A wise man once said "Masculinity is not the opposite of femininity, but the opposite of boyish immaturity."

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

A much better dichotomy, yes. Masculinity is not the opposite of femininity, it's just better, ok? I'm kidding, obviously.

@xavierhouston4650

2 ай бұрын

@@CynicalWarlock You weren’t wrong.

@CynicalWarlock

2 ай бұрын

@@xavierhouston4650 Probably, but both are necessary.

@Nykandros

2 ай бұрын

Actually, masculinity is just boyish immaturity that has matured. All the things you thought were cool as a kid; making lots of money, being big & strong, getting the girl, winning etc. is exactly what's actually cool. Those things are exactly what life is about. Society just tries to neuter you by pushing the psy-op that these desires are evil, greedy, immature etc. "Take what you want & win at everything."

They really did Shao dirty over the years... He was such a boss in the OG MortalKombat games.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Facts. Even the voice actor(s) they're currently choosing for him seem.. I mean no shade, they sound cool and menacing, but they seem almost deliberately picked out and directed to sound like a big dumb brute.

@stijnvanrobaeys7011

4 ай бұрын

@@CynicalWarlock again, a very entertaining vid, Mr Warlock!

@th3r0d

4 ай бұрын

He was tough for sure but I think it just falls into the "anything can be unmade" category

@Kinos141

2 ай бұрын

I like both Kahns. I like the sneaky, backstabbing Kahn and the WWE Heel Kahn.

@stijnvanrobaeys7011

2 ай бұрын

@@Kinos141 give me heel all the way 🙈

I miss the intelligent Shao, the one who's not just a powerful fighter but also a smart and manipulative despot. He's arrogant, but he can back up his arrogance.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

For sure. My ideal version of Shao would be a strategic genius, and actually make some great points, every now and then.

"I don't want peace. I want problems, always!"

@bubblycups

4 ай бұрын

Funny thing about this quote is that it comes from a Ghanaian Mortal Kombat movie

@MansMan42069

4 ай бұрын

@@bubblycups exactly 🤣 that's why I quoted it here

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Had no idea. It's a great line.

"BIG MUSCLES" For Shao Kahn sent me reeling haha. Joining the realms and joining the gains. Great summary on the Outworld Gigachad tho.

General Shao is basically the same, except he's depicted as someone who genuinely cares for Outworld and wants it to succeed instead of an out-and-out villain. One bit of his characterization really flies against all of that, though: in one intro he has with Havik, Shao Kahn appears to actually applaud his plan of flooding Seido when his own underling Reiko and *SHANG TSUNG HIMSELF* thought "woah, bro, that's like, too far." *Shang is Shao's foil while still a villain and usually depicted as on his side most of the time: both of them do anything they can to win but while Shao relies on his own strength, Shang very femininely only ever relies on the strength of others, by controlling them.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

I do like the idea of making Shao more of an Outworld loyalist than a power-hungry conqueror, but it feels like the devs were still a little too tethered to the latter. Good observation about Shang being feminine.

He's got some good qualities of masculinity to take notice, if you push aside the negative aspects that cloud it and make him Shao Kahn. "Empires must expand or perish!" This is a dictator, a schemer, an emperor and a powerhouse of a man. Someone who sought power and took it. He has initiative, he has a drive to push on, in either timeline he doesn't let a loss push him down, but rather sees it as a challenge he can overtake. As you mentioned before, this is a man who tool a Realm that was seen as seemingly nothing (even under the control of a Dragon King with an immortal army) and he turned it into the strongest and most feared realm. And he did so without Onaga's resources or strength. That's true power right there. Shao Kahn isn't just a man to be feared, but an emperor to be admired. It's just the negative traits like his never ending lust for power, his manipulative behavior toward those closest to him, and his perception that people are only valuable if they are of use to him while everyone else grovel before him, that's what make him into the Shao Kahn we all love to hate. Never change, Shao. But in the future, please stop saying Donald Trump quotes, you're better than that.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Agree 100%. Come on NRS, make Shao Kahn great agai-ah, fuck.

@InTheKitchenWristStirFry

4 ай бұрын

@@CynicalWarlocksleepy raiden, oh sleepy raiden.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

@@InTheKitchenWristStirFry We-uhh-oh-uhm-ah-hmm-I-I.. must consult the elder gods.

Much like scorpion had a cooking show. I want Shao Khan to have a show on ballet. Featuring the kombat girls of course. He wouldn't even have to dance. He can just stand there with his hands at his hips...staring at the camera menacingly.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Would legit go viral.

Fascinating. This would make an intereresting playlist. You should not only do this for the Mortal Kombat characters, but maybe even other Fighting game characters

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Heck, you can do a masculinity video on women, nowadays.

@darkservantofheaven

4 ай бұрын

no I cant. my laptop doesnt have a good enough editing softwhere for me to make videos at the moment....hehe....kidding. (kinda) I would make my own, but Im honestly kinda lazy/tired from my fulltime job. plus Im not that well versed in some topics, as I am still learning. (plus I dont like how my voice sounds on recording, Your takes on story telling devices are helpful to me as an amatur aspiring writer. keep up your good work

Shao kahn in mk9 and every game that came before, is the main villain boss we all wanted and needed.

Shao is literally vlad the impaler, I refuse to elaborate

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Cool comparison.

Great analysis. It's refreshing to see discussions about masculinity focusing on how they treat women or their ego. Shao is cunning. He even knew the importance of diplomacy, picking ambassadors like Tanya and valuing their potential as spys.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

How one treats women is a big part of masculinity.

@wdcain1

4 ай бұрын

@@CynicalWarlock I wrote that sentence wrong. I meant it was refreshing to see a video NOT just focusing on how they treat women. You really made a deep dive on Shao's personality here that is so good.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

@@wdcain1 Oh, ok. I see what you mean. Yeah, in certain circles, it's come to be seen exclusively through the "respect whamen" lens.

“But like all who come to this realm. You serve me whether you are aware of it or not.” I really miss when Shao Kahn was THAT guy in Mortal Kombat. It’s unbelievable how much NRS butchered that character.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Such a good line.

I'd be very interested to see your take on MK11's Fujin regarding this topic.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Never actually played Aftermath, so I'll look into it.

@_BlackMethod_

4 ай бұрын

​@@CynicalWarlock I'd even recommend going over his Tower ending in the same game and one of his intro dialogues against Sonya (since it ties in with his Tower ending somewhat). They give further insight into what the writers were going for with his character. Relatively speaking, he is being held in high regard by many characters. But I always felt like this had less to do about his sheer strength and rank as a demigod, but rather his abundance of humbleness and kindness - the types which demand respect, similarly to how old man Kenshi in MKX was perceived even by his enemies (if we are to go by his intro dialogues in that game). And Fujin's traits become even more apparent the moment you put Raiden next to him and start comparing them. So maybe you could use that opporunity to talk about him as well in the same video. Hitting two birds with one stone, eh?

A masculinity video on Johnny Cage would be cool especially considering his newest iteration

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Yes, a lot to dig into, there.

Let’s keep this series going!

If ever there was a song for Shao Kahn it would be "Macho Man" by the Village People and he would make his subjects listen to it unironically, especially the lyric "Rock you with his body/He's a King!"

@The_Purple_Lad

4 ай бұрын

Hey! Hey! Hey, hey, hey🗣

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Imagine Shao Kahn leading the charge against a soon-to-be-conquered realm, with this song in the background.

@The_Purple_Lad

4 ай бұрын

@CynicalWarlock if I ever find a 3d shoa kham.model I am animating that idea

Pretty interesting idea for a series actually and all these descriptions fit Shao Kahn perfectly. Off topic a little bit but what I always liked about Shao Kahn as a villian isn't just his Narcissistic, Cunning, Charismatic, Cruel, Patient, and Power Hungry personality, but also how he has such a negative impact on the world around him from conquering the realms of Zaterra, Vaeternus, Aztec, and Edenia, the near extention of the Saurians and Cryomancers, starting a race war between the shokan and centaurs, creating the monster Shang Tsung leading to him ruining the lives of characters like Li Mei and Kenshi, the attack on the wu shi academy, murdering king Jerrod and driving Sindel to suicide and letting Kitana live a lie her whole life, and so many other acts but point stands is that 90% of the roster has had their lives negatively impacted by Shao Kahn all because he wants to conquer the realms and flex his power to everyone.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Very well summarized. Shao Kahn is a monolith of negative energy, and all who deal with him end up regretting it.

Even reaching 20% of Mr. MK CEO himself is a hell of a task. And yes, I want the series to continue. Your MK-content is original and inspiring. o7

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Heck, I'll settle for his biceps.

@reddragoner1932

4 ай бұрын

@@CynicalWarlock Kano would settle for something else 😏

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

@@reddragoner1932 His big, phat.. hammer.

What a very industrious episode.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Based.

Very glad to see a video idea of mine being actually realised. Also wow! 5k subscribers already! You totally deserve it man, and many more. Honestly you're the most underrated MK youtuber there is

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Heey, glad you got to see it. And thanks, that's very gracious of you.

He definitely is in the Netherrealm games. Blames others angrily and stupidly instead of himself. Tries to brute force problems he shouldn’t to solve them. Tries to horribly put others down over mistakes that are nowhere near as stupid as his own fuck-ups. Impatient as crap. Quite unlike his Midway self.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Yeah, he's an idiot. The only 2 things I like about MK9 Shao are his voice actor and his design. They're both pretty much flawless, as far as I'm concerned. Subsequent incarnations are all crap.

No cap bro ma man having such reputation.

I miss when he wasn't a dragon mf with horns and instead was a BIG MASSES mf. Anyway, for the context, I have never realized he was such a military genius and a worthy leader since I've never played any before-NRS games and he looked like a _stock villian_ yk. I think Kotal is a way better khan for the state (can't say realm bc those mfs didn't stop with the riots in MKX), at least he has some honour and caring unlike this big boob stronk guy. Too bad the games disrespected Kotal that much, he could be an A tier character easily.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

What they did to Kotal defies belief, even in MKX. And yeah, I basically reached the same conclusion, in the Outworld rulers video - Kotal has the potential to be the most balanced ruler of them all. And Shao's kind of a victim of his own infamy, cause even back in the early games, he looked like a big hulking bad guy, and if you didn't bother to delve into the lore, that's all he remained.

Would really like a part two of this and from the looks of it the exploration of Liu Kang

@Redactedlad

4 ай бұрын

Even if he seems boring to some, I see him as a very interesting character with a lot of untapped potential

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

@@Redactedlad I was about to get to him when I realized this was gonna be too long. Yes, Liu contrasts Shao nicely, and there is, indeed, more than meets the eye, with him.

Great video man. I don't really engage in these type of conversations but always you kept it sane. Take care.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Makes the compliment even better, really. Thanks.

10/10 video bro this was a great character analysis

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Thanks. Wasn't sure about this format, so glad you enjoyed it.

That was a great vid. I'm really getting to know these characters for this game I've never played. And haha, "Refuses to tap into anything clitorial-shaped" really got me! So stupid😁 Looking forward to hearing about the Laaadies... Keep it up Cynical - more and more people are getting with your programme.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Yeey, getting the stuffed turkey dish I didn't order.

If I had to create Shao Kahn, I would put the MK11 design on every game possible, MK11 Shao Kahn is so fucking menacing, His draconic form is way better than the human form from previous games!

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

I can totally see why; draconic features are always a "yes please". Me personally, I prefer the MK9 design. His MK11 armor is a bit too bulky and overly detailed. I will say, the draconid skin and features is something I'd port directly over to the Shokan. Since they're "half-dragons", they should look the part.

MAKE THIS IS SERIES WITH MORE OF THE MK CHARACTERS... (you can even do it with the females and femininity)

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Yeah, I did touch on femininity a bit, in the Edenian video, but there are plenty more female characters to discuss.

@jvmeel7454

4 ай бұрын

@@CynicalWarlock fr and I can't wait!!

This is dope af bro. Love Shao Kahn and loved the way you covered this

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it.

I speak for the people..We Want More of This!

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Thy voices be heard.

Love the outtake at the end!

@CynicalWarlock

3 ай бұрын

Thanks. Knew someone would appreciate that.

Can't wait for the next characters

I opened my KZread and this was the first video that popped up and let me tell you I got literal heart palpitations at how excited I got to watch this. Yet again you did not disappoint Mr Warlock. Love your stuff bro. Also what is the music you use in the background? It sounds familiar but I can’t quite pinpoint it. I really love it for background music.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

It's MK4's main menu music. Wow, first video that popped up - KZread must like me more than I give it credit for.

Great vid. I love the idea of Shao Kahn, having been a God of Konquest. (I think I got this from the Netherkast). Shao Kahn was to Outworld, as Raiden was to Earthrealm. But also, Shao Kahn was to Onaga, as Raiden was to Liu Kang. Shao Kahn guided his Chosen One (Onaga) to conquer the entirety of his realm (which I think we often forget, each of these realms are at least as large as our entire planet). And when he was done, instead of being proud of Onaga, he wanted more. So he killed his own champion, took his place, and began conquering the realms. If Shao Kahn is a literal embodiment of conquest, it explains his extreme industriousness. It is not that he wants to conquer, it is that to conquer is what Shao Kahn is. This is the kind of stuff you could pull from the original Midway timeline. Now he's just a buff guy with a hammer.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Sounds like you combined lore from all sources there, a bit. And yeah, Shao is just bodybuilder guy, now.

This is why I love Shao. He is like me. Mot the new, ugly Shao, the klassic Shao that was both strong and intelligent. I'm not identical to him but we have similar personalities.

@notredboi

4 ай бұрын

Umm... You don't feel any urges to conquer stuff right?

@jasoniusthegreat5584

4 ай бұрын

Luckily it seems like NRS is giving Shao his intelligence back in MK1

@MrCritic77

4 ай бұрын

Does that include the narcissism by chance?

@AdolphusInvictus

4 ай бұрын

Perhaps.@@MrCritic77

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

I knew it - you *also* wear a skull helmet when you go to the mall.

One thing I think people focus on way to much is toxic masculinity existing at all instead of examining what it is being used for. As you said Shao Khan is cleary bad. He is not held up as an idea to aspire to.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

yeah that 'toxic' parenthesis is more clickbait than anything else. As I mentioned in the video, I try to just show these traits in a vacuum, without a lot of morality attached to it, because honestly, you can use masculine and feminine traits in both good and evil ways. The traits themselves are just tools.

@Knight1029

4 ай бұрын

@@CynicalWarlock basically. What I think is more important is just being a good person. Defining oneself as masculine or feminine seems like it is missing the point of why they exist in the first place.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

@@Knight1029 The whole reason why these concepts have become so popular is because it's not always 100% clear *how* to be a good person. Granted, that's only about 10% of the times. The rest is just the usual exploitation of the populace to make them think they're messing out something they're not.

@Knight1029

4 ай бұрын

@@CynicalWarlock I don't disagree that they exist to give people a direction on how to be good. I just think that people not thinking beyond it is odd. But yeah 90% of the time people are just using them to exploit people who don't know much and are vulnerable.

Went outside today. Weather's nice.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

You are a god.

@bdo333

4 ай бұрын

@@CynicalWarlock And you are a damn good KZread channel. I look forward to every upload

But warlock isn’t a lot of this, due to the fact that he was possessed by the one being his drive to unite all realms under his rule

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Yes, I like that, because it leaves it up to your interpretation whether the One Being's influence on Shao is significant, or extremely conservative and subtle. I think Shao would still be Shao, without the One Being's subliminal suggestion, but he wouldn't merge realms; he'd just conquer them.

Ooooooh let’s talk about it.

And btw great video. I want to watch Conquest now.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Thanks. Fair warning, MK: Conquest is super-cheesy, early on, in that 90s TV show kind of way, but gets better and better, as they introduce guys like Sub-Zero, Quan Chi etc.

@MrSernyak

4 ай бұрын

@@CynicalWarlock I started to watch it 3-4 years ago and i liked it. Dont remember why i dropped it though. Even saw some fight scenes and they were very good, especially that long fight between Scorpion and Sub Zero and Noob Saibot vs Lui Kang. I am an old school guy i like that 90s "cheesyness".

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

@@MrSernyak Yeah, they really pulled out all the stops for that Sub-Zero-Scorpion fight. You can tell both the script and the choreography was made out of reverence for all these characters.

I have never thought to put psychology or any type of structured thought into Mortal Kombat till watching your videos because Mortal Kombat has always been an unstructured chaotic mess. But you’ve Hotaru’ed this shit to no end. There really is some structure and enough messy source material to actually make MK viable for really good story telling and gameplay dynamics. NRS should hire you as some type of director.

@CynicalWarlock

Ай бұрын

'Lord of the universe' director, preferably. And thanks, appreciate it, especially the Hotaru pun.

I still can't get over the retcon of his name "Kahn" being a title rather than his actual name as it was for 20 years before NRS ruined everything. And they continously nerfed the f**k outta him intellectually and physically.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

You're right - they absolutely nerfed him to the bone, but I'm pretty sure "Kahn" was always a title.

@conradojavier7547

4 ай бұрын

​@@CynicalWarlockKahn is as much of a title as Ceasar.

@Tevi_L7151

4 ай бұрын

Guys, the plot of mk1 is actually literally a prologue, think of it that way. In the future plot, we will definitely expect a war between Shao and Mileena, and there will definitely be a moment when he will "return" his title

@Kameron87

4 ай бұрын

@@CynicalWarlock it wasn’t. It was his name. There was no Onaga Kahn, it was just Onaga. Prior to NRS, it was always just Shao Kahn.

@Kameron87

4 ай бұрын

@@Tevi_L7151 mk1 is garbage.

That show was emited when I was 10 the writing and character interactions where great, seem reptile as king of zaterra was one of my favorites. I only wish this show was made identical but with nowadays special effects it would be pure gold ❤

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Dude, you are part of my tribe. Conquest fans are surprisingly few and far between. They really did a crap job promoting and nurturing that show. 100% agree: re-release it with better effects. A talented VFX artist could do that, actually. With today's tech, it's pretty feasible. And yeah, I took so many cues and references from that show, including what Zaterra should look like, what Zaterran culture was like, the war council, the king, it's so well done. Shao Kahn, Raiden, young Shang Tsung, Quan Chi - the show fleshes out these characters more than the games do.

Nice

I knew that Shao Kahn and Domminich had a special relationship, but not to the same extent. Emperor Domminich inflicted a severe injury, which now degrades more and more with each part. Previously, his name alone terrified the worlds, even the Elder gods were afraid of him, he was able to defeat Onaga, Blaze, Raiden, stand up against all the united Gods, with one presence he could absorb billions of creatures where only God could resist, he could easily unite a bunch of realities, while actually devouring all living things from them, from- why would they be lifeless, he was presented as an analogue of Darkseid himself, Ed Boone himself called him the strongest, and now... First, they took away part of his name, making him a title (yes, this is exactly part of the name, they only intended to make it a title, but in the end it was also part of the emperor's name), then turned him into a stupid dragon that everyone kicked, and now in general into a stupid and weak horned deer that was knocked out with one kick sent by LI MEI. I understand that he is not as strong as before, but not to the same extent that LI MEI knocked him out with a poke. It's as if Darkseid was knocked out by a cheetah with a single blow to the back of the head. Although Darkseid's fate is not much better. The one in the New 52 has also degraded quite well. From a being who, in addition to enormous physical strength, also possessed very high intelligence, and was one of the most cunning characters, whose appearance caused unreal horror, which made it clear that something serious was coming that would globally affect everything and everyone, he turned into a stupid jock who did not accept any trick in a battle, a conflict with which, in fact, does not really mean anything, something global that will turn the world upside down. But, in turn, at least he could beat someone. Shao Kahn can't do anything to anyone at all. He's just an amoeba. That his idea, that his role in the plot is just terrible. From a creature that even the Elder Gods began to strain in front of, they turned into a weak idiot, whom Li Mei knocks out with his foot.What is the development of events, in your opinion? Shao Kahn apparently fucked the screenwriter so hard that he already had an injury after such an act, after which he decided to lower it to the level of a sneaker, so that only he would no longer be strong, which would later make him the boss. For this reason, as I understand it, Onaga does not appear either. Yes, some of this does not appear there, it is not even mentioned in the plot. And his army was generally given to the left ruler. Oh yes, Onaga has already been defeated by Reiko, as can be understood from the slitzy dialogues, who is no less a sucker here than his patron. Speaking of appearance, it is most insulting for her. I liked Tobias's idea that Reiko is Shao Kahn, in particular because of his appearance, where behind the brutal mask of a malicious emperor who destroyed many realities, cut out trillions of creatures, there is not some brutal guy like Kratos, whose face emits fighting energy and anger, but on the contrary a cute guy who has no special brutality and whose face does not say that this creature has destroyed countless creatures. And yes, if we talk about the fact that John showed Shao Kahn as a dragon in the comics, then this was done for advertising purposes. In fact, Shao Kahn looked exactly like Reiko, that is, just like a cute guy

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Agree with everything except the Kahn thing. I like the comic book comparison, in particular, because comic issues are known to dive off cliffs, after they've exhausted all good ideas, and MK seems to also be at that point - multiverses, time travel, reimagined characters, merged characters, the entire Pandora's box of bad ideas. Also nice to meet another fan of the Reiko = Shao theory.

@ark4in212

4 ай бұрын

@@CynicalWarlock The only joke is that even 10% of the mk's total potential has not disappeared. There's a lot more that can be done. What can I say if we don't really know anything about many characters, we don't know about a bunch of worlds, among which there are many interesting ones like Chaos and order. We still don't know who tako Shao Kahn is, although it would be possible to make a perfect plot with him, we don't know who Noob Saibot really is (there's no point in believing that this is Bi Han), we don't even know the names and what the other Elder Gods embody. Well, we don't even know the exact number of Elder Gods. There are 6 of them, then 7, then 8 in general. At the same time, they did not even reveal all the Gods, without using even the minimum potential of the Dark Raiden, they went to a level above these Gods and began to reveal the Titans, where, as a result, they were scored on, without really revealing what kind of creatures they were. But they created a bunch of plot holes. And what is more interesting, but the MK already has a multiverse, but a peculiar one, different from the typical multiverse in the form of Dc and Marvel, or to be more precise, this is realms, where again only 3 realms are revealed and then not to the end. How much wasted potential goes nowhere.

Oh God!! Can your videos get any better, u can literally discuss on any topic and it would make sense( don't take this too seriously and start talking about shit). I mean u can hardly get any of this about shao kahn from just playing the games so this video really delivered. Always wondered how many takes it took to talk how smoothly you do in your vids turns out a lot. Your videos are still hilarious (either that or I just have a demented sense of humor)

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

So exactly which brand of shit would you like to discuss? I'm kidding. And honestly, I just made drew some logical conclusions from the lore provided.. That or I'm delusional. "Always wondered how many takes it took to talk how smoothly you do in your vids turns out a lot." - Aaaah, or perhaps I deliberately recorded the blooper. The plot thickens.. Nah, the blooper was real. And it depends on the day, really, sometimes entire paragraphs are 1 take; other times, I get stuck saying one word 8 different ways and hating all of em.

Personally I believe that each of the male characters in mortal kombat embody different aspects of masculinity in general, it isn't every male character but it kind of feels like it, notably Liu kang the champion of earth realm and the god of fire in mk1 I feel like embodies the light side of masculinity whilst characters like sub zero, Jax, scorpion (after he turned good) have a different aspect of responsible masculinity whilst johnny cage and Kung Lao have a more ego like attitudes but are later humbled proving that people can change, going back to shao considering he is the pinnacle of toxic masculinity would mean he embodies the dark side of masculinity creating a sort of yin and yang type spectrum of light and dark.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

That's how I see it, as well. You can model this spectrum on plenty of opposing traits, like selflessness-selfishness, you can easily see where each character situates himself, based on such traits, and find that they have fairly consistent placements.

Yujiro Hanma would body Shao Khan in masculinity

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Never seen Baki the Grappler.

Gotcha have a goal and let nothing get in the way of the goal except family

@CynicalWarlock

24 күн бұрын

Hehe.. If it's your kid, yes. If it's your parents.. no.

Great video. When Mk1's trailer came. I thought Shao Kahn will be the main villain and becoming a bigger threat than the Deadly Alliance from Midway era... What if Shao Kahn come back to the life after Liu killed Shang in aftermath and gets his revenge with the sorcery skills to used the dragon's army and boycott the Liu's designed. Shao Kahn was the responsible of the events in MK Trilogy, he is the reason of the existence( The Elder Gods and the Tournaments). Without the Elder Gods, Shao Kahn could merged all the Realms and conquered all of them. Nrs killed the opportunity to bring the old mk back.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

You don't necessarily need to make him the big bad, as he did hold the spotlight for many games, but you could definitely have given him a beefier, more interesting role.

To reference another comment, you should do one on Hakumen.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

I'd have to get into BlazeBlue first.

What is shao really? I mean he isn’t a God, but yet rules over outworld , and we all know that the dragon king was the original ruler, however, has powered that rivals guy as he was able to overpower Raiden, Shang and Quan.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Shao's origin is an interesting topic. There is some hidden information, in Deception, that suggests Shao is of the same 'race' as Raiden and Lucifer (the original ruler of the Netherrealm). This is in line with each with each being's domains of influence: Lucifer's domain is the Netherrealm, Raiden is protector of Earthrealm, so it stands to reason that Shao is meant to govern Outworld. It's kinda funny that this same game introduces the Dragon King, who's, by all intents and purposes, a more 'natural' ruler of Outworld. And Deception came out way after the original lore was established, and by that time, Tobias had already left, so make of that what you will. Obviously, the most recent games can't decide what the fuck they want Shao to be. First he was an Outworlder that was either mutated or of a quasi-humanoid race, then he looked like he had a case of dragon rash on his skin, and now he looks like a dragon posing as a human. And Liu Kang might be decended from dragons, and everyone's a dragon.. they kinda watered down the race. In the Mortal Kombat: Conquest show I mentioned in the video, although never explicitly stated, he's Raiden's brother (they're both actually played by the same person), so that kind of cements the rivalry that these 2 characters always had. Personally, I prefer either the show version, or the original one, where Shao was just an Outworld human, much like Bo' Rai Cho, or Li Mei, who saw an opportunity to seize power and took it, ensnaring realm after realm, soul after soul, secret jutsu after secret jutsu, until he became a demi-god by sheer cunning and perseverence.

Yap session is wild💀💀💀

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Totally.

Don't go outside its scary

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

I knew it!

Good video

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Good comment.

@TristynGotGaming

4 ай бұрын

@@CynicalWarlock thank you good sir

Shao kahn, make outworld great again.

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

A Terran marine who likes Mortal Kombat. What are the odds?

So when we getting another one bruv?

@CynicalWarlock

2 ай бұрын

New video tomorrow. New video on masculinity, TBD.

What is the music in the background?

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

MK4 main menu music.

@MrSernyak

4 ай бұрын

@@CynicalWarlock thanks.

Idk about masculine men,i prefer masculine women

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Plenty to choose from, nowadays.

No, really, don't go outside, you wouldn't like it. Better to work on the next manly vid Or else!

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Thanks.. I think.

Shao Kahn is what dude bros think Elon musk is 😂

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

More like the Andrew Tate of MK.

No such thing as toxic masculinity. 🙂

@CynicalWarlock

4 ай бұрын

Clickbait.

Shang tsung is the most feminine guy in mk, fight me

@CynicalWarlock

2 ай бұрын

Damn, you stole my hot take. I totally agree - fundamentally, Shang is a cunning, deceitful 'energy drainer', whereas masculine men are staunch, straightforward 'energy givers'.

@Scrubermensch

2 ай бұрын

guess I'm much of a fan of the mk mythos as you are :D

@CynicalWarlock

2 ай бұрын

@@Scrubermensch Seems like we watched the same movies, too.

I prefer test💉😈

@CynicalWarlock

27 күн бұрын

My man.💪