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Appearances Mortal Kombat 4
Mortal Kombat Gold
MK: Armageddon
Fighting styles Ying Yueng (MK:A)
Weapons Spiked Club (MK4)
Scythe (MKG)
Hammer (MK:A)
Alignment Unknown
Portrayers Jim Helsinger (MK:Conquest)
Reiko is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.
About Reiko
Reiko is a grim, serious-looking man with black and white hair, glowing blue eyes and a penchant for brutality. He also has a mask-like black tattoo over his eyes. Reiko's abilities include extreme agility and almost eternal life.
Storyline
Not much is known about him, save that his primary occupation is that of a general. In this capacity, he has served both Shinnok and Shao Kahn, although in the case of the latter, when precisely is unclear. He has also served as a member of the Brotherhood of the Shadow. During Shinnok's war against the Elder Gods, he was presumed killed. He later resurfaced during the time of Mortal Kombat Gold, but after Shinnok was defeated again, promptly vanished. His imminent return in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon promises more insights into the character.
Possible future
Reiko will return for Mortal Kombat: Armageddon and is dressed in a fashion similar to Shao Kahn. His final alignment is unknown.
The Reiko/Kahn controversy
For the most part, Reiko began as a simple new character added to put new faces in Mortal Kombat 4. However, as the game arrived on PlayStation and Game Boy, some alarming and heavily-debated developments took place. In the early releases of Mortal Kombat 4, Reiko's ending showed him stepping through a portal and nothing more. However, as the game made its way into home systems, this scene was further elaborated on. On the other side of the portal, Reiko arrived in Shao Kahn's throne room, where the Emperor's skull mask lowered onto his face. This quickly led to a division among fans, some believing that Reiko was actually Shao Kahn or become his successor, with others rejecting the idea entirely.
Reiko alongside Shao Kahn in an episode of Mortal Kombat: ConquestThe "Reiko is not Kahn" faction put forth the arguments that many MK character endings are not canon; many previous endings had been neglected in developing the story to date. Another argument was the great difference in heights of the characters, Shao Kahn being much taller than Reiko. Also given is an episode of Mortal Kombat: Conquest in which Reiko and Shao Kahn are seen together. On top of that, used as evidence was Ed Boon's confirmation that the two were not the same.
The "Reiko is Kahn" faction found counters for each argument, however. They pointed out that if not contradicted by those of other characters, many endings could very well be considered canon until they are specified otherwise in a future game. As for the profound differences in stature of the characters, they pointed out that Mortal Kombat hosts many supernatural abilities, such as body-hopping and shapeshifting. They also stated that the TV shows and movies are not considered part of the games' canon storyline, and thus could be disregarded as irrelevant. Another point against Boon's statement is his lack of involvement in the storyline, a position originally held by John Tobias, and later, John Vogel.
Another convincing piece of evidence was Reiko's ending from the Game Boy version of Mortal Kombat 4, which stated that he returned to ruling the realm that he commanded before Shinnok's return, and continued his plans for the conquest of Earthrealm. While not specifically stating that the two were the same, the text was oddly specific and was quickly accepted as proof by the believers in the controversy.
In truth, little thought was put in either version of Reiko's ending. His original ending, in which he simply walked into a portal and disappears, was created as a joke, nothing more. As the home versions were released, it was decided Reiko's joke ending was not funny, and the extra scene, in which Reiko dons Shao Kahn's mask was added to "add intrigue to his character." Whether or not the maker of Reiko's extended ending actually meant for him to be Shao Kahn is unknown.
Due to the fact that the Game Boy lacked FMV endings, the developers of the home versions of Mortal Kombat 4 were forced to elaborate on Reiko's ending and its meaning on their own. Therefore, they followed on Reiko's extended ending mentioning his quest to conquer Earth. But due to the fact that not even the makers of Reiko's extended ending were sure if he would indeed be Shao Kahn, the Game Boy ending was kept vague and non-specific.
Mortal Kombat: Deception used its Konquest Mode to debunk the myth that Reiko is Shao Kahn. There is a mission in which Shao Kahn sends Shujinko to give Reiko a warning, after Kahn hears a rumor that Reiko has been sneaking into his chamber to wear his helmet. Reiko tells Shujinko that he likes to wear Shao Kahn's helmet. Moreover, Reiko claims he is a commander in Shao Kahn's army. Although much of Deception's Konquest mode is considered by some to be non-canon, this seems to be Midway's way of proving that the two characters are indeed different entities. The anticlimactic nature of this explanation is probably the result of Midway poking fun at the situation.
John Vogel, who is currently in charge of Mortal Kombat's storyline, has confirmed that Reiko and Shao Kahn are not the same person, although Vogel revealed that Reiko was one of Kahn's minions. Vogel then went on to state his dislike for Reiko and claimed he had no intention of bringing him back, so it was be assumed that the explanation given in Mortal Kombat: Deception's Konquest could be taken as official.
Vogel's statement would prove to be ironic, as Reiko is indeed returning in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. He is featured in the four page article in the February issue of Game Informer. It's worth noting that the costume he wears appears very similar to Kahn's, sans cape and (more importantly) mask. Also interesting of note is one of Reiko's special moves in Armageddon, in which he headbutts the opponent with what appears to be a glowing energy version of Kahn's helmet, further poking fun at the controversy.
TV appearance
Reiko's sole live appearance on the aforementioned Mortal Kombat: Conquest partially acknowledges his early video game biographies as a devout general of Shao Kahn. Though he is never seen in combat, Reiko acts as a military messenger for the Emperor, informing him of developments in Outworld that Kahn himself cannot witness firsthand from the throne. Reiko encountered the encroaching armies of Kreeya on the borders of Outworld and engaged in their destruction while fighting Kreeya's Amazonian forces. Reiko was one of the few warriors unshakeably loyal to Shao Kahn, swearing fealty on the Emperor's sword and threatening death by his hand to anyone who betrayed Kahn.
Fatalities
Shooting Stars – Reiko grabs his ninja stars and continually throws them at his opponent, the last star impacting with their forehead. In Mortal Kombat Gold, Mileena would copy this fatality, replacing the ninja stars with sais (and nails, in another derivative fatality). This fatality is again copied by Noob of the character Noob-Smoke (Noob must be present on screen for his fatality) in Mortal Kombat: Deception.
Thrust Kick – Reiko simply kicks his opponent's torso to the ground, leaving the arms, legs and head spinning in mid-air. One by one, the remaining body parts fall. In Mortal Kombat Gold, Goro (who had no fatalities in MK4) borrowed this fatality - which was actually quite sensible, since Goro already had a similar Thrust Kick move.
Trivia
Reiko in Mortal Kombat 4Reiko first appeared in Mortal Kombat 4, replacing Noob Saibot as a playable character.
Since he replaced Noob Saibot and has Noob's teleport move, it was rumored that he killed Noob and was able to extract this talent from him. Because Noob actually appeared in Mortal Kombat 4 as a hidden character, it was then rumored to be believed that Reiko was once a member of the Brotherhood of the Shadow and thus was taught this technique.
Because of the amount of time which passes between Shinnok's wars against the elder gods, as well as the mention of his presumed death, many fans have theorized that Reiko is a member of the undead. However, it is unknown whether the war Reiko fought in was Shinnok's first war against the gods centuries ago, or the second one that took place shortly before Mortal Kombat 4.
As they both shared a strikingly similar facial appearance, many players believed Reiko to be Johnny Cage's brother. However, it is more likely that Midway actually based his image on a real person, and happened to use him twice (as they have done several times in other Mortal Kombat games).
Shortly before and shortly after Mortal Kombat 4 was initially released in arcades, it was vaguely hinted Reiko shared some sort of connection or relationship with Sareena. This was backed up by Reiko's slight resemblance to Sareena, them both being members of the Brotherhood of the Shadow, and the fact that the events of Mortal Kombat 4 mostly followed up on the events of Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero. However, this relationship was never developed and later forgotten as the Reiko/Kahn controversy began.
Another bizarre controversy about Reiko is the pronunciation of his name. When mentioned in Mortal Kombat 4 and Mortal Kombat Gold, his name is clearly pronounced "REE-ko." However, Reiko is a common Japanese name which is pronounced "RAY-ko", although it is a typically female name (like in Hotaru's case). In Mortal Kombat: Deception's Konquest mode, Reiko's name is pronounced "RAY-ko," causing debate among fans over how his name is meant to be pronounced.
Perhaps as homage to the debate, Reiko's armor in the upcoming Mortal Kombat: Armageddon bears more than a slight resemblance to Shao Kahn's. This coupled with the Konquest explanation that he enjoys wearing Kahn's helmet, may reveal that he either sees Kahn as an idol, which is harmless; or wishes to replace him altogether, which is sinister. Reiko's interest in Kahn's appearance and invasion of Kahn's chambers show signs of obsession and even stalking. In real life, these cases often end with the stalker attempting to kill their prey.
Though this character is male, Reiko is actually a feminine Japanese name. | |
