Cyrax

This article is about the Mortal Kombat character. For the line of High Definition Scanning equipment, see Cyrax (HDS system).

Template:Mortal Kombat character Cyrax is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series.

About Cyrax

Making his debut in Mortal Kombat 3, Cyrax was the second of three cybernetic ninja. Designated unit LK-4D4, he was assigned to hunt Sub-Zero for the Lin Kuei clan. He was one of the more popular characters in MK3, due to his net and color being somewhat reminiscent of the then-absent Scorpion. Of the three cyborgs, he has to date become the second to recover his humanity, thanks to the efforts of Sonya Blade and Jax. He has currently allied with them as a token of his appreciation.

Storyline

In Mortal Kombat 3, Cyrax was working for the Lin Kuei clan, an organization of ninja-assassins who employ conventional martial arts, technology, and magic to eliminate opponents. He appeared alongside his partners Sektor and Smoke, and was ordered to track down and kill a renegade member of the Lin Kuei clan, the younger Sub-Zero. This Sub-Zero had disagreed with the decision to convert all its members into cyborgs and left the clan, and was thus marked for death by the headmasters.

During the invasion of Earthrealm by Shao Kahn and his minions, Sub-Zero defeated Cyrax and reprogrammed him with orders to destroy Shao Kahn. However, Kahn was defeated by the other Earthrealm warriors before Cyrax had a chance to do so. As a result of his reprogramming, he awaited new orders, and when these never came, he malfunctioned, wandering and eventually becoming mired in the middle of a vast desert. In Mortal Kombat Gold, Cyrax was recovered by the Lin Kuei clan, and repaired. However, he appeared somehow different than when first constructed; whilst the short-handed clan again sent Cyrax into battle, his fellow cyborg Sektor was assigned to monitor him.

After Shinnok's defeat, it became apparent that Cyrax had begun to experience flashbacks of his former life. Special agents Sonya Blade and Major Jackson Briggs (Jax), brought him to the Outer World Investigation Agency (OIA) headquarters, and used its technology to restore his humanity. Grateful for their help, Cyrax joined the OIA as a scout in the realm of Outworld.

During the events of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Cyrax became stranded on Outworld. His arm console, which allowed him to return to Earthrealm, was damaged in a surprise attack by Reptile orchestrated by the vampire Nitara. He managed to drive off Reptile, but was later ambushed by the Oni Moloch and Drahmin. After driving the two demons off as well, he finally encountered the Nitara, who offered to help him return home in exchange for his aid in recovering a lost artifact. They travelled to the underground chamber that housed the egg of the Dragon King. There, Cyrax submerged himself in the lake of molten lava and discovered the object that Nitara desired; the orb that would separate her world from Outworld. With it now in her possession, she honored her promise to Cyrax and used her mystical necklace to open a portal, sending him back to Earthrealm.

Possible future

At the moment, Cyrax's ending in Deadly Alliance is assumed to be part of established Mortal Kombat canon until his return in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon.

Moves

File:Cyrax MKIII.gif

Cyrax in Mortal Kombat 3

Green Net Cyrax fires a green net from his chest which ensnares the opponent for a free hit.

Grenades Cyrax drops some bombs in front of the opponent.

Twisty Kick Cyrax spins on one leg three times, his other leg hitting the opponent.

Saw Blade Cyrax shoots a saw blade from his chest, cutting the opponent.

Teleport Cyrax explodes, then reforms himself, near or behind opponent.

Air-Run Throw Cyrax, flies through the air, like hes running, grabbing opponent and throwing them, this move is very complicated to do.

Fatalities

Chopper: Cyrax begins to spin his head nonstop, with his ponytail as the propeller itself. He flies into the air, off-screen. He descends propeller-first, slicing up his opponent to bits. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
Self-Destruct: Cyrax uses his arm console to activate a self-destruct mechanism, which is timed. He detonates, killing both himself and his opponent (See Trivia).(MK3, UMK3, MKT)
Grinder: A mechanical arm extends from inside Cyrax's chest and grasps his opponent by the head. The arm slams the opponent on the ground twice, before retracting into the chest along with the opponent. The chest compartment then reopens, spewing gore. (MK:DA)

Other finishers

Animality: Jaws – Cyrax transforms into an enormous shark and swallows his opponent with one bite. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
Friendship: Do The Cyrax – Cyrax dances the Charleston. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)

Movie appearance

Cyrax briefly appears in the movie Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. The storyline involving his connection to the Lin Kuei was eschewed in favor of being sent by Shao Kahn, the emperor of Outworld, to kill Sonya Blade. In battle with her and Jax, Cyrax self-destructs after Sonya defeats him with her "Kiss of Death" fatality. In the film, he displays the ability to shoot tiny, spike-studded grenades and a corrosive, green plasma net.

Trivia

Sektor and Smoke, his robotic counter-parts, began as palette-swapped characters (The original costume used for filming during MK3 was Sektor's red), as the Mortal Kombat game designers had to work around technical limitations to increase the number of playable characters. Since their appearances in the MK3 series, each character's appearance has evolved independently. Of late, they have not even appeared in the same game together. While Sektor and Cyrax were playable in MK Gold, only Cyrax was playable in MK:DA. Smoke was playable as part of a tag-team (with Noob Saibot, another character who was originally a palette-swap) in MK:D. They will finally appear again together in MK:A but not as a tag team.
Cyrax's Mortal Kombat Gold storyline — being recovered from the desert by the Lin Kuei and sent once more to kill Sub-Zero — was contradicted by Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance's Konquest Mode, which stated that he was "recovered by Special Forces agents Sonya Blade and Jackson Briggs."
Initially, fans speculated that Cyrax was a robotic Scorpion, because of the latter's absence from MK3, their similar color schemes, and similar moves that involved hauling an opponent towards them for a free hit.
In most Mortal Kombat games, Cyrax bleeds a black oil (except during fatalities), whereas most other characters' blood is red or green.
In the development stage of Mortal Kombat 3, Cyrax and Sektor were referred to as "Mustard and Ketchup" before their names were finalized. Cyrax has separate combos in the Sambo style in Deadly Alliance, named Ketchup and Mustard, a reference to this.
Cyrax and Sektor were shown in non-canon human form in an episode of the cartoon Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm. In this cartoon, Cyrax did not appear to be black, but Sektor did. However, In his Mortal Kombat Gold ending, it was revealed that Cyrax is black.
Cyrax is seen trapped in the sand in the background of Jade's Desert in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, despite also being a playable character. This foreshadows his ending in that particular game.
Cyrax's self-destruct fatality, initiated via his arm console, closely resembles that of another fictional character, the titular antagonist from the Arnold Schwarzenegger film, Predator. Certain elements of both characters' armor, such as the faceplate and dreadlocks, are also similar.
Cyrax loathes Johnny Cage and according to his Konquest text box in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, "felt especially robbed of his eight dollars when he saw Ninja Mime".
It is currently unknown whether Cyrax became a cyborg of his own free will or was forcibly transformed.
One Game Over message in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is "Who will win, Stryker or Cyrax?".
In MK3, UMK3, and MKT, Cyrax is only allowed to drop two bombs at a time.
In the UK television fighting series Robot Wars, one of the robots was called "Cyrax". It had nothing to do with this one though.