User:MoonJet/Goro (Mortal Kombat)

Goro is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. He debuted as the sub-boss of the original 1992 Mortal Kombat and has also been featured as a sub-boss in the home ports of Mortal Kombat 4 (1997), the 2011 reboot, and Mortal Kombat X (2015). The character is a Shokan, a half-human, half-dragon race distinguished by their four arms and enormous size. Goro begins the series as champion of the eponymous Mortal Kombat tournament, a title he has held for 500 years. He is generally depicted in a villainous role, fighting for Outworld against Earthrealm's warriors.

An iconic figure in the franchise, Goro is regarded as one of the most memorable and difficult bosses in video game history. He has appeared in various media outside of the games.

Character design and gameplay
According to John Tobias, Goro was created when he and Ed Boon discussed bringing "a big brooding character" to the first Mortal Kombat. The original concept of the character was a two-handed humanoid character Rokuro, a member of "a race of demon warriors called Rokuro-kubi (demons of the dark)" wrongly "reputed as savage barbarians", who would join the tournament "to restore the pride and respect of his race". They drew design inspiration from the stop motion adventure films of Ray Harryhausen, especially his depiction of Kali in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. Tobias would further state "In the old Ray Harryhausen movies there's always a big Cyclops and things of that nature and (...) with Goro we wanted to be sort of a version of those old classic monsters."

Unlike other characters in the first Mortal Kombat, Goro was not based on a digitized actor but instead on a clay sculpture created by Curt Chiarelli. Tobias, who considers Goro probably his favorite character in the series, recalled: "Goro was originally called Gongoro, but we decided to shorten his name. My original concept sketch had Goro with 3 fingers and a thumb on each hand. Curt Chiarelli wisely changed it to 2 fingers and a thumb." Chiarelli elaborated: "In my experience and opinion, the first cardinal rule of fantasy character design is maintaining the illusion of anatomical and physiological functionality within the framework of a consistent, aesthetic integrity; and the second is that the simpler and cleaner the forms, the more iconic the creature will be. I suggested some minor revisions, like a decrease in the diameter of Goro’s biceps to facilitate easier animation of the arms, as well as make the number of digits on his hands and feet uniform, as is the pattern in all vertebrates."

After creating it, he used it as a base for a latex model to make a 12 in painted miniature. After recording a video of an actor making motions similar to those Goro would make in the game, Tobias used stop motion animation to move the miniature's body to match the actor's movements frame for frame. According to Boon, the clay sculpture used to animate Goro in the first Mortal Kombat was twisted around and bent so many times that it simply fell apart. In Goro's Deception bio card, when explaining how Goro was animated, Boon mentions a second model for Goro had also been created; this second model was not used for animation and is still in usable condition to this day, and is also currently in Boon's personal possession.

Mortal Kombat games
Goro became Grand Champion of the Mortal Kombat tournament after defeating the Great Kung Lao. For 500 years, he remained undefeated and helped Shang Tsung grow ever closer to achieving Shao Kahn's goal of domination over Earthrealm. In his 10th title defense, however, he faced Liu Kang. Making use of Goro's overconfidence after years of being the undefeated warrior, Liu Kang was able to secure victory. Goro disappeared during the tournament's aftermath, and he was believed to be dead. It is theorized that he actually retreated to his kingdom during this time. Goro is succeeded by another member of his race, Kintaro, as Kahn's right-hand man during the events of Mortal Kombat II. The secret level Goro's Lair is unlockable in Mortal Kombat II, although Goro is not present. Goro reappears in Mortal Kombat Trilogy as a playable character as well as in the 2011 game.

Goro would resurface after Kahn's downfall, during the events of Mortal Kombat 4. Despite having the intent to avenge his losses at Liu Kang's hands, Goro began to take an interest in the matters of his own race and joined his fellow Shokans in a war against the Centaurians. Princess Kitana intervened and negotiated a truce and peace accord between the two races. The meeting was interrupted by Kung Lao who desired to challenge his ancestor's killer. The Shaolin monk lashed out with a ceremonial strike of revenge that left Goro's chest scarred. Considering the score settled, the two shook hands. When Shinnok and his legion were defeated and Edenia was free once more, Goro and the Shokan race decided to ally themselves with the Edenians, agreeing to sign a peace treaty with the Centaurs as a condition of their new partnership.

Years later, during the time of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, the united Edenian and Shokan forces attacked the weakened Shao Kahn's armies. Exhausted from battle, Goro was struck from behind by Noob Saibot. He was mortally wounded, apparently dying from the injury, and Kitana held a royal funeral for the fallen Shokan prince. However, Goro was able to survive, being saved from death by Shao Kahn himself, with the promise of returning the Shokans to their former glory and the banishment of the Centaurs in exchange for his allegiance. Agreeing to these terms, Goro placed his royal seal on a nearby disfigured fallen Shokan (whom Kitana and the Shokan army found and mistook for him, successfully deceiving them while hiding his defection), and resumed his place at Shao Kahn's side. Goro also appears as a boss character in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, attacking both Liu Kang and Kung Lao.

In Konquest Mode of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Goro is confronted in Shao Kahn's fortress by Taven who wishes to kill Quan Chi but must get past Goro in order to do so. Taven eventually defeats Goro, who storms off. In the 2011 game, Goro reprises his role from the first tournaments. Goro is playable in the 2015 Mortal Kombat X as a bonus pre-order character. His absence from the main story mode is answered in the prequel comics: the Shokan did not ally with Mileena or Kotal Kahn, and thus were shunned by both and forced into being outcasts. He also serves as the last character the player faces before Shinnok in the Classic Ladder mode. By Mortal Kombat 11, Goro is revealed to have been killed. His corpse also appears in his lair.

Other media
Goro had a prominent role in Malibu Comics' Mortal Kombat series that followed the events of the first game, and was the subject of the 1994 three-issue miniseries Goro: Prince of Pain. In the 1995 Battlewave series, he remained on Earth after his defeat, and, to appease for his failure, started hunting down the Earthrealm warriors.

Goro is the reigning champion of Mortal Kombat in the 1995 Mortal Kombat film that follows the tournament of the original game. After defeating a long series of opponents, Goro is in turn defeated and sent falling off a cliff to his death by Johnny Cage. Goro was an animatronic model that cost over $1 million to construct and required over a dozen puppeteers to operate. He was voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson with vocal effects provided by Frank Welker. The animated prequel Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins contains an original subplot of Goro confronting his older brother Durak for a jeweled egg in which the winner was to tribute to their father Gorbak. Goro loses the fight, which causes him to betray his brother and kill him.

Goro appeared in the 2020 animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, another retelling of the first game where he is again depicted as the defending tournament champion. He was voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.

Goro is among Shang Tsung's Outworld villains in the 2021 film Mortal Kombat. He is computer-generated and was voiced by Angus Sampson.

Other appearances
Goro makes a guest appearance the 2018 film Ready Player One.

Reception
Goro was awarded the titles of Best Villain in the 1993 Nintendo Power Awards and the "Hottest Gaming Hunk of 1993" by Electronic Gaming Monthly. His role in the Mortal Kombat games have been well-received; GameSpot praised Goro's moves in Mortal Kombat 4 as in contrast to the game's boss, Shinnok, he is harder to defeat. UGO.com featured him in their 2009 "Top 11 Mortal Kombat Characters" list, citing his design and the "awesome twist" of his first appearance in the original game. GameSpot's list of the "Top Ten Boss Fights" featured Goro due to how difficult it was to defeat him in Mortal Kombat, with a note that despite the introductions of bosses similar to Goro in sequels, Goro still remained the "grand champion". In UGO Networks' 2012 list of top Mortal Kombat characters, Goro placed 22nd. GameSpy's Miguel Lopez described Goro as a "legendary villain" but at the same criticized his physical appearance from Deception as his "anatomical proportions seem a little off". Den of Geek's Gavin Jasper gave the character very high praise, and considered him the "true icon" of the series before Scorpion, further stating "What was impressive was that he was the boss everyone cared about despite not being THE boss. Shang Tsung was the big villain behind it all that you fought last, but it didn’t matter because compared to Goro, the game treated Shang like an afterthought." IGN listed him as a character they would had liked to see as downloadable content for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, noting "Goro was the real challenge" of the first Mortal Kombat title although Shang Tsung was the final boss from such game, adding that "MK is all about visceral thrills, and it doesn't get more visceral than bludgeoning your enemies to death with four giant, muscular arms". The Gamer author Brandon Wayne Hansen declared him as one of the best video game antagonists, and stated "While he isn’t even the final boss in the original Mortal Kombat, he is the most memorable. Not many other fighters can capture your attention like a four-armed dragon man, but Goro can ... He was the talk of the schoolyard when Mortal Kombat hit home consoles. If someone could be him for Halloween, they would definitely win any costume contest."

In the study An analysis of clothing in Mortal Kombat: History and Evolution, author Régis Puppim discusses his underwear-only attire, examining that besides his muscular features, "Another reason for such maintenance visual is the appeal of the character's image, whose appearance caused immense nostalgia and pleasure, in front of the fans." Bryson Lewis from Screen Rant noted "Goro may not be as big of a villain as characters like Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn, and Shinnok, but he is important to the Mortal Kombat series. His design makes him recognizable to fans, and his physical prowess make him a threat to those who oppose him. There's a reason why Goro is a minor boss fight in multiple Mortal Kombat games and a loyal servant of Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn - he is valuable."

In a 1994 article by Business Week, the film version of Goro was described as "the most advanced mechanical creature H[o]llywood has ever made". Goro's onscreen characterizations have been received less favorably. Mike Fahey of Kotaku criticized Goro in the 1995 film for his defeat from a crotch punch by Johnny Cage. Tom Reimann of Collider said of Goro in the 2021 film, "Goro ... has to struggle with all of his four-armed might to open [a] garage door, so already I’m getting some extremely mixed messages about the formidability of Shang Tsung’s operation." Michael Kennedy of Screen Rant claimed that Goro was better utilized in the 1995 film: "Goro played a vital role in the [first] story, serving as a major roadblock to thunder god Raiden's defense of Earthrealm. ... his inclusion [in the 2021 film] felt more like an afterthought than anything." Renaldo Mateen of Comic Book Resources was critical of both versions, describing the 1995 version as "reduced to comedic fodder for Johnny Cage to beat", while the 2021 film "makes one of the game's most fearsome fighters a walkover." Matt Patches from Polygon considers Goro's behind-the-scenes fight for the 2021 film his "best" moment, adding "...the scene involved two of [Simon McQuoid's] stuntmen, one on stilts and the other on the stilt guy’s shoulders, just swinging at Tan like two kids in a trenchcoat sneaking into an R-rated movie. The scene is effective in the film, but the behind-the-scenes footage is pure magic."