Babality

A Babality is a finishing move introduced in Mortal Kombat II which allows players to turn their opponents into an infant version of the character. This infant version is often clad in a diaper, although sometimes he or she is wearing pants. Regardless, the attire is basically a miniature version of the clothes he or she wore when fully grown, complete with smaller versions of his or her accessories (e.g. shades, masks, tattoos, etc.).

To perform a Babality, the player must perform a special button combination for their character and have won the final round using only High or Low Kick. In Mortal Kombat 3 and its updates, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and Mortal Kombat Trilogy, the player had to win the round without using Block. After a Babality is performed, the sound of a baby crying plays (presumably the protests of the now-infant opponent) and the victor strikes a winning pose. The announcer proclaims: "[victor] wins; Babality!" In Mortal Kombat 3 and its updates, the generic green "Babality!!" text used in MKII is replaced with pastel colored, lettered building blocks. The blocks fall from the top of the screen and spell out "BABALITY" as a short lullaby plays.

The rumors that the player could perform a Fatality move on the opponent while he was still a baby in the early versions of MK II were false. The game had a glitch that allowed the player to keep hitting his opponent after performing a Babality, if he kept pressing attack buttons. The glitch was noticed by Midway testers and promptly repaired before the final version of the game was released. A code used quickly after performing a Babality, however, allowed the victim to be reverted back to an adult and explode.

It is generally accepted that the introduction of Babalities to the Mortal Kombat series was intended to parody the parental outcry that the game was too violent. The infantile finishings were later dropped as the series shed its lighthearted fatalities.

Babalities appeared in Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and Mortal Kombat Trilogy.