Mortal Kombat is absolutely filled with all manner of unique fighters. However, it's undeniable that recent media in the franchise keeps stopping short when it comes to characters that entered the series past Mortal Kombat 4. After Deadly Alliance, the franchise debuted many original and memorable contestants. Since the reboot though, these fighters have only shown up sparingly as cameos or DLC. It's time that the 3D era roster returned to the series as playable warriors once again.
Even with the new timeline, it's clear these overlooked characters are still around. Mortal Kombat X featured cameos from Li Mei, Bo Rai' Cho and even Taven. On top of those, the game's prequel narrative by DC Comics had even more 3D era fighters. As well as having Chaos Realmer Havik as the main villain, the book gave us glimpses at Daegon and Shujinko while including the Kamidogu, a major plot point in Mortal Kombat Deception.
These nods and cameos are always nice to see, but it's time for something more. While NetherRealm Studios should avoid bloating the roster, several of the characters from the 3D era have enough of a following to justify a playable return. Warriors like Li Mei, Havik or Nitara were well-designed having them on the sidelines only serves to reinforce the idea that they'll remain in the past. Cameos are nice when reintroducing a universe, but eventually, the characters need to rejoin the fight.
Mortal Kombat has told the story of the first three games many times, with 2011's title serving as a remake of all of them. The reboot timeline went in a completely new direction from the old timeline, but that doesn't mean the characters from the era after that don't deserve a chance. The timeline may have changed in Raiden's attempt to avert Armageddon, but these 3D characters are still here. It would be both interesting and satisfying for the games to return to these fighters to let fans see where they've ended up.
There are even gameplay reasons to be bringing them back. These characters debuted with a style-switching combat feature. Each combatant had two fighting styles and a signature weapon style unique to them. The variation system of recent games serves as a good parallel to that, and it gives the chance to finally see these characters at work in a 2D fighter.
The cameos and mentions likely started because the developers wanted to go back to what worked after Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. It makes some sense because one cannot have every character in every game. However, now that the series has potentially reset itself once again, there's no better time to reintroduce familiar faces. These fighters' stories still fit into the new world that NetherRealm Studios has molded for the series, and if anyone can make them work out, it's the current team.
The 3D era of Mortal Kombat gave way to all sorts of character designs, and while not all of them were hits, enough were. Havik and Nitara are great examples here, both having large fan bases. Nitara's vampire race is unique, while Havik's skull face and contortionist fighting style earned him respect. Many 3D characters stand out like this and justify bringing them back in playable fashion so that fans can experience their play styles in a new way.
While not everything from the 3D era should make a return, there's absolutely enough that can be brought back to aid in forming a new experience. The 3D designs were great and their stories can still be told in new ways as well. Modern revivals could put a fresh shine on these old warriors. Whether for story, design or gameplay reasons, it's time that the 3D era characters return to Mortal Kombat.
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