Sonya Blade is a
fictional
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places
Place may refer to:
Geography
* Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population
** Census-designated place, ...
character
Character or Characters may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk
* ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
in the ''
Mortal Kombat
''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The development of the first game was originally based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a v ...
''
fighting game
A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a video game genre, genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappli ...
franchise by
Midway Games
Midway Games Inc., known previously as Midway Manufacturing and Bally Midway, and commonly known as simply Midway, was an American video game developer and publisher. Midway's franchises included ''Mortal Kombat'', ''Rampage (series), Rampage'' ...
and
NetherRealm Studios
NetherRealm Studios (stylized as NetheЯRealm Studios) is an American video game developer based in Chicago and owned by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Led by video game industry veteran and ''Mortal Kombat'' co-creator Ed Boon, the st ...
. She debuted in the
original 1992 game as the roster's sole female fighter. Inspired by martial artist
Cynthia Rothrock
Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek origin: , , "from Mount Cynthus" on Delos island. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 1600s. There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbreviated to Cindy, Cyndi, Cyndy, ...
, she is a military officer with the
Special Forces
Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
.
In the storyline of the games, Sonya becomes involved with the eponymous Mortal Kombat tournament through pursuit of her archenemy, the criminal leader
Kano
Kano may refer to:
Places
*Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria
* Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State
**Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries
**Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between ...
. She subsequently joins the warriors defending Earthrealm and establishes a government agency dedicated to battling otherworldly threats. The series' rebooted timeline also depicts her as the love interest to martial arts actor
Johnny Cage
Johnny Cage is a fictional character in the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise by Midway Games/NetherRealm Studios. Introduced in the original 1992 game, he is an action movie star with an extensive martial arts background. The series de ...
and the mother of their daughter
Cassie
Cassie is a feminine given name and a short form of various other given names mostly used in English-speaking countries. It is more rarely a surname. People and fictional characters named Cassie include:
People with the name Given name or nickna ...
.
A mainstay of the franchise, Sonya has also appeared in various media outside of the games. Reception to the character has been generally positive, with respect to her role as one of ''Mortal Kombat''s primary female fighters.
Appearances
''Mortal Kombat'' games
Sonya Blade is one of the main heroes of the ''
Mortal Kombat
''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The development of the first game was originally based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a v ...
'' series. Hailing from
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
, she is a second-generation
United States Special Forces
The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army.
The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal ...
officer who followed in the footsteps of her father, Major Herman Blade. Her impulsive personality is catalyzed by her superior and good friend Major
Jackson "Jax" Briggs. Sonya also has a long-standing feud with the criminal leader
Kano
Kano may refer to:
Places
*Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria
* Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State
**Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries
**Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between ...
, who stands for everything she despises.
In the original ''
Mortal Kombat
''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The development of the first game was originally based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a v ...
'' (1992),
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
Sonya Blade and her team pursue Kano, leader of the Black Dragon international crime organization. After he jumps aboard an old
junk in order to escape capture, Sonya and her comrades follow him to a remote island where
Shang Tsung
The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and f ...
's Mortal Kombat tournament was underway. Upon arrival, they are ambushed by Shang Tsung's personal guard and Sonya is forced to compete in order to spare her companions' lives. Shang Tsung, however, had no intention of fulfilling his end of the bargain and has her unit killed. After he is defeated by Shaolin monk
Liu Kang
Liu Kang is a character (arts), fictional player character, character in the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game series by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Depicted as Earthrealm's greatest warrior and champion, he is generally the main hero of ...
in the final battle, Sonya teams up with movie star
Johnny Cage
Johnny Cage is a fictional character in the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise by Midway Games/NetherRealm Studios. Introduced in the original 1992 game, he is an action movie star with an extensive martial arts background. The series de ...
and Kano to fight off the Shokan Prince
Goro. During the battle, the island begins to crumble and she and Kano are sent to Outworld as Shang Tsung's prisoners to appease the Outworld emperor,
Shao Kahn
Shao Kahn is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Depicted as emperor of the fictional realm Outworld, he is one of the franchise's primary villains. Feared for his immense st ...
. However, Sonya is able to send a signal to Jax from Outworld and, during the events of ''
Mortal Kombat II
''Mortal Kombat II'' is a 1993 arcade fighting game originally produced by Midway for the arcades in 1993. It was later ported to multiple home systems, including MS-DOS, Amiga, Game Boy, Game Gear, Sega Genesis, 32X, Sega Saturn, Super Nint ...
'' (1993), he travels there to find her. Jax makes contact with the other Earthrealm warriors and together they learn of Shao Kahn's scheme to invade Earth. Before and during their imprisonment meanwhile, Sonya and Kano are forced to put their differences aside and work together to survive in Outworld. She is later freed by Jax, who arrests Kano, but as soon as they pass through the portal to Earthrealm, Kano escapes and flees back to Outworld.
Sonya appears as one of a few selected Earthrealm warriors whose souls were not taken following Shao Kahn's invasion of Earth in ''
Mortal Kombat 3
''Mortal Kombat 3'' is a 1995 arcade fighting game developed by Midway Games and first released into arcades in 1995. It is the third main installment in the ''Mortal Kombat'' franchise and a sequel to 1993's ''Mortal Kombat II''. As in the prev ...
'' (1995). She re-encounters Kano on top of a skyscraper near his fortress and after a fight, hurls him off the roof to his apparent death. In ''
Mortal Kombat 4
''Mortal Kombat 4'' is a 1997 arcade fighting game and it is the fourth main installment in the ''Mortal Kombat'' franchise and a sequel to 1995's ''Mortal Kombat 3''. developed by Midway Games. Released to arcades in 1997, ''Mortal Kombat 4'' ...
'' (1997), after her journey into Outworld and Shao Kahn's near destruction of Earth, Sonya becomes a member of the U.S. government's Outer World Investigation Agency (OIA). However, she continues to have conflicts with the Black Dragon, especially after its last known member,
Jarek, fled to Edenia while Sonya was chasing him. This leads her and Jax to team up with Liu Kang and thunder god
Raiden to free the realm from the fallen Elder God
Shinnok
Shinnok is a fictional character in the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. One of the franchise's primary villains, he debuted in the action-adventure spin-off '' Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zer ...
's grasp and to prevent him from coming to Earth. After Shinnok's defeat, in which Jarek had reluctantly participated in to save himself, he tries to kill Sonya, but Jax intervenes and drops him off a cliff. After returning to Earthrealm, Jax and Sonya find the cyborg
Cyrax
This is a list of Player character, playable and boss (video games), boss characters from the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise and the games in which they appear. Created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, the series depicts conflicts between ...
malfunctioning in a desert. The two bring him back to OIA headquarters, where they are able to restore his humanity before helping him join the agency.
In ''
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance'' (2002), while on an assignment in the East, Sonya learns the OIA had been destroyed by an accomplice of the titular alliance of Shang Tsung and
Quan Chi
Quan Chi is a fictional character in the '' Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise by Midway Games/NetherRealm Studios. He first appeared in the main series with ''Mortal Kombat 4'' (1997) following appearances in the non-canonical animated ...
. Not long after, Raiden seeks out her aid against the Deadly Alliance and instructs her to meet with his other chosen warriors on Shang Tsung's abandoned island, where she develops a rivalry with
Frost
Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...
. To earn the right to pass into Outworld, each warrior has to defeat a representation of his or her adversary. To Sonya's surprise, hers is a stranger with a red dragon on his back. She is killed in battle against the Deadly Alliance's Tarkatan forces, but their victory is short-lived as the Dragon King
Onaga reclaims Outworld and defeats them in turn. With his ability to raise the dead at will, he resurrects Sonya and her fallen comrades to serve as his slaves until their souls are freed by Liu Kang and Shao Kahn's enforcer
Ermac
Ermac is a fictional character in the '' Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Debuting as an unlockable character in ''Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3'' (1995), he is an amalgam of the souls of deceased ...
during ''
Mortal Kombat: Deception'' (2004).
In ''
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon'' (2006), Sonya returns to Earth after Onaga's defeat, with the intention of continuing her assault on both the Black and Red Dragon clans, only to be forced to focus on a newly established threat. In her absence, the Tekunin cyber ninja clan had grown powerful enough to disrupt Earth civilization and violated the laws of Mortal Kombat by engaging in illegal interdimensional alliances with unknown parties. Sonya succeeds in downing the Tekunin's flagship, helmed by their Grandmaster
Sektor
This is a list of playable and boss characters from the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise and the games in which they appear. Created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, the series depicts conflicts between various realms. Most characters fig ...
. She sent in a team led by Jax to hunt for survivors, but they mysteriously vanished. Fearing for Jax's safety, she tracks the signal of a homing beacon placed on Tekunin prisoner
Taven, who escaped thanks to her intervention, and eventually confronts him in Arktika to interrogate him, only to be beaten. Sonya later fights alongside her friends in the Battle of Armageddon in Edenia, only to become one of its many casualties; torn apart by an unknown opponent.
In the ''
Mortal Kombat
''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The development of the first game was originally based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a v ...
'' reboot game (2011), an alternate-timeline retelling of the first three games, Sonya teams up with Jax in his mission to bring down the Black Dragon, succeeding in seizing many of their weapons caches. However, after their key informant, Kano, is discovered to be a high-powered member of the organization, Sonya and Jax focus solely on his capture following the deaths of many of their comrades in subsequent ambushes. This leads them to the Mortal Kombat tournament on Shang Tsung's uncharted island, where Jax is captured and imprisoned, forcing Sonya to participate in the tournament in order to spare his life; during which she unwillingly becomes acquainted with Johnny Cage after repeatedly rejecting his advances. Sonya soon encounters Shang Tsung himself, but Raiden, whom she had not met yet in this timeline, intervenes before she can fight him. He enables Sonya to free a wounded Jax, but Shang Tsung destroys their extraction transport and presents Kano to Sonya as a challenge. While she emerges victorious, she is forbidden to take him prisoner. Raiden reappears and heals Jax's injuries, causing Sonya to become aware of both his presence and her crucial role in defending Earthrealm alongside his chosen warriors. After Liu Kang's victory over Shang Tsung in the first tournament, Sonya is abducted and held captive in Outworld before being rescued by Jax, but after his arms are obliterated in a confrontation with Ermac, she transports him back to Earthrealm for medical attention; missing the second tournament entirely. Sonya and Jax reunite with the other Earthrealm warriors as they assemble to fight Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm but most of them are massacred by his wife, Queen
Sindel
This is a list of playable and boss characters from the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise and the games in which they appear. Created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, the series depicts conflicts between various realms. Most characters fig ...
; leaving Sonya and Cage among the only survivors after the Kahn's demise and Raiden accidentally killing Liu Kang.
Sonya returns as a playable character in ''
Mortal Kombat X
''Mortal Kombat X'' is a 2015 fighting video game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the tenth main installment in the ''Mortal Komba ...
'' (2015). Two years following Shao Kahn's death, Shinnok and his forces attack Earthrealm, but General Sonya Blade, along with Johnny and
Kenshi, aid Raiden in imprisoning Shinnok in his own amulet. The two later track down Quan Chi, Shinnok's second-in-command, and defeat him; restoring Jax as well as
Sub-Zero and
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...
to normal. Over the following 25 years, Sonya and Johnny marry and have a daughter,
Cassie Cage
Cassie Cage is a fictional character in the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game series by NetherRealm Studios. The daughter of martial arts actor Johnny Cage and Special Forces officer Sonya Blade, she debuted in the 2015 comic '' Mortal Kombat X: Bl ...
, but the two later divorce; allegedly due to Sonya frequently putting work before her family. However, after Cassie defeats Shinnok and saves Earthrealm, she, Sonya, and Johnny become a family again.
In ''
Mortal Kombat 11
''Mortal Kombat 11'' is a 2019 fighting video game developed by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It is the eleventh main installment in the ''Mortal Kombat'' franchise and a sequel to 2015's ''Mortal Ko ...
'' (2019), Sonya, Cassie, and Jax's daughter
Jacqui
Jacqui is a given name, usually a diminutive form of Jacqueline or Jacquelyn. Notable people with the name include:
* Jacqui Abbott (born 1973), female lead singer with the band ''The Beautiful South''
*Jacqui Ainsley (born 1981), English model fr ...
lead a Special Forces strike team in storming the Netherrealm before they can attack Earthrealm. After being trapped under debris, Sonya sacrifices herself to ensure the mission's success and her allies' escape, devastating Johnny and Cassie. When the keeper of time
Kronika causes temporal anomalies amidst her plot to reset time, younger versions of Sonya and Johnny are brought to the present. Upon learning of what happened to her older self, she is initially outraged that she had a child with Johnny and that Cassie apparently left her behind. Just as she learns her older self ordered Cassie to do so, she is captured by the present and past versions of Kano and forced to fight for the Black Dragon's entertainment before the Special Forces rescue her. During the ensuing fight, Sonya kills Kano's younger counterpart, erasing his present self from existence. Following this, she begins to warm up to her version of Johnny and reconciles with Cassie.
Sonya appears as one of the warriors representing the Mortal Kombat universe in the non-canonical crossover game, ''
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe'' is a 2008 fighting video game, developed and published by Midway Games. The last entry in the franchise before the company went bankrupt in 2009 and sold the franchise to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment ...
'' (2008). In the story mode, Sonya is investigating the dimensional imbalance caused by Shao Kahn and
Darkseid
Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby to serve as the primary antagonist of his "Fourth World (comics), Fourth World" metaseries, and was firs ...
's inadvertent fusion into Dark Kahn. After defeating
Catwoman
Catwoman is a fictional character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Debuting as "the Cat" in ''Batman'' #1 (spring 1940), she ...
,
Baraka
Baraka or Barakah may refer to:
* Berakhah or Baraka, in Judaism, a blessing usually recited during a ceremony
* Barakah or Baraka, in Islam, the beneficent force from God that flows through the physical and spiritual spheres
* Baraka, full ''ḥ ...
,
Captain Marvel, and
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
, Sonya and Jax return to their base to use a teleportation machine in an attempt to reach the
DC Universe
The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
. When she finds Jax with Green Lantern, Sonya once again challenges the latter, only to be defeated and imprisoned before she and Jax escape again. When Earthrealm's heroes and Outworld's villains join forces to fight invaders from the DC universe, Sonya reluctantly teams up with Kano to track a foreign energy signal, but they are confronted and defeated by the
Joker and
Deathstroke
Deathstroke (Slade Joseph Wilson) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character debuted in '' The New Teen Titans'' #2 in December 1980 as Deathstroke the ...
. When both sides meet for one last battle, Sonya once again fights Catwoman. In the end, she is knocked unconscious while Raiden and
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
defeat Dark Kahn and separate their universes.
Character design and gameplay
There were originally no plans for Sonya's inclusion in ''Mortal Kombat'', which was supposed to feature only six characters, and she was added only when the president of
Williams gave the development team an additional six weeks (adding to its already ten months of production) and told them to polish the game. At first, the additional character was actually Jax/
Stryker
The Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in London, Ontario. It ...
; when the developers decided they need a "female fighter", Sonya was created and his story was applied to her. The early ''Mortal Kombat'' series' character designer and writer
John Tobias
John Tobias (born August 24, 1969) is an American comic book artist, graphic designer, video game designer and writer. Tobias is best known for creating the ''Mortal Kombat'' series along with Ed Boon, to whom he pitched the game concept.
Tobia ...
said he created "characters like Liu Kang or Shang Tsung, who represented the more mystical sides of the story, and Johnny Cage, Sonya or Jax, who came from places grounded more in reality...
onya and Kitanawere both important pieces of the game's fiction and archetypal structure of characters. But, player demographic was primarily a hardcore male audience and so the look and design of our female characters pandered to them back then just as they do today."
Sonya was named after one of the sisters of co-designer
Ed Boon
Edward John Boon (born February 22, 1964) is an American video game programmer, voice actor, and director who was employed for over 15 years at Midway Games and since 2011 has worked for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in its daughter c ...
, as confirmed in
Tanya
Tanya may refer to:
* Tanya (Judaism),an early work of Hasidic philosophy by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi.
* Tanya (name), a given name and list of people with the name
* Tanya or Lara Saint Paul (born 1946)
* List of Mortal Kombat characters#Tany ...
's biography card in the special edition of ''
Mortal Kombat: Deception''. The character was inspired by martial artist and actress
Cynthia Rothrock
Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek origin: , , "from Mount Cynthus" on Delos island. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 1600s. There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbreviated to Cindy, Cyndi, Cyndy, ...
,
who claimed, "they contacted me when I was in my prime in terms of my career, and I was too expensive for them. When I do conventions I do have a few people recognizing me for her, but I really had nothing to do with it. (...) It was a raw deal and I could have sued, but I'm not that type of person." Sonya's original actress, Elizabeth Malecki, was recruited by
Daniel Pesina
Daniel Pesina (born December 1, 1959) is an American martial arts expert and a former freelance employee of Midway.
Pesina was born in Chicago, Illinois to Mexican born parents and have study martial arts since the age of 10.
Pesina started ...
at a fitness club where she worked as an
aerobic
Aerobic means "requiring air," in which "air" usually means oxygen.
Aerobic may also refer to
* Aerobic exercise, prolonged exercise of moderate intensity
* Aerobics, a form of aerobic exercise
* Aerobic respiration, the aerobic process of cellu ...
instructor and had no idea about video games.
She also was the only one of the cast who was not a martial arts expert, but had a dance and athletics background.
She said: "Sonya was supposed to be special forces and a martial artist, so I decided to pull in the army green
tights
Tights are a kind of cloth garment, most often sheathing the body from the waist to the toe tips with a tight fit, hence the name. They come in absolute opaque, opaque, sheer and fishnet styles — or a combination, such as the original concept ...
. And since I was into aerobics, I gave her the
thong
The thong is a garment generally used as either underwear or in some countries, as a swimsuit. It may also be worn for traditional ceremonies or competitions.
Viewed from the front, the thong typically resembles a bikini bottom, but at the b ...
that was so popular back then for women to wear in exercise classes."
Her Sonya had some special moves like a roundhouse kick that were filmed but did not appear in the game. Malecki and some other ''Mortal Kombat'' actors later filed
an unsuccessful lawsuit against
Midway Games
Midway Games Inc., known previously as Midway Manufacturing and Bally Midway, and commonly known as simply Midway, was an American video game developer and publisher. Midway's franchises included ''Mortal Kombat'', ''Rampage (series), Rampage'' ...
over unpaid royalties from the home versions of the game and the unauthorized use of her likeness in its sequel (in Judge
Robert Gettleman
Robert William Gettleman (born May 5, 1943) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Early life and education
Gettleman was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey and move ...
's ruling, the character's name is misspelled as "Sonja").
![Kerri Ann Hoskins (36402368231)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Kerri_Ann_Hoskins_%2836402368231%29.jpg)
Sonya and Kano were the least popular characters of the first game and so the team decided to replace them, saving image memory space and time for the new characters. Producers said Sonya was "chucked out" from the game in favour of the
palette swap
This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players.
0–9
A
...
ped Kitana and
Mileena
Mileena is a fictional character in the '' Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Introduced in ''Mortal Kombat II'' (1993), she is a clone of the Edenian princess Kitana, created with the blood of t ...
as part of revamping the game, so it would better compete against ''
Street Fighter II
is a fighting game developed by Capcom and originally released for arcades in 1991. It is the second installment in the ''Street Fighter'' series and the sequel to 1987's ''Street Fighter''. It is Capcom's fourteenth game to use the CP Syst ...
'' and its popular female character
Chun-Li
is a fictional character in Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' video game series. The first ever female playable character to appear in a fighting game to gain mainstream recognition, she first appeared in ''Street Fighter II: The World Warrior'' in 1 ...
''.'' Sonya and Kano were promptly dropped for the first sequel and appear in ''Mortal Kombat II'' only in one of the backgrounds, chained in Kahn's Arena. At the time, Tobias said: "We still wanted to include them in the story line, so we had them captured. I don't know where or when or in what form, but Sonya and Kano will be back." However, they both soon returned as playable characters in the very next game and Sonya proved to be one of the most popular of the ''Mortal Kombat'' characters. According to Midway's Mark Turmell, Sonya's ''Mortal Kombat 3'' actress
Kerri Hoskins "started getting phone calls from kids at home because we'd published her name." Hoskins, whose martial arts training consisted of "some
Tang Soo Do
Tang Soo Do (Hangul: 당수도, Hanja: 唐手道 ) refers to a Korean martial art
based on Karate and may include fighting principles from subak (as described in the Kwon Bup Chong Do), as well as northern Chinese martial arts. Before the Ni ...
and a past of
WWF wrestling and gymnastics," said she was asked to join the cast of ''MK3'' after establishing a working relationship at Midway with the producers of ''
NBA Jam
''NBA Jam'' (sometimes "Jam" for short) is a long-running basketball video game series based on the National Basketball Association (NBA). Initially developed as arcade games by Midway, the game found popularity with its photorealistic digiti ...
''.
She later also voiced Sonya for ''Mortal Kombat 4''. Sonya's later voice actresses included Beth Melewski (''MK:SM''), Dana Lyn Baron (''MKvsDCU'', ''MK2011''),
Tricia Helfer
Tricia Janine Helfer (born April 11, 1974) is a Canadian-American actress and former model. She played the enigmatic Cylon model Number Six in the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'' series (2004–2009). She also voiced Sarah Kerrigan in ''S ...
(''MKX''), and
Ronda Rousey
Ronda Jean Rousey (; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand and is the current SmackDown Women’s ...
(''MK11''). Her motion actor during the ''Deception''-''Annihilation'' era was
Carlos Pesina
Carlos Pesina (born November 15, 1967) is an American martial artist and employee of NetherRealm Studios. He is most recognized as the actor who played Raiden (Mortal Kombat), Raiden in ''Mortal Kombat (1992 video game), Mortal Kombat'', ''Mortal ...
.
The action-adventure spin-off game ''
Mortal Kombat: Special Forces'', which was eventually released in 2000 following delays, had been originally planned to star Sonya and to have both Jax and her (with a codename of "Panther") as playable characters, but Sonya's part was dropped again due to deadline issues exacerbated by Tobias's sudden departure from the company. For the abortive project with a working title of ''Mortal Kombat 8'' (which was cancelled in favor of ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe''), Sonya's look was considered to be "dramatically revamped" and she was to be given more character backstory, described as "the daughter of a
Texas Ranger". The 2011's reboot's producer Shaun Himmerick wrote: "I love how we use Sonya in the game, I think it is really a great reference to ''MK'' and should be fun for the fans."
NetherRealm Studios
NetherRealm Studios (stylized as NetheЯRealm Studios) is an American video game developer based in Chicago and owned by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Led by video game industry veteran and ''Mortal Kombat'' co-creator Ed Boon, the st ...
art director Steve Beran said: "When you look at the version of Sonya or Scorpion from the first ''Mortal Kombat'', it's almost laughable how simple their costumes were. You have to give fans the recognizability of their favorite characters, but make it not look like Sonya's wearing a
leotard
A leotard () is a unisex skin-tight one-piece garment that covers the torso from the crotch to the shoulder. The garment was made famous by the French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard (1838–1870). There are sleeveless, short-sleeved, and lo ...
and workout clothes" (as in the early games). Nevertheless, Sonya's original outfit did appear in ''Mortal Kombat X'' via
downloadable content
Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
.
Sonya's original special move is "Leg Grab", a handstand leg throw that was an idea of Malecki's
(with a similar cartwheel kick since ''Mortal Kombat 4''). Her signature
Fatality is the "Kiss of Death" (an idea of Daniel Pesina's
), a finishing move that makes the defeated opponent burn alive into a charred skeleton. At , Sonya is one of the tallest female characters and she stands out because of her long legs. For her initial appearance in the original ''Mortal Kombat'' game, ''
SNES Force
Europress was a British magazine and software publisher based in Adlington, near Macclesfield, Cheshire. Their magazine publishing business was previously known as Database Publications. The software division was renamed in 1999 to Actualize.
His ...
'' described her as having "the best jumping skills of any character — her air punch and flying kick work well against most opponents. Her force wave is excellent for long range battles giving her a good all round performance, though she is fairly weak." According to ''
Nintendo Power
''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninten ...
'', Sonya could be a "
juggling
Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object o ...
demon" in ''
Mortal Kombat Trilogy
''Mortal Kombat Trilogy'' is a fighting game released by Midway in 1996 as the second and final update to ''Mortal Kombat 3'' (the first being ''Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3'') for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn and PCs. Further versio ...
'' when in hands of an experienced player. ''Total 64'' opined she "is a nifty little fighter" in ''Trilogy'', whose only weakness is that her attacks are lacking power when compared to some of the other characters.
Other media
Live-action and animation
Kerri Hoskins also portrayed the character in the theatrical show ''
Mortal Kombat: Live Tour'' that emphasized getting young audiences into the martial arts, while the actors would travel to schools to give motivational speeches to students. Hoskins enthused that her experience in the'' Live Tour'' "was a riot" and that she felt "like a rock star."
In the show, Sonya takes part in the search for the powerful Dragon Amulet, until she is taken hostage by Shao Kahn at the end the first act in Outworld, motivating Jax and Liu Kang to save both her and the world in the second act.
Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
Bridgette Leann Wilson Sampras (born September 25, 1973) is a former American actress, singer, model, and Miss Teen USA award winner. Wilson began her career as an actress after being crowned Miss Teen USA in 1990, playing the character of L ...
was cast as Sonya in the first ''
Mortal Kombat
''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The development of the first game was originally based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a v ...
'' movie after the filmmakers' original choice,
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. With a variety of works in film, she is widely recognised for her work in romantic comedies and animation. Diaz has received various accolades, including nominations for ...
, injured her wrist during martial arts training and dropped out. During production, Wilson was given the nickname "RoboBabe" by director
Paul Anderson, and performed her own stuntwork. The character's stern personality and storyline in the film were faithful to the games, as was the depiction of her vendetta against Kano for murdering her (unnamed) partner. Kano baits her into boarding Shang Tsung's ship, where she encounters Cage and Liu Kang for the first time and engages in a standoff with Sub-Zero. Shang Tsung had conspired with Kano beforehand in arranging for him to fight Sonya at the tournament in anticipation of her defeat, which fails as Sonya defeats and kills Kano. She is later abducted by Shang Tsung and taken to the Emperor's castle in Outworld where she is challenged by Shang Tsung to final combat, which she staunchly refuses to do just before the arrival of Liu Kang, Cage and Kitana. According to the film's official magazine ''Mortal Kombat: The Ultimate Battle for Humanity'', Shang Tsung intended for Sonya to become his queen after successfully conquering Earthrealm. Sonya was also one of the main protagonists, alongside Cage and Liu in the 1995 animated film ''
Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins'', a prequel to the movie wherein she was voiced by
Jennifer Hale
Jennifer Hale is a Canadian-American voice actress. She is best known for her work in video game franchises such as ''Baldur's Gate'', ''Mass Effect'', ''Metal Gear Solid'', ''BioShock Infinite'', ''Metroid Prime'', ''Overwatch'', and '' Star Wa ...
.
For the 1997 sequel, ''
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation,''
Sandra Hess replaced Wilson-Sampras as Sonya (Kerri Hoskins had too auditioned for the role, but did not "make the last cut of three girls" due to having no acting experience
). In the film, Sonya is devastated by the death of Johnny Cage, who is killed by Kahn after saving her life. She then grudgingly joins Raiden in locating Jax, whom she rescues from, and helps him fight off, an extermination squad led by Cyrax. However, they later come into conflict with one another due to her sustained grief over Cage's death and her refusal to fill Jax in on the details of the Earthrealmers' mission, and they temporarily split apart as a result. They ultimately reunite with Liu Kang and Kitana and succeed in stopping Kahn from bringing Earth to ruin. Sonya has two fight scenes in the film, first defeating Mileena by breaking her neck in a mud pit after splitting from Jax, then squaring off against Ermac at the climax, during which
Noob Saibot
Noob Saibot is a fictional character in the '' Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Initially introduced as a black silhouette of the series' other male ninjas and sharing their special moves, he ...
spawns from his chest and they assault her with repeated attacks until Jax intervenes to defeat Noob Saibot, enabling Sonya to regain the upper hand and emerge victorious against Ermac. Hess hated the mud scene due to the freezing cold, and said her favourite was the Cyrax fight. In Brent V. Friedman and
Bryce Zabel
Bryce H. Zabel (born May 17, 1954) is an American television producer, director, writer, and occasional actor. With hundreds of hours of produced film and television credits, Zabel has scripted a trio of mini-series which aired in the U.S. market ...
's screenplays for ''Annihilation'', Sonya forcibly drowns Mileena in deep mud in the first draft and kills Mileena with her own
sai in a revised script.
Sonya was one of the lead characters in the 1996 animated TV series ''
Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm'', for which she was voiced by
Olivia d'Abo. She is again Jax's partner and was given a signature catchphrase ("Kombat time!"). She is a wild and impulsive character who often has personality clashes with Raiden, while her impetuousness in combat sometimes yielded consequences for her teammates. Her vendetta against Kano was explained and was explored further in two separate episodes, in which Kano was shown to have killed her partner, Wexler, who was named after Threshold writer and producer Joshua Wexler. In storylines exclusive to the show, she worked with Kitana to retrieve a pair of magical swords and befriended
Kabal Kabal may refer to:
* Kabal (earthworks), a desert fortification found in northern Kuwait used to house American military and coalition forces
* Kabal Tehsil, a town in Pakistan
* Kabal (Mortal Kombat), a character from the ''Mortal Kombat'' series ...
after learning of his disability and the subsequent prejudice he experienced. The official character guide describes her as "completely unrestrained and volatile, a la
Mel Gibson
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocaly ...
in ''
Lethal Weapon
''Lethal Weapon'' is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed and co-produced by Richard Donner, written by Shane Black, and co-produced by Joel Silver. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey, Tom Atkins, Darle ...
''." Following the loss of her previous two partners, Sonya "has built a wall around herself to protect herself from getting hurt again and feel the guilt and pain of watching those around her perish."
For ''
Mortal Kombat: Rebirth'', director
Kevin Tancharoen
Kevin Harwick Tancharoen (born April 23, 1984) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, dancer, and choreographer. On September 29, 2011, New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. announced that Tancharoen would be helming a big-screen adaptation ...
's 2010 short film that served as a pitch for a feature-length reboot for
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
, Sonya, played by
Jeri Ryan
Jeri Lynn Ryan (née Zimmermann; born February 22, 1968) is an American actress who played the former Borg drone Seven of Nine in '' Star Trek: Voyager'', for which she was nominated four times for a Saturn Award and won in 2001. She has reprised ...
, is a lieutenant in the fictional Deacon City Police Department who makes a brief appearance during Jax's interrogation of Hanzo Hasashi (
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...
). Ryan reprised the role for the first two episodes of Tancharoen's 2011 web series ''
Mortal Kombat: Legacy'', in which Sonya again works with Jax to bust the Black Dragon, but her obsession with Kano leads to her capture, forcing Jax and Stryker to conduct a raid on the warehouse where the Dragons are carrying out their operations. While Sonya manages to free herself during the fracas, Jax later suffers massive damage to his arms after protecting her from an explosion. Ryan was slated to return for the second season but was forced to turn it down due to her ongoing work on ''
Body of Proof
''Body of Proof'' is an American medical/crime comedy-drama television series that ran on ABC from March 29, 2011, to May 28, 2013, and starred Dana Delany as medical examiner Dr. Megan Hunt. The series was created by Christopher Murphey and p ...
''. Ryan said that she was familiar with the series but had never played the games and took the role as a favor for a friend, and that she was probably the only cast member who was not a martial artist. Ryan described her Sonya as "significantly more dressed than the video
ame #REDIRECT AME #REDIRECT AME
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{{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...
version" and "a badass broad" that was "fun" to play, and was probably more believable and real world grounded in this version.
'' a decade earlier; she noted her fight scenes were shorter than the others since she did not have much time to train, but she was helped by the fight choreographer and by Sonya's use of firearms.
Tancharoen stated that Ryan could possibly return for the third season before the series ended with his departure.
. Carpenter reprised her role in the sequel ''
''. Blade is a veteran who has spent years researching the Mortal Kombat tournament and its related dragon markings, but is missing one herself. Though frustrated by her rival Kano gaining a dragon marking through sheer murder, she is forced to work with him along with Earthrealm's champions to escort Cole Young to Raiden's temple. Blade earns her dragon marking and abilities after ultimately killing Kano after he betrays them, and uses her new abilities to perform a fatality on Mileena. McNamee defined her role in the movie as "the voice of reason" with a degree of "playfulness and lightness", and expressed interest in exploring her relationship with Johnny and Cassie Cage in potential sequels.
, Sonya appeared with all of the characters from the first game (minus Reptile) in the 1994 ''Blood & Thunder'' miniseries, the first issue of which borrowed liberally from John Tobias' comic in detailing her dogged pursuit of Kano alongside her Special Forces comrades, and his escape onto Shang Tsung's
that is en route to the tournament, the difference being that she voluntarily enters the island grounds to question Shang Tsung directly about Kano, rather than being captured and forced to fight per the first game's storyline
and the official comic by John Tobias. Her lone partner in the series was an original character named Lance, who sported a cybernetic arm (similar to Jax's metal arms in ''MK3'') and also participates in the tournament, but in the second issue he is killed by Kano in one of only two organized fights that commenced in the entire Malibu run.
In the fourth issue, when the characters are stranded in Outworld, Johnny Cage encounters the ruler of a small village who looks exactly like Sonya, and brazenly kisses her; the woman (named Aynos; "Sonya" spelled backwards) immediately sentences him to death for the infraction before the real Sonya intervenes and teams up with Cage to defeat the imposter, which sparks a friendship between the two combatants.
In issue six, she handily overpowers Kano in battle but is then not seen again for the rest of the comic, and in the ''Tournament Edition'' wrap-up of the miniseries, Sonya is victorious over Mileena in a fight that begins with Mileena stabbing her, and the storyline concludes with Sonya and Jax leaving with Kano in custody.
In the second six-issue miniseries, 1995's ''Battlewave'', Sonya learns of a brutal attack on Jax, and enlists Cage's help in her investigation,
but convinced that only someone from Outworld could inflict such injury, she returns to Shang Tsung's island on her own, only to be attacked by
and taken to Shao Kahn's tower.
into marrying Kahn, but in the ''Battlewave'' finale, the Earth warriors disrupt the ceremony and Sonya snaps out of the trance on her own. The issue featured an additional short story titled "Every Dog Has Its Day", which explored the relationship between Sonya and Cage after she is cast in his latest movie.
In the 1995 two-issue miniseries ''U.S. Special Forces'', she and Jax work to capture an original Black Dragon character named Rojack.
Sonya was the only character throughout the entire Malibu series who never referred to themselves in the
includes a detailed opening scene of an unsuccessful joint mission of arresting Black Dragon members by the Special Forces and an international task force, which culminates in Kano killing the task force's lieutenant who is designated therein as Sonya's murdered partner.
that she wins before it officially begins after she fatally kicks Jade in the head after Jade returns her bow. Sonya was described in this scene as wearing "an
." She also spares Kano's life in their fight, refusing to fall prey to Shang Tsung's scheme while declaring that nobody "owned" her.