Kitana ( ) is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat media franchise. She debuted in Mortal Kombat II (1993) as a player character and a royal from the fictional realm of Edenia. She uses steel fans as her primary weapon. Kitana is originally depicted as being the daughter of Shao Kahn, the ruler of Outworld, but is later revealed to be the true daughter of King Jerrod, the king of Edenia. In the series, Kitana is aligned with multiple characters, including Mileena, who originally served as her clone. Kitana, one the franchise's main characters, also serves as the love interest for the series' protagonist Liu Kang. In Mortal Kombat 11 (2019), Kitana becomes Kahn of Outworld after defeating Shao Kahn.
During the development of the original Mortal Kombat (1992), the franchise's co-creator John Tobias intended for a character known as "Kitsune" to be in the game. Although "Kitsune" was removed, that character later came into existence under the name "Kitana", which is derived from the two words "Kitsune" and "Katana". Throughout the Mortal Kombat series, Kitana eventually becomes one of its mainstays. Kitana is depicted as a warm-blooded woman, fighting for the protection of her realm and its people. Kitana has been featured in various media outside of the games, such as films and comics. She is well received by critics for her appearance, personality, and character development. She has become one of the most popular and iconic characters of the franchise and is often considered the face or mascot of the Mortal Kombat female characters.
History and development
An early version of Kitana appeared in the original Mortal Kombat named "Kitsune" who was conceived by the series co-creator and character designer John Tobias and inspired by the Princess Mariko from Jordan Mechner's 1984 computer game Karateka. She was intended to be an unplayable herald-like character who wielded a single ornamental fan and a princess daughter to "Shang Lao—the spoil of victory for winning the tournament"—who would ultimately betray her father after Kitsune fell for the game's protagonist Liu Kang. Kitsune was omitted from the game but included in the sequel Mortal Kombat II, with a revised storyline introducing her as the stepdaughter of Shao Kahn, the game's main antagonist. Tobias had to rename Kitana, as her original name was rejected for being Japanese and thus not compatible with Shang and Shao both possessing Chinese roots. The final name "Kitana" is a portmanteau of words Kitsune and Katana that sounded "generically Asian enough". She was originally outfitted with a pair of sai before Ed Boon suggested that the character could be palette-swapped, which resulted in the creation of Kitana's twin Mileena being given the sai while Kitana instead brandished war fans. In 2009, Boon included Kitana among the series' most recognizable characters alongside Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Liu Kang. Skarlet, a female ninja who debuted as a playable character in the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot, originated in MKII from a false player rumor of a glitch that would turn Kitana's outfit red.
Martial artist Katalin Zamiar played Kitana and the game's other palette-swapped female ninjas in MKII, with Kitana's steel fans used for filming constructed from a reflective paper material.Benedykt Dziubałtowski, Interview with Katalin Ogren - an actress played a character of Kitana, Mileena and Jade in Mortal Kombat 2 , PPA.pl, 09.11.2012. Zamiar was hired after meeting Boon and Tobias, who were members of her fitness center at the time. Zamiar did not return for Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 due to legal issues with Midway Games and was replaced by Becky Gable. Kitana was included in early versions of Mortal Kombat 4 before being replaced by new character Tanya.Tanya's Deception Bio Card - YouTube. Retrieved February 10, 2014. For the series' transition into 3D, beginning with Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Kitana and the other ninja characters were given their own distinct redesigns.
Most of Kitana's special moves are utilized for her fans either as a melee weapon, a projectile, or a means to lift her enemies airborne. In Mortal Kombat X and onward, Kitana's play style is split into three fighting variations similar to other characters. According to Boon, Kitana's "Kiss of Death" Fatality, first seen in MKII, was inspired by the demise of villain Mr. Big (Dr. Kananga) in the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die. Kitana's other most recurring finisher decapitates opponents with her fan, which has been featured in almost all of her game appearances and is expanded in Mortal Kombat 2011 where she cuts off the defeated opponents' arms before beheading them.
Gameplay Kitana was chosen as the best Mortal Kombat II fighter by the editors of Sega Power and Super Play for being "good all around" and due to her quick attacks and perceived similarities to Chun-Li."True Stories: Mortal Kombat 2". Amiga Power 44 (December 1994), pages 10-11. Amiga Power too called her "a really good character to pick" and Cinema Blend stated Kitana "could absolutely dominate" the game. However, GamePro's strategy guide ranked Kitana as only the seventh best of the 12 fighters in MKII (citing her devastating combos, powerful "Fan Throw" move, and good sweep and reach hindered by slow release of the fan-based special moves and limited attack patterns); it was her clone Mileena who landed on the top of their chart."ProStrategy Guide: Mortal Kombat II". GamePro 59 (June 1994), pages 82-83. According to a retrospective by Complex, Kitana "had the most powerful projectile attack, and along with Mileena, the fastest throws and sweeps." "Kitana's big combos in the corner" were among Ed Boon's favourite things in the game: "When I saw people do Kitana's combos I knew there was something special, because people were taking the game to a new direction."GamePro 59 (June 1994), page 120. EGM described Kitana as "a force to be reckoned with" and predicted she would "make a big impact as her Fan Wave leaves foes open to combos."Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 54 (January 1994), page 192. In the Game Gear version of MKII, however, Kitana's fan lifts the opponent too low and too far away for an easy combo.Slasher Quan, GamePro issue 63 (October 1994), page 40.
Kitana's combo abilities were severely downgraded for Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (and, by extension, Mortal Kombat Trilogy), for which she received no new special moves unlike most of the other characters. According to Nintendo Power, "with such a small repertoire, Princess Kitana will be sorely challenged by experienced warriors," even as her fan toss is faster than many other projectile attacks."Full Coverage: Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3". Nintendo Power 91 (December 1996), page 71. Sega Saturn Magazine opined that "Kitana's lack of enhancements doesn't make her as exciting to play as some of the other characters, though her excellent juggle combos still work - and they can do loads of damage,""Showcases: Mortal Kombat 3". Official Sega Saturn Magazine 6 (April 1996), page 47. According to Total 64, "her moves are a little unfriendly and her combos are a touch difficult."Total 64 2/97, page 58. EGM Strategy Guide for UMK3 stated: "She had deadly corner traps with damage in up to 90 percent [in MKII]. Now, her fan-raise combos have been severely crippled to almost not being worth it." Nevertheless, X360 called the CPU Kitana "the worst possible character to come up against" in the single-player Tower mode of UMK3, as she is "fast, impossible to sweep, and capable of rendering any opponent incapable with a waft of her fan." According to Dreamcast Magazine, Mortal Kombat Gold'''s returning "old favourites like Sub-Zero, Kitana and Baraka" too had by then "dated moves and fatalities."Allex Warren, "Mortal Kombat Gold". Dreamcast Magazine issue 32, page 21. Her combos improved in the later games, and according to BradyGames' official guide for Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, "Kitana stays at the top of the heap as far as kombatants go. In any stance, she can pump out over 30% with relative ease, making her one of the deadliest in the hands of a beginner or a master."Ben Cureton, Paul Edwards, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance Official Strategy Guide, BradyGames 2002 (p.17). Kitana was later found to be capable of infinite-loop corner combos in her "Mournful" variation in Mortal Kombat X.
In Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Kitana is fought as a boss character twice in the game's main story mode and is one of the unlockable player characters for the versus mode. Prima Games' guide to Shaolin Monks states she is "quick enough for moderate damage, and has some of the most potent special moves in the game," but her limitation is that she needs to be fighting at close range to make use of it.Eric Mylonas, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (Prima Official Guide), Prima Games 2005 (p.111). Regarding Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, however, Prima declared Kitana "a tough character to win with" and "like many of the other low-tier character types, she's lacking in almost every aspect" (even as she "is a little better on defense than she is on offense"). She was rated overall only 4/10 for this game.Bryan Dawson, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Prima Official Game Guide), Prima Games 2006 (p.198-201). Their official guide for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, on the other hand, called her "one of the more dangerous characters in the game due to her speed and extremely effective move-set."Jason Wilson, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe: Prima Official Game Guide, Prima Games 2008 (p.102). Prima's official guide for 2011's Mortal Kombat deemed Kitana a capable fighter who once again "is at her deadliest in the corner" and is also especially good if played against Baraka and Cyber Sub-Zero.Jason Wilson, Adam Hernandez, Mortal Kombat: Prima Official Game Guide, Prima Games 2011 (p.123). Prima observed Kitana in MK2011 as her "cheapest" (unduly overpowered) incarnation so far, stating "Kitana is not only one of the most damaging characters in the game, but in addition to the Fan Lift and Square Wave Punch, she can combo her Air Fan almost any time an opponent is airborne." According to Prima's guide to MKX, "Kitana is one of the more unique characters in the game" due to her inheriting many of Jade's special moves, and she "is a zoning character at heart, but she can play offensively or defensively" depending on a variation chosen. The guide recommended the "Mournful" variant for former Jade players, and the "Assassin" variant, which "tries to take the generally defensive style Kitana has in MKX and add some offensive firepower to it," for veteran Kitana players.
Appearances Mortal Kombat games Kitana debuts in Mortal Kombat II (1993) alongside her sister Mileena as Outworld emperor Shao Kahn's personal assassins. While she is ten thousand years old, she resembles a younger woman. In her ending, Kitana turns against Kahn after learning that her parents were once rulers of Outworld until they were forcefully overthrown by Kahn, while Mileena is an evil clone created by the sorcerer Shang Tsung.