BIOGRAPHY

The ways of Mortal Kombat villains are quite different. Someone tries to reach the very top and keep the role of an Emperor with ruthless power. Meanwhile, others stick to more obscure and cunning approaches, reaching their goals while somewhat hiding in the shadows. Shang Tsung is more of the second type. And his clever mind is an effective tool for using the might of others for his own benefit.

Shang Tsung is a sorcerer, able to steal souls and use them to get new knowledge, expand his fighting skills, and even shift shapes. This ability was a curse by the gods, and if the magician doesn’t get new victims, he risks getting old and dying very quickly. No, Shang Tsung is not going to let this happen.

He is pretty close to Shao Kahn, never really trying to doubt his position but rather using the Emperor for his purposes. Shang Tsung loves luxury stuff, like clothing and palaces. He enjoys giving fancy parties. But the guy is not just a simple villain. His intellectual genius and magic talents work hard to achieve every goal Shang Tsung has.

Some legends say that Shang Tsung comes from Earthrealm. But for purposes of the sorcery “career,” Shang Tsung bound his soul to Shao Kahn. His fate is tightly connected to Outworld now.

Shang Tsung participates in the Mortal Kombat tournament and defeats everyone, becoming a Grand Champion and then a tournament coordinator. He tries to abuse this role to bring victories to Outworld Champions and let Shao Kahn conquer the Earthrealm. Only the interference of Liu Kang ruins such plans. The attempts repeat in different shapes but with the same outcome. 

Mortal Kombat gets a richer world and provides players with a more profound experience thanks to such excellent villains as Shang Tsung. He is a wonderful antagonist who uses any means to create new adventures and motivate new feats.

MK1 resets the timeline, and this is a fresh opportunity for Shang Tsung to unleash his villain potential.

Personality

He is a greedy villain with some very dangerous tricks up his sleeves. Unlike many other evil guys, Shang Tsung often prefers being in a shadow, doing his dark deeds behind the curtain. Fame? No, it could be distracting and dangerous. Shang Tsung loves luxury and sincerely enjoys valuable possessions.

Playstyle

Shang Tsung is traditionally a versatile Mortal Kombat character with tools for various fighting styles. He’s a good choice when you want to have various options to express yourself in the matches.

Appearance

The confidence of Shang Tsung is reflected in his appearance. He looks at people with the knowledge of his amazing power. And you can feel that those eyes don’t promise any good…