Mortal Kombat 1's Johnny Cage is a Bonafide Glow-Up for the Series

• Johnny Cage’s appearance in Mortal Kombat 1 is a major upgrade, boosting his position in the series and solidifying his role as a fan-favorite character.
• His casual and cool outfits in Mortal Kombat 1 perfectly capture his relatively normal persona and newcomer status in the game’s rebooted world.
• Johnny’s reworked moveset, focusing on martial arts combos and removing supernatural elements, further enhances his image as a skilled martial arts star. Additionally, his unique Hype Meter mechanic adds depth to his gameplay and rewards flashy showmanship.

Johnny Cage’s appearance in Mortal Kombat 1 is a major upgrade, and does wonders for his position in the series. As one of the most recognizable characters from the franchise, it’s no surprise that Johnny was a part of the launch roster for Mortal Kombat 1. Like many members of the cast, he recieved a significant reinvention for the new era, and this may have been one of the best. While Johnny was already a good character, Mortal Kombat 1 did him a real favor. His new look and moveset in the reboot couldn’t have been kinder to him.

To be fair, the latest version of Mortal Kombat’s Johnny Cage draws a lot from his older incarnations. He’s still an actor from Earthrealm, which makes him something of an outsider compared to the rest of the cast. He’s a martial artist, but he has no supernatural powers, and he hasn’t been trained for the kind of situations that the protagonists face during the story. Despite his occasionally annoying personality, he’s not a bad guy, being solidly aligned with the heroes. In addition, while he’s a solid fighter, his quips and antics, including his infamous below-the-belt punch, have him solidly placed as Mortal Kombat’s resident comic relief.

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Mortal Kombat 1 Made Johnny Cage Better Than Ever

Johnny’s Mortal Kombat 1 Outfits are Casual and Cool

While Johnny does have the MK1 Jean Claude Van Damme skins among his cosmetics, the rest of his wardrobe deserves a look as well. Johnny’s outfit designs include:

• Slacks and a shiny collared shirt
• A long-sleeved shirt and track pants
• The first outfit with a fur-lined jacket
• An Indiana-Jones-themed ensemble

Johnny’s wardrobe suits him perfectly. The latter two outfits fit for a red carpet event or film role, but the first two are perfect in their mundanity. They help him to stand out as a relatively normal person who is a complete newcomer to the world that Liu Kang introduces him to.

Johnny’s Moveset Has Been Reworked For the Better

In addition to his new outfits, one thing players will notice while playing Johnny in Mortal Kombat 1 is the removal of his Force Ball projectile. In fact, there is nothing supernatural about his moveset anymore. His fighting style consists entirely of martial arts combos, some impressive acrobatic maneuvers, taunts, and dodges. Considering that Johnny is the closest thing that the series has to an everyman, this fits for him. Ironically, Johnny’s fighting style is still pretty flashy thanks to the flair he puts into his moves. Johnny’s moveset really sells him as the skilled martial arts star that he is, but keeps things grounded by removing otherworldly elements.

Mortal Kombat 1 Gave Johnny His Best Unique Feature Yet

The Hype Meter is a mechanic unique to Johnny that adds as much character to him as Johnny’s Mortal Kombat 1 fatalities do. By taunting and landing special moves, he will fill the star-shaped Hype Meter. Once it’s full, Johnny can use his Wowing Out move to enter Uncaged mode, amplifying his special moves and allowing him to cancel into them more easily, giving him a significant power boost while it lasts. This mechanic is a fantastic addition, since it rewards the player for fighting like a flashy show-off like Johnny himself.

Mortal Kombat 1 reinvented a lot of characters, and in the process, it amplified everything that works about Johnny Cage. Johnny is a consistently popular character in Mortal Kombat, and his incarnation in the new era shows exactly why. He’s a funny character with a fun fighting style, and practically everything about his new design plays into his role in the series. From outfit to moveset, his cocky yet relatively grounded movie star gimmick shines through. Mortal Kombat 1 gave Johnny Cage a serious glow-up, and hopefully those improvements stick around for future games.

Mortal Kombat 1

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The 12th mainline entry in Warner Bros’ franchise, Mortal Kombat 1 is set to be a soft reboot. Along with staples like a single-player campaign and online multiplayer, the 2023 game will also introduce Kameo Fighters.

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