Mortal Kombat 1 Best Characters for Beginners – 7 Easiest Fighters To Play

Every fighting game has a plethora of different characters you can pick from, and Mortal Kombat 1 is no exception. With the massive roster in place, it can be difficult for newer players to pick up a character, not knowing its difficulty or playstyle. To make it easy for beginner players who are overwhelmed with this decision, we’ve compiled a list of the best characters for beginners in MK1.

7. Kitana

The issue with most beginners in Mortal Kombat 1 is their weak defense against fighters like Johnny Cage, who’ll try to stay as close to your character as possible. Fortunately, Kitana is one of those characters who can pepper the enemy with projectiles and keep them zoned out. 

She’s a pretty one-dimensional character, focusing on mid-range combat and constantly applying stagger pressure to her enemies. Her sharp fans, combined with her ability to completely trash her opponents from all sides, allow you to control the pace of the fight. Once you get the hang of her arching projectiles, you’ll be able to really take advantage of Kitana’s aerial movesets. 

6. Liu Kang

Starting out as one of the oldest characters in the Mortal Kombat series, Liu Kang is definitely an easy and fun pick-up for new players coming into the series. This character is one of the few who’s made it through countless Mortal Kombat games and remains a viable pick-up even in MK1.

The reason he is so successful in a variety of matchups is due to his easy-to-learn combos as well as fundamental-based gaming. You don’t need out-of-this-world matchup knowledge or fast button-mashing skills to succeed with him. All you need to know is when to play which combo since his special moves deal a ton of damage that makes it easier to whittle down your opponent.

Liu Kang has very few bad matchups part due to the long-range special ability maneuvers that allow him to create distance between himself and his opponent. Plus, his flying kicks allow you to close the distance quickly and cause significant damage. To learn how to play Liu Kang better, take him into practice a few times just to get the hang of his movesets.

5. Scorpion

Scorpion is another character who’s been with the series since the start and remains a good pick-up for newer players. With his smooth combos combined with basic attacks, he really doesn’t give his opponent a chance to attack at all.

Scorpion is based around chain attacks and keeping your opponent stunned throughout your combo. The less time they have to react, the more likely you are to pull off your combos. Scorpion has a mix of harder combos as well as easier combos tailored towards newer players to master, making him a good character for beginners.

His most iconic move, however, is definitely his spear that allows you to pull the enemy towards you in mid-air. This is especially good for matchups where the opponent won’t get too close to you but is consistently poking you from afar. You can simply walk up a bit close to them and hit them with your spear, changing ranged combat into melee in the blink of an eye. If they don’t let you do that either, just teleport behind them as a surprise.

4. Kung Lao

Kun Lao is another character new players can try out. Capable of doing a mixture of medium, low, and high attacks, Kun Lao is an exceptional fighter that is not difficult to master. Kung Lao uses a mix of physical combos alongside his bladed hat to create some impressive and brutal-looking combos. You can keep shredding away the enemy’s health bar with your hat while you pummel them with your kicks and punches. 

Kun  Lao is also very much capable of ariel combat and able to pull off special attacks and combos in the air that will that easily overwhelm the enemy. While Kun Lao is a relatively easy character with straightforward movesets, it is best that you first try him out in Practice mode to get a better feel for his moveset before jumping into a game. 

3. Reptile

Reptile is a fairly newer addition to the Mortal Kombat roster as compared to our previous mentions. This ninja brings a new set of combos to the battle with his force ball, keeping enemies at a distance while he builds up his combos. He requires a bit more skill compared to some other characters, but he’s definitely worth putting in the time to learn.

So there are a few key features that stand out about Reptile: his Force Ball and his ability to turn into a literal reptile. Since he is very combo-reliant, the Force Ball really plays into that. If you incorporate it into your combos, you can keep the enemy in the air for longer, allowing you to dish out more damage. 

The second feature is his ability to transform into his reptilian form, the Zaterran. The reptile gains the ability to go invisible in this form, allowing for some massive surprise plays from behind.

2. Geras

If you’ve played Mortal Kombat 11, you’ll know what a powerhouse Geras is. This melee fighter might be able to contest the position for the best melee fighter in the roster since his skills are unmatched. His basic combo is pretty hard to block, even if you’re skilled at playing against him.

The good thing about Geras is that even his most basic combos can deal tons of damage, giving players a decent margin for error if they haven’t mastered the character. You can combine these basic combos with his special ability to deal insane amounts of damage. This also makes him a great pick for beginner players who just want to focus on the fundamentals of the game.

1. Johnny Cage

Some non-Mortal Kombat fans might find this inclusion comedic, but Johnny Cage is actually regarded as one of the best pickups for both beginners and pro players. This is because of his different playstyles, complimenting players of all skill levels.

You can either play a highly-skilled combo playstyle or just stick to basic attacks with a few simple combos, both will work equally well. Johnny Cage is an overall very well-rounded character and is great when you’re starting out.

For more guides and information on Mortal Kombat 1, check out these related pieces from our team: Mortal Kombat 1 All Invasion Klues, How To Unlock Fatalities and Is Mortal Kombat 1 Always Online?