Shang Tsung

"Your soul is mine!"

- Shang Tsung's Battle Cry in Mortal Kombat (2011) A powerful, deadly sorcerer and villain, Shang Tsung is a shapeshifter who needs to consume souls in order to sustain his health and life. He is the epitome of cunning and decadence, as symbolized by his preference for lavish parties, grand palaces, and stylish clothing. Unlike the crude Shao Kahn, this bombast is a façade, disguising Tsung's true intellectual and mental sophistication. His arch-nemesis is Liu Kang, but throughout his unnatural lifespan, he has earned the hatred of many others, including Kung Lao and Kenshi.

Shang Tsung's allegiance to Shao Kahn granted him the status of a free roaming sorcerer. As such, he is able to move between realms without detection by the Elder Gods or local deities, an ability which has granted him many opportunities to commit atrocities over the centuries. Only Delia, Shinnok, Shao Kahn, and Quan Chi can match Shang Tsung's skills as a sorcerer.

Appearance
Shang Tsung initially had the appearance of a decrepit old man. His skin was pale with long, balding white hair, a beard and mustache, with dangling thin fingers and long fingernails. He wore robes with shades of blue and yellow and had a katana holstered at his side at all times. Recently, he regains his youth, though with varying degrees. His skin returns to a natural tint and is depicted with long black hair. As with his older persona, he shares featureless white eyes.

Powers and abilities
As mentioned above, Shang Tsung was cursed by mysterious entities identified only as his gods. The curse forcibly decreases his lifespan, unless he takes the souls of others to replenish himself. Shang Tsung's primary objective is to find an infinite source of souls on which to thrive indefinitely. Without souls, his body will rapidly age, wither, and eventually die.

However, due to his ability to absorb souls, he has also discovered an unforeseen side effect, granting him the ability to shapeshift into the people whose souls he has taken. The change is more than skin deep as he has access to their memories and powers as well. Shang Tsung is not required to steal a person's soul in order to morph into them, as he took on the form of Kung Lao to sneak up on Liu Kang. As a sorcerer, Shang Tsung wields incredible black magic, most of it provided by Shao Kahn though after the third and second tournaments, this is no longer the case. It would appear that he, when paired with Quan Chi, was able to defeat the Thunder God of Earth, Raiden.

Like his rival, Liu Kang, he is associated with the element of fire, able to fire flaming skull-shaped projectiles at his opponent. In addition to his projectiles, he has the ability to create a giant, flaming cobra of fire that easily defeated Raiden. Shang Tsung could teleport using pools of fire. He can also use his element of fire for sorcery and black magic, such as his ability to create portals. He has a hidden, demonic form.

Additionally, Shang possesses knowledge of genetics, having created such biological abominations as Mileena and Meat in his Flesh Pits.

Signature moves

 * Morphing: Shang Tsung assumes the shape of anyone in the game. In the second and third games, he couldn't morph into the bosses. (Although in Mortal Kombat II, as a fatality, he could briefly morph into Kintaro to punch the opponent in half.) In Trilogy, he could morph into anyone in the PSX, Saturn, and PC versions only. In the Amiga versions of Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II, Tsung's morph is limited to that of the character he is fighting against. In Deadly Alliance, he can morph into anyone on the Game Boy Advance ports only. In MK 2011, he uses the Soul Steal to morph into his opponent. As the sub-boss in MK 2011 ' s Arcade Ladder, Shang Tsung can morph into two of the fighters the player has fought until him. (MK, MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK:DA, MK:TE, MK:SM, MK 2011)
 * Flaming Skulls: Shang Tsung sends a fiery skull at his opponent. In the first game, he could throw up to six. In the other games it is one, two, or three only. In MK 2011 this is called Fire Skull. (MK, MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK:SM, MKvsDCU, MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version of this is called Triple Skulls and fires three skulls, one after another.
 * Flaming Skull Eruption: Shang Tsung summons his fiery skulls to burst out of the ground in a series of three. In MK 2011, this is called Ground Skull and can be done from three distances: Close, Medium, and Far. (MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK:SM, MKvsDCU, MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Ground Eruption in which a Far range skull appears first, followed by a Medium range skull, and a Close range skull. The skulls will also launch the opponent towards Shang Tsung instead of away, and thus has the potential to hit the opponent with all three skulls.
 * Soul Steal: Shang Tsung steals a small portion of his opponent's life force. He also does this in Shaolin Monks in a manner similar to his Mortal Kombat II fatality. The special move version allows him to regain health should he take damage. In MK 2011, he morphs into his opponent after using this move and gets a damage boost by 33%. If Shang Tsung uses this move on Goro, Kintaro, or Shao Kahn in the Ladder mode, the player will not morph, but will still get the damage boost. (MK:DA, MK:SM, MK:A, MKvsDCU, MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Soul Capture. Shang Tsung stays as the opponent for a longer time.
 * If Shang Tsung delivers the round-winning blow with Soul Steal, a glitch will cause him to have the damage boost for the rest of the rounds.
 * Forward Fireball: Shang Tsung shoots a fireball at his opponent. (MK:DA, MK:A)
 * Fire Ring: Shang Tsung shoots a fireball from each hand. The two fireballs come together in a circle-like process, hitting the opponent at close or far range. (MK:DA, MK:A)
 * Mysterious Magic: Shang Tsung glows with a green aura, and runs toward the opponent, suddenly disappearing just before reaching them, and reappearing right behind them to strike with a low sliding kick. (MK:A)
 * Body Switch: With a gesture of his magic, Shang Tsung will switch sides of the screen with the opponent, which can be considered a form of teleportation. (MKvsDCU)
 * Slide Launch: Shang Tsung does a slide kick that trips the opponent, then launches them into the air. (MKvsDCU)
 * Hot Escape: He digs into the ground and erupts at his opponent as a means of teleportation. (MKvsDCU)
 * Up Skull: Shang Tsung throws a skull upwards hitting the opponent from mid-air. This can be done from three distances: Above, Behind, and In Front. This move is similar to Sektor's Up Missile. (MKvsDCU, MK 2011)
 * The enhanced version is called Skull Storm and fires three skulls, one for each of the three distances and they all come down at the same time.
 * X-Ray Move - Your Soul is Mine: Shang Tsung magically drains a portion of the soul out of his opponent, showing only the muscles due to the soul taken from the skin (and the ribs broken due to his hands inside the opponent's chest), then knees his/her skull causing it to break. (MK 2011)

Other Moves

 * Free-Fall Super Move: Shang Tsung floors his opponent with a massive fireball. (MKvsDCU)
 * Throw: Shang Tsung grabs his opponent by the throat and drains a portion of his or her life force. He then flings the opponent away either forwards or backwards. This attack restores a very small amount of Shang Tsung's health. (MK 2011)

Fatalities

 * Soultaker: Shang Tsung consumes the soul of his opponent, leaving behind a shrunken corpse. In MKII, he would simply grab his opponent, whilst in MK3, he would levitate them instead. In MK:DA, he would levitate his victim and slam them onto the ground three times before jumping on top of them, each time extracting a part of their soul. In MKvsDCU, he transforms into his victim first, picks them up by the back of the neck, consumes the soul, then throws them to the floor before reverting back to normal. In MK 2011, this move has been downgraded to a throw. (MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MKDA, MKvsDCU)
 * Inner Ear: Shang Tsung enters his opponent's body. The body violently shakes until it explodes as Shang appears in the opponent's place. (MKII)
 * Kintaro Morph: Shang Tsung morphs into Kintaro and punches the upper half of the opponent's body clear across the stage. (MKII)
 * Bed of Nails: Shang Tsung makes a bed of spikes rise out of the ground and he slams his dazed opponent into them. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
 * Back Breaker: In a variation to the Soultaker Fatality, Shang Tsung grabs his opponent and consumes their soul before throwing their body to the ground. He then stomps on their back, breaking their spine. (MKvsDCU)
 * Bang Bang!: Parodying The Joker's first MK vs. DCU Fatality, Shang Tsung transforms into an evil looking clown, takes out a gun and fires, but it is fake and instead a flag with the word 'Bang!' comes out of the gun. He drops it and starts to laugh. With the opponent in a bit of a shock, anger and confusion, he then pulls out a real gun and shoots the opponent in the head, blowing the head to pieces, and then proceeds to laugh maniacally. (MK 2011)
 * Identity Theft: Shang Tsung enters his opponent's body through magic and makes the opponent rip off their own head; this is almost identical to Liu Kang's 'Soul Invasion' Fatality (the only differences being Tsung's head does not appear after the opponent removes their own head and he exits their body once the deed is done). (MK 2011)

Mortal Kombat (film)

 * "Your brother's soul is mine! You will be next!" (Points to Liu Kang, in a dream.)
 * "You killed her partner, didn't you? She'll follow you into Hell. Just make sure she's on that boat. Sonya Blade must be at the tournament." (to Kano)
 * I'm impressed. But it is my boat and if you'd like a tour, I'd love to give it to you myself. (to Sonya Blade)
 * "If you so much as touch her, Kano... you're going to need a seeing eye dog."
 * "Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Deadliest of enemies. But slaves under my power."
 * "Lord Raiden. How good of you to grace us with your... presence..."
 * "You've been chosen, Sonya. Much to my... delight."
 * "It has begun!" (He looks up towards the sky as he says these words.)
 * "Princess Kitana... She's our most dangerous adversary. Watch her carefully, Reptile. Keep her away from these humans."
 * "Welcome. You're here to compete in Mortal Kombat. Tomorrow morning, the great Kombat begins. Some of you will even have the distinct honor... and pleasure... to face Prince Goro, our reigning champion. You are all witnesses to one of the greatest turning points in the history of your planet. Treasure these moments... as if they were your last. And now for a taste of things to come..." (Welcoming the kombatants to the tournament)
 * "Flawless victory." (After Sub-Zero easily kills one of the guards by freezing the guard.)
 * "It's true, Prince Goro. Why else would I have chosen such a disreputable looking cretin? Look at him. No dignity. No manners. Yet in the realm of Earth, men like him can amass great wealth and almost god-like power." (to Goro, about Kano)
 * "After you've fought the girl. But remember. She's not to be harmed. Only humiliated. I have plans for my beautiful Sonya." (To Kano)
 * "The emperor will not tolerate failure. And neither will I." (To Goro)
 * "From this moment on, my Island will be your battleground. Liu Kang, you will be first! Let Mortal Kombat begin!"
 * "Your soul is mine!" (Before taking the defeated Fighting Monk's soul away as the Monk begs for his life.)
 * "Fatality." (after taking the soul of the Fighting Monk)
 * "Sonya Blade, I have something for you, my dear..." (Sonya looks towards him, and says she doesn't want it.)
 * "On the contrary, I have something you want very much. You can thank me later." (just before Kano enters the arena)
 * "Yessss." (as Sonya gains the upper hand against Kano)
 * "Kitana! That's enough! You disappoint me... Not very wise." (when Kitana deliberately allows Liu Kang to defeat her)
 * "We've let these humans win enough." (to Goro)
 * "Finish him!" (Ordering Goro to kill Art Lean, to which his does by bashing Art's head with a closed fist.)
 * "Flawless victory. Your soul is mine." (Taking Art Lean's soul.)
 * "Are you that eager to die?" (Response to Johnny Cage's demand to fight Goro.)
 * "As you wish. As absurd as your request is, I shall grant it. In return, I reserve the right to challenge the winner myself. Or another of my choosing. In a place designated by me for the final battle of the tournament." (to Johnny Cage)
 * "Finish him, quickly. Pay me my tribute." (To Goro)
 * "You imbecile! Follow him! Finish him!" (To Goro)
 * "I hereby exercise my right to challenge. I challenge... her!" (about Sonya)
 * "We had a deal, remember? Mortal Kombat continues. I am simply changing the place. As we agreed." (taking himself and Sonya to Outworld)
 * "Sonya. My sweet Sonya. There's no one else. If you don't fight, the Realm of Earth will forfeit the Tournament and its portals will open to out great Empreror."
 * "One last chance, Sonya. Fight me in Mortal Kombat."
 * "How dare you speak to me of treachery!" (To Kitana)
 * "Johnny Cage! I challenge you!" (Lin Kang, cuts in and demands that Shang Tsung, fights him instead.)
 * "I accept." (To Liu Kang's challenge)
 * "Leave us! I will take care of this impudent mortal myself."
 * "You fool!" (After Liu Kang drops an elbow, knocking him to the ground, he then spits on the floor.)
 * "Liu Kang! I can see into your soul. You - will - die!" (He points at Lin Kang.)
 * "You're mine!" (To Liu Kang)
 * "They are mine... forever!" (When Liu Kang orders him to free the souls)
 * "Save your pity for the weak!" (To Liu Kang)
 * "NEVER!" (Final stand against Liu Kang, in which he charges towards him and gets punched around.)

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks

 * "Do you trust me?" (Posing as Raiden, approaching Liu Kang and Kung Lao as they spar)
 * "Listen to my words as you continue your exercises, for you will need to remember them later. Shang Tsung is not as defeated as we had hoped. I faced him while you fought the attacking mutants. More, I believe he now defies the Elder Gods themselves. Baraka could not have come with a legion of mutant scum had Shang Tsung not been aiding him. With his defeat in the Mortal Kombat tournament, he will be anxious to prove himself superior to you, and take his vengeance. This will make him reckless and more dangerous than ever." (Posing as Raiden, speaking to Liu Kang and Kung Lao)
 * "I had hoped you had time to heal your wounds in the tournament... but I was gravely mistaken." (Posing as Raiden, speaking to Liu Kang and Kung Lao)
 * "You must go to Outworld. We must take the battle there if we are to save Earth." (Posing as Raiden, luring Liu Kang and Kung Lao to Outworld)
 * ''"You waste my time. Your souls aren't even worthy additions to my power. Kill them! (To Liu Kang and Kung Lao, before ordering Shadow Priests to kill them)

Mortal Kombat (2011)

 * "Your soul is mine!" (Battle Cry)
 * "Kombatants. I am Shang Tsung! In the coming days each of you will fight. Some are here of their own volition, others were brought here by chance."
 * "You participate in the most important Mortal Kombat in history! This tournament, the tenth after nine Outworld victories, will determine Earthrealm's fate. If you defeat all of your opponents, you will face one final challenge... me."
 * "Appearances can be deceiving." (after appearing near Johnny Cage)
 * "Our first kombatant will be Mr. Cage!"
 * "Reptile!" (Summoning Reptile as a challenge for Johnny Cage)
 * "Your second challenge, Mr. Cage. Baraka!"
 * "Congratulations, Mr. Cage. Now, FINISH HIM!" (after Johnny Cage defeats Baraka)
 * "Very well. The tournament will resume at dawn." (when Johnny Cage refuses to kill Baraka)
 * "Miss Blade. You do not disappoint. I have been expecting you."
 * "On the contrary, you are very much a kontestant. You will face Sub-Zero, of the Lin Kuei clan of assassins." (to Sonya)
 * "You aided their escape." (to Raiden, after Sonya and Jax escape)
 * "They will not get far." (to Raiden)
 * "You have a challenger - Kano." (to Sonya)
 * "Kano is not your prisoner." (to Sonya, after she defeats Kano)
 * "Scorpion! Specter of the Netherrealm! Resurrected by the sorcerer Quan Chi! Who among you is worthy of this challenge?"
 * "An impressive start." (after Scorpion defeats Kung Lao and Nightwolf)
 * "You will fight Sub-Zero soon enough." (to Scorpion)
 * "A challenge! Scorpion versus Cyrax and Sektor!"
 * "You were speaking with the Thunder God. Your indiscretion has jeopardized my plan." (to Cyrax)
 * "Kombatants! I present this latest creation of Shao Kahn. He is many warriors, their souls fused into one being. Behold... Ermac!"
 * "Kombatants! Only one Earthrealm warrior remains: The Shaolin Liu Kang. Is he ready to bear such a heavy burden? Earthrealm's fate is in his hands. Your opponent will be... Scorpion!"
 * "Fighting with Scorpion... the sorcerer Quan Chi!"
 * "Liu Kang... it has been years since an Earthrealm warrior has progressed this far. But the reigning champion is far beyond your ability. To the Lair with you!"
 * "So be it!" (when Liu Kang challenges him to Mortal Kombat)
 * "I concede." (after being defeated by Liu Kang)
 * "My lord! All is not lost!" (to Shao Kahn)
 * "But what if the rules were changed?" (pleading with Shao Kahn to spare his life)
 * "The emperor has an offer, Raiden. A new tournament."
 * "The emperor proposes a single tournament, to replace the current system of ten. It will be held in Outworld. If Earthrealm does not win, Outworld will absorb it. But if Earthrealm wins, Shao Kahn will abandon his claim to it forever."
 * "Ah! The Earthrealm delegation has arrived. And we have a volunteer for First Kombat!"
 * "Jackson Briggs! You will face... Baraka!"
 * "Tell me, Major Briggs, do you and she do anything other than rescue one another?" (when Jax demands to know where Sonya is)
 * "Your next opponent will be...  What is it? Excellent. It seems I have a pressing matter to attend to. With the Emperor's permission we will re-convene later." (To Jax but reptile interupts baring important information)
 * "You may tell your fellow Black Dragon that I am very interested in your merchandise." (to Kano)
 * "Despite his failure at my tournament, I'll wager he was more powerful than you, Lin Kuei." (to Smoke, after assuming the form of the elder Sub-Zero)
 * "Let us see if smoke can freeze." (in the form of the elder Sub-Zero)
 * "No one makes demands of the emperor! Reptile!" (when the younger Sub-Zero demands he be allowed to challenge Scorpion)
 * "Who now interrupts the emperor's tournament?!" (when Lin Kuei cyborgs teleport into the arena to capture Sub-Zero)
 * "That is no way to treat your sibling." (after Kitana defeats Mileena)
 * "I am merely perfecting you, princess. As difficult as that might be."
 * "On that we agree." (to Quan Chi)
 * "I cannot believe... Earthrealm has won." (after Liu Kang defeats Shao Kahn)
 * "Mileena? She exists only because of my sorcery." (when Baraka states that Mileena should be the new ruler of Outworld)
 * "Emperor, I-" (when Shao Kahn unexpectedly shows up alive)
 * "Invasion?!" (reacting to Quan Chi's suggestion)
 * "Yes, Emperor?" (last words before Shao Kahn sacrifices him to increase Sindel's power)

Trivia

 * Shang Tsung's Battle Cry originated from the Mortal Kombat movie and the TV series Mortal Kombat: Conquest.
 * In Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance ' s Konquest mode, it is revealed that one of the souls he consumed during his tournaments was that of the samurai Muso Gonnosuke.
 * Shaolin Monks, Deadly Alliance, Armageddon and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe are the only games where the Soul Steal allows Shang Tsung to regain health.
 * Shang Tsung used his Morphing and Flaming Skulls during the intro of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, but they are not present in the game.
 * In Mortal Kombat II, Shang Tsung had 2 different win poses, in the arcade and earlier home versions of the game Shang Tsung had a normal win pose where he would just stand but in the Sega 32X (after completing the game) and Saturn versions it was found out that Tsung had a laughing animation during his win pose.
 * In Mortal Kombat 3, occasionally, Shang Tsung appears on the Master tournament ladder twice.
 * Tsung's alternate outfit from Deadly Alliance is based from the time he was champion of Mortal Kombat before the Great Kung Lao defeated him (Mortal Kombat official comic).
 * In MK (2011), Shang Tsung has his MK old man look as his alternate costume, to the point when his voice changes to his older tone when used in game.
 * Shang Tsung is the only character who appears in all of the 2-D games that is absent from Mortal Kombat 4. However Shinnok's Impersonate move shares some of Shang Tsung's abilities, though impling that Tsung is a sorcerer and Shinnok is an Elder God.
 * A recurring animal motif for this character is cobras. Shang Tsung's Animality in MK3 is a cobra, and in the MK Deception intro he unleashed a huge flame in the form of a cobra to knock out Raiden. His primary outfit in MK 2011 also has cobras designed in his shoulders, back and belt.
 * Shang Tsung appears on a movie poster during Johnny Cage's ending in Deadly Alliance.
 * Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe reveals that Shang is accompanied by two women, who appear to be lovers. However, the game isn't canon.
 * Minus the clown model, his "Bang Bang!" fatality in MK 2011 is identical to, and could be perhaps perceived as a parody of The Joker's "Killing Joke" fatality from Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, due to its censorship in North America, such as the headshot here being considerably more violent than the Joker's fatality. It should be noted that in the Fatality Trainer, when the fatality is introduced, it mentions Tsung having "picked up some tricks from an old foe". Officially, of course, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe remains non-canon.
 * Up until MK 2011, Shang Tsung's elderly form remained unplayable as it was eliminated ever since MKII.
 * In his MK (2011) Ladder ending, Shang Tsung is taught a move to defeat Liu Kang, who has become villainous, reversing the roles of hero and villain, though Tsung's motivations are based purely on revenge.
 * In MKII there's a color palette swapping glitch which occur when there's a Shang Tsung Mirror Match. The glitch start out that if both players or CPU choose Shang Tsung as their character, while in battle the first Tsung to morph into another character will reset the color palette back to default. If the second Tsung also morph into another character other than the one the first Tsung morph into, the palette will stay default. If the second Tsung morph into the same character that the first Tsung morph into, then that character palette will be the alternate color palette. Only the Tsung who had the default palette and the first to revert back to normal would be the default color Shang Tsung, the second Tsung to revert back would be the alternate color Shang Tsung. This minor glitch often cause confusion to players during a multiplayer battle due to the palette swap when morphing, this was fix in the sequels. In MK3, Ultimate MK3, and MK Trilogy if Player 1's Shang Tsung morph into another character, he would use that character's default color palette, if Player 2's Shang Tsung morph into another character (whether if they are the same character as the one Player 1 morph into or not), that character would appear in their alternate color outfit regardless which solved the problem of the palette swapping glitch.
 * In MK (2011)'s Story Mode, after Quan Chi tells Kung Lao that "no Earthrealm boy could stop this Deadly Alliance", Shang Tsung said that "on that we agree". This implies that they normally do not get along.
 * In some background material, however, their disagreements have not stopped their dealings with one another from being mutually beneficial. In the instruction manual for Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, there is a reference to Quan Chi learning of the location to the Map of Elements from none other than Shang Tsung. As it turns out, Shang Tsung gained the knowledge from consuming the soul of The Great Kung Lao.
 * Though Shang Tsung could not morph into a hidden character until that character was unlocked, the Sega Genesis and Saturn versions of MK3 and UMK3 allowed him to morph into characters that many other versions lack. Characters like Smoke, Rain, and Noob Saibot.
 * MK (2011) was the only game to mention Shang Tsung's origin. His bio states that he is originally from Earthrealm and discovered a portal to Outworld.
 * Shang Tsung is the only character in MK 2011 whose throw move heals him.
 * In a Top 10 list hosted by Screwattack.com, Shang Tsung was placed at #7 of the bearded characters in video games.
 * In MK (2011), Shang Tsung appears to bleed red but whenever it stains on someone, it appears as a pitch black color. Whether this is intentional or a glitch is unknown.
 * In MK (2011), Shang Tsung frequently precedes many of his special attacks, including all his fatalities, with the phrase "你现在死!", which means "you die now" in Chinese.
 * Tsung was originally supposed to have a Fatality in the original Mortal Kombat where he beheads the opponent with the katana at his side. Due to recent hacking, it was discovered that the sprites for this still exists within the ROM.