Sub-Zero (Mortal Kombat)

Sub-Zero is the alias used by two fictional characters in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Both incarnations of Sub-Zero are ninja warriors of the Lin Kuei clan, principally defined by their blue attire and ability to control ice in many forms. Sub-Zero is the only Mortal Kombat character that appears in every main installment of the series, in addition to being featured as the protagonist of the 1997 spin-off Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero.

The franchise's original and current Sub-Zero is Bi-Han, who first appears in Mortal Kombat (1992). During the events of the first game, Bi-Han is killed by Scorpion, leading to his younger brother Kuai Liang taking over the Sub-Zero mantle and forming a rivalry with Scorpion, which becomes one of the series' most prominent story elements. Bi-Han returns in Mortal Kombat: Deception (2004) as the undead Noob Saibot, mastering shadows instead of ice. Following two reboots, Bi-Han is reestablished as Sub-Zero, while Liang becomes the new Scorpion in Mortal Kombat 1 (2023). Throughout the years, Bi-Han has been depicted as an anti-hero turned villain, while Kuai Liang is a more heroic and noble figure. One of Mortal Kombat's signature characters, Sub-Zero, has appeared in various related media outside of the games, including films and television series, both live-action and animated. Additionally, he has received acclaim for his appearance, abilities, and Fatality finishing moves.

Character design and gameplay


Sub-Zero was first conceived by Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias as a mysterious character named simply "Ninja" and inspired by the book China's Ninja Connection by Li Hsing, which "posits historical evidence for the existence of the Lin Kuei and their influence on the Japanese ninja. I was aware of there being some controversy about the author’s claims. So when we split the character in two for palette swaps, I thought it would be fitting that one was of Chinese origin and the other Japanese to kind of embody the argument." According to Tobias, the original "Hunter&Hunted concept was going [to be] about a ninja escaping from his clan and hunted by another member. We used that later for SZ in MK3." Sub-Zero's early name was Tundra.

In his early appearances, Sub-Zero was primarily portrayed and voiced by non-Asian actors. Midway Games later explained Sub-Zero's rather occidental appearance for a Chinese assassin by giving him a white mother. According to this new backstory, his father had a wife, two sons, and a daughter while he lived in America to hide his personal role as an assassin for the Lin Kuei. Midway Games programmer Josh Tsui portrayed the unmasked Sub-Zero (Kuai Liang) in the character's Mortal Kombat II ending.

Sub-Zero's early costumes have been very simple due to technical limitations. Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon noted that Kuai Liang's counterpart from DC Comics is Batman as both are "dark, mysterious, brooding characters". Tobias said that Sub-Zero was unmasked in Mortal Kombat 3 in order to stir up fan speculation about the character's backstory. The new Sub-Zero made his official debut on the cover of GamePro April 1995 issue, with Turk's red outfit tinted blue (as it was for the game), but the photo used was a reversed negative, as his scar was over his left eye. Since Mortal Kombat 3, Sub-Zero has had a scar running down from his forehead and across his right eye as a mark of death. The scar was originally red, and later changed to blue in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance as a result of Sub-Zero's enhanced powers. Mortal Kombat and Deadly Alliance states that Sub-Zero is 6 feet 2 inches tall; in recent games such as Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11, his sprite appears to be similar to most characters. In Mortal Kombat: Deception, his scar has faded to the point where it can no longer be seen. He now wore an armored uniform heavily inspired by Dynastic era Chinese battle armor, though it was often criticized by fans as being too reminiscent of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles villain, the Shredder. However, Sub-Zero's alternate uniform was very reminiscent of Chinese culture, even featuring Sub-Zero without a cowl and a Qing dynasty-era hairstyle. In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Sub-Zero reverts to his masked costume from Deadly Alliance, retaining the scar, which is not part of his alternate costume (which is the primary one from Deception). Since Deadly Alliance, Sub-Zero is the only character who has shown considerable signs of aging. Concept art from Deadly Alliance depicted him with a graying, receding hairline, and a more pale and gaunt face, while his scar was now blue and his forearms frozen over. Although Sub-Zero originally had blue eyes, they turned white after he obtained the Dragon Medallion in the game. Sub-Zero's appearance in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks was one of the most revised ones from the title. Character lead Mark Lappin did almost ten passes on his design; producer Shaun Himmerick noted that "we went through literally 5-6 heads and styles of head costume on him" and commented that Sub-Zero's design in Mortal Kombat was difficult to make although most people called it "simple". In the end, the staff was satisfied with his final look in the game as it reminisces them to his classic outfit. His appearance in Injustice 2 was redesigned by Jim Lee.

When he first appeared in the first Mortal Kombat, Sub-Zero featured only two special moves: his ice blast and sliding kick. These moves have become Sub-Zero's trademark since then, being featured in every game that Sub-Zero has appeared in (Mortal Kombat II and subsequent games feature a younger Sub-Zero whose identity is Kuai Liang). Mortal Kombat II added his ground freeze move, and two new Fatalities including the now-famous one where he would freeze and shatter the victim. According to Boon, Sub-Zero's Freeze was originally omitted from the game in place of the Ice Shower, but was brought back in the next revision following fan feedback at a local arcade. Sub-Zero's Predator-inspired Fatality, the "Spine Rip," is considered by Boon to be his favorite Fatality from the first game as well as the most controversial. Some home versions of the first game replaced the "Spine Rip" with another finishing move due to its violent content, for instance the SNES port had a freeze and shatter finishing move due to Nintendo's "family friendly" policies (this tame fatality received a positive reception so it was added to Sub-Zero's arsenal in the sequels). Unlike other returning characters whose moves remained intact, the spine rip Fatality was not carried over to Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3, (an explanation is because Kuai Liang was heroic compared to his villainous brother Bi-Han). The Nintendo 64 port of Mortal Kombat Trilogy gives Sub-Zero's special techniques and finishing moves to the classic masked version, due to the fact the N64's cartridge format had memory restrictions that did not allow the use of both masked and unmasked characters. The developers had to remove the "Spine Rip" from Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe as that game was aimed at a younger audience. Sub-Zero also gained a teleporting move in the game in which he freezes himself and falls back to the ground, appearing behind the foe.

Mortal Kombat games
Bi-Han first appears as a playable character in Mortal Kombat (1992) and Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero (1997). A cryomancer and warrior of the Chinese Lin Kuei clan, he was sent to kill Shang Tsung, host of the eponymous Mortal Kombat tournament. However, Bi-Han is attacked and killed by Scorpion, an undead specter who seeks revenge on Bi-Han for seemingly killing him sometime prior.

Kuai Liang first appears as a playable character in Mortal Kombat II (1993). Following his older brother Bi-Han's death, he takes up the mantle of Sub-Zero before the Lin Kuei send him to compete in the Mortal Kombat tournament in Bi-Han's stead. In the process, he encounters Scorpion, who initially tries to kill Kuai Liang under the belief that he is Bi-Han. In an alternate take on the game's events depicted in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (2005), in which Kuai Liang appears as a boss and unlockable player character, he briefly allies himself with Liu Kang and Kung Lao while searching for Bi-Han, who had been transformed into the undead Noob Saibot.

In Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), Kuai Liang and his ally Smoke leave the Lin Kuei after the clan begins converting their best warriors into cyborgs, but Smoke is captured and converted. Following this, Kuai Liang is recruited by Earthrealm's protector Raiden to defeat the tyrant Shao Kahn. Additionally, a non-canonical playable character called "Classic Sub-Zero" appears in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (1995) and Mortal Kombat Trilogy (1996). Despite his name, he is an unidentified warrior who was mistaken for Bi-Han and presumed dead during the events of the first game before returning to assassinate Shang Tsung.

In Mortal Kombat 4 (1997), Raiden summons Kuai Liang to help him defend Earthrealm against the fallen Elder God Shinnok. Amidst this, he fights Scorpion, who had been manipulated by the necromancer Quan Chi into believing Kuai Liang had killed his family. In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002), Kuai Liang becomes the new leader of the Lin Kuei, takes on an apprentice named Frost, and helps Earthrealm's warriors fight the titular Deadly Alliance of Quan Chi and Shang Tsung. In Mortal Kombat: Deception (2004), he joins forces with the warrior Shujinko, among others, to combat the Dragon King Onaga and Noob Saibot. In the training mode of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (2006), Sub-Zero faces the warrior Taven before they ally to fend off Noob Saibot and Smoke, during which they knock out the latter in the hopes of reversing his conversion.

Both Bi-Han and Kuai Liang appear in Mortal Kombat (2011). Though Raiden alters the timeline to avert the events of Armageddon, Bi-Han is still killed by Scorpion and resurrected as Noob Saibot by Quan Chi, leading to Kuai Liang changing his Lin Kuei codename from Tundra to Sub-Zero. While attempting to avenge Bi-Han, Kuai Liang is captured, converted into a cyborg, and forced to serve Shao Kahn. Nonetheless, he regains his mind and joins Earthrealm's warriors in fighting the tyrant. In the process, he re-encounters Noob Saibot, who seemingly dies after being pulled into Quan Chi's "Soulnado", before Kuai Liang is killed by Shao's queen Sindel and resurrected by Quan Chi as an undead revenant.

In Mortal Kombat X (2015), which takes place two years after the previous game, Kuai Liang continues to serve Quan Chi until he and Scorpion are restored to life by Raiden. Over the course of the following twenty-five years, Kuai Liang defeated former ally Sektor, became the Lin Kuei's new grandmaster, made amends with Scorpion - now Hanzo Hasashi - while helping him uncover Quan Chi and Sektor's roles in their feud, and trained Cassie Cage's team. Additionally, his cyborg form appears as a hidden variation for the downloadable playable character Triborg.

In Mortal Kombat 11 (2019), which takes place a further two years later, Kuai Liang learns Sektor, Noob Saibot, and Frost have allied themselves with the keeper of time Kronika and kidnapped several of his clansmen to convert them into cyborgs and bolster Kronika's forces. Allying himself with Hasashi and former enemy Cyrax, Kuai Liang infiltrates and destroys Sektor's cyborg factory before regrouping at Hasashi's Fire Gardens with the rest of Earthrealm's warriors due to the Lin Kuei base, among other locations, being compromised. After gaining help from Kharon, a Netherrealm ferryman whom he and Hasashi met while they were revenants, Kuai Liang joins Earthrealm's warriors in assaulting Kronika's keep.

In Mortal Kombat 1 (2023), following Kronika's defeat and Fire God Liu Kang creating a third new timeline, Bi-Han became Sub-Zero once more and the Lin Kuei's grandmaster following his father's death who believes Liu Kang is limiting the clan's potential. Furthermore, Kuai Liang became the pyromancer Scorpion and the Lin Kuei are Earthrealm's centuries-old protectors. Both are playable characters while Kuai Liang appears as an assist character, or "Kameo Fighter". In the story mode, Liu Kang sends Bi-Han, Kuai Liang, and their adopted brother Smoke to investigate Shang Tsung. However, the brothers are captured before Shang Tsung sways Bi-Han to his side by promising him control of the undead Dragon Army. Bi-Han agrees and betrays Kuai Liang, revealing he allowed their father to die for his perceived weakness. Kuai Liang and Smoke subsequently escape to help Liu Kang stop Shang Tsung before heading to Japan to found the Shirai Ryu clan and replace the Lin Kuei as Earthrealm's protectors. Meanwhile, Lin Kuei clansman Sektor advises Bi-Han to bolster their forces with science and machinery instead of the Dragon Army as Liu Kang will detect their magic.

Other games
Kuai Liang appears as a playable character in the crossover game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (2008), and Mortal Kombat: Onslaught (2023). Furthermore, he appears as a guest character in NBA Jam Tournament Edition (1995), The Grid (2000), and MLB Slugfest: Loaded (2004) as well as a downloadable playable character in Injustice 2 (2017).

Sub-Zero makes a cameo appearance in Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013) while a character inspired by Sub-Zero called Sub-273 appears as the final boss of Punch Club (2016).

Other media
The Bi-Han and Kuai Liang incarnations of Sub-Zero appear in Malibu Comics' Mortal Kombat: Blood & Thunder and Mortal Kombat: Battlewave miniseries respectively. Additionally, Kuai Liang / Sub-Zero appears in DC Comics' Mortal Kombat X: Blood Ties.

The Bi-Han incarnation of Sub-Zero appears in Mortal Kombat (1995), portrayed by François Petit. This version is an enslaved servant of Shang Tsung who is later killed by Liu Kang. Additionally, Bi-Han appears in Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins, voiced by an uncredited Jim Cummings.

The Kuai Liang incarnation of Sub-Zero appears in Mortal Kombat: Live Tour, portrayed by Ryan Watson; Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, voiced by Luke Perry; and Mortal Kombat Annihilation, portrayed by Keith Cooke.

An original past incarnation of Sub-Zero appears in Mortal Kombat: Conquest, portrayed by J. J. Perry. He is an unnamed ancestor of Bi-Han and Kuai Liang's and a Lin Kuei assassin working for Shang Tsung from the Great Kung Lao's time period who displays a rivalry with his time's Scorpion, whose lover Peron killed Sub-Zero's sister, leading to Sub-Zero killing Peron in turn.

The Bi-Han incarnation of Sub-Zero and Kuai Liang appear in Mortal Kombat: Legacy, with the former portrayed by Kevan Ohtsji in the first season and Eric Steinberg in the second while Liang is portrayed by Harry Shum. This version of Bi-Han was a childhood friend of Hanzo Hasashi before they drifted apart due to their mutual hatred for each other's clans. Twenty years later, they formed an uneasy truce. Though Liang provoked Hasashi into fighting him and was subsequently killed by him, Hasashi and Bi-Han attempted to maintain peace until Quan Chi impersonates Bi-Han and kills Hasashi's clan, family, and Hasashi himself. By the present, Hasashi became Scorpion and resurfaces to kill Bi-Han.

The Bi-Han incarnation of Sub-Zero appears in Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020), voiced by Steve Blum.

The Bi-Han incarnation of Sub-Zero appears in Mortal Kombat (2021), portrayed by Joe Taslim. This version is the leader of the Lin Kuei and ally of Shang Tsung who personally led the attack that killed most of Hanzo Hasashi's family before killing Hasashi himself. In the present, Bi-Han helps Shang Tsung ensure Outworld's victory in the Mortal Kombat tournament. However, he is defeated and killed by Hasashi and the latter's descendant Cole Young before Shang Tsung claims Bi-Han's body. Taslim was surprised by how violent was his character and his death, which convinced him to take the role. Additionally, he has stated that he found Sub-Zero "cool and he's just kickass" and wanted to humanize him, wanting audiences to feel his pain and that he still has dilemmas. He felt the character became scary and lacked any sort of humanity in the final project.

The Kuai Liang incarnation of Sub-Zero appears in Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms and Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind, voiced by Bayardo De Murguia in the former and Ron Yuan in the latter.

Merchandise and promotion
Merchandise items of the character include action figures, statues, and a joystick released along with Mortal Kombat: Deception for the PlayStation 2.

Reception
Deemed one of the most popular and recognizable characters in the Mortal Kombat franchise, as well as in the fighting-genre as a whole, Sub-Zero is regarded as the franchise's most iconic character along with Scorpion. He was given the award of the best fighter of 1997 by SuperGamePower (readers vote). A GamesRadar article from 2011 discussed his and Scorpion's evolution across the Mortal Kombat series, citing them as its two most popular characters. The rivalry between Sub-Zero and Batman in Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was emphasized by IGN who noted that although both characters were extremely powerful, Sub-Zero's freezing skills were more entertaining than Batman's abilities. In 2010, UGO ranked Sub-Zero ninth on their top list of Mortal Kombat characters, noting his ninja costume as the most iconic from the series. That same year, GamePlayBook ranked him as the best Mortal Kombat character, praising his freeze attacks and "Head Rip" Fatality, but the unmasked version of Sub-Zero was ranked as the third worst Mortal Kombat character. Anthony Severino of Game Revolution tied him with Scorpion at the top of their list of the best "old school" Mortal Kombat fighters, noting both of them as the most popular characters from the franchise. In 2012, Sub-Zero placed third in UGO's list of top Mortal Kombat characters. That same year, IGN's Brian Altano and Ryan Clements chose him as the most iconic character of Mortal Kombat to represent the series against Jin Kazama of Tekken and Ryu of Street Fighter. Together, Scorpion and Sub-Zero were voted the fifth most iconic characters in the two decades of the PlayStation by readers of PlayStation Official Magazine – UK in 2015. Sub-Zero alone, ahead of Scorpion, placed third in a 2016 readers poll by Hobby Consolas for the most popular character in all fighting games.

Conversely, Hyper's John Dewhurst opined that what contributed to the failure of Mythologies Sub-Zero is that Sub-Zero's character alone "isn't that interesting without Johnny Cage and Kitana to bounce off." GameDaily listed his appearance in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero as one of his worst moments. On the other hand, IGN staff liked how Sub-Zero was given his own video game, noting him to be one of the series' most popular characters, and that "it offers gamers a new look at Sub Zero." Den of Geek listed the first Sub-Zero as the eighth best Mortal Kombat character, praising his role in Mythologies Sub-Zero whereas the second Sub-Zero was listed as the top Mortal Kombat based on many of his actions such as his rivalry with Batman, as well as his role in the series such as his relationship with the Lin Kuei. His redesign in Mortal Kombat 3 was disliked by GamePro, which they deemed "suspenders" and compared his scar to a red smear. However, his appearance in Deadly Alliance received praise by Gaming Age's Tim Lewinson noting that "Sub-Zero never looked so good." According to GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann, the unlocking of the hidden character Classic Sub-Zero in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was "annoying" to the point that players would not do it.

BBC News mentioned Sub-Zero as a prominent example of "Western ninja-inspired nonsense" in popular culture. His ice-projectile technique has been noted by 1UP.com to be one of the best mechanics that changed video games due to how practical it is as it gives players the opportunity of making any move while the opponent is frozen. Prima Games listed the same move as the 23rd in fighting games due to how it paralyses enemies, allowing the player to attack the enemy. Additionally, the same site ranked his "Spinal Rip Fatality" 12th due to how Sub-Zero holds the enemy's head after decapitating him. Scorpion and Sub-zero shared the fifth place on the top video game ninja list by PC World and assassins by GamesRadar. Dimitri Vegas' performance as Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat 11 was the subject of heavy criticism for sounding "truly awful" according to Eurogamer as they noticed the celebrity is more skilled as a dee jay rather than voice acting. Bleeding Cool noted fan response was negative too, to the point it was as bad as Ronda Rousey's performance as Sonya Blade in the same game and instead preferred Steve Blum's performance as Sub-Zero. Critics in general also found Blum as one of the best actors in the franchise for his take on Sub-Zero and wished he would return in future installments.

The Escapist called the Scorpion and Sub-Zero-themed episode 7 "one of the best episodes" in the series, lending an emotional weight to the most famous tale in the franchise. On the other hand, Film School Rejects bemoaned the series' expectation that its viewers be knowledgeable about the franchise's history, explaining that without previous knowledge of the games, the viewer is left with too many questions that may never be answered. Stephen Wilds of ComingSoon.net said that while it is a cliche that Sub-Zero is rude mentor to Kenshi, the fact that he is tired of fighting might divide the audience. Ron Yuan's voice acting as Sub-Zero was praised by Comic Book Resources. Taslim's portrayal of the character was praised by Los Angeles Times for his violent moves performed on several characters from the 2021 movie referring to him as "a Takashi Miike remake of Frozen". Espinof agreed with both Sub-Zero's handling and Scorpion so much they would like to have them explored more in a prequel. Discussing Film enjoyed how entertaining is Sub-Zero as a villain due to the action scenes he is involved. However, GamesRadar+ was more critical to the character, claiming he lacked a personality in the film other than being one of Shang Tsung's pawns.