Mortal Kombat 1 Has Brought Back Animality Finishers, And They're Great

2 months ago 73

Although some fans have worried about the fatality-filled series’ latest entry, Mortal Kombat 1’s Khaos Reigns addition has introduced a lot of new content, through a free update and a paid expansion (albeit with a much-maligned story mode). One notable inclusion is the return of the Animality finishers—special final moves that see your fighter turn into an animal, before violently killing your opponent.

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They have all the makings of a great finisher, by being incredibly creative and disgustingly brutal. However, just like fatalities, it can be a pain to remember their notations when playing online against your friends. We’ve got you covered with a breakdown of every Animality and their correct inputs, to keep by your side.

How to Perform an Animality

Animalities haven’t been seen since the Mortal Kombat 3 games, when they were a lot tougher to perform. Here, they work the same way as fatalities—you perform a quick series of inputs at the end of the match with the “Finish Them” screen.

If you need practice, I can confirm that they work in the Fatality Training mode. Enter the pause menu and you’ll be able to see exactly how to perform them as well.

Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns Animality Input List

An alligator roaring over a body split in half for Noob Saibot’s animality.

You can find the notations for every character’s Mortal Kombat 1 Animality below, based on the Xbox controller buttons. In addition, I’ve also listed the animals the fighters turn into and more precise descriptions for correct spacing. Although each one is listed as having a mid-spacing requirement, they’re all far more lenient.

It’s worth noting that this list currently covers characters up to the first half of Kombat Pack 2. The last three in the pack are all guest fighters that we assume will be released individually over time. It stands to reason that they’ll roll out with Animalities, considering the guest fighters from Kombat Pack 1 were updated with these new finishers along with this huge update.

Ready? Here goes:

Ashrah - NetherRazzle

Input: Back, Forward, Down, A
Range: Mid-Far. A majority of these finishers fall into this category. If you want a more precise explanation, you can trigger it anywhere on the screen as long as you’re about a backdash away from your opponent.

Ashrah turns into a Winged Unicorn to stab her opponent and breathe rainbow fire at them. It’s arguably one of the best Animalities on this list.

Baraka - Tranquil Demise

Input: Back, Down, Down, Y
Range: Mid-Far

If you’ve ever wondered how scary a gigantic Porcupine with equally giant quills would be, here’s your answer.

Cyrax - Buzz Kill

Input: Forward, Back, Forward, Back
Range: Anywhere. The first three Kombat Pack 2 fighters can trigger their animalities anywhere on the screen. We’ll have to wait and see if the remaining fighters also have this slight privilege.

As a yellow-themed cyborg who can use a buzzing saw, it makes sense for her to turn into a buzzing Yellowjacket. This is one of the easiest to land since it can be performed from anywhere.

Ermac - We Are Locusts

Input: Down, Back, Down, Back
Range: Mid-Far

Nothing is more fitting to represent a vessel of multiple souls than a horde of hungry Locusts.

General Shao - Bear Necessities

Input: Back, Down, Down, B
Range: Mid-Far

Someone had to get a Bear, and it was General Shao. Trigger this to see a very well-modeled Bear horrifically murder someone.

Geras - Hippo-Kritical

Input: Back, Forward, Down, Forward
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Hippo

One of the most dangerous animals in the world certainly deserves to be featured. Geras transforming into a hungry, hungry Hippo was one of the first Animalities to be revealed.

Havik - No Laughing Matter

Input: Back, Down, Down, A
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Hyena

Whether it’s an anarchist version or a lover of chaos, there’s no denying that Havik meshes well as a Hyena.

Homelander - Let Freedom Wing

Input: Back, Forward, Down, B
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Griffin

Superheroes deserve a bit extra, which is why Homelander turns into an Americanized Griffin. Don’t worry though, it still has his laser eyes.

Johnny Cage - Open The Beaches

Input: Back, Forward, Back, Forward
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Shark

Johnny Cage is all about movie references, and his Animality allows him to embody Jaws as a Shark. It’s not the most brutal finisher, but the setup and reference are top-tier.

Kenshi - Wolf It Down

Input: Down, Down, Down, X
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Wolf

Kenshi and his ancestor within Sento turn into Wolves before viciously tearing their prey apart.

Kitana - Royal Nectar

Input: Down, Down, Forward, Down
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Hummingbird

A Princess of Outworld ought to turn into a pretty animal, which is why her Animality is a terrifyingly large Hummingbird. Her poking the opponent until they turn into a flesh-flower-blood-fountain is pretty cool.

Kung Lao - Ti-Gore

Input: Forward, Back, Down, Y
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Tiger

Kung Lao transforms into a tiger that bites off faces and rips out spines.

Li Mei - UnBearable

Input: Down, Back, Down, X
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Panda

If you thought we were done with bears, you were thankfully wrong. Li Mei becomes a giant panda that just wants to sit down and enjoy a human arm snack.

Liu Kang - Rising Phoenix

A large colorful bird rises into the air during Liu Kang’s animality.

Input: Down, Back, Down, Y
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Phoenix

It might feel strange for Liu Kang to not be a dragon, but turning into a Phoenix makes sense for this god.

Mileena - Maneater

Input: Forward, Down, Down, B
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Orchid mantis

Just like her sister, Mileena transforms into a pretty animal for a vicious kill. Animal Crossing won’t feel the same after you see a giant orchid mantis chew through someone’s head.

Nitara - Bat’s All, Folks

Input: Forward, Down, Down, A
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Bat

Not all of these can subvert expectations. Nitara stays true to herself by becoming a gigantic bat.

Noob Saibot - See You Later…

Input: Back, Down, Back, Down
Range: Anywhere
Animal: Alligator

Similar to Kenshi, Noob Saibot’s Animality features an animal and a spectral copy. Fans of the character’s Make a Wish fatality from Mortal Kombat (2011) will love this reenactment with two alligators.

Omni-Man - Hail Mary

Input: Forward, Back, Forward, Down
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Kaiju

Straight from the Invincible series, Omni-Man becomes Hail Mary, the large kaiju monster that serves as an actual threat to him.

Quan Chi - T-Rekt

Input: Back, Down, Down, B
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: T-Rex

Quan Chi puts his own spin on the necessary dinosaur appearance by turning into a skeletal tyrannosaurus rex.

Peacemaker - Proud To Be Eagly-merican

Input: Back, Forward, Back, Down
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Eagle

Peacemaker manages to be even more patriotic than Homelander. He becomes a gun-toting eagle and works with Eagly to finish off his opponent.

Raiden - Eelectrifying

Input: Down, Back, Down, B
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Eel

One of two Animalities to be used by the same fighter from Mortal Kombat 3, Raiden transforms into a thematically appropriate electric eel.

Rain - Allergic Reaction

Input: Forward, Back, Down, Back
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Pufferfish

In another case of an animal being too damn big, Rain turns into a pufferfish and expands inside his opponent. Could be worse—could have been a The Boys character.

Reiko - Ram-page

Input: Forward, Down, Down, X
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Ram

Just like the headstrong jobber he is, Reiko morphs into a ram and keeps charging forward.

Reptile - Feed Me, Syzoth

Input: Down, Down, Back, B
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Er, venus flytrap?

Fans of Little Shop of Horrors will love Reptile becoming a large venus flytrap that needs to feed.

A large scorpion menacingly posing behind a man cut in half.

Scorpion - Does It Sting?

Input: Forward, Down, Down, B
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Scorpion

The spear-throwing ninja of the series was absent in the initial third entry, with another character turning into a scorpion for their Animality. Mortal Kombat 1 makes things right by having him transform into his animal namesake.

Sektor - Horn To Be Wild

Input: Back, Forward, Back, Forward
Range: Anywhere
Animal: Rhino

Sektor becomes an unstoppable rhino that gores and drags its prey away before smashing it to pieces.

Shang Tsung - With A Twissst

Input: Forward, Back, Down, A
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Cobra

In another instance of a returning Animality, Shang Tsung naturally ends up embodying a gigantic cobra once again.

Sindel - Terror-antula

Input: Back, Down, Down, B
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Spider

The scream queen transforms into an unnervingly gigantic spider. Thanks, I hate it.

Smoke - Killer Kong

Input: Down, Forward, Down, RT
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Gorilla

Smoke shows why you shouldn’t mess with a gorilla, by breaking his opponent in half through the jaw.

Sub-Zero - Mammoth Mash

Input: Down, Forward, Down, Forward
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Wooly mammoth

Sub-Zero brings ice-age vibes by turning into a very angry wooly mammoth.

An octopus floats underwater during Takeda’s animality finisher.

Takeda - Ten-Tickles

Input: Back, Forward, Back, Down
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Octopus

In a likely reference to the Kove stage fatality in Mortal Kombat X, Takeda becomes a giant octopus that drags its prey into the water.

Tanya - Kills R Us

Input: Down, Back, Down, Back
Range: Mid-Far
Animal: Giraffe

Last, but certainly not least, is Tanya morphing into a giraffe and repeatedly slamming the opponent onto the ground.

Whether you’re trying to disrespect your friend online, or want to look cool and land the finisher without pausing the game, come back to this Mortal Kombat 1 Animality list anytime you need a refresher. These are some of the best-looking and most creative fatalities added yet, so it would be a waste to not use them.