Kitana

Kitana is a character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series who made her debut in Mortal Kombat II.

Original Timeline
Kitana's first appearance was in the second Mortal Kombat tournament. She was introduced as Shao Kahn's daughter and personal assassin. Her true feelings and alignment were a mystery, though they were revealed to the Earthrealm warriors during the tournament. She was not really the daughter of Shao Kahn, but in fact his stepdaughter; she was adopted by Kahn, as an infant, to strengthen his claims to the Edenian throne after he killed its king, Jerrod, and married Jerrod's wife, Queen Sindel, who were Kitana's parents. Suspecting she would someday learn the truth, however, Kahn instructed Shang Tsung to create a twin for Kitana; the monstrous Mileena, who was actually a grotesque and evil clone of Kitana.

Kitana grew up dutifully loyal to Shao Kahn, whom she believed was her real father. She grew up to be one of Shao Kahn's personal assassins, alongside her good friend Jade and her evil "sister" Mileena. Upon learning the truth about her past, she continued to feign loyalty to Kahn whilst she planned and waited for the right time to turn against him openly.

Kitana's chance finally came during Mortal Kombat II, when Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung lured Earth's heroes into Outworld. Kitana entered the tournament, but secretly began to contact one of Earth's heroes (most likely Liu Kang) trying to help them defeat Kahn. However, Kitana's efforts were discovered by her clone Mileena. Mileena attacked her traitorous "sister," forcing Kitana to defend herself. She defeated and killed Mileena, and in so doing revealed that she was no longer loyal to Shao Kahn.

The Earthrealm warriors escaped from Outworld, but Kitana was imprisoned and sentenced to death for killing Mileena. However, after Sindel's resurrection and Shao Kahn's subsequent invasion of Earthrealm, she managed to escape and rejoin her friends from Earth. Her only purpose was to save the resurrected Sindel and remove the evil taint in her soul.

Kitana also had to contend with her friend Jade, who was sent by Kahn to capture her. Kitana managed to convince her to turn against Kahn and join the forces of good. Jade then helped the Princess defeat Reptile, another assassin sent by Kahn to capture Kitana. Eventually, Kitana reached through to her mother and freed her from Kahn's grasp. Shao Kahn's reign over Earthrealm was short-lived, as he and his elite forces were ultimately defeated. In the wake of these events, Kitana and Sindel freed Edenia as well. Before leaving Earthrealm, Kitana thanked Liu Kang for all he had done.

Earthrealm had barely recovered from its violent merger with Outworld, however, as a new threat presented itself in the form of Shinnok. He and his grand vizier Quan Chi invaded Edenia from the forbidden Netherrealm and imprisoned its legitimate rulers.

No novice to escaping from prisons, Kitana broke loose once more, only to encounter a resurrected Mileena now in the service of Shinnok. She defeated Mileena in battle before locking her in a jail cell in the prisons of the Edenian Palace. The forces of darkness were soon defeated by Raiden and his comrades, and Edenia was free once more. It is after these events that Kitana finally proposed to Liu Kang and offered to rule Edenia together as King and Queen. Liu Kang reluctantly denied her offer, saying his place was as Champion of Earth.

After Shinnok's defeat, Kitana learned that Shao Kahn had survived his defeat in Earthrealm and was trying to regain his strength in Outworld. Realizing the vulnerable position of her realm, however, Kitana hastily formed an alliance with the Shokan, a powerful and ancient race that had fallen in disgrace with the weakened Emperor. Having mediated a peace accord between the two mortal enemies of Shokan and Centaur after Shinnok's defeat, Kitana and her forces prepared for battle.

The combined armies, led by Prince Goro and Kitana herself, marched against Outworld's armies a few years later, with much initial success. However, in the decisive moments, Goro was mortally wounded by the mysterious Noob Saibot, ending the battle with a draw.

Shortly thereafter, Kitana learned that Shao Kahn had been slain by unknown assassins. Thinking her fight was finally over, Kitana began to journey back to Edenia, hoping she could finally live in peace. However, she then encountered her old ally Kung Lao and he told her of a new threat: the "Deadly Alliance" of Quan Chi and Shang Tsung. Kung Lao told Kitana of the Deadly Alliance's plans to revive the Undead Army of the legendary Dragon King and how they had already managed to kill Shao Kahn and Liu Kang, These news not only left Kitana devastated, but also heartbroken.

Despite Kitana's grief upon learning of Liu Kang's death at the hands of the Deadly Alliance, she joined with her old Earthrealm allies against the new threat. Unfortunately, the Deadly Alliance was victorious, defeating the heroes with Kitana herself (despite her new and improved skills gained from training with Bo' Rai Cho) killed in a one on one battle with Quan Chi. However, shortly after, Kitana and her allies were resurrected by Onaga, the legendary Dragon King himself. Onaga then put a powerful spell on them, turning them into his loyal servants. Now loyal to the Dragon King, Kitana assisted in Onaga's invasion of her own realm of Edenia.

Onaga used Kitana to imprison her mother Sindel, knowing the queen would not fight her daughter. However, Sindel was freed by Jade, and together they fled to Outworld where they attempted to find a way to defeat Onaga and free Kitana from his evil influence. Unknown to Kitana, Liu Kang's spirit returned from beyond death and had found himself a new ally and friend Ermac, and the two as well embarked on a mission to save their allies.

True to Ermac's Deception ending, which shows him and Liu Kang's spirit being successful in rescuing the slaved Earthrealm warriors, Kitana is released from Onaga's control. At that time, while she made her way back to Edenia, she encountered Blaze, who told her of a coming new danger that will threaten all the realms and that she must gather her forces to face it. Weary of constant battle, Kitana felt disheartened, wondering if the fighting would ever end. However, Blaze assured her that the wars would soon be over. Following this warning, Kitana returns in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, fighting alongside Edenia. She was killed during the final battle.

Alternative Timeline
Kitana serves alongside her bodyguard, Jade, as one of Shao Kahn's most trusted assassins during the Mortal Kombat tournament. After initially watching the tournament unfold at Shang Tsung's side and after a failed attempt at stopping Sonya Blade from prematurely leaving the tournament, she later attempted a surprise attack on Liu Kang before the young monk could reach the tournament finals. Defeated by him, she begged that he take her life for her failure, but Liu Kang refused to do so in hopes that they would meet under different circumstances. After Shang Tsung's defeat, Kitana gazes at Liu Kang from the distance in a fond manner before returning to Outworld.

After Shang Tsung invites Raiden and his allies to the second Mortal Kombat tournament in Outworld, Kitana is sent by Shao Kahn to hunt down the Lin Kuei warriors who trespassed into his realm. She confronts Smoke in the Wastelands, but is defeated by the ninja. Whilst fighting in Kahn's tournament, she defeats a Shaolin Monk from Earthrealm, who pleads with her to kill him for his failure. Remembering her conversation with Liu Kang, Kitana hesitates, despite Shao Kahn's orders to kill him. Kahn himself murders the warrior, before Sub-Zero demands from him a battle with Scorpion. This bold request (the fact that the Lin Kuei disturbs the tournament by brazenly appearing and taking away Sub-Zero in exchange for the Lin Kuei's loyalty) results in Kitana being reprimanded by the Emperor for her failing to successfully hunt down the Lin Kuei, and it also results in her being scolded by Jade.

After Jade leaves her to collect her thoughts, Kitana is approached by Raiden and his warriors. Alone, she overpowers and defeats both Smoke and Johnny Cage, but is stopped from delivering a killing blow by Raiden who speaks to her in regards to her conscience, noting that both he and Liu Kang can sense that she is at conflict with herself. He encourages Kitana to seek the truth by going to Shang Tsung's Flesh Pits, a place where she is forbidden by the Emperor to go to. As Kitana makes her way through the Living Forest towards the Flesh Pits, Jade reveals herself and pleads to Kitana to turn back by order of the Emperor. Kitana refuses, and knocks her friend unconscious before she proceeds onwards.

Within the Flesh Pits, Kitana finds the newly created body of Mileena, who awakens and greets her "Sister". Startled, Kitana calls her a monstrosity and they fight, with Kitana emerging the victor. She then proceeds to attack Shang Tsung and defeats him as well before dragging him before Shao Kahn and informing him of Mileena's creation. To her shock, however, Shao Kahn congratulates Shang Tsung, apparently aware of Shang Tsung's experiments. He bluntly informs Kitana of her true father's death at his hands and of her former realm which he had taken as his own, before having her escorted away to be executed. Shao Kahn then demands his "true daughter", Mileena, to be brought before him.

Though Jade is successful in reaching her in Shao Kahn's Tower, Kitana urges her friend to go to Raiden for his aid before she too is also captured. Upon hearing of her situation, Kung Lao and Liu Kang attempt to rescue her, however she had since been relocated to the Coliseum where she was to be executed publicly. Liu Kang frees her from her shackles just moments after Shao Kahn murders Kung Lao, before avenging Kung Lao's death and defeating Shao Kahn. It is after this event that both Kitana and Jade join forces with Raiden and his allies.

After Quan Chi successfully manages to restore Shao Kahn back to health, he also revives Kitana's mother, Queen Sindel, which results in the magical ward her suicide created to protect Earthrealm dissolving. After Motaro is killed by Raiden, the bewitched Sindel offers to finish his job and go after the Earthrealm warriors. Imbued with Shang Tsung's power, Sindel confronts her daughter and her allies just moments after a battle with the Lin Kuei. She quickly defeats and kills most of Kitana's new friends before her eyes, before brutally attacking her daughter. Defeated, Kitana pleads with her mother to remember her rule in Edenia before Shao Kahn's invasion. Sindel refutes her comments however, claiming Kitana is no longer her daughter after turning on the Emperor and embracing a pathetic cause. She attempts to drain the life out of Kitana before being interrupted and challenged by Nightwolf.

After sacrificing himself to defeat the Queen, both Nightwolf and Sindel's bodies dissolve as Raiden and Liu Kang return to their comrades. In her last few moments alive, Kitana agrees with Liu Kang that she wishes they had met under different circumstances. She dies whilst holding his hand, which results in Liu Kang rebelling against Raiden. Desperate, Raiden begs Quan Chi in the Netherrealm to assist him in fighting Shao Kahn, offering not only his own soul but the souls of all fallen during the invasion to the Sorcerer in exchange for his services. Quan Chi laughs, revealing that the souls of all the fallen already belong to him. Kitana's soul, now bound to Quan Chi, is one of the warriors the sorcerer orders to attack the Thunder God. She remarks that Raiden has sealed their fate to this place before attacking him with Nightwolf and Kung Lao. She is defeated along with the others.