Lin Kuei (Mortal Kombat)

The Lin Kuei is a faction from the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. They are based loosely on the ancient Chinese clan of the same name. Prominent Lin Kuei members in Mortal Kombat are Sub-Zero, Sektor, Cyrax, Smoke, and Frost. They have become one of the most prominent and well-known factions within the Mortal Kombat universe, and they have played a major role throughout the history of the series.

Other groups used in the Mortal Kombat universe were also derived from reality. The infamous Black Dragon Society (Kokuryūkai) of Japan was used for Kano's Black Dragon clan. The rebellious White Lotus sect is used as the faction of Liu Kang and Kung Lao, who wanted to drive out foreigners from China during the "Westernization" era of the Shaolin Monks in the Honan province.

Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero
The Lin Kuei were featured more in this game than in any other, with several scenes set in the Lin Kuei temple. This was described as being set in the Mongolian mountains and likely remains there until Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. This game was not the first Mortal Kombat game, but its storyline goes furthest back chronologically and fills in many details within the Mortal Kombat universe.

As in the animated-series Mortal Kombat: Conquest, Sub-Zero is shown to be a subordinate of the Lin Kuei grandmaster. This contrasts with his brother's assumption of the title of grandmaster in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance in the years to come. This drastically changes the dynamic of Sub-Zero generally being a "grunt" on a specific mission. In this game, the sorcerer Quan Chi hired the Lin Kuei to find an ancient amulet, and Sub-Zero was sent to find the map leading to its location. He did not know that Quan Chi had hired a Japanese ninja, Hanzo Hasashi, for the same task in case Sub-Zero failed. Hasashi and Sub-Zero encountered each other in the map room, where Sub-Zero killed him in cold blood. After Sub-Zero delivered the map, Quan Chi made good on a promise to the Lin Kuei Grandmaster; the rival clan, the Shirai Ryu, was wiped out.

The Lin Kuei demonstrate their mercenary nature here when they inadvertently place the Earthrealm in danger for personal gain. This is especially true of Sub-Zero himself. The basic plot is that Quan Chi hires Sub-Zero to steal a map from a Shaolin temple. After retrieving the map, he is hired again for another mission. This time, he is to follow the directions on the map to a hidden Temple of the Elements, wherein an amulet (supposedly Quan Chi's) is kept. Defeating the four elemental god-guardians in the temple, he finds the amulet. Quan Chi takes the amulet, revealing that it is actually Shinnok's amulet, capable of freeing the fallen Elder God Shinnok– Quan Chi's master– from the Netherealm and allowing to take over all realms. Raiden, who had placed the amulet in the temple in the first place to protect it from the likes of Quan Chi, appears and tells Sub-Zero to rectify his mistake and retrieve the amulet. Sub-Zero reluctantly agrees and is transported to the Netherealm. There, he tracks down Quan Chi, and steals the amulet back from Shinnok before he can use it. He then escapes to Earth via Raiden's portal. It is later revealed that Quan Chi had never given the amulet to Shinnok; instead, he had crafted a fake and kept the original for himself. This is crucial to the events of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.

Hanzo Hasashi, also known as Scorpion from the rival clan of the Shirai Ryu, is also hired by Quan Chi to steal the same map from the Shaolin temple. The unsuccessful thief's clan was to be wiped out as payment to the other clan, though each is unaware of the other's involvement. Scorpion is killed by Sub-Zero, and the Shirai Ryu are destroyed by Quan Chi. This results in Scorpion's everlasting hatred of Sub-Zero. The Netherealm is where Scorpion appears to Sub-Zero. Though his attempt to kill Sub-Zero is unsuccessful, it sets up his return in the first Mortal Kombat.

Through his repeated protests to Quan Chi, Sub-Zero demonstrates an interesting fact. The Lin Kuei were not ninja. He prefered the term "Lin Kuei warrior," thus demonstrating the preferred terminology for these non-ninja. In addition to that, referring to himself as Lin Kuei demonstrates his loyalty to the clan as he tries to separate the Lin Kuei ninja from the other "ordinary" ninjas. Interestingly, his brother makes nearly the reverse protest in Mortal Kombat 4.

Mortal Kombat
Immediately after returning from his mission, Sub-Zero is hired by Shang Tsung to compete in his Mortal Kombat tournament, presumably on the side of Outworld. Though the Lin Kuei agrees to this, someone else pays the Lin Kuei to assassinate Shang Tsung, to which they also agree. Thus, Sub-Zero plays a double-mission in this game, fighting for Outworld and attempting to get close to Shang Tsung to kill him. He is unsuccessful in the latter (as evidenced by Liu Kang's victory in the tournament and Tsung's survival). He is decapitated by Scorpion as revenge for his own murder. Afterwards, Sub-Zero is sent to the Netherealm, where he is stripped of all that is human and becomes Noob Saibot. It was only revealed years later in Mortal Kombat: Deception that Noob Saibot was in fact the murdered Sub-Zero.

Mortal Kombat II
Despite losing, Shang Tsung survives the first tournament and organizes a second one in Outworld as a trap for the Earthrealm warriors. Once again, Sub-Zero is sent to kill him, but this time, it is actually Sub-Zero's younger brother who is sent as a replacement. His older brother still being trapped in the Outworld, now as Noob Saibot. Once again, Sub-Zero is unsuccessful. To his credit, Shang Tsung has survived a long time and likely has been the target of assassination attempts before.

Scorpion is confused by Sub-Zero's reappearance (not knowing it is his younger brother instead) and attempts to kill him again. One would imagine that Scorpion would accept that it could be a different Sub-Zero since he had killed him in the first tournament. However, Scorpion realizes his mistake when he sees Sub-Zero sparing an opponent's life. Scorpion, having personal experience, knew that the original Sub-Zero was merciless. As an apology for attempting to murder the wrong person, he swears to protect the younger Sub-Zero's life. He seems to have largely forgotten this promise by Mortal Kombat 4.

Two other Lin Kuei warriors appear as hidden characters in this game. Smoke and Noob Saibot (the first Sub-Zero) are both non-playable opponents. Smoke is later revealed to be a Lin Kuei warrior in Mortal Kombat 3, presumably sent to assist Sub-Zero. Noob Saibot does not seem to have any role to speak of, but it is revealed in Mortal Kombat: Deception that he is the original Sub-Zero, already demonized so soon after his death.

Mortal Kombat Trilogy
No Lin Kuei warriors were featured in Mortal Kombat 3, but they did reappear in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Both the latter games were merely upgrades to the original Mortal Kombat 3, and they all follow similar storylines.

The Lin Kuei have a much greater role in this game, with much more than just a mention in Sub-Zero's backstory or ending. The Lin Kuei in this game or slightly before the events therein, have begun a program of roboticization. Their warriors become far more deadly after becoming cyborgs. The first to volunteer for this program was Sektor, also referred to as LK-9T9. He is notable for being the only one of the cyborgs to be consistently described as soulless for the rest of the series; it is possible that, being the prototype, the process actually killed him, leaving him as only a body animated by cybernetics and computers. Second was Cyrax, also known as unit LK-4D4.

The younger Sub-Zero and Smoke were in-line as well to roboticized. Likely considering this a fate worse than death, the two fled their clan, an act equivalent to treason. Sektor and Cyrax were sent to capture them and return them to headquarters for roboticization. While Sub-Zero escaped, Smoke was recaptured and transformed into the third (and last) cybernetic warrior– unit LK-7T2.

Shortly thereafter, Shao Kahn began his invasion of Earthrealm. Sub-Zero and Smoke (likely Cyrax as well, though it was not mentioned at the time) had been previously marked as Chosen warriors of Raiden, and their souls were spared. Sektor had no soul to take. The rest of the Lin Kuei are assumed to have their souls taken by Shao Kahn but later restored along with the rest of the world's souls when Kahn is defeated. Though the details of the ensuing battle are vague, since the storylines of Mortal Kombat 3 are revealed only by background and ending screens, many of which are proved to be untrue or retconned by later games.

However, there are some noteworthy events. Scorpion initially fought on Shao Kahn's side; however, the younger Sub-Zero's presence reminded him of his promise, and he then fought for Earthrealm. Sub-Zero also fights for Earthrealm, and he may or may not have reprogrammed Smoke and/or Cyrax like originally stated. Sektor generally stays true to his original mission of killing Sub-Zero but fails. Cyrax, whether or not reprogrammed to fight for one side or the other, ends the game stuck in a desert (as seen in the background of the desert stage). Smoke is later shown to have been captured by Shao Kahn at some point, later revealed in Mortal Kombat: Deception. This may have happened after Sub-Zero reprogrammed him to obey his own commands (thus restoring his free will), but maybe not. Noob Saibot also appears on Shao Kahn's side, at least initially. He is for the first time mentioned as serving under Shinnok in the Netherealm. Rain, in one of his earliest appearances (at least in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3) is described as being a former member of the Lin Kuei. However, in later versions, in the same game on the Sega Genesis, and in both versions of Mortal Kombat Trilogy, his storyline is replaced in favor of Edenian ancestry. Later games make no reference to his initial history. This is likely an example of a retconned storyline.

Mortal Kombat 4 / Mortal Kombat Gold
Mortal Kombat 4 and the Sega Dreamcast exclusive Mortal Kombat Gold follow identical storylines and feature many Lin Kuei warriors.

Most likely due to Sub-Zero's successful escape from the clan following the events of Mortal Kombat Trilogy, the Lin Kuei loses many of its members before Mortal Kombat 4. This perhaps explains their attempts to have Sub-Zero killed. They blamed him for their current troubles. They may also have believed that his death would allow them to reclaim some or all of their prestige. Otherwise, dedicating some of their few remaining warriors would seem counterproductive. Once again, people want to kill Sub-Zero in particular.

Scorpion has now added his family (stated in Scorpion's first Mortal Kombat ending) to his list of reasons to kill Sub-Zero and is after him again. Scorpion's ending, confirmed by the background of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, shows that, after finally defeating Sub-Zero, Quan Chi reveals that he was responsible. This makes Quan Chi directly responsible for the death of Scorpion's family and clan, while also indirectly responsible for Scorpion's own death. Scorpion responds by taking Quan Chi with him to the Netherealm, in a region where Quan Chi loses his powers, and proceeds to attempt to kill him.

The Lin Kuei send Cyrax to kill Sub-Zero after rescuing him from the desert followig Mortal Kombat Trilogy.. However, Cyrax has been acting erratically and malfunction since his recovery, so the Lin Kuei send Sektor to follow him, and destroy him and/or finish his job if necessary. Sektor, for some reason, does neither of these things. Cyrax, whose soul had begun to reassert itself, seeks out Sonya Blade and Jax of the Outer World Investigation Agency, who help restore his memories and former self.

Sub-Zero helps fight against Shinnok, theoretically, but he has enough of his own problems and really is not shown to have done much during this game. Noob Saibot also appears, once again as a hidden, barely worth mentioning character. It's likely that he serves as one of Shinnok's warriors once again.

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Deadly Alliance reveals some huge changes to the Lin Kuei and their history. First of all, Sektor has somehow managed to achieve the role of Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei. This could mean that he malfunctioned (or was reprogrammed) and killed the Grandmaster. This role seems to be based on the heretofore unmentioned Dragon medallion, which aside from greatly increasing the power of the user, also determines the leader of the Lin Kuei. Sektor challenges Sub-Zero to battle (in accordance to his original mission to kill him), with the medallion most likely going to the victor. Sub-Zero agrees, perhaps only to get the Lin Kuei off his back once and for all, and ends up victorious.

Sub-Zero then becomes the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei (who have sought after to destroy him for years) and implements a number of changes to the clan. He moves the Lin Kuei headquarters to an ancient temple he had discovered buried in the ice of Siberia. He changes the mission of the Lin Kuei, making it a force for the side of good for the first time. What this entails exactly is undefined but seems to be rather unpopular with his new subordinates. He begins recruiting new warriors to replenish the Lin Kuei's depleted ranks. Among these efforts is a tournament, the winner of which will be inducted into the clan. The winner is Frost, a brash young woman with powers remarkably similar to Sub-Zero's own ice-controlling abilities. This is circumstantial, but Sonya Blade attempts to contact the Lin Kuei at some point; perhaps in an effort to open relations between the United States government and the Lin Kuei. However, she is prevented from doing so by Frost, who, as it turns out, is overzealous when it comes to guard duty. Moreover, the fact that Sonya arrived at all leads one to believe that she was invited by Sub-Zero himself.

Frost becomes Sub-Zero's personal student– a strange move for the leader of the Lin Kuei. Sub-Zero does this because he believes that he can help Frost develop her powers. However, he fails to quell her sense of arrogance and ambition, and he does not realize her true motivation is to become Grandmaster herself. Knowing he is unpopular with the majority of the Lin Kuei, Sub-Zero attempts to prove himself (and demonstrate their new mission) by leaving himself to help Raiden fight the Deadly Alliance. He brings Frost with him. The first battles apparently go quite well, and Sub-Zero compliments Frost on her help while on in the Outworld. However, she attacks him with her ice-abilities and steals his medallion. She is immediately awash in its power, but she lacks the discipline to control it. She is consumed by her own power and ice. Though Sub-Zero's ending in Deadly Alliance implies that she survives, Mortal Kombat: Deception states that she does not. Though Sub-Zero is true to his word to Raiden, he does not apparently participate in the final battle against the Deadly Alliance. It is possible that he was in transit to that battle when Frost died. Consequently, he is one of the few "good" characters to survive this game (though this is not the case in some endings of Deception)

Cyrax appears in this game, but only as a member of the United States Special Forces under Sonya Blade. He joined them as appreciation after he was given his soul back. Sektor's whereabouts after his battle with Sub-Zero are undefined. He may be wandering the Earth or dismantled in a basement somewhere. It is suggested in the minor Game Boy Advance game Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition, that Sektor was banished to Japan, where he formed his own clan of cyberninja known as the Tekunin. It can be speculated that Sektor did succeed in his endeavour to destroy Sub-Zero, and he is now slowly overruning Japan with his Tekunin army. It is most likely as a growth toward his ultimate goal of destroying Sub-Zero and the Lin Kuei with his superior numbers. Noob Saibot does not appear in this game nor does Smoke.

Mavado, after killing Kano in his ending, is shown to be the next rival of the Lin Kuei (or more precisely, his clan, the Red Dragon). However, Mortal Kombat: Deception has little on this subject, instead having Kabal killing Mavado and reforming the Black Dragon clan.

Mortal Kombat: Deception
Mortal Kombat: 'Deception has far fewer details on the Lin Kuei than the previous game. All that is related to them mainly focuses on Sub-Zero, who has yet to return to headquarters after departing during Deadly Alliance. Sub-Zero, after Frost's death, searches for a place to bury her. He finds the ruins of an Outworld race, the members of which could manipulate cold as he and Frost's abilities. He infers that they are both descendants of this race, making them both technically partly inhuman. He also finds an ancient set of armor, seemingly made just for him, and dons it.

Shujinko is revealed to have trained with Sub-Zero and apparently joined the ranks of the Lin Kuei years ago, though his true allegiance is to the Elder Gods. Shujinko was never a very active member of the group, briefly aligning himself with the organization for the purpose of gaining Sub-Zero's knowledge of fighting.

The following events are mentioned in the character endings of Mortal Kombat: Deception. Therefore, they may or may not have occured or be accurate, since Mortal Kombat endings are notoriously changeable; though the more times a particular event is described, the more likely it is to be considered true in the next game. Several endings have Sub-Zero traveling through the Living Forest along with Kenshi. In particular, they are attacked by Hotaru, who attacks with a bright flame attack at night, temporarily blinding Sub-Zero. In one ending, Hotaru wins, resulting in the death of Kenshi and Sub-Zero, but in another, Kenshi defeats Hotaru after Sub-Zero is blinded. Another incident in the Living Forest is a battle between Sub-Zero and a group of Tarkatan warriors. By most accounts, Sub-Zero defeats the entire group. Even though he expects to lose, his ancient armor guides his movements and allows him to survive. The third incident in the game involving Sub-Zero concerns his abduction (perhaps after the battle against the Tarkatans) to the Netherealm, where he is attacked by his old ally, Smoke and the mysterious Noob Saibot. Sub-Zero finally recognizes Noob Saibot as his brother, the original Sub-Zero, but Noob Saibot has now become a demon and does not spare his brother. Despite the fact that Sub-Zero dies in this ending (fairly unlikely, as he is quite popular and had been in almost every game), it is generally now accepted as fact that Noob Saibot's identity is the original Sub-Zero from the first Mortal Kombat. As for the death of Sub-Zero in Deception, it may be that this ending is eventually merged with Ashrah's, wherein Ashrah attacks and destroys Noob Saibot (perhaps temporarily killing him, for death is difficult in the Netherealm).

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
There is almost no mentioning of the Lin Kuei clan in Shaolin Monks. That probably goes in with the fact that the storyline of Shaolin Monks takes place during the time period before Mortal Kombat II. This game also focuses more on Liu Kang and Kung Lao, who are the two characters the story centers around in this game.