddon as the story unfolds.

12. Floyd

The newest playable character added to the game is Floyd, a pink ninja from Mortal Kombat 1. He became available through a downloadable update, but he’s tricky to unlock. Players need to complete random challenges in the single-player Towers of Time or Vs. modes to earn a secret fight against him. Floyd is battled on a special stage called The Field, which was originally shown in the game’s first trailer, and you unlock it by defeating him.

Inspired by Pink Floyd, this ninja character is likely the last of his kind in the series, and currently ranks lower due to his relatively new status. Floyd is a powerful fighter who borrows moves from classic characters like Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Noob Saibot, Reptile, and Rain. He even incorporates attacks from Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat 11, making him a distinctive character with the potential to become a major force in future Mortal Kombat games.

11. (Classic) Sub-Zero

Throughout the history of Mortal Kombat, many hidden characters have been older versions of existing fighters. For example, the 2011 Mortal Kombat game included versions of characters like Reptile, Smoke, and Noob Saibot who fought with their original movesets. However, “Classic” Sub-Zero marks the first time a truly classic version of a character has been added as a playable fighter in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

The Sub-Zero in the original Mortal Kombat 3 is actually Kuai Liang, the brother of Bi-Han, the first Sub-Zero who was killed by Scorpion. Kuai Liang fights very differently from his brother, offering a new style of Sub-Zero. Over time, he would learn many of the same skills used by other members of his family. However, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 included the original Sub-Zero – often called “Classic” – as a hidden character. This version played just like players remembered from previous games.

10. Mokap

Mokap is a unique and hidden fighter in Deadly Alliance. Instead of a traditional character, he’s represented by an actor wearing a motion capture suit. Unlocking Mokap requires completing the game’s Konquest mode with every other character, making him a challenging secret fighter to obtain. Once unlocked, you can select Mokap on the character select screen by entering a specific button combination while highlighting Cyrax, but only one player can use him per game.

Mokap’s gameplay isn’t particularly impressive; he lacks unique moves that make him stand out. What truly makes him memorable is his design, which remains one of the best comedic costumes in Mortal Kombat history. He mostly uses moves borrowed from other characters, and without a distinct fighting style, he’s best seen as a fun, one-time appearance and shouldn’t be included in future games.

9. Meat

I remember when Meat first showed up in Mortal Kombat 4 – it was so weird and cool! He actually started as a mistake, like a visual bug where characters lost their skin during special moves. But then, the developers turned it into a playable character! If you won with every fighter in the game, using something called the “Group” option, Meat would appear. The crazy part was, he’d look and fight like whichever character was next in line, basically stealing their moves! It was a really unique way to unlock a secret character.

In Mortal Kombat 4, the character Meat fights by directly copying the moves of another fighter – essentially, he’s a fighter without a unique identity. Later games gave Meat his own distinct attacks, like a teleport that leaves a trail of blood, and other gruesome moves. While Meat’s look embodies Mortal Kombat’s extreme violence, his design is so exaggerated that he comes across as strangely comical.

8. Chameleon/Khameleon

Look, Mortal Kombat has always had those ninja characters that are basically recolors of each other, right? But Chameleon and Khameleon in Mortal Kombat Trilogy took that to a whole new level. Chameleon could copy the moves and look of all the male ninjas, and Khameleon did the same for the female ones. It was pretty cool! You could actually fight them both in their games, or unlock them as playable characters in MK Trilogy if you knew the right tricks.

Chameleon and Khameleon share a lot of similarities in their abilities, borrowing moves from older, hidden characters and combining them into one. During fights, Chameleon would regularly change colors and become partially see-through. Khameleon did something similar, flickering in and out of view, which made her a tricky opponent. Khameleon’s unique disappearing act proved popular enough that she was later included as a ‘Kameo’ fighter in Mortal Kombat 1, demonstrating how well players remembered and enjoyed her special moves.

7. Cyber Sub-Zero

Cyber Sub-Zero is unusual because he’s a playable character who first appeared as a secret fighter in a previous game – specifically, the 2011 version of Mortal Kombat. When Mortal Kombat X came out, a character named Triborg was added as downloadable content. Triborg was designed with different fighting styles based on past cyborg ninjas from the series, like Cyrax, Sektor, and Smoke. However, players could unlock a fourth, hidden fighting style by entering a special code at the character selection screen.

This version of the character is a fresh take, with all-new moves added to his standard attacks. Cyber Sub-Zero can now freeze opponents to free them and even call in ice drones – abilities he didn’t have in previous games. Because Mortal Kombat X is a faster-paced game, Cyber Sub-Zero feels like a completely new fighter, and he’s easily one of the best hidden characters the series has offered recently.

6. Jade

Man, I have such fond memories of discovering Jade in Mortal Kombat 2! She was the secret character everyone was trying to find. As the first hidden female fighter, she looked a lot like Kitana and Mileena, but she quickly proved she was more than just a reskin. She was super fast, used Kitana’s moves, and the coolest part? Nothing could hit her with projectiles! It made facing her a real challenge, and honestly, it’s why she became such a staple in the games that followed.

Okay, so finding Jade in Mortal Kombat 2 was seriously tough! You couldn’t just unlock her like other characters; you actually had to fight her. But it wasn’t easy – you had to make it to that hidden ‘?’ stage, and then beat her using only low kicks. And the kicker? You couldn’t block at all! That single-player tournament fight was the only way to even see her. Honestly, how rare and unique she was, along with her cool abilities, is why she became such a big deal in Mortal Kombat and kept coming back in later games, getting more and more complex over time.

5. Smoke

Longtime fans of the Mortal Kombat series will remember Smoke as a character who’s changed over time, sometimes appearing as a human and other times as a cyborg. However, he first appeared as a fully human ninja in Mortal Kombat 2. Like Jade, Smoke was a playable opponent – someone you could fight against, but not control. This white ninja was similar to Reptile, constantly surrounded by smoke, which made him visually unique compared to characters like Scorpion and Sub-Zero.

As a huge fan, I always loved finding the secret cameo of “Toasty!!” during matches on the Portal stage! If you hit Down and Start when it popped up, you’d get to fight Smoke! He was seriously fast – way faster than anyone else in the game – and he really set the standard for how mobile characters would be designed in future Mortal Kombat games. Honestly, Smoke has always been one of my favorites, no matter what version of him they put in the main lineup!

4. Rain

The character Rain, known for his purple costume, first appeared as a secret fighter in the game Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. He was so well-hidden that players initially treated him as an urban legend, spending countless hours trying to prove his existence in arcades. Though not playable in the arcade version, Rain was included in the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis versions of UMK3, where he had unique moves that would later become his signature style in subsequent Mortal Kombat games. He’s based on Prince’s song, “Purple Rain.”

Rain is a unique character who controls the weather, attacking with lightning and using water blasts to control his opponents. He quickly became a fan favorite when he first appeared, thanks to a powerful kick that could send enemies flying across the screen – and because he didn’t just copy moves from other fighters. Players loved him so much that they consistently requested his return, and he’s been included in both Mortal Kombat 11 and the newest Mortal Kombat 1, though each version has its own slight variations.

3. Ermac

Back in the days of Mortal Kombat 2, players were fascinated by rumors of a hidden character named Ermac. This stemmed from a coding glitch – nicknamed “Error Macro” or “ErMac” – that accidentally changed Scorpion’s costume color. While people thought Ermac was playable at that time, he didn’t actually appear as a selectable fighter until Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. The sheer number of rumors surrounding him created enough buzz that the developers eventually made Ermac a real, secret character, and he’s been a popular figure in the Mortal Kombat series ever since.

Even in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Ermac was a unique fighter with his own moves, not a copy of another character. He used telekinesis to throw opponents, creating impressive combos that would become well-known for him in later games. Ermac became so popular that he was hidden as a secret character in spin-off titles like Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, and he’s since appeared in many of the main Mortal Kombat games.

2. Noob Saibot

Noob Saibot is a unique character in the Mortal Kombat series, and even his name is a hidden tribute to the game’s creators, Ed Boon and John Tobias. He’s been a secret, unlockable fighter in many games – including Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Mortal Kombat 4, and Mortal Kombat Gold – always appearing just outside the main lineup. But it’s likely his very first appearance that fans remember most.

Noob Saibot first appeared in Mortal Kombat 2 as a shadowy, black version of Sub-Zero. This was fitting, as it was later revealed that the original Sub-Zero, Bi-Han, was the fighter beneath the mask. Because of his dark color scheme, Noob Saibot was difficult to follow, but he was faster and had more combo potential. He didn’t truly stand out until Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. That game gave him a teleporting slam attack, and the SNES and Genesis versions added a shadow projectile that could disable opponents’ moves, as well as shadow clones. These additions helped establish Noob Saibot as a unique and memorable character.

1. Reptile

Reptile first appeared as a hidden character in the original Mortal Kombat game in 1992. He began as a simple color variation of Scorpion and Sub-Zero, hinted at in the arcade version, but quickly became a popular mystery. Players spread rumors about how to unlock him, suggesting you had to play almost flawlessly. Once unlocked, Reptile battled on a hidden stage beneath The Pit and could use moves from both Scorpion and Sub-Zero, making him a challenging and elusive opponent.

Reptile’s mysterious nature pioneered the idea of secret characters in fighting games, inspiring the inclusion of hidden fighters like Ermac, Rain, and Floyd in later installments. While he first gained fame as a hidden character—a role he also had in Mortal Kombat 4—Reptile has often been a playable character in the main lineup of Mortal Kombat games. Mortal Kombat 2 expanded on Reptile’s abilities, giving him unique attacks like an acid spit, energy balls that launch opponents, and a sliding move similar to Sub-Zero’s.

Players still remember the excitement and teamwork it took to discover Reptile, and that enthusiasm helped shape many other hidden characters in games. He’s arguably the best secret character in the entire Mortal Kombat series, and without him, the game’s roster of iconic fighters would likely be much smaller.

Who’s your all-time favorite hidden character from the history of Mortal Kombat? Let us know in the comments or discuss it in the ComicBook Forum!

2026-03-03 21:14