Shang Tsung

"Your soul is MINE!"

- Shang Tsung

Shang Tsung is the secondary antagonist of the Mortal Kombat series. Specifically, he is the main antagonist of Mortal Kombat (1992), one of the two main antagonists of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (the other being Quan Chi), as well as the secondary antagonist of both Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks and Mortal Kombat (2011), and a key antagonist in ''Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. ''He is Shao Kahn's right-hand-man and the nemesis of its de facto protagonist, Liu Kang. He is a powerful and deadly sorcerer, virtually unmatched in his mastery of sorcery, and a shapeshifter who consumes souls in order to sustain himself.

History
Much of Shang Tsung's origins remain a mystery, but it is speculated that he was human at one point. He competed in the first Mortal Kombat tournament, but cheated in one of the battles. Because of this, the Elder Gods (the highest power in Mortal Kombat) sentenced him to death. However, Tsung was saved by a timely alliance with the vicious Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn.

Mortal Kombat
At the behest of his master, Shang Tsung took over the Mortal Kombat tournament, changing its rules to allow the emperor to conquer the Earthrealm through it. If he achieved a winning streak of 10 tournaments, he would be allowed to conquer Earth. For this end, he used the half-dragon, half-man Shokan Goro, who defeated the former champion and shaolin monk Kung Lao, remaining undefeated for 500 years. In the 10th tournament, the thunder-god Raiden decided to interfere, by summoning the Earth's finest warriors to defend their realm. Raiden gave up on his immortality in order to participate in the tournament as well. The shaolin monk Liu-Kang, direct descendant of Kung Lao and one of the chosen warriors, defeated Shang Tsung, thwarting his plans.

Mortal Kombat II
After being defeated by Liu Kang, Shang Tsung begged his master Shao Kahn for one more chance to achieve the last victory on the tournament. Kahn, out of pity, grants him his request, restoring the sorcerer former youth and power, so he could attract the Earth's warriors to certain death at Kahn's hands. However, Tsung is defeated once again by Liu Kang and his new partner Kung Lao, also a direct descendant of the legendary Kung Lao.

Mortal Kombat 3
Shang Tsung is once again revived by Shao Kahn, this time because he was the key on fulfilling a plan that Kahn enacted over centuries before the last tournament. At that time, Tsung had bound the soul of Kahn's former queen Sindel to the Earthrealm, so when she was reincarnated, Kahn could claim his queen and overthrow the rules of the tournament. When this happens, kahn steals the souls of all humans on Earth, which forced Raiden to choose new warriors to defend

Earth against Kahn. Shang Tsung is once again defeated, as well as Shao Kahn.

The Deadly Alliance
Tsung found the sorcerer Quan Chi in his garden one day, fighting against Scorpion. Chi made Tsung a tempting offer: help him revive the lost army of the Dragon King Onaga, and Chi would open up a route to the heavens, providing Tsung with an unlimited supply of souls. This was the beginning of the Deadly Alliance.

In order to make their plan work, Chi and Tsung would need to rid themselves of two sizable obstacles: Shao Kahn and Liu Kang. Shao Kahn was apparently eliminated by Chi, and the Alliance moved on Kang. Disguising himself as Kang's ally Kung Lao, Tsung attacked the warrior, and, with the help of his ally Quan Chi, defeated and killed the noble Liu Kang.

The Alliance soon took over the troops of several other Mortal Kombat villains, including Kano, Drahmin, and Moloch, and used them to conquer Outworld. The two leaders of the Deadly Alliance defeated the champions that Earthrealm sent against them, including Kung Lao and the god Raiden, but Tsung's distrustful nature proved to be his downfall. His deception came to light, and Quan Chi fought and defeated him. When Quan Chi was defeated by Raiden, Tsung was caught in the Thunder God's suicidal, last ditch attack and vaporized.

Armageddon
After his death, Tsung's dark soul was sent to Outworld, drawn to none other than his former master, Shao Kahn. Kahn restored his body, but at the cost of Tsung's loyalty, even beyond death. A great power, the power of Blaze the Fire Elemental, would allow him to sever his ties to Shao Kahn and regain his former power, so Tsung continued to feign allegiance to Kahn, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Like all the other Mortal Kombat warriors, Tsung desired the power of Blaze. He made an alliance with Onaga, Shao Kahn, and Quan Chi to prevent the heroes from obtaining the power. In his unique character ending, he obtained Blaze's soul, and gained unlimited power, among them the ability to change the appearances of others. After turning his former master Shao Kahn into his Centaur slave, Tsung used the power to conquer Outworld.

Mortal Kombat X
Shang Tsung appears in Ermac's Arcade ending, where his soul possesses Ermac and allows him to return to life, using Ermac as his host.

Powers and Abilities
Shang Tsung has the power to steal the souls of those he defeats and must do so to continue living. He can shapeshift into the people whose souls he steals, giving him their combat abilities and memories. However, he can shapeshift into someone without their soul. Shang Tsung is highly skilled in black magic and sorcery, and his attacks are mainly fire based, much like his arch enemy Liu Kang.

He mainly got these powers from Shao Kahn but in later games, this was no longer the case. Shang Tsung can fire flaming skull projectiles, which can also be summoned from the ground, that are believed to be the souls he has collected. He can create a giant flaming cobra, though he only used this ability in the opening of Mortal Kombat: Deception, which is a reference to his Animality in MK3. Shang Tsung can also create portals between realms and teleport in bursts of fire.

Film
Shang Tsung appears as the main antagonist in the 1995 Mortal Kombat film, portrayed by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. He develops an interest in Sonya Blade that borders on romantic feelings, calling her "my sweet Sonya", for example.

He regularly resorted to intimidation and trickery; for example, he allows Johnny Cage to challenge Goro on the condition that he may challenge anyone of his choosing, in any place, as the final battle for the tournament, thus setting the stage for Liu and Johnny's desperate move to save Sonya and leading to the climactic battle between Tsung and Liu Kang (Liu, however, said that Sonya had to accept the challenge or the battle couldn't occur).

In the end, Shang Tsung fights Liu Kang and ends up being knocked off a platform onto a row of spikes, impaling him. With the soul power no longer intact, Shang disintegrates into his true remains: a skeleton. Upon his death, all of the captured warriors' souls escape into the Heavens, including Liu's younger brother, Chan, so those warriors would rest in peace, and then Chan told Liu that his spirit would always be with him. Shang Tsung also has a flashback cameo in the 1997 sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.

Shang Tsung also appeared in the animated film Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins as the main enemy that had an army of Tarkatan minions. He had his appearance from Mortal Kombat 1.

James Lew portrayed Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat: Rebirth. In the movie, Shang Tsung is the owner of an illegal underground fighting tournament. He hired Baraka, and Reptile to fight for the tournament. His appearance closely resembles his attire in the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie.

Johnson Phan portrays Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

He appears at the end of episode 3, stopping time in a movie studio and approaching Johnny Cage. He then offers him a chance to change his life.

Television
In the Mortal Kombat: Conquest TV series, Shang Tsung (played by Bruce Locke) was portrayed as a sorcerer eager to take revenge on the Great Kung Lao, who had defeated him in Mortal Kombat. For most of the series, he is confined to the Cobalt Mines of Shokan for his failure in the Mortal Kombat tournament, although he occasionally escapes (his powers unaffected by the cobalt in the mines, thanks to his human heritage).

He keeps the Kreeyan princess Vorpax in the Cobalt Mines as his personal slave and henchwoman until she is freed by her sisters. He is later chosen by Vorpax to be her mate after she obtains Queen Kreeya's powers.

Shang Tsung also made several appearances in the animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm including its 9th episode Resurrection when after defeated by Liu Kang back in Outworld, Shao Kahn's Shadow Priests found his bones and thus used their dark magic on them, bringing him back to life.

Now reborn, Shang Tsung was able to serve his emperor Shao Kahn whom he loathed the most, as well as to seek revenge on the young Shaolin monk who had killed him. He was given "The Orb" (also featured in the Street Fighter cartoon), a mystical artifact that enabled the user to manipulate the very elements of Earth and even strip Raiden of his godly powers.

Shang Tsung's Island
The soul-stealing sorceror notably made his home on a hidden isle he called Shang Tsung's Island. Located deep within the Lost Sea, the island was once an arena hosted for the Mortal Kombat tournament for many centuries, until Shang Tsung seized it, and corrupted it in hopes of winning the Earthrealm over for his dark master Shao Kahn. The island is divided into numerous arenas, one of which hosts Shang Tsung's throne room, and has made appearances in numerous Mortal Kombat related media.

Trivia

 * Shang Tsung's persona may have been the inspiration for Chase Young.


 * In Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, his death is very similar to Liu Kang's death in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.
 * In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance's Konquest mode, it is revealed that one of the souls he consumed during his tournaments was that of the samurai Muso Gonnosuke.
 * In Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, he's killed in a similar manner to how he killed Liu Kang in Deadly Alliance. If the player performing this fatality is controlling Liu Kang, there appears to be a perfect swap of roles.
 * Shaolin Monks, Deadly Alliance, Armageddon and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe are the only games where the Soul Steal allows Shang Tsung to regain health.
 * Shang Tsung used his Morphing and Flaming Skulls during the intro of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, but they are not present in the game.
 * In Mortal Kombat 3, occasionally, Shang Tsung appears on the Master tournament ladder twice.
 * Tsung's alternate outfit from Deadly Alliance is based from the time he was champion of Mortal Kombat before the Great Kung Lao defeated him (Mortal Kombat official comic).
 * In MK 2011, Shang Tsung has his MK outfit as his alternative costume, to note this further, his voice changes to that of an older tone.
 * Shang Tsung was also inspired by the character of "David Lo Pan" from "Big Trouble In Little China".
 * Shang Tsung is the only character who appears in all of the 2-D games that is absent from Mortal Kombat 4.
 * Shang Tsung appears on a movie poster during Johnny Cage's ending in Deadly Alliance.
 * Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe reveals that Shang is accompanied by two women, who appear to be lovers. However, the game isn't canon.
 * Minus the clown model, his "Bang Bang!" fatality in MK 2011 is identical to, and could be perhaps perceived as a parody of Joker's "Killing Joke" fatality from Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, due to its censorship in North America. It should be noted that in the Fatality Trainer, when the fatality is introduced, it mentions Tsung having "picked up some tricks from an old foe" which seems to imply that Shang Tsung has in fact met The Joker. Officially, of course, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe remains non-canon.
 * Up until Mortal Kombat (2011), Shang Tsung's elderly form remained unplayable as it was eliminated ever since MKII.
 * In his MK 2011 ending, Shang Tsung is taught a move to defeat Liu Kang, who has become villainous. Because of this, Liu Kang is seen as the villain while Shang Tsung becomes the hero.
 * However, to some, Shang Tsung was more of an anti-hero.
 * In MK 2011's Story Mode, after Quan Chi said they're unstoppable, Shang Tsung said that " on that we agree". This may be a hint that they do not get along.
 * MK 2011 was the only game to mention of Shang Tsung's origin. His bio states that he is originally from Earthrealm.
 * Shang Tsung is the only character in MK 2011 whose throw move heals him.