Mortal Kombat 1will technically launch with one of the biggest rosters sinceDeadly Alliance,with the upcoming title featuring a grand total of 41 Fighters. The catch here is how they are split up, though, and how some are repeated.Mortal Kombat 1effectively has two rosters: the main roster containing characters that players will actually play as, as well as the Kameo Fighters who can join players in combos, X-Rays, and the like.
At Summer Game Fest, Ed Boon touched on how this secondary roster of Kameo Fighters works. In essence, it’s a tag-team character who joins when certain buttons are pressed or in certain situations, with the ability being a constant in any battle. SomeMortal Kombatcharacters will be restricted to the main roster, some characters will be restricted to the Kameo roster (which is largely classic characters), and some will occupy both. Therefore, that 41 number is technically true but also slightly harder to determine. There will be at least24 base characters inMortal Kombat 1at launch, per the character select screen seen on stage at SGF, but it’s uncertain if this number includes the pre-order bonus character. There will be 16 total Kameo characters, but the overlap could be the source of the game’s biggest problem.
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Mortal Kombat 1’s Split Roster Means Split Characters
In addition to those previously confirmed,Mortal Kombat 1’s gameplay debut showed off six new characters: Kenshi, Goro, Jax, Kano, Sonya Blade, and Stryker. Kano is an example of a character who appears on the base roster in a new design (that technically is a throwback), while his more grizzled form is confirmed as a Kameo fighter. Kenshi, at least for now, appears to only be a base fighter, while Goro is only confirmed as a Kameo fighter. Therein lies the problem. If classic characters will make up a portion of the Kameo roster, then there’s a good chance at least one, if not more, will be a character fans want on the base roster. That could also be problematic for characters who take up space on both rosters, if to a lesser degree.
Goro fans, for example, may be excited to see him in the game but unhappy to not actually play as him fully. Having him as a Kameo is a great middle-ground perhaps, but there’s no denying this selection could be a breeding ground for contempt. For example, many fans wanted to see classic characters likeErmac, Reptile, and Smoke inMK1after they skippedMK11, but if they make it into the game as Kameo fighters only, then some may feel upset by the long wait. It takes one popular character getting a perceived slight inMortal Kombat 1to have fans up in arms over one character, just asMK11fans were for Mileena.
Mortal Kombat’s Kameo Characters Could Be a Problem for Kombat Packs
However, in the case of Mortal Kombat 11,there was a simple fix. Fans pleaded, demanded, begged, and sought the attention of devs for months on end to get Mileena added toMortal Kombat1, and she eventually was as DLC.Mileena is in the base roster forMK1, perhaps to avoid that again, but it was a relatively simple fix. A Kameo fighter would not be. Presumably,MK1’s Kombat Packs will add characters like the rumored Peacemaker, as well as Kameo Fighters. However, if one of those base roster additions were already a Kameo Fighter, then it’s a no-win situation because someone would be upset about it.
As such, the Kameo Fighter idea comes with its own pros and cons. It’s an interesting, exciting addition to the gameplay, but NetherRealm may find itself walking over glass to ensure a good proper balance and representation between the two rosters. Seeing 40ish faces returning in some form (if not outright new characters) is exciting, but seeing one long-demanded face on the Kameo Fighter screen could be problematic. It ultimately remains to be seen how it shakes out, but at the very least, fans should know that NetherRealm is doing all it can to pushMortal Kombat 1’s visceral gameplayto the next level, even if it’s slightly risky.
Mortal Kombat 1will be released on July 01, 2025, for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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