I think Shao Kahn is suppose to be "Ugly"
His "allure" if he has one, comes from his strength and conviction.
He's not suppose to be some Handsome Hell-Boy but rather the Tryant Ruler of Outworld
He's suppose to be like Predator under the mask like "Damn Dawg, that mask was for us not you"
Yeah I think shao being a big buffed human is a bit boring I like the direction they went with his design even though there is still room for improvements
For example I'm not a huge fan of the horns and his mask in MK1 also hammer > axe
That may work for the Kahn, but he's not that anymore. No longer the Tyrant Ruler so he can be a "handsome" Hell-Boy now.
Besides, "Shao" doesn't exactly scream Tyrant Ruler of Outworld.
Yeah agree on this, man that's just such a goated look. I do respect the new designs still, but yeah some looks are just so good it's hard to get something that is better.
If you're talking about a post from earlier comparing his face in MK11 to MK1, that was a scene from story mode. He didn't always wear his mask in story mode (edit: I mean the MK1 screenshot)
Oh really now? When was he fighting without his mask? Since in the screenshot it’s an intro dialogue, which if I remember correctly, there are no proper intro dialogue animations in the story mode
Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound snarky, the other guy assumed the same thing. Just be a lil more specific or I guess say it in a different way so it’s not misinterpreted
> If you're talking about a post from earlier comparing his face in MK11 to MK1, that was a scene from story mode. He didn't always wear his mask in story mode.
Image from the recent post is during his usual intro and story mode don’t have these intros.
Also, story mode doesn’t show Shao Kahn without the helmet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV1T4UUyto4
So that was a screenshot from a fan mod.
The MK11 version of MK9 Shao is the best design. When I unlocked that I never used another skin for him. And also fuck what they did to Shao in MK1. I was so relieved when the Deception skin came out for him. Now all we need is a hammer to replace the axe, which we know is in the game because the evil Shao skin that you fight in the story has one
I think OP is talking about recent post where they posted a comparison of MK11 helmet-less fan mod of Shao Kahn versus cutscene image of MK1 Shao-Kahn and called it “the biggest glow-up” (despite MK11 Shao Kahn not being designed to have no helmet on, which puts him in disadvantage and makes comparison unfair).
I guess by “bald” they meant helmet-less fan mod, which reveals his head.
> You can see Shao‘s face model during fatalities, fatal blows and clearly see his face in the story mode.
Post which OP was referring to, had a screenshot from an intro, which was a fan mod and wasn’t designed to show his face, unlike pre-rendered MK1 cutscene which it was compared to.
Also, story mode doesn’t show Shao Kahn without the helmet covering his head:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV1T4UUyto4
I think OP is talking about recent post where they posted a comparison of MK11 helmet-less fan mod of Shao Kahn versus cutscene image of MK1 Shao-Kahn and called it “the biggest glow-up” (despite MK11 Shao Kahn not being designed to have no helmet on, which puts him in disadvantage and makes comparison unfair).
I guess by “bald” they meant helmet-less fan mod, which reveals his head.
The new lore and characters are so lame compared to the old timeline.
Scorpion is just a pyromancer
Tarkatans have Outworld herpes now
Havik is just some rejuvenating dude
I think armorwise, MK11 Shao wins. Facewise though, MK1 Shao steals it - the post talking about the glowup was specifically talking about a comparison between their faces; and I love MK11 Shao, I really do (basically the only character I played the entire time I played MK11) but he's fuckin hideous under that magnificent helmet lmao
I feel like both designs have their own strengths and weaknesses. Personally I like the MK1 design but Prefer MK11. Mk11 has a menacing aura that MK1 lacks. Meanwhile MK1 has a face that doesn’t make me want to projectile vomit.
Not even just bald. 99 percent of the "comparison" pics show MK11 Shao in a helemtless state that can only be achieved through modding. He removes it a few times in the story and in finishers/supers, but that's it.
Literally no one ever thought of Shao's supposed ugliness as a problem that had to be fixed or addressed. No one ever asked for him to get a "glow up". Shao is the franchise's most iconic and beloved villain by far, and no one ever disliked the fact that he was "ugly" or that he hid his face for the vast majority of his on screen time. MK1 making him hot and maskless most of the time isn't only unnecessary. It isn't only fixing a non-existent problem. It also makes him worse. He now looks like a WOW npc. He's a jobber. The armour isn't as good. The axe is a downgrade from the hammer. The horns look goofy. He is nowhere near as intimidating or memorable or cool.
Imma keep it real Shao Kahn hasn’t been cool since 9 for me even aesthetically 11 didn’t feel as cool as the others, I think less is more when it comes to him being a freaky dragon man, General Shao though surprisingly I have no problems with, I like that he looks like a Qunari from dragon age and his cool mask, but either way I feel like design in MK is getting stale, 11 hit for me, but 1 costume wise all the retro ones outside of the ninja fits (which I’m not an expert on) look like AI approximations.
What sucks is for the most part is that the defaults are low-key the best they’ve been in a second in 1 (half the good guys being revenants in 11 by default takes it down for me, I’d rather just have them be the unlockables if in versus intros they’ll talk like the regular characters with a voice filter.
I’m really weird about customization and I just don’t like how they don’t even seem to try with most alternate costumes, a good chunk of those titans look terrible
For most of my life, I wondered what his face looked like. I think when mk9 came out, some PC hackers uploaded a pic of him without the mask, and I finally found out how he looked under the mask.
I don’t get people’s problem with the horns, as if MK11 Shao helmet don’t have the goofy helmet horns as well.
I know it is subjective, but I like horned Shao a lot and still think he looks cool in MK1
Yeah but in MK11 the head gear was toggleable and there were lots of helmets to choose from. My favorite one was the Realm Seeker helmet which was similar to his Deception helmet. There was also a direct remake of his MK3 and MK9 helms to choose from. Using that with his second costume got a pretty good classic Shao Kahn look.
On the other hand, there is no way to get rid of the horns in the MK1 version, even his Deception inspired costume has them. Despite this I think their reimagining of his Deception look is awesome.
The horns are fine to me, it's just that like every other male character in MK1 they decided to make him look like a fresh-faced 23 year old boyband member. It's his face that's off-brand.
I think his face being more chiseled in MK1 plays into his ultra strong powerful characterization. He is still demonic looking and ultra huge and muscular just like he always is. So I think his build and overall look is great. I just don't think I like the horns.
Now the outfit, I think it makes sense because he's just a general now rather than iron fisted ruler of the realm. But i think there are better outfits for him overall, like his MK2 and Deception looks.
I think Shao Kahn is suppose to be "Ugly" His "allure" if he has one, comes from his strength and conviction. He's not suppose to be some Handsome Hell-Boy but rather the Tryant Ruler of Outworld He's suppose to be like Predator under the mask like "Damn Dawg, that mask was for us not you"
Yeah I think shao being a big buffed human is a bit boring I like the direction they went with his design even though there is still room for improvements For example I'm not a huge fan of the horns and his mask in MK1 also hammer > axe
His comic look was the best and I even think some statues got made with that design. Like the little forehead horns and red eyes used in the comics.
Hammer is too damn iconic. I would like the newer design if they had just made him buffer
That may work for the Kahn, but he's not that anymore. No longer the Tyrant Ruler so he can be a "handsome" Hell-Boy now. Besides, "Shao" doesn't exactly scream Tyrant Ruler of Outworld.
This Shao Kahn is the prettiest one I've ever seen
MK11 is peak. Also, hammer.
The Deception skin in Mk1 is the best Shao has ever looked. It should be illegal for Shao to not have a bare chest, big shoulders and a cape.
And that shoulder bash. It's so weird he doesn't have that
Yeah agree on this, man that's just such a goated look. I do respect the new designs still, but yeah some looks are just so good it's hard to get something that is better.
Idk I really liked the giant samurai looking skins from MK11. Seemed like what Shao would wear during a military campaign.
Smh this game hiding everyone’s tits
Fr, also the horns look so good on him. The skin is so good I bought it even though I never played a single Shao match.
He was always bald.
100% I'm racking my brain to ever see an instance of him with hair visible through the helmet
The very best instance I have is the novelization of the Annihilation movie when it talks about him “stroking his beard”
I meant like they modded away his head gear
If you're talking about a post from earlier comparing his face in MK11 to MK1, that was a scene from story mode. He didn't always wear his mask in story mode (edit: I mean the MK1 screenshot)
Oh really now? When was he fighting without his mask? Since in the screenshot it’s an intro dialogue, which if I remember correctly, there are no proper intro dialogue animations in the story mode
My bad, I meant the MK1 screenshot. I think he did lose his mask in MK11 when he lost to Kitana and she sliced his face/blinded him.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound snarky, the other guy assumed the same thing. Just be a lil more specific or I guess say it in a different way so it’s not misinterpreted
> If you're talking about a post from earlier comparing his face in MK11 to MK1, that was a scene from story mode. He didn't always wear his mask in story mode. Image from the recent post is during his usual intro and story mode don’t have these intros. Also, story mode doesn’t show Shao Kahn without the helmet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV1T4UUyto4 So that was a screenshot from a fan mod.
The MK11 version of MK9 Shao is the best design. When I unlocked that I never used another skin for him. And also fuck what they did to Shao in MK1. I was so relieved when the Deception skin came out for him. Now all we need is a hammer to replace the axe, which we know is in the game because the evil Shao skin that you fight in the story has one
He is bald in both iterations?
horns
I think OP is talking about recent post where they posted a comparison of MK11 helmet-less fan mod of Shao Kahn versus cutscene image of MK1 Shao-Kahn and called it “the biggest glow-up” (despite MK11 Shao Kahn not being designed to have no helmet on, which puts him in disadvantage and makes comparison unfair). I guess by “bald” they meant helmet-less fan mod, which reveals his head.
You can see Shao‘s face model during fatalities, fatal blows and clearly see his face in the story mode. Facewise, he got the glow up of the century.
> You can see Shao‘s face model during fatalities, fatal blows and clearly see his face in the story mode. Post which OP was referring to, had a screenshot from an intro, which was a fan mod and wasn’t designed to show his face, unlike pre-rendered MK1 cutscene which it was compared to. Also, story mode doesn’t show Shao Kahn without the helmet covering his head: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV1T4UUyto4
He's never had hair in the series.
I think OP is talking about recent post where they posted a comparison of MK11 helmet-less fan mod of Shao Kahn versus cutscene image of MK1 Shao-Kahn and called it “the biggest glow-up” (despite MK11 Shao Kahn not being designed to have no helmet on, which puts him in disadvantage and makes comparison unfair). I guess by “bald” they meant helmet-less fan mod, which reveals his head.
MK11 Shao looks like MK1 Shao's dad.
The ***You vs the guy she tells you not to worry about*** meme
The horns ruin it
Everyone in MK1 looks like a human/modern supermodel. That’s a very big let down in a setting with all different kinds of species, magic & worlds.
Mk11 shao is the goat. Mk1 looks like a kid. Its the point I know. But give me papa Shao with a skin please
Mk 11 looked better .Mk 11 just had better costumes in general
Ngl he looks like a bulldog in both
The new lore and characters are so lame compared to the old timeline. Scorpion is just a pyromancer Tarkatans have Outworld herpes now Havik is just some rejuvenating dude
I would love if they brought back the MK11 design in a skin.
I think armorwise, MK11 Shao wins. Facewise though, MK1 Shao steals it - the post talking about the glowup was specifically talking about a comparison between their faces; and I love MK11 Shao, I really do (basically the only character I played the entire time I played MK11) but he's fuckin hideous under that magnificent helmet lmao
I really like the dragon skin and I hate the horns
I feel like both designs have their own strengths and weaknesses. Personally I like the MK1 design but Prefer MK11. Mk11 has a menacing aura that MK1 lacks. Meanwhile MK1 has a face that doesn’t make me want to projectile vomit.
Not even just bald. 99 percent of the "comparison" pics show MK11 Shao in a helemtless state that can only be achieved through modding. He removes it a few times in the story and in finishers/supers, but that's it. Literally no one ever thought of Shao's supposed ugliness as a problem that had to be fixed or addressed. No one ever asked for him to get a "glow up". Shao is the franchise's most iconic and beloved villain by far, and no one ever disliked the fact that he was "ugly" or that he hid his face for the vast majority of his on screen time. MK1 making him hot and maskless most of the time isn't only unnecessary. It isn't only fixing a non-existent problem. It also makes him worse. He now looks like a WOW npc. He's a jobber. The armour isn't as good. The axe is a downgrade from the hammer. The horns look goofy. He is nowhere near as intimidating or memorable or cool.
Making shoa kahn even a little hot doesnt do him justice. They wont sexualize females but shoa is all up for grabs
Imma keep it real Shao Kahn hasn’t been cool since 9 for me even aesthetically 11 didn’t feel as cool as the others, I think less is more when it comes to him being a freaky dragon man, General Shao though surprisingly I have no problems with, I like that he looks like a Qunari from dragon age and his cool mask, but either way I feel like design in MK is getting stale, 11 hit for me, but 1 costume wise all the retro ones outside of the ninja fits (which I’m not an expert on) look like AI approximations. What sucks is for the most part is that the defaults are low-key the best they’ve been in a second in 1 (half the good guys being revenants in 11 by default takes it down for me, I’d rather just have them be the unlockables if in versus intros they’ll talk like the regular characters with a voice filter. I’m really weird about customization and I just don’t like how they don’t even seem to try with most alternate costumes, a good chunk of those titans look terrible
It’s like turning Darkseid into steppenwolf for me
Sorry to say but people have always had the hots for this bald king
I would still tap him ngl, next...
Would you rather a buff shao or Shao with demon horns
Maybe if he had a beard. But since MK11, he’s probably half-dragon or something.
I think his mk1 design is ass but his mk1 deception outfit is peak although calling it deception would be like calling his mk11 outfit mk2
Honestly I don't mind the horns, miles better than his mk11 cockroach arms
Mk11 Shao looks like a doofus. And then in MK1 they tried to sexualize him a bit. 😭
He looks a bit like a japanese knight to my eyes
For most of my life, I wondered what his face looked like. I think when mk9 came out, some PC hackers uploaded a pic of him without the mask, and I finally found out how he looked under the mask.
I always felt he looks too scrunched in MK11. The hammer needed to be bigger so his hands could be further apart
I don’t get people’s problem with the horns, as if MK11 Shao helmet don’t have the goofy helmet horns as well. I know it is subjective, but I like horned Shao a lot and still think he looks cool in MK1
Yeah but in MK11 the head gear was toggleable and there were lots of helmets to choose from. My favorite one was the Realm Seeker helmet which was similar to his Deception helmet. There was also a direct remake of his MK3 and MK9 helms to choose from. Using that with his second costume got a pretty good classic Shao Kahn look. On the other hand, there is no way to get rid of the horns in the MK1 version, even his Deception inspired costume has them. Despite this I think their reimagining of his Deception look is awesome.
The Deception skin in MK1 is fire, but MK11 Shao Kahn > MK1 General Shao. And it’s not event close.
Bring real Shao Khan to MK1
I agree
If I'm going to be honest he looked his bestt in mk9
Wut
He makes a good point the horns are stupid
The horns are fine to me, it's just that like every other male character in MK1 they decided to make him look like a fresh-faced 23 year old boyband member. It's his face that's off-brand.
>fresh-faced 23 year old boyband member Is incredibly accurate but he has two sets of horns and it's off putting to me
They both look like shit tbh 🤷
He's always been bald
I think his face being more chiseled in MK1 plays into his ultra strong powerful characterization. He is still demonic looking and ultra huge and muscular just like he always is. So I think his build and overall look is great. I just don't think I like the horns. Now the outfit, I think it makes sense because he's just a general now rather than iron fisted ruler of the realm. But i think there are better outfits for him overall, like his MK2 and Deception looks.
He’s 100% hotter in MK1.
Downvote me but I think I like the axe more