Reiko (Mortal Kombat)

Infobox VG character
name=Reiko


series="Mortal Kombat" series
firstgame="Mortal Kombat 4" (1997)
liveactor=Jim Helsinger ("")

Reiko is a fictional character in the "Mortal Kombat" fighting game series.

About Reiko

Reiko is a grim and stoic looking man with salt-and-pepper hair, glowing blue eyes, and a penchant for brutality. He was originally introduced in a typical ninja archetype in "Mortal Kombat 4". He also has a mask-like black tattoo over his eyes.

toryline

Not much is known about him, save that his primary occupation is that of a general. In this capacity, he has served both Shinnok and Shao Kahn. He has also served as a member of the Brotherhood of Shadow. During Shinnok's war against the Elder Gods, he was presumed killed. He later resurfaced during the time of "Mortal Kombat 4", but after Shinnok was defeated, he disappeared once again. [ [http://mortalkombatwarehouse.com/mk4/reiko/#bio Reiko's Bio] . "Mortal Kombat 4", Midway Games, 1997.] He later emerged in Shao Kahn's army, to whom he has served until now. In his "Armageddon" bio card, John Vogel states that Reiko received the position of general as Shao Kahn approved of the fighter's ruthlessness, which he is said to look for in his soldiers.

Reiko apparently has great aspirations to one day replace the emperor, as it is described in ''s Konquest mode that he likes to sneak into Kahn's chamber room and wear his helmet.Shao Kahn: "I have discovered that Reiko, formally my most trusted general, has been entering my private chamber to wear my helmet." Konquest mode. "Mortal Kombat: Deception", Midway Games, 2004.] His own attire has a great similarity to Shao Kahn's. Reiko also states in the game that he will one day rule Outworld himself. [Reiko"': "But just between us... his helmet will belong to me in due time." Konquest mode. "Mortal Kombat: Deception", Midway Games, 2004.]

In ""'s Konquest mode, Taven encounters Reiko in his war room in Shao Kahn's fortress. It is revealed here that, for unknown reasons, Reiko has an intense disliking of Quan Chi. Reiko tries to get Taven to join Kahn's army, having been impressed by his skills in combat, but Taven has none of this as he only intends to find and kill Quan Chi. Although Reiko is intrigued by the prospect, he had been ordered by Shao Kahn to protect the emperor's allies, which included the sorcerer, so he engages in battle with the intruder. Reiko is ultimately defeated, but as he limps away, he relishes in the irony that his failure would lead to the death of Quan Chi.

In Reiko's "Armageddon" ending, he becomes empowered after beating Blaze. Reiko kills Shao Kahn and takes his helmet, which permanently fuses to his head as he becomes the new ruler. [http://mortalkombatwarehouse.com/mka/reiko/#ending Reiko's Ending] . "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon", Midway Games, 2006.]

Combat characteristics

ignature moves

*Assassin Throwing Stars: Reiko takes a stack of shurikens and throws them at the opponent. ("MK4", "MKG", "MK:A")
*Quick Spin Behind: Reiko does a quick top-like spin and slides around the opponent to their back in one quick motion. ("MK4", "MKG")
*Vertical Teleport: Reiko leaps upwards disappearing in the air, then reappears behind the opponent coming up through the ground. This attack was borrowed from Noob Saibot. ("MK4", "MKG")
**Shadow Grab: While performing the "Vertical Teleport", Reiko grabs and slams the opponent to the ground upon reappearing behind them. Again similar to Noob Saibot's "Teleport Slam". ("MK4", "MKG", "MK:A")
*Devastating Flip Kick: Reiko twists his body in an impossible fashion landing a flip kick without his opposite foot even leaving the ground. Li Mei received this move later in "Deadly Alliance" and "Deception" under the name Carnival Spin. ("MK4", "MKG", "MK:A")
*Charging Pain: Reiko performs a shoulder ram like Shao Kahn, but with a blue-ish energy representation of Shao Kahn's helmet appearing covering his head. ("MK:A")

The Reiko/Kahn controversy

For the most part, Reiko began as a simple new character added to put new faces in "Mortal Kombat 4". However, as the game arrived on PlayStation and Game Boy Color, some alarming and heavily-debated developments took place. In the early releases of "Mortal Kombat 4", Reiko's ending showed him stepping through a portal and nothing more. [ [http://mortalkombatwarehouse.com/mk4/reiko/#ending Reiko's Ending] . "Mortal Kombat 4", Midway Games, 1997.] However, as the game made its way into home systems, this scene was further elaborated on. On the other side of the portal, Reiko arrived in Shao Kahn's throne room, where the Emperor's skull mask lowered onto his face. [ [http://mortalkombatwarehouse.com/mk4/reiko/#ending Reiko's Ending] (FMV). "Mortal Kombat 4" (Home ports), Midway Games, 1998.] This quickly led to a division among fans, some believing that Reiko was actually Shao Kahn or becoming his successor, with others rejecting the idea entirely.

The "Reiko is not Kahn" faction put forth the arguments that many "MK" character endings are not canon; many previous endings had been neglected in developing the story to date. Another argument was the great difference in heights of the characters, Shao Kahn being much taller than Reiko. Also given is an episode of "" in which Reiko and Shao Kahn are seen together. On top of that, used as evidence was Ed Boon's confirmation that the two were not the same. [cite web | title= Ed Boon MortalKombat.com Chat | publisher = [http://www.mortalkombatonline.com/ Mortal Kombat Online] | date=2001-04-11 | url= http://www.mortalkombatonline.com/content/kom/transcripts/EdBoon_04-11-2001.html | accessdate=2007-01-22]

In truth, little thought was put in either version of Reiko's ending. His original ending, in which he simply walked into a portal and disappears, was created as a joke, nothing more. As the home versions were released, it was decided Reiko's joke ending was not funny, and the extra scene in which Reiko dons Shao Kahn's mask was added to give an element of mystery to the character. [cite web | title= Ed Boon DragonData.com Chat | publisher = [http://www.mortalkombatonline.com/ Mortal Kombat Online] | date=1999-09-16 | url= http://www.mortalkombatonline.com/content/kom/transcripts/EdBoon_09-16-1999.html | accessdate=2007-01-22]

Because the Game Boy Color version of the game lacked FMV endings, the developer, Digital Eclipse, was forced to elaborate on Reiko's ending and its meaning on their own. Therefore, they followed on Reiko's extended ending mentioning his quest to conquer Earth. [ [http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/gbc/a/mk4rei.htm Reiko's Ending] . "Mortal Kombat 4" (GBC version), Digital Eclipse, 1999.] But because not even the makers of Reiko's extended ending were sure if he would indeed be Shao Kahn, the Game Boy ending was kept vague and non-specific. Later this ending along with the other home version endings were all put to rest with an official statement that Reiko and Shao Kahn were not the same person and never were meant to be.

' used its Konquest mode to debunk the myth that Reiko is Shao Kahn. There is a mission in which Shao Kahn sends Shujinko to give Reiko a warning, after Kahn hears a rumor that Reiko has been sneaking into his chamber to wear his helmet. Reiko tells Shujinko that he likes to wear Shao Kahn's helmet. Moreover, Reiko claims he is a commander in Shao Kahn's army. The anticlimactic nature of this explanation is probably the result of Midway poking fun at the situation. John Vogel, who is currently in charge of "Mortal Kombat's" storyline, has confirmed that Reiko and Shao Kahn are not the same person. Additionally, backwards speech given during "Deception"'s Konquest mode by male residents of Chaosrealm and Netherealm (Who are actually voiced by Vogel himself) very bluntly state, when reversed, that Reiko is not Shao Kahn. [Male Citizen"': "Reiko is not Shao Kahn, though sometimes, he secretly wears the emperor's helmet." Konquest mode (Reversed). "Mortal Kombat: Deception", Midway Games, 2004.]

Reiko's return in "" finally put the issue to rest with him and Kahn being included as separate characters. However, Reiko's attire was changed to even further resemble Kahn's, including a hammer weapon similar to Kahn's own Wrath Hammer and a special move in which Reiko charges the opponent with what appears to be a glowing energy version of Kahn's helmet covering his head, further poking fun at the fan controversy.Reiko's Bio Card. "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Premium Edition" Bonus Disc, Midway Games, 2006.] Also, his ending in this game, as stated above, can be seen as some kind of joke after the parallelism between him and Kahn, as it happens much like the way his "Mortal Kombat 4" ending does – with Reiko wearing Kahn's helmet and becoming the new sovereign of Outworld.

Appearances in other media

Television

Reiko's sole live appearance on the aforementioned "Mortal Kombat: Conquest" partially acknowledges his early video game biographies as a devout general of Shao Kahn. Though he is never seen in combat, Reiko acts as a military messenger for the Emperor, informing him of developments in Outworld that Kahn himself cannot witness firsthand from the throne. Reiko encountered the encroaching armies of Kreeya on the borders of Outworld and engaged in their destruction while fighting Kreeya's Amazonian forces. [cite web | title = Episode 16 - "Kreeya" | work = Mortal Kombat: Conquest Episode Guide | publisher = [http://www.mkcsite.com/ The Mortal Kombat Conquest Site] | url = http://www.mkcsite.com/episodes.php?id=20 | accessdate = 2007-01-28 ] Reiko was one of the few warriors unshakably loyal to Shao Kahn, swearing fealty on the Emperor's sword and threatening death by his hand to anyone who betrayed Kahn. [cite web | title = Episode 20 - "Balance of Power" | work = Mortal Kombat: Conquest Episode Guide | publisher = [http://www.mkcsite.com/ The Mortal Kombat Conquest Site] | url = http://www.mkcsite.com/episodes.php?id=20 | accessdate = 2007-01-28 ]

Comic books

Reiko also has a very minor one-frame appearance in the official "Mortal Kombat 4" comic that was distributed with some versions of the game. He was shown as one of the hundreds of warriors travelling to Edenia through a portal to aid Shinnok in his invasion of the realm. [Comic book reference | title= Mortal Kombat 4 Limited Edition Comic Book. | date=1998, | publisher= Midway Games]

Appearance

In every game, Reiko has large black tattoos over his eyes and his hair is both black and white. Also, his eyes are all white (Blue in "MK4").

In "MK4", Reiko wears an outfit similar to the character ninjas/assassins such as Scorpion and Sub-Zero, the outfit's color is maroon, this was used in "MKA" as his alternate costume.

In "MKA", Reiko wears an outfit similar to Shao Kahn (This may be a reference to the Reiko/Kahn fan controversery, as it was stated above), except that he wears pants. His skin is also tanned a bit and his hair is only present on the top of his head, tied back in a short ponytail or braid. In contrast to the other ninja, Reiko's new costume shows little of its origin.

Character development

Originally, Noob Saibot was to be in Reiko's place on the character selection grid for "Mortal Kombat 4". [cite web | title = MK4 Road Tour Report | publisher = [http://www.trmk.org/ The Realm of Mortal Kombat] | url = http://www.trmk.org/features/mk4report/info/info.htm | accessdate = 2007-01-22 ] It was decided that the game had too many ninjas already, which was a subject of complaint from "Mortal Kombat Trilogy", the game most immediately prior to "Mortal Kombat 4". Also, Noob Saibot was described as being too hard to see in some stages as he blended into the background very easily, so he was renamed and made into Reiko. [cite web | title= MK4 IRC Developers Chat | publisher = [http://www.trmk.org/ The Realm of Mortal Kombat] | date=1998-08-12 | url= http://www.trmk.org/features/logs/08-12-1998.txt | accessdate=2007-04-05] [cite web | title= MortalKombat.Com's Fight Night 1999 | publisher = [http://www.mortalkombatonline.com/ Mortal Kombat Online] | date=1999-08-25 | url= http://www.mortalkombatonline.com/content/kom/transcripts/EdBoon_08-25-1999.html | accessdate=2007-01-22] The outfit for Reiko was not changed from the outfit created for the Noob Saibot character model; only the character's head and spiked gauntlets were added. Home versions of "Mortal Kombat 4" included Noob Saibot as a secret character, and it can clearly be seen that the character model is virtually identical to Reiko.

With "Mortal Kombat 4s arcade release, it was hinted that Reiko shared a connection with Sareena, as was mentioned on the game's official website [cite web | url = http://www.mk4.com/mikicic/MK4_Reiko.html | title = Official "Mortal Kombat 4" Site | publisher = Midway Games | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/19980122200302/www.mk4.com/mikicic/MK4_Reiko.html | archivedate = 1998-01-22] and in the official strategy guide.cite book | last = Fink | first = James | title = Official Mortal Kombat 4 Fighter's Kompanion | publisher = Brady Publishing | date = 1998 | pages = 87 | id = ISBN 1-56686-795-9 ] This was justified by both wearing the emblem of the Brotherhood of Shadow on their clothing, a slight resemblance between the two (similar black marks on their faces and both sharing black and white hair), and that the events of "Mortal Kombat 4" mostly followed up on the events of '. However, this relationship was never developed and later forgotten as the Reiko/Kahn controversy began.

There was initially some confusion as to what weapon Reiko would use in "Armageddon". Early videos showed him using a giant sword called the Devastator [http://www.totalmortalkombat.com/mkarm/screenshots/mka_boraicho_reiko_tmk.jpg] , but a later versus screen render showed him wielding a hammer known as the Crude Hammer [http://www.totalmortalkombat.com/mkarm/screenshots/mka_reiko_frost_tmk.jpg] , similar to Shao Kahn's Wrath Hammer. However, another versus screen render released soon after this showed him holding the Devastator once again, causing question as to which was correct. Upon the release of the game, it was revealed that Reiko was indeed using the Crude Hammer as his weapon, while the Devastator, in a shorter and thinner form, was given to Fujin.

Game information

In ''s Konquest mode, in addition to appearing in Outworld regarding the mission involving Shao Kahn's helmet, Reiko also appears in Edenia. He orders the player as Shujinko to bring a secret communication to a soldier in Shao Kahn's army. [Reiko"': "Halt. I am Reiko, general of Shao Kahn's army. You will carry this document to an Outworld foot soldier near the palace, who will take it to Shao Kahn himself." Konquest mode. "Mortal Kombat: Deception", Midway Games, 2004.] Reiko is also seen as a prisoner in the background of the "Dark Prison" stage in the game.

Though this character is male, Reiko is actually a feminine Japanese name, causing another bizarre controversy. When mentioned in "Mortal Kombat 4" and "Mortal Kombat Gold", his name is clearly pronounced "REE-ko." However, Reiko is a common Japanese name which is pronounced "RAY-ko", although it is a typically female name (Hotaru is another male character in the series who uses what is normally a female Japanese name). In "Deception"'s Konquest mode, Reiko's name is pronounced "RAY-ko," causing debate among fans over how his name is meant to be pronounced. More recently, the "RAY-ko" pronunciation of his name is continued in "".

References

External links

* [http://tabmok99.mortalkombatonline.com/reikokahn.html The Kombat Pavilion] – Fan site with information on the Reiko-Kahn controversy. Ironically, due to the page being out of date, it argues against the now-canon explanation.