It's no secret that Mortal Kombat's incredibly long and confusing timeline is like a daytime soap opera — if daytime soap operas included brutal fist fights ending with the victor ripping out their opponent's heart or throat. Among the numerous villains throughout the series, Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung stand out as the two most iconic.
But who is the better antagonist? The following list looks at advantages from both characters to come up with a convincing argument for both sides. With Mortal Kombat 11's ending leaving the future uncertain and open for anything, it will be fascinating to see what role either villain plays in the next titles, if they have any part at all.
10 Shang Tsung: Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
The first Mortal Kombat film, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, still holds up as a fun thrill ride. Its quality is elevated by a standout performance from Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa in the Shang Tsung role. Every fan of the series has at one point in their life aggressively pointed at someone and shouted "your soul is mine!" like the iconic portrayal. Tagawa's performance is so beloved, he reprised the role twice since then: first in the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy, and then more recently in Mortal Kombat 11.
9 Shao Kahn: Physical Presence
Shao Kahn does not need to speak or move to strike fear into people's hearts. One glance at him standing tall and anybody would know better than to mess with him. Not only is he huge and incredibly muscular, but his apparel also speaks volumes about his personality. Think about the average person's reaction in real life if somebody his size walked up in the same suit of armor exposing most of his chest and arms. They'd probably run for the hills.
8 Shang Tsung: Shapeshifting
As if the whole stealing souls thing was not scary enough, Shang Tsung can take the form of anyone whose essence he has captured. He tries to trick Liu Kang in the movie by transforming into the warrior's late brother, but the protagonist fortunately does not fall for the ruse.
In the original trilogy, Shang Tsung could transform into other combatants in the middle of a round and use their full moveset. More recent games ditched this, however, due to technological changes making the feature tougher to implement. Even in the PlayStation version of Mortal Kombat Trilogy, the game would stop and load in the character when performing the move.
7 Shao Kahn: Is An Actual Emperor
Shao Kahn answers to nobody, which is what makes him so scary. He is the emperor of Outworld, which used to be under the reign of Onaga the Dragon King before the iconic villain took over his place. As emperor, Shao Kahn's ultimate goal is to conquer other realms, which is why the tournament came to be in the first place. If he is able to win ten tournaments in a row, then Earthrealm becomes his. Fortunately, Liu Kang stops this plan in its tracks in the first game.
6 Shang Tsung: Kills Liu Kang
Liu Kang is generally seen as the series' central character, making his death at the beginning of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance particularly shocking. Shang Tsung sneaks into the monastery disguised as Kung Lao, and then engages in battle with Liu. The hero has the upper hand until Quan Chi surprises him from behind, giving Shang Tsung ample opportunity to break his opponent's neck. Maybe he won through devious means, but villains are rarely known to fight fair.
5 Shao Kahn: Wins Armageddon
2011's Mortal Kombat rebooted the franchise with a unique time travel hook. At the end of the prior game, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Shao Kahn actually wins the final tournament, thus conquering all of existence.
Raiden sends a message back to his past self, kickstarting the new timeline. To think the villain actually won the tournament is enough to send chills down our spines. Shang Tsung, despite all his efforts, never achieved such a goal.
4 Shang Tsung: More Cunning
We all love a villain who can best the hero in physical combat, but audiences are just as enthralled by an antagonist with wit. Shang Tsung is a sorcerer and uses his powers to trick opponents. With his shapeshifting, he can do things Shao Kahn simply cannot, liking tricking Johnny Cage into joining the tournament in the first movie. That's not to say Shang Tsung is a complete pushover in combat, though, since he can still put up quite a fight.
3 Shao Kahn: Already Took Over Realms
Earthrealm is not Shao Kahn's first rodeo. The emperor already conquered Edenia eons prior and forced Queen Sindel to be his wife and adopted her daughter Kitana as his own.
What makes Shao Kahn even nastier as a conqueror is how he disregards the rules. When the tournament proved unsuccessful for him, he decides to mount an all-out invasion of Earth, breaking all the rules set in place by the Elder Gods. It is a cheap move, but villains aren't know to play by the book.
2 Shang Tsung: The Villain Of The Better Movie
People fondly remember the premier Mortal Kombat movie. Its sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, is so incredibly bad, it makes one wonder how anyone approved it. It is only worth viewing for the unintentional comedy.
This is where Shang Tsung gets the extra points, too, because he was the first movie's antagonist, while Shao Kahn led the charge in the maligned sequel. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is synonymous with the sorcerer, while Brian Thompson failed to bring a similar charisma to Kahn.
1 Shao Kahn: Used Shang Tsung
As menacing as Shang Tsung is, he is usually acting at the behest of Shao Kahn. Everything the sorcerer does is at the bidding of his master, so Shao Kahn is ultimately responsible for most of Shang Tsung's villainy. Can one really be considered the better villain if they are acting in service of a more powerful antagonist? Not only that, but Shang Tsung ultimately fails, causing Shao Kahn to take matters into his own hands.