Mortal Kombat 1/Liu Kang

Liu Kang
Base Health	1000.00
Availability

Introduction

God of Fire

"Having won control of the Hourglass, Liu Kang restarted history. He neutralized the threats and dangers that had come before, crafting a New Era in which all beings would have the opportunity to find peace. But that peace is now threatened by an enemy that Liu Kang could never have anticipated. It will take all of his wisdom and experience to save not only Earthrealm, but all of reality."

The long-time protagonist of the Mortal Kombat franchise returns as the Shoto/All-Rounder archetype of the game, boasting several fireballs, a jump-invulnerable DB4 anti-air (with the EX version gaining full invulnerability and becoming jump-cancellable), and two different advancing kick attacks in the form of his EX BF4 (armor reversal) and his BF3 (which triggers his klassic flying kick after a fullscreen projectile on hit or block). Although his mid-range presence is weaker, his fast mobility and pressure/safety up-close further enhance his versatility and accessibility, making him an ideal choice for learning how to play the game while staying powerful at all skill levels; some of his close-range tools include a 6f jab with an autoshimmy string, a safe 10f Mid (B2) with safe launch and knockdown options, and a safe 14f F4 normal that hits as a fast double-Mid and can be continued with F43 to be used as an easy stagger/hit-confirm. Liu Kang can synergize with various Kameos that both allow him to convert into kombos from his Back Throw and enhance his zoning capabilities (i.e. Motaro, Lao, Khameleon). He can cover the ground with High BF1 (EX projectile-invulnerable Mid) and Low DB1 fireballs while (Air) BF1 rapidly throws 5 fireballs to control the air.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Godlike Buttons: The God of Fire privileges himself with a 6-frame S1 and launching 10-frame B23, making him especially dangerous up close;
Staggers for Days: Pressuring with S1, 22, B2, and F434 keep his opponent guessing between strike and throw, the latter being especially dangerous when...
Throw Crumple: Kameos like Kung Lao, Motaro and Khameleon let him kombo from his Back Throw by interrupting its animation to technically cause a crumple state;
Explosive Damage: Kang's kombo damage is quite high for relatively simple execution; adding Fatal Blow makes breaking 50% HP midscreen almost trivial.
Classic Fireball Game: A high fireball, a low fireball and air fireballs can stymie opponents attempting to approach him, with the Enhanced regular fireball going from High to Mid in case his opponent is too comfortable with ducking it;
Absurd Antiairs: Liu Kang completes his fireball game with a pair of exceptional grounded antiairs: the best antiair standing jab in the game, and an air-immune teleport that shrinks his hurtbox into the ground and bounces airborne enemies for a kombo.

Stumpy: Liu Kang's shorter limbs make playing footsies difficult for him; expect to use B4 a lot in neutral;
No Schmix: While exceptional in strike/throw, Liu Kang is decidedly lacking in overhead-low mixups; he lacks a Low kombo starter button or string, and his fastest available overhead is his S32, which hits in 29 frames and does not allow for a kombo.