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Meet Mortal Kombat's First Gay Character

Kevyt

Member
i am straight and picked up on it right away.

Disagree that LGBT are somehow better equipped to pick up on pretty obvious clues.

I mean I guess many will pick up on it but the majority won't. I know my friends didn't. One of my friends got the game (he's a huge mortal kombat fan, got the game on day 1) and I asked him recently what he thought about Kung Jin, and he didn't know he was gay based on those subtle lines. Same thing with the rest of my friends. Yet me and some other dood picked up on it really fast. Both us who are not straight so yeah.

Purely anecdotal I know, but this seems to be the case since it's never stated downright. It's all just contextual.

Maybe Sub Zero can be gay... *sigh* a man can dream...

Yes, the thought of Sub-zero having his icy cold arms wrapped around one is very cool.
 

Razmos

Member
Disagree that LGBT are somehow better equipped to pick up on pretty obvious clues.
Considering that for a long time most of our representation was in coded, hidden and hard to spot clues, and the very nature of being gay meaning you have to be able to interpret signals and hints that other people usually wouldn't notice..

Yeah, I don't agree with your disagreement.

Straight people can notice it too obviously, but gay people are more conditioned to look for this sort of stuff, while straight people are more conditioned to ignore it or interpret it in a different way.
Also:
NNG3olp.jpg
 

RM8

Member
gee, i dunno maybe a general reference of a Heart.
What drives a person, to loving a person.
Seeking Vengeance
I seriously don't see the Gay reference.

..Random..
So if a Man tells another Man, I love you. Everyone's instant reaction of trained thought would be, Fag! Gay!, Homosexual!
?
Instead of thinking, maybe Father and Son. Brothers.. etc

No?
Then why is this spun, for nothing in context from the game referring to this "directly" over one line.


Like what?
If there's (like i said) "other" references to the subject, then fair enough. And/or IF the developers came out and said Yes, yes his is.

It just seems strange to me, just because of this one line people are claiming such.

But Hey, if he is. Fine. Whatever.
The people who think that, and if turns out so, should be on CSI.
lol

iPSs0u7LMSVRy.png
 

Replicant

Member
Well, to be fair, I'm gay and I didn't realize that was about him being gay. I was too busy drooling at Sub-Zero's muscle definition.
 

Toxi

Banned
I'll give you gay Sub Zero if you give me playable Frost
and an ending where she doesn't stupidly kill herself for once.

Actually, has Sub Zero ever shown any sexual or romantic interest in anything?
Depends on which Sub-Zero. Bi-Han was paired up with Sareena in Mythologies. Kuai-Lang (Who's Sub-Zero in MKX) hasn't shown any romantic leanings to my knowledge.
 

Majukun

Member
If you agree with me that this is a big deal because he's the first one, then I'm not sure how you can say exposure doesn't lead to acceptance. As I just said in other post, if for some reason they introduce another gay character in the series, it won't be such a big impact because we have already been exposed to one before.

?_?

so let me get this straight..you just want more gay characters in videogames,you don't care if homosexuality is more accepted or not..because i can assure you,nobody is gonna "accept" homosexuality only because there's an homosexual character in a media..we had them for years,and we still are nowhere near homosexuality being accepted as a "normal" thing.

also..as i have already said,more gay characters is ok,just don't make their sexuality define their characters but putting the focus around it..so that they are not remembered as "the first gay character in mortal kombat",but just as their own character..just like you shouldn't "condense" someone as being "the straight guy" or "the gay guy"
 

Kangi

Member
I've seen "they're just really good friends" before, but not "he just really likes thieving!" That's a new one.
 

IvorB

Member
I'll give you gay Sub Zero if you give me playable Frost
and an ending where she doesn't stupidly kill herself for once.

Actually, has Sub Zero ever shown any sexual or romantic interest in anything?

Ha ha! No, of course not. It's Mortal Kombat for Christ's sake :). I always figured his top priority was who's spine he was going to rip out next not who he plans to chat up in the bar later.
 

Razmos

Member
?_?

so let me get this straight..you just want more gay characters in videogames,you don't care if homosexuality is more accepted or not..because i can assure you,nobody is gonna "accept" homosexuality only because there's an homosexual character in a media..we had them for years,and we still are nowhere near homosexuality being accepted as a "normal" thing.

also..as i have already said,more gay characters is ok,just don't make their sexuality define their characters but putting the focus around it..so that they are not remembered as "the first gay character in mortal kombat",but just as their own character..just like you shouldn't "condense" someone as being "the straight guy" or "the gay guy"
And you do that by having more gay characters so that they don't stand out so much and become normal and accepted, that's the entire point of representation and inclusion.
 
That's the main point..you see straight people and homosexuals as two different kinds of people that need to understand each other...

Kindly don't tell me how I see hetero or gay people.

also,I never (ever) said in any of the posts that i complain about the present of a gay character,nor that i expect gay romance to be invisible.

if you wanna quote me,at least quote me about what i say,not about what you want me to say.

Ok then:
and why should we improve minorities' visibility?
 

RM8

Member
?_?

so let me get this straight..you just want more gay characters in videogames,you don't care if homosexuality is more accepted or not..because i can assure you,nobody is gonna "accept" homosexuality only because there's an homosexual character in a media..we had them for years,and we still are nowhere near homosexuality being accepted as a "normal" thing.

also..as i have already said,more gay characters is ok,just don't make their sexuality define their characters but putting the focus around it..so that they are not remembered as "the first gay character in mortal kombat",but just as their own character..just like you shouldn't "condense" someone as being "the straight guy" or "the gay guy"
But Kung Jin doesn't revolve around his status as gay, he just happens to be gay. If people are talking about it, well, it's because there hadn't been gay characters in MK before.

And let's agree to disagree about exposure and acceptance, I guess.
 

Majukun

Member
And you do that by having more gay characters so that they don't stand out so much and become normal and accepted, that's the entire point of representation and inclusion.

it's one of the point
the other is not making a big fuss about it if not necessary..exactly because you don't want them to be remembered for their sexual orientation,but for their character,just like straight characters,just like any character should
 

Majukun

Member
Kindly don't tell me how I see hetero or gay people.



Ok then:
you are the guy who told me that they should talk about what it means to be gay.
what i said it's the logical conclusion to what you said..if you didn't think that their sexuality makes them different,what should they talk and learn about each other exactly?

increase the visibility and making them more accepted are not equal things..in fact i think it's the opposite..
 
Ha ha! No, of course not. It's Mortal Kombat for Christ's sake :). I always figured his top priority was who's spine he was going to rip out next not who he plans to chat up in the bar later.

Everyones' top priority in MK was figuring out whose spine to rip out next. Didn't stop Liu Kang and Kitana from making out in between the spine ripping.
 

Majukun

Member
But Kung Jin doesn't revolve around his status as gay, he just happens to be gay. If people are talking about it, well, it's because there hadn't been gay characters in MK before.

And let's agree to disagree about exposure and acceptance, I guess.

and that's exactly what makes it great
which is my first statement in the first place.
so what are we talking about again?

anyyway,yes,we agree to disagree
 

zogged

Member
Who new it this day and age it would be a Mortal Kombat game that handled this issue the best in recent years. Props to the team for actually handling it with some finesse.
 

Toxi

Banned
Ha ha! No, of course not. It's Mortal Kombat for Christ's sake :). I always figured his top priority was who's spine he was going to rip out next not who he plans to chat up in the bar later.
A surprising number of Mortal Kombat main characters had romantic relationships.

Scorpion: Dead wife
Kenshi: Dead wife
Johnny Cage: Married Sonya
Sonya: Married Johnny Cage
First Sub-Zero: Romance with Sareena
Liu Kang: Married Kitana
Kitana: Married Liu Kang
Takeda: Flirted with Jacqui
Jacqui: Flirted with Takeda

Probably a few more I'm forgetting.
 
?_?

so let me get this straight..you just want more gay characters in videogames,you don't care if homosexuality is more accepted or not..because i can assure you,nobody is gonna "accept" homosexuality only because there's an homosexual character in a media..we had them for years,and we still are nowhere near homosexuality being accepted as a "normal" thing.

You have spent over ten posts telling us why having more gay characters won't make being gay more accepted (against all common logic and with zero justification, but whatever, let's put that aside for a second), and zero posts telling us what you think would make being gay more accepted. If you're so invested in this goal as you claim, perhaps you should get into that instead?

and that's exactly what makes it great
which is my first statement in the first place.

Nice try. You said it's great people won't notice that he's gay, not that it's great that he's not defined by being gay. You know, the exact same distinction I made in my first post?
 

jbw

Banned
There is quite literally nothing normal about a man trying to impregnate another man. The fact that this is being not only pushed but also accepted as normal can only speak to a greater delusion taking place. I'm not sure what it's going to take for people to see this.
 

Kusagari

Member
gee, i dunno maybe a general reference of a Heart.
What drives a person, to loving a person.
Seeking Vengeance
I seriously don't see the Gay reference.

..Random..
So if a Man tells another Man, I love you. Everyone's instant reaction of trained thought would be, Fag! Gay!, Homosexual!
?
Instead of thinking, maybe Father and Son. Brothers.. etc

No?
Then why is this spun, for nothing in context from the game referring to this "directly" over one line.

I'm sorry but that makes zero sense as a comparison. Raiden specifically used the word desire not love. You would never use the word desire in your scenario.

He also used the word whom, which directly means that he was talking about a specific person and not a concept such as vengeance.

And Raiden brought this up as a reason for why Kung Jin thought he couldn't go and train.

There are only two things Raiden could possibly be hinting at. Kung Jin desiring someone of the same sex or Kung Jin desiring a woman that he thought the monks wouldn't approve of. And considering Liu Kang goes around banging Kitana, I'm not sure what woman the monks could possibly disapprove of.
 
Eagle in SF1 and CvS2.
Would you happen to know if Zangief is a bear wrestler or a bear-wrestler?

In one of the Marvel Vs. games and the old flavour text, he was gay in a stereotypically Japanese way (bara), but CFE's ending made him straight. Though that was a joke ending done by Udon Comics. I don't remember much about SF4.
 

Kangi

Member
There is quite literally nothing normal about a man trying to impregnate another man. The fact that this is being not only pushed but also accepted as normal can only speak to a greater delusion taking place. I'm not sure what it's going to take for people to see this.

Wat.
 

Shizuka

Member
A surprising number of Mortal Kombat main characters had romantic relationships.

Scorpion: Dead wife
Kenshi: Dead wife
Johnny Cage: Married Sonya
Sonya: Married Johnny Cage
First Sub-Zero: Romance with Sareena
Liu Kang: Married Kitana
Kitana: Married Liu Kang
Takeda: Flirted with Jacqui
Jacqui: Flirted with Takeda

Probably a few more I'm forgetting.

Shao Kahn and Sindel? Mileena and Baraka? Yes, now that you mention it, it's more common than I thought.
 
There is quite literally nothing normal about a man trying to impregnate another man. The fact that this is being not only pushed but also accepted as normal can only speak to a greater delusion taking place. I'm not sure what it's going to take for people to see this.
are you okay
 

Toxi

Banned
There is quite literally nothing normal about a man trying to impregnate another man. The fact that this is being not only pushed but also accepted as normal can only speak to a greater delusion taking place. I'm not sure what it's going to take for people to see this.
You have a very strange view of sex if you think people normally do it to make babies.
 

Majukun

Member
You have spent over ten posts telling us why having more gay characters won't make being gay more accepted (against all common logic and with zero justification, but whatever, let's put that aside for a second), and zero posts telling us what you think would make being gay more accepted. If you're so invested in this goal as you claim, perhaps you should get into that instead?

actually,all my post are about putting gay characters in games but don't put the spotlight on their sexuality

that's like the very first thing i said

direct consequence of not putting the spotlight on their sexuality,is for them to be present in the first place
 

Dany

Banned
There is quite literally nothing normal about a man trying to impregnate another man. The fact that this is being not only pushed but also accepted as normal can only speak to a greater delusion taking place. I'm not sure what it's going to take for people to see this.

What the fuck are you on and can you share?! Must be some good shit.
 
There is quite literally nothing normal about a man trying to impregnate another man. The fact that this is being not only pushed but also accepted as normal can only speak to a greater delusion taking place. I'm not sure what it's going to take for people to see this.

What's it like living in the 1900's?
 
There is quite literally nothing normal about a man trying to impregnate another man. The fact that this is being not only pushed but also accepted as normal can only speak to a greater delusion taking place. I'm not sure what it's going to take for people to see this.

Arnold_baby_1.jpg
 
I mean, "gay" used to be "happy", didn't it? You're reading far too much into this! :p
Now that I think about it, there are very few characters in Mortal Kombat that look happy. Maybe feeling like that is rare enough that it deserves to be asked about! :p
 

Shizuka

Member
There is quite literally nothing normal about a man trying to impregnate another man. The fact that this is being not only pushed but also accepted as normal can only speak to a greater delusion taking place. I'm not sure what it's going to take for people to see this.

jbw
Banned
(Today, 09:43 PM)

Let's leave it at that, guys.
 

kris.

Banned
There is quite literally nothing normal about a man trying to impregnate another man. The fact that this is being not only pushed but also accepted as normal can only speak to a greater delusion taking place. I'm not sure what it's going to take for people to see this.

welp.gif



Anyways, yeah picked up on this almost instantly. Netherrealm handled this very, very well.
 
actually,all my post are about putting gay characters in games but don't put the spotlight on their sexuality

that's like the very first thing i said

So, make them gay, but in a way that nobody notices they're gay. Again, please read my first post.
Also, "unequivocally gay" doesn't necessarily mean "spotlight on their sexuality", the same way "unequivocally heterosexual" (something that's done all the fucking time in all media) has never been assumed as "focus on their sexuality". It's precisely because "gay" is not currently and universally seen as "normal" that some people believe that saying that a character is gay is equivalent to hanging a neon sign over them.

direct consequence of not putting the spotlight on their sexuality,is for them to be present in the first place

Wha? Please elaborate on this, because I want to give the courtesy of not assuming you're saying what I think you're saying.
 
There is quite literally nothing normal about a man trying to impregnate another man. The fact that this is being not only pushed but also accepted as normal can only speak to a greater delusion taking place. I'm not sure what it's going to take for people to see this.

I like your tag.
 

Toxi

Banned
Shao Kahn and Sindel? Mileena and Baraka? Yes, now that you mention it, it's more common than I thought.
Shao Kahn and Sindel doesn't count since there was never any love between them. Sindel had to be a brainwashed and crazy zombie to become his queen, and that was a purely political move on Shao Kahn's part so he could merge Outworld and Earthrealm.
 

IvorB

Member
Same. Kung Jin is not really my type. But new Subby.....damn. Also, he and Scorpio has some chemistry now they are no longer enemies.



He goes above and beyond for Scorpion/Hatori in this game. Protecting him and all. :p

Yes, the thought of Sub-zero having his icy cold arms wrapped around one is very cool.

Guess I'm not the only one. Sub Zero for gay icon confirmed. :)

Everyones' top priority in MK was figuring out whose spine to rip out next. Didn't stop Liu Kang and Kitana from making out in between the spine ripping.

A surprising number of Mortal Kombat main characters had romantic relationships.

Scorpion: Dead wife
Kenshi: Dead wife
Johnny Cage: Married Sonya
Sonya: Married Johnny Cage
First Sub-Zero: Romance with Sareena
Liu Kang: Married Kitana
Kitana: Married Liu Kang
Takeda: Flirted with Jacqui
Jacqui: Flirted with Takeda

Probably a few more I'm forgetting.

I did not even know this. Wasn't aware Lui Kang and Kitana got married. Guess I haven't been keeping up.
 
It's really cool of Netherrealm to do this. I know some jackholes will squeal about "doing it the right way" or some bullshit, but it's high time gay men receive proper representation in games.

Shit, is there a single gay dude in a fighting game who isn't a completely awful stereotype? Kung Jin's a fucking trailblazer just by virtue of being treated with the same dignity and respect his peers get. Adding to this, MKX being a game with only 3 white dudes in the entire cast, a main female lead, a biracial relationship featuring a Japanese/Vietnamese male and African-American female, and several non-white, non-male characters being featured in prominent roles, and we have a game that sold gangbusters while also being incredibly diverse. Like, somehow, actually featuring non-white dude protagonists didn't fucking implode the universe. Fancy that.
Not to discredit MKX but diversity has been a major part in fighting games for years. Tekken is the best example. Gay representation is the only field they can do better at.
 

Replicant

Member
Guess I'm not the only one. Sub Zero for gay icon confirmed. :)

Hear, hear.

A surprising number of Mortal Kombat main characters had romantic relationships.

Scorpion: Dead wife
Kenshi: Dead wife
Johnny Cage: Married Sonya
Sonya: Married Johnny Cage
First Sub-Zero: Romance with Sareena
Liu Kang: Married Kitana
Kitana: Married Liu Kang
Takeda: Flirted with Jacqui
Jacqui: Flirted with Takeda

Probably a few more I'm forgetting.

WAIT WHAT? NOOOOOO. Not my Kitana. Not to Liu Kang. It was fine in the movie but Liu Kang in the game is douchecanoe.
 

Sai-kun

Banned
Really tastefully done! About as good as they could have done without straight men complaining about being too 'in your face'.
 
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