Fans ofMortal Kombatpraise not just the franchise’s take on its brutally-gory Fatalities, but also its extensive cast of characters. Joining the likes of Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Scorpion, and Sub-Zero is Kitana, Princess of Edenia and one of Earthrealm’s most devoted protectors.
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Despite her extradimensional origins, the Edenian Kitana has consistently joined the side of good throughout the series. However, beyond her signature blue suit and bladed fans lies a fierce and noble character. Interestingly, what other things about Kitana shouldMortal Kombatfans remember?
Updated June 16, 2025 by Patrick Mocella:Making her debut inMortal Kombat2,Kitanahas remained a mainstay of the entire franchise from movies to television shows to comic books to video games. Whenever she is missing from a story of Mortal Kombat, a noticeable hole in the series' narrative is missing. Without the “daughter” of Shao Kahn around, Outworld is a darker place as nobody is there to rise up against the emperor from within the realm. Although many new female fighters have come since then, Kitana remains to many the female face of the fighting juggernaut. Throughout all her appearances, there are plenty of details that fans may have missed. Long may the Princess of Edenia reign.
14An Infinitely Powerful Fighter In Mortal Kombat 2
Nowadays, it’s rare for an infinite combo to last very long in a fighting game as they tend to be patched out. However, infinite combos themselves aren’t anything new as even in the old arcade days of the 1990s, infinite combos existed and Kitana had one of the most notorious inMortal Kombat 2.
Thanks to her Fan Lift and Fan Toss special moves, she is able to keep foes in the air longer than most fighters in the game. There are several videos of people exploiting that to create 100% damage combos. With literally one opening, a Kitana player can ruin your day in this arcade classic.
13She Is Playable In Mortal Kombat 4
In the 16 bit to 64 bit days of console gaming, it was always a bit of a gamble to which playable characters you were going to get in Mortal Kombat ports. Sometimes there were console exclusives thanks to differing technical capabilities and other times there were characters locked away via Gameshark codes. This is the case with Kitana inMortal Kombat 4.
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While she is playable on the N64 version of the game, she looks noticeably different wearing a black outfit rather than her traditional blue color scheme. As well, her fatalities are copies of ones already used by other characters and she has only two special moves. Interestingly, the reason why she is playable on the N64 version and not the PS1 release is that since there are no FMVs in the N64 release, they had to produce the arcade endings in-engine, prompting them to create a 3D model for Kitana that would become playable.
12Her Rivalry With Mileena Is Incredibly One-Sided
Since their debuts inMortal Kombat 2, Mileena and Kitana have had one of the most iconic rivalries in MK history. Mileena’s jealousy and hatred for her “sister” has fueled many of her villainous plots, and while it happens often in Mortal Kombat lore that villains prosper at some point, this hasn’t happened for Mileena.
In every single canon fight these two have had, Kitana has gotten the upper hand on her clone. Mileena has gotten victories in non-canon encounters like Mileena’s endingMortal Kombat Gold, but in their canon encounters ofMortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat Gold,andMortal Kombat (2011),Kitana has come out on top every single time. No wonder Mileena is called “The Mad Empress”.
11There Is A Universe Where Kung Lao & Kitana Were Together
LongtimeMortal Kombatfans may be aware of the utterly bizarre Malibu Comics universe of MK. The short-lived comic series features a ton of changes from the canon of the games and a notable one is thatKitana and Liu Kang have no such romance in this universe. Instead, Liu Kang’s best friend and fellow Shaolin Monk Kung Lao is the one who is romantically entangled with the Edenian princess.
While the comic series didn’t last long enough to truly show much development in their relationship, it is interesting to see this development, as main universe Lao would likely laugh hysterically at the idea of him getting with Kang’s girl.
10Always A Princess, Always Good
Fans of Kitana got to play her character for the first time inMortal Kombat 2. However, John Tobias already planned for her inclusion in the originalMKgame as a non-playable character. According to Tobias, he conceptualized a herald-type character who wielded a fan that served as the daughter of Shang Lao (Shang Tsung’s first concept), and was a “victor’s spoil” for Mortal Kombat’s champion.
In Kitsune’s original story, she eventually betrays Shang Lao when she falls for Liu Kang. Interestingly, while Kitana today has a vastly-different character design, her backstory remains intact. This time,Kitana served as the daughter of Shao Kahn, but she will also betray him as well.
9Name Isn’t By Chance
Players who hear Kitana’s name for the first time might think of “Katana” (the Japanese sword) as its inspiration. Interestingly, players who think this are half-correct. According to John Tobias, Kitana’s name have come from a combination of “Katana” the weapon and “Kitsune,” as in the same Princess Kitsune character he created for the originalMortal Kombatgame.
Interestingly, when Tobias pitched “Kitsune” as the name for Kitana, the team rejected it for its cultural implications. After all, given that Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn’s name had Chinese origins, the Japanese “Kitsune” might not fit. When Tobias suggested “Kitana,” the name seemed to have an ambiguous East Asian ring to it that the developers accepted it.
8Fatalities Served As Homages
As with other characters, Kitana’s signature Fatalities served as homages to pieces of media that theMortal Kombatteam loved at the time. For instance, Kitana’s iconic “Kiss of Death” Fatality got its inspiration from theLive and Let Diefilmin the James Bond franchise.
Likewise, herUltimate Mortal Kombat 3Animality involves Kitana transforming into a rabbit that kills her opponent. Film buffs will recognize this as a reference toMonty Python and the Holy Grail, where a small killer rabbit also becomes a memorable minor character.
7Female Ninja Icons
When Kitana and Mileena arrived in the franchise, fans could easily recognize their similar costumes, separate allegiances, and apparent rivalries. However, series co-creator Ed Boon revealed this move served as their way of presenting female equivalents to the hit rivalry of Sub-Zero and Scorpion. Of course, while Mileena served as an integral part of Kitana’s character, only the latter seemed to have an “iconic” status comparable to the likes of the ice ninja Sub-Zero, fieryspecter Scorpion, and even the Chosen One Liu Kang.
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Given their status as “icons,” it makes sense for Kitana to serve as a “basis” for some other notable female characters in the franchise. For instance, her trusted confidant Jade also served as Shao Kahn’s agent with a staff specialization. Meanwhile, Reptile’s female counterpart Khameleon also wore the same ninja outfit, this time with invisibility. Tanya, the scheming daughter of an Edenian ambassador, also wore the same ninja outfit but only yellow. Lastly, blood-themed Skarlet will eventually make a debut with the similar outfit.
6Mortal Kombat’s Angels
Players of classic games would notice that, prior toMortal Kombat Gold, the characters of Kitana, Mileena, and Jade had identical costumes that only shared palette swaps.These swimsuit designs gave all three characters a common ninja theme, where only their colors and weapons differed. As such, Kitana wielded her bladed fans while Mileena and Jade had their signature sai and staff, respectively.
Interestingly, this “OG Trio” also formed a homage toCharlie’s Angels. InMortal Kombat 11, a non-canonical ending for Kitana involves her teaming up with Mileena and Jade. Amazingly enough, the ninja motif they share also fit theAngels, all three of which served as super-spies.
5Kitana And Sonya Rivalry
Kitana serves as one of the franchise’s most recognizable characters. However, while the story consistently had Kitana form a rivalry with Mileena, Kitana may have a rivalrywith Sonya Bladein terms of being an “icon.” After all, Sonya serves as the first female character in the originalMKroster, and even shared similar movesets in the early games.
However, Kitana and Sonya have interesting contrasts with each other. For instance, Kitana has a moveset that relies heavily on graceful strikes and quick slices with her bladed fans. Meanwhile, Sonya’s training with the military gave her a more straightforward moveset alongside the usage of military-grade gadgets to even the odds with her superpowered foes.
