Shang Tsung.

In the first MK, Shang Tsung has a sword, but he doesn't use it. Initially, it was planned that Shang Tsung should have a finishing move in which he cuts off the enemy's head. It was for this that the sprites of the flying head of the characters were created. In the official press release for the first Midway MK, an unnecessary hyphen was inserted into Shang Tsung's name, making his name appear as "Shang-Tsung".[13] According to former Mortal Kombat series artist John Tobias, Shang Tsung's name during production was Shang Lao.[14] According to GamePro magazine, Shang Tsung in MKII looked the same as he did when he was 19 years old. The MKII article in the same magazine featured a sketch of Shang Tsung's true form, an ugly demon. No confirmation has ever been received as to whether this is his canonical appearance. In the home versions of MKII on the Sega Saturn and Sega 32X, Shang Tsung has a different victory stance, in which he laughs. This animation is used in the arcade version during the credits when the names of the actors who played the characters are revealed. In the first MK there is an unused animation of the victory stance with Shang Tsung laughing. In MK3, Shang Tsung was supposed to have long flowing hair, but this could have caused problems when filming sprites. Therefore, it was decided to tie Shang Tsung's hair into a ponytail. In the first game, MK Shang Tsung flies above the floor, as do his Shadow Priests. This makes him completely immune to Sub-Zero's sweeps and tackles. In MKDA, MKD, MKA, Shang Tsung cannot transform into other characters during the game, due to the fact that it required too much data loading. Although in the story, he did not lose this ability, as follows from the intros of MKDA and MKA. Shang Tsung could transform into other characters in the Game Boy Advance port of MKDA, since the game used 2D sprites, not 3D models. Oddly enough, he could not transform into Reptile in this game. Shang Tsung, in his MKII appearance, can be seen on the balcony of the Dead Pool stage in MKD.

Transformation: Shang Tsung can temporarily transform into another character, gaining access to all of their special moves and finishing moves. In the first game, Shang Tsung could transform from one character to another without reverting to his original form. He could also transform into the game's sub-boss Goro, and could remain in another form for as long as he wanted. In the second game, he can only transform into playable characters, although he does have a finishing move where he transforms into Kintaro. In some versions of MK and MKII, Shang Tsung can only transform into his opponent to reduce loading times. In MK3 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Shang Tsung can also only transform into regular playable characters. In Mortal Kombat Trilogy for Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and PC, he can transform into absolutely all fighters, even bosses. To reduce loading times between matches and during a match, the game's options feature a setting that allows the player to choose whether Shang Tsung can transform into all opponents or just the one he is fighting. This is also why, in MKT, Shang Tsung never appears as an opponent in the arcade pole. In MKDA, MKD, and MKA, Shang Tsung lacks the ability to transform into opponents, as it would require increased data loading times. Only in the Game Boy Advance version of MKDA can Shang Tsung transform into other fighters. In Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Shang Tsung can freely transform into multiple fighters during the fight with him. In MKvsDC, Shang Tsung only transforms into an opponent during the finishing move and after defeating an opponent. In MK (2011), Shang Tsung can only transform into an enemy after using the Soul Drain move, which allows him to deal increased damage. His boss version, which the player fights in the arcade pole, can transform into three characters during combat - a copy of the one Tsung is fighting, as well as two random characters. In MK11, Shang Tsung uses the Soul Trap move and transforms into the enemy, with the transformation power up

Shang Tsung is one of the most powerful characters in the Mortal Kombat universe. He was cursed, presumably by the Elder Gods, for his evil deeds. The curse accelerates Shang Tsung's aging, and if he does not regularly absorb the souls of other people, he will quickly age and die. Therefore, one of Shang Tsung's main tasks is to find an endless source of souls that he could use to maintain his youth forever. The ability to absorb other people's souls has two interesting side effects, both of which Shang Tsung did not fail to use in his plans. The first effect is the ability to take the form of those whose souls he took, completely copying their abilities. The second effect is that along with the souls, Shang Tsung also receives all the knowledge of his victims. Thus, this curse makes Shang Tsung stronger and smarter than his enemies. Although in order to transform into another person, Shang Tsung does not necessarily have to take their entire soul, it is enough to absorb only a small part of it.

In addition to the ability to manipulate souls and transform, Shang Tsung can also control the forces of fire. During combat, he can release fireballs from his hands, as well as summon them from the ground or from the air. With enough energy, Shang Tsung can create more complex fire constructs. For example, in the battle with Raiden in the prologue to Mortal Kombat: Deception, he created a giant fire cobra. Shang Tsung can also teleport and is one of the few characters in the series who can open portals to other worlds. In addition to his magical abilities, Shang Tsung is a skilled warrior - he became the champion of the Mortal Kombat tournament several times in a row until he was defeated by the Shaolin monk Great Kung Lao. Thanks to the ability to absorb souls, Shang Tsung has access to all the talents of his defeated enemies, including their knowledge of hand-to-hand martial arts, which makes him an even more dangerous opponent in a duel.

Very little is known about Shang Tsung's past. It is only known for sure that he is from Earth, but how exactly he came to serve Shao Kahn is unknown. According to some rumors, he was a student of a great master and secretly studied the art of black magic, including the enslavement of souls. Then he killed his master and took his soul, and the Elder Gods cursed him for this. According to other rumors, Shao Kahn himself taught Shang Tsung the art of taking souls. And according to others, Shang Tsung was cursed for cheating in the Mortal Kombat tournament. But all of these are just rumors and no exact information exists.

One of Shang Tsung's tasks in Shao Kahn's service was to create a clone of the Emperor's adopted daughter, Princess Kitana. Shao Kahn was never sure that Kitana would remain loyal to him and not learn the truth about her origins, so he ordered Tsung to create her double. Shang Tsung used Kitana's blood and Tarkatan blood, hoping to make the clone more obedient to the Emperor, but something went wrong and the clone, named Mileena, received an ugly Tarkatan face. Shao Kahn left the clone alive, making her one of his personal assassins. Mileena was introduced to Kitana as a sister and she was supposed to keep an eye on what the princess was doing. Later, Shang Tsung was sent to fight for Outworld in the Mortal Kombat tournament. Shang Tsung won several victories in a row, but his unbeaten streak was interrupted by a monk from the Shaolin order - the Great Kung Lao. Shang Tsung was forced to return to Outworld in disgrace. After some time, he returned to the tournament with a new ally - Prince Goro of the Shokan race. Goro was able to defeat the Great Kung Lao, and Shang Tsung took his soul, at the same time learning the location of the map leading to the temple where Shinnok's amulet was kept. A little later, Shang Tsung came up with a plan that would allow Shao Kahn to surely capture the Earthrealm. To do this, it was necessary for Sindel's soul to be revived on Earth.

Shang Tsung is a powerful sorcerer native to Earthrealm who works for the Outworld emperor Shao Kahn. In the first three games in the series, he was essentially the emperor's "right hand", and later formed the Deadly Alliance with Quan Chi, which nearly took over all of Outworld. Shang Tsung died when Raiden sacrificed himself to destroy Onaga, but was later resurrected by Shao Kahn to help him reclaim Outworld. In the new timeline, Shang Tsung is also Shao Kahn's top lieutenant, up until the invasion of Earthrealm. After Motaro's death at the hands of Raiden, Shao Kahn takes Shang Tsung's soul, killing the sorcerer in order to empower Sindel and destroy all of Earthrealm's warriors in one blow. Shang Tsung's distinguishing features include his ability to transform into other fighters and his ability to take the souls of other people.