'Mortal Kombat 1' Interviews with Co-Creator and Voice Actors at SDCC

At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, NetherRealm Studios celebrated Mortal Kombat 1 with a panel announcing their new expansion, Khaos Reigns. Among those in attendance for the panel were NetherRealm Studios Chief Creative Officer and Co-Creator of Mortal Kombat 1, Ed Boon, Sub-Zero voice actor Kaiji Tang, and newly-announced Sektor voice actor Erika Ishii. We spoke with them about being involved in this iconic franchise.

Mortal Kombat 1 Interviews at San Diego Comic-Con

Mortal Kombat 1 is one year old! At SDCC, NetherRealm Studios discussed year 2 and their newest expansion, Khaos Reigns. Kaiji Tang plays the role of Sub-Zero as both Bi-Han and Noob Saibot. Erika Ishii is playing Sektor, a legacy character.

Kaiji Tang plays the role of characters in a number of fighting games, but nothing quite like this. He discusses voicing two very different versions of the same character.

“Bi-Han, as grumpy as he is, he truly believes in what he’s doing. So, in his eyes, he’s not a villain. He’s just doing it for the boys! Noob Saibot is basically Bi-Han without the guilt. Guilt-free Bi-Han! Right? He’s embraced his lust for power. He’s going after it…It’s always fun being able to voice a villain that, you know, that has thrown aside the moral quandaries and has just embraced his fate.”

Erika Ishii talks about growing up playing the games. Joining the team as a legacy character is a dream of theirs come true. Furthermore, this is a completely new version of Sektor. Erika talks about bringing this version to life.

“It’s interesting because I got to sort of honor the legacy and the lore of the old Sektor. But, really, also give something completely different to this one. And I do martial arts. I grew up playing Mortal Kombat. So, it was really a dream for me to get to try and find her.”

mortal kombat 1 panel — Photo taken by Myles Obenza

Ed Boon, Chief Creative Officer at NeatherRealm Studios, says that panels at these conventions are a great way to announce what’s coming for the game. He let us know that the creative team behind the game asked themselves what we asked: What does it look like to create a new game in a universe that has been around for so long?

“It was 30 years of telling a story that just went for a lot of chapters. And we really felt like it was time to just kind of reset things. Start telling a new story. We did want to keep these characters that players loved and are just, you know, iconic and kind of remember. But, we wanted to tell them in a brand new story.”

Khaos Reigns is coming September 24th.

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Maddie Morrow

Maddie Morrow (she/they) plays a vital role on the Temple of Geek Team. As a jack-of-all-trades and Creative Director, she actively participates in nearly every project and facet of the organization. From fostering community and interviewing on red carpets, to managing backend operations, Maddie contributes across almost every department. Find her on Instagram and TikTok at @maddie_whovian and on Twitter @mad_whovian
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Maddie Morrow

Maddie Morrow (she/they) plays a vital role on the Temple of Geek Team. As a jack-of-all-trades and Creative Director, she actively participates in nearly every project and facet of the organization. From fostering community and interviewing on red carpets, to managing backend operations, Maddie contributes across almost every department. Find her on Instagram and TikTok at @maddie_whovian and on Twitter @mad_whovian