Shang Tsung
Shang Tsung is a fictional character that appears in the Mortal Kombat series of video game and associated media. Shang Tsung is the shapeshifting wizard (paranormal) master of the martial arts tournament of Mortal Kombat.
Ages ago, Shang Tsung angered the gods, and they cursed him: he would rapidly age, unless he consumed the living souls of other people. A side effect of consuming souls is that Shang Tsung gains their knowledge, and the constant revitalization extends his lifespan.
When the Shokan prince Goro defeated Kung Lao in Mortal Kombat 500 years ago, Shang Tsung consumed Kung's soul, and learned of the location of Shinnok's amulet. He traded this knowledge to Quan Chi in exchange for assistance in reviving Queen Sindel at a later date. Shang then presided over the tournament for the next 500 years, watching Goro rack up a winning streak that would eventually unbalance the furies and allow his lord Shao Kahn to invade Earthrealm.
In 1991, the Shaolin monk Liu Kang defeated Goro, breaking the streak. Shang Tsung challenged him, hoping to salvage something of that streak, and used all of his accumulated martial arts knowledge against the monk. Liu prevailed, and Shang Tsung went back to Outworld.
Dragged before Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung begged for his miserable life. He told the tyrant that if they challenged Earthrealm to Mortal Kombat in Outworld, they would have to accept or forfeit. Kahn agreed to this plan, and gave Shang enough souls to regain his youth, gambling that the Elder Gods would not recognize him after so long.
After crushing defeat for a second time, Shang Tsung contacted Quan Chi and called in the favor. When Queen Sindel was revived in Earthrealm, Shao Kahn could reach across the realms and reclaim her, forcefully merging Earthrealm with Outworld. Shang Tsung led one of Kahn's extermination squads to hunt down the fighters that Lord Rayden had protected. Upon Kahn's defeat, Shang Tsung retreated with him back to Outworld proper, revering the merger.
Some time later, Shang Tsung found Quan Chi in his palace courtyard, fighting Scorpion. When Quan Chi defeated him, he gave Shang an offer: if Shang helped him revive the army of the Dragon King, he would open a "Soulnado" to the Heavens, giving him an endless supply of souls. In order to carry out their scheme, they needed to remove the two largest obstacles in their way: Shao Kahn and Liu Kang.
Shang Tsung introduced Quan Chi to Shao Kahn, vouched for his loyalty, and then they attacked him. After taking care of him, Shang Tsung disguised himself as Kung Lao and visited Liu Kang. As Liu practiced his kata, Shang attacked. Although Liu had the upper hand, Quan Chi struck from behind, giving Shang the opening to kill Liu and take his soul.
Shang Tsung did not fully trust his ally, so he gave the Oni Drahmin and Moloch an offer: after he did what he had to, he would let them have Quan Chi. When the last warrior soul was implanted in the mummified army, Shang ordered them to attack. They chased Quan Chi, but Kung Lao confronted Shang. He beat him to the ground, and Shang begged for mercy, which Kung Lao did not grant.
Shang Tsung is now apparently dead, and the countless souls he used for power escaped. He may return yet in Mortal Kombat: Deception.
Template:Spoiler The MKD intro shows the fate of the Deadly Alliance. They win! They defeat the Earth warriors and Rayden is left to fight Quan and Shang. Rayden loses. Quan and Shang then fight each other. Shang loses.
Quan Chi tries to fight the Dragon King (Onaga), but lacks the power. Shang gets up to help, but isn't powerful enough. Rayden also gets up, but their combined strength still isn't powerful enough. Rayden gets rid of his elder god status by shooting a huge progectile at Onaga, which doesn't work. Onaga gets the amulet, and the intro ends.
Mortal Kombat: the Movie
In the movie, Shang Tsung not only served as the primary villain, but also as the organizer of the heroes.
Shang Tsung first showed his evil by stealing the soul of Liu Kang's brother, Chan (According to the game, Liu has a brother named "Chow"), then leaving a letter to guide Liu Kang back to his homeland to enter the tournament. He also convinced Kano to kill the partner of Sonya Blade, and posed as Johnny Cage's sensei to lead him to the tournament.
Although Shang is the one who gathered them, he later decides that the heroes are dangerous enough to be eliminated prior to the tournament to secure Outworld's victory. He sends his ninja slaves, Sub-Zero and Scorpion to assassinate them. The attempt is halted by Rayden, God of Thunder and protector of Earthrealm.
Shang Tsung's tactics during the bulk of the movie are intimidation and trickery; for example, he allows Johnny Cage to challenge Goro on the condition that he may challenge anyone of his choosing in any place, thus setting the stage for Liu and Johnny's desperate move to save Sonya and leading to the climactic battle. When Liu Kang interferes in Shang's battle with Sonya, Shang uses both his skill and sorcery (changing into Chan to try to play with Liu's emotions). In the end, Shang Tsung is knocked off of a tower onto spikes, where he is believed dead.
Shang Tsung only has a flashback cameo in the sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.
Measurements
- Height: 5ft 5in (165cm)